scaleface

When I first started , I would go through bunches of lures to , trying to find the one bass are hitting . Now days I pick lures that allow me to effectively fish the structure or cover I encounter . There are usually several good choices to try. Over 90 percent of the time I am using Texas-rig/jigs , crankbaits , spinnerbauts or buzzbait/top-water .

I still dont like that format . I have gotten on schools of 1 lb bass , where I caught them them on almost every cast . I like the biggest five fish format much better .

Have you heard about enchroma glasses ?

Heres how I would handle it . I would use a texas rig worm , lizard , craw , brush hog... it doesnt make any difference . I would avoid skin hooking with an EWG hook and use either an offset or straight shank hook and bury it in the worm . Peg the worm . I have been using a strip of bicycle inner tube to keep the worm from sliding down the shank , plus it get batter hook sets . Usually I dont peg a sinker but in your case I would use a bobber stop to keep it all together . Here is how I use the inner tube to lock the worm in place . After experimenting with it there is no need to poke holes in it , just run the hook through .

Water absorbs infrared light quickly . Anything sticking out above the water in the sun might hold a bass because it absorbs heat . So cast at anything breaking the surface . Shorelines might be slightly warmer too .

I can only remember catching bass twice on top-water in cold water less than 50 degrees . One was late fall and bass had shad corralled in the back of a cove during a heavy snow . I caught several on a buzzbait . The other time was in early spring and I caught a couple in standing timber with a Bomber Long A Minnow . I just let it sit there motionless .

Yes and the pattern that has worked best for me is to find steep south facing banks with the sun beating down on them . Any cover might hold fish . I like to parallel cast crankbaits and retrieve them agonizingly slow . A crawfish colored Arbogast Mudbug has caught some lunkers for me and it is not a slim tight action bait .

For the second straight year I didnt catch a big bass . My biggest was around five lbs on a hand poured buzzbait. Sept 9.

Were there holes in there mouths ?

When I joined a bass club we didnt even have a major reservoir to fish in and there was not one bass boat in the club . The lakes we fished were between 50 and 200 acres and the boats were converted jon boats . i dont think a single one even had a depth finder . As long as the non-boater paid his way it was all good . It was good times and we caught a lot of bass too . I need to scan a photo from those days . Here we go . The late 70's . The Nemo Hawg Hunters . Im in back row second from the left wearing a Manns hat .

I heard about people doing that at Table Rock . Do you lose many lures ?

The 7 footer would make for a good Texas rig and jig rod . Instead of practicing maybe just go fishing and stick a few fish .Select several lures that will effectively work in the cover and structure you encounter . I never liked the idea of sticking with one lure just for practice .

Heres a photo of the old style . The jig-head is more of a banana shape and the body is larger .

I still have one of those old style 3/8th ounce lures . The body was bigger and the jig head was different .I used them a lot and caught some real nice fish with them . They had a crawdad color that i used the most . If they would bring them back I'd buy a dozen today .

You dont have to be good , you just have to enjoy it .

Thats the one's I bought .

Last winter I bought some Norman Scorpions and a Rapala bait , dont remember the name of them . They are lipless crankbaits with weed guards . I had the places planned where I wanted to use them but the spots got over-run with skunk-weed so I never did try them . I hope to try them this year .

I like the old Blakemore Charlie Campbell spinnerbait . It was a 1/2 ounce lure with , I think , a number 7 hammered copper Colorado blade . I use to wake it and slow roll it . That big copper blade won me a club tourney .

I enjoy hiking in the snow . Looking at animal tracks . take pictures , make a fire , smoke cigars , sip whiskey ... its all good .

Once fish were showing up on sonar at the mouth of a cove . I spent several hours trolling Sassy Shads back and forth and caught a bass or crappie on every pass .

Mister Twister made the first fluke style lures I seen . They were two toned , good looking lures and came with a jig head . They also made buzzbaits and spinnerbaits . I still have one of the spinnerbaits . A very unique lure with two blades on a three way swivel . It puts out tremendous vibration .

Its a lot easier to judge the weight on this photo than a lot of others . Hes not long-arming the fish .

Nice healthy looking bass. I'm going to guess its pushing 5 lbs.

Mister Twister Phoenom , Manns Jelly Waggler and a whole bunch of other 6 inch worms with the curl tail are my favorite style of soft plastic . Rig them curl down and it practically eliminates line twist.

Thats a pretty fish too and you have good photos . Are you going to have a replica made ?