scaleface

Skunkings just dont happen to me unless under extreme circumstances . Early and late in the year can be tough . Also during extreme weather or water changes like flooded conditions, muddy... This time of year , the places I fish that have good populations of bass , during normal weather, I'm going to catch some . I pick times and locations with the intent on having a good day and put in an average of eight hours on the water . Are you fishing from a boat ? If fishing stable weather , stable water and a good population of fish there should be some biting .

To me ripping a bait is reeling up the slack , then rip it hard and repeat . I usually do this with crankbaits and Bomber Long A minnows .

I gave three of those to an older gentleman .Thats all he used . He reversed the spools and put them upside down on fly rods .

I only have a few slots designated for lipless baits so I stuff them with Red Eye Shads . For years I fished Traps and Spots but I feel the RES is more versatile and when space is limited versatility is a big factor . When I'm out catching fish on the points I usually try bouncing a RES off the structure . It works good .

I shy away from solid colors like a completely chartreuse crankbait . I like the baits to have patterns like shad , baby bass , bluegill. fire tiger ...

Fishing the first breakline/drop makes sense if there is one . I always had a hard time finding them even with electronics . I usually look elsewhere then go back in the evening .

Are there any conservation lakes with jon boat rentals in your area? I take advantage of those a lot and have for decades. All you need is a battery and elec motor , cheap depth finder and you can fish the same way as the pros . I just went to one yesterday and caught a limit of 15 inch plus keepers .

Yesterday I threw 25.5 for the first time at fish that were showing up at the thermocline which was about 22 foot deep on top a long point. Caught an 18 inch keeper on the first cast then a couple more fish including another keeper . Finished out the limit using the 14.5 and 20.5 as I moved shallower . I did not catch a fish on the 17.5 . The 25.5 was bouncing bottom at 22 foot using 12 lb Big Game .

Berkely Dredger 25.5 . Red Eye shad , hopping it like a worm . Worm , t-rig and carolina .

Yeah pretty much . They all have tracked true and they stay in they strike zone longer than my other baits .

Yeah Flathead pull hard and stay upright .Blues will roll and leave a lot of slime on the line . Was there slime on the line ?

Here it is October and I'm catching fish 12 to 22 foot on main lake points . Had my limit in less than two hours then went to the shore looking for bigger fish . I should have stayed deep . Caught them on Berkely Dredgers 14.5 , 20.5 and 25.5 .

I feel something on the end of my line . It is both a bass and a twig . Only after I set the hook does it actually become a bass or a twig .

The first shaky head jigs I bought I just thought they were a neat weedless jighead . I did not know they were shakey heads . I used Trick worms on them and just used them like a regular Texas rigged worm . Caught a lot of fish . I still dont know the proper way to use them . I have a whole bunch a guy made for me . i guess I need to learn the proper technique . Nah , I'm good .

A little off topic but I used Pico Pops as wake baits . Get the speed just right and they dove about an inch deep with a subtle wiggle .

Lets say I'm catching most of my fish with a Fat Rap in 5 foot of water . It would be foolish to cast in 10 foot of water but being it takes the lure a bit to reach five foot I can parallel the bank and still cast shallower allowing let the bait follow the contour down and still catch shallower fish plus the five footers . Keep the lure in the strike zone for as much of the cast as possible .

Cousin and I were fishing jigs twenty foot deep at Table Rock . He felt something on his line so just slowly reeled it in . A large brown crawfish with bright orange pincers had hold of it . We switched to brown jigs and brown Larew salt Craws with orange pincers and quickly caught two keepers before calling it a day . The only two we caught that day .

If bass are found at a certain depth then position the boat to keep the lure in the strike zone the longest .

Orange has been a shallow/muddy water color for me . Black jigs with orange pork frogs were my go to colors in chocolate water . Cant get them now .

I didnt know that .

Well they cant go anywhere , they are captive in their small environment . Try a different bait , maybe that will fool them . It looks like my neighborhood pond and I had a lot of luck there with a weightless Yum Swurm fished like a jerk bait .

Pretty much the same lures I throw in the summer . I match the lure to the conditions more so than the season so brushpiles , laydowns , points , humps or just cruising down a bank I'm going to be throwing the same thing . Heres the main difference between fall and summer for me . In the summer I usually avoid the silted in extreme back of coves and creeks in the fall I will hit them .

The only floating minnow lure I use is the Bomber Long A in silver flash . Its been a staple in my tackle box since the early 80's . It handles well with baitcasting gear and the bass that I have caught with it probably average larger than on any other lure I've used including the jig n pig .

For small fish "under 12 inch for bass" I use a sharp knife and cut through the ribs . Larger fish I use an electric knife if there is a plug in available and cut through the ribs on them too . If I cant use an electric knife then I have to cut around the ribs . Thats a pita .

My home lake is Mark Twain and it has a lot of standing timber . . I cant take the heat now days so dont get to use this pattern much anymore . On hot bluebird summer days I target timber edges . The edge can be made by a channel, road, or farm field ... It doesnt matter . The bass wait here for schools of shad . I cast large poppers by these tress and make as much ruckus as I can . Quick , sharp snaps that spit water 6 foot or more while moving the lure very little . A short pistol grip rod works best . I use larger baits that really get the fishes attention . The lure on top is a typical Pop R for comparison . The bottom is a vintage Rebel and Pico Pop . Color does make a difference . Some days they prefer the chrome others the black . The Pico is the noisier of the two . One good thing about this pattern is I have never seen anyone else doing it . I had several 50 to 100 fish days