Chris

Using a spinning rod, swing it low and parallel to the water surface. In the middle of your swing stop the rod. You need to time the line release with the rod stopping. Swing the rod side arm. If your skipping under a dock try to let the lure hit the surface just in front of the dock then skate it back under it. If you using a baitcaster there is three ways to do it. The first way is to use the dock as a pendulum and use it to excel the bait on the swing and then feather the bait when it swings under the dock (this is hard and takes practice). Another way is to pitch the lure low to the water and feather it just enough to keep it on top of the surface. The third way is to roll cast and as you bring your rod up at the end of the cast feather the spool. This stuff isn't easy and takes time to learn.

(Hate to beat up this topic)Your not your adding to it

I just use a single glass bead or two if its muddy. You could use a brass ticker I am just cheap. ;D

What colors to use when?? Do you use natural colors in clear water? And the brighter colors in stained or muddy water? I've also heard a lot about using red in stained to muddy water and in low light conditions, have you found this to be true?? Here is the quidelines I use: In stained water I use chartreuse(this could be chart/black back, chart/blue back, chart/ purple back, chart, splatterback brown, citrus shad, bass In muddy water I use yellow, yellow green, yellow blue, all white, Orange sides/yellow belly/green back(pumpkinseed bluegill), or crawfish(its dark and can be picked out from the background and might look like a bluegill),bass In clear water I use a lot of chrome, gold on cloudy days, white/splatterback, citrus shad in the mornings, shad colors, rootbeer, rootbeer yellow belly for bluegills, Springtime red (it does work other times but I find that I use it the most in spring) DDbasser you might want to take a look at the other post I did on color it goes more in-depth. A lot depends on the amount of light penetration at the depth your fishing.

Welcome to the forum ;D

Ribbon tail: Has a lot of movement and work great in clear and slightly stained water. This worm hangs a lot in cover because it has a tendency to get caught on grass and sometimes never reach the bottom. This style is best used in holes in the grass not for making your own hole in the grass. This style worm drops slow and has a slight vibration. Hook tail: Gives off more vibration than a ribbon tail and hangs less in cover. This style is best suited for slightly stained water and a great drop bait. Gator tail: This style is a true flip bait. The tail gives off more vibration than the hook tail and displaces more water on the fall. Stained to slightly muddy water is where this bait shines. This is a great heavy cover bait because it is compact. Straight tail: This style is a great clear water bait. The floating style can be used as a jerkbait and is a great bait to fish slow under docks. This style has the least vibration because of the tail. Wacky style works best for clear to slightly stained water and will cause the bait to throw off more water displacement. Paddle tail: This style works great for buzzing over and through weeds and as a drop bait. A paddle tail and gator tail are my top choices for flipping. The tail gives off a vibration much like a spinnerbait. Ring worms: This style worm gives off a different vibration because of the rings and can be a heck of a worm in stained water and cover. Straight shank hook: This is the style hook I use for close combat fishing (flipping). With this style hook (sproat hook) the worm has a tendency to slide down the shank on the hook but in close combat fishing it is one of the best hooks for sticking a fish quick. Offset hook: This style hook helps prevent the worm from sliding down the hook and is the most popular hook. I use this style for my smaller diameter worms. Wide gap hook: I use this style hook for my wider body worms. This style hook helps prevent the worm from sliding down your hook on the cast. Beads and Glass rattles: I use beads when I am casting a worm because I can shake it and to make it rattle. In heavy cover I use a glass rattle insert because it will not hinder the bait in heavy cover. Beads tend to hang in cover and will not allow the bait to fall to the bottom.

Dink means dink no abbreviations.

Ahhhh you noticed that too ;D

Here are some things that has helped me in color selection. Light is filtered out more and more the deeper you go. Its the amount of light reflected off an object that gives you color. The things suspended in the water cause the water to be the color that it is. Its the suspended particles that also filter out the amount of light that can go to a given depth. The suspended particles also change the appearance of color. So if you have a yellow lure in blue water the bait may appear green. (just an example) When colors don't have enough light to reflect they appear dark or dull. Black contrasts against all colors. Black is also visible in minimal light conditions. Purple works well in greenish color water. Watermelon or green and blue can be seen at the deeper depths. They can still be identified as their original color even with less light penetration. Orange is great for a brown water color. Orange reflects off of the brown color particles and can still be identified as orange and will not blend in. Chartreuse, green, orange, red, blue, yellow, and violets reflect the most light at twilight time (clear water). Try it yourself take your tackle box outside when the sun is setting and see which colors almost glow or you can still identify as the original color.

Bump!

Bump!

Yep I had a tournament that I fished one time that I didn't get a chance to go pre fish. A month before the tournament I called the spot where I was going to get my kicker fish. I ended up winning and big fish. As far as calling shots on cover I do that every cast. It keeps me on my toes

Spinnerbait the shallow stuff.

I was fishing under a bridge one time and I found a deep spot that the bass where stacked up and I caught fish using that smaller slug-go in a funky fish color texas rigged. Well when the bite slowed down I rigged it whacky style and caught even more fish. I ended up out fishing the guy I was with and he about flipped when he figured out how I was fishing and how well it was working. We didn't catch anything big but it was fun.

Max I cannot begin to count how many times someone asked for an idea on how to approach things and I give them a great answer and they go off in another direction. To me I think that is great because that means they are a free thinker and are able to problem solve on their own. Being a free thinker is a big key to fishing because you learn new ideas and techniques that others didn't come up with. You can give your input on topics but what it boils down to is what works for them.

Well I am at the end of my season here is how it turned out. 5 first place finishes 2 second place finishes 1 third place finish(this was yesterday) 4th place 5th place 10th place (big open tournament) and one tournament I got a 0 (I hate that lake) I also won big bass in two tournaments a 5pounder and a 6 pounder AOY in one club and I will find out my standings in the other club later this month. This a combo of 2 clubs and open tournaments that I fish.

"I fish in a small impoundment that only allows electric motors." I totally missed that part and I read the darn thing 3 times and still didn't catch it. :-/

jerkbait or soft jerkbait. jerkbait cost under 5 bucks and a soft under 3 sometimes you can catch them on sale for 99 cents.

Time to brag how well have you done this year in tournaments or just fun fishing? Did you hang a lunker on the wall? Did you have a new personal record fish this year?

I LIKE MY TRUCK, i like my truck I LIKE MY RANGER I LIKE TO GET UP WITH THE CRICKETS I LIKE TO CATCH A BASS EVERY NOW AND THEN BUT I LOVE THIS BAR ;D

I have never used that style jig yet. Here are some guidelines. I like to use a light wire hook jig for swimming or a jig with the weed guard thinned out. This way on a long cast I can still stick the fish. In super clear water I use a clear holographic skirt with a white swim chunk and about a 1/4 or 1/8 oz jig. In deeper water I go up on the jig weight to a 1/2 ounce. In stained water I use a all white skirt and a swim chunk. Heavy stained water I use black and blue jig. You can use any trailer from a tube, grub, pork and plastic chunk. I don't do anything fancy but some people pump their rod as they reel this lure I just put my rod at a 10:00 position and slowly crank. When you get a bite wait a second like a worm bite. What the bass does is they stop the bait and start to swim off then they suck down the rest. You got to wait a second to give the bass enough time to take it in deeper in their mouth. With a normal jig bite like when I am flipping I don't give them any time because they almost always have the hook on the strike but when you swim it they don't have the hook until you feel that second tap.

Yeah where Will? I am pretty daring with a spinnerbait. ;)I think it is a experiment kinda deal. Sometimes if I see a lot of guys slinging a spinnerbait I might change to a jig. A jig is not going to spook fish as much as a spinnerbait crashing into the water. Sometimes if the water is clear a jig might be a better choice for super shallow fish in areas that are weedy.

Now your thinking ;D

Man you did some digging for this post I swim jigs from late summer until the water freezes. The colder the water gets the better swimming jig bite I have it seems.

Sure a bass might just want something crawling on the bottom. If I am fishing close and the jig or worm is the only way to get bites then I beef up my weight. The reason why I say fishing with a worm in wind is hard is because it is difficult to feel the bottom or the weight in heavy wind. Will it still work yes. Might need to use your jedi force to feel a bite though. Bite detection is easier with a spinnerbait and crankbait in wind.