Spankey

I fish with the stubby finger fish monkeys. I like them. Not much of a winter glove but great with grip. I tried some golf gloves back a few years ago to shoot trap and sporting with. Did like that ultra light weight of them but between sweat and wood for-ends and stock checkering and touching shells they didn’t hold up well.

I’m not a big fan of those either. I’ve went as far as experimenting with boiling them to softening them up some. Not worth the hassle to me to not gain very much. I love fishing a cut tail worm. A worm I stumbled upon back some time ago at Cabela’s long before the merger with BPS. They were an instant fish catcher. The ones BPS were selling at the time (slightly different) worked great also and they had inbetween colors that I really liked to fish. Never felt the need to fish Yamamoto’s cut tail. We’ll all good things come to an end and Cabela’s and BPS CTs do not exist. Fish the Yamamoto’s these days but they have dropped many patterns. But I have myself pretty well covered if they stop making them all together. But I’m not gonna dis any manufacturers soft plastics. We all get different results. What we use is a mental game that plays in our heads.

What great old school lures. I still fish them. The Spooks and the Tiny Torpedoes. Not sure how many colors I have but black, Shad and leopard frog have always worked great.

There has been a few soft plastics (worms) that I had great success with from BPS and Cabela’s. Fish them with the same success along with the original manufacturers. But they drop them or discontinued them. For the most part just fish the major brands and buy them at the best price I can find.

On a jig it’s pretty much a twin tail grub. I’ll add a Zoom 4” Curly Tail Worm to a spinnerbaits or buzzbait. I bite the body down to get the size I want. A twin tail grub is very productive on the river smallies on just a plain round or football jig.

I’d like to think I do a great job of washing down my boat, trailer, motor and live well. Anything more than that I believe is overkill.

Great post. I can remember many many great fishing times, places and nice fish. But I’m also 65 years old and can’t remember everything in just a split second. But what I really enjoy is when you’re not really thinking about fishing and a real old memory of a time, place and scenario pops into my head. Many as a kid and young adult times. It’s not always a bass that pops into my head. I’ve had many great times fishing for trout, walleye, catfish and surf fishing. When I was a kid I use to work for this local farmer. This guy was who actually taught me how to trout fish and was a real mentor. He had some local doctors that were friends of his and they were Jewish. Apparently there is a fish delicacy that they prepare which needs carp and the carp they wanted them to be given to them alive. Well they (through the farmer) would pay a buddy and I to go catch them. We’d fish two local creeks, catching a few nice ones, was not too difficult, was easy to keep them alive, worse part of it was toting around the galvanized feed tub we used to transport them. We’d walk them back as close to the farm as possible then Walt would come down with the station wagon and pick them up. Now I’ve never seen it with my own two eyes but I hear they (doctors) would put them in a bath type tub for a couple of days and have them blessed. I hope I’m not speaking out of line. This is what I was told. I was a kid and had not reason to not believe what I was told. My business was to catch them and collect on my share of the cash. We had done this a handful of times as kids. Carp or carp fishing never struck my fancy but the moments of doing this with my buddy are clear as day and this was 50+ years ago.

My wife tells me I should keep an open mind about it. Not take it so personally. She is probably right. Especially in the world we live in today. But dang when they had target grade shotshells on sale they were a real killer price. I’ve reloaded my own shotshells since I was 18 years old and still do but that place was great to pick up flats for the kids and new shooters that would come out with us. I can’t reload for everyone. But times are not what they use to be.

Over the years I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with Cabela’s, BPS, TW, ***, Sheels or any other. Sell me what I’m after, ship it and that’s about it. I do have a couple of Mom & Pops shops that have and can get me what I want. I'm not into Wally World for my fishing needs, especially bass fishing because they really don’t have a good selection. But this is in my area. Not all Wally Worlds are created equal. I’ve been in ones that have great huge selections. I will not step foot into DICK’S. I hear these days their fishing selection is pretty decent. I will never know. They are anti-gun. They removed hunting and shotgun sports supplies from ones in my area back some time ago. Why? No idea. Deer, turkey, sporting clays, trap/skeet shooting what's their problem.

Believe me I’d never question how you fish or what you’d ever post. Somewhere along the thread I must have said something that wasn’t correct. I’d never question or doubt what any of you guys do or how y’all fish.

Types of lures are countless. Most (maybe all) will catch both. But difference sizes, weights, running depth and colors will narrow things down for you to try. I can’t tell by your post as to whether you are new to bass fishing but there are so many techniques that it’s hard to absorb all of them real fast. Soft plastics are very productive and might be a good starting point.

I would say up there you are spot on. I fish a few rivers down here that have structure and characteristics that will hold both. Had numerous times over the years that you’ll be fishing a laydowns, while working it back toward the shoreline. Both have been caught off the same structure. The fishing in my backyard is not a Mecca or picture perfect form of Americas best bass fishing. But they are here. They are fun to go after. I love catching a nice Smallie out of those thick river grass mats. The color of them can get almost a solid black color. Those mats can hold a bunch of minnows. I like fishing a weightless Fin-S-Fish type in that stuff.

In waters (rivers and lakes) that hold both I think you will be pleasantly surprised that both can be caught in the same spots. And using the same baits. I’m sure in different regions this probably doesn’t hold true. A lake I fish contains both but primarily is a largemouth lake and catching Smallies is always a treat.

I sort of like all the stuff that the rockers put their touch to. I can’t set there and listen to any Christmas music for hours on end, but I like popular and classic Christmas songs that are associated with the holiday also.

Thanks man. I just FINALLY got my MRI done on Thursday night. I’m not gonna push it. It will take what it takes. If they do operate I should find out real soon when to expect it to be. Even if I can’t start my bass fishing until mid June that is fine. If later, that will have to be fine. I'll be bummed out over not fishing some winter and spring trout fishing but I’ll go and be somewhat of a one armed guide for my one grandson. We’ll still have a good time. Hunting was a bust. Can’t shoulder my rifles or shotguns. Just can’t afford to hurt it worse. Next season, all I can do. But I trudged through from mid August up to a few weeks back bass fishing with it. Got use to bait casting both right and left handed this season. Good luck with your upcoming season.