deep

Don't fish memories.

Tom, Bassun, Paul, T9, anyone else; do you believe/ think that moon phases determine the location of bass on a particular structure? This is what I mean; let's say a main lake point holds a fair number of adult bass during late-fall. Depending on the moon phase, do they come up to shallower parts of the structure, or go down deeper in the water column, or suspend? See pg. 94 of In pursuit of giant bass (3rd ed) for a figure. If so, that might explain some of the data points. Some (well most people I guess) fish fast and off the bottom, and shallow; some fish slow and deep on the bottom, whatever. Everyone fishes differently. If one person plotted his (or her) adult bass catches on a moon phase chart, would/ should patterns be seen? For me the answer is a resounding yes; 60% of my adult bass catches are during one particular week of the cycle, and 30% over another week, and I'm not just talking about spring/ pre-spawn data points, and no bed fish are included in the results.

Baits!

None. Bought a couple of Citica D's for ~$60, a Citica G for $70, a couple of Curado G's for ~$80.

The correct answer starts with a C. Between the 4 you have on your list, I'll take the ProQualifier.

Man, traps are the worst. Somehow they always manage to hook into something or the other, on land or in water. Everything except the fish's mouth, that is.

Kinda difficult to suggest spots without a topo map. I was hoping to see some points and stuff with the aerial, but apparently things are pretty subtle there. Or probably I don't have enough experience. Tell me this, have you tried covering some water near the creek (does it have an inflow now)? Is the north shore steeper than the southern one? How clear is the water? And where did you catch them in summer? Any isolated cover you can cast to?

Nvm, for some reason I thought you were fishing from the bank.

Are you fishing the same spots you did in summer? Fall is a transition time between two stable seasons (summer and winter). Post a pic of the reservoir maybe? A topo map would be great.

You drag a bait in shallow water first so that you can correlate between what you see and what you feel. Braid, mono, fluoro almost anything will work once you get the hang of it. A decent rod helps, holding the line between your index finger and thumb (or however you might want to hold it) would help even more. As far as depth is concerned, find out the rate of fall (sink rate) of a given bait first, preferably a slow-sinking one. Cast it out and count it down, (line type and wind/ current might affect your calculations of course). P.S. Actually I think you're right. Braid on a taut line (big weight) might work better to decipher the bottom composition. I fish FC for bottom contact baits because it transmits vibrations so much better, and anyway I can feel what's on the bottom just fine with FC (well, I think so).

Any jig can be cast and retrieved on the bottom (as opposed to short-line presentations). Is that a good idea? No. The hook size, angle and gauge need to be optimized for long cast situations. Choose jigheads depending on the terrain.

Yes.

Be happy to talk about the 7'6" mag-medium fast He3 I have if you want some specific info about that particular rod. No idea about other He3 models/ phenixes.

Tatsu is the BOMB (to borrow roadwarrior's quote). Someday, I will try Shooter, if and when I can find it on sale. Till then, Tatsu it is for my jigs. This comparison chart might be useful (from the Seaguar catalog):

I alternate between a jig rod/ FC and a moderate rod/ braid + leader for jerkbaits. Not sure which one I like better- both work pretty well for my tastes. I don't know what the husky jerk 10 weighs, but I like a mag-medium-ish power for 0.5 oz range treble hook baits.

WTG! Looks like your ultralight combo got quite the workout.

A texas rig without a sinker? That's a new one! I get what you mean though; weightless when that kind of sinkrate is preferred, or when it produces the desired action on the fall (senkos). Weights when I expect to get bitten on the bottom.

^^ don't you mean florida-rigged?

7'6" for me. I'd go with all 8 footers if I could find off-the-shelf rods in my preferred power and actions.

Sorry, but I don't think that's correct. **When P-Line Original was first introduced to anglers in the United States, a new era in copolymer line technology emerged. With its small diameter and a soft supple finish P-Line Original line became an instant hit with both saltwater and freshwater fishermen, who for the first time were realizing the advantages a high quality copolymer line delivers.** http://p-line.com/line/copolymer/pf-original

What copoly does Seaguar sell? No contest between a decent FC and any copoly as far as sensitivity is concerned. PLine makes at least 5 different kinds of copolys. The couple that DTack mentioned, plus the C21 (no idea), the floroclear (immensely stretchy, might as well fish with a rubberband), the PF original (best of the bunch for me- different characteristics appeal to different folks). What are you looking for in the line? Strength, abrasion resistance, knot strength, low stretch?

Maybe a small inline spinner or a spoon?

Trashed the line after a few trips, then snagged and lost the bait, sold the rod, sold the reel.

Thank you for the details Tom. Makes choosing a bait somewhat easier then.

Sounds good Tom. Thanks. Could you tell us when you'd fish a worm over a jig at a given spot or viceversa? Is it just a matter of finding out what the bass prefer on the day, or are there subtle clues to look for that might point to fishing a worm over a jig?