deep

Acurite 00888 with 10' probe. If you have one with a short probe, catch a fish, a stuff the probe down its throat (just make sure there isn't a sharp edge on it). P.S. I have an extra one NIP I'll sell for $12 shipped. Will include a new battery too.

Congrats! Awesome catch.

One about every hundred hours spent fishing for them. The "fishing for them" part is important, because I'll occasionally fish for small bass, especially during summer- I call that fun fishing. Lunker = 7+ lbs NLMB for me. P.S. Slade, if it was created by damming a creek or a river, I call it a reservoir. I don't care if it's 50 acres or 10,000. Everything I know about structure fishing still applies.

Cadman is the man- 100% custom, great prices. (I'm sure Sieberts' are just as good too from what I read here.)

The VA state record is almost certainly a FLMB. That reservoir and several others have FLMB and intergrades.

Seriously, I don't find myself handicapped when fishing from the banks. That is not because I'm KVD or something, it's because I pick reservoirs where I can hit outside structure with my casts. If the fish can't see your bait, you won't catch them. I can guarantee that. If you can reach the fish, but can't catch them, you need to work on your fishing skills. If I did have a boat. and fished the same res, I'd have fished the same spots. It's because I fish spots that hold fish. The only significant advantage being on a boat would give me is ability to fish different angles, and sometimes that's crucial. I guess having a fishfinder would help me predict the depth I might catch bass at, but that's something I can find out with a little trial and error.

LOL what? You can catch plenty of fish from the bank and some big ones too if you know what you're doing. Just gotta pick the right lake where you can reach outside structure from the bank.

I don't fish football head jigs, but if you mean casting jigs; I cast it out, let it sink (watch the line, or keep physical contact with it whatever's your game to detect bites on the fall), pause, and then fish it with the reel pointing the rod at the bait. Pause it every other reel handle turn or so. When I hit a rock/ brush or something, I pause it before and after coming over the obstacle (using the rod if necessary to guide the jig over it).

Move around. Summer is a stable period with fairly predictable fish locations. Both bass and bait are moving- probably horizontally I might add. Outside edges of weedbeds (on structure of course) have been good the last couple of times. Any remaining green weeds, fish those. Buy a thermometer with a longish probe you can measure water temps with (I have an acu-rite 00888 I think; ~$10 on Ebay). How deep was the thermocline during summer? Try that depth and shallower for a while.

Used Citica D/ Citica G/ Curado B: ~$70. Don't buy the D if you're not looking to fish baits heavier than 3/4 oz most of the time. Berkley Lightnings are good for ~$40. Buy some line with the leftover money. Or buy a house brand (BPS/ Cabelas) rod if you can drive to one of the stores. Don't order from them online; they usually charge shipping.

The regular taper Lexa works good for swimjigs and spinnerbaits, but I fish them on braid. Its just a good all-purpose rod for me. Even did a little punching yesterday with it. I'd classify the action as a moderate-fast.

Seen that a couple of times here too. NLMB by the way. It's amazing how they can adapt and learn to hunt together.

Indeed.

You need to know (figure out) when, where and how to fish them. Learn the habits and habitats of the big fish, and the prey they prefer during the different seasons. Studying Tom's posts here, and on TBH, would be a good start.

I can fish outside structures from the shore (in the 2 reservoirs I fish most often); so there are or should be plenty of adult bass within casting range. Now getting them to bite has been the problem. Unless its middle to late summer. And then I don't know where they are or what they're doing. Maybe they are within casting range and they just suspend (a fishfinder would have helped here), or they go out to the middle of the res and do heaven knows what. I have no idea. But fall to early summer, I do fine. Or at least I did fine until I took a one year break from chasing bass. As fast as discerning structure is concerned, I have some pretty good low water pics when the reservoir was down about 40 odd feet, so I think I'm good there. If I was fishing a 1000 acre lake or one with poor shoreline access by foot, then yes, I agree with you. Can't catch them if you can't cast to them. My project is this: when they want a worm, do they like one or two colors better than all others? For (casting) jigs, I know the answer. Yes they do. (Them refers to the adult bass is one particular reservoir.) Haven't fished worms a whole lot other than when I wanted to be Barney. I'd like to add worms to my arsenal for bigger bass.

Since it's out on the www and freely available, I figured it's okay if I post this without seeking permission. If you're having trouble finding fish (catching them is another matter of course), it might be useful to go back to the basics. I hope Tom will chime in here. P.S. The moon phases Tom mentions have not been the better ones for me. But that's all right, I probably fish shallower and faster. As long as you find the moon phases that work for you, it's all good. *************************** THE COSMIC CLOCK... AND BASS BEHAVIOR By Tom Young Introduction: A cycle is usually thought of as a measure of time in which something starts and stops. For example, the sun rising to its next rising is one cycle called a 24 hour period. This circular movement of revolving objects always having a starting point only to return to start again is the basic law of the cosmic clock. The Cosmic Clock law tells us that bass will return to exactly the same locations every year of their life cycle. Their rhythm will also return to the same condition within each feeding cycle. When environmental conditions are exactly the same, bass react exactly the same no matter where they are. Bass search out conditions favorable to their survival. The pace which bass live is called rhythm. This rhythm is broken into five basic categories: Very active, active, neutral, negative and very negative. These break down into percentages like this: 70% neutral, 5% very negative, 5% very active, 10% active and 10% negative. The life cycle of bass is also broken into seven basic categories: Pre-spawn, spawn, post- spawn, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The basses' habitat, surrounding environment, totally governs the calendar periods. Water temperature is the most important factor, controlling most activity. The water condition, including weed growth, clarity, chemistry, oxygen, etc., determines their location. Basic bass behavior is very simple, they are usually the prime predators within their environment, their prime concern is survival; seek prey, eat, rest. How do you recognize the basses' rhythm? Or calendar periods? First, to recognize rhythm we must observe water conditions. Are bait fish active chasing insects, or are they located suspended under boat docks and around weed breaks. Are birds grouped and feeding on schooled bait fish or scattered along the shoreline feeding on insects? Active bait fish indicate active bass; neutral bait, neutral bass, etc. Calendar periods vary but basically water temperature is the prime factor: 58° - 62° indicates pre-spawn, 62° - 65° is spawn, 63° - 65° is post-spawn, 65° - 73° is Spring, 68° - 80° is Summer, 65° - 73° is Fall, and 48° - 61° is Winter. (Note: The Thermocline only regulates location, not calendar periods). Bass school during pre-spawn, post-spawn, Fall and Winter period and scatter into small groups and singles during spawn, Spring, Fall and Winter; and horizontally migrate during post-spawn and Summer periods. These are behavior factors which are important keys determining calendar periods. General Instructions: 1. Start at the center color dot and first surrounding ring, which represents' monthly moon phase and rhythm. The six day periods of the new and full moon are active periods, because they coincide with daily tidal affluence and active sun phases. Daily lunar gravity affects are not shown because of many variances, see tide or solunar charts for high and low or major and minor times. Gravity has a minimum effect on daily rhythm during mid-day, unless there is an overcast weather condition present or extremely light fishing pressure. 2. The second ring and color band represents daily solar phase and rhythm. Activity peaks when the sun is positioned near the horizon. This is based on light penetration into the water. As the sun rises, light intensity increases and shadows disappear, causing an abrupt change in activity. (Weather conditions will have an affect on solar rhythm by changing light intensity.) The sun's location is measured in angular position by degrees from the horizon, not by time of day. Time is man's invention and is based on location zones. By pointing your middle finger parallel to the water surface, then raising your index finger upward the movement will be approximately 30 degrees, the position solar activity changes. Observe the sun's position. 3. The second color band and remaining rings represent the calendar periods, rhythm, prey and location. Calendar periods are based on basic bass habits and water temperature. Water chemistry has a minor effect on calendar periods, but will affect prey and location. The data shown is based on the average bass lake, reservoir or pond, having a balanced ph of 7 or below and acid/nutrients at normal levels. Hard water will tend to lower the temperatures shown, soft water having the opposite effect. Hard water is clear, depth of visual light over ten feet and a ph greater than 7. Soft water is murky, depth of visual light less than two feet and high acid nutrient levels accompanied by weed choked conditions. The locations and prime prey shown are based on largemouth bass being the prime predator in the lake. If other fish are prime predators, seeking the same prey, bass will become secondary predators and rarely use major points or mid-lake locations. Migration habits are used to determine subtle changes in calendar periods. It is not necessary to be a biologist to understand basic bass behavior. Water temperature controls bass behavior, thus controlling the calendar periods. The lower the water temperature, the lower the basses' metabolic rate, need for food decreases and sizes of food decreases. As water warms, food need increases, food sources increase and bass move into shallower water to seek abundant prey available during warm water periods. Bass first follow schools of small bait fish into bays, spawn, regroup at inside bay points, then scatter along the weed-line, shoreline until Fall when the water begins to cool, Bass then move onto major points, begin to school and feed on bait fish schools, following the thermocline out into mid-lake for the winter cold water period. Bass are most wary during the summer period when they are in shallow- water. Unfortunately, man is most active with water sports during. the same warm water period, making conditions difficult. Night fishing can be good during the summer period, because of reduced traffic and light. Because of the pecking order, large adult bass are first to move into different calendar periods, locations and feeding zones. They stay very close to cover and seldom roam seeking prey, instead locate near prey during all periods. Do not chase small bass roaming the shore lines. Instead, observe the calendar periods and concentrate on large adult bass. To Summarize: Very active bass will chase and strike anything that they think will fit into their mouths. Active bass will strike almost anything, but rarely chase it more than a few feet. Neutral bass must be teased into striking using a presentation with out-of-sync (rhythm) bait motion. Negative bass must also be teased into striking using a slow, quiet presentation slightly out-of-sync. Very negative bass will rarely strike anything. Observe your environment and fish locations that have active bait movements. ***************************

Try major points, that are close to the summer locations. Bass, any fish for that matter, needs oxygen, food, and security. If the water is too hot, look for shade, incoming creeks bringing in cooler water, Flowing or cooler water holds more O2. Look for green weeds. But location trumps all else. Cover is secondary or tertiary. Has the lake turned over yet? If so they could be anywhere, depending on the other factors.

Nitro, I suck at fishing for big fish. You'd say the same about yourself too if you got skunked as often as I do. Over the whole of April last year- prime pre-spawn time-, I caught exactly one fish. And I fished for over a hundred hours that month. Granted I was only fishing 8"+ baits, but that's no excuse. The primary point of fishing is to catch fish (the size and numbers you want). I was fishing the right spots too, saw so many follows it was unbelievable. Either they didn't want a big bait, or it was a timing thing. I doubt it was the latter. So that's when my eyes finally opened. Something wasn't right, and I needed to change tactics. You can get into a rut even when throwing big baits. Swimbaits aren't the be-all and end-all for big fish. Sometimes, big bass want a big bait, sometimes they want a small one. Bill Murphy writes in his book about fishing San V for 3 consecutive days. One day, he caught them on jigs, the second day on worms, the third day on live crawfish. Tom has posted several times how preference for baits change from day to day. So anyway, excuse my rambling. To me, fishing for big bass is a percentage game. You fish the high percentage areas- can't catch them if they're not there. But presentation and baits are very important. Just my opinion though. But don't you want to know what might happen if you do everything right? Including fishing the right bait in the right color? As far as colors are concerned, I will respectfully disagree with you. My best producing swimbait (for kickers) was a white hardgill. I love chartreuse hardbaits. Not a 100% chartreuse, but a lot of chartreuse on them, I have caught a few big fish on them. I like rainbow trout hudds. There are very few rainbow trouts where I fish- the ones that are there are over 14" long, and I doubt bass eat them on a regular basis. I also like the hitch color, probably because its got a little blue and purple. I don't own a single black and blue jig. That's the only color we need right? Well, I don't need it. I like browns and green with a little purple/ blue highlights. So, in conclusion, I guess I concur with Murphy. Whatever colors work for you on a particular reservoir is the best color for you on that lake. Big surprise! The point of yesterday's enterprise was to catch a few adult bass on worms. I know I can catch them (3# fish that is) on jigs and big baits, but what happens when the big ones don't want a jig or a big bait? Do you just keep beating the water with your choices, or give them what they want?

If I did one important thing (fishing related that is) over the last year, it was to study Bill Murphy's book from cover to cover 4 or 5 times. To those who have read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. To whose who haven't, here's the gist. Murphy believed that bigger bass are more vulnerable to worms of certain colors and certain sizes, and this bait/ colors preferences vary from reservoir to reservoir. He also said that the way to figure out their choice was to fish outside structures with a standard size (6" most times of the year) worm in different colors and see which one(s) the (adult) fish like better. Aside: I don't believe my NLMBs are as choosy as the SoCal FLMBs/ intergrades, but I also believe that bigger fish, no matter their strain, are more likely to bite certain baits/ presentations during certain moon phases. Regardless, little details matter when hunting for big fish. So, we're getting close to the transition here. Water temp yesterday was 72.7 about 6 ft down in the column. Sucks that the cord on my thermometer is only 10' long (and of course the shore doesn't drop straight down). Anyway, good enough for a start. Figured fish are starting to move in on structures from being suspended most of summer. Picked a good-looking point in the upper third of the lake, casted around a bit with a swim jig just to check that there weren't anyone interested in a fast bait (no need to over finesse), blanked (which was good) and then got to work. Had six bags of straight tail robos with me, I'll call the colors A, B, C, D, E and F. Rigged up a slip shot rig: cylindrical 1/4 oz tungsten, brass clicker, glass bead, bobber stop about a foot up, and then a 3/0 wide gap (not EWG) Gammy worm hook. Rod was a 7'6" Kistler He3, with a Curado G6 spooled with 12# Tatsu. You fish a point from the sides. (See In-Fisherman horizontal jigging article.) Start out about 3/4 of a cast length off to one side, fish the point. Then get on the point itself, fish both sides (changing position if the point is big enough). Then move past the point, and fish the far edge from a different angle. Fishing from a boat would give you more angle options of course. The first color got exactly zero bites. The second happens to be Mike Long's favorite color. Well, didn't fare much better with that one either. Caught one 10" fish that bit about 15 ft off the shore, and another 12" fish that bit right as I was about to take the bait out of the water. Not good, catching small bass in 5 feet of water gives no useful info. Got a good bite with the third color in about 20 FOW, might have been a good fish. Set the hook too soon- that's what happens if you fish jigs too much lol. Nothing much on the fourth or the sixth color either (except for another 12" fish close to the shore). But I did catch a 3 lb 7 oz fish with the fifth color, so that (and the third color) might be better options for my reservoir. (I do classify a 3# NLMB as adult.) Need to experiment more, I guess. Pretty inconclusive results so far- other than what I already knew, that I pretty much suck at fishing,

Gunfish 115 - chartreuse shad.

Not quite. You know (or should know) what hooks you like. For me, that'd be light wire round bend Gamakatsus or Owner ST-36s, So after you get your extra replacement trebles, weigh the stock hook, put your new treble on after weighing, and add the extra weight with suspenstrips. Pretty simple really. It's even simpler if you make a chart of hook weights so that you don't redo this weighing business every time. I have a chart that I got from someone else that I'll be happy to share with anyone, but it'd probably be of little use unless you mostly use hooks size 2 and bigger. P.S. (Brand Model Size Weight in grams) Mustad KVD 2 0.9 Owner ST-36 2 1.1 Owner ST-41 2 1.35 Owner ST-56 2 1.4

Size 2 is size 2. The problem is you have short shanks, long shanks, fine wire 1x, thick wire 2x etc. When I replace a treble, what I'm concerned with is with matching the weight of the stock hooks (the lure designer/manufacturer put them on for a reason). Buy a jewelers scale- they're super cheap on ebay- and you'll know for sure. Also buy some suspenstrips.

See if you can find a 2 power Powell. From my (somewhat scant) experiences, and from what you said, seems that might be ideal. A 3 power (medium) Powell worked well for me, but I was fishing heavier heads. The XF taper will do what you want (I'll call the taper more of a regular fast though, but the tip was soft enough). Used Powell Maxes regularly sell for less than $100.

Vibration, no; straight pull, yes. With spinning gear, I find it difficult to keep a finger on the line. The leader is inconsequential as far as its effect on transmitting bites is concerned. If you find FC unmanageable on spinning gear, your best bet seems to be keeping the line (braid) as taut as possible (no slack) and watch the line too.

When the water temp- at the depth where the fish are- drops below 55F. P.S. Look up Tom Young's cosmic clock.