Bluebasser86

I prefer to fish them when the water is warmer and the fish are more active. You can catch fish with them year round but I think there is better options than a swimbait in colder water.

Topwater fishing is fun but I think I get more jacked up over that solid "thump!" when I flip a jig into a brushpile or something. You know it's probably going to be a good one and you're about to get to cross his eyes! Not a lot of places that provide good frog fishing around here though so maybe that's why it doesn't get me as revved up.

They both guard the nest to an extent. The male tends to be the smaller, more aggresive fish on the spawning bed. However, if you catch the male and do not immediately return him to the water the female will usually take over the nest guarding duties and become a lot more catchable.

I don't think the color of the blade makes a big difference but I do have a preference towards a big single colorado blade at night to give off extra thump. In super clear or pressured waters I could see the potential for a willowleaf blade to outfish a colorado though. I've had more luck with a black or dark colored spinnerbait at night but I've also done very well with a plain white bait on dark sky nights when there is no light to sillouete a black bait.

Nice looking fish! I only know of one way to tell the difference between a male or female and it doesn't end well for the fish!

The 7lber that I have on my wall inhaled a little 4F Fat A crankbait and was gillhooked and not going to make it. It was probably close to 100 degrees out and she was belly up floundering on the surface even after several minutes of trying to revive her. The pond I caught her out of was loaded with big snapping turtles and I wasn't about to watch the turtles eat such a nice fish. That is about the only situation I could ever see myself getting a skin mount of a fish. In my mind it's worth spending the extra money for a replica to keep the fish alive.

It's hard to tell because of the angle but I'm guessing somewhere around 4-5 pounds. It's a very nice fish and bigger than lots of people catch after years of fishing for bass! Congrats!

I'm nearing the end of a 7 day marathon week. My schedule changed so I'm getting to work 7 days in a row before my next day off. Tonight is night 5 so I am getting there but it has been a slow process. On the plus side I have a 4 day extended guys fishing weekend coming up the first week of May! So getting everything prepared when I get off work has been keeping me busy and keeping my mind off the fact that I haven't been fishing in awhile.

Looks like a goldfish to me, probably just got too big for the aquarium it's owner had it in. There isn't anywhere else close by in the area she caught it in to dump one. It's just an orange carp anyways and looking at the stomach on it doesn't look like it was having any problems surviving in the pond!

I used to use something similar only mine was a spark plug. Worked pretty well and costs next to nothing.

Almost all baits are mass produced so they won't all weigh the exact same but they should be close. Jigs,spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits weights all go by the lure head. I'm not 100% on the crankbait weights but I'd have to agree with earlier posts that their weight is at least pre-hook and hardware.

Lots of saltwater baits will also catch bass. Many redfish baits can double as bass baits and vice versa. Most bait companies make popluar freshwater baits in saltwater colors.

It's pretty stiff and has quite a bit of memory but it is tough! Depends on how willing you are to deal with line memory on if you will like it or not. I like it pretty well with heavier jigs and plastics that aren't effected as bad by line with memory in it. At least when I get bit with that stuff I can usually get them out!

I wouldn't use a 5:1 for anything other than crankbaits. I like my Skeet Reese crankbait rod but the Quantum reel would probably pair up well with a KVD tour crankbait rod!

I second the aftermarket skirts. The Terminator skirts work well on chatterbaits and are easy to remove or put back on.

Sometimes it pays to be a diehard! My biggest one so far this year was a 7+lber that came on a day with 25+mph winds, temps in the 30's, and snow! If I waited for nice weather I'd never get to go fishing! Good job!

North end will usually warm up first. Get a lake contour map if you can to help you locate likely looking spawning flats.

Cold, muddy water is about as tough of conditions as you can get. Generally in dirty water they will hold close to cover and in those water temps they aren't going to move far for a bait. Like you said a colorado bladed spinnerbait can be good in dirty water but I'd probably fish a dark colored, slow sinking jig tight to cover. Be prepared to fish slow and probably not get many bites.

You will be quite a ways from Aunt's creek then. http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tablerock/pdf/tr_lake_map3.pdf Aunt's creek is to the Northwest of Kimberling City. My wife and I stayed at Big Cedar a couple years ago and I actually did really well in the cove that the lodge is in. I also did very well around the Long Creek area if you go out of the Big Cedar Lodge cove and turn south and go under the bridge there is some pretty steep chunk rock banks that had loads of chunky spotted bass on them. My biggest one that weeked was a fat largemouth around 5lbs on a wigglewart but I caught lots of fish on a shakeyhead and jerkbait also.

Rogers almost always has rods and reels for 10 to 20 dollars cheaper than you can get them at BPS or Cabela's. Plus they have lots of other gear you can't get at the bigger stores, never know what the monkey might need

I don't know if it will help you but I'll tell how I taught my wife to fish one. She loves to dance and is really good at it so I put it in terms she could understand. Cast it out and reel a few times to get it down and then the dance begins 1-2 1-2-3 (jerk-jerk pause) repeat. She thought it was funny to put it that way but it worked for her and now she can fish a jerkbait pretty well in a little warmer water. I can't get it through that she has to pause longer in colder water but she still catches a few of the more aggressive fish in colder water.

Any idea on water temps? I'd be fishing T rigged soft plastics and jigs, rattle traps, square bills, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits.

Most of the Vicious display at our wal marts have crappie fishing stuff and aberdeen hooks and huge deep diving minnow baits. Nothing that would be much use for bass fishing .

That first picture is a great illistration of why they call them a bucketmouth! That swim jig looks like a crappie jig in its mouth! Nice fish!

Direct sunlight and extreme temps can break line down and make it start to rot. I'd have to agree with Avalonjohn, my biggest concern would be getting my tackle stolen. I had all my gear stolen once and that is a sickening feeling.