scaleface

Thats a pretty handsome bait .

I have no plan . I look around at the terrain , look at available cover and make a decision where to go .I have studied lake maps before hitting a new lake and they didnt help me at all . I fish better just winging it .

The year is not over . Caught 31 bass yesterday with 8 of them coming 22 foot deep . Big ones are out there some place maybe next week I'll get one or two .

Even though I use a half ounce bait the blades are smaller than normal .The main blade is a 4.5 willow . There is no standard size between manufacturers , my blades came from netcraft . The front Colorado is a size 2 I believe . In the spring I go up a size . I have no trouble keeping the bait high .

I dont .

The water I fish is always stained . I like a gold willow almost all the time with a Colorado secondary blade . The Colorado can be any color, even copper . Its just a good combo that works in a lot of conditions .

I dont know what pepper color is but I use to throw brown Larew salt craws with chartreuse pincers a lot .

I'm going to guess Bill Norman popper . The cigar shaped rear like a Zara spook is the design Norman lures used .

As long as I'm comfortable I'll figure the fish out or at least give it a heck of a try .

I dont prefer one over the other . I have to use something so I just use a willow Colorado combo and dont think about it .

Thats them . I think I use size 5 and its a light weight . I'll let you know later .

I like the second one . The first one I would use pre spawn and the other the rest of the year .

I had a flying crankbait stick me in the leg . Pushed it through and snipped it off .

Metal detecting today , fishing tomorrow . I'm digging this weather .

I cant believe it . Something besides Big Game .

I started fishing toads four years ago after an algae invasion. Caught some nice bass on them . Switching to braid with the drag tightened all the way down helped . I use 7 foot mh rod and the hooksets seem to be sufficient . I started using the VMC screw-lock belly weighted hooks that @Jaderose recommended . Its the best hook I found "so far" .

Sounds like you are being hard headed . You already know the problem and fishing deep is not that difficult . If you want to do well in tourneys , sounds like you have to adapt. If youre just fishing the way you like and are happy with that then keep on keeping on .

I won a club tourney by reeling a Bomber Long A Minnow in as fast as I could next to stumps . It was getting late and I had no keepers . It was a Hail Mary pass . Caught two lunkers for 13 lbs and beat a guy who weighed 10 12 inchers .

I hate toads but there are times when the bass are in the grass its the only thing they hit . 50 per cent is better than I get with the aggravating lures .

This . I also like the Rocket shads but hate the hook . So I make my own just by shortening the wire . Have you had the hook twist off yet, on a big fish . I lost two large hybrid bass that somehow managed to twist the hook off of the Rocket Shad .

I pour my own .I like a 1/2 ounce because it fits the action of my spinnerbait rod best . I can under hand toss that weight accurately . I prefer a willow Colorado combo even in muddy water . The main blade a 4.5 gold willow the secondary a Colorado of any color even copper . The skirt color a dull bait fish . Thats what i use most of the year . Early spring I use bright colors but once the bass have been bombarded by chartreuse and white spinnerbaits for a couple of months I tone it down to something like this . Last year I kept track and caught 462 bass with this bait . This year that number is probably around 300 .

When Bass invited a lot of FLW guys over , I wondered if Randy got snubbed . If so , I dont blame him for being a bit bitter . Hes more than paid his dues .

Why not ? Texas rig them just like any other soft plastic . One reason I dont use them or creature baits much any more is I'm fishing a lot of thick brush . In that brush are big bass but also little bass , crappie and sunfish . Using lures with appendages give those little fish something to grab hold of . I dont use a bright, different colored tail either . In less heavy cover I'll use them .

Does yours have a spinnerbait ?

Oh yeah . Have had a bullet weight smack my rod many times .Had a rod snap in half last year and I speculate its because of a weight hitting it and weakening it .