out_doors_guy

I would target the docks, especially the ones that end in the deeper water. Work the shady side and don't be afraid to pitch tubes and worms way up under them. You will have to work a variety of depths to figure out where in the water column the fish are on a particular day, some days they may be tight to the bottom, other days they may be suspended. The pads are worth working over as well, especially if they are growing in deeper water, say deeper than 4 or 5 feet. Frogs over the top of them is a good choice, especially if they are active. But don't neglect to work the edge of them either. Try pitching T-rigged plastics or jigs at any irregularities, pockets, points, isolated clumps close to but seperate from the main body of the bed. Pitching to openings in the pad bed it self can be productive if they aren't active enough to chase down a frog. The pads in the canal between lakes can be good as well if there is enough depth there and/or there is a current of any kind. Definitely need some stout equipment if your fishing the pads.

That water looks like 75% of the water I fish. Yes it is definitely worth fishing, if it is at least 3-4 feet deep, My plan of attack at this time of year would be to hit it with topwater baits early. As the sun climbs start dropping jigs, worms, wacky rigged stick baits etc. down in the holes and pockets in the weeds. If there is open space under the tops, and it really doesn't appear so in the pictures but it is hard to tell, punching some craw type plastics with a BIG weight would could draw some of the biggest fish once the sun is more directly over head. Those big girls like to hide out in the shade. Lastly, if there is a deep edge to the weeds, it needs to be worked thoroughly, especially if it is at least 8-10 feet deep. In most of the natural lakes around here this is where the biggest fish hang out in the summer, Cooler water temps and perfect prey ambush locations. Look for any irregularities in the edge, pockets, points, areas where the weeds go from thick to sparse. Cranks, jigs, T-rigged and wacky rigged plastics are good bets in that situation.

No ponds around me that would be legal to do that. What I do, however, is when area reservior's are in winter draw down I hike around the shoreline and pick off snagged lures from stumps, deadfalls etc.

At the moment I use more products from these companies than others: St Croix, Lews, Net Bait, Zoom, Bill Norman, Gamakatsu....but I am always willing to try out new products.

Being blessed with good fishing nearby for both, I would say Smallies recover slightly quicker. I think it has to do with 2 factors, first; smallmouth are more aggresive by nature than their cousins, second; they generally live deeper than largemouth do, and as such they aren't as effected as much to begin with. The second point brings up what, in my opinion, is one of the biggest myths in fishing: fish move deeper after a cold front. No they don't, the shallow fish are still shallow there activity level is simply lower. The perception is caused by the deeper fish being less affected therefore they are easier to catch, leading some to believe they are fish that "moved" deeper after the front.

Your profile, movement and ground vibrations are more important factors than color of you clothes in my opinion.

Being relatively new here, I have to say this forum is the best. I, like many of you I am sure, belong to several forums and this one is head and shoulders above all the others. This is the only one where the mods actually join the discussion, all the others I am on, the only time you even know they exist is when a thread gets yanked. Good job and keep it up.

Jarmo Rapala, who is related to Lauri Rapala (the original inventor of the Rapala minnow), is part owner of the new company. However, he and this new company are NOT involved with the Rapala company.

Any fish I keep to eat gets bled and killed then kept on ice until I get home to filet them. To bleed 'em, simply stick a fillet knife in each gill and into the meat right between them on the bottom, then toss 'em in the cooler. Makes a mess but I keep a cooler just for this purpous and just hose it out real well afterwards then leave it open to dry. I find they taste 100% better than either kept in the livewell or just tossed on ice and left to flop around in the cooler until they die.

X10 Color is important, to be sure, but it is the least important factor in my opinion. Confidence has a lot to do with it. 90% of the fish I catch on soft plastics are caught on only 4 colors: pumpkin seed, watermelon/red flake, black/blue tail and alabama craw. Pick a few natural colors and pay more attention to size and profile along with location. Remember, the deeper you are fishing and the more stained the water the less color is even a factor at all. As light penetration drops, the ability of fish to see color drops as well.

Just read on BASSMASTER.com that the Bagley bait company has been ressurected. I couldn't be more happy When they went belly up before, I went out and bought all the Bang-o-lures and Balsa B's I could find. In my opinion the Bang-o-lure was/is the BEST jerkbait ever produced and over the years my supply of them has been slowly dwindling and if the new ones match the bouyancy, action and weight (for castability) of the old I can start replacing them. The Balsa-B's also are a favorite of mine for shallow water/heavy cover cranking only surpassed, IMO, by the old Poe's RC series baits, of which I also bought a huge supply of when the started getting scarce). Now if Yakima could see fit to begin production of the RC baits again, I would do another happy dance. Sorry if this all sounds to silly but I cannot even begin to count all the fish I have caught on these baits...lol

Color is the LAST factor, for me, when choosing colors for any bait. Depth, profile and action, in order, are the most important factor. That said, color is of some importance. As far as crankbaits go I basically have 6 color variations for each bait in my collection, shad, fire tiger, crawfish, chrome, gold and bluegill. Out of those 6 my go-to colors 75% of the time are bluegill and gold (matches the predominant prey species where I fish the most, golden shiners and 'gills) and fire tiger (for muddy water). The shad and chrome come more into play when I head south to fish. The 6 colors above will represent 99% of what bass feed on and having more can have a tendency to over complicate things on the water. Keeping it simple and gaining confidence in the choices you have available will garner you more success than having 1,000 crankbaits (or any other type for that matter) will do more for your success than worrying about having whatever the "hot" bait and/or color is at the moment.

mono for me, I know flouro sinks but I hate how it handles. Once mono has absorbed water, and it does, I feel it sinks nearly as well as the flouro anyway. Line weight depends on depth and cover. For deeper than 15'; 10lb, 6-15'; 14lb, shallower; 14lb and 17lb if I'm fishing squarebills around wood.

Palomar knot, hands down. Higher knot strength (IMO) and way easier to tie.

I have NEVER seen a safety pin type buzzbait that runs true, everyone in my box runs to the right, it is a product of blade rotation. I do have a couple in-line buzzbaits with 2 counter rotating blades that run straight. You are saying the Cavitron's have run true for you in the past? If so I may get a couple to try.

Welcome

Welcome to the forum. You will find it to be one of the better ones on the web.

Sadly, bad experiences stick out in peoples minds more than good ones do. There are bad apples in every barrel, and all we can do is to try to not be one of them. 75% of the time I am on the water, I fish out of a jon boat. No need, in my mind, to take the big boat out when I am fishing the small waters close to home. I can say that when I meet people on the water in that boat, it is usually a good experience, people are generally friendly and respectful. However, when I have the big boat out, I get a ton of attitude, many times from those same people. Perception and jealousy are major factors. Some people have had bad experiences with guys who think they own the water because they own a $50,000 boat. Some people are jealous because they don't have a boat like that. It really bugs me when it happens, because I was taught proper manners, respect and outdoors etiquette. I fish the same way no matter which boat I am in or if I am fishing from shore. I do what I do and ignore any negativity from folks when I am on the water and try to be the best example I can be.

Gamakatsu offset hooks 80% of the time, size depends on the size of the bait. Sometimes when using smaller baits, like finese worms I will use a EWG hook.

More fishing related and less personal questions. I would like to see more questions on the mental side of the game.

Sad, Uncle Homer was one of the biggest influences to me when I was younger. His movies with Glen where top noitch back in the day. R.I.P Uncle Homer. You where a class act always and you will be missed.

While I generaly fish alone, there are a couple guys I go with occasionally. I have 3 simple rules: Be on time! Do not try to bring beer on my boat. Unless it is an emergency, stay off your d**n phone!

At times it is difficult, if not impossible, to differantiate between a panfish strike and a bass strike. Panfish, when real agressive, can nail a small bait as hard as a bass. My best advice is; first, are your hooks sharp? Slider jig hooks, as with a lot of jig hooks, need sharpening out of the package and if you have caught a few fish on a particular jig head, I can say without doubt it needs sharpened. Secondly, if fish are not getting the bait all the way, you may need to slow down your presentation. The fish may be in a nuetral mood and just nipping at it as it goes by. Slowing down a hair may allow them to take the bait all the way.

Spring: Jigs, single bladed spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, late spring, plastics Summer: Jigs, plastics, crankbaits, jerkbaits, top water Fall: Jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits, plastics Winter: I'm usually fishing for walleye and pike through holes in the ice lol. On the occasions I get to head south for some open water fishing, it's jigs and crankbaits.

It really depends on personal preference, really. For spinning rods I like 6' rods for skipping baits and 6'6" for casting. Baitcasting: for shallow water casting to targets, working jerkbaits and top water a 6'6", fishing deep weedlines, pitching shallow cover, carolina rigs shallow to medium crank baits a 7'. For flipping and deep cranks, 7'6". It all boils down to what you are comfortable with. Fish with what feels right to you and not someone else.