Chris

If its orange you have stagnant water. If its brown its dead, green is growing. If the water is orange the water is very acidic. Find the green stuff the pH will be different and you might find a whole school in one small area.

When a tournament is up and coming I say to people " I got another tournament to win" I also have copenhagen to calm my nerves.

I have carved spooks with rattles, pop baits, crankbaits, prop baits, and some off the wall stuff. It keeps me busy and out of trouble. ;D

Where do bluegills and shad hang out and I bet you will find the bass there also. Deep or shallow bass follow food and with higher water temps that the only thing thats on their mind. If a bass is in the shade its because food is there the same as deep. If the area does not provide food a bass is not going to stay there to long. Every shade patch and dock does not hold bass but the ones that have populations of food will. Same for the deeper stuff more than likly they are keying in on shad schools that swim by that area like clockwork. Without the shad bass would not be there.

Bingo! You need to find areas that the big girls go to recoup before they settle down for the deeper water. They hang out in transition areas or areas that are in between the deep and shallow stuff or places that lead to deep water. This could be grasslines, timberlines, creek channels, channel ledges, ditches, points, or secondary points. They like to hang out on the breakline I would say between 5ft to 15 depending on the water. Sometimes they may suspend off the edge maybe 5ft down but may be sitting over 20 ft of water.

For me shad influences where I start fishing this time of the year. It plays a big role on where when and how I fish. Shad migrate in big schools daily in most bodies of water. Bass will follow these schools and from time to time feed on the shad. What the bass do is follow underneath the school and wait until the school gets funneled into an area like a hump or point or any obstacle. This makes easy pickings for the bass. Wind can give you some clues on where the schools might be. The wind blows the small zooplankton and other organisms and the shad follow to feed along with the bass. Pay close attention to the size of the shad and try to match the hatch with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. I have noticed that if you like to swim a jig this is when you want to do it. You can spend lots of time chasing shad nailing bass on topwater and soft jerkbaits but to cash in you need to find the places that bunch up the shad. When you identify these places and really explore what they have to offer its like hitting the lotto.

Fish current breaks and bends in the river.

What are some post spawn patterns that you use?

Right now the bass should be in transition from post spawn to schooling. How much does shad movements influence where you fish?

Medium timber I fish spinnerbaits and crankbaits and in heavy timber I use jigs. In deep timber I use crankbaits and heavy jigs or a jigging spoon. A tube works for heavy fished lakes.

its a turtle shell shaped blade thats on a terminator spinnerbait. Its shorter than a willow bade and more pointed on the end than a colo.

Confidence- Its the state of mind that says If I throw a bait enough it will catch fish. It's fishing with your gut feeling of what will work where and knowing that it will work. Its making yourself believe that you will catch fish no matter what. It's knowing that If you fish in the right places with the right lure fished the right way its only a matter of time before you get on them.

Fish it more aggressively when it hits the bottom. Shake it hop it as soon as it hits the bottom draw attention to it.

I don't get hung one bait or one style of fishing. If you fish a lake for awhile you can tell how it will fish by how its layed out and what kind of cover it has. I love a jig bite but on some lakes it just don't work out and I am having to dig for something that will work. For me I look at the cover and figure out what will work for that kind of cover or depth and I use the right tool for the job. Alot of it is gut feeling.

or when you lip it if you have a lipstick stain on your thumb its a girl and if its a copenhagen stain its a boy.

Look between the fins. I was told by a Dion Hibdon that a female bass has a bump that sticks out on its lower lip that a male does not have. The vent on the under side durring the spawn is larger than a male. You can not judge the sex of a bass by the size unless they are on the bed. Male bass grow big too but not as large.

Well like or dislike its all about the record or as far as I am concerned it is Roland. Not that I like the guy.

Welcome to the forum! If you have the tackle for it I would try a scum frog on top of the moss or a soft jerkbait would work. If you can hit the open areas try a wacky worm.

I have caught and turned loose many wall hangers that I have been lucky enough to catch through the years but a record bass.. I think I would need to keep it mainly because If I turned it loose someone might be lucky enough to catch it again and beat my record. Sorry its going in my livewell but I will tell you stories about it and show you the nice mount if you like.

I would agree that the people's order is kinda slanted towards the guys that have shows but Larry Nixon had a show too and I guess people don't remember how great of a tour pro he is.

your my hero!

If I am close I flip but 90% of the time I pitch and yes the main thing is to put the lure where you need it quietly.

Bass should be schooling so when you find the shad you find the bass. Look for feeding areas. and watch the wind and current if any this can clue you in on which bank to start on.

Big fish are a whole different story and Florida bass is just a whole different can of worms.

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