Matt Fly

Don't know about the north, but in the south, you bettter be looking in the low lying branchs for snakes, cause we don't need to plant any. Do you guys think the bees where planted also, seems like a painful blooper to get bit for the TV? Slamming your knee into the reciever from your bumper has to sting alittle also. My poor shin bone is just that, a bone with no meat. Bill Dance has certainly kept us entertained even if he owns his own ponds. hookem matt

I never have thought about what states didn't have posinous critters. I assumed they would be every where. Being from the South, your taught to look at an early age. Any other states boast of such. Not worrying about snakes would be nice. Hookem matt

SnakeMover, first off, Welcome to the forum. Are you sure it was shad on top of the surface? HOOkem Matt

I believe "bankbeater" has a firm grip on the subject matter.

South of the Border and Mexico.

Glad nothing damaged and you guys lived to fish the day. Hookem matt

Welcome to the forum. Hookem Matt

I agree with Raul on every thing said. Our waters were up on most resorvoirs coming out of spring and the grass was coming to the surface nicely. Those pocket was visible early on and bass have been there. As summer presses on and rains are far and few between, the lakes drop fast and the grass mats on the surface get thick and the pockets disappear. Those mats are great canopy's in the summer and bass are homesteading in the thick stuff. That is why pitching some weight into the air penatrates better than other presentations.

One tactic that guides like to use on our lakes in Tx is spooning a nickle finish spoon on the roadbed around the channels edge in 15-25ft. Every thing else mentioned above are all solid tactics for this time of year.

Punch the grass with heavier tactics. If the lakes drops, it cause the grass on the surface to be real thick and hard to penatrate. Try a 1 ounce pegged sinker or florida bullet Texas style. We pitch the weight straight up into the air to punch the grass. A heavy jig does the same. Its not uncommon to fish an ounce and half jig in the grass. Once you have penatrated the grass, lift your bait few inches off bottom and give it a shake, repeat couple of times on the lift and shake. Hit another spot.

You know I can't recall my first bass, I know it was on the Devils river using a shyster in-line spinner. I can remember my older sisters first 100 bass on the Devils river, they came out of the water falls using a crappie rig and minnows. She caught over a hundred bass out of the same spot one day. Lots of doubles. Thus, the debate began when I was in elementary between my sister and myself. Any guess what this bass fishermen was debating at that early age? Livebait vs artificials. Dad said, "to each his own". Didn't matter as long as you were happy.

My dad was a high school teacher and coach in Tx. I had been cane pole fishing for a while, and even grabbed an old zebco a few times. My first bass outing was in the summer when i was fixing to be a second grader. My dad took me to Amistad about 20 miles from where I lived. He gave me a rod and a Heddon Lucky 13, top water. All I can remember was casting that thing out all day and winding it in without catching nothing. But, as i walked the cleared banks, I never got hung or lost that plug as my dad called it, "pluggin" the whole day. My dad told that story to many of his friends later in life, he bragged about me not every mentioning leaving, or not catching nothing. Dad said I had patience, the most he had seen from any body that young, and patience with bass is the biggest key. Casting wasn't too bad either. My dad not only taught me about fishing, but the enviromental aspect of it also. More or less, a lesson on the food chain, cleaning others peoples trash that would be around if camping. My dad gave me something that channeled my energy into, the outdoors. I do say, I would rather put 3.50 cents in my tacklebox rather than a mixed drink, not to say I don't drink, but just don't hit bars very often. On the same note. Glenn has done the samething on this forum, it is an outlet to the youth and some of us older guys to. Thanks Glenn. My Dad always made time to take other kids fishing and hunting. So do I. One story, I could out bass fish my dad not too many years after I learned the art. But when it was heads up, my dad usually bested me. He said I was trying so hard, I was squeezing cork dust out of the handle, he said "fish with your head, not your heart". I miss my Dad.

Since I use the palomar knot for drop shotting, take the tag end of the line and run it back through the eye towards the drop shot weight.

Sorry Big Tex, nothing in that quote says anything about ponds and tanks or private land. Just you saying " I don't believe so"!. There are too many new people on the forum to assume anything unless you state all the facts. So part of my post is to clarify to others who might believe there are no "gamefish" restrictions in Tx. For others out there, "Don't mess with Texas" A Game Warden has the most juristdiction in the state of Texas. Try Googling "Tx Game Warden Field Notes" for some funny, stupid poacher stories. Anything from poaching deer in front of game wardens houses or shooting mechanical deer from the road. Funny reading.

Doing well in tournaments is free press for your guide service Josh. Tear'em up. I look forward in booking you in the future. Hookem matt

Chain pickerel is a gamefish in Tx, and no game fish are allowed to be used for bait at any time whether caught on rod or other means. BigTex, nobody monitors it, you must not read the monthly Game Warden Field notes. Those are like monthly jokes to me. There are some real dumb poachers out there.

Certain species of fish are less affected by pressure changes. Bass are ones that need to adjust. With or with out a barometer change, we can all attest to what happen when a fish rises from the deep without a chance to adjust. This holds true in salt water and applies to certain species in fresh water at certain times. To make it simple without digging up my old posts, When pressure is exerted on a bass, it expands the air bladder, the expanded air bladder puts pressure upon the stomach, which give the bass a full feeling. This is more like an upset stomach. A bass becomes lethargic Weather and the barometer go hand in hand. What do you see when the barometer drops before hand. Wind and clouds, which both are ideal times to a bass fishermen. Low light conditions caused by passing clouds have always been prime times or when the wind churns up the water, it creates current and positions plankton which postions bass. The laws of science still applies to bass. Gas laws and gravity. Moon phase plays no part on any of my inland resorvoirs pertaining to current. Moon phases, if spring weather allows and temps hold, to judge when the first full wave spawners hit the shallows. I'll take a barometer/weather over moon phases anytime.

Winter time spooning. Sometimes you don't move the spoon at all, just let it set there. I like to keep the blood moving in the cold and just sitting there doesn't keep me fired up enough.

It also never hurts to tell the owners, "you'll pack out all trash you see". Most people ruin it for others because they leave trash laying around and don't respect a persons property.

Tried one of those plastic bags before. Not to rain on your parade KU, a little flip and flop there rips those cheap plastic bags with their fins. You know, as when your bringing in the groceries and wham, there on the ground. Double them up, wet them as so the slime coat doesn't stick to the bag. Might be better, but didn't try that again. I have put my scale hook on a grinding wheel and sharpened the fat end down to a finer point. But that still leaves larger hole in lip. What I do if I'm going to weigh one is use my culling tags. It has the metal stringer type snap, nice and small. Once I have it hooked in the lip, then I use my hook off my scale to run it through many of the openings. Doesn't add nothing in weight. The positive is, its a tiny hole instead of a large one. Hookem Matt.

Welcome to the forum. Hookem Matt

Lots of travelling been going on this year already. I had the privillege to meet lots of the crew on Fork this year. I hope to meet more in the future. Hookem Matt

Welcome to the forum. Hookem Matt

I always thought that the fish calculator was developed for Fla strains. Have read where the fish calculator is not as accurate on other strains of bass. Rolo probably would have the info on this one. another site Largemouth bass vary not only in density, but also in their shape parameters. This is evidenced by the fat watermelon shaped fish caught in California versus the long, more slender fish caught in Florida. In order to accurately estimate the weight of a bass from these two different locations, two different models would have to be developed. The reason for this lies in the inherent fit parameters used in these models. The article covers the formulas and why. Most calculators seems to be in the ball park.

jb, Depth is not my concern for the weight. Wind or current determines how small of a weight I can use. Time of the year (seasonal pattern and water temps) determines leader length. Some times a heavier weight is used to stay in contact with the bottom so you can tell what the bottom is composed of. Rocks, brush, wood, mudd..........its a search tool used to probe out areas. As for the splash, your not targeting a tree or dock where a money cast is needed, normally, if fishing a point, you cast past your target and ease the rig back to the point or hump. As for the beads and noise, I always have one bead above my keeper or swivel with my sinker. Do not use tungesten and a glass bead, the weight is harder and can crack the bead which might fray or cut your line. Hookem Matt