Max-in-Mn

Both good point's by RW and Wabassin. And believe it or not this is why I stay shallow all year long. I know there is some nice bass deep too but I find the loners simply easier to find and catch. I usually try to find the oldest, nastiest cover on a lake. Whether it be a falling apart dock, the back end of boggy bays, old rice beds, etc. Maybe it's just coincedence but I have found that old bass like old cover, maybe they just feel more at home.

I use double willows or tandem in summer when I am going to slow roll or jig spinnerbaits. I use a single or double colorado for churning the surface and for early season bull rush fishing. Spinnerbaits are my favorite lure, so, so versatile.

I have auto adjusting glasses that I use for both hunting and fishing. I spent $300 on them but I have had them for nearly 8 years now, very well worth it. I don't screw around with the sun so spending alot on glasses does not bother me. I would rather not, but mother nature makes that call :-/

I use a muskie rod and 50-80lb test braided for pulling bass out of thick cover. I can still cast a plastic frog just fine with that big setup too.

Ahh man that is hilarious ;D But yea, they are kind of a pain to get off/on. I usually have most problems removing them. I don't have any secret tips though, just bend em' and twist em' until they go on or come off.

Minnesota- actually land of about 14,000 lakes to be precise lol.

Well, I have 2 main fishing buddies. One is about as thick as a brick and the other is even thicker lol. Maybe us being in the "420 club" has something to do with that lol. I have done some very dumb things too like run into a dock going full throttle, that was very, very, bad. To name a few, my buddy has, dunked the canoe, ran over the gas line with prop, forgot to latch the pin for boat tralier resulting in a crashed boat, and the list just goes on and on.

Just remember too guys, don't overlook that slop in a foot of water. The water under slop can be as much as 10 degrees cooler, as with docks. It doesn't matter if it's a hot blue bird day, they will come out of that slop to smash a moss boss, frog, etc. Just go where the other guys ain't!! Keep this up with more summer tips guys.

Hello. Glad to see yet another come back to fishing, it never leaves your blood. For the fly fishing you'll notice rods are not rated in power. You will see numbers like 4,5, 7,8 etc. The lower the number, the lighter line and lures used. So for Bass you'd be better off with a size 7 or even 8 due to the weight of popper and streamer flies. I like a 8'6'' to 9' rod, for trout at least. Have fun and stick with it EDIT: L-B-H beat me to it lol.

"Normally, when I see a school of fry, I fish a small spinnerbait through it." Same here, but I would imagine a medium sized jerkbait would be another good option here, I would favor the mirror sided ones like a Bomber long A.

"Whereas largemouth often relate to cover, smallmouth are almost always related to structure and current if there is any." That's how I feel too RW. I've always believed that as far as structure go's, smallies have more in common with walleyes than they do with there green back cousins. I've caught my biggest smallies fishing for walleyes, mostly on large sand bars.

"i have experienced 50" class musky crush a bait with 18 inches of line out on a figure 8. what a rush!" Yeap, exactly. I have never experienced anything else so um..horrifying. I am sorry but it scares me when I am figure eighting and some 4' long beast comes out of nowhere and crushes my lure. I can't get enough of it though, I'm addicted ;D

I pay a 5$ launch fee on certain lakes as well. And yes, you can fish from shore for free

Fish for Muskie and Pike and these statements become oh-so true, especially muskie. I strength train for muskie fishing because those bone jarring strikes need alot of force to subdue. For bass though, topwater is about as close to bone jarring as I've ever got, buzzbaits really come to mind.

I go back and forth with color. One day I will swear it does not make a lick of difference and another day I'll swear it makes all the difference. And maybe that's just it, some days the bass are really partial to a color and other days they just don't care, they just wanna eat.

L-B-H seems like a good guy Ryan, I am sure he will forgive you. I truly hope your situation at home works itself out cause I hate to see families in turmoil :-[ Just stay positive and it will work out.

Hey Tenka, for crankbaits just use a round snap, not a snap swivel. I like to use the fast-lock styles, not the interlock, but that's just my preferance. I get the black ones in small sizes.

You have to wait to feel the hit. This takes some getting used to cause it's just human nature to pull hard when you see the splash. I usually do what playmaker said and let them hook them selves on the intial hit, and than I'll give them one or two more solid sets once the fish is actually on the bait. It is tough, but hang with it.

Hey there! I will send a bunch, and I hope everybody else does too. I got a bunch of In-Fisherman's I will send, new and old.

Yea, we have crappie minnows, fatheads, sucker minnows, chubs, and shiners for a short time yearly. The fatheads and crappie minnows are about an inch, shiners 2-3 inches, chubs 2-5, and suckers 4-15 inches. I use minnows primarily for pike and walleyes, or smallmouths if I am fishing a river.

I'm not sure if this works for bass to but I'm sure it would. When I'm fishing a jig and minnow and we hit a school of walleyes we rip the minnows apart and only use pieces of them. It saves alot of money and it seems to work better than a whole minnow, guess the smell of fresh entrails makes em' bite

I really like this thread too. I've had some absolutely horrible guides before and I can tell this guy knows his stuff.

Have you tried a heddon moss boss L-B-H? I've caught more bass on those than any soft frog I have ever used. I'm not even sure what the bait is imitating but the bass cant resist them. The thing just swims over slop flawlessly, if that's what your lookin' for.

It's just a matter of opinion I believe. I've caught big bass on live bait, and I've caught big bass on lures. I find them both enjoyable, but lures definitely are my choice 95% of the time. And I can't speak for Florida but here Shiners are a god send. We only get them for about 2 months a year and boy do they catch alot of big fish in that time.

I would just like to thank ya'll for helping me clean out my wallet within 3 weeks of being here Seriously though, Chris gave me like a 3 paragraph reply on my very first post here. Needless to say it was a very warm welcome and I felt "at home" amongst fellow fisher people. And I agree with L-B-H, getting someone into fishing at a young age is the best way to get them hooked for life.