JT Bagwell

I run a Triton TR20 with an Optimax on the back JT Bagwell

This is the kind of question that is sure to open a can of worms. ;D Here is my "personal" opinion. To start with I actually own both brands of trolling motors. The Motorguide is in my basement with a burned out switch (The switch was only about 2-3 weeks old when it went out). The Minn Kota is in the garage on the front of my Triton. While my motor was out of commision I used a buddy's Ranger that had a Minn Kota on it. That was when I fell in love with the Maxxum product line. The foot pedal is one of the most comfortable I have ever used. The indestructable composite shaft is another awesome benefit. The Motorguide motor that I have has a stainless steel shaft which is fairly easy to bend. Minn Kota's composite shaft will simply flex while it's under pressure and then go back to its normal position. Side by side I think the Motorguide trolling motors are a little faster in the speed department. Minn Kota motors on the other hand seem to be a lot more weedless. Also Minn Kota's Maximizer technology helps conserve battery power by adjusting the output in accordance to the speed the motor is set at. JT Bagwell

In my opinion, the most logical thing I would do if I were in a location that is holding several smaller fish, is move. The distance I would move however would be relatively short. If smaller fish are holding near trees in 2-4 feet of water, I would move out a little bit. I would try fishing the same area but move out to 4-6 feet. Another thing you have to remember is not every area is going to have big fish in it. JT Bagwell

L.D. I don't think Marty was questioning whether or not you and your clients actually caught that many fish. If I am understanding his question correctly, he is asking how you would be able to determine if "Red" hooks played a vital role in your catch numbers because the number of fish "everyone" catches year to year fluctuates. For example: If you had the following numbers (these are just fictional numbers) - 2004 - 4,583 fish 2005 - 4,600 fish 2006 - 4,200 fish 2007 - 4,657 fish 2008 - 3,985 fish 2009 - 4,005 fish 2010 - 4,585 fish How would you determine what role the red hooks played in your catch percentage when there are so many different variables? That is how I interpretted the question anyway. Personally I love Daiichi's Bleeding Bait hooks and that is all I use when fishing with any kind of soft plastics. I have yet to convert my hundreds of Crankbaits over to red hooks. For me I personally believe that the hooks make a difference but I have never actually done a "scientific" experiment to back my theory. JT Bagwell

Where did that come from? JT Bagwell

I have a Portable Garmin Fishfinder 100 (I think that's the number) that I used to use all of the time. For some reason I never even took my little (12') boat out this year. I just used my Triton TR20 every time. Anyway the Garmin unit is pretty decent. It has a nice display and it also shows the temperature. The Transducer is on a suction cup mounting thing right now but they also offer this little arm type deal with a C clamp on it that works really well. I think I will have this unit for sale on Ebay in the near future (unless I change my mind again). JT Bagwell

It's kind of funny you should ask about fishing DVD's because I bought a ton of them a while back. Here are the ones that I can think of off of the top of my head. These are all pretty decent DVD's. 1. Mike Del Visco's Understanding Sonar 2. Kevin VanDam Pitching to Heavy Hitters 3. Woo Daves' Structure School 4. KVD Tactics for Changing Conditions 5. Woo Daves' - Woo's Clues 6. Larry Nixon's Spring Tournament Tactics. That's all I can think of right now but there are more. I talked to Mike Del Visco yesterday and he told me that he has a new DVD about fishing Plastics that will be out in January. I am sure it will be another great one. JT Bagwell

When I am in a slump the best cure that I have found is going back to my "confidence" lures. A month ago I went up North for a tournament on the Mississippi River. During practice I tried all kinds of different tactics that I "thought" would work. I ended up with one fish that was maybe 11"-12". The night before the tourney I was telling the guy I was sharing a room with that since my practice was so horrible I was just going to do what I do best, go Flipping. During the first two hours of the tournament I still went back and tried to do the stuff that should have worked and it still wasn't producing. Finally I put all of my rods away and then took 4 flippin sticks out of my rod locker. I went to an area that had tons of laydowns and a slight current. I dropped my trolling motor and spent the whole time flippin' Jigs, Senkos and Kreatures. It didn't take very long until I figured out that I had made the right decision. I caught tons of fish and ended up taking 2nd in the touranment. I was 1 pound and a few ounces out of 1st. I was pretty satisfied with 2nd simply for the fact that I had a horrible practice and I wasted a couple of hours in the morning. JT Bagwell

Pond Pro, I am with you on the red hook theory. That's all I use anymore. As far as what colors I use, my method of selection is very basic. Dirty Water or Cloudy Days = Dark Colors Clear Water or Sunny Days = Brighter Colors For spinnerbaits: Dirty Water or Cloudy Days = Gold or Painted Colorado blades. Clear Water or Sunny Days = Silver Willow Blades. JT Bagwell

When the season ends I redo my Sponsorship contracts, organize tackle and reorder what I need. I also spend my time making jigs and drop shot weights. Plus I still have to do articles no matter what the weather is like. Skipper, Where do you live? I fish Braidwood a couple of times per year. A couple of years ago I fished a tournament there and had a limit (3 Fish) that went 13.5 pounds. I had a 6-8 Largemouth and a 4-4 Smallmouth off of the same spot. It was a good day of fishing but I wish I could have kept 5 keepers instead of just 3. JT Bagwell

lol The Bass Patrol is running radar in stealth mode.

I think we should wait until we have 200 registered members. As of now I don't think it is too crowded. I also think that having a variety of topics in limited forums will entice members to post on a variety of subjects. For example, if a member gets in the habit of only going to the "Lures" forum he/she might miss a topic on another forum that they have some expertise in. That's my nickle's worth. JT Bagwell

My #1 creature bait without a doubt is the Yamamoto Kreature. That bait is sweet. JT Bagwell

Chris, I think there are hundreds of Bass anglers out there that are swimming jigs on a regular basis. Whether or not they are telling anyone is a different story. I am very basic when I swim a jig. It is almost always white (to immitate a shad) but sometimes I use a Chartruese dye like Spike-It on the trailer. My trailers are 5" Yamamoto grubs. The majority of the time I fish them just like I would a crankbait. That's what works for me. As a matter of fact, I just won a tournament a month and a half ago swimming a white jig with a 5" Yamamoto grub for a trailer (no Spike-It that day). JT Bagwell

I was talking to a "Major" boat company and they stated that the leading cause of damage to bass boats is "Spray-On Fish Attractants." According to them the spray will eat the backing off of the carpet causing the entire thing to come loose. JT Bagwell

AUTgrPilot, You are 100% correct. Pitching is my favorite technique of all of them. Kevin VanDam has a decent DVD called "Pitchin' to Heavy Hitters." You can order it for $10 from Bass Pro Shops. It gives a basic approach to a few different casting styles. JT Bagwell

The first thing I would do is check your connections at the front and rear of the boat. It might just be as simple as 1 loose wire. I know once I forgot to hook up 1 stinking wire out of the dozens on my batteries and half of my electronics wouldn't work. It took about 2 hours of messing with it before I found the 1 lone wire laying down behind my battery. JT Bagwell

My next purchase will be the same brand as the one I currently own. My boat is fast and it handles very well. Right now I run a Triton TR20 with a Mercury Optimax on the back. The only problem I am having right now is deciding whether or not I want to stay with a TR20 or go up a little in length. For the most part nothing will change. I will still have a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and a Mercury outboard. JT Bagwell

I use MegaStrike attractant on everything. My "personal opinion" is that once a fish hits the lure and gets a taste of the MegaStrike, they are going to hold on longer. As a result I have more time to get a good solid hookset. The MegaStrike does a great job of masking the smell of gasoline, nicotine, sunscreen and other stuff people might have on their hands. FYI: It stays on Crankbaits for a long time too. JT Bagwell

Glenn, I think as long as they were decent enough to ask (and you approved it) then there shouldn't be any problem from anyone. JT Bagwell

I was just curious how those of you in the Northern part of the country stay in tune with your equipment (casting, etc) during the winter months? Personally I have somewhat of an obstacle course set up in my basement. I have several targets set up at different distances and angles from my casting area. I also make tunnels that simulate casting under docks or low hanging cover. This keeps my short game on point but it doesn't help my long casts at all. I guess when you live up where the water is hard for 4 months of the year, you just have to expect to be a little rusty in the Spring. LOL I work on getting reaction strikes by pitching baits (with no hooks of course) towards my kitten named Hank Parker. JT Bagwell

My biggest bass this year were primarily caught using 3 different baits (not in a particular order). 1. Jig and Pig 2. Scum Frog 3. Yamamoto Kreature JT Bagwell