Hammer 4

If you fish open or sparsely covered water a mh/f rod, around 7' will work fine. If your waters have dense cover then H/XF would be better, and I would favor a slightly longer rod. I happen to use a 7'4" H/F.

Big bass also take up the best spots. I'd look for a dock that sticks out further than the rest, or that has cover close by.

Happy B Day Andy, and many more...

I would classify aggressive baits as normally fast moving baits, i.e. frogs, walking baits, wake baits, spinner baits, ect as opposed to baits that are worked slow, like t rigged baits, drop shot, ect. An aggressive baits is usually used to trigger a strike, where as slow moving baits usually are used when bass are feeding.

Yup, I just tie a slip knot, never had a problem.

Done. Thanks.

Top notch products.

Also to ad to the already good advice, do not wear loud colored clothing, the more you blend in with the surroundings, the better.

There is a lake 10 mins from my house, that has concrete piers with hand rails about 4' off the ground, and for that reason I don't fish there. If you happen to hook into a say 6lb bass, and you have to lift it 10' in the air, there are to many things that can go wrong. Your line could break, as could your knot. The fish could thrash about and tear the hook out it's mouth. And then there's a slight chance your rod could break. So, lets say you still want to fish there, use a heavier rated rod, use heavier line than needed, and finally double check you knots, and maybe leave a tad more tag end, just in case it slips. Still, IMHO there's still a chance one of the above may happen, I think it's a crap shoot. And I realize that guys fish off off higher piers in the salt, but they are using much heavier gear. Hope that helps. Oh, and have some sort of small container with fresh water in it, to Wet your hands if need be.

4 and 6 " Roboworms in various colors, but grape MD, and MM, seem to work the best, although I've caught some nice bass on the Hologram shad pattern.

I hate skeeters, luckily we don't have them in big numbers. I make sure there is no standing water around the house. If go somewhere that has water, i.e. the lake of golf course, I cover up, and apply insect repellent.

Hit the big 74 today, while I like celebrating my B day, my only wish is that my wife Dee, fights hard to beat the C thing, which would be the BEST present I could ever have. As a side note to all of you young uns..getting old ain't easy, but I have to say it's very satisfying to reach a certain age that you thought you would never make it to. Y'all have a wonderful life..

So, after seeing you people's catches, whether it be LMB, SMB or Spotted bass, I'm appalled at the some have treated the fish you try so hard to catch. Look, a bass has a very tough time growing up, as fingerlings they are always on some fishes menu, even when they reach a pound or 2, they are still in danger from predators, not to mention their own kind. So when a bass reaches 5lbs +, it's been through h#ll. As most of you know, bass have Slime coats that protect them from parasites, ect. when this slime coat is removed they are susceptible to diseases which can kill them. Laying a bass on dry surfaces remove this slime coat, handling a bass with dry hands will remove the slime coat, as will laying them on grass, gravel, ect. Also, keeping them out of water for extended periods of time will kill them, how long can you hold your breath ? that's about long a bass can Safely be kept out of water, keep your camera at the ready, snap a couple of shots, the release them, safely, remember to have your hands Wet. I found a good article on how to handle bass, I hope that you guys read it, if your not sure how to handle bass. I may catch some heat for this, but if it saves some bass, then so be it. Enjoy. https://yourbassguy.com/bass/how-to-hold-bass/

On the subject of bikes. here is my 29'r mountain bike that I can no longer ride due to medical issues. I should sell it, but I just can't bring myself to post an ad for it..

Tom isn't the only one who raves about Irod's. Great rods, with one of the best customer service's in the biz.

A grown bass had tough life, dodging predators, ect. Treat them with Care, i.e handle them with WET hands as not to remove their slim coat, same goes for laying bass on most anything dry. Also, try not to leave your fish out of water any longer than necessary, they need water to breath, just like people need air. Fishing is about having fun, but at the same time try to hone your fishing skills, and get in tune with the waters and surroundings where you fish.

Thanks for the info. I/we can certainly relate to your situation. Very happy you pulled through. Thanks again.

Another update. So my wife has been going to radiation therapy now for a week, everyday. Myself, and one of our very good friends have talked to her about her outlook on Beating this thing. I must say, she seems to have embraced it, meaning she is acting like this the beginning of a new chapter in her life and no the the last. Although she still has a ton of pain, she is getting around much better, although the radiation leaves her feeling very tired, she does what little she can. Once again, I and my Wife would like to Thank each and every one of you for all the Prayers and well wishes. Hope I'm not boring anyone with these updates.

As for color, I fished in lakes from San Diego to Ventura and the color of the 6" Roboworm that consistently caught Bass was a Grape color, in fact there are lakes in a city park in San Gabriel where the only coly that got bit by the larger bass was Grape, so don't over look that color, as well as the colors mentioned.

No need to pull the pinchers off the small craws.

Also use a Tatula CT 150 reel, with 50lb smackdown line.

I agree on using the smaller crawdads. A good size would around 4" long, bass really don't like the big ole pinchers on the large craws.

Not sure what Ideal would be, but I've always tossed mine on a 6 speed reel, which seems to work for my style of fishing jerk baits. Honestly, I couldn't see why you would need a faster reel than a 6 speed.

O.K.. I was thinking not holding your breath w/o any scuba gear.

Could you explain the part about Not holding your breath.. I surfed for many, many years, and big waves can hold you under what seems like hours. Thanks.