bigbill

The rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH crank caught my PB 10lber.

One pass thru the hook eye, one loose loop. Now the hook eye swivels and wears the line in the eye area. There's no clinch.

I mainly use bomber model A and fat A cranks. The bomber square bills but there's a shallow A that runs like the square bills do. These bombers are in the original nutin fancy colors.

Mike offers some good quality baits.

BPS XPS Topnocker. Number 1. Discontinued. Rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH crankbaits. Smaller ones in shallow rivers larger ones in lakes.

Big Baits====Big Bass. Throw a combination of sizes. Stay trying them. The bass will let you know when you get it right it's all in the presentation. Change colors too. I had great northern pike and muskie lures painted in bass bait colors. Clarks custom lures did an awesome job. Terry is a wizard. I explained what weird pink fish I saw and he painted them exactly.

I been fishing since I was 6yo. I'm 64yo now. I never have a fish try to bite me until recently. My older brother warned me a long time ago. I caught a very aggressive chain pickerel. He swallowed my crankbaits. While trying the remove my crankbait he tried to snap at me many times he never gave up his jaws were snapping shut on me. I finally used my larger surgical pliers and removed my crankbait. I never seen this before in my like. I just want to put a warning out there for dad's to watch there little children. For the older kids to be careful. Be safe, god bless, bigbill

Sorry for another post but need to add more stuff don't want to mid it all up. 1.Summertime heat go deep with plastics during the day. 2. Dusk early evenings cranks, topwater, props, spinnerbaits, spinners. 3.Twilight early mornings, same as number 2. As it becomes lighter number 1. Don't let the weeds stop you there are plenty of weedless lures that work. You need to just slow your speed down. Don't be in a rush to fish. I find myself reeling way to fast for no results. I know the fish are there I just need to slow the speed down. Move your spinnerbaits and inline spinners just fast enough so the blades just spin evenly. Slow and steady. Same with your crankbaits too. Presentation is the number one key factor. We need to adjust our Presentation to the fishes mood speed is the key. The speed also matters to the gin clear water conditions where faster is the key but you know that already. Lazy days of summer = slow with blade baits n cranks. Very, very slow with plastics. Don't give up its a challenge for you to figure it out.

It's not over unless you give up or say it's over. Time to change tactics. Fish plastics more, fish plastics slower. To me it's a challenge. Where like a baseball pitcher it's no longer the fast ball it's just not working time for a curve ball or slider. Change to different baits, different colors till one works. Record the date, time, weather in your log book. Go early mornings when the place is quiet. It's not luck it's skill that puts the bass on your hook.

I had the old timers say fish the post spawn, till late June. Then go river fishing for bass till it's cooled down for the fall bite. True or false? I haven't done completely yet but the river bite has been hot with rebel crawfish crankbaits the smaller ones and the panther Martin and joesfly spinflys. Now if you not fishing just before the rain hits and during the rain your missing the best feeding frenzy. I throw the joesfly 1/4oz bass size in firetiger apache. A shot of scent and let it fly. I have also learned to switch baits as the weather heats up. Try a weighted 2" yellow grub. Switch grub colors too. I drop the grub into the open weed pockets. A mepps timber doodle works good too it's weedless. I also use a senkos and brushogs on a c rig. The Mann's dragunfly on a split shot rig was good for dropping it in the weeds too bring them up slow like there hatching. Don't forget the plastic mouse around structure.

Ok why the bass turn on. The basses eyes adjust to the changing light conditions faster then the baitfish eyes do. At this time the baitfish are easy prey. This happens in the early morning at pre dawn dusk and at the early evening at dusk pre darkness. At 12pm the sunlite let's the plants give off plankton which the baitfish feed on. At this time there easy prey for the bass again. This is what causes the 12 o'clock lunch time midday bite. Don't forget to factor in the water and light conditions too. The hues in the water can also affect what colors the bass can see at that time. I'd go more but my one finger is sore and I won't bore you anymore.

Early mornings, Up at 3:30am on the shore by 4am. In the dark the bigger bass are at the shoreline ambushing anything that they can. Stealth is the key as to not to spook them. Be as quiet as the area is. No noises at all like your not there. I find the bass are bigger in the morning. As the sky starts to light they get ready to start moving from the shoreline to there deeper haunts. I start off with floating baits and shallow running baits. As it gets lighter I go deeper c rigs, inline spinners, spinnerbaits. Follow the bass out. Evenings, They turn on around dusk. Crankbaits, spooks, propbaits, inline spinners. About 9 to 10pm when the place settles down they feed again. Sometimes sooner or sometimes later they will feed again. It's knowing about the area where your fishing with the depths and structures. They we know how to fish it. Be stealthy, do not step on rocks or roots sticking out of the ground near the waters edge. This sends vibrations or harmonics into the water. It's the basses alarm system. Walk softly, handle your tackle quietly. I use a spinning reel and close the bails by hand quietly no click. Stealthy, quietly, your not there. It's not luck it's skill. I believe the bass are within 2' from shore feeding on freshwater eels. My pb 10lbs was caught two feet from shore when I casted parallel to the shoreline. I'm in ct and seeing bigger bass. I believe every state has big bass there smart. All these bass frys aren't coming from the smaller bass. It matters how we target them. I use a hummingbird portable cast out fish finder because there are no topography maps for the smaller places I fish. It shows me the flats, deeper areas, transition points. The weeds if there shallow or deep. Then I know what depth to fish it. I fish swamps with stumps from shore too there loaded with bass. I never pass up a small body of water.

Don't throw split shots at me now. I been using a 6' Berkly cherrywood for my plastics/c-rigs. Every time I switch to a higher $$ rod I switch back. Even my new $100 rods I hate them. The newer mouse traps ain't working for me.

Excalibur Silver Thread copolymer. Been using it for two decades now.

Above ^^^^^^ the line dug into the line on the spool. Pull the line off and wrap it tighter. I use a telephone book I run it through so it's the correct tention on the spool. If it's not enough tention I put books on top of the telephone book.

Eat the bluegill or feed your garden. One of the older guys I meet fishing makes fish cakes. Don't take bass let them grow.

Sorry I'm late. Spinnerbaits, hot chartruese, Colorado gold blades, YUM scent. Mister twister 4" split double tail grub trailer in chartruese.

I purchased my son's the Swiss army ponchos.

Remember to retie your knots often. Retie your knot after every big bass. 3 1/2lbs up. Change your locking snap swivels if you use them. Feel your last 12' of line for abrasions. Trim off till good smooth line appears. Live by these rules, no more lost fish.

I feel your pain for sure I have lost possibly new state records a few times now. My p b 10lbs. These were bigger.

After doing a lot of night fishing I believe the bass are close to the shoreline in the dark eating eels. I shine a light at the waters edge it's loaded with eels. So this is why the 6" black plastic worm has been the number one bass bait for many decades. In the beginning of plastic worms we had natural or black at first. The purple then the red soon followed. (Creme worms) my uncle and cousin who received field and stream and outdoor life every month back then learned about the split shot rig. I learned it from them. There was no internet.

My local mom and pop tackle shop had my favorite creme black straight 6" worms all marked down in the clearance section. There brand new still.

I carry up to five rod setups or more for shore fishing. 1. Med/hd 7' spinning rod 14# line topwater baits. 2. Med 6'6" spinning rod 12# test spinnerbaits/inlines, deeper cranks 3. Med 6'6" spinning rod 17# rest c rigs, senkos/brushogs/split shot rig. 4. Med 6' spinning rod 8# test for shallow cranks and med size blade baits. 5. Lt action 5'6" spin rod 6# test small baits. 6. Med 6'6" baitcaster rod 12# test for jigs. I shop for sales, clearances, closeouts. On reels n rods.

I been using a split shot rig for 6" creme black worms now for over 40+ years now. I think it's still the number 1 producer.

Having the correct color for your area, adding a rattle and a shot of scent does increase your chances too. I like to use a trailer and a trailer hook too.