Matt Fly

Shad, done that to my blades and skirts before and had no problems with catching fish. White with chrt back would be good color or parrot colored crank. Standard black and blue jigs in the vegitation with ratttles is a standard. Good luck and Hookem good! Matt

One must look at the ability to fish for that species. How easy is it to chase redfish when you live in South Dakota or other mid states. We do have some smallmouth in our waters, but not like what we here about on the eastern coast. A easy way to verify numbers is saltwater license over freshwater sales. That won't be accurate for one reason, fresh water or salt water doesn't tell what species of fish are sought after, only type, but its a good start. I would bet that more annual freshwater licenses are sold more than annual saltwater licenses.

Sorry jb, I try not to get to technical. I have a biomedical degree in engineering, I work with medical lasers and could persue lasers in other avenues such as concert lighting shows, arena light shows and such. For outdoor applications, like a photographer who has to measure light intensity, so does a tech with a laser. Different times of the year, more colors are apparent in the color spectrum. You've seen a rainbow before no doubt, where do those colors come from? One thing about science, its always proven using expeirments. The same can be said about fishing and Jim and other fishermen, you can't beat field tests and that comes from years of just fishing and knowing what worked best. I also respect Jim, Raul, RW, LBH, DDbasser,Rolo,Triton Mike, rattlingrougue and lots more on here because they just make sense. Even Senko77 seems to have the knack for big bass. Lord forgive for leaving someone off the list, not on purpose, because theres over 6000 members and growing. You could say we have generations of information from all walks of life. Hookem Matt

Welcome to the forum and Texas, you picked a good area to be around bass fishing. Where did you settle down in Texas. Hookem Matt.

Jim, your quote pretty much agrees that red/orange traps are good in the fall and winter or pre-spawn as you called it. Just what I said. You also say good year around, but as seen on TV, you can't say the pros are using the color red as seen all summer to make their checks. You also make reference to the sun, which is my point, the sun plays a roll in how colors appear at different times of the year. Hookem Matt

Jim, How many guys do you see in the summer throwing strictly red traps? Can't say I've seen any footage or summer reports using a solid red/orange pattern. I refer to past TV coverage because seeing is believing for others. How many times do you see anyone at this time of the year giving advice on throwing red traps? I hear chrome and blue or black backs alot, but no suggestions on reds. Yes I've seen an orange blade or two used in off colored waters. Everybody saw the ELITES all year. After spawn, how many red/orange traps did you see? This covers a wide area across the united states. Clear waters translucents and ...........Same old standard rules for color selection as always for years. Why? Why is red/orange in clear water in the winter so good and not in other times of the year in clear water? Regions..........??????? Since regional seems to make a point with you, after spring passes and summer is in steady swing, blood worm colors like strawberry, plums and other similar colors starts working, but doesnt' work as well in other times of the year. You don't think that when indigo kicks into the spectrum it plays apart of bass seeing purpleish reds? I know in my biomedical engineering classes, when studing laser and spectrums, that due to different times of the year, we must tweak our laser for colors to offset shades from the skies. Don't know if my analogy is correct, but applied with science and lasers its dead on. I didn't not pursue a career in the laser industry outside of the medical field, such as concert laser light shows, but do work on laser in the medical field. Same principals, different application. Regional would play a part as the sun passes closer in some areas and not others, thus a difference in patterns always occurs throughout the states. Hookem Matt. Something for the guys to think about, because no one else has a reason other than experience in what has worked for years. Just my theory. And that could be out in left field,.

Ditto, when its hot, I want shade, but bass like low light conditions anyway, and shade does both, cooler water and better ambush spots in low light condition. Matt

On the same philosophy, why is a red trap only good in winter months? Same clear waters, why doesn't the red trap catch fish in the summer, yet summer see's chrome and blue as number one? Throw that chrome and blue or black back in the winter and I'll spank you 95% of the time with an orange/red trap of some sorts. Temps aren't the answer either. IMO. Thermolcline only sets up part of the year, the rest of the year its not present. My theory is simple science, earth science. When the sun is coming closer to earth in the spring, the sun gives off a blue spectrum which isn't noticable to human eyes. Blue spectrum in botanist world means spring and plant growth. When the sun is going away from earth, as in late fall approaching, the spectrum is organish red. It is the color, not cooler weather that tell the fruit trees fall is coming along with length of daylight. The suns proximity to earth gives different light rays which aren't noticable to humans. What we have read in magazines and experts on a bass' eyes, which are cones and rods are, is they are very light sensitive. They act as filters. It is no different if you was to put on rose colored shades, every thing would be filtered out with red, kinda like the sun and its spectrum. This is a good expeirment for anyone. Ever see those prisms hanging from peoples mirrors in their cars. I have one that in the spring, it hangs in one window, in the spring, the wall has greenish/purpulish/ blue reflection on a white wall. As summer nears, the same postition yields blue. Now as fall approaches, its greenish yellow. Late Nov. it will be yellowish orange, And in the winter it will be reddish/orange. The position never changes in the window, the sun does. The difference is the distance is rise and passes by. The prism hasnt changed, but the colors change thru the seasons. I think bass see colors as the sun goes. Until someone can explain why red traps are killer in the winter and not in the summer, I'll stick with simple science. Matt.

The bass from Miramar that the lady caught was killed that had 2.5 lbs of diving weights in the stomach which was concluded as she couldn't have placed those weight in that bass because the weights had algae growth on them. Matt. And that wasn't IGFA who did that.

Some of the articles written with Mac mentions that, and I believe it was Ray Scott of all people talking about he failed to produce a corpse for the IGFA. Other articles as well, which I don't understand the need for an full blown autopsy. Medical technology has come to far to kill something that has been persued since 1932, the next world record Bass. Matt.

Only my polarized shades. Which is most of the time on the water.

Don't care where she is caught from, just want a record nobody doubts. Theres enough skeptism in Mr. Perry's record and until that ones gone, its always gonna make for good discussions. I also don't understand having people say the new record fish will be killed tobe verified. Texas state record fish wasn't killed to be certified. matt

I am with the Rangerman, even if temps don't come down due to late summer heat waves, the temps will drop due to less sunshine and more darkness, longer nights and less day light. This signals to all creatures fall is coming even wtih higher temps than normal.

If you can track the daily habits of shad, you can find ambush points of bass. Which is easier to find, schools of shad or bass?

Fatz, Points comes in all shapes and sizes with different depths. It depends on the points and at what time of the day it is as to when I fish that point if at all. It could be wind blown shore lines, fence lines, tree lines, ridges, bridges or anything that stacks planktons up. My key on points depends on the shad. After all, its the shad that draw or holds the bass there. During the post-spawn thru summer times. Shad migrate to the shallows at night to hide in vegitation. Thus, the prime time shallow bites are late night and early morning until the sun peaks thru and the shad go deep during the day. Thats why you hear, when the sun shines in the morning, the top water bite usually dies, and you are told to start backing out to deeper water. The shad left the shallow grass for the day, but will be back about the same time in the evening. I like at least 3 steady days of wind, and in the summer in Texas, we have normally, 30 days of southernly winds and high pressure, thus a steady pattern that your watch can be set by most times. For those points that are shallow on the wind blown side, they normally don't produce well when other deep points are in the area. Where that deep point is missing in areas, we have lots of underwater hump, some of those are in forms off old stock tanks with dams surrounding part of the old ponds under water. I firmly believe I can take an average angler out and teach them to track shad movements in and out of an area all day, and those shad make the same track pretty much every day. Once you master the shad, learning the ditches, creek channel, timber lines or other structures they travel, you can start finding your ambush points just like the bass do. Triton Mike showed excellent graph pictures of balled up shad. Normal day time cruising shows tons of baitfish that aren't bunched which indicates bass aren't actively feeding, when those shad get tight, its because something got them nervous and that is a key picture to finding actively feeding fish, tight balls of shad are what we seek. Most bass fishermen have general knowledge of seasonal patterns, but catching fish like KVD and some others is about knowing your baitfish movements. Track shad, and you won't have to worry about the bass. The best advice I can give is to spend a few days following the shad, i will bet they do the same thing with steady weather almost every day. Master that trick and unlocking other bodies of water becomes easier. Hookem Matt.

Still waiting to see LBH's instructional videos out any day now. Keep looking at BPS and Academy, but not there yet. If Russ would take a brake from the action packed fishing videos to take care of a few instrustional vids, ya'll wouldn't need to ask any more, just hit the BassResource Video Library. Hookem Matt.

I hardly call some of those presentations uncoventional. Traps being ripped is pretty standard retrieve, hopping or dragging any baits is just method of retrieve. Sometimes bass want it dragged, sometimes lifted off the bottom. Adjusting speed, presentation or method are adjustments that veristile fishermen do to get bit. Is it unconventional to catch bass by ripping traps? Not hardly. Is it unconventional to catch bass hopping a jig or worm or spoon off the bottom? Nope. Making those subtle changes is what good fishermen do to get bit. Unconventional to me is using a crappie jig to catch bass. Fishing a 7" ribbon tailed worm with a flyrod. Pitching and punching grass with heavy jigs on a spinning rod. Sorry aitn't Texan, I think you are becoming versatile, a better fishermen by changing up retrieves and presentations, hopefullly it doesn't take all day to make those changes. Matt.

Most are worth it. Do some research before hiring. Ask your self, what do you want from a guide? Are you looking for general fishing knowledge, to learn electronics, learn a new technique, or improve on a current technique you are trying to master, or, are you looking to catch that personal best? looking to learn a lake better? Tell the guide what you want and ask him if thats a problem. Matt

Raul, Commorants, otherwise called "water turkeys" are very big problems in the Southern Cal. area. Commorants set their watches to stocking schedules. Agree on the depths of resoviors allowing the bass to live in cooler waters year around, thus making their life span longer than most bass. 2005 saw lawmakers in Texas put a bill up for Commorant control. It has passed and some sort of law has been set in motion to control populations. About time!!!! Matt.

Even if the fall temps don't drop, the fish know what time of the year it is. They know the days are getting shorter and nights are longer, even if 100 degree days persisted, the longer nights will start the cooling off process. True signs that the season is changing. Longer nights.

Big swimbaits in the fall when bass are feeding heavy for the winter.

We have craws in Texas that can come out of red clay banks, green covered algae rocks at the Dam, and dark vegitation. I have seen lots of shades of colors on craws. I love eating those Mudbugs as much as the bass do. We just boiled 500 lbs for our Memorial Day Horse tourney and annual get together. Bass love crawfish, they are high on protien and aid in egg (roe) developement. Matt

I think in clear waters, size and color are very important. Until I learned the finesse split shot in Cali, i was hurting for bites in Gin Clear water, thus down sizing the line. Best time to get away with larger lines is in low light conditions, when light doesn't penatrate as much. We have seen too many pros going light line in clear waters to think other. You will see the same guys beating banks throwing the larger stuff because of vegitation and presentation, I mean, who throws jigs on 6-8lb test when fishing grass mats. I think, sieze the opportuninty, when muddy or stained, use line that will not brake as easy, and when clear in open water, down size to optimize ever bite. Play to the strengths of conditions. Match the conditions to equipment. Matt.

My way of chumming for bass is to add brush piles with a 6 in flake of alfalfa hay cross tied in the center. Alfalfa works well on shad and minnows and you know what that draws. Chumming is not illegal in Tx. Matt.

L2F, Not everyone in the world are bass fishermen or even artificial users. People were fishing for "supper" before we ever knew what bass fishing was. As long as people abide by the laws that are set forth, there should be no problem. I believe, if you have an active state, active in the part of promoting the best bass fishing available, they would have taken in all the facts as to setting correct harvesting info and creel limits daily. If your state doesn't see bass as a money $$$$$$$$$ fish, them maybe your clubs or other state anglers need to ban to gether to get your state moving towards promoting bass fishing. Texas biologist have managed our bass program with the anglers in mind, both, those who fish for supper and those who fish for passion. Hookem Matt