Team9nine

Just need to mail it to them with a check 8-) Here's the details... http://www.igfa.org/ScaleCertificationInfo.pdf -T9

Will never happen, but would be very cool. While we're at it, how about making line manufacturers state their actual breaking strength on the package? Don't claim to have the strongest mono on the planet when all you're doing is sticking 17# line in a 10# box ;D -T9

What George (and a few others) & Paul said: Chatillon or Boga; Both certifiable by the IGFA and accurate as hell. I use a certified Chatillon myself. Most probably don't want or need this level of accuracy though. -T9

Oh, the tangent I could go off on ;D 8-) : 8-) ;DOptimal Foraging Theory (OFT) - Say no more! Big Bass Aren't Lazy, They're Efficient That leads us into our couch potato theory on bass and one of the biggest misconceptions that you'll frequently read. What the authors are really referring to in all this talk is what scientists call "Optimal Foraging Theory" or OFT. Unfortunately, most bass anglers and writers screw it all up. OFT does not mean 'eat the biggest thing you can find' and pass on the rest. Nor does it mean sit on your butt and wait for a big meal to swim into your mouth. It is balancing the energy output against the energy gained by consuming something. A few of the core principles with OFT. 1-As the prey size increases relative to a given predator size, capture success decreases. 2-As prey size increases relative to a given predator size, handling time increases. 3-Finally, as prey size increases relative to predator size, profitability increases up to a point. After reaching an ideal point it decreases with further increase in prey size. This is what a bass has to deal with in the environment in which it lives. Bigger isn't always better, as much time can be wasted trying to chase down and eat a prey item that is larger than optimal. This is why a big bass angler in California can get away with throwing a 10" trout lure while a big bass angler in Texas can't do so as easily. It doesn't preclude being able to throw giant things, it just states that you might not be as successful. And even California bass have their limit. I've been hanging out over at Rob Belloni's great website Calfishing reading through the forum archives. Tons of great info in there and Rob has a great sense of "down to earth" approaches and keeping things simple. Back on point, even Rob has stated that he keeps and throws a 16" bait at times but has yet to get bit on it. So even California giants have their limits. As you read more about Optimal Foraging Theory you'll find that things in the big bass world make a whole lot more sense. And the science and research will support it. Another component of OFT states that as forage density increases, diet specialization starts occurring. Bass can afford to be more picky when more food is readily available to them. So a big bass doesn't have to take chances on a big bait when lots of acceptable sized food is available to him. Why try and chase down one giant shiner when you can easily consume 3 mid-sized crawdads with less effort (just an example). Habitat makes a big difference and OFT can be used to explain feeding preferences among bass. There is a cool study that detailed this behavior with smallmouth bass and crayfish foraging. In this study, when crayfish were located on sand bottoms smallmouth bass ate all the smallest craws first. The larger the crawdad, the longer it took for the bass to eventually eat it because it would exhaust the population of smaller sized craws that were the easiest to consume (less handling time) first. However, on gravel/cobble bottoms, small crayfish were avoided and mid-sized crays were preferentially chosen because it took too long to try and root out and consume smaller craws that could hide and escape predation more easily in the spaces between the rocks. Larger craws couldn't hide as well and subsequently, smallmouth bass would target and eat them first. OFT also covers "Patch Use." As I stated, a bass isn't lazy but it is efficient. OFT details and explains why some fish are home bodies and some have to roam more. A big bass wants to use as little energy as possible consuming prey. John Hope detailed in his book/studies Tracking Trophies how giant Texas bass would have a very predefined and definite hunting ground where it regularly searched for food. Big bass usually wouldn't cross over into other bass' territory. As long as all it's food and energy requirements can be met, there is no need for a bass to leave an area. Some times this can be a very small area. Other times a fish either eventually has to abandon it's home range area or increase it's search area for food to meet its dietary requirements. Again, this was also documented well with smallmouth bass, too. The April 1997 issue of In-Fisherman has an article entitled "Homing On Big Smallmouth." It details the tracking research of Dr. Mark Ridgway and Barry Corbett, basically coming to the similar conclusion that smallmouth will stay in an area and hardly move if there is plenty of forage available to them. In less fertile areas, smallmouth have to find several different feeding areas and "make the rounds" as necessary in order to obtain enough suitable forage. So the next time you read an article about bass and their feeding habits, keep all this information in the back of your mind. And if the author starts talking about Big Macs, sirloin steaks and thinking like a big ole' lazy bass, you better run fast! -T9

Why fight it? Put the darn thing darn and throw something more appropriate and productive until the weeds thin again. But if you really want to keep messin' with it, get you some lightweight (1/8-oz or less) swimming style jigs with a big trailer and fish them over mats more like a frog than a jig, and on the same heavy gear as you would a frog. Bass don't know the difference and will blow through the grass after it the same. -T9

There are definitely differences between brands of fluorocarbons, but in general all true (100%) fluorocarbons by nature will be stiffer than the mono you're used to throwing. Just something you have to get used to. It is the same quality that gives them their abrasion resistance and good sense of feel. But the tradeoff comes with weaker knot performance (compared to mono) and manageability. Different lines (and line manufacturers) address these trade-offs respectively through their own proprietary formulas, so keep testing different brands until you find one that suits your setup and applications. -T9

Since I use cranks a bunch of the time, I still prefer to specialize when it comes to setups and gear ratios. For really deep cranking (20+, DD-22's, DB-III's, Poes 300/400's) I love the 4.3 - 4.4:1 ratios. To me, 3.8's were always too slow even for those applications. I also still have a few specific applications where 5:1 or there abouts works best for me. It is tied more to the specific lure action and resistance more than anything, plus it forces me to slow down a tad so I don't get to overpowering the situation, which is easy to do when you get hyped over a good bite. Lastly, the 6.2:1's for a good majority of the shallow cranking and ripping, including things like 'Traps and other bait burners. Tried the 7:1's but have never really liked them. For most guys the 6:1 ratios will probably work as the best all around setup and will provide great crossover potential for other non-cranking applications. But if you live or fish on a good structure/river channel lake and get to throwing the deeper divers frequently, it will pay to have a second setup with a slower ratio. -T9

Kudos 8-) Love the post. I did the exact same thing a couple years ago (2003), except expanded, receipt tracking not only the "real" boat costs, but also the "real" costs for me to fish period for one year, including all gas/oil expenses (truck & boat), tourney expenses, food, lodging, licenses, tackle purchases, repairs/maint., etc. Bottom line was just shy of $10,000 or $830/mo. Was a real eye opener. Would hate to redo it with gas/oil prices at their current levels (LOL). -T9

Very nice summary Pont, and pretty much dead on. Quality on Waveland has picked up a bit this year though. Lots of fish to 16", with a 17"-18" big fish or two each trip. I'm not sure any other lake in the state can touch it for numbers of keepers right now. 8-) Still not sure what happened to Flint :-/ That lake rocked 3 years ago. Last two have sucked and this year isn't looking much better. -T9

Very nice perspective into the mindset of a trophy hunter. Only thing I'd comment on is the luck factor. To catch one of the largest bass in the lake, luck (for lack of a better term) plays a definite role as evidenced by the hundreds of Texas Share Lunkers caught over the years by normal, everyday anglers, or probably a good majority of the state record holders across the country - right time/right place/right presentation - just their "lucky" day for most of them. Almost like winning the lottery in a sense that it rarely happens and will probably never repeat again for most. But I agree completely with your statement that the consistently successful big bass anglers truly have an understanding and a talent, as well as that unique mental outlook you mention, that most anglers won't ever possess. -T9

Good posts. I love structure fishing, and even more so the search for structure. I rely a ton on my graph, and I do a lot of idling instead of fishing. When I'm searching a new lake, or a 'new to me' section of a lake, I'll cross and recross a piece of structure until I understand how it lays out, where the steepr drops are, if there is any cover on the structure, how the shad are relating to it, what the bottom content appears to be, etc. I'm actually not interested right off in catching fish. I'd rather have a complete understanding as quickly as possible of the spot. Once I've done that, I'll know about 80-90% of everything I need to know about the spot. Only then will I throw on it, largely to reaffirm what I think I understand about the spot and secondarily to catch a fish. Many times you'd be surprised at how much intrusiveness a bass will put up with. Even if I don't catch anything that first time, the GPS gets punched and you can bet I'll be gunning for fish right from the get go the next time I arrive at the spot. 8-) -T9

No such thing as "THE" best one crankbait given everyones unique water conditions, but I've caught a ton of fish over the years on : Bandit 100's Mann's 1- Big-O Bomber shallow A Have friends who have done really well on the RC's and 'Traps also. -T9

Never been a fan of worms myself, so I only ever carried a single pack of 7.5" Culprits in Red Shad with me. I rarely ever slow down to fish a worm, and that one pack will catch fish about anywhere when needed. Do carry a couple other different plastics for flipping and skipping, and a pack of big black worms if I do any night fishing, but otherwise in most drop bait fishing sitations I'll go to a jig before I ever pick up the worm. Now that I've down-sized boats though, I'm trying to develop a little patience and a larger arsenal of baits. -T9

Still a huge fan of old cedar Poes 300's and 400's myself. The Zoom knock-offs are pretty good, too, just pricey. Aside from that, a few specific colors of DD-22's, Deep Little N's, DT-16's and Mann's 20+'s and I'm set. Oh ya, still throw some of the old DB-III's from time to time just for kicks. -T9

x2 - This size will be different for every brand of tube, so best thing to do is just test different ones until you get the right size for whatever tube you have. I use Gammi EWG's a lot for tube rigging, but have also had success with the Grigsby HP hook. Also use tungsten bullet weights, usually unpegged. If I need to peg, I use a little rubber Peg-It stop. -T9

x2 I've had both black and white bottom hulls, and friends with about every other color. We all caught plenty of fish. -T9

I've never been a morning person, but I got up early like most everyone else while fishing tournies all those years. But 2 years ago I retired from tourney fishing and started sleeping in on weekends. Seemed like the club kept starting earlier and earlier every year. Got to the point where guys were using the morning bite as a crutch because they couldn't figure out how to catch them after 9AM with the sun up. Now I've given up fighting the traffic at the ramp at 5:30AM. I sleep in and get a good nights rest, have a nice lunch, get some honey-do's done around the house and then head to the lake around 3PM. All the tourney guys are leaving about the time I pull in. Most recreational boaters are out an hour or two after that to get back in time for dinner, and I end up with most of the lake to myself. With DST the sun doesn't set until 9:30 PM, and the sunset bite is almost as peaceful and as good as the sunrise bite, so I still end up catching more than my share of bass. -T9

They work, and in a lot more places and situations than many realize. Definitely keep a few in the box at all times. -T9

Nope - What Catt said. It goes on when launched and never goes off until I leave. Usually have at least 2 going most days. Bass have a much lower hearing threshold than humans. Just because you hear it doesn't mean a bass can, too. They might hear the ping getting energized, but they don't hear the frequency wave. A lot more things to worry about when it comes to catching fish than whether or not your depthfinder is on. Ever watched a bass on your depthfinder swim up and eat your dropshot? -T9

Pont, 65# PowerPro Been whacking them on Spros all weekend with it. -T9

See if this helps... -T9

Three more options that all have their time and place: http://tackle.redshad.com/proddetail.php?prod=SG-Hooks&cat=24 http://tackle.redshad.com/tips/PekTube.php http://tackle.redshad.com/proddetail.php?prod=WNS&cat=24 Click on 'rigging instructions' for detailed pics on the last link. That style jighead/hook is what people refer to as "Stupid Tube" around here. Very popular and effective in these parts. -T9

She's a goner... another site -T9

On size, I always go with what seems to fit the exact lure in question best. That seems to usually be a #6 or a #4 on most topwaters, though bigger baits like full-sized Spooks and such can certainly handle #2's. In general, I'm not a huge fan of upsizing though, especially on topwaters where you might run into a balance issue. Same thing with different brands in the same size. Just something to keep an eye on. As for EWG's or triple grips, you'll never find either on my cranks or topwaters. Every one that comes stock on a bait gets pulled off and replaced by a round bend Gammi, and then either thrown in the trash or given to a friend. -T9

What Brian said - Don't limit yourself to just worms. Most every plastic can be rigged on a shakey head. I've done things like tubes, beavers, grubs and craw worms. Half the fun is in experimenting with different baits. The bass will eat them all -T9