pitchin fool

I got out with my buddy again for a few hours this morning. We tried a new lake that neither of us had ever been to before. So much of the lake looked wonderful, but nobody was home at most of the spots. I managed to pick up 4 bass with nothing to write home about for size, but my buddy managed to pick up a hog! Good thing, too cause it was his only fish of the day! She went 5-11. Next time we will go for a later outing hoping the lake warms up a bit while we are there to get the bite going sooner. Seems no matter where we go lately, we always get at least one giant!

I have fished as late as November 20something....if it ever hits high 50's and not super windy....its on! It's amazing how aggressive they can be when it heats up like that out of nowhere. My buddy I was fishing with on my last post is hitting that lake again tomorrow. It's my weekend to work, so I won't be making it, but I hope he gets into them like we did previously. I hope to make it out sunday for a little bit. Thanks Shimmy. I seen your vids on youtube many years ago while searching Minnesota bass fishing. As soon as I saw all those hogs you were pullin, I kept saying that I will have my day like that sometime. I guess this was one of my days. Can't wait to hit it again, and yes, I feel that 6lber in my very near future!!!!!

Today was just one of those days that you dream of fishing. My buddy and I got into a slough of em and some really big ones too! He got his on spinnerbaits and paddle spins (something he came up with on the fly), I got all my good ones on a war eagle 1/2oz jig, and a bunch on a shad rap. Top five fish between the 2 of us as follows...5-1, 5-1, 5-2, 5-2, 5-4. Plus a 4-15, 4-9, 4-4, 3-12, and a 3-6. Numerous others in the 2 range and a plethora of dinks. 57 fish between the 2 of us in all! CRAZY!

Punch...I use a plethora of frogs. I am not that picky. The best bang for the buck is a pad crasher, but the fish I have been getting have all been on the kvd frog (which I didn't like before). It's my thinking that they are after the rattle noise. I am trying to just move the rattle when working the frog, so almost as if the frog is shaking on top of the slop while moving slowly. It's been the ticket. My two favorite frogs would have to be live target and spros. I like how all his videos (but more of the ones with me in it ?) are edited to just show catches and don't have his personal preference of what he calls music. Nothing I hate more than trying to watch a video and there's some crap music taking away the experience.

Yesterday's hog. She tipped the scales at 5-4! Didn't get into a lot of them, but this one made the say sweet. Another big frog bass in the books....hope this bite keeps rolling!

Heres a vid of the guy I used to get out with quite a bit. He recently moved to Wisconsin in hopes of getting to the southern states to fish all year long later. This is what MN big bass look like. I can attest that that is indeed all of 7.5!! If you watch his other vids, I am Mr. P on some of the titles.

Nice stuff, Fiske! I am always in some type of weeds. Its a rare occasion that I am having any success in my area if there isn't any weeds around. Hopefully will get out this weekend for another try....if I have some luck, I will post!

My last couple years haven't been all that great with frog either, but the last couple weeks changed that real quick. So many boats would pass right by me heading out to the main lake to fish. Hopefully my secret stays with me!

The last 2 weeks on my local lake, I have been having great success in the channels. We have fortunately received an awesome duck weed crop this year and the channels have been nice and full of the stuff. Frogs have been slamming as long as there are trees and coontail mixed in with the duckweed. 5-11 has been my biggest followed by 5 four pounders, and numerous 3's and 2's. Anyone else been having the same type of luck? My 5-11 Got salad?

Yes, its a nice fish, but I have to say way to go on fighting the undesirable conditions and staying with it! I also fish from a small boat (an inflatable pontoon) and I always say, "If we wait for a good day we would hardly fish at all!"

Go to a.m. leonards website and check out the fiberglass tree stakes. That's what I have for my toon and they are CHEAP! Just a thought.

It does pretty good in the wind. You have to plan how you are going to fish in it, of course. If the wind is blowing to the south, you want to make sure that you can fish the majority of your day facing south. With my 9ft tree stake, that is used by the trolling motor, the wind will blow the point of my toon whichever way the wind is blowing. My buddies is a framed toon and sits up a little higher, where as mine is more at water level and has a solid bottom so it does collect a little water with some real big waves. Nothing that will ever flood me out by any means. I fish a few waters with some current and you just follow it and when you anchor in, you will be in a good position to flip and pitch or whatever. That tree stake is the game changer that has made all the difference in being both more efficient and hassle free. Its basically a power pole without the power pole price...and it's manual!! As far as salt water goes...no idea! I live in Minnesota, dude!

I have had mine for 3 or 4 years now and love it. I have made some mods and that has made it more fishable for me. This last opener I actually poked a little hole in it...oops! Put some duct tape on it and fished the rest of the day with no problem. The patch kit is simple and effective. Can't see it being a problem for as long as I have it. It was a one in a million shot to poke the hole also. I have bounced numerous cranks and jigs off of it no problem but that day it hit just in the right spot at the right speed and all that. Totally not concerned of ever having it leave me stranded on the lake or ruin my gear from it popping! I don't use the swivel seat. It takes up too much room. I use a tree stake as a shallow water anchor. I built a rod box that holds 5 rods plus one in my hand is 6, and they sit on the bench seat from where I removed the swivel seat. I had to remake the oar locks cause the plastic broke on both of them. I used a 10inch bolt and some washers and screws at first but the bolts were bending so I put a piece of pipe over the bolts...problem solved. I have other things I want to do to it but gotta brain storm how to pull it off. I have been out in the worst conditions when others would give up and felt totally safe. I am talking ship wreck sally winds!! If you want to see some shots of mine you can watch "the froggy basser" bids on YouTube. He has a toon also and I am Mr.P when he puts that in the title. Love it!

Dude! That's all I got to say!

I use both mh and h. Last year mainly used the heavy, though. Just something about pitchin the jig under a dock and knowing you can power that fish right outta there! I am an odd ball when it comes to the action. I prefer a more moderate action....too many broken tips with fast and extra fast

It's winter here, so I have to really dig down into my memory banks, but I don't ever recall having a terrible time with texas rigs not hooking up. The texas rig is what got me back into bass fishing after a loooong hiatus. The one trick that my buddy told me, is that when you feel the bite, lower your rod tip super fast to make your line go limp from the bait before setting the hook. If the bait has the same constant pressure the hook is essentially pointed right at the hook-eye digging itself just deeper into the plastic. When you knock that slack in the line and jerk the hook wants to pop out of the plastic easier and into the fishes mouth. Give it a try. Oh, yeah, I do hate worm hooks and always use ewg's.

Heavy or extra heavy with moderate fast action. Too many lost fish and broken rods with fast or extra fast tips. My thought is that it is a reaction bite. When that bait flies past their face and they take a swipe at it, they may not always get it all in their bucket. The moderate not only uses more of the rod to pull the fish out, but gives the bass that extra millisecond so inhale the bait a little better.

Minnesota....LAND OF 10,000+ LAKES!!! NUFF SAID!

Plenty of food and water to keep the energy up along with the focus intensity. Most people don't realize how much focus they lose because of hunger. Less focus = less fish!

I got the revo sx (gen 3) last year, and I tell you what, it puts the hurt on em!!

So is every color a gimic? Sould any cranks be painted with any detail at all? Maybe they should just be all green to look like a fish, all red to be a craw, and nothing else? There are many cranks out there in that price range that are painted fancy and fly past a fish in the same manner, yet people buy them without hesitation. I am just saying it can't hurt to give it that look, cause the bottom line is, we are trying to make our lures look like prey of some kind.

The veritas series has a 7'11" heavy moderate action for punching. Trust me the extra length will help you with that presentation. Otherwise the 7' heavy extra fast for just regular jig/t-rig.

If you have ever thrown or seen an exceler, that's all it basically is. I have one and it is alright, but like the Advantage better. It's heavy for it's size, isn't as smooth reeling, and just doesn't seem to have the quality of a reel at that price point. It does cast nice and never feel like it is gonna "die" on me, but they could have gave it a boost with some nicer bearings and lighter components. I may try putting some boca's in it or am just gonna sell/trade it. Decisions, decisions!!

Jigs with craw trailer....best big smallie bait, and shallow and square bill cranks for numbers. Hard to not throw a topwater, though!!!

The bottom lip isn't extending past the top, and with your arm up and kinda out, makes me want to believe that it is a 4lber. Nice fish, but for me the bottom lip starts giving out to weight when it hits that 5lb mark.