senile1

I like Bill Dance. I think most of the people on here are just joking about him. I enjoy his show and I have learned some things. He goes into alot more detail these days than he did when the show first aired.

The problem with places like this is which location do you start with. If you have acres of a 3 1/2 foot deep lake covered with Lilly pads and grass, the bass have a great number of places to hide out and since the depth is the same, it makes it very difficult to choose a likely spot. Under these conditions, I agree with Alandis311 that you should look for something unique such as a breakline between grass and pads or some other type of weed. You didn't mention any timber so I'm assuming there is none, but are there points or slight variations in depth that you could take advantage of? Also, in a lake this shallow the bass will seek the heaviest cover in the heat of summer. Keep this in mind as you seek a location. When you think you have some likely locations, any number of lures should work in a lake this shallow. In summer, I'd try to punch through the pads and grass with a t-rigged worm, fat ika, tube, etc. I'd also try a jig and pig. I think these would be your best baits, but weightless plastics, spinnerbaits, frogs, and surface crankbaits and flukes should work at times too. At dusk and dawn, I'll bet you would have a ball with a chug bug, jitterbug, etc.

If I had my druthers and it worked for every situation I would prefer a bassboat. However, we all know some ponds, rivers, and small lakes are better fished from numerous other options such as jon boats, canoes, kayaks, or float tubes. Whatever allows me to fish the area in the most productive manner is what I want to use.

Well, once again, there's not much to add to Jim's (OachitaBassangler's) first post on this thread. I'd say this about covers it. This really helps to clarify what we're all trying to do when we approach a new lake or even a new section of a lake we already fish.

Excellent advice, Avid. I found the same thing to be true when I first fished a jig. It was much easier for me to detect bites with a tighter line.

Great example!! ;D CJBasswacker, that's a good rhetorical question to get a conversation started. I don't think we can emphasize enough the importance of studying a lake and taking the time to locate bass holding areas before we make a cast.

I wanted to go out fishing on Saturday before the rain came through but I had too many honey-dos. It rained two inches up at Smithville Lake, Saturday evening. The only time I had available Sunday to fish, was from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The water was quite murky after the rain and the wind was gusting up to 35 mph on the lake. There were whitecaps everywhere. The Carolina rig has been good on points and channel ledges in 10 - 15 feet of water here, so I started with a Zellmander on a c-rig. I also thought that some noisy, flashy lures might be useful in the wind and the mud. Before I left, I tried a slow-rolled spinnerbait, a rat-l-trap, a weightless watermelon strike-king zero, a wacky-rigged senko, and a t-rigged black culprit. I caught only two dinks, one on the c-rig, and one on the rat-l-trap. I couldn't believe how windy it was. I had a heck of a time getting back to the boat launch from the cove I was fishing. The weather report had stated the wind would be 10 -20 mph, but I knew by the whitecaps that it was higher. When I reached home I checked the Smithville Lake conditions online and the report stated wind gusts were up to 35 mph.

Thanks for the response, Flatfish. I've never had a crack in a trailer before and I wasn't sure what to do. I'm waiting for a callback from my boat service department.

Coolbeer, the lake I fished while growing up was similar to your description. I still go back there occasionally and fish it with my Dad. Coontail moss fills the lake, but since it is what I'm used to, I love it. There are large sections of the lake where the moss reaches the surface and there appear to be no gaps. It's like fishing a large hedgerow. I've had lots of luck fishing floating rapalas and spinnerbaits over the moss, in gaps, etc. I'll also use a worm weightless and fish it over the moss and through gaps. When I find a hole I let it drop in. It is imperative that you use a contrasting color that the fish can see. The great thing about a lake with this much cover is most people don't like to fish it and there is less pressure.

I don't think I've been on the forum long enough to choose, though I've been perusing this site for almost a year. I think I could learn alot from Rolo and Raul. I would love to fish Kentucky lake and learn it so CJBasswacker would be the man for that, though I would need at least a month to learn a small portion of this monster lake. OachitaBassangler, Jim, impresses me with his knowledge and I would love to fish some of the Arkansas lakes with him. Then there's MattFly in Texas, roadwarrior in Tennessee, and I think fishing with any of the moderators would be a fun, learning experience.

If you're asking how to find the weight, I don't know the calculations behind it, but go to the top of this page and click on Tacklebox and then click Fish Weight Calculator and it will do it for you. I assume that some bass biologists have taken enough samples to have an accurate, scientifically valid survey of the weight associated with a particular length and girth. BTW, The length and girth you gave is approximately a 9.9 lb hawg. Did you catch one with these dimensions?

After removing the transom saver when trailering my boat today, I discovered that the crossmember is cracked where the transom saver attaches to it. The crossmember is rectangular steel tubing. This is a 1987 trailer for a 1987 15 1/2 foot Starcraft bassboat. There are three crossmembers that support the boat and the other two are in good shape. If I weld this crossmember properly will it hold or is there some other course of action I should be considering? I'm trying to determine if I should weld this where the crack is, or just cut the crossmember off at the end where the original welds are, and replace the crossmember.

The weirdest way I've caught a bass was in a post a few weeks ago called "All Wet On a Farm Pond" under the My Fishing Trip section. I had tossed a shad rap letting it sit on the surface for a few seconds. I saw a fish roll on it, and felt tension but the fish wasn't fighting. I reeled in and when the lure reached the boat there were two 18 - 19 inch bass hooked, one on the front treble and one on the back. They were face to face and I guess that kept them from fighting. I was able to boat them and release them.

I can pitch a 3/16th oz weight and land it on a golf tee 9 out of 10 times at 30 feet. : Truthfully, I need to practice my pitching more often. I still place it in an area maybe 18 inches square most of the time. I think I could hit the plate 25 - 50% of the time. :-/

I've been planning on getting a drift sock for this very reason. I'll fish water with winds up to 25 mph, but on wide sections where the wind can create big whitecaps my little 15 and a half foot boat is not up to it. I have to choose carefully where I'm going to be on the lake when the winds are this high, as Flechero stated in his earlier post.

Are you sure you're not underestimating the weight of your fish? I know most people think that anglers overestimate the weight of fish and this is probably true in many cases, but I generally don't weigh a fish that isn't longer than 20 inches because I know it's not going to compete with my personal best, and I am not a tournament fisherman who needs to know the weight of every fish for culling purposes. I used to estimate all my 17 and 18 inch fish as no more than 1 - 2 lbs until I checked out the fish calculator when I joined the forums on this site. A chunky 18 inch fish can break 3 lbs. I've caught quite a few 18 - 20 inch fish this year and weighed a few. A few of the 18 inch fish broke the 3 lb mark.

Most spawning activity occurs when the water is in the 65 - 70 degree range. There are some early spawners, when temps are in the 50s, and some late spawners. Here in Kansas city, at Smithville Lake, the water temperature in April through May was only 62 - 65 degrees. There were quite a few fish that spawned but we had a really cool May which resulted in water temperatures not reaching 68 and above until June. There were still a few fish on beds the first week of June. It has been ridiculously hot since then so the spawning ended quickly. Usually, here in Northwest Missouri, the spawn starts in April and may go into May, but this year was quite different.

When I have the time, I'll begin at daybreak and stay out all day if the fish are biting. When the fish aren't biting I'll usually cut off by mid to late afternoon. Usually, though, my time on the water is dictated to me by other responsibilities such as time with my daughters, working around the house, and my job configuring, supporting, and installing enterprise data and VoIP networks. Where do you guys find all this time? Even when the time isn't there, I'll fit in a 2 or 3 hour fishing trip.

I wonder if Fish Chris marked 11 lbs. He's a trophy fisherman. Or maybe somebody is just being funny.

I catch mostly 2 - 4 lbs, with some dinks to 1 lb, and the occasional 5 lb'er plus. I think if you get anyone who catches mostly 5 lb'ers and up, they are fishing only for big fish. The professional anglers do not generally average 5 lbs a fish. On some days they blow this away, but not on a regular basis.

Excellent point, Fish Chris. I like to fish where it is quiet and serene, but sometimes all the things we think we know about bass mean nothing. Many times, you just can't predict what nature has in store.

Oh don't I know it...... :-[ Thanks for your input on this one GW, great info. I'm interested because I've also been on the fence for years about what to do when I retire. I'm sure it will be somthing inthe industry but I don't know if I could cut it as a guide. At least as a guide I would want to hire. Just being honest with myself. I've always assumed the things you preach about the business but hearing it from your mouth makes it real. I agree. My wife and I have plans for living near, or on, a large lake at retirement, but as for being a guide, it takes years of fishing the same lake to be worthy of the title, IMO. And as GW said, a bad guide is not good for fishing.

I guess there is a gray area where it is difficult to determine if a lake is pressured or not but there is a point where there isn't any doubt. When there are a minimum of two or three boats in every cove, skiers and jet skiers all over the main lake, and when you find yourself riding a wake every few minutes even though you're back in a cove, you're on a pressured lake. Then you add to that the tournaments. These are the lakes where you try to go way up a river or creek arm and find a honeyhole where the waters are harder to navigate. This will weed out alot of anglers. The water may not be as deep but these fish are local to the area, so if bass are holding at 20 - 25 feet on the main lake, they may only be at 15 feet further up the arm.

I agree with you, nboucher. Even those who have fished awhile still have lures and techniques with which they will need to practice. To become proficient with something requires time, and trial and error while experimenting.

I think Roadwarrior covered just about all the basics. Avid made a good point about determination and confidence. I think confidence comes with number 5, experience, and with determination. If you are determined to catch a large bass you will work long enough to become proficient at it. Roadwarrior's numbers 1 and 2 will always be the most important issues as they relate to location.