senile1

There are times when a lot of bites is just what the doctor ordered, especially if I am taking some of the younger members of my family fishing. However, most of the time I am looking for bigger bites. Five big fish in a day is not a grind. The excitement from each one of those fish will carry you much further than the excitement of a whole slew of 1 - 2 pounders. How many of you have caught a huge fish and found yourself shaking afterwards with excitement? That doesn't happen with the little fellows.

Nice one, Phish.

Very nice fish. Sounds like you are on a roll!

I use the Powell Max 703 MEF for jerkbaits. The Powell Max 702 MLEF is still being made and I own it also, but I prefer the power of the medium spinning rod with regard to this technique.

Make noise, move water, and use bright or very dark colors. The bass will hugging be hugging cover. When the water is as turbid as you are talking about, I have found that the best bet for me is to go big and flip and pitch cover. You may not get a lot of numbers that way but if you pitch a MOP jig with a big trailer (Ragetail Lobster or something like it) all day to cover you usually catch a few solid healthy fish. And you just may catch Big Bertha.

Wow! Very nice. I didn't know they made them that big in Jersey.

Nice healthy looking fish. Congratulations to your wife on her PB!

So many times, this simple little statement is the key. Nice bag of fish!

Those are some nice fat smallies. You didn't happen to hang 'em on a scale did you?

That's great news, JT. I started using Siebert's jigs when he was still only making the classic heads. At the time, his grass jig head worked perfectly for many of my lakes and I was hooked. Since then he has continued to add higher quality jigs to his repertoire. I still have over 100 of the grass jig heads though I find myself using the Big-O brush jigs the most now. The Big-O football heads along with the finesse, bullet, and MOP jigs (MATA) all have a place in my jig box.

Not bad at all, Mainebass. It's going to take some work to beat these guys with the 75 percent plus fish.

Like others, I practice flipping and pitching in my back yard. I also do the visualization thing especially since free time for practice is not widely available. Additionally, I make practice casts using my neighbor's windows as targets.

Very nice smallies, Dwight and Andy.

I look for dropoffs into deep water as K_Mac stated. These are indicated by lines that are very close together. I also look for the following: Underwater fingers on points that drop off quickly. Humps that bass can find by following a path from a shallow feeding ground or spawning area. Ditches, drains, and holes that provide paths from shallow to deep water or that provide a holding area on structure. Underwater roads, bridges, bridge abuttments, and house foundations that again exist on or near structure providing a path from shallow to deepwater. Outside and inside bends on underwater channels. Deep channel banks that intersect or come close to the bank providing a quick path from shallow to deep water. Underwater channel intersections (some of the best pathways from deep water to spawning or shallow feeding areas). Anything underwater that can provide a holding area for bass and that also has a path to shallow feeding or spawning areas. Find an area like the above with cover and you are hopefully in business.

Jeez Louise, that is a massive fish! What was the weight?

The 734 is a 4 power while the 723 is a 3. You will notice that the 734 is stiffer with more backbone. The 735 is a 5 power mag-heavy and is what I use. I have a 4 power in the 684 CEF rod which I don't think Powell makes anymore, but it has a fairly stiff action as well. I think the 734 has enough "oomph" to handle the fish while frogging.

I don't think there is a rule of thumb. In addition to soft plastics and jig trailers, I have applied it to lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. It sticks pretty good for awhile before washing off.

Very nice, Mike!

Excellent point, Bluebasser. I caught a few bass this past week in the 3 - 4 lb range and all were healthy thick females full of eggs. I was looking at one of them and thinking how she might look like a 5 lb'er in a picture.

I caught quite a few 3s and a couple of 4s this week at Table Rock but with a largemouth state record of 13 lbs 14 oz I really have nothing worth posting. My wife and I spent the week there so half the time we were fishing for crappie as that is her fish of choice. I did catch a 2 lb 14 oz white crappie which is 63 percent of the Missouri record of 4 lb 9 oz. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/117139-forced-perspective-fish-photos/?p=1282089

Picture taking can go both ways. Sometimes the picture makes the fish look smaller. My wife and I took a trip to Table Rock Lake last week and mixed some crappie fishing in with my bass fishing because she prefers to fish for that species. The top picture is a 2 lb 14 oz crappie, just shy of 3 lbs. It was the biggest crappie I have ever caught. My wife took the picture from a seated position in the cockpit while I was up on the front deck. She also caught a crappie that weighed in at 2 lbs off of the same brushpile. I took that picture and her fish looks very similar in size to mine in the picture even though it is approximately 2/3s of the size. She usually outfishes me when we fish for crappie so I wanted proof this time that I actually caught the biggest one. Alas, the pictures prove nothing.

Excellent post!

Aruka Shad, Red Eye Shad, and Rat-l-traps are what I use. They do catch just about everything at one time or another. In reference to the yo-yo technique in cooler water, I have found them to be very useful in lakes with grass when the water temperature is in the mid-40s to mid-50s. I have one tied on on most trips. That "orange belly craw" is an excellent bait for heavily stained to muddy water as well.

Your Dad was a very wise man, Big O.

As others have stated, after you gain experience in fishing different types of cover and structure you will learn what each object feels like using a decent, sensitive rod. I do have one thing to add. In the beginning, when learning how to fish a jig I think it is a good idea to keep your boat stationary if possible. Wind can move the boat in such a manner that the jig can move and tick a rock, and it can feel almost like a the "tink" of a fish. If you don't notice the boat movement and you aren't moving the bait you may be fooled into setting the hook based on the false strike. It can also make you think your line is moving if you don't notice the boat movement. After time, you will be able to fish a jig with slight boat movement as well.