senile1

I'd put some stinkbait on it and fish for cats. 8-)

Well, I guess he's not winning everything but there are a lot of gifted anglers in the Elite series. He is in fifth place for AOY 62 points behind leader Skeet Reese. The second, third, and fourth place anglers aren't super, big names so I guess he's not doing too badly. Consistency is the name of the game for AOY. Here are the standings. After Clarks Hill Lake, Evans, Ga. Ending 04-22-2007, Day 4 ------------------------------------------- Place Name St Pts ------------------------------------------- 1 Skeet Reese Calif. 1120 2 Jared Lintner Calif. 1029 3 Derek Remitz Texas 1015 4 Fred Roumbanis Calif. 965 5 Kevin VanDam Mich. 958 6 Ishama Monroe Calif. 930 7 Aaron Martens Ala. 927 8 Brent Chapman Va. 921 9 Jeff Kriet Okla. 891 10 Mike McClelland Ark. 876 11 Steve Kennedy Ala. 867 12 Tommy Biffle Okla. 866 13 John Crews Va. 852 14 Chris Lane Fla. 851 15 Casey Ashley S.C. 847 16 Scott Rook Ark. 836 17 Greg Gutierrez Calif. 813 18 Gerald Swindle Ala. 812 19 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 811 20 John Murray Ariz. 800 21 Pete Ponds Miss. 796 22 Stephen Browning Ark. 791 23 Mark Tyler Okla. 789 23 Gary Klein Texas 789 25 Kevin Wirth Ky. 788 26 Cliff Pace Miss. 782 27 Greg Hackney La. 775 28 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 772 29 Todd Faircloth Texas 764 30 Jeff Reynolds Okla. 756 31 Scott Campbell Mo. 754 32 Alton Jones Texas 753 33 Paul Elias Miss. 751 33 Kelly Jordon Texas 751 35 Randy Howell Ala. 749 36 Mark Menendez Ky. 748 36 Russ Lane Ala. 748 38 Terry Scroggins Fla. 747 39 Dean Rojas Texas 745 40 Ken Brodeur Conn. 739 41 Takahiro Omori Texas 738 42 Dave Wolak N.C. 736 43 Rick Morris Va. 734 44 Edwin Evers Okla. 732 45 Davy Hite S.C. 726 46 Peter Thliveros Fla. 724 47 Timmy Horton Ala. 720 48 Brian Snowden Mo. 719 49 Jason Williamson S.C. 718 50 Britt Myers S.C. 712 51 Matthew Sphar N.Y. 705 52 Kevin Short Ark. 682 53 Lee Bailey Ala. 679 54 Ray Sedgwick S.C. 677 55 Jason Quinn S.C. 660 56 Bernie Schultz Fla. 654 57 Bill Smith Ky. 649 58 Marty Robinson S.C. 648 59 Bill Lowen Ohio 644 60 Paul Hirosky Pa. 643 61 James Charlesworth Fla. 639 61 Kenyon Hill Okla. 639 63 Guy Eaker N.C. 636 64 James Niggemeyer Texas 635 65 Matt Reed Texas 629 66 Zell Rowland Texas 628 67 Jimmy Mize Ark. 620 68 Jeff Connella La. 613 69 Glenn Delong Ohio 611 70 Ken Cook Okla. 610 71 Morizo Shimizu Calif. 593 72 Boyd Duckett Ala. 589 73 Ben Matsubu Texas 583 73 Shaw Grigsby, Jr Fla. 583 73 Kurt Dove Va. 583 76 Denny Brauer Mo. 580 77 Kevin Langill N.C. 577 78 Jim Murray Ga. 567 79 Matt Amedeo Ohio 557 80 Bradley Hallman Okla. 556 81 Mark Tucker Mo. 552 82 Mark Rogers Fla. 551 83 Steve Daniel Fla. 550 83 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 550 85 Charlie Hartley Ohio 546 86 Marty Stone N.C. 544 87 James Kennedy La. 516 88 Rick Clunn Mo. 515 89 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 512 90 Jami Fralick S.D. 511 91 Mike Wurm Ark. 510 92 Jon Bondy Canada 509 92 Eric Nethery Ga. 509 94 Grant Goldbeck Md. 503 94 Darrin Schwenkbeck Md. 503 96 Dave Smith Okla. 494 97 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 487 98 Preston Clark Fla. 486 99 Jimmy Mason Ala. 479 100 Doc Merkin Ill. 458 101 Keith Phillips Ala. 439 102 Charlie Youngers Fla. 424 103 Rick Ash Pa. 416 104 Byron Velvick Texas 410 105 Frank Scalish Ohio 398 106 Bradley Stringer Texas 352 107 Elton Luce Jr Texas 323 108 Terry Butcher Okla. 295

I have no problems with screaming in excitement about catching a fish when it is genuine. I do think that checking for a camera, and then doing it, is an attempt to gain attention. Looking at this from a money-making perspective, maybe it is genius. Looking at it from a character perspective, it's not genuine. What does Ike value the most, his money or his character? :-?

Ain't Texan said: I don't hate Ike. I honestly don't care one way or the other because it is doubtful I'll ever truly know him as a human being. Why waste a lot of time on bashing or defending someone that I don't really know? I attended a seminar by him this winter and he had an excellent presentation and does make himself available to the public. He seems like a decent fellow and is, obviously, a great bass fisherman. Having said that I don't necessarily agree that it is just the traditionalists who have had trouble with him. There are a number of people who see Ike's past antics as obnoxious, loud attention-seeking and they just don't like people who are like that. Each to his own.

Sorry, Dude. I completely missed it. I'm working here and have my mind on other things. At least that's my story and I'm sticking with it. :

I'm not doubting you avid as you have a fair and square reputation, but I am curious. What lakes in Florida are deep enough for the fish to require bladder relief? Or am I ignorant of the depths that would require this? Educate me, Oh wise one.

I posted a thread in the Central Region forum about how bad the wind has been this spring. Wind plus a 15 and half foot bass boat plus a narrow beam just don't mix, but I have to fish anyway. You get out when you can.

As clear as Beaver Lake is, I assume the bass will build their beds deeper so I agree with a lot of what Ain't Texan posted. I would use hammered willow blades rather than sanding them. I would generally use colors that resemble forage in the lake, but trying something slightly different from what everyone else is using might make a difference.

I read about this in the Sunday paper. It does sound like a wild catch for a 23 foot boat.

What a sack. That's unreal. You have to get down to 35th place before you find a sack of less than 20 lbs.

Glad to have you. There are a lot of articles on this site that will help, starting with the posting by Roadwarrior. Skim through the forum threads and you'll find just about anything on any bass fishing subject. Soon you will be inundated with information.

Like Catt, I was going to name about everything, but now you've narrowed it down slightly. If the fish are active spinnerbaits and rat'l'traps banging into stumps in muddy water are great. I see you're in St Louis so you and I are at about the same temperature range for water. I'd be looking for bedding bass soon, if not already in smaller bodies of water. So if they're spawning in stumps, you may have more luck with a jig, tube, lizard, senko, or fat ika dragged into the bed.

In any region, to catch the older, warier, larger bass on a regular basis one has to use the proper tactics and the proper lures. If your biggest bass in your state are 7 - 10 lbs they're going to be just as tough to catch as a high Teener in California, because they've been around a long time and probably have seen just about every lure there is. If you want to catch them you should alter your tactics accordingly. I know I need to do something different.

Yeah, I still get a big laugh everytime I watch this.

Nice fish, SouthMiamiBassMan. Did you ever think of changing your name to Neanderthal_Leg? You could use this picture as your avatar. Maybe, it's just the lighting.

I don't know if anyone actually, officially defined a weightless t-rig. I was unable to find this in my dictionary. When weightless plastics became all the rage, the term, weightless t-rig, came into use and everyone accepted it as a t-rig without the weight. Whether it is semantically correct or not with regard to the original meaning of t-rig, I don't know. I just assume that terminology changes with time. It is an interesting question, though, and it is one that I have wondered about myself.

I think you've got it figured out. A weightless t-rig is rigged with a weedless hook but no weight. You may rig a worm on a c-rig in the same weedless manner, but it is a c-rig because of the placement of the weight, bead, and swivel, and the use of a leader. Some of us fish something like a c-rig but with a split shot attached where the c-rig weight and leader would be. This is called a split shot rig.

Great thread! I needed this. I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that I am one of those bass fishermen who uses smaller fish lures but wishes for bigger bass. Double-digit bass are rare here in Northwest Missouri but they do exist. If I would change my tactics I do believe an angler in my neck of the woods should be able to stick a few 7 - 9 lb'ers every year. I catch a lot of 1 - 4 lb'ers with an occasional fish over 5 lbs but as the weights go up the numbers diminish drastically, so I'm definitely not using the right tactics to attract big bass on a regular basis. I've started using jigs more in the last three years, but I'm thinking I need to have a bulky jig and a swimbait tied on at all times.

Dodgeguy, Were you using a fluorocarbon leader with the sufix braid, or were you tying direct? Roger I know some of you guys use the fluoro leader with your braid to eliminate the visibility issue but I haven't done this yet. I still see it as a possible weak link in the chain so I use straight co-polymer or fluoro in situations that would call for it. For those of you who use the fluoro leader with braid, could you comment on how well it holds up and if you've ever had any breaks or lost fish due to the knot at the leader?

Thanks, HSB. I like lizards too. There is alot of mucky vegetation on this lake though it hasn't grown too deep yet, but it was deep enough to foul my baits on numerous casts. I was having the best luck pitching into cover and shaking my tubes and the Ika. I didn't move them much because they would foul. I read an article on this site about dropshotting beds by J T Bagwell and I'm thinking that I could've used a heavy enough dropshot weight to handle the wind, and yet I could keep the lure just above the muck. Dink stated: Good point about the weight, Dink. I did try throwing a spinnerbait with willowleaf blades as you suggested. I caught two fish that way, but then nothing. The fish that were willing to strike a bait other than plastics seemed to prefer a rat'l'trap to the spinnerbait. These were smaller fish though.

An anchor is a great idea, normally. I was using one this weekend but the bottom was mucky and the wind blowing against my boat was pulling the anchor through the muck until it would dig deep enough to hold. So it was very difficult to hold the position I wanted. Even when anchored though, I was curious what most of you use as weights in high winds. I was catching fish but I just wondered what I could do different to improve. I don't normally fish in winds as high as they were yesterday but, due to long work hours over the last two months, I'm having to fish when I can get out and if that means fishing in wind gusts of 35 mph or higher then I'm going. That's why I chose a smaller lake so it wouldn't be so dangerous.

Catt, that boat has a nice long casting deck on each side as well.

Fluoro and mono both have their place. I use Sufix braid in heavy cover, but like some of you, I've noticed that braid isn't the best line to use when fishing in clear water or light cover.

Congrats on the hogs, Needemp! It sounds like all had a great time.

I'm curious about how the rest of you fish spawning beds on a very stained lake under windy conditions that make site fishing absolutely impossible. I'm sure a number of t-rigged plastics and jigs would be good in these situations, but under very high winds (20 - 35 mph) how heavy of a weight do you use for beds in say 3 - 6 feet of water? I toss these onto flats where I know the bass spawn and hope that I drag them into a bed. I don't know if it is just me or what, but this spring has been windier than any I can remember. I fished a small 55 acre lake yesterday and the temps were in the lower to mid 60s depending on my location. I was catching fish in bedding areas with t-rigged tubes and Fat Ikas. It was so windy I couldn't fish the Fat Ika weightless, except in areas protected from the wind.