Avid Angler FL

Haha true! I'll probably try one of these out soon.

Yeah, fly rods are definately a different feel and have a whole other set of guidelines, but I think they're an important part of a bass fisherman's arsenal also!

Yes these work! Like Raider said, they're really effective too! Bread works really well, and so does dry dog food. Just depends on what you have on hand. Minnows aren't that picky, so don't worry. I currently have two of these traps, and they REALLY work. It sometimes works best to set them in the evening before the day of a planned trip. Just bait, and make sure there are plenty of holes on the sides so that air bubbles can completely escape and keep the trap submerged. The next morning, you should have a decent amount of bait, and you can keep checking and re-baiting and reusing the trap all throughout the day. Just make sure you have a minnow bucket and keep them in the shade, and frequently change some of their water so that they stay alive and kickin! -Garrett

I've never used flourocarbon but I'm willing to give it a try. What is a good brand that's decently priced? Also, I'm fearful of using it because I also love fishing topwater, and people have told me that flouro sinks and therefore isn't suited for topwater baits. Any advice? Thanks.

Thanks for the tips ya'll! Really helpful, I'll definately have to try the milk jug crawfish trap. Do I have to wade out to set it or just put it right off the bank?

Wow $200 bucks right off the bat? I could buy a few dozen bags of my favorite plastics for that price, but then again, once you make the initial investment, you can pour out your favorite plastics anytime. I'll probably wait a little while before jumping right into making my own plastics. But I could see myself in the near future sitting out in the garage, and experimenting with different colors and patterns, and maybe make the next go-to bait for myself!

Alright. Has anyone ever had any experience with the Bass Fly Tying Kit from BPS? Also, I'm using a 5/6 weight fly rod, should I upsize to a 7/8 weight for Largemouth? What would be a decent outfit?

Yeah, that or I could just fish the 4 inchers ona 2/0 hook with a 1/16 oz bullet weight, or maybe even go weightless and see how well I do. Of course, most of the Zoom Lizards I fish are the 6 inch ones. They're more versatile, but sometimes I think it's a downsized bait that entices some of the larger, wearier fish into taking a look at it and nailin it.

Well it all depends on the size of the soft plastic. And as far as sinkers go, it's usually about the speed of your presentation (rate of fall), casting distance, and how much cover, if any, you're trying to punch through. Hook sizes you should keep on hand should range from 2/0-4/0. If you're using really small plastics maybe a 1/0 and for large baits like a 7" Fluke, I wouldn't go with a hook under a 5/0, but of course, not many practical baits require a hook that size. If you're fishing say a 7.5" Culprit Worm, and fishing near active fish, I'd go with a 3/0 hook, and a 3/16 or 1/4 oz bullet weight. If you're fishing a Zoom Finesse Worm in light cover with a more finesse approach, I'd go with a 2/0 hook and a 1/8 or maybe even a 1/16 oz bullet weight. It'll all come down to your preference and judgement of the conditions, but when all else fails, slow down your approach and keep trying! Good luck and tight lines!

40 lbs estimated? There's been a 40 confirmed at the lake I go to. It was probably released. I just wish wish I could know where this beast would be at night. I'd sure love to catch it! It might be a blue cat, but also maybe a flathead? I've never caught flathead catfish so does anyone know if they thrive in a small (around 5 acre) lake? Thanks!

Thanks for the replies! How exactly would I work the woolies? The clouser should be stripped and worked constantly, similar to a jerkbait kind of action right? And what materials should I use for the clousers? Thanks!

No salt? If I'm not mistaken, a salt-impregnated bait sinks, and for a shakyhead it is desired that the bait float, correct? So a handpour without salt would produce better action on the shaky heads dude to its bouyancy?

That might be my problem actually, because I'm using 10lb Stren mono.

Well you might think this is crazy, but it works. Get a small boat, go out with something to draw on and write with, and rig a rod with about a 1/2 oz bank sinker or other sinker around that weight. Slide it up your line, then tie on a float (make sure it's secure). What you want to do is sink the float by letting the sinker sink to the bottom, then reel in slack until you know that the float is in contact with the sinker on bottom. Then you let out a foot of line, and keep count of every foot of line you feed out. Then, once you see your float on the top of the water, and the sinker is still on bottom, this is your approximate depth! Might be a primitive way, but if you do this in a few dozen spots in various places around the lake, and keep doing it every time you go out, and marking it on your drawing, you'll soon have a good idea of the contours and underwater depths!

Besides circle hooks, what other kind of hooks do you all use? I like Eagle Claw Kahles, and Mustad Ultrapoint Catfish hooks are pretty good also. Anyone have any tips for me locating cats on a small lake I fish in? I fish from a seawall, and I'm not too sure where the kitties are in that lake. I've got plenty of dough bait and dip bait though!

That sounds like a nice trap, but I'm not sure how many crawdads there are in the lake I fish at, or even where to place the trap, since I'm limited to fishing off the bank. Any advice?

You could use any style of bait you want. As long as you have enough weight to punch through the mats then you could use just about anything. Try a 5/16, 3/8, or 1/2 oz sinker. I use lead but many people would reccomend tungsten. It's up to you though. Just make sure you peg your sinker!

I posted a few days ago and realized that my hook selection wasn't the greatest for making flies, but if anyone could reccomend a few basic patterns/designs and what common materials I could use to craft a few, it would be appreciated. I just want to play around a bit with fly-tying. But the next time I'm at BPS I'm buying a Bass Fly-tying Kit.

Though I've never done this, you could take a couple of tube rattles and place them inside the frog where the hook comes out at. There should be a small opening. Just be careful not to add too much weight because it could offset the balance of the frog. I had the idea once to take a Snag Proof frog and put a few copper BBs in it, and not only did the action suffer, but so did the bouyancy . Sank like a rock hahaha!

Anyone have any luck with the watermelonseed or watermelon/red colors? Or is white just the all-around best??

Yeah I know there were a couple of dinks out there. I was wearing my Costa Sunglasses and could see my white fluke being carried off and attacked but not engulfed. Dink was probably the size of the bait itself!

I think this just goes to show that bass are not only aggressive but also curious. Sometimes they'll eat up a bait as soon as it touches water, and other times they'll sit for a while until finally deciding to take it, like herefishy42 said. This has also happened to me a few times on a backlash or a tangle.

That sucks.

I agree on the Culprits! They're well priced, and even though they're tough, they don't sacrifice action at all. The ribbontail has excellent action and the texture of the baits is just right.

So I just got back from about an hour trip on a local small pond. It was very hot out there, with high humidity. I fished my 7 foot Medium Action spinning combo and 10lb line, fishing a white Zoom Fluke. I must've had about four good bites, and when I'd set the hook, they all managed to get off of the hook. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong. The hook was an EWG, I'd have to guess 2/0 (got it in a Wal-Mart assortment, so kinda cheap quality). Maybe I should have upsized??