Catt

roadwarrior, you're right it's Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries that is 10 lbs. either way there are ways to get proper help certifying big bass. I will add you don't need a $350 digital camera; I use one that cost $25 while it may not be professional quality it will work for my needs. The point I'm trying to make is on Toledo Bend one can get help all over the lake with proper handling, weighing, photos ect. Chris, I think your point is being prepared to document that hawg, not just to prove it to anyone but it just might be a record. If every one would check their state records there could be records open in different line classes the you could end up holding.

Chris, the only lights I carry at night are a Q-Beam & a small cap light, I do carry a digital camera. Toledo Bend takes part in the Budweiser Share a Lunker Program which will give a free fiberglass replica of any bass over 10 lbs. There are many marinas that have certified scales and the owners will open up anytime of the night. These same marina owners will contact Texas Parks & Wildlife any time day or night who will send someone to pickup the bass.

Clear skies Full moon on the horizon The smell of firewood in the air The sound of an outboard in the distance The distant tap of a Texas Rig 8-)

On lakes & reservoirs main lake deep water bass are less affected by frontal movements than shallow water bass. During or after a front I'll target deep water structure regardless of time of year

You don't Texas Rig a jig, it's a type of jig 8-) It's one of the best kept secrets out there

May 5th & 6th 1982 15 fish daily limit 21 bass caught total weight 98.25 average 4.68 Aug. 2nd 1996 Team Tournament 10 fish daily limit 10 bass caught my 5 weighed 28.5 my partener's 5 weighed 27.02 total weight 55.52 average 5.552

Since I fish mostly at night a camera is almost useless, i always carry a set of scales. I fish Toledo Bend alot and know which marinas have certified scales and usually they have a camera.

With everyone throwing Senkos I found throwing a Texas rigged Zoom Trick worm with a nail in the tail falls the same but slower. I also throw a Texas Rigged Jig instead of a normal jig.

Cajun Anglers Tournament Tackle (CATT), I make and/or modify alot of my own taclke 8-)

Vorlin / Scott A slump is usually when fish are being caught but you aint the one doing the catching! :'( What you are experiencing appears to have nothing to do with you, the fish just aint biting. That's why it's called fishing and not catching, all I can say is keep chunking they gotta eat

White Perch, Crappie, Papermouth, Sac-a-lait, Pomoxis annularis ;D

Alweld 16' long, 50 modified V Tunnel Hull, Tohatsu 40 hp

While one might be proficient with every lure or technique available their brain will pick one it feels more comfortable with. Fishing to your strength do not mean that's all you can do it just means that should be what you start with.

Vorlin, could you give us a little more information about the area of the country you're fishing. I know from your profile that you're from Fredericksburg; VA is this where you're fishing or another area. The name of the lakes would be helpful, just maybe someone here has knowledge on the lake. In the fall it's not uncommon to see huge school of baitfish every where especially in the back of creeks. It's my belief that sometimes when bass are feeding on these huge schools of baitfish they'll eat nothing but real baits rather alive or dead. Based on what you wrote I would throw minnow type baits i.e. small hard or soft jerk baits, small wacky worms, small lipless crank baits, or small crank baits. I know this is old but match the hatch

I've converted numerous aluminum Jon boats into bass boats and one thing I would not do is build the decks out of plywood, it adds to much weight especially on ones that small. What you need to do is build the decks out of aluminum and have them welded in and the carpet them. For the bottom paint it with fiberglass resin this will help reduce drag in the water.

Clooney try these links Boat Trader On Line http://www.boattraderonline.com/newadsearch.html Boats.com http://www.boats.com/index.jsp?src=header_home Boat Crazy http://www.boatcrazy.com/ Used Boats.com http://www.usedboats.com/ Ebay under Bass Boats

Slumps are something we all deal with; I've found through the years the best way to handle them is to get back to basics. I know what my strengths are and fish towards them; I suggest you should do the same. If you are good at Flipping/Pitching, Texas Rigs, Cranks, Spinners, or what ever consecrate on those techniques. If you are good at shallow water, deep water, grass consecrate on those areas. I've learned to down size my tackle to just the basics, it is extremely hard to be a master of all the available techniques. I'm very good at Jig-N-Craws, Texas Rigs, & Spinner baits so I fish where I can maximize these strengths. I'm not that great with Crank baits so I don't waste tournament time fishing them. I don't try new techniques either when tournament fishing, I do this when I'm play fishing. I use quality equipment, I consider them tools of my trade and therefore I want the best. My personal chooses is just that; if you are comfortable with yours don't change. If you don't have a problem hitting your target when flipping, casting, or pitching why change. I stick on an average of 90% of the bites I get (landing 95%); if you are sticking/landing less than 75% consider changing. The most common mistake I see my students make is with the hook set. They are not sure if they had a bite & so they use somewhat of a lazy hook set. I cannot over stress the importance of a solid hook set; speed is the key not strength. If you are a smaller person or woman use a heavier rod to gain the power needed, if you are a larger person use a medium heavy rod to limit pulling the bait away from the fish. With Crank baits or Spinner baits it easy because the fish is hitting moving bait. With Jigs, Tube Bait, Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, or Wacky Rig it is a little harder for a beginners to feel. I completely believe in the 3 tap theory I learned years ago from Shaw Grigsby. Shaw put it like this The first tap the fish has inhaled your bait, the second tap the fish has exhaled your bait, & the third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook? I teach when you feel a bite immediately drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook! It's free so when in doubt set the hook! So when in a slump I would look for small things to change, like timing of the hook set, speed of the hook set. My favorite buddy & I have been fishing together for about twenty five years & we don't hesitate telling the other when he is not on top of his game. It is not a major change that is usually needed when you are not getting bite.

While I have just recently started post here on this forum I have been reading articles and using other information since 1998 or 1999. I've always believed it to be the best bass fishing web site on the net because Glenn has always catered to the every day angler. There are only two web sites that I refer friends to this one and *** because both are honest. That and the lack flashing neon signs or pop-ups! I've probably read every page, was totally amazed by the weight calculator, and have down loaded numerous free screen savers. Merci Beau Coup (Thank you large) Tommy T

Extremely will put Add this to it People often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique. As much as it helps our egos to regard a difficult task as complex, this type of thinking is often the biggest obstacle between you and fishing success.

God bless and protect you

States I've fished in for more than just a 1 day trip: Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, and Florida States I've fished in for just a 1 day trip: Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio #1: Texas has the best bass fishing lakes for quantity and quality ;D #2: Florida for its historical lakes 8-) #3: California for shear size of its fish (to many people for this Cajun)

Aint that something that's the exact boat I'm working towards buying, X18LE with either a 150 Evinrude HO or a Yamaha HPDI. My wife has been on my butt to start fishing tournaments again she always says if you gonna spend the money going to the lake at least you can win some of it back. This technique was used to win 3 tournaments with sacks of over 25 lbs., only one draw back it's only good during the spring.

Matt now your brain is slowly opening Here's a little insight of who I was taught by & at 55 years old I've not only read their books but I've attended many of their seminars. Elwood L. " Buck" Perry & Bill Murphy: Finding & understanding deep structure Douglas Hannon & Shaw Grisby: Understanding bass behavior Rick Clunn: Mental aspects of bass fishing Bobby Murray: Big bass can be caught on light line These guys understood that big bass are controlled by certain environmental factors and if you use these factors to your advantage you will be successful. We are comparing apples to oranges not all big bass are located in Lake Dixon, so we cannot compare how to fish Dixon to lets say Lake Fork or Lake Tohopekaliga. Too many people want to take what these legends wrote years ago and say you see they are wrong. One must take their basic thoughts and intents and apply them with what has since been confirmed. One must not take the term dumb to literal because if we re-read what Doug said he first says anti-survival then adds dumb. Any anti-survival characteristics by any animal are considered by human standards as dumb. I've fished Toledo Bend for 35 years now and know for a fact that you will catch more bass during the week as opposed weekends. Why one would ask? Simple, the weekend warriors are out in full force! It has been a pleasure and an honor to discuss this topic with all of ya'll, I must add that within the deep bowels of my tackle boxes are found select few swim baits, and when under the correct conditions will find their way to the end of my rod. Always remember When in doubt, Set the hook Tommy Thibodeaux

My point exactly Matt, while swim baits will catch big bass it aint the bait for all situations. On Toledo Bend during the summer the hydrilla will be matted to the surface in 15 to 18' of water, the only thing that will work on big bass is a pegged Texas Rig or a Jig-N-Craw. The big bass mind set is exactly that a mind set not a lure, boat, or any thing else. What the swim bait did was change your mind set to the point where you're not after just any bass but that rare 2%. In order to catch these rare 2% of a bass population your mind set made you change locations. To catch big bass the rare 1% or 2% of a population which have proven their superiority and attained weights of 10 pounds or more you must understand their basic environmental needs. 1. Reproduce effectively 2. Feed efficiently (maximize food intake and minimize energy output) 3. Prosper during extreme seasonal changes People often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique. As much as it helps our egos to regard a difficult task as complex, this type of thinking is often the biggest obstacle between you and fishing success. Big bass live in the same world as their smaller bothers, but they (big bass) are more dominant and aggressive. They also eat the most and are first to respond to feeding opportunities. These characteristics are often classified by anglers as anti-survival or dumb. Too many anglers imagine lunkers to be cagey, reclusive, picky eaters which rarely feed. That just won't get it done when it comes to out-competing, out-eating and out-growing the rest of the fish. Anglers assume big fish to be elusive and intelligent because they don't catch many of them. In most cases, big fish are elusive simply because they are so rare. Big fish are actually the least intelligent fish in terms of surviving fishing pressure. Doug Hannon's Big Bass Magic

Here's a question for yall read my post on Extreme Close-up Angling and tell me how to apply swim baits?