Chris

In a word... YES! In the winter i tend to use a lighter jig because it forces me to slow down and it has a slower fall rate. A jig can be killer in winter you just got to slow down. I generally don't hop the jig much most of the time i just pitch it then shake it or quiver it in place. Its a light bite so pay attention.

I got hooked on Baitmate Classic i guess because i got it cheap lol but Bang, Dr. Juice, work too. I usually use crawfish on anything on the bottom and shad on anything moving off the bottom. Some soft plastic have scent in them like garlic or Bang or powerbait. They are great because the scent is already on them but after use you might want to spray some on it.

I would say the four spinnerbaits i use the most is Strikeking Flip and Spin, Zorro white single gold colo blade, minno spin i made myself, and Hank Parker Classic Spinnerbait,

Trailers i use mainly in stained to muddy i use pork and plastic mainly to make the bait look bigger, to put more action in the bait, it displaces more water, and elongates the bait. I use Uncle Josh pork #11 I also like the cyberflex spinnerbait trailers. I use the plastic more in clear water.

Oh your going to open a can of worms. lol For me if i am using a crankbait, spinnerbait, topwater, or grass frog, I don't use a cover scent unless i am using them in cold water. If I use anything plastic or a jig i use a cover scent mainly because the bait is slow enough for them to smell it or i use scent as a lube to help get my bait down in cover. The main thing that you are coving up is any gas smell or sun tan lotion anything that would be offensive to the fish.

i have two that i like one is Bassin the other is Advanced Bass strategies

I fished a lake a few days ago that more than half of it had ice on it. A fish still needs to eat and cold water isn't going to stop it.

What style spinnerbait works for you in hard woods to weeds?

Has any of you tried burnning a crankbait or spinnerbait ? Most of the time when i do it its durring summer and it works great. Mainly i feel that it triggers fish into biting. It kinda looks like a baitfish trying to get away. Anyone else have a need for speed?

Merry Xmas and may the Bass Gods Smile on you!

Have you tried that Balsa Boogie from bass pro? I think they are a great bait but the paint kinda stinks. That Thundershad isn't a bad bait either I own 2 one catches fish the other don't. I like the hooks and the "D" split rings. The DT series work great I like them in clear water. I like balsa baits that have a rattle because i fish alot of dirty water. The thing about it is that you spend a bunch on one lure but it can become money wasted if the lure doesn't produce. The good thing about wood baits is that each runs different so you can feel like your using a lure different than what others are throwing.

The sink rate on flourocarbon is going to be faster than braid. If your just rigging the senko with just a hook 50 lb braid is a little much 12-17 lb is really all you would need in flourocarbon. I would switch but if you are flipping the senko in some nasty stuff then you might be alright with braid it would depend on how you intend to fish the bait.

Good idea!

A MAJOR pattern i use early early spring is to target laydowns and points. The larger bass will use a laydown like a point and stage waiting to move up. Most of the time during this time of the season they will be on the end of the laydown. That Zorro with a #11 white Uncle Josh pork is an hard bait to beat along with a Bandit crankbait this time of the year. This is pig fishing so use the right tackle for it and be ready and fish slow. For the past few years this tactic has landed me several fish over 5 and one 9 1/2 lbs.

lol shuttup quit giving out my secrets( Thats a bad old bait aint it!)

jigging spoon, little george, heavy tube, heavy spinnerbait, countdown crankbait, jig, spidergrub, jig a rattletrap, grub, drop shot, suspending crankbait, carolina rig, getting any ideas? lol

The way I eliminate cover is to cover water and fish until you can get something going and expand. I start by figuring out what the fish should be doing and test out areas where they should be. A big fish, small fish, or no fish help point you in the right direction. Its just basic pattern fishing. One of the ways i eliminate most cover is depth. What depth is the cover in and is it deeper then the surrounding area. Have you ever noticed that on a given lake there are just a few places that hold fish no matter what. Granted most of the body of water has fish but you can pull into certain areas and always pick off a fish or the place is known to hold better fish? Mostly its because of a depth change or something unique to that spot. High percentage places is a place that is unique. Its a cover or depth change that is different from the surrounding stuff that will hold the largest fish in the area. It could be a stump field and the stumps along the edge next to the deeper water would be unique. It could be an island of trees and the unique tree would be the one that is bigger than the surrounding trees or the one sitting a little deeper. Larger bass will take up the best feature. You can break down cover by taking a second and asking yourself if i was a fish where would i be and is it unique enough to cover most of my needs. Its not a science but it helps me out.

Let me explain it like this. Under stable weather conditions a bass that lives in shallow water will be sitting beside a given form of cover and would be active. Under stable conditions the strike zone will be large and the fish will be willing to chase baitfish down at a greater distance. When a cold front hits that fish will now be in the middle of the given form of cover mainly inactive. The strike zone has now become small and the fish is less likly to chase down a offering. Most of the time the fish will try to find the heaviest form of cover available. Deeper fish under a cold front might move out deeper or suspend. Durring a cold front a smaller offering works better because the bass feels like it doesn't need to work as hard to catch it. There are some cold fronts that have less effect on the bass but most of the severe ones do change the fish's postions and the fish tend to turn down larger offerings.

Is it possible to look at a form of cover and determine exactly where the bigger fish are going to be? How do you determine the high percentage places? How do you eliminate cover?

This is a form of structure we all face at one time or another. A ledge could be an edge of a creek channel or a deep drop off. I know that most bass fishermen are shallow water fishermen maybe this will help add another trick in your hat. How do you tackle deep ledges?

There is a guy who was one of the people who invented most of the older Bagley lures he has now come out with the same old style Bagley baits if you are interested look up Lee Sisson lures i only mentioned it because you like to throw Bagleys. Its the same style that was thrown to win the 2004 classic.

Well im glad you found it all i could find was Lamar Underwood bass fishing almanac and they didn't have it in. But i tried.

Its funny that you mentioned that book because a few years ago i read the same book. I can't remember the name of it either but it was great reading. I think i got bored and checked it out at the library it turned out to be a great book. It just kinda showed a different view of things from his observations diving. If i got time tomorrow i'll look it up.

Thanx Nick i started to type the long answer and i had to leave and didn't have time to write in more detail so i typed the short answer lol.

I know that most of the Eagle products are great and i have been using Eagles for the past few years without any problems. i don't have that particular model But if it has what you need then it would be a good investment over other brands. Mainly because its a Lowrance product.