avid

Fortunately some bigger baits will work when the conditions are right particularly 5" senkos and 4-5" topwater plugs. LKN raises an interesting question with his post. I wonder how many of the "big bait, big bass" adherents would consider a 5" senko or a 4" topwater a "big bait"? Interesting topic for another post. Seems like sooner or later everything goes back to Mr. Einstein and his famous theory.

I think most of us would agree that on any given day, any bass might eat any bait presented to them. this goes for huge bass on crappie jigs and fingerlings hitting baits twice as big as they are. But I was pointing out a personal observation. The pointer 78, and the zoom finesse worm seem to have qualities that are so attractive to my local bass that they will catch 2.5 pounders and larger on a regular basis. I often fish with 10" worms and get alot of bites from 12 inchers. So it's clear to me that George's presentation theory has merit. My point was though that some diminutive baits have a real knack for attracting larger fish. "Go big or go home" has a catchy ring to it, and for sure we all want to catch large bass, but why ignore smaller baits that you have confidence in for catching the bigger fish? After "enjoying the outdoor experience" for a couple of hours, why wouldn't you try some smaller baits that have big bass potential?

There are a couple of small baits that I often use. Oddly, these baits can serve up some better than average bass on a pretty regular basis. The two I have in mind are the lucky craft pointer 78 and the zoom finesse worm. Anyone else have this experience?

Based on your retrieve, I suspect you mean "toad" baits like the horney toad. I have never heard of anyone doing well with hollow body frogs by just reeling them in. If you are talking about toadies then the straight retrieve to make it act like a buzz bait is what I do, but I have a lot of success by stopping the retrieve at the outer edge of the weed bed and letting the toad spiral down. This will trigger strikes for me from some very nice bass.

I suppose like any other bait, dedicated and skilled users can catch with them in all kinds of conditions, but I have a bunch of them and basically stopped using them. Just not very productive for me in the off colored, shallow water that is typical in much of water, and pretty much the only type of water I fish.

I use 15# power pro on my spinning reels. no problems with line control at the spool. If your new to braid beware of the line wrapping around guides. The funnest part of fishing with braid in the beginning is setting the hook with the "cross her eyes" hookset and having the bass launch like a rocket out of the water and flipping over behind you. Great laughs, especially for your buddy in the back of the boat.

the sweet beaver has been very productive for me over the years. I generally use it as a flipping bait with a 1/2 ounce screw in type weight and pitch it right into the thick stuff. Never tried one weightless, but will soon. P.S. I find that for any soft plastic bait that's not too thick that a 4/0 owner worm hook gives me much better hook ups than an EWG.

It seems to me that swimbaits, including the new rage, the sebile are best suited for clear water conditions. what's your experience?

Thanks for welcome guys. didn't know Muddy was back. Brian, you all grow'd up!! P.S. Not here to turn anything upside down. Don't go to message boards as much as I used to, but never could find another place I liked very much.

Hello to friends old and new. My much needed hiatus is over. Look forward to talking bass fishing with y'all again. avid.