Catt

I've been fishing Toledo Bend for 35+ years using the same baits in the same location ghoti here's results of the study but I can't remember who did it Doug Hannon's Answer Plastic Worm (Texas rigged) It's a long, thin shape resembles the profile of a wide variety of forage in the world of the bass, including earthworms, snakes, eels, and baitfish. Its action is almost entirely dependent on the contours of the bottom; and the rod movements of the fisherman, making it very random. It moves with little noise; the noise that it does make comes mostly from the random clicking of the sinker as it hits bottom. Bright colors and larger size can be used to increase its attracting qualities. Because of its basic resemblance to a wide array of living forage, this lure presents very few negative cues, and is hard for big bass to learn not to hit. Here is the official answer: Studies have proven that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER! That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That's why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

Don't thank me thank Matt Fly; I was so impressed I copied and keep it for future use

The mouse for me is shad, shad is the dominate bait/forage in 90% of all Texas lakes. There's so much you can say about shad and seasonal habits, gizzard or threadfin. Gizzard shad often out grow bass that feed upon them. Stripers were stocked in Texas lakes to control them since they grow 16-18 inches. Appearance is silver to white with very distinct forked tails. Threadfins tails have a yellowish tint of color to them, thus the reason we dip our baits with a little chartreuse dye of some type. A threadfins jaw extends past the snout where a gizzard shad is more blunt nose. Both have the dot on the shoulder behind the gill. Threadfin shad live primarily on microscopic plant and animal life, phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are why they are often found around rock riprap, bridge and dock pilings, and areas with gentle current where algae grows or is washed into the system. They are more surface-oriented than gizzard shad, and frequently move in huge schools just under the surface, sometimes migrating for miles each day. It is now well-established that massive concentrations of threadfin shad seek shoreline cover each night. This cover can take the form of grass and moss beds, logjams, or even standing timber and brush piles if that's all that's available. This cover provides them with some semblance of protection from predators like largemouth bass. Early in the morning, generally shortly after dawn, the threadfin leave this shallow water cover for deeper haunts where they may disperse slightly for the balance of the midday period and early afternoon hours. The threadfin then re-group and return to the shallow water cover late in the afternoon, frequently by reversing the same exit route they used that morning. Why is bass fishing good in shallow water early and late each day? The answer is because the shad have already moved in for the night, or have not left for the day. Why does the morning action frequently end just after the sun peeks over the trees? Because the shad have left and the bass are following, but not necessarily feeding on them. Even more exciting, perhaps, is the knowledge or fact that if these "ambush points" can be identified, there's a good chance bass will attack them there again that evening when the threadfin migrate back through on their way back to the shallows. What do you look for in a shad migration route? It's difficult to pinpoint anything precisely because much depends on the characteristics of the lake. Perhaps the best thing to do is immediately check any areas where you see and experience surface activity between bass and shad with a depth finder to determine what's on the bottom. The shad may be following a ditch, small creek channel, or some other specific terrain feature you may then be able to backtrack to their nightly hideout. When do shad migrations take place? Again, the answer depends on the lake as well as on their temperature driven spawning cycle. Threadfin shad spawn in shallow water coves from late April into July, depending on the surface water temperature. The optimum spawning water temperature is 68 degrees. Threadfin shad grow rapidly - life expectancy is two to three years - and the migrations from shallow cover to open water tend to occur from late spring throughout the summer and well into autumn. Again, much depends on the lake; the amount and location of phytoplankton and zooplankton, and water temperature. Threadfin shad cannot tolerate cold temperatures and actually begin dying (winter kill) when the water reaches approximately 45 degrees. Hookem Matt Shad do migrate to the shallows about the same time as a bass, but will spawn every 30-45 days throughout the summer. If water warms up in the back of a creek before the main lake temps start to rise, shad will find the warmest water column on the lake. The one of the most common baits used to mimic shad is the fluke or similar type bait. Mature thread fin are on average 3-5 inches. The first shad to die will be the late spawn, the youngest in the school "if" the water gets down to that 45 degree mark. Shad school up in tight bunches when predator's are near. A quality graph will show you tight balls of shad with fish near by that feeding. Sometimes the best fishing you can do is just using your graph, no rods. The more you graph things you know, the more you learn to decipher. Such as: take your boat to the launch ramp, what does cement ramps look like on your graph. Look at the thickness of the bottom line on the graph, is it real thin or wide, what do rock dams look like on the graph. What does Hydrilla or other vegetation look like on your screen? When you parallel a bridge in passing, how long does it take the bridge piling to show up on screen as you pass them, and what do they look like extending up on screen? Trees, brush? Learn what the graph is showing you by going to areas you know what's down there. What does muddy bottoms graph like. Learning these simple things can make you an excellent tracker by using the graph to take guess work out of potentially good areas. Vertical presentations can be utilized all year. The biggest advice on tracking shad at this time of the year. What areas have been good in the morning and evening in the shallows? There's something that draws the bass into the shallows, where it's a brim spawn, shad, or crawl dad hatch, or something. Wind is one of my biggest keys in the summer. Steady southern winds stacks the planktons up on wind blown points and humps and other areas of similar. This is key because it's what shad eat to survive. We chase bass, bass chase shad; shad chase plankton, fairly simple food chain. Planktons are controlled by wind currents. Steady winds stack their food source up, and where there's bait, bass aren't far. Hookem Matt

Shad move during daylight because they feel safer than they would during darkness The key to consistently catching bass is to learn what the shad do; this in turn will teach you why the bass do what they do. Both shallow water bass & deep water bass know instinctively when their pray is easiest to locate proving the fact that bass must feed efficiently (maximize food intake and minimize energy output).

Lady you gotta quite front ending ole Joe; he needs to put you in the back seat If it was me you would be swimming ;D

I got a receipt around here some where but it aint exactly one of my favorites, too much work to catch & clean. Some of the local butcher shops still sale turtle meat if you can find a butcher shop.

The Florida bass are breathing a sigh of relief Hurry back

How Y'all Are?

When I saw the title of LBH's topic my first though was that reel

The question was in fact "why are people fishing the other way around", the answer is because the man who invented (can't remember his name) the reel was left handed; he would cast with his left hand and retrieve with his right. So in reality what we Americans call right handed reels are actually left handed reels.

Two cup races I'd love to see are Bristol & Talladega

How Y'all Are

First off how y'all are & welcome They are the same with some different colors add to the line up, s533 Purple Pearl w/Sm Blue / Lemon Skirt (LSU color) has been accounting far some monster bull redfish.

The first win is always so memorable; congratulations 8-) My first was 35 yrs ago; remember it like it was yesterday

Most all Shimano low profiles have your little side release to access the brakes; I however prefer Calcutta's because I don't want anything that can come apart that easy.

Center consoles have grown in popularity do the higher sides which gives women a peace of mind when compared to low slung bass boats.

Shimano makes LH in every model they sell

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Early reels were often operated by inverting the reel in order to retrieve line by back-winding, and the reel crank handle was positioned on the right side of the reel for this reason. As a result, the right-hand crank position for bait casting reels has become customary over the years.

I have a Shimano Crucial CRC-X610MH Length: 6' 10 Line: 10-20 lb Lure: 3/8-3/4 Power: Medium Heavy Action: Extra Fast I use it for Texas Rigs & have absolutely no problems pulling hawgs out of thick Hydrilla; as for as a comparison to G. Loomis or St Croix I put it in the same category.

How is this a cholesterol fighter?

I don't think it matters as long as it's between the tank and motor

One of the best baits for bass & bull reds all along the gulf coast

A widely held misconception is that big bass feed only at night, or at dawn and dusk. This is simply untrue; in fact, you are very likely to find large fish feeding during the middle of the day. The reason is the migration of shad to and from open water usually occurs during mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Darkness covers up an angler's presence and most of all his mistakes. Fish don't feed as regularly at night as they do in the day but when they are feeding, it's far less of a problem to catch them,

Kinda hard to hide a Hummer