scaleface

I absolutely will learn a little more every time I go fishing .

I use a 3/4 to 1 ounce weight and have never tried the Carolina Keeper .I'm skeptical that it would keep that heavy of a weight in place I use the Carolina rig to cover deep water quickly . Strikes are difficult to detect , you will just feel something on the line . I rig the soft plastic exactly like on a Texas rig . Being strikes are more difficult to detect than on a Texas rig I like to use a bait that has a smooth shiny finish like the Zoom Lizard . That way if you question whether you had a bite or not you can examine the bait for teeth marks left by the basses sandpaper like mouth . They are easy to see . I dont use long leaders, two foot is about the maximum . They do not do well in heavy cover . Good luck . Its a rig I like to use .

I always use mono . Thats about it .

Change line . Start using the trilene knot, its a lot like the improved cinch but stronger, its a 100 percent kot . Check your line guides for cracks . A crack will damage the line everytime it goes through the guide . . I had that problem before . I heard you can run a q-tip around each guide and a crack will pull out fibers .

One rod/ reel and a vest .I stuff the pockets with little tackle boxes and packs of soft plastics .It's a lot easier to move around with less gear to tote .

Google search about something related to bass fishing .

All braid cuts my finger . I hold the line between my index finger and thumb , and braid cuts it on a hookset . Most people it doesnt effect . I have nothing against braid , I just cant use it . Its operator error .

Everybody likes different lines . If you like braid then use it . I cant use braid because I will cut my index finger with it . A quality mono is what I use , some 12 lb test would handle a lot of baits .

Heavy rains that bring muddy water can ruin the fishing . As long as the water doesnt turn to mud I would start shallow and fish to where the fish were at were at before the rain . For instance if the fish were five foot deep and the water raises 5 foot the fish may now be at 10 foot .

I would go medium . I think you will get more versatility with a M/MH over a MH/H .

The circled areas , I dont consider long tapering points . They are short points and will still hold fish but do not have the potential as the long point and humps already mentioned .

Just get out there and fish . As long as you have patience to learn you will learn . If you dont get results right away , welcome to bass fishing . Concentrate on finding fish more than the latest must have lure or technique . Study topo maps , go fish different areas and use marker buoys . Get comfortable with sonar and buoys and bottom bouncing lures . I'm a marker buoy addict . Last week I saw a bunch of fish on my depth finder as I was crossing a flat . I turned around , made a long cast with a Deep Little N and hooked a bass. Immediately I tossed a buoy , not to mark the fish but mark where I was at . I caught approximately fifty fish and used the marker buoy as a reference point as I moved around and explored the flat with the sonar .

There are times when Live bait catches more fish and there are times it does not . I prefer not to fool with keeping bait alive . If live bait is put where a bass isnt then bass wont be caught . Artificial s are faster and cover unproductive water quicker . How would one cover an expansive flat for example , if one is waiting ona fish to bite minnow .

I've been three times and guess I have caught close to 200 fish .The vast majority between 12 and 15 inches ,and only 11 over fifteen inches . I just know some good spots on a small reservoir . Norman Deep Little N has been the biggest producer so far .

I like jigs too but get a lot more snags with them than on the old reliable Texas rig .

I fish the same lures in rock that I do in mud . As far as crawfish having a preference for rock , that is not so . There are many species of crawfish . You seine a mud ditch here and you will fill up with crawfish . They love mud , live in mud and make mud tunnels . I've heard them called mud bugs never rock bugs .

I tried floro and didnt care for it . Then I started reading about it . Florocarbon does stretch but unlike mono it is not elastic and does not regain its original propetries .. Once it is stretched you are literally fishing with damaged line . At least thats the way I interpret it .

A quality mono-filament for both .

Use a short pistol grip rod to walk the dog .Its much much easier . Charlie Campbell uses a 5.5 foot rod .

15 inch fish minimum here and a limit of keepers will often win the tournament .

Trying to get them to hit it with their tail is the tricky part . Takes a lot of skill .

Favorite topwater is a Lunker Lure Buzzbait . Use it from spawn to winter . I once caught bass with it , in an early winter snowstorm . Its the funnest lure to throw when fish are hitting it . Technique . Bounce it off of cover . Catches bigger than average fish . The more used it is the better it becomes . I have worn the blades all the way through on many of them .

Lure " Beetle spin Technique : Cast and reel . Reason : 12 year olds everywhere slay them on this lure .

Mono trilene xl . floro and braid , dont use them .

LOL If I was going to eat them , I would use one of those . I did it as a teenager and then I had a severely wounded fish that I had no intention on eating . I'm a little more sympathetic now days .