Texfisherman

Hey, all. I've owned several different brands of digital scales and spring scales to weigh my bass. But I've gotten false readings from every one of them. I've had digital scales give as much as 2 pounds lighter than the spring scales, when actually weighing bass. Do all of you confirm that the scale you own is giving accurate readings? If I weigh a bass through his lip vs. through the first gill, will I get different readings? Nowadays, I keep a digital and a spring scale, but I tested both of them on a ten pound metal workout plate multiple times and........ The digital scale varied between a little over 9 pounds to 9.5 pounds. The spring scale readout 9.75 pounds a good 90 % of the time and only once did it readout exactly 10 pounds. EDIT: I should also note that I used tie wire (think of it as metal string) so that the entire weight was indeed below the hook. I do make sure I'm reading pounds and ounces, vs. kilograms. Any feedback on this is greatly appreciated. My suggestion is to always verify that your weight scales are producing accurate readings.

Outsmarting an intelligent species is a lot of fun. But, my main motivation is always trying to beat my personal best (PB). The whole ordeal may only last 5 minutes -- from the hookset, to weighing her and taking pictures -- but it's enough to keep me fishing as often as possible, year after year. I want a double-digit bass Then a Share-A-Lunker Then a lake record or two Then the State Record Then the World Record This is my "Bucket List".

For me, it has always been about the fight. Bigger bass = better and longer fights. The other weekend I caught and weighed a 6-pounder that fought like my PB 8-pounder. Size over numbers all the way! EDIT: I also want to add that the 6-pounder was the only fish I caught in 10 hours of fishing and when I left the lake I was smiling for days.

Welcome, Yakima Bait!!!

I like the thought of bringing only one bait. If I brought several baits that I wanted to learn, but caught a couple of bass on one of them, I think I would find myself falling into the pattern of just sticking with that one bait for the rest of the day instead of learning all of them equally.

LOL! Great replies!!!! I'll take notebook and pen with me when I have the chance to do this and post any notable findings here. I definitely want to try out the nightcrawler formula. Anyone have a blender I can borrow for a day?........

I'm just wondering if any of you ever get creative with putting different scents on lures/soft plastics and seeing the results. For example, I've been thinking about getting a bunch of earthworm dirt/potting soil and placing it in a baggy with some soft plastic worms overnight and seeing if it improves the number of strikes. I know they sell JJ's Magic and Spike It! and both can be very effective, but I'm talking about taking things from around the home and experimenting. Any thoughts?

Not surprised to see it mentioned here more than once, bananas on a boat seem to be a big superstition among fisherman. I've never experimented with this, but I think next time my friend and I go fishing, I'm going to pack my boat with bananas and not tell him until the end of the day. Of course, if we don't catch anything, I'm not saying a word...

Congrats to BR! It's the members that make this site rise above the rest. Well deserved!

I've always loved night fishing. I've had fantastic success in both ponds and lakes at night. I stick with finesse fishing and very dark colors. One of my favorites is a Zoom Shakey Head Worm. Color - Junebug or Green Pumpkin. Throw that worm on a Owner "Shaky" Type 1/4 oz. Hook. Cast out and work it back slowly, popping it every now and then. Texas-rigged ribbontail worms can be great, also! If you're working ponds, see if there is any moving water, like a water fountain or pvc pipe pouring water into the pond. That's where I focus most of my efforts. Otherwise, I just cast and walk, working as much shoreline as possible.

This was always my cup of tea growing up. Especially the golf course ponds. I caught all of my biggest bass (except for my PB) at night. I've always been about finesse, so throwing a t-rigged ribbontail, wacky-rigged Zoom Trick Worm, or a Junebug colored Shakyhead worm produced results. A dark spinnerbait or chatterbait can really tear them up at night, also! To this day, I prefer night fishing over daytime fishing, especially in Texas, where the temps/humidity get so horrid.

I can throw a few things out to get you started. These are only my opinions and opinions can vary greatly on here Rods and Reels: Most go with spinning reels or bait casters. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. For a rod, maybe find a 7'-0" medium-heavy rod. This information can be found written on the rod itself. Longer rods provide farther casting distances and thicker rods provide better backbone for fighting big fish. Line: Mono or flourocarbon most of the time. If you are fishing thick vegetation you might try braided line. I usually use 10-pound test. Smaller-pound test will probably get you more bites, but more lost fish. Larger-pound test will probably get less bites, but less likely to lose the fish. Learning your drag can help in this situation, though. Which brings me to..... Drag: Learn how to properly set your drag on your fishing reel. This is important from day-one!!! Again, tons of articles on here on how to do that. Knot: learn how to properly tie a knot that is relative to the line you choose to go with. I use mono, so I learned how to tie the Trilene Knot. Knots are incredibly important to learn properly. There are a lot of slideshows out there that teach you step-by-step knot tieing. Lures: As mentioned above, plastic worms and spinnerbaits are a fantastic way to get started. Jigs, too. Work them slowly this time of year if the water in your area is cold. Weather: There is so much to learn about bass eating habits in different kinds of weather. I like to think that right before a cold front is a great time to fish as the bass sense the barometric pressure change. A general rule I learned here is that 3 days of the same weather is good for the bass. So, if a weather event takes place and the next 3 days most aspects of the weather stays the same, by that third day, the feeding should be picking back up. A good rule to get you started is hook sets are free. If you think you may have a fish on your line, set the hook! Eventually you will learn to feel the difference of a fish bite vs. snags or your lure running through grass, etc. Finding Bass: The wind is your friend and your enemy. It's a love/hate relationship. Here's how I think of this: --The wind is pushing the micro-food to shore (so if the wind is blowing southwards, they'd be washing up on the south bank.) --The bait fish are following the micro-food --The bass are following the bait fish --The fisherman are following the bass... See where I'm going with this? But again, this is only something I've recently began working with. I'm not sure how much "water this holds." Patience: Oh, this is so important! You will always be learning new techniques and new lures. Be patient and stick with it and your odds will always be improving! Bass Resource: This website is fantastic!! The people are what makes this site so special! They are nothing short of passionate in helping you become a better fisherman! We are a community and we share our stories and pictures and learning experiences with each other. This site should always be a part of your arsenal!!! Again, I'm no pro-angler, but learn a bit from everybody to help you become a well-rounded fisherman.

Do you have a way to transport/move the 100 pound boat, like a truck with a big enough bed? Bungee ropes to secure it in the bed of the truck? You probably would eventually want a trolling motor. I bought a trolling motor for an inflatable raft once (I know, I know). You might want to shop prices to get an idea on trolling motors. Where will you store it? Will you have a way to secure it? Might you be able to mount a vertical rod holder? Other accessories for a boat you might want? You may also consider an anchor and rope - they can be fairly affordable. That boat looks like it would last a lifetime. Just think about all aspects of a fishing trip and don't forget to take in to consideration those costs also. Also you would need to learn the laws for your state. Do you need a life vest for each person on the boat? Other requirements? Good luck! I can tell you owning a boat is a wonderful thing (bought a Skeeter last year)! Just make sure to familiarize yourself with everything. A little education will go a long ways.

Look at your rods, also. As many of our friends here at Bass Resource taught me, you will want a medium-heavy to heavy rod if you plan on fighting monster bass. You will need the backbone in that rod to have better control of the situation.

While I'm not highly experienced in landing monster bass (my biggest is 8.25 pounds), I am INCREDIBLY experienced in losing them, lol. I always go fishing with my buddy and I can tell you the two main ways we lose big 7-8+ pounders: 1.) For me, I forget to loosen the drag on my spinning reel. You want to have your drag very tight at first to get a solid hook set. But once the fight is on and you know that you are fighting a big bass, loosen the drag a bit when they run, and the moment they stop running, tighten the drag and bring them towards the boat. Rinse and repeat. 2.) My buddy loses big bass because his line is brittle, sun damaged, or hasn't been changed out in a while. Also, he forgets sometimes to re-tie after catching a few bass. Your line will snap!!! Also remember that the strength of your line has a lot to do with everything. If you plan on man-handling big bass, you better have some serious line on your reel. I use 10 pound mono and my buddy uses 8 pound flouro... So when we catch a big bass, our only option is to wear them out. One final thing I've noticed is that big bass like to do what I call a Final Run. No matter how tired that bass is, when he gets close enough to see the boat, they like to do one final run. Be ready for it P.S. --- I like to think of my bass tackle, rods and reels as an investment, since it is... I keep all of my fishing poles and tackle inside my home when I'm not fishing. Sun damage goes a long ways.

Thanks for all of the great information. I have a bait casting setup, so I may go ahead and start working with it this weekend. Maybe I'll bring some extra line with me for dealing with the backlashes, lol. Thanks again.

Wow!!! Congrats and thanks for sharing!!!

Beautiful bass, and so many of them!! I bet that was a blast!!!

Hey, everyone. I've grown up using spinning reels and I'm a dead-accurate cast with it. I've also pulled in some huge bass on a spinning reel, including my PB (see pic). My buddy feels the same way about bait casters. But what really blew me away was the TTBC that was held recently. I walked around and looked at all of those fishing poles on every boat, right before the tournament launch. I literally saw 99% bait casters and 1% spinning reels. So my question is: What's the advantage of using a bait caster over a spinning reel? I'm not looking for a heated debate just your personal experiences on the matter. Thanks.

I can provide some general info to get you started. First, check out Google Maps and look around your area and write down the names of any lakes you might be interested in. If your looking for big bass, you might do a google search on each of the lakes that you found, and look at things like predominant species in that lake and lake records. You might also want to look at lake surveys, if available, to see what the stocking history is. You might just find a lake that Share-A-Lunker has been stocking (but only if a 13+ pounder was pulled from the lake and given to the program).

I use Farmers Almanac when I'm planning a night fishing trip. I look closely at the moon phase calender. What's important to me is what time the moon rises, sets, and what phase it's in. If I'm going night fishing (which I do often), then I look for the moon rise to be as close to sunset as possible, so we'll have moonlight most of the night. I also keep track of the full moons, as I've had some amazing fishing nights during or around the full moon. Expanding a bit on what a couple others said: If we happen to drive by a cow pasture on the way to the lake, we look very closely at what the cows are doing. If they are all laying down, you could be in for a tough day of fishing. If most of them are standing or moving around, you may be in for a good day of fishing. I can't say it's fact, but we've tested it several time and it seems to hold true.

Lots of bass!

I have a brand new favorite Texas Rig. I had a chance to meet Gary Yamamoto this last weekend at the TTBC on Lake Conroe. He showed my friend and I a new technique for His Senko worms. You Texas Rig the Senko worm, but hook the worm through the tail of the worm, instead of the head. Then, he had a 3/16 oz. screw at the opposite end. So it's basically a t-rigged, tail-weighted Senko, but the worm is backwards. No bullet weights or any other weights. I took it a step farther and sprayed the end of the worm (opposite the hook) with my Garlic chartreuse spray. The Senko colors I used were like a pumpkin green and the other was an orangish color. I was casting the 4" Senkos and my buddy was casting a larger Senko. Long story short, we tore those bass apart!!!! We caught 23 total largemouth in a 15 hour period on a very tough lake, in the rain, during the cold front. It is now a total confidence bait for me. Thanks to Mr. Yamamoto for sharing.

One of the great questions. The only advice I can offer is the tried-and-true baits that usually work in most situations like spinnerbaits and plastic worms. For the plastic worms, I usually go T-rigged, wacky-rigged, or cast a shaky head on a shaky head hook. Colors for plastic worms: I usually look for any color that contains the word watermelon or pumpkin. For me personally, I tend to shy away from crankbaits. I'm all about finesse fishing and I have 20 pounds or so of just ribbontail worms, trick worms, shaky head worms, senkos and centipedes. I also keep one container of mostly 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits in white, chartreuse, black and red. Find what YOU enjoy doing most and hone in on it.

Bad case of "The Addict" and a bit of the "Trophy Hunter". I worry that if I got a girlfriend it would take away from my fishing time, lol. And I do live to find that next trophy bass. It's all about beating my current PB.