Matt Fly

Well, for those who have seen Friday night lights, theresno better MOJO than My own Odessa Permain Panthers. Mojo Magic. So, I'd like to have the MOJO Magic in the later part of Sept. for the Big Bass Splash on Lake Fork. If thats enough heads up. Hookem Matt

Fishing dead water. If you put that lure across a bass' nose, chances are, you'll at least get a reaction strike.

LBH, You got family in Texas. BFR.com family.

Concur with Jim. Most bodies of water have current, even if its just wind, it matters.

The first thing I think of is the typical seasonal pattern. Not knowing yours, I'll use mine. Summer pattern. What has the wind directions been the last week? Well, we have had southernly winds all week. Fish should be up shallow early and down deep late morning. If I don't run across bait fish to show me what depth I should start at on my graph. I pick the wind blown points as by the recent wind direction for plankton. I hit all wind blown points early, noting at what depth I get my bites. Late morning, if that didn't pay off, I try deeper humps, road beds and other ledges at the same depths I graphed baitfish. As for baits, go with confidence baits since its a new lake. If you graph bait at 12 ft. You should be able to lay the map out and hit all contours, structure that meet the 12 ft zone on most of the areas and eventually, you find bass at the same depths, they wont be far off of that depth.

Not knowing if the lake has been down or up, constant level????? If this time of the year offers new growth because of rising waters, I'm with 5basslimit, hit the newly flooded cover.

I have thought about this for awhile. It comes down to places I've wanted to go, species sought after, and the individuals that are in those areas. First off, I'm going to Mexico to do some fishing with Raul if he'd have me. Would love to tie into some smallmouth fishing with RW. Any of the Georgia boys sounds like a good trip, Ryan, Randall, Triton Mike. The rest would just be fun meeting and doing what we like to do, fish. Would love to fish with Marcia Rubin. Too many interesting characters on this forum to mention all. KU, Darren, Rebbasser, Avid, Nick Barr.

Avid, Great article in the JUly/Aug BassMaster issue on C-rigging. Short take on the article was. One pro called it a quitters rig the other opposite. In general, it said this time of the year, to target fatter fish, move the bait faster, because fatter fish are active fish due to feeding. Thus they have shad bellies pouching out. The slower movement pulls lighter fish because they need it that slow to be interested. Food for thought. This is something I will monitor and ask a few of my guide friends to watch also. Its something I have never thought of to consider before. Any body else read the article, please add some keypoints I might not have mentioned.

My partner says I talk dirty to the fish. Come on baby, come to daddy, you know you want it, take it, come on, take it. I know your down there, come on, come be in the movies, I just want a kiss and picture. Come on girls, got a free buffet, serves all, no discriminating, big girls and all wanted, apply on "line"!!! Yeah baby, thats it, show yourself, shaky that tail, ah yes, coming to papa. Did you see that streaker? She flash me and my buzzbait, not very nice to tease me like that. Yeah, I guess I talk a little myself. Hookem Matt.

Kman, Welcome to the forum, you picked a good place to re-tune your bass. LOL

The wind is your friend. Learn to use it safely.

ouchita....... Nice explanation of the C rig weight. Allows a fish to pick up the bait with out feeling the weight. There are times of the year, it will benefit you to use a shorter leader. I say this alot, but the texas rig and multiple weights, or none at all, and c rigs with 18 inch leaders to 7 ft. are just different tools for different situations. When fish finish spawning, they will usually suspend off bottom to recooperate, a carolina rigged floating bait will stay in the strikezone longer than a Tex rig that falls to the bottom. Or maybe the droppshot is the better tool. Each has it rightfull place, and on given days, each can out perform the other. Its good to be versitale with both. Hookem Matt

Welcome to the forum. Hookem Matt

I have rigged them like the salt water speck rig for trout, which is a double leader, double lead head buck tail jigs. But used the flukes and other baits. I have had lots of action using tubes with this type rig.

In Tx, the state law says it must be 14 inches or greater to retain. There are some lakes that have restrictions on bass. Some lakes are catch and release only such as Purtis Creek State Park. Some lakes have a slot in place such as Lake Fork, which is 16-24 inches and only one fish per day of over 24 inches may be retained or anything below 16 inches, but can't touch 16 inches. State limit on Bass is 5 fish per day. A keeper would be what each state determines in my book. But I like to call those 3-5 lb bass, chunks, or nice chunks, and from there, your getting into "Toads" and "Hawgs". Curious, what is some of the lingo across the US that you name your fish. Fatties, toads, hawgs, she-pigs, piglet?????? Hookem Matt

nboucer, Those brush hogs can be fished lots of ways and are a very good tournament producer. Pitched, flipped, splitt shotted, c-rig, tx-rig or drop shotted. Watermelon red flake has won its share of money, and that color isn't strictly for brush hogs, that color is for any plastic this time of the year. Hookem Matt

Nice post Randall, I'm sure Josh is looking for all the input he can get.

We know that any bait can catch a trophy bass at any time. Big baits usually don't get the bites smaller baits do which eliminates the smaller fish. Its a mind set to fish larger baits without many bites. The average angler who decided to persue a double digit bass doesn't have the mindset, he is use to lots of bites or catching a few. Common mistakes, are approaching to noisey, slamming tackle boxes and boat compartment lids. The last mistake is to go out and just flail away at the water. Everyone can agree, that the most successful anglers don't flail away, they make a precision cast, as quite of an water entry as posssible, as to not spook the fish. Doesn't matter whether they are a pro or successful weekend warrior, they make money casts. Keeping the mental edge, knowing how that fish is going to run from cover is key on fighting and landing the bass. Know thy structure, cover and contours. Don't know about all the states, but in Texas, most bass hooked run out of the cover into open water. Thats not always the case, but most of the time ii holds true. All good info from all, and if fish played by the same rules every day, we wouldn't need ask so many questions. Tx state record of 18.18 was caught while crappie fishing with crappie gear in 40 ft of water which goes to show, just be ready for the unexpected.

welcome to the Forum old Goat. Hookem Matt

Josh, Follow your dreams. One of our own used to live in Chicago at one time. He made that trip a few times from Ill. to Tx and fell in love with Lake Fork. He is a licensed full time guide on Fork. I'd PM Tom Reddington and ask for advice. He made the move when he was in college. He has certainly built his reputation on his skills, and is considered to be amoung the best around the lake. Good Luck Matt I

And to think last year you said crank baits. Have we had some luck on cranks? Hookem Matt

I always go back into the same spot that I missed one with a tube and 1/2oz weight to fall off the pad, that usually does the trick.

First off, I fish heavy timbered lakes. So I like easy night access in and out without endangering me or the boat. I have reflectors nailed to timber to use as navigational aids. A spot light lights them up nicely for my boat lane. I like grassy flats that has a quick transitions to deep channels or deep water period. I like to anchor in about 8ft were I can cast into deeper or shallower water. I like the black and blue single colorado black blade spinner bait. Double skirted jigs in black/blue. 10 in power worms.

Man, there are pages of Know they Prey Pt. I and II by Raul and Shad threads. Give me a few minutes to find them. Know thy Prey Pt1 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1125948523 Know thy Prey Pt 1a? http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1125959631 Know thy Prey Pt 2 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1125601642 Know thy Prey Pt3 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134662267 Know thy Shad pt1 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134661967 Know thy Shad pt 2 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134662267 Shad question http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1127181187 Hope this helps, please comment on each and it will pull those threads to the front page so others might see also. Hookem Matt

My favorite lake is my home waters, and I had to move to get close to her. Lake Fork. But any east TX lake can be my favorite. East Tx has lots of hydrilla and other vegitation. I love a good jig bite in the deep grass in the summer, grass that is growing from 20ft up to 8ft. I figure most of the shallow grass is beat to death by bank beaters.