Bankbeater

Nice write up and nice bass catching.

I use a little bit of everything. I've had the best luck fishing with a Smithwick Rogue.

That's a nice looking smallie. Congratulations on the new PB.

I remember when you would get a license and it would come laminated.

The worst problem I have in muddy water is making sure I don't run the boat into something, A couple of the lakes I fish have standing timber just below the surface. One time I broke the prop and another time I sheared the pin in the trolling motor.

About the only time I use a fish finder is when I am fishing in a new pond or lake. I've been fishing a lot of the same lakes for years so I know where the humps, creek channels, and drop offs are located.

There are a lot of good tips in this video.

Just because someone is fishing? Wow.

I think a lot of it has to do with how bad the change in weather will be. Lately, around here a temp change of 25 degrees has been bringing some major storms.

The only two jerkbait colors that consistently work for me are some type of translucent color for sunny days and a clown color for the rest of the time. For crankbaits, the colors I usually carry are shad, firetiger, and crawfish.

In my area when the water is that cool the bass like to go after moving baits. If I can get away with casting out a crankbait then I will.

I would start off with a 1/2 ounce jig around cover that is around some type of structure.

I like either a Baby Boo in 5/16 or a 1/4 Bitsy Flip. I start off by just hooking the trailer over the hook, but sometimes the bass want a smaller profile so the trailer gets threaded onto the hook. When the bite gets really tough I will tie on a 1/8 Bitsy Bug. Since they are smaller they will come through vegetation easier.

I use the split shot rig a lot in the summer when the bite gets tough around here. About the only time I don't bring the rig with me is when the wind is going to be blowing hard.

I've had hooks removed before. I would rather be at work.

Sorry to hear this.

These days I fish with Daiwa or Shimano. I've owned two Lew's reels over the years and returned them both because of defects.

I caught my first tiger muskie back in the mid '80s. I thought I had a huge bass at first then after I landed it I thought it was a muskie. Found out later that the DNR had stocked some tiger muskie in the lake to see how they would do.

A couple of my friends have had theirs removed. No big deal except for being sore for a while.

My mom did a lot of research a few years before she passed. Her family came from Germany to Southern Illinois. A distant cousin has done a lot more research on my dad's side. His family came from England and landed in Maryland in the late 1600s. The descendants moved to North Carolina, then Virginia, and eventually ended up in NE Arkansas.

I've always used mono. Four to six lb line depending on the cover in the creek.

I've been using the uni knot for a couple of years now for tying on moving baits when using a snap will pick up too many weeds. This year I have started using the Trilene knot also.

Welcome!

Most likely a CT100H reel on a 6'6" St. Croix Premier. That should just about cover anything I would be casting.

90% of the bass I catch are dinks. Any thing over a pound looks like a 10# bass until I weigh it.