cast_and_destroy

I fish all year long, thats why I like Texas. Our lakes dont freeze and our bass get huge !!

Casting rod -Abu garcia veritas 7' mh/f Reel- lews tournament speed spool Line- 15# fluorocarbon

Those setups sound fine. I would recommend 4# test for the microcaster and 12# mono for the shakespeare.

For a jig/worm rod I would want a litlle bit of a stiffer tip to get a good hook set. The only time you want a fast tip for soft plastics is when you're using a finesse technique. I have the veritas medium heavy action rod as my jig/worm rod and its a good rod. I would get a 7' foot medium heavy action rod with a fast tip.

I've caught largemouth and just recently my first spotted bass. Now I need 1 more. The lake I fish (texoma) isnt known for being "full" of smallmouth but they're in there. Is there anything I could do to increase my chances of catching my first smallmouth ? Where should I fish ? Are there any lures smallmouth prefer ?

Heddon one knocker - when the'yre chasing shad in open water. Spro bronzeye - On grass mats , lilypads, and wood cover. Strike King tour grade buzzbait. - along the shoreline and on the side of lillypads

Anything thats catching them that day, I try to be as veratile as possible. But i like squarebill crankbaits,spinnerbaits and senko's.

I start out with topwater after that i move to spinnerbaits and squarebill crankbaits. As the day moves on I start to throw jigs and senko's. Bump the spinnerbait and crankbait off the posts and run them under floating docks if present. Flip senko's under docks and flip jigs to metal posts. Remember , dont leave any spot untouched.

Try fishing them texas rigged with no weight. Fish them like your walking the dog on a topwater lure. Go on youtube and look up " Bass fishing the double zulu with kevin van dam " It works higher in the water column and the action is unbelievable.

Dont give up on the spinnerbait but, a lipless or a squarebill crankbait just above the weeds might work. Also try a swim jig . With the water being that shallow I wouldnt worry about puching through the stuff too much. Theyre arent chasing the bream but they are waiting for one to swim by their ambush point. Look for hardbaits that imitate these bream. ( strike king red eye shad and spinnerbaits)

I push the hook all the way to the first bend and then push it though the bait .

Lillypads do count as cover, go over them with a frog or go along the side with a spinnerbait or swimjig. Rock piles and large boulders are forms of cover. Cover is really just anything a bass can hide behind and use as an ambush point. Under windy conditions a topwater may work (wouldnt hurt trying). I also like to find a main lake point that the wind is hitting the bank and throw a spinnerbait. Wind creates chop and current and some baitfish follow that and get pushed to the point or the bank,where the bass are waiting for them.

Yes it should help , but dont go to much farther down.

Now I know there are alot of articles on this site recommending the right rod , line and reel , but I would like to know you guys personel setup. My spinnerbait rod is an Abu Garcia 7ft mh with a fast action tip , paired up with a lews speed spool with 20# vicious fluorocarbon. So what's your spinnerbait setup ?

Next time you push the hook through the nose of the worm ( first step in the texas rig ) , push it a little bit farther.

A lakes fishing pressure is determined by how many people fish that lake. A lake that is fished alot makes the fish spooky and require a more finesse aproach to catch them. When it is sunny bass tend to hold a little tighter to the cover and on cloudy days they'll sometimes roam flats feeding. In stained or murky water bass rely more on sound and smell, in clear water they use sight more. Use more natural colors in clear water. Green pumpkin is a good all aroud color. If you fish clear water on a highly pressured lake use smaller lures and lighter line. If not fish anything you want as long as it looks natural. Start out with search baits like crankbaits and spinnerbaits then move to fishing cover. Since the water is clear try not to make your presence to obvious if fishing shallow water.

Remember the lighter the line you use , the deeper your crankbait will run. Use the lightest line you could get away with and keep your rod tip very low ( first couple line guides should be in the water ) .

I would bump spinnerbaits and squarebill crankbaits off the wood to get reaction strikes.

like sunfish said, a dropshot with the worm just above the weeds can be deadly and a swimbait worked just above them can be effective. Dont give up on a lipless crankbait its great at catching agressive fish or getting a reaction strike.

Well a plastic worm is considered a lure but they do work very well and are easy to use. I cast out and let it sink to the bottom, then i slowly jig it back. Check out yamamoto senkos, they dont look like much but man do they catch fish ! Also you can cover alot of water by using crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

There just tires tied together, i think they just keep strong waves from hitting the dock. Part of it is floating the other has posts.

Next weekend I will be fishing on lake texoma. I will be fishing on a dock. The dock has about 20 slips and sits in 30ft of water on one side and almost 50ft on the other.It's a fairly large dock. It is very hot in this part of Texas. Over 100 degrees most of the time. The water is fairly clear and is about 88 to 90 degrees. My plan is to start with topwater and as the day progresses move to soft plastics. here is a link to the picture of the dock -> http://goo.gl/maps/X3U1R It's a public dock so I dont have to worry about other peoples propety. I have one day to fish so i have to make the most of it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated !

If I dont catch anything I get on the internet and find out why. Whenever I get skunked, I always feel there was someway to catch them.

Hello from San Antonio,Texas. I've been fishing since I could walk, but started seriously bass fishing a few years ago. I finally decided to join after checking out the forum and I cant wait to get some great info out of it !