Chris

It could also happen to a wooden bait if it gets the paint chipped bad and not sealed correctly. It can throw the bait off. It takes awhile but it does happen.

I look for wood then I try rocks then vegitation first shallow then work my way deep.

What I do is I figure out how much water clarity I am dealing with. The dirtier the water is the less distance a fish can see my bait and the shallower the fish will be. If I am dealing with chocolate milk colored water that I can see down maybe 6 inches I know the fish are going to be really shallow and real close to cover. The fish are going to feed on sound more than sight so I need to use a bait that has a vibration and one that I can bounce off cover to alert the fish to my bait. Yellows or chartreuse's work or darker colors.

Hey welcome rollo58 ;D

I also started out with a worm and felt that if they well not bite it them they must not be bitting. Later in life I found out that I was wrong and that the other lures that I had been carring around for years as a status symbol have a use after all. I have always for the most part been self taught. I think now I am able to have confidence in everything I throw. The main thing is that I took the time to learn them and spend hours figuring out what when and where to throw them. I think that it has helped me the most in tournaments because I don't win or fail on just one bait or one way of thinking. It has helped me make the top ten more times then not.

I have been waiting 3 or 4 months for them to send me the last book with the last coin instead they send me other odd ball books so I just called and told them to quit sending me the dang things.

Every now and then I have a day where I totally figure out the fish and put a hurt on them. You know the days when your partner has one dink and you have seven good fish. Has anyone else had a day when everything goes right?

If you can sight fish with a tube, crawfish or lizard that might be the deal. If the day is windy use a spinnerbait, rattletrap, or jerkbait. Drop shot is another option or a jig. buzzbaits and other topwater at times can be killer on beds when the fish are not really hanging right on the bed.

I make my own spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, worms, and topwater lures. Why? It keeps me out of trouble.

What part of the country? Where they on beds or looking to bed?

plastic redshad worm, fluke,1/8oz spinnerbait or 1/4oz,tube,rapala

Rattletrap has worked for me when the lake is half frozen. Also a shallow crankbait fished stop and go.

I am not a fair weather fishermen but when lightning hits my butt is heading in. Do I like it? Yes when it turns on the fish. I hate fishing when I am cold and wet.

For me this is a hard queston to answer. I will give you an example. I fished a lake last monday with a bomber crankbait. After fishing the bait for 2 hours I got one bite. As I continued to covering water conditions changed. I found water that was a little more clear. I changed to a bait that ran the same depth but changed style and color and started catching fish. When I got back to the dirtier water I changed again to a spinnerbait then caught more fish. When I made another loop around the lake I changed again to a crankbait that had a different vibration. A general answer would be change and let the fish tell you what they want. What you need to do is change to keep up with conditions your faced with. Some days are tough and you might be using the right bait but not at the right time.

Welcome

If a fish was able to feel pain like we do then they wouldn't eat bluegills or crawfish.

I got a wally world just down the road from me and a Dicks about 30 miles away and a Gander Mountain about 100 miles away and a mom and pop tackle shop that blows all of them out of the water for lures that the main stream don't carry its 115 miles away. Guess which one I goto for my early year stock up? I'll give you a hint its only an small drive of 115 miles.

I use color safety pins and write down the weights for each color. The fish are free to swim around without getting tangled up.

I like to think skill is way more important than luck but every time someone sticks it to me at the weigh in I usually say you lucky !@#$% but really they found fish and figured them out while i was out getting a sun tan and not catching anything.

I like to use a spinnerbait, buzzbait, crankbait, 10inch worms, topwater stickbaits, jitterbugs, paddletail worms work great too. I have even fished some night tournaments pitching a jig. ;D

Last winter everyday since spring once a week maybe.

Not all docks have the depth or cover to hold fish. If the dock is in the right place no matter who is around it fish will be there. Some dock owners put out brush near the dock and fish can be caught in or around it. Sometimes its not the dock itself that draws fish but how close it is to a depth change or cover that around or out from it. What the dock is made out of and how much of an area of shade it produces will draw fish. If the dock is shaped different from the others will draw fish. Look for dock lamps or rod holders this can be a give away. Find the depth change and position your boat at a 90 degree from the drop off about a cast distance away from the dock and work the breakline on either side of the dock running parallel to the shore. Then position your boat so that you can run your bait in front of the dock to check for hidden bushes. Try to work around the dock before you move in you might find a spot within a spot.

I guess it would depend on the club. More times than not clubs are always looking for new members. I would try to get information about age limits and such first. Some clubs have age limits some don't.

A spot has a patch of teeth on its tongue.

Yeah but in a tournament you cut the line when you hit the spot then put up that rod and then grab your flipping stick. Just make sure you pick up your trash when your done.