scaleface

I have read about the top knocker quite a bit here. I think I saw one at a trading post. I'm going to pick one up if they have it .

I dont have as many as you but I buy them on clearance too , sometimes for as little as 25 cents . If there is a certain lure that excels in a certain situation , I will buy several at retail, like a chartreuse Bomber Flat A which just kills bass on the wing dams and riprap along the Mississippi river .

Its been a couple of decades since I've been to Lake of the Ozarks and do some serious dock fishing. I bet what i had success with then would still work today. A blue Manns Jelly worm fished on all sides and underneath was highly effective .

I use 5.5 and 6 foot pistol grips for poppers and walk baits. makes it a lot easier.

Thats not an accurate post and i dont think its what you meant . Theres a lot more than a few highly effective bass lures .

I have never used a bobber for carp. Use a weight .

The only reason I dont fish in the heat of the summer is because I physically cant take it. I use to do it all the time and caught bunches of bass . Deep water is a good place to start , Windy banks can be spectacular . Steep banks almost always hold some fish .

You take your kayak on large reservoirs ?

Congrats on the the fifth place finish . I'm still partial to the classic Manns Jelly worm .

Last trip out I removed the split ring from a lucky strike Rick clunn crankbait to try and subdue the action. It would not run straight tied directly to the lure .

You could buy a bass flipping rod and reel and have a combo to bass and catfish with. Thats what I do .

I like them both. Its a lot nicer to fish in a boat that you can move in than a small john boat. I purchased a 22 foot Lowe last year and havent had a chance to really use it. I'm hoping to get to Toledo Bend or Eufala this winter .

I have a lot of old fishing tackle that I use. Dont have space for a lot of new stuff. My best popper that cast a mile and catches fish is an old Rebel that looks like a standard Pop R but twice the size .

Welcome , and theres no need to stockpile a lot of new gear , that old stuff works great .

Me too. I have thirty year old lures still in the box .

The default answer on this forum is to slow down and let the fish get a good look at your fake bait . I speed things up too . I like to go small and fast at least to see if it works , if not oh well .

The Sexy shad color has been an epic fail for me.

No , but the great majority of my fishing is done with the big four . Texas rigs , spinnerbaits , crankbaits and top waters .

I personally prefer gold in stained water but I dont know what the bass prefer. Early Spring I use Colorado blades . Everybody here throws spinnerbaits and the bass will suddenly turn off of them Happens every year . When that happens go to a single small , gold willowleaf the rest of the year unless a circumstance comes up where I want the lift and thump of a Colorado , like at night time . I think that I could get by the rest of my life with a single number four gold willow leaf .

Its easy to do at night . I use to use the marina lights as a navigation point. One night I couldnt find the lights but thought I knew which direction to go. Next thing I know i was in a cove of standing timber .

You just have to play it by ear. Theres this one flat that I always fish deep . I dont spend a lot of time out there because I catch few fish but when I do catch one it is usually big. I could spend all day there and get skunked or maybe a dink. So I give it one go around and If I catch something I stay longer .

I know exactly. It was June 1989. Post spawn. I caught 24 keepers 15 inches or bigger with the top 6 between 5 to 6 lbs on Mark Twain lake. I was using a Bomber Prop A Minnow which is simply a Long A Minnow with a propeller on the tail. I was "pattern" fishing going from point to point . I worked the lure as fast as I could and still stay in contact with the surface .

I went fishing yesterday and forgot my soft plastics. Digging through the gear I brought there was a pack of black Fats Gitzit's . I Texas rigged them just like a plastic worm and wore the fish out. Even used a 1/4th ounce weight . Heck I may have even done better than if I had my favorite baits .

Me to. Its hard to parallel cast when you have to give someone else room to cast to .

Night fishing is worth the hassle. There often seems to be a short period after dark that they dont bite well. So give it some time. I use dark color top waters , spinnerbaits , crankbaits , and Texas rigs. Those are the only four category of lures I've used after sunset and they all have worked .