bassfisher02

or look for black birds or any other gathering of small birds after a rain.....would put money that there are some nightcrawlers in the area

big baits, deep water...altho my biggest bass(10lbs 1oz) was in 3' of water on a 5'' zipper worm...they do generally come in on bigger baits in deeper water. this is not sayin that the lil' feelas wont nail a 12'' worm...they might...but count on a nice bass. i would take 12'' worms and cast them to deep structure/cover. or swimbaits fished deep.

catch, photo, release maybe? anyways...i like to start a small compost pile in my back yard near a tree. i have plenty of old palm froms and leaves, grasss, dog finnle, and i throw out some table scraps. then, give it about a week, and go out at night, or dig them up. using the stike trick works...it also brings snakes out which is really cool to watch. we use nightcrawlers for crappie, and having a good supply in the backyard is good for the wallet.

use a big ole' black jitterbug...im talkin musky size jitterbugs. then fish them right near structure/cover. reel in some...the pause, wait awhile (30+secs) then start to retrieve again...then pause again...do this till you get a strike or you get it to the boat.

i typically dont like to eat bass. i fish them for sport...not food so i cant help you out.

most likely to the nearest cover/structure...this makes them feel secure. if its during the spawn...the bass will return to its bed. if the bass is released across the lake from where it was caught...i doubt that it will find its way back. i have caught a bass in clear water, then released it and watched it slam a worm in the water not more then 30 seconds after being released...so some bass will bite right after being caught.

my mossy oak bass pro hat, and my money boxers, does me good all the time. ;D

like i said on the other one, a big black jitterbug when it becomes dark. fish around around any structure/cover

exactly. it will not hurt the fish to hold by the body for a few seconds. if you keep your hand in one place, and not make a ''whiping'' motion...not much slime comes off. i only do this to fish that are to small to be held anywhere else, or if they are small and have teeth.

yes. especially during windy, rainy, or really hot days. on windy and rainy days, insects fall from the limb into the water, attracting baitfish, which attract bass. on hot days, sunny days they like the shade.

gar, mudfish, sea bass, pinfish, blue runners, blue fish, lady fish, bluegill, crappie, seagulls, my on rod...have a story to that one.....i was fishin off a dock, and had my drink about 10 feet away, so while i had my line out with a chiken liver on it, i set it down...not thinkin, and went to get my drink, i took a sip of my drink, then heard ''splash'' then all i saw was my fishin buddy about fallen over laughin and my rod getting pulled away. ;D now, i was real mad, i almost jumped in the water after it, then i started fan casting with a big ole weight and treble hook with no avail...so about 2 hours later im fishin a spinnerbait and hook up with something...turns out it was my rod and reel, with no fish on, the line was snapped .....i have also caught turtles, and so much other crap. i know a guy, well talk to a guy who has caught a dead person...he was trolling and he thought he hooked a big fish, when they got it up it was a guy. :-X and there was another guy that says that the last few times he was out fishin the same spot he was pullin in clumps of red hair.........didnt want to tell cause he thought they would drain his lake : we told him to tell somebody, said he would, and havnt heard from him since??? this was on another forum. so who knows.

no, they dont walk far, they just have those fins to walk with, they arnt strong enough to get themselves to bodies of water that far away. they will walk on the shore, mosy times so they can surprise baitfish for an easy meal. it really helps them to get to area only small bluegill are at. im talkin 5-6'' deep, they just walk into the shallows, and chase down baitfish....they are very interesting. they have no idea that there is any other body of water then the one they are in.....so for them to walk to a body of water they cant see wont happen, if you have ponds or lakes close to each other, with no obstructions, they will walk to it. but a few hundreds yards is not gunna happen.

deep structure near spawning flats, after the spawn the females will move off in to the deep water holdin to any structure cover, and the closest, so any deep water structure/cover near spawning areas work great. i like to taka a jig and thro it near the structure....i use the jig for about anything...and in any situation 8) i have produced good fish while doing this. the males are usually slower into deeper water, and they will hold maybe just a bit shallower, they will also begin to feed before the females, the females wait about a week before beggining to feed, the males about 3-4 days. but im not all sure about this, so take my advice with caution

ya, bass you should hold by the bottom lip. amd if holdin verticly support with other hand in the anal fin area. if it is a toothy fish, if they are small enough i just grab around their body, if they are big i pick them up from the gills.

yes, its true, atleast a million dollar payout...not to mention how much basspro or cabelas would pay for it. i agree, 7-8lbs down here is definitly not worth a mount...i have relesed 8lbers with out photos before....its almost regular where i fish to get a 8lb bass.....in the last few time i have been out i have averged 8lbs. and no, i dont fish stocked tanks. shadow, i feel strongly that a d**n newbie first time fisher with a hook worm and bobber is gunna hook the world record, that has just been how it is...just look, that possible world record crappie ws caught by a lady fishing for the first time. its beginners luck is all...and i think that the company will pay you for what you were using, but sponser...nah. you have to be in tournies to get sponsored anyways...and a first timer isnt gunna be in no tournies. i think it comes down to being in the right place at the right time. i have probally looked at the lake the world record is in, there are probally numerous world records out there, you just have to be where they are.