Lightninrod

Well, I dunno ? Some bodies of water have Bass in the shallows down here in the summer months. In fact, most of the Bass I've caught this summer have been in water no deeper than 5-6' . These are bodies of water with depths down to 13' and one lake with depths to 17". The biggest(4-6 lbs) have been caught on crankbaits and soft-plastics and in the shallows and in the middle of the day too. Water temps have ranged from 87-94 degrees. Aren't Bass cold-blooded animals? Wouldn't warmer water 'activate/energize' them? Sure, you could reach a temp where it would kill the Bass but I don't think we're at that point. From the bank, I agree you should throw an unweighted Senko(or its copies) and/or a T-rigged worm as others have said. I move mine from stopped to briskly. Of course, you may not be where the Bass are but keep on trying . Dan

Agree with GW on this as I've caught many Bass more than once and I have observed the holes months if not years later. Now, I'm talking about holes in the membrane(bloodless 'skin'?), not in the flesh of the Bass. When I take a pic of a Bass, I put it on a stringer clip(stainless steel) and back in the water so I can get the camera/tripod set up and to put my shirt on(in the summer). That clip and the Bass's attempts to pull off, make a fairly large hole in the lower jaw's membrane. I've reached down to 'lip' many a Bass and had my finger tip go though the hole under the jaw. In fact, I caught the same 6 lb Bass three different times over a period of 3-4 months. None seemed the worse for the wear btw. second time caught third time caught D/k what happened to the first pic and now I'm sorry I didn't zoom in on the hole. Dan

At the State owned lakes I fish in, the fish limits are prominently posted, right at the ramps and around the shore-fishing areas. There are usually DNR officers on site but not all the time. I obey the rules except for carrying a PFD on board :-/. Dan

Some of my tagged Bass: Baby Bass tag Look closely and you'll see the missing tag 'core'. 7 lber tagged 6 lber tagged Those all came from the same State managed Public Fishing Area in Dodge County, GA. They have forms at the dock to fill out with the tag's number, weight, length, and date caught. They ask that you leave the tag on if the Bass is released as I do. That lake is managed for big Bass and it's working as several(many?) double-digit Bass have been harvested there but not by me :-?. Dan

9 lbs even It was last August, in the middle of the day at Dodge County Public Fishing Area and she sucked in that Matt's Baby Bass in about 9' of clear, hot water. Just reeling it back at a steady pace at about the 5' mark. The single dorsal hook stuck right in the roof of her mouth. I had my hands full for a few minutes as I had to wear her out, having no partner or net. Still need to break the double-digit mark. Dan

Yes, they are. Dan

STUPENDOUS!!! 8-) Thanks Chris. Dan

It happens..............too often; maybe every fourth trip? Happened to me today at a PFA lake :-[. Dan

WTG Captain!!! Nice 'work'! Dan

If you're a "bad angler", then I am too. :-? I rarely catch 10 and more normally, it's 2-6(not counting 'dinks') for me. Good Luck(and thank you!) Soldier from an ol', former Marine 8-)! Dan

pm sent :-[

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm? I guess it's because I fish in the deep South where it's warmer longer than in other places but I find Bass catchable in HOT weather in the shallows without seaking out shade necessarily. The last few weeks, the temps have been in the 90s and up to 100+ degrees. They've been biting cr/baits(on a fairly fast retrieve too) and T-rigged Zoom VT Speed Worms so they biting in the 3-5' depths for me :-? Dan

Good mojoin' Avid!!! Keep that shoulder workin' young man! Dan

I grew up dirt-poor in Miami, Florida, back in the 1940's and 50's(just had my 67th b/d on the 12th). I remember one evening when my Dad took me to a bridge that spanned a canal in Coral Gables, Florida. He fished for grunts and snappers with a handline; just a weight and a hook, no rod, no reel and some pieces of cut-bait. He'd drop it down by one of the pillars and wait for a nibble. I remember once when my parents went on a charter boat off of Miami. It was a free trip, provided by his employer. They caught some nice red snapper. I had to stay home. I didn't get the Bass fishing 'bug' until we moved to middle GA when I was in my 30's. I met and worked with what would become my best friend until he died; killed by a teenager escaping from the police after stealing a car. He hit my buddy head-on :-[. Lonnie was from the Florida panhandle and had grown up on the Perdodo River. He was a master at casting his Abus, skulling his little jonboat, and catching many, many Bass. He taught me the value of good equipment and how to use it. I don't use handlines now . Dan

Good catchin' Greg!!! 8-) Al: Go here for some of the best swimbaits there are. I've caught Bass ranging from 1.5 lb keeper up to my PB, a 9 lber. Dan

I've caught Bass in both murky and in clear water with Matt's Baby Bass swimbaits. The paddle tail will let then know it's there 8-). Dan

It's on its way to............................................................... Dan

You Cad you!!! No, wait, take the camera and make good use of it Young Lady, get several of these baits: Johnson's Beetle Spin because as was said, they will catch all of those fish. Just throw it out, let it fall for a second or two and then just reel it back in at a steady, slow pace. You should be able to find them at any local tackle store or at Wal Mart. Get a few different colors too. Dan

Congrats and now try a jig by itself ! Dan

Well, I got the Mojo charm from LBL/Russ last week. I went to my boss's ponds yesterday but only caught several dinks...no pics...no Mojo :-[. Got to the swamp pond at about 10 AM; cloudy, rain threatening, 90s air temp, and almost no wind. First cast from the shore with a topwater resulted in a keeper and two pics. Slid my little boat in and started throwing the topwater, a t-rigged ZOOM Speed Worm, and a Bandit cr/bait. The Bandit pulled another keeper but the little worm brought in two 2 lbers. Tried a spinnerbait, a T-rigged grub, a jig-n-pig, all to no avail. Sorry for no big ones but I tried . I'll pass it on to one of you and y'all can put some 'real' Mojo on it! Tank topwater No, I'm not that short. The weeds are tall! Bandit ZOOM Same Bass Another ZOOM 2 lber Dan

CUBA, for more more than one reason. Dan

A "one acre pond" is tough :-?. I assume you're fishing from the bank and though I've caught many a Bass including my PB, a 9 lber with a Matt's Baby Bass, I'd be leery of throwing one from shore unless you KNOW there's no wood or rocks to hang up on. FM has given good advice 8-). Dan

One of these is suppose to imitate a 'ball' of bait fish and they will go deep. Dan

I'm a firem believer that you can't work a Senko 'wrong' . They work from top to bottom and anywhere inbetween. Dan

I too am a fan of Mr. Dance. His fishing board was my first introduction to "web Bassing" and I still go there every day. He's a true Southern gentleman. I've learned a lot from watching his shows although I too cringe when he lip's a larger Bass the way he does. I've learned and seen techniques from him that have caught me Bass, one of which was the Strike King Porko. It hasn't been made in years but there is a similar product that I still use. As to "his stocked ponds", he does fish other places including some river where he was catching huge catfish and at Tenderfoot I think. I was at Bienville Plantation down in Florida a year or two ago for a guided Bass day when the guide told me, "No, we can't fish in that lake as it's saved for TV taping and I taped a show with Bill Dance in it recently." Dan