scaleface

I like to take pics of Largemouth 4 lbs plus . I dont have a smart phone . I do it the old school way . A camera laid down with the timer set . Sometimes I forget the camera .

17 lb test Trilene XL , clear blue fluorescent .

A few inches .

In the spring , while the bass are still dumb , I go with bright colors and a little bit larger blades Once they get pressured smaller blades and more natural colors keep me catching them the rest of the year . I use the same weight .

Yeah . There are a lot of lakes with 12 to 15 inch slot limits around here . I dont like keeping the bass greater than 15 inches and 6 of those 11 inchers isnt enough to feed the three of us . I want to eat a few of those 12 to 15 inchers . Had a badly hooked bass yesterday , bleeding profusely . I was able to go through the gill with needle nose pliers , twist and reverse the hook . then go through the mouth and remove it . I doubt it survived .

Yesterday I rigged a 1/2 spinnerbait with a swimbait in lieu of a skirt . I could not fish it . That little bit of extra weight caused every single cast go to the right of target . I went back to the skirt . Thats how critical having the weight dialed into the gear is .

Bill Dance said to "Always" use the lightest weigh you can get away with . Larry Nixon says often times a heavy weight and faster drop gets more bites ,Whom to listen to ? I'm in the Larry Nixon camp . I have caught 300 or more bass this year using a texas rig and a 5/16th ounce weight .

I have a Spittin Image . Man that thing gets hit a lot . I dont catch any fish with it but it gets hit . Sometimes multiple hits all the way to the boat . I have that luck with all walking baits . I'll try again next year .

In the places I fish bass seem to congregate more in the fall than in summer .One arm of a lake may yield zero bites , then the next arm over dozens of bites .

I caught a bunch of bass on a spinnerbait yesterday. A bluegill pattern and many of the bass were caught behind the weedline on bluegill beds .

Fall is usually when I catch my deepest bass of the year . So its a nice change-up .

Missouri is the cave state . My twin brothers and I did a little spelunking two days ago .

Parasite clips and the swivels work great . Another thing . After a fish is caught , the tip section of the worm is damaged and likely to ball up on the next hook set . Bite a half inch off and re-rig it . I bite them off a couple of times , then keep the tail section for neds or other more finesse situations .

Its all about the casting. Its all about the casting

I use the diamond file on a Leatherman multi tool . I sharpen even brand new hooks . If they dont dig in my thumbnail they get sharpened . The other day I lightly ran a new VMC offset hook along a tomato . It slid . A couple of strokes on the diamond file and it dug , no sliding .

Had a good day . Lots of keepers . About 50 bass total . This 4lb 5 oz was my largest caught on a Texas rigged Yum Dinger pitched in a brush pile . Melon Pie color .

Dont listen to them . Use whatever the rod handles the best .

To me stained water is much easier to fish than clear .I mostly use Baitcasting gear with 12 lb test minimum and concentrate on visible cover with spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , texas rigs , jigs... Casting accuracy is often the difference between a few bass and a few dozen .Low trajectory precision casting and pitching is better than overhand lobs . There are no right of wrong ways to cast but there are better ways .

This one sums me up

We all go through those growing pains .

A lot of people wont fish crankbaits at night . I am not one . Crankbaits , spinnerbait , buzzbait or worm on rip rap for me . Red craw has been a productive color for the cranks . Black or dark lures are what I like .

Theres a chipmunk that comes inside for hand-outs.

Unless bass are actively hitting them on the surface , I just ignore them and fish like they are not there .

When I hook a bass on a Ned they usually spit . Lost five in a row the other day .

David Fritts hangs them from his rear view mirror and let the sun dull them .