Chris

puppy chow

Slow fall can be achieved by using a strike king flipping tube that has a solid head and just rig it Texas rigged or just use a fat ika. You can also fill the tube with a piece of plastic worm shoved inside of it then use a lead nail or a finishing nail cut off and insert it into the worm. You can use a floating worm as your insert and then weight it to counter balance it to adjust the fall rate. You can also just rig it on a grub jig head. Fall I use white or clear with some flake in it to make it look like a shad. Sometimes when I am bed fishing I use a tube jig head insert that has some feathers tied to the hook shank this way if I just move it slightly the feathers really move. In clear water under fall conditions is where the tube shines as a shad imitator. If I am fishing it on the bottom then I go with crawfish colors and in summer I like watermelon.

I would think it is frog eggs but really it is a form of algae.

it is part of a book I am writting in It I go into greater detail I put stuff on the forum for you to use any way you like and if making a copy of it and sticking it in your tackle box helps please do:)

I fish them year round as the opportunity presents itself and when the conditions are right. Like all lures each one has its place and when it is the right tool for the job I use it.

Over cast I would lean towards using a spinnerbait or swimming a jig. A rapala minnow bait is not a bad choice either or a suspending jerkbait like a rogue would be another option or a wooden crank, or a rattletrap.

I find that if you fish an area for a while and the fish stop biting then the area might be saturated with scent and you might want to change flavors to make your lure more distinctive smelling. Some fish prefer one scent over another at times and a change might trigger fish that other wise would not hit. Like if the bass where feeding on crawfish and then they look up to see a shad they might change feeding moods. Or if they where hanging next to cover after eating a shad and where inactive then all of a sudden the get a whiff of a crawfish they might feed again.

I got a penny that says its the coil going bad

Thank you

Thanks guys for the replies I really do appreciate them

Your going to need to glue in some belly weight in that crankbait to make it sit right in the water. It also helps the bait to track right while its swimming and easier to cast. it looks like a great shaped bait

Because it looks like a feeding opportunity. It looks like something slow moving easy to catch. It could resemble a leach, worm or water snake.

neoprene gloves work good or wool that have a mitten that you pull over your cut off fingerless gloves when your not fishing. They use them for hunting and the mitten part Velcro's to the back when your not using it. (I hope I explained good enough to understand) ???

http://bassresource.com/bassfish/bass_fishing_clubs.html

First check to see if you don't have fishing line or weeds caught under your prop by taking it off. Check your connection and make sure it is attached to the battery good. Check the water in your battery. Then check any wire connections. Look for any oxidation. If that isn't it then you can take a volt meter and check the battery then check the end of your wire and make sure you got juice. You can also take a ohm meter and check to see if you have continuity from one end of the wire to the other incase you have a break in the wire.

Bluegills, small bass, and crappie are still a schooling fish. I cannot count how many times I have caught a big fish that had either a good sized crappie or bluegill tail hanging in the back of its throat. In the fall you still have a big push of crappie that bass feed on. Even though you don't have shad you still have the spring hatch that is doing the same thing. They school up the same as shad but they don't do the open water thing and run around in mass schools and ball up. Bass follow food and where you find shell crackers or crappie you will also find bass. Late fall early winter the gills and crappie fall back to deeper water and still hang around any hard cover or green cover. Splatter back black is a good color for a crappie imitator. Bass pattern colors work well also and dark colors and greens look like gills. Don't forget crawfish because and areas that they might be in. The main thing is to find areas that hold the gills and crappie and the bass will be in the same areas. They will hold in the shallows until the weeds start to die then when the crappie move to the hard cover the bass move there also. Some areas also have a fall crappie spawn that is a magnet to bass.

Bass take up positions on cover and structure for safety, comfort, and for a place to ambush prey. We all know that bass like all sorts of stuff to hang out in and around. Anything from weeds to stumps, rocks, depth change, or drop offs to anything in between. Understanding how bass use cover and their environment can help you catch more fish. Along the same lines understanding how bass react to the forever changing environment will help you stay on fish. The key term is forever changing because it is changing as more and more guys learn better ways to catch the same green fish. Techniques, education, and equipment are advancing and to a degree the bass are changing along with it. They are not necessarily getting smarter they are just reacting to the environment though instinct. Things change and the bass reacts to it. One thing that will never change is that a bass still needs to eat. An ambush point is nothing more than an area that a bass move to where it has a good feeding opportunity. It is kinda like the bass's hunting ground. The bass only takes up a position in that given area just to eat. The spot must have either a population of bait or just a sweet spot that the bass has a high percentage rate to trap food. It is the kind of spot that if you put the bait there he will eat it. Largemouth bass are not made to chase down prey for long distances. They rather just take a short burst of speed to ****** up something than run it down over long distances particularly big bass. Because they want to conserve energy they take up a spot to ambush rather than hunt down. The hunting down part comes in when they find something injured. Many times when a lure gives off a weird swimming motion or vibration or acts scared they rush to investigate. They are looking to see if it is something easy to catch because it sounds or acts hurt. Active fish that are already in the feeding mode if you can catch them soon after the act of feeding you can throw anything that looks like bait and they will nail it. That is why you catch fish sometimes that have something like a tail hanging in the back of their throat or they look like they just got back from an all you can eat pizza place and they still hit your lure. Sometimes if the opportunity is there and they can make a short dash to catch something they take it. Two things that will trigger a bass is a easy meal like something slow moving and just something trying to get away. They hate the idea that something is going to get away. Ambush points are places that hold active bass. Like I said they only go there to hunt. It is like a spot within a spot. You take a point for instance you might find fish on your depth finder hanging all over the point scattered. You fish it one way then you change directions. You fish both directions and at different angles. Then all of a sudden bam you get a hit. The next thing you know you caught a few bass. On any given cover or structure there is a natural direction that bait will swim on that cover or structure. If you figure out that direction and you figure out the sweet spot things change...you catch fish. I have said this many many times on this forum find the place where the deep water runs close to the shallow water. This is a ambush point now find the right direction. The more you pick apart cover or structure it gives you clues to what the natural bait flow is. Some days each place is different other times you can just hop scotch around and duplicate it. What your doing is figuring which direction the bass is facing and which direction the food is coming from. This works shallow or deep around cover or structure. When I fished Florida lakes most of the lakes where filled with all kinds of grass from pads to cattails to hydrilla. One lake I fished was filled with what we called pencil grass that looked like sharp green pencils sticking out across the shallows. When you looked at the grass it was uneven and had grass points and pockets. Everything was spaced out the same and the only thing different was the edge that was irregular. The key was to find where there was a depth change close to the edge of the grass. That was the sweet spot that held the most fish and the bass was using that slight depth change as an ambush point. Cattails are the same way if you have a wall of cattails look for something irregular like a pocket or point or where you have two forms of cover like a change of weeds or wood or something different. The more variety the area has the better. The key to sweet spots or ambush points is something different or unique to a given cover or structure. There will always be one spot within the spot that is prime. I was fishing a river channel one time and the deep side of the channel ran straight for a good distance. I followed it fishing along then all of a sudden I came across a deep pocket no larger than 5 ft that dropped down to 9 ft while the surrounding channel was 6 ft. I fished through it then turned right around and fished it again making sure the bait was parallel to the channel and in the right depth. Bang I caught a 5 pounder. You need you understand that a bass uses a depth change or break to intercept anything that falls off the edge or shoots to the open water past the edge. In open water bait has no where to hide and a feeding fish is right there waiting to ambush. Flats are another example of a feeding area and it doesn't matter if the flat is deep or shallow the bass use it the same. Remember when I talked about a deep side of a point or any cover that is on the point bass use these areas to feed they are ambush points. You take a dam on a lake that has rocks and break it down to something that has a different size rock or a ledge running close to the rock or a group of rock that fell off away from the dam. This is something different that bass will move to and feed. The other part of this deal is window of opportunity. This is the time frame when the sun moon and stars align and magic happens. A window of opportunity is a time frame that the bass in that area move to ambush points and actively feed. Sometimes the window opens for a short span other times all day but if your not in the right place at the right time you don't cash in on it. Wind and overcast sky's extend the time that bass are active. I hope you all are getting this stuff because this stuff is so important. This is like the keys to the city.

You still can learn a lot from this dummy This is a thanks to all that spend the time to post here thanks ;D You are why this forum is the best!

Thats way cool muddy man!!!

The oil has a generic name "worm oil" you can get it by the jug at websites like lure craft.

Clear water this is something that sends shivers down some tournament fishermen's spines. They hate it because under clear water conditions the bass can see every mistake you make. Stained to muddy water tournament fishermen feel they have an advantage because they can use lures that appeal to the other senses and can trick a bass to bite. Well, you might want to take another look at those visible "hard to catch bass." I have a guy that I fish with a lot that hates clear water fishing. When I ask why he says its hard to catch a bass that you can see and clear water makes it hard to get fish to bite. The reality is he is to wrapped up in certain baits to give other techniques a try. To be truthful sometimes when everyone is out pounding the dirty water they left the clear water bass. This leaves an opportunity to catch fish that are less pressured. Sight fishing just means catching fish that you can see. They can be on beds, positioned on some sort of cover or just cruising around. It is not just limited to just bed fishing. Spooky fish can still be caught if given enough time to calm down. Some fish you can hang it up because they are wise to you. The first thing you need to pay attention to is your shadow. In the bass's world a shadow means that something is about to eat him. Even at a young age a bass has figured out that herrings are not their friend and a shadow means time to run for their life. Line of sight is another thing to keep in mind when approaching a sight fish. You need to understand that a bass can see above and in the water and all around almost a 75 degree span from in front to almost its tail. The blind spot is behind the fish. Anything thrown at its tail will spook the fish. Sight fishing is kinda like hunting you need to be stealthy to a degree. Don't wear loud colors that might bring attention to yourself. Don't bump your trolling motor or bang around in your boat if possible. Long casts are a myth in my opinion because if you are out of their line of sight you don't need one in most situations. In situations when there is no way to get out of the bass's line of sight then a long cast is a must. Boat positioning is critical to remain stealthy. The trick is to put the bait exactly where it is in front of the bass not at its nose. If your fishing a cruising fish you need to lead the fish. Depending on how shy the fish is to how far you need to lead it to catch it. What you want to do is work the bait when the bass is in the area of your bait to get its attention. You don't need to get wild at this stage of the game it just takes a shake or hop to stop the fish most of the time. Do a series or shakes at different intervals to tease the bass into taking the bait. I mentioned in a different post about a dropshot rig that works in this situation but you can use a tube, soft jerkbait, lizard, worm, or sweetbeaver anything that strikes your fancy they all work. The main thing is to draw attention to your bait rattles inside your bait will do the trick also. You also need to use a colors you can see and polarized glasses to see it with. Light line is preferred but the fluorocarbon line makes it easy to upgrade to heavier stuff. Wacky rigged senko's and worms are killer for sight fishing because you can work the bait in one spot. A cast is everything in sight fishing and can make or break you. Lure size can be another thing that can make or break you. Remember fish can see your mistakes so scale down. That slider worm, 3" and 2.5" tube, cuttail, 3 inch senko, fluke JR. are hard to beat when it gets tough.

For years that is exactly how people viewed this bait because it meant light line and a finesse touch. Well, things have changed that's for sure and people are using this sissy bait in many different configurations to win more and more tournaments each year. The tube was mainly used to fish deep clear lakes much like the drop shot is used today. Years ago it wasn't a bait that every angler used because it didn't have anything to it. People would just stick it on a jig head and drop it down to fish hanging on deep clear water structure. Mainly people just fished it vertically. The Gitzit tube made popular by Guido was made by hand cutting the tails which close up when it falls to trap air and slows the fall and the spiral as it falls. If you ever seen a stunned baitfish it has a similar fall to this bait. After each cast squeeze out the water inside the tube to recreate that same fall. Guido also made popular a technique of skipping a tube under docks or over hanging tree's. This put a baitfish imitator in places few lures at the time could go. Shaw Grigsby came up with the perfect tube hook called the HP hook that had a safety pin attached to it. This enabled you to rig a tube weedless and attached an internal weight. Now you have a compact bait that is even easier to skip. This opened doors to new possibilities. The tube also when skipped mimics a fleeing baitfish which is another new door that other lures cannot do at the time. Sight fishing was born out of a need to catch fish with something that looked and acted real and at the time a tube was as close as it got. I am not talking about bed fishing I am talking about I see a fish and I cast and catch the fish I see. These days the senko is the lure of choice because of the fall. Back then and for some even today a tube spiral fall is deadly. You can rig it with a belly weight and achieve the same senko fall. These days the fat Ika has replaced the belly weight. Remember clear water fish feed by sight another way to catch them is to just swim the bait. A tube doesn't have a swimming action built in but because it is the right size and color of bait fish it still works. Fishing this bait Texas rig on the bottom mimics a crawfish perfectly. Hank Parker years ago used a tube on a Carolina rig which opened a new door of possibilities. Weightless with just a hook was the first soft jerkbait in case you didn't know. The slug-go came soon after. Carolina rigging this bait some people pushed some foam in the bait to make it float others would take the top part of a tube and cut it off and push it into the back of another tube to create an air pocket. There are tubes on the market today that have a wider umbrella skirt that helps the bait fall slow vertically. This style tube works great for displacing water and flipping in stained water. Larger flipping tubes made it posable to fish deep in grass and other places that the sissy tube had never gone before. Now the same bait that was known as a sissy bait became a power fishermen's dream. That same pocket that years ago was used to trap air was now being used for splitshot weight, cotton for scent, rattles, and all kinds of other things. Some guys even fill it with foam and use it as a topwater bait like a spook. This is also a great bait for rat fishing on slop. Like I said before that sissy bait has a lot of possibilities

Can I get in on that bet ;D Read the bottom post on this thread http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1130795561

I kept this post open to illustrate something. Each person that posted had a common thread they fished what they like to fish first. Confidence plays a major part in trying to figure out a new lake. You could use the systematic approach where you start off with what you like to fish and then expand into other areas or techniques while you get a picture of what the lake is doing. As a tournament fishermen if you like to fish off colored water then you tend to try to find it if available. If your a structure fishermen then you look for the right structure that fits your style of fishing. We tend to look for something that is familiar to us or something that fits our style of fishing. For a lot of us every day is a jig day or crankbait day because we search out areas that that technique will work. What throws us for a loop is when the techniques we love to use don't fit the water that is new to us and we don't change what we are doing. Each lake fishes different and when your not comfortable using other techniques you get stuck. To be consistent on any water you need to be flexible. Most of the top money makers on tour even though they are known for a particular style of fishing they are also proficient in other techniques. It is important to explore all options while figuring out what is going to get fish in the boat. People like Charlie Moore have a leg up on most guys he fishes against because they either beat themselves or they don't explore all options.

My first step is always to dig up a topo map. I then find areas that are different. This could be a sharp drop, creek bed, point, hump, or a road bed. Most all of this stuff can be spotted on a good map. The next step is to go out and scout around. Most of the great spots are not on the map because the contour lines are usually in 10ft intervals. So going out and doing some on the water searching will help narrow it down some. You take what is on the map as a guideline then search out in that area for something even better. It could be anything different that will attract fish away from the main structure. Like a stump or a rock pile or a deeper side on a point or a finger extending out from the main point. One part of a drop might be steeper than another part or a creek channel might have an older channel that's not on the map. Old road beds might have bridges or intersections not marked.