Marty

Weather plays a large role. There are generalities such as good fishing ahead of a front, poor fishing behind it, good fishing when cloudy, poorer when sunny, good before a storm, lousy afterwards, and so on. The thing is, though, that there are always exceptions to these "rules", because fish don't read the same books that we do. Barring weather that threatens your safety, do what most of us do, which is to go whenever you have the opportunity. Some great fishing has been had when conventional wisdom said it wouldn't be so good.

There's a difference between snagging (a deliberate act) and foul-hooking (accidental). Rules vary by state. In NY, snagging is illegal, as it probably is everywhere, but a foul-hooked fish may be kept except for trout and salmon.

>Say you just arrived at a lake. Do you rule any lures out by the water temp, clarity, or weather conditions? I don't rule out anything entirely, but topwaters take low priority in cold water or bright, sunny conditions. >How can you tell what the bass want on a specific day? You can't predict in advance, even though there might be some general guidelines. It's a trial and error thing. >Also, people say, "The bass will tell you what they want" How long does it take for you to find out? Sometimes, the whole day passes and you don't find out. >What are the first things you do differently to ge a bite? Do you change color, retrieve, or even lure? I might change the retrieve, but after that I'll generally change lures rather than just change color. >I hear all these talks about well you gotta find that pattern and stick with it. Wouldn't it take forever to find the pattern? It can. >With so many different lures in ones tacklebox how do you know which ones will produce on a given day? See above. You don't, you experiment to find out. Obviously, you need to fish a lure that is compatible with the cover and depth you're fishing. Then there are personal preferences and confidence lures. Under the same conditions, five different anglers might choose five different presentations. Just read as much as you can and put in your time to determine what works for YOU.

I use a so-called "stream thermometer." This image is from Cabela's.

I'm no meteorologist, but a cold front is the leading edge of a moving air mass that is colder than the air it will replace. It's usually accompanied by rising pressure, clearing skies and a shift in winds to the N or NW.

I like Byron, he doesn't bother me at all. He may not be KVD, but he doesn't need to be. Look at some other sports, and you will find that some of the best analysts were not the best at playing their sport.

You may be right that it would be hard to prove if you wanted to fight it out in court. But as to the worm, sure, panfish will take them, as will pike and pickerel, but telling someone that you're targeting non-bass with plastic worms may fall on deaf ears. I sure don't use worms when targeting non-bass.

No offense taken, Abel. But I'm curious why it bothers you if OTHERS want to discuss it. ????? Nobody's forcing anyone else to read what they don't want to.

There are only five or six states where there is a fully closed bass season, NY being one of them. A few other states allow catch-and-release all year, although they have seasonal restrictions on possession. In NY, it is illegal to fish for any species during its closed season. There is nothing wrong with accidentally catching an out-of-season fish as long as you're not targeting it. There are also differences in how officers will enforce the law. Some will ticket you for targeting, others might not care as long as you aren't keeping. Just like some cops will ticket you for speeding and others will let you go with a warning. Certainly you must avoid bass beds and using a bass-specific lure, such as a plastic worm. Other than that, I don't know how an officer would determine that you're illegally targeting.

It may be the biggest ever caught, but it's not and won't be the record on the books. They are not going to apply for the record, and I doubt it would have been certified if they had.

No way do I consider fishermen athletes. It may be rigorous, but so is the life of a construction worker. High level tournaments have been won by smokers, obese people, senior citizens like me, and others who are not normally thought of as athletes. Besides, I think success is had at fishing with one's brain, not athletic skills. I don't know why so many anglers argue that they're athletes; it's as if they believe it legitimizes the activity more. Tournament fishermen are competitors, no more, no less.

I agree with you. That's why I put my location as part of my signature, but that doesn't work if most don't do it. While I know nothing about running web sites, I do know that a number of forums do show location in each message if the person has agreed to make it public.

You got it right Leo. But a lot of people use the wrong term, just like a lot (much more) use "action" when they mean a rod's "power."

That's how the cheater was caught and who is now banned from BASS tournaments. Someone reported it, the officials tagged the fish and waited to see who weighed in the tagged ones. It wasn't as obvious as jugs, though

# noun: any new participant in some activity

Marine Mammal Observer? :

Might you be thinking of scientist/writer Ralph Manns? I like his writing and he makes a lot of sense to me. I have a lot of respect for him.

Sinker, that's not quite true. Foul-hooked trout and salmon must be released, but other species may be kept, with a couple of special exceptions.

Check your state regulations. It's illegal here in NY and it's hard to imagine that snagging bass isn't illegal everywhere.

Been at it for 36 years and never got two on one lure.

I also don't wade because all my places are soft-bottomed.

And in his older days. : Doing no harm at all, but that doesn't mean that we have to like his act. I just prefer the Marvin Harrison type who acts like he's been there before when he gets into the end zone, as opposed to the guys who pull out Sharpies, cell phones, etc., for their pre-planned, staged "celebrations."

I don't care for his antics and I'm not a purist and I don't think he's representative of the new breed. His act is a little over the top by any standard in any sport and transparently fake. Having said that, I never thought he was a bad person or anything less than an outstanding angler.

I use thin wire 5" or 6" leaders when needed. Whether they hurt chances of catching bass is debatable. A lot of guys think they ruin the lure's action; I don't feel that way and have caught numerous bass with leaders. Would I have caught more without a leader? I have no way of knowing, but suffice it to say that I have confidence while fishing with a leader.

Just taking a guess that your problem is not the colors, but not fishing in the right places at the right times. I'm a long ways from Oregon, but I can't understand why bass behavior there would be so different from other states. You can use anything in the rain that you can use in dry weather; however, I love to start with topwaters, like buzzbaits. In your soft plastics, I don't think you can go wrong with basic colors like blacks, pumpkinseeds and watermelons. Also have an assortment of crankbaits and spinnerbaits that are appropriate for the conditions there. I truly believe that if you can find 'em, you can catch 'em. Good luck.