ClackerBuzz

hardcore bank angler tactics..

only thing i'll add is... know when to stop casting topwater lures and switch to something else.

from boat or shore? i'll move much quicker in a boat. from shore i'll be much more thorough b/c there is only so much shore fishing real estate.

I wouldn't get the swimbait rod unless you want to primarily cast swimbaits (with a side of cranks). I have the max 703CB glass and it's beautiful. they stopped making the max glass 753 and 754 but you can find them used. the endurance composite are awesome as well. you can't go wrong with any of them. glass is def more dull but once you hook a fish they stay pinned the whole time. if ur a kind of person that likes to identify everything on the bottom of the lake then I'd get composite.

I just got into deep cranking. I have a powell max 703 cb glass and dobyns 805rmcb. they both handle sk 6x and DD22's just fine. however even the 8' dobyns with rating 3/8 to 1 1/2oz can't handle a mann's 30+ so it's safe to say it can't handle a 10x. i love the dobyns b/c it literally handles like a 7' rod, is light as a feather, more sensitive than glass but still ton's of flex and it's a steal for $195 during holiday sales. the powell is amazing too and can throw a 1/4 oz or 1oz deep diver just the same. its a glass work of beauty that's also light as a feather and it can easily be found used for $125. there only really a few rods that can handle a 10X. i think dobyns makes a 806 specifically for it as do other companies i was initially bummed b/c the dobyns couldn't handle the mann's 30+. but after 20+ outings i realized DD22 and 6x are all i need. i'll switch to a different/more efficient technique before trying to haul 10x's or mann's 30+ thru the water all day. for me a spoon, C-rig, ledgebuster or burner spinnerbait, 3/4oz jig, drop shot etc are all better deep water choices bc they get down and stay down the entire cast. i'm now throwing my spinnerbaits on my 703 glass and love it. strike king and other companies have 'burner' sb with much smaller blades which i'm becoming a huge fan of for deep water. i can cast a 1/2 oz burner spinnerbait a mile and keep it on the bottom the entire cast vs only 50% bottom contact with deep cranks. and the glass rod really helps them deflect off structure/cover in a crankbait kinda way.

I was just reading Catt's post about weeds on his Toledo bend thread: Since we are talking Toledo Bend I'll address deep water as it pertains to this lake, for your body of water you'll need to find its key depth. When on the lake I keep my boat in 15' of water plus or minus 3'. Even if I should move into a cove I'll still keep my boat in 15' with the exception of course during pre-spawn/spawn; you will never find me casting to the shore unless 15' is within casting distance of the bank. Situated in 12-18' I can cast and reach shallower or deeper water; I'll stay at this depth year round with the exception of during pre-spawn/spawn. Bass at this depth are not as adversely affected by boat traffic & weather changes. Why? Because I don't think my depth finder is capable of reading any thing shallower Seriously because this is the depth at which Hydrilla, Milfoil, and Coontail Moss stop growing on this lake thus keeping me on a break line. Each body of water has a key depth at which bass spend a majority of their time; on Toledo Bend it's happens to correspond with where the Hydrilla stops growing. This is why I mentioned 15' plus or minus 3'; last month the lake level on the bend was up 2.5' feet from where it is now so the outside grass line is at 12.5'. If the lake level had risen 2.5' instead of fallen the outside grass line would be 17.5'. I position my boat just far enough away so I can reach 10 or 15' past the grass line with a decent cast and I can turn around and still reach deep water with a long cast.

i like to buy new during 15% off sales every holiday. or off forum members. just spend the money this time and plan better in the future. i don't buy off flea bay anymore. i got several reels off there that were ok. one came with the bearing so messed up you couldn't turn the handle (thankfully paypal ruled in my favor in the dispute). a different reel was taken apart and put back together incorrectly. it worked fine once i fixed it but the guy before clearly didn't know what he was doing and sold it b/c he couldn't get it right. (side note: i only buy my line new. you don't want old/mistreated line on ur reel.)

guess we should have seen it coming. scientists have know about the "human source from wastewater treatment plant effluent and other sewage discharge" problem for years. i remember reading about male frogs having the problem 10 years ago. they realized the problem was women have high estrogen in their urine from taking birth control. everything goes thru sewage plants un-treated and right back into the water supply (and/or medicine going right thru septic tanks). frogs are the canaries in the coal mine of water. i remember the article said in the far far future all plants with have closed systems (although some countries are building them now) meaning they must be closed/self contained systems ie no taking clean water in and dumping dirty water out. they must clean it themselves..and they will have to produce their own electricity etc. as it stands now the sewage treatment plants aren't equipped to treat the heavy chemicals from different industries ie farming, automobile, pharmaceutical, papermills etc. let alone cleaning medicine out of human waste. as a secondary bummer side note, the article said men in the mid-west had the lowest sperm count. they ran a nationwide test and theorized new york city men would b/c the water was the most 'polluted'. don't quote me but i believe they said Iowa men had the lowest. it baffled the scientists so they investigated and found out the reason was b/c of all the farming pesticides used in the area were being consumed via their drinking water.

you better state ur rod b/c you might be getting into trouble with Mann 30+ or 10X. I have a Powell 703CB glass and Dobyns 805RMCB. both easily and comfortably cast 6X, Norman 22DD (love the HD), Mann 20+ and Bandit 700. the Manns 30+ way overpowers both rods. I wouldn't try to cast it or a 10X unless I had a 806

don't know ur location but the only thing i'll add is there is a time and place for everything. meaning July in Mississippi in a small farm pond is not a good time to learn spinnerbaits. it's very hot and the water has alot less oxygen. everything in the pond slows way down. they will still work as mentioned or dusk/dawn/night fishing.

Yes sir. power fishing is more fun, good for covering water and picking off aggressive fish. and fishing weightless soft plastics 'slow and low' can trick even finicky bass. try both methods while covering lots of new water. i cover as much water as possible b/c i don't fish, i hunt fish. fishing slow and low: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

the shape of head and eye tie become irrelevant in relation to the weed guard b/c it's much larger than both of them put together. the weed guard is the vacuum that collects every weed in the pond. i don't know who invented a 'grass jig' but in my experience they are useless. T-rigs and/or punch rigs are far more weedless.

I agree^. the jiga has extra hardware/split ring which will pick up way too many weeds. the punch rig is more weedless. however punching is basically a vertical presentation. you'll be fighting weeds trying to work it horizontally from shore. i would def punch from a boat/canoe/kayak. going deep into weeds is very hard from shore. i'd probably pull a split shot along the tops of weeds for finesse, a 3/8-1/2oz T-rig beaver to go 1/2 way down weeds, or a weightless senko with a bead in front pulls thru weeds very easy. for me working extra extra slow is the key b/c it gives the bass time to surface 1/2 way up and take the lure. jump in a canoe if you wanna really want to go down in after the hogs. i fish a similar pond and the bite really turns on at dusk/dawn/night fishing b/c the bass surface and chase anything on top from frogs to buzzbait to senkos. the jika works better on rocky bottoms. http://www.***.com/how-to-pitch-deep-grass-with-bass-jigs/

with a spinnerbiat... if you're on edge and swung on him and missed 2 choices work well: reel up quick and pitch back to the same area. slow down and down't swing so fast next time and often they'll hit again b/c they think it's been wounded. or as mentioned toss back with a senko. if you're not so on edge and can keep your composure just maintain the same steady retrieve while they bump/smash it. i've had fish finally commit after 4-5 smashes. you can try adding lots of twitches, pops, rips, killing it. but i prefer the two listed above b/c you're already doing something very close to what they want.

this. in small ponds 90% of the fish are in 90% of the water. it's like fishing in a barrel. in bigger water 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. now you have to learn how to find them.

yup the variable speed saves tons of battery life. you can go .5 or .75 instead of clicking the 1st setting. i have Minn Kota Endura Max 55lb and love it

i've never thought of fluoro as having stretch. now mono has stretch! but compare fluoro mainline to braid main line as yes it has stretch. switch to braid w/ fluoro leader. (i've used both invisx and red label and think they are virtually identical except for the price/packaging). i'd bet most anglers couldn't tell the difference in a blind fold test (and even fewer with a braid to fluror leader). remember the pepsi challenge!?

buy a kayak

i have the same pond and find it's hard to get bass in deep weeds to surface during a sunny day (unless of course it's windy/rainy/cloudy; then throw everything ya got at them). i use a light as a punch rig as i can get away with (3/4oz most of time; 1oz in the heavier milfoil). gotta use a pegged weight b/c a jig's weed guard get's hung up with too many weeds. dusk/dawn/night fishing far out produces by a long shot at my pond (so much so that i now only fish that pond from 7pm-12 am) they destroy a buzzbait during these times. slow dragging a weightless senko almost always produces fish but it's more quantity than quality. if i want the big girls i gotta go down and get them with a punch rig. the shallower you are the easier it is to get the bass to surface. so a senko, frog etc works much better in 5ft of water (doesn't matter if there are 3 ft of weeds or 5ft of weeds that break the surfce. whereas 10ft depth with 9 ft of weeds requires the punch rig 90% of the time.

wow you couldn't ask for anything more

just buy any new crankbait, bounce it off the same old log and catch the same ole bass. your success with the lure likely had more to do with the fact that you were on the water fishing than home on the sofa. time to call in sick!

you did him a favor...pierced lips are in fashion

and then there's crankbait injuries

i associate flat bottom boats with smaller bodies of water and/or fair weather conditions. and V hulls with larger bodies of water, heavier winds and/or heavy wake zones. i consider myself a fair weather fisherman simply b/c my reservoir is electric only. I can't be out in 20-30 mph winds with 4-5 ft rollers with only an electric motor. so a 10' flat bottom boat is fine for my conditions. also there are no jet skis or water ski boats causing large wakes. my reservoir is under 1000 acres. i would buy a 14ft+ V hull if I was gas powered, on a larger lake with heavy winds, boat traffic, with 2 or more anglers etc. most ppl need a minimum 14ft flat or V hull. the V will handle better in rough conditions. how big is your lake and how many horsepower engine are you gonna run? some other guys can help you with Hp recommendations. what's your budget? will you be fishing rain or shine? a few extra dollars might get you a nice 14-16 ft flat bottom boat with decking installed and a bow/foot controlled trolling motor and 10Hp motor on the back.

these work much better than bobber stops. the rubber stoppers do not cast thru the eye's well and dramatically shorten ur casting distance. whereas the cloth ties/braid casts thru eye's very easily