hookset on 3

Mitch, you guys have been nailing them pretty good since Halloween. This is when the Northeast is looking it's best but fishing is sporadic. Lights out one day, skunk city the next. dinkers or hawgs. you never know. Just cover a lot of water and keep the baits on rotation. Late last week it was four-wheeling squarebill cranks. This weekend they would only hit a jig and pork.

Bonus Bass!

I'm with Iowa and Aceman on the Winter break. In season, I NEED to fish every day! I think I missed maybe 7 or 8 days since April. I'm divorced since 2000 and I'm trying to make up time from when I had the ball and chain wrapped around my finger...er leg!

Excellent post, smalljaw. Great advice right there.

X2. If it's hooked a few seconds, then you can kiss it bye. Come back tomorrow.

Fishing and Nature. I wanted to be wildlife biologist or fishing guide.

Those are some Jersey Lunkers. Good Story and nice scenery.

There is old saying that in effect says " To know about an owl, you must first understand the mouse". Simply, find the prey and the predator should be hot on it's tail. You need to know about the shad, in this case. Shad eat phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are microscopic animals and plant type organisms. During the Fall plankton tend to go shallow for more sun and oxygen. I think in your area you had some cool nights already, so I'd start shallower.

The best fishing I've experienced in the Fall up North here, is in the most inclement weather. When a low pressure system is coming through, the big girls come out to play.

For pegging try these Peg X Stoppers. Available online at Tackle Warehouse.

Wear clothing that blends into the background of the shoreline. See my avatar. I've taken to wearing fishouflage shirts when on foot recently and it has increased my close-up hits substantially. One other note, try to fish in a way that you are not standing in full direct sunlight, if possible. In addition, try to cast towards targets that aren't between you and say a bright late afternoon sun. That way you aren't illuminated for the bass to easily see your movements. Again, if you notice in my avatar how I'm lit up. I actually caught that bass over my right shoulder. I had my buddy stand between me and the sun so the photo would be brighter. I wouldn't cast facing into sun for that very reason.

Those are beauties, are you kidding! I need to move south of the Mason Dixon Line.

X2. That's exactly what I do. Believe Megastink, the wire will outlive any skirt material.

If you're in thick vegetation, just pinch off the flappers and voila, a streamlined bait that slides through the greenery. Put some Mega Strike on there and they're like greased pigs.

That's incredible! 100+ bass. What I wouldn't do to catch that many in a day. Talk about Bass Thumb!

Yup! We like to call Bass stupid. I say not so much. The biggest fish have a way of getting to the worst hang-up in the vicinity after they're hooked and doing exactly as "xbacksideslider" says.

That's Awesome! 15 bass days would surely put a big smile on my face. Good luck in your tourney.

Here is a test about scents. http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/features_article.asp?id=1

Sam's right on about how fast bass expel a lure. When I was young, thirty some years ago, I had a crystal clear pond that became like my testing site for every type of lure. Hiding behind bushes, you could flick a lure into the water and watch the reaction of bass to your presentation. Those fish could suck in a lure and expel it before you knew it. That's when I learned the value of scenting ALL lures. I will just add this- If Mike Long and the deceased Bill Murphy, two of the greatest trophy bass hunters ever, use scent on ALL lures, that's proof enough for me. Bill Murphy most times rubbed scent on his worms before each cast!

With my career for the past couple of decades being in outside sales,It's my job to strike up conversations with prospects or listen to my clients tell me ALL about themselves. So.... I would say when I'm fishing, I'm pretty much off the grid. No cell phone and frequently at a body of water that is tough to get in and out of. I see a lot more wildlife than people.

It's time for high speed maneuvers.Try burning surface lures this time of year that match the main small baitfish and minnows of that pond. Early Fall, bass are in the chasing mood. Erratic stop and go works to trigger conditioned, highly pressured bass.

Congrats to a fellow Rhody Basser. If I can recommend a good way to start to learn this wonderful sport, is to read the articles on this site that explain the basic fundamentals.

Reins Tungsten or River2Sea. Like the Reins in 1/4 and up because they are exceptionally small because of their purity. The River2Sea are a matte finish, which I prefer in clear water. Keep in mind, these are for tournaments or trophy bass fishing, for the most part. When pitching or flipping in really dense vegetation, the size and finish are not as important to me.

When the Strike King coffee scent hit the market a few years back, I used the KVD Tubes a lot. They seemed to be very effective, so I thought the same thing as "BigBill" and tried my grounds from my leftover morning cup 'a joe. They worked great and I noticed that it masked the plastic smell on my soft baits. For about a year I used this set up often, but for no good reason, I got out of the habit of bringing a bag of used coffee grounds with me when fishing. I'm going to start to try and get back into doing it, because for me, it seemed to make the Bass hang on longer. Thanks for the reminder Fellas!

The "tap" has been my addiction ever since 1973. Using a natural colored Crème Scoundrel and cast it out, felt the tap...... for that instant you don't know if it's a dink or a lunker. I tune out and it's all there is in my mind.