deep

Edited. Now you and Raider both qualify.

Hey T9, thanks for your input, and I really mean it. About being shorebound, it's by choice. First off, I really only fish two reservoirs, both under 50 acres (smaller than Dixon for you Cali guys). One is closed to ANY kind of watercraft. The other doesn't have a boat ramp, but you can carry your boat into the water. Which is exactly what I did for about two years, when I had a kayak. I sold it, because I found I was catching as least as many fish from the banks, and definitely much bigger fish. (Both reservoirs have very good shoreline access all around.) Now that I know a little more about fishing, I'm tempted to own a kayak once again, just to have different casting angles, and the help of a fishfinder. Won't help me any with the first lake though. Almost all reservoirs round here are closed after dark, except one or two. I'll try there (next year) once the weather warms up a little.

It's that time of the year, and I have a few odds and ends I'll like to give to a deserving fellow (or a lady) who might *need* them. If you would like to nominate someone, please send me a PM with the receiver's mailing info. All I ask is the requesting member to have over 300 posts on this site. Got enough baits for only one package. Sorry about that. Thanks,

If you have targets (cover) within pitching range (~30 ft) needing a soft entry, yes, you want to learn pitching. I pitch from the shore all the time (when I need to, that is). I'm 5'7" and don't have a rod under 7'6". I don't know how to flip though. I actually start my pitches with the rod at about 7.30 or 8 o'clock, with a slight load on it, and end at about 9 to 10 o' clock (6 o'clock being towards your feet). The idea is to keep the bait close to the water surface and not plop down from a height.

Raider, is that you in the picture? Doesn't look like half the superman I believed you were. That dude looks almost timid! What a letdown.

Well, if you use spinning gear, then I guess you want a spinning rod. The Okuma Guide Series SB rods are casting.

Castability is the last thing I look for in a line. Just saying.

What is a fair price for a gently used 101D? How well does a 100D/101D cast relatively light (~3/8 oz) baits (spool weight/ startup) compared to the more modern 200 E/G Shimanos? Not a fair comparison, but the latter is what I have a lot of time on the water with. Had a few 201D citicas too, and I thought they were unremarkable for sub 1/2 oz baits (awesome reels though). Thanks,

Spider jigs Football jigs Arkie head jigs Dart head jigs Shaky or round head jigs Swimming jigs Chatter bait style jigs Under spin style jigs Scrounger head jigs Tail spinner jigs Grass jigs Brush jigs Have fun with the search function now.

I thought this was remarkable: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/146551-end-of-the-season-sale/

You probably want a standup head (football/ arkie) casting style jig for dragging. I look at bucktail as another material for jig skirts, just like silicone or rubber. Pork should float. If it doesn't and you can't make it float, it isn't worth anything. Do you mean the hooks are so light that the trailer can make it float straight up with just the head on the bottom?

Way too cool. The real question is did he manage to cull the two "dinks"?

Nothing special; just a few swimbaits, some jigheads, few packs of worms, hooks and sinkers.

Tom, how does age of a reservoir affect the locations fish relate to (if at all)? I'm thinking that in older reservoirs, some structures, say the main and feeder creek channels might be silted in. A small hump might become an insignificant part of a flat. Do the fish relocate to more pronounced features?

Feeling a little feisty tonight, so posting some food for thought for those who do not believe that color does matter. No discussion is necessary, I believe it does; that's cool. You don't, that's cool too. /**start quote: A friend and I were having a great evening catching bass, one on almost every cast, and it was getting dark. Earlier we tried several colors, but the fish would only bite a purple worm. I had different colored worms separated in shirt and pant pockets, and when I broke off a worm I would reach for the appropriate pocket and get a new one. After a period of time the bass stopped biting for me, but to my surprise my friend who was fishing only 4 feet from me kept catching fish. I shrugged my shoulders figuring the fish had just shut off in my angle of the spot. But after we got back to the dock and were loading the station wagon, I slid the rods in from the back with the rod tips pointed towards the front seat, I turned to say something to my partner and saw one purple and one black plastic worm dangling from the rods. Then it hit me what happened. In the darkness I had mistakenly tied on a black worm after busting off a purple worm, And the bass could tell the difference; they could distinguish colors in practically no light at all! /**end quote I find the next passage very relevant to the UV stuff some companies have on their baits. /**start quote Did you ever watch someone fish with a light meter? With every cloud shift or wind change, they lower a probe and say, "The meter says blue; Now it says green; Now the needle is between purple and red." With each new reading, the angler digs into his tackle box for a corresponding color. Switching colors may prove effective for small bass because a small bass is the size that will bite practically any color just out of curiosity, but constantly switching colors has no bearing on big bass fishing. Light meters indicate what colors are most visible under various light conditions, but meters can't tell you which color the big fish prefer. /**end quote

Umm, the explanation is not my work. You posted that elsewhere Tom, back in 2007.

Skin hook them on the side instead of texposing. 3/0 or 4/0 (wide gap, not EWG) work good for the 8 and 9 inchers even when texposed. Haven't got any bigger ones. Favorite colors are a guarded secret. But your lakes are different, so that won't matter. Find someone who fishes your reservoir and see if he'll share info.

What stuff do you have? Jigs, worms, jerkbaits work for me. Blade baits are supposed to be good. Never fished one.

1. Nice cat you got there. 2. Does anyone who's not on their pro-staff actually fish Denali rods? 3. Shimano Compre is a good choice. There are a bunch of others as seen above.

**** The In-Fisherman classification of impoundments are; Canyon Plateau Highland Hill-land Flatland Lowland All the changes in the terrain that classify these impoundments are clear cut by there land forms. A trip by car across our nation could mean traversing a great variety of terrain. Swamps and marshes. coastal lowlands, plans, high and low hills, plateaus, canyons and mountains. Water has been impounded in all of these landforms. For example, flatland are more common in the broad Mississippi plans than in the Appalachian high lands. The hill-land class, meanwhile is the most difficulty to pinpoint because it is a transition between the highland and flatland classes and can appear almost anywhere. For instance, lake Shelbyville in Illinois is in the hill=land but Rend and Caryle, its sister reservoirs are both flatland types. Why is this important to know for bass fishing? The type of water you fish determines where the bass locate and what their primary prey source should be. If you are a traveling fisherman that bass fishes in more than one locality, you can determine where the general bass location should be before you start fishing. General classification characteristics; Canyon; Water quality is ultra clear, bass grow to about 10 pounds, prey is shad, crayfish, dam is concrete, water level fluctuation about 10 to 150 feet, purpose of the dam is power generation and some flood control/irrigation. Plateau; Water quality is clear to off color, bass grow to about 5 lbs, prey is shad, sunfish and salamanders, dam is earth and small concrete spillways, water fluctuation about 5 to 25 feet, dam is mainly for irrigation. Highland; Water is mostly clear, bass grow to 12 lbs, prey is shad, crayfish, sunfish, eels, salamanders, dam is all earth or all concrete, water fluctuation 12 to 20 feet, dam has many purposes, power or irrigation. Hill-land; Water is slightly off color, bass grow to 10 lbs., prey is shad, crayfish, sunfish, fresh water shrimp, dam is earth with some small concrete spill ways, water fluctuation is 2 to 10 feet, dam is mostly flood control and irrigation. Flatland; Water is off color, bass grow to 15 lbs, prey is shad, sunfish, frogs, eels, dam is earth, some have concrete spillways, water fluctuates 2 to 8 feet, dam used for flood control and irrigation. Lowland; Water is coffee colored to clear, Florida strain bass grow to 18 lbs., prey is a wide variety depending on region, dam is concrete, water fluctuation 2 to 8 feet, dam used for power and maintain the watershed. *** From a very very interesting discussion on this on another forum (post by Tom).

Tom, do tell us more about smaller bass living offshore. I catch a fair amount of small bass far from the shoreline, and I have wondered why (guess I'm fishing the wrong baits/ locations/ timing/ whatever, but that's not the point). Always thought smaller fish relate to the shallows, but my experiences show otherwise (somewhat). Also, could you elaborate on the forage that the offshore group, and the near-shore fish might be targeting (in a SoCal lake with stocker trouts say)? Thanks for the posts here Tom. We appreciate your sharing the knowledge.

Bring your rain gear.

Raider, mount a GoPro on your ride (and share the videos with us). I bet many would pay to see them.

My guess is you don't fish a lot of bottom contact baits in water deeper that 15 feet on long casts. Is that correct?

Rods, let me see. Right now I have rods made by Dobyns, Daiwa, Kistler. Owned and loved Abu Garcias, Shimanos, Pinnacles, Powells, Loomises, Okumas and a few customs at different points in time. Never been particular to a specific company. Casting reels have always been Shimanos. Spinning reels, mostly Shimanos, but a few BPS and Abu Garcias have been thrown in the mix.