D4u2s0t

welcome, and those are largemouth. easiest way to tell is largemouths are usually more green, while smallies are more brown. You picked the right place to learn about bass fishing, check out the articles section, it covers most everything you could want to know about. When you have specific questions then you can post them up and we'll do our best to help.

what are the weights of the baits that you're throwing on your baitcaster? Do you have the brakes off, or low enough? Personally I don't like to throw anything lighter than 3/8 on a baitcaster.

same here, I don't see the pic

if you're gonna sell them, make all the colors because people will buy them. In terms of what's "needed", depends if you're looking from the point of view of the angler, or the businessman lol.

panfish are stupid, and will bite anything. I regularly catch them by jigging a plain hook with no bait. So I wouldn't put too much emphasis on color for crappie, or other panfish. I think the action of the bait will be most important.

First step would be to do some homework before you hit the lake... google maps or maps.live.com will give good aerial views of most lakes. Many times you can spot points, shallows, flats, drop offs, etc. and have a good idea where to go once you hit the lake. From there, the conditions, water temp, season, etc. should determine where you're going to start in terms of techniques. You can start with what "should" be a good technique, and from there, elminate what doesn't work, and stick with what does. That's the basics of developing a pattern. I know that's a little vague, but getting into specifics is hard because there's so many different factors. If your fishing a drop at 20 feet, you're not going to use the same techniques as fishing a shallow point.

i'm pretty accurate with spinning and casting, I practice regularly. I've never kept a score, but now i'm interested to find out. I need to work on pitching/flipping with casting gear, i'm not very good at that yet. Spinning i'm spot on flipping or pitching. I think casting is something that most people don't practice, but it's one of the most valuable and worthwhile things to get better at. I took my brother out for perch a few weeks ago, and while we caught similar #'s of fish, mine were consistently bigger because I was able to cast next to the stump that was under the tree branch with maybe a 1-2 foot opening. Also, I like casting with the baits I use, not a practice weight. A practice weight casts totally different than a soft plastic does, so I'll tie on a bait and go to town.

bluegill spawn after bass, in water usually a few degrees warmer, and in shallow areas.

what it comes down to, is that much of fishing is personal preference, and working around your strenghts, and doing what works for YOU. If there was just one way to fish, and it was the right way, there would be no need for hundreds of articles covering every circumstance, along with these forums. It's the same at all levels of fishing... I was reading an article written by pros (I think ike, kvd, there was 2 or 3 others can't remember who) and they all said "the best technique for early bass is xxxx " and they were all very different techniques and tips. Fishing is one of those things where it's going to vary from lake to lake, state to state, coast to coast. Then, it's going to vary based on an anglers experience, level of patience, and willingness to learn and keep an open mind.

I think that sums it up pretty well. Not everyone agrees, but I think color is way overrated as a factor most of the time. You can use the conventional wisdom about colors as a starting point, but don't close your mind. The bass don't know the rules like we do and I've caught and seen caught, too many fish on colors that don't fit in with the conventional wisdom, like muted colors in murky water with barely a foot of visibility and loud or dark colors in crystal-clear water. If I were a lure manufacturer, I'd tell you that you need to be well-stocked so you have the right color for any conditions you might encounter, therefore, you need my lures in 27 different colors. However, I'm not a manufacturer and I might be missing out on a load of fish, but I have 100% confidence in just carrying two colors, generally something lighter and something darker. For example, in hard baits it might be firetiger and shad or bluegill, and in soft baits it might be black and translucent pumpkinseed. I agree fully. People say to "match the hatch" and all this other stuff, and really what they're doing is only catering to ONE of the THREE main reasons why a bass bites... they DO NOT only bite your bait because they're feeding.... They sometimes bite to eat, sometimes bite to protect their territory, and sometimes just bite because they're aggressive, and for no other reason than something is moving around close by. While I don't completely write off color, it takes a HUGE back seat to location, and presentation. You can have the most amazing, magical, special color ever invented, if there's no fish, they're not going to bite.

I've pulled the biggest crappies so far this year in 10-20 ft of water. I've had very good luck trolling around the deeper areas, and with nitecrawlers. Crankbaits are great too. Crappie have big mouths, and will eat bigger baits. A slightly bigger bait will avoid those baby gills, and a slightly smaller bait will let you catch the gills. Panfish are not my ideal species, but I'll take them all day when nothing else is biting!

A big thing, which I think was already said, is always, always fishing too shallow... I saw guys 2 days after ice out with their boat 20 feet from shore beating the bank... meanwhile you have about a zero percent chance of catching anything along the shoreline for maybe 2 months after ice out in my lake.

that's a key piece of info to leave out, and you now know why they're coming off! They're probably biting the trailer, there's no hook, and eventually they just let it go. The point of using the trailer hook is to get those short strikes.

if something is working for you, why would you want to change it? Have to agree with the others here, you don't change a bait when it's working, especially when you know that others aren't.

x2. I see tons of people say they set the hook like crazy, this huge, powerful yank. But, I find that with spinnerbaits and crankbaits I don't have to really set the hook much at all, just lift and apply pressure is usually enough. Plus, there's no risk of pulling it out of the mouth. This is assuming of course that you're using sharp hooks. With a big solid bait like a spinnerbait, it becomes especially important to always keep a tight line, because it's easy for a bass to throw.

it's my favorite new soft plastic, I almost always have one tied on.

I do event videography, and do a good amount of mitzvahs/sweet 16's, so lucky me I get to hear all of her music ::)lol. But, this is about her only song I can tolerate.

if they're albino, (white) it's because of something in their genes... there's albino catfish that are NOT white, but i'm going to guess you're talking about the white ones... in which case your chances are slim to none of ever catching one.

let me fill you in on a secret, and stop you from throwing everything away... there's nothing else out there lol... good girls are VERY hard to come by, if you have one, don't let her go. Everyone is going to be a little bored after 9 years in a relationship, time to spice things up a little. epecially if you have 3 kids... I would try to stick with it and make things better, if you can.

AFTER she is legal, of course... thought that was a given lol Lawrence Taylor, is that you?!

i've told my fiance if miley ever wanted a piece, i'd quickly be single lol

I told my girl at least she won't know if i'm messing around with other girls lol

yes 8-)

the only thing i've used that keeps them 100% away is when I'm having a cigarette... other than that, i'm yet to find something that will keep them away. I'll have to try the 100 deet since people say it works well.

I shop many times on ebay, and get tons of items for free in the process. I pay full price very few times.