Brian6428

Not ESPN nor is it free but World Fishing Network is 100% fishing.

I really don't know too much about this stuff, but from a general food chain standpoint it looks like the bass might be stunted. Too many bass, not enough food. As to fishing for big fish, I think the Jig-n-pig will be a crowd favorite on that one. Brian

This.

Im not sure why but one time I was fishing a golf course pond (legally, of course) that received no fishing pressure. All 30 of the bass i caught had sharp "teeth" and a few even tried to bite my thumb. Obviously it didnt hure but it was kinda funny.

I just put the hook through the eye of the weight and then put the hook into the hook holder on my rod like normal. Keeps the weight from swinging around and wrapping around the rod.

Crankbaits were how I learned to bass fish. Lots of hang-ups but the bite can be detected on not so sensitive rods, like what I started with, and they aren't too difficult to fish. Glad you're having some luck!

Thats crazy! Looks like an area i would go just for fun in my bass raider, though lol. Does the lake get much pressure?

x2. Super easy to do, also. Just one screw out, spin the head around, and you have a bow mount trolling motor!

I put the scale's hook into the top of the fish's gill. I've never heard it hurts the fish but if it does I will be happy to use an alternative method. Sometimes I will just weigh the fish using my lure still hooked into its mouth, though. Like on a crankbait sometimes I use one of the treble hooks to hold the scale's hook while the other treble is still in the fish's mouth.

I love the havoc plastics too. The bottom hopper in particular has been a great producer for me, and they're filthy cheap!

Not sure if I can be of any use as there aren't SM around my parts and I'm not sure the differences in how LM and SM relate to cover and structure. That said, go to the "best of Bassresource" thread and read some of the posts there on structure fishing. Also some good articles on the homepage. Adapt these to Small mouth and you're good to go. Also you may want to ask the mods to move this to the Smallmouth Bass fishing forum. You won't get as much lake-specific advice but you will probably get more replies, and therefore more advice. Any general advice given can be easily transferred to your specific lake. Brian

Not sure of the action but I would suggest against buying a cherrywood. I have had two and both broke about a month after buying. I would suggest the berkley lightning rod, they are much more durable for only about $10 more. Brian

Hey guys, I am thinking about starting to save for a bass boat. The thing is I have a pretty low budget, like 5k tops. I want a boat I will be happy with for a long time, and also one I can take on larger lakes in the area. However I have no experience owning a boat so I am concerned that if I buy used I couldn't fix up any issues on the boat myself. I am very mechanically inclined though and could probably make minor repairs. I am also concerned if I buy used I will buy a boat with tons of problems that will cost me a ton to get fixed. So what do you guys think: am I making buying used sound too complicated or should I get a new john boat with outboard and TM and learn about boats that way? Also, what is some general advice to buying used? Thanks, Brian

I figured I'd chime in, as I did a report for school on class osteictheyses (bony fish) with some good info on swim bladders but WRB already hit the nail on the head!

Congratulations! I still remember my first bass. Caught it on a crankbait off a community dock on the lake nearby last year. it was maybe 1/2 lb but I was overjoyed to catch that fish.

I think I'm missing something here, why do you guys bite them?

Not too long ago. I have a friend that fishes so i invite him once in a while and I even got a friend who doesn't (didn't!!) fish into bass fishing over the summer.

A lot of times I will see some a large circle of surface disturbance on the surface in the middle of the lake. I always casted to them hoping they were schools of bass or wipers but never caught anything. One day I saw one and trolled over to it. What I saw was a huge school of tiny shad. Another place i see them is when i go exploring the feeder creeks on the slow fishing days (i have a bass raider so I can make it up them pretty far lol) I usually see a few shad schools back there. Hope this helps. Brian

Really though I just do whatever is comfortable. I like the tip low to give action to a moving lure, so I do that a lot. I keep the tip up on buzzbaits to keep them on the surface. Obviously jigs and worms have the tip up, too.

I caught a small catfish (not sure the type) the other day shallow on a texas rig. The funny thing is that i didn't even hook him. I reeled him in and he fell into the net right by the boat. I look down at my texas rig and the hook point is still buried under the plastic, just like I had it! He must have clamped down on it sideways and not let go (thanks to powerbait lol) until he flipped off into the net by the boat. Pretty cool! Brian

I'm going to put a vote in for a 6" huddleston. I haven't been throwing swimbaits for too long but my hudd has already proved to be a fish catcher. I would probably suggest weedless, though. I feel that to fish them slow enough I get snagged too much on the non-weedless model. Brian

You just asked a question that many people have spent their lives trying to figure out...Start reading articles on the main website. Read as much as you can, watch glenn's youtube videos and read on the forums. Good luck. Brian

Some of your guys' ideas are hilarious!

Not funny, I jumped so bad lol.

I'm pretty sure you just have to make one. I don't have one because my brother is usually with me so with him in the back the boat handles well. When I am by myself I just make the motor a transom mount cause as a bow mount it is impossible to control without weight in the back. If you don't want a rudder or don't get one right away, just keep the motor transom mount, it handles way better that way unless you have a rudder. I think most people just buy an old trolling motor mount (i think they're about $30) and weld on a piece of sheet metal to the bottom.