Chris

I mean really does it seem like the bass can tell a difference? Yes, berkley lure has amino acids in it for scent and the legs give it a little different vibration pattern on the fall and when worked. With many lures sometimes something a little different can make a difference for example if I am catching fish and they turn off on a lure something that is like the original lure but with a different vibration or water displacement can pick up more fish that are not attacking my first bait because of fishing pressure. Changing your lure scent can also turn on fish that didn't hit on the first go round too. This doesn't mean change from one garlic scent to another brand garlic scent.

I just use the smaller zoom chunk myself or thread on a larger chunk so it glides some on the fall.

If the bait runs true you will catch more fish on the lower pitch rattle lure over the other ones. It is the imperfections that make it a better and more fish producing lure. For whatever reason that rattle got hung up which means it has plastic blocking the chamber. Depending on how they designed the lure can throw the lure off just a little in how it tracks or a bunch. If it still tracks true you actually have a gem.

I like to use a flipping tube, sweetbeaver, or paddletail to punch weed mats.

1. citrus shad<---good in clear,stained and some muddy conditions 2. splatterback black chart belly<--great early spring color looks like a crappie or oddball minnow 3. khakki<--looks like an albino shad or molted crawfish 4. parrot orange<--good cold water color looks like a red nose shad or crawfish 5. grey pearl<-shad

I fish jerkbaits the most in early spring or late fall. I fish them around points, bluffs for the most part. They are also a great schooling lure or when bass are suspended. I also use them on shallow weed flats from time to time and up against the shore or any edge. When the bass stop hitting topwaters I start throwing jerbaits in the same areas to pick off a few more fish. They are not the most weedless lures in the world but still are effective. I fish them mostly in clear to stained water.

1. senko 2. sweetbeaver 3. paddle tail worm 4. slug-go 5. money craw

might have been a buzzbait

If I am going to throw a worm at night I usually throw a paddle tail or a gator tail because of the vibration and water displacment. I have also caught some great fish on a flapping shad, buzz tail shad, and senko. With a ribbon tail it is more of a visual bait not a vibration bait.

99% of the time I don't add scent to crankbaits. The 1% where I do is in muddy water or when I am night fishing. When I fish under these conditions I bring the bait through the same area several times so I feel it helps.

jig/pig

yes that will work or part of an old rod handle.

just an idea

To me matching the hatch can mean many things. It could mean if the bass are keyed up on shad use something that acts like a shad. If the bass are feeding up on crawfish, bluegill, shiners, fathead minnows,try to use something that acts or mimics that forage. Matching the hatch can also mean match the size of the bait the bass are eating at the time. You could have a bunch of crawfish or small shad that because of the age class run small and the bass might be geared to hit small bait. Match the hatch could mean to match the lure that mimics the most promentant food source found in the lake at a given time. If the fish are eating cicada bugs, catalpo worms, grass shrimp, dragon flies, luna moths, mayflies, if you have something that a bass might mistake as the "hatch" you stand a good chance of catching more fish or at least the group of fish feeding on them.

Newton lake in Illinois is a warm water power plant lake. This lake has a cold side and a warm side. Mid winter you might have water in the 70's on the warm side or better with snow on the ground. In Illinois bass spawn in most lakes around May in other lakes April depending on weather, how cold the winter was, high water. In Newton they spawn way early because of the water temp on the warm side. That is not to say the whole lake spawns at the same time because the cold side spawns later in the year. On the warm side you can find fish in spawn in Feb and March. If the area has had a mild winter you might find them spawning earler.

I tend to go with three colors in skirts white, chartruse, black most of the time. The exception is in super clear water I might change to something that is more baitfish in color or in Florida I go with more gold stuff because of the baitfish in the water. In clear water I will fish white skirts, if I have cloudy skies I might change to chartruse, or other lowlight conditions I might change to black. In stained water I will fish chartreuse, if I have cloudy skies I might change to black/ chartreuse or other lowlight conditions I might change to black. If I am fishing up with my bait near the surface I might just stick to white. In muddy water I will fish with chartreuse black, if I have cloudy skies I might change to all black, or other lowlight conditions I might change to black blue. I choose a long arm spinnerbait frame for weed areas because it will help sheild the hook better. I choose a trimmed arm so that when the bait arm compacts it clears the hook for most applications. I choose a short arm when I am fishing heavy stain, muddy water, cold water, and when I am using it as a drop bait. (most have a weed guard) Clear water I tend to use a willow style blade the most Stained water I tend to use a indiana style blade the most Muddy water I tend to use a colo blade the most. I fish with painted blades mostly in heavy stained water and muddy water. I will also fish them sometimes when it is overcast or low light conditions in clear water or light stain. I fish with double blades when I want to slow the bait or give it more lift. I also fish them around weed cover because I tend to smack them together to draw strikes a bunch. (usually a double willow)In stained water I like to use a indi/ colo combo, in clear I use a willow/ colo the most, in muddy and heavy stain I use a single colo or a large indi blade the most. Trailers I either use a twin tail grub, swim chunk, or a pork chunk (I wedge cut the front of the pork chunk so it flaps intermittently). good luck

Sounds like you won the tournament while pre fishing. When I pre fish for a tournament I try not to sore mouth my fish or in most cases use the same lure I intend to use in the tournament while pre fishing. I don't want to make the fish I located to get turned off by my own fishing pressure. You can still catch them on crankbaits but you need to use something different. This means a different action, speed, size, rattle, presentation or different lure all together like a wood crank instead of plastic or suspending model instead of floating. It is that difference in vibration pattern or how your using that bait that will pick up those fish.

I will add that running water and deep water fish are less effected by barometric changes shallow fish are most effected.

Yeah alot depends on how hard the bottom is and fishing pressure to where they will spawn. Some even spawn deep or in stumps at times. Marking them is the best way to pinpoint your cast. With tournament guys you also need to figure in if they used a bright neon sign pointing to where the beds are they also tip off others. When your fishing beds it takes time to get that fish to get ticked off enough to nail your bait. Sometimes they just move it slightly out of the nest where easy to see colors work well to know when they have the bait. Other bass will move off with the lure a greater distance. Alot depends on how much fishing pressure the bass has. You mark the bed mainly because you want to put the bait in that bed and you pressure the bass less with you out of the bass's view. You want to fire up that bass so that it protects and defends that bed. How long it takes to get that bass hit your lure depends on the bass and fishing pressure.

I took the tail off of a Manns kangaroo worm and stuck it on micro jig head after dropping some Dr. Juice scent on it to try to catch a few bluegills (because the bass where not hitting good) and watched a bass come out from under the drain pipe I was standing on to take that less than 1/2 inch bait. The bass was pushing 4 lbs.

You can also move your hook threaded more towards the center of the worm so when it falls it will lay more flat to help keep it from digging in the stuff. That is with a weightless presentation or with a splitshot rig. You can also slightly bend up the front part of the off set hook or you can hook it this way so that when the lure is pulled it moves up in the water off the bottom. Sometimes with that fine snott grass your going to do some weed picking reguardless.

The lower two look like a key largo lure pattern or a bagley prizm image.

It could be that the prop is getting pinched by not spinning upright. Your bait might be floating higher in the back instead of tail down so when the water moves the lower part of the blade it causes it to pinch or the hole is to large which will also cause it to pinch.

If it was me I would do a two prong approach. Target staging areas mainly and areas I know bass use to spawn (spending most of my time on the staging area). Your staging areas will have bass moving up to spawn and bass moving back to deeper water after they have spawned which means a consentration of fish. Your first fish to move up to spawn will be your larger fish. By positioning yourself in staging areas if you miss the spawn your still in the right area. Without clear water makes it tough to target beds but if you know where they spawned the year before it makes it a little easier. They may not be in the exact same place but will use the same areas because of location and hard bottom. When I can not see beds because of muddy water depending on activity level and water temp I might target them with a floating balsa jerkbait,(you can slow it more) spinnerbait or topwater to name a few. You may not catch the fish but it will make them show themself to help you target or gage where they are so you can use other lures to catch them. If I have a good idea where they might be spawning I might just flip the area with a jig, tube, or sweetbeaver fishing slow and milking the area. If that didn't work out I would go back to my staging areas checking to see if more fish moved in. Good Luck

This will be less effected by the dropping water