hookset on 3

Red, sounds like a very productive day. Are you still fishing deep like you mentioned in your last post? Hookset on 3

Congrats on a true northern lunker.Yeah, for Ohio that is a real pig.

That's awesome! I hope this pond is private and make sure to stay friendly with your bud there.

Bluebasser86,you're a lucky guy. to have a wife that is that enthusiastic about bass fishing is rare. I'm sure she gets it, when you tell her you're going fishing. Count your blessings, man.

No, man. That's some funny stuff. Anyway, crankbait fishing is challenging but very rewarding.I'm learning how to finesse a crank thru submerged weeds or wood and the amount of bass that will hit it, as it deflects is unbelievable. Hookset on 3

Today I tried an XCalibur XR50 and managed to get one yellow perch. However, I was swimming a Netbait Mad Paca in watermelon red and caught some nice fish. I also used the same technigue with a green pumpkin Rage Tail anaconda for a few more. it was bright and warm with almost no wind, so it was not really conducive to crankbaiting.

That's the ticket with the crankbaits in the Fall. I'm sure this new spot of yours has not been blitzed by too many crankbait fisherman,so take advantage of it. Dude, now I know why they call you BigCat. Your photo says it's a four pounder, But you ain't putting those huge mitts into that fishes mouth. When I hold a four pounder, I can put my fist down its mouth.

My home lake has alot of deep hydrilla weed beds. What style crank comes through this the best and also is easy to rip free of the weeds? In addition, what kind of rod works best for this? Maybe a med-heavy with a fast tip? Thanks, Hookset on 3

Fantastic Day! What state are you from? Were you fishing during a warm-up or was it cool?

Crankbaits for stained rocky water inthe 3 to 6 foot zone should be wide bodied with some rattles. Some of my favorites are the Norman Pro Edge shalow, rapala DT4 fat,Bomber Fat Free Shad shallow. Try using our sponsors Bass Tackle Depot , Cabelas or BPS. If you can match the hatch of the kinds of baitfish you see in the rocky lake, all the better.

Bass Thumb, interestingly enough, last week on the south facing north shore of the lake, I caught a 4lber off a dock in like 2 ft. of water. I was using a Heddon swim'n image which is the same size as most off the fry in the lake. I totally agree about the warm southerly breezes bringing slightly warmer water into protected north coves. In the late fall I will often see good size bass sunning themselves in 1/2 a foot of water right next to a price of wood. Woody, I use a lot of Rapala lures, as they are a good quality lure for the money and they produce. I had an X-Rap Minnow a few seasons ago and maybe its time to try the Shallow Rap in Perch. In the spring I was nailing them on a perch colored Count-Down.

This is a clear glacial lake that has a sandy and rocky bottom. One of the most productive spots is in fact, off the side of a steep point with long stalks of cabbage that hold a lot of small bass and perch fry that are two or three inches long. I'm using rapala shad raps,R2Sea cranky M's and tubes. I can catch a few 2 to 3 pound class fish,but the big bass have disappeared from their usual deep weed bed edges in 8 to 12 feet of water.

My home lake is void of shad and the only prey fish are yellow perch,white perch and sunfish. The yellow perch seem to stay deep through out the year and hang around submerged weedbeds. The weedbeds are either hydrilla, pond weed or cabbage. I have not noticed the bass migrating shallow in the fall, like they do in impoundments with shad. So, how would you pattern this lake during sunny warm days or cloudy low pressure days. Thanks, hookset on 3

That's a big smallmouth right there. You'll be dreamin' bout her this winter.

Hello down there! I hear the echo.

Nice fish Capt'n. How many times did see sky? hookset on 3

Big Stick Joe, I think you're dealing with educated bass.This has happened in all the ponds and small lakes that I fish. The fact that they are hitting the beaver and drop-shot tells me they have not been exposed to these lures like they have with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. The bass in my home lake rarely hit spinnerbaits like they used to when I was first given permission to fish this private lake 15 years ago. Every couple of years I need to use a completely new technique and lure.For example,the Yamamoto Fat Ika gets whacked on nearly every cast since I put them in my lure rotation this spring.

Last year was my first time trying out the Fat Ika's after reading Road Warrior's guarantee on the "Best of Bass Resource". I've been bassin for almost forty years and the first time I threw them in my home lake, the bass went ballistic over these things. The only other time I got this sort of reaction from bass,was when I guy from my club got some prototype soft plastics about 20 years ago from a buddy that designed this thing called a Slug-go! I really think that the subtle gliding action of the Ika when it's rigged backwards and the erratic fall of the Slug-go is the perfect imitation of the real thing.

I've been using the Owner "spring on shank" for years and it's got a huge gap for really stickin' them. The hook is a 3X wire that never bends. This hook has always sort of flown under the radar for some reason.

X2! You'll always remember that big bass.

Man, you must have bass thumb every day! Either that or it's calloused up like shoe leather.

Brett, you should give the Sizmic Jungletoad Flippin bait a try. Here is picture and a video on how to rig it. Essentially the billet weight hangs from the bottom of the hook shank. This set-up goes in and out of milfoil beautifally. http://www.unclejosh.com/video/unclejosh_video.html

There are a variety of grass jigs on the market that work well. Attached is a picture of a Netbait Paca Jig. The things to look for in a good grass jig are: low weedguard angle and hidden line tie. As someone mentioned, a 30 degree vertical line tie is the best at coming through weeds.

Owner Hooks has a new finesse soft plastic hook with the Centering Pin Spring. It comes in very small sizes - #2 #1 1 .

The All-Terrain head is shaped like the hull of a boat. It comes through cover and rights itself if it is knocked over.