Jay Ell Gee

While I will agree that these bass tend to be lower in size on average, the spots in my little creeks and larger river systems in my neck of the woods (Louisiana) are an absolute blast to catch any day on the long rod. They are excellent fighters and can exceed two pounds. At this size, the fight is tremendous (for their size). I enjoy them both, but I have yet to catch my first lunker largemouth, so I suppose LMB it is. Winter and summer patterns would be especially helpful.

The added weight of the soft plastic frog will sink your buzz bait faster, so you will have to reel faster to compensate. You can always add a trailer hook to assist with hookups. Something else that works well on a buzzbaits is a big paddle tail or LF magic shad swimbait.

Outstanding fish! I never think to use a jig from shore. Any idea how he caught it Big-O? Just dragging the jig on the bottom?

Stay home? Isaac has messed up our fishing for a while. Was it pretty easy on you guys in Florida? I may get stubborn and try some ponds the weekend after next though, lol.

Are you fishing in primarily moving water? I love river bass, but as a rule, they don't get as big on average as bass in a lake or pond. They fight current daily and keep lean. That's not to say that big ones don't exist... But in current, bass will generally be smaller. Try fishing the outside bend where the river erodes the bank, aka undercuts. Also, if you can anchor the boat near the big holes and fish them deep, you may have some luck as well. Current breaks are key. Fish the DOWNstream side of any structure that is large enough to cause a current break. Throwing cranks and spinners and bouncing them off said breaks as they head downstream will imitate prey fish. This works well because bass wait in these current breaks facing upstream waiting for their food to come to them

If your areas are heavily pressured, it definitely helps to throw something different. I'm liking my new live target field mouse. I threw a frog FOREVER the other evening and after only a handful of casts got a bite on the mouse... In the same locations that the frog was thrown. Just food for thought!

Great story, but even greater bass! Congratulations! Good on you to go in after the distressed fish. I can't wait to see a head like that pop up on the end of my line.

Keep it up man! I'm in Louisiana and am getting your lil hurricane Isaac in the morning, so fishing for both of us will be thrown off for a bit. The fall is an amazing time to be fishing, and it will be here soon enough. I'll be fishing tonight after work if the pressure hasn't dropped yet. Once the first good cold front comes in, spend every minute you can on the water throwing shad imitators. Spinnerbaits, shad senkos, magic shads/swimbaits, white cranks, even buzzbaits/spinnerbaits/chatterbaits with swimbaits instead of skirts will also do well.

Strike King makes a pretty awesome bluegill colored spinnerbait. It may be worth a shot. I also like the bluegill magic shad!

Academy has their H2O express poppers in a frog pattern that may get you through until then. Bluegill and ghost shad are also highly effective.

I happen to have access to a nice pond on my work's property, so if Tuesday morning school is cancelled I'm going to fish tomorrow night after I get off. Bank fishing should be safe enough, lol. Is it even possible to catch bass right before weather like this? Or should I just go home and sleep?

Take a small amount of tackle and just cover water. Burn spinnerbaits (white, chart, black/chart), wacky rigged senkos, square billed cranks, drag a jig/craw and a drop shot along the bottom. I would throw a minnow swimbait as well to cover water quickly. Swim jigs cover water well too. Don't forget your confidence lures. You could test a pond with a cargo pocket full of lures and some determination. Also, don't stomp around the banks initially. Get within eyesight of the water near the bank, and start casting while remaining still. Pretty soon, fish will come back to the shore line if there are fish in it. Most of all, HAVE FUN!

Have to agree here. I also like a ghost popper as well. Ribbits are my all time favorite top water. To the point... The spook is not nearly as weedless as a buzzbait. Keep that in mind when making your choice. If one doesn't work in open water, just throw the other. Don't over think things. Working a topwater mouse close to shore sure can be killer though...

I have looked at those baits countless times wondering what on earth I would use them for. That's a good idea.

I'm with the majority here. Black/blue flake, red shad, watermelon/red, pumpkin seed, and if I'm lucky enough to find them, watermelon baby brush hogs with ORANGE flake. I like those a lot.

The best way to tell if that bass is a spot is to close the mouth and see if the fold of the mouth ends before the eye. The tongue may also be rough, but that characteristic has been found in largies before as well. Spots generally fight differently as well. They are mean little guys, tons of fun on a fly rod. Nice bass though!

I can't say that I have ever fished Mississippi, but my dad and I have been talking about trying out Lake Ohkissa this year. If you ever need a non boater or know some good places not too too far in state, I'm always looking for fishing buddies. Feel free to shoot me a pm. I'm in Louisiana myself, but we have a hunting camp in Wakefield near the state line. We pull spotted bass out of Thompson creek from time to time.

The XPS lenses cut 60, maybe 70% of glare. You have to remember, they are what they are. However, in their price bracket, they aren't too bad. If you can hunt down a pair of Calcuttas, buy some on the spot. Around 25 dollars with FANTASTIC lenses. I'll buy some if I ever see them again. But for the most part, people tend to be happy with the XPS. If you got them within 30 days maybe return them? Moving on... have you landed yourself one of those elusive Miami canal bass yet?

I have the 723 for a soft plastics / half ounce jig / frog rod (I have some serious self control with my hooksets, and the XF tip really drives that hook home) and I absolutely love it. I have a citica 2000DSV on it and I couldn't be happier. I like it much more than the lightning shock rods, and it's definitely a bit more quality craftsmanship than the sellus as well. Don't get me wrong though, the sellus is a nice rod also at 49.99, may be adding their spinnerbait rod to my lineup soon, though I felt a falcon bucoo that is making me rethink that. Also, the Diesel is NOT in the Veritas price range, so it's hard to compare. My gf's little bro has a Veritas though and after using it, I would say its a preference (and a $30) thing.

I rock M Shades ($35) from Cabelas and they work well. I work at BPS though and the XPS glasses work well. For murkier water like we sometimes have in South Louisiana, amber lenses are key.

Here you go! http://m.basspro.com/Bass-Caddy-Holder/product/58679/141181?cm_ven=bazaarvoice&cm_cat=RLP&cm_pla=58679&cm_ite=productname_link

Thanks for that man. Trust me, I will never forget how lucky I am to have her. She is as much a best friend as she is a girlfriend. I'll be doing my best to hold on to her! Besides, If she starts outfishing me, I'll just start taking pics with HER fish. Just kidding.

I do something similar with flies when fly fishing. Tiny minnow imitator or two followed by a baby bass streamer. I like yours too! Keep us updated. I may have to piddle a bit myself.

Hey Matt. Shoot me a PM today and we can get together and fish some local spots around here soon. I have a nice little assortment of jigs. We can give em a shot!

Head down to Louisiana! We will get you on some fish! Don't give up man! Summer is notoriously rough to find fish in small waters. If you can find some good moving water, it'll certainly help you find some more active fish.