Bankbeater

I have fished flukes weightless on a 6'-6" M spinning rod. I don't care for it. I prefer a MH 6'-6" baitcaster. It gives me a little more hook setting power, and the muscle is there when I need it.

I would start off using a frog in the pads. If you have a boat and electronics, I would take a look to see what kind of structure is around those pads. This time of year I would start in the shallow ends and move deeper.

A lot of times the small mom and pop places will have carry products and colors that BPS, Cabela's, and TW don't carry.

Well I would start with a hollow body frog and work it fast.

Keep the package it came in. You can reuse it for the recall.

I have straightened the hook on SK jigs a couple times, but I was snagged on timber and using braid line. I have never straightened one on a fish. I would contact SK, and see what they say.

A few years back a friend of mine caught a 29" bass. He knows it's 29" because he laid it down next to his rod and marked it, and when he got home he measured it. He had no scale, no camera nothing. Several people have told him that that bass could have been a new state record.

Things have been hit or miss around here, also. When the bite is on it's like you can throw anything at them and they will hit it. When the bite is off, it ain't going to start up any time soon.

Way to go on the new PB!

See if your surgery can be put off until later in the year when the lakes are frozen over.

It's good to get out by yourself sometimes and be totally alone for a while.

My wife went with me a couple of times when we were first married. I knew it was over when she caught the turtle and kind of freaked out.

One of the lakes I fish has very heavy pressure, especially on the weekends. From what I have seen most of the people aren't using jigs, so I usually start off with a black/blue 3/8 and go from there. If that doesn't work then I go home.

Mann's and Zoom are about all I ever use.

This year it has been a natural craw colored rat-l-trap in 1/4 size.

I have not had a good season either fishing off of the bank. It seems like the only place to catch them is down in the creek channels from a boat, and the topwater bite stops as soon as it gets light enough to see.

Over the years I have found pliers, knives, crankbaits, plastics, props off of electric motors, and terminal tackle. Years ago when I was fishing with my Dad we found a very nice BC and rod when we got out to the lake. Tossed it into the back of the truck and started fishing from the shore. When we were leaving a car pulled up and this guy gets out and starts looking for something. My Dad asks him what he was looking for, and this guy says that one of his bosses' kids he brought out fishing the day before had left his rod and reel behind. My Dad asks him what kind of rig it was, and the guy named the same rig that we found. They guy thanked us and told us we probably saved his job.

I love fishing jigs, but when I started using them I didn't have a clue. I read all the articles here on BR, and looked up other articles on the internet. Seven months later I finally caught one on a black jig with a black trailer.

I would trim the weed guard back so that it is just about even with the hook. I like a big skirt, so I usually don't shorten it, but I do trim it so that it is even. Try using a trailer that matches the food source where you are fishing. If your lake has a lot of crawdads in it, use a craw trailer.

Once in a while fishing really thick weeds that are a couple of feet under the surface I will use a 1/16, or 1/8 bass jig under a floater. It is kind of like swimming it in, but you don't have to worry about the jig sinking into the slop.

This year it has been a hollow body frog. Once I realized that it can be pulled through just about anything and not hang up, I started playing with different ways to bring it in.

Most of the lakes I fish from a boat from are not too deep. I can get by with a long pole. If I can't snag the lure I can usually snag what it's hung on.

WTG, keep catching!

Yep. Earlier this year I had one get tangled in a bush, and I had to climb down a bank to get it off. Good job on saving the fish!

It's starting to get into fall, and the bass may not want finesse any longer. I have seen the bass in my local lakes turn their noses up at 1/8, and 1/4 jigs. When you throw a 1/2 or 3/4 jig with a huge trailer they'll tear it up.