Abu4life

Thank you for posting this. I have been hearing all about deep cranking and the benefits it brings along with it. I have always been a plastics, jig, lipless crank fisherman and I geuss this was the final push that I should be taking advantage of the warm summer months and the deep summer bite that comes along with the territory. Tight Lines! We will see how this plays out this weekend during tourney time.

1. Nitro 2. Abu Garcia 3. Strike King 4. Trilene 5. Tackle Warehouse 6.G.Loomis (if Mark Zona can do it... I should be able to) 7.Monster Energy... I always have some in the boat... It would be nice if I didnt have to buy it all the time...

I always try and get the hook out if I hook them deep. I usually pull the tip through, cut my line, and bring the hook completely through as to not cause anymore damage backing the barb out. I have heard about Mountain Dew and Sprite working to help stop the bleeding. It has something to do with the acid in the pop working as a cauderant I think is what I read?

I was just sitting at work thinking about how we all strive to gain the advantage over those weary bass and the new baits that I personally have picked up this season and new ways to use them. I browse tackle warehouse (more than my fair share over the week...) and look at all the thousands of options they offer and the mixed reviews... Just wondering, what have you guys picked up this season that puts an extra bullet in the chamber when your on the lake? Heres my list of new gear that I am using this season that have really helped me out! 1. Power Team Conviction Craws 4.5 " 2. Berkley Havoc Bobbly Lane Fatty Craw 3. Roboworm Pitchin Kraw (prefferably Aarons Magic Color) 4. JJ's Magic 5. Roboworm Strail Tail Worm 6. e2 Shakey Head Hooks 7. G.Loomis NRX casting and spinning rods. 9. Koppers live target frogs.

Awesome! First off, THANK YOU for pointing out the "Gear: You get what you pay for. Instead of getting 5 pre rigged combos and store brands, save up and get a quality set up" I have preached this for as long as I can remember!!! People want a bait caster... but they dont save up and get a good one, the brakes are horrid, it squeeks and squawks, buttons jam, and they bird nest it ... therefore they think they cant use them because they are too much work. The only thing I would add is " Line: Check for nicks or abrasions after fish or after a while of fishing rocks or other cover. I dont know how many times I needed one more quality fish in the live well and didnt check the line when I should have and I get hit...reel the slack... HOOKSE........snap.... AHHH!!!!

Look for similar spots as said before, also, if the fish shut Dan on you don't hesitate to change color, presentation, speed, etc.. there may be fish stacked up in there but just want something a little different. Cheers and keep on um!

Thank you! I'll try and find a topo map for this lake and see if I can more easily break down the spots with your added info and maybe even pin point a few more I missed! Thanks for all the help!

Will do. It will be my first tourney at Brushy but it should ne good. 3mile was our first tourney this year and it was rough but it was a colder spring. That lake has been on fire from what I've heard lately. Ill let you know about Brushy though. Tight lines!

There was little wind if any at times but nothing consistant.. no shade in any of the spots. I looked down the fishes mouth to see any crawdad punchers or fish tails..again nothing.. the only thing that leads me to believe that the crawdad was the go to was that one of the fish dedicated on my boat and it was red.. usually indicating a crawfish diet.. I appreciate the insight guys and especially the tree preference and different locations they prefer to grow. I guess ill see what Sunday brings and hope my spots and your Guy's information pays off. Thanks and I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll detail it better. The lake is Brushy Creek located close to webster city in Iowa. The flat was nothing out of the ordinary, the lake is absolutely full of creek channels and a ton of depth changes, almost to the point of frustration. The bait fish consist of bluegill, crappie, etc... no shad or herring or anything. The first tree was a dead Oak that laid off of a creek channel with another one on the exact opposite side and sitting about 40 foot from shore off of a rock jetti. The second area is a main lake point that is 8 foot, covered in grass and drops off on both sides, 18 foot on one side and 11 on the other. My main hot spot were 2 clumps of trees, (Im thinking they were Elm) literally in the middle of 6,000 others that looked just like it , nothing out of the ordinary and no huge depth changes around it and a good 40 yards from shore, I didnt pull up any grass and it was not a rock or hard bottom. Clay is what I am assuming. No current on this lake.

Hey all, I practice fished a new lake yesterday for a tournament coming on sunday. I fished from 5:30 a.m. until 4 in the afternoon trying to locate spots on a big lake that is full of timber... I managed to put together somewhat of a pattern and a depth that the fish seemed to be at. I found 20 spots like this, only 3 or 4 of them put out fish, but the fish they did put out were all around 3 pounds, and there were ALOT of them there and were very aggressive, I left the areas alone as to not burn my potential tournament fish. My question is, these spots didnt have anything in common besides depth, the tree size didnt matter, one had a channel running next to it which makes sense, the other was a flat of 14 foot... What other factor am i missing?! Thanks!

I have done this before as well. Fishing early spring though... which doesnt really help your cause... Fished a lipless crank and out of nowhere got a 4 lber. Me and my fishng partner did the same thing in the area for an hour and nothing. Again, this was early spring and here in Iowa the weather was just unseasonably cold. It does sound like you found a good spot and there should be fish there. The radical change in water temperature may have put the fish back up shallow. A radical drop in temperature in a day could also shut them down... Maybe try a carolina rig to cover that drop off on a wider playing field. They could still be there, just gotta find um! Good Luck!!

Never had one in the hand until I was 18... Same deal for me, Throwing a tiny bomber Fat A crankbait and caught a 7 inch bass, the fish flopped perfectly driving the treble into my thumb... After a long boat ride home and a trip to the E.R. and almost watching my friend pass out from a little blood, they got it out and we went back out fishing. I went 6 years without getting another hook in the hand until last year... Crankbait, flop, wham.... I just used a little alcohol to deaden the pain and yanked it out... And to the pictures that were posted on here, Im ordering sunglasses as we speak.... Yikes...

Hey All! Just droppin in to say hello, Im new here and this seems like a very resourceful site! I am excited to share my knowledge (what little and useless it may be! lol) with all of you, and would hope that you all do that same with me! Ive been bass fishing for most of my life. I finally got my new 2011 Nitro Z-7 in my native Iowa colors, Black and Gold. Im in my 2nd year of tournament fishing and I love every minute of it! Cant wait to get to know all of the great people on this site! Anything else you need to know, dont be afraid to holler! Thanks!!! Matt