Brian6428

Yep. Welcome to Bassresource, by the way!

You can't delete it, there's no need to. Only the mods can delete but they rarely do. Maybe this thread can serve as a reference for someone with the same problem as you later.

How do you guys believe this topic relates to tournament fishing?

This is a great thread! Hopefully it stays civil and the conversation continues. You guys seem to have talked a lot about lures, though. Not too much has been said about the "where." Now, I know this thread was started as a rebuttal to the other "big fish" thread with the main piece of advice being "location, location, location", but surely you guys aren't just throwing these "big fish baits" up shallow near shore where everybody else is, right? How do you approach a lake and start looking for those high percentage bit fish locations? I am already familiar with Catt's views, but I always love to hear what he has to say. He has forgotten more about structure fishing than most people will ever know. What are the rest of you guy's thoughts, though? Brian

I have had the most success all around on sexy shad.

Maybe it was a really big bass!

Dang! The real mattlures! Thanks for pointing this for others to see. I thought it was almost a fact that they work best in clear water, but now that I think about it they do displace a lot more water than a 7" worm, which i catch quite a few fish on. I guess that was my take on the situation, but like i said I only threw swim baits for about 1 month. What are your thoughts on snags, though? I was throwing a mattlures U2 bluegill and huddleston rof12, and I was working them slowly along the bottom. I got stuck so much. It was super nerve wracking, I just got too nervous throwing them. Any tips? I guess it would also be relevant to the OP if he fishes a snaggy lake.

Man, this has turned into one of the best threads I have seen all year. Good question! Here is my humble suggestion. My thoughts on swimbaits: Swimbaits were designed and are most effective in the clear, deep, rocky reservoirs of California. They do work other places, but that does not mean they are the best option for all lakes. How often do you get stuck with normal lures? 3,4 times a trip? Now imaging there is a $25< swim bait on the end of your line when you inevitably break off. Based one of your earlier posts, it sounds like you don't have money coming out of your ears (aka 99% of the population). This makes losing those expensive swim baits really hurt. In addition to this, they work best in clear water. Most man made lakes have poor visibility, making swim baits not as effective. My suggestions: Here is how I would approach the situation. Fish at both ends of the spectrum. By this I mean that you should be doing 2 things: flipping and pitching, and fish deep structure. I saw a video where Denny Brauer said "pitching lets you make accurate quiet casts up to the nasty, shallow areas where the big bass live" (quoted from memory, not directly). I would suggest pitching a big jig, creature bait or something else deep up into some shallow cover. This shallow big bass philosophy is also shared by Doug Hannon in his book "Big Bass magic." The other thing I would do is fish deep. I would probably split my time 50/50 between shallow and deep. Some big bass (or all, or none, based on the lake) will live deep. Find cover on structure near deep water near by and your odds of catching a lunker multiply by 10. Start your search on a good topographic map. Look for points, humps, drop offs etc with deep water nearby. Once these have been identified, go to the lake and scout out these spots with your fish finder. You are looking for cover (just like fishing shallow!) on the structure. This can be a brush pile, rock pile, weed bed, weed break line etc. In case you are confused, here is an example. You look at a topo map and see a long point with one side dropping into the creek bed. This spot is already good in and of itself. Then, you go to the lake. If you can find a brush pile, rock pile or weed bed on this point near the drop off to the creek bed, that is a high percentage spot to catch a big bass. Now for lures. I have thrown swim baits for approx 1 month, but I got priced out of the market due to losing too many 25$ baits. With that in consideration (aka i haven't fished swim baits much, so the sample is skewed). Here are my brother and my top big fish lures: Each of our Pb's came off jigs. Each of our second biggest bass also came off jigs. My third biggest bass are tied on a brush hawg, buzz bait and 10" worm. I would suggest you use jigs primarily, specifically the Big-O series Jig by siebert outdoors. Pair it with a nice big trailer and you're good to go. Secondary would be a 10-12" worm, 3rd would be a creature bait on a flipping hook. Good luck! Hope this helped somebody at least a little. Edit: If you can't tell, I'm procrastination doing my homework

I've done too much homework today to try and interpret this thread, but I think the topic is what bass see underwater. Here is my take on it. Does it really matter what they see? Maybe they view chartreuse as black and they see black as chartreuse, but we still know when they want to hit a chartreuse or black colored lure!

That sucks. I can't even imagine how that feels to lose a fish that size. I lost a 3lber earlier this season and I was bummed all day.

In the beginning of summer the Ol Monster couldn't be beat. Midsummer was the jig, now it is the brush hawg.

Slow down! This applies to nearly everything. Take your time hitching up the trailer, tying on your lures, launching the boat etc. you're more likely to forget things when you rush, and when fishing bottom bouncing baits the slower you go the more fish you will catch!

MIZ!!

I love my *** 13 Black casting rod. Great sensitivity.

If it is clear water I would be throwing a 4.5" worm on a drop shot. If it is murky/stained I would try a wacky senko or small square bill.

One thing everybody seems to be ignoring is the odds of a bass reaching world record size. A fish that size is truly a freak. They have to have an incredibly long life, be very healthy their whole life, have access to just the right type of food etc. Basically, the odds of a fish growing to world record size in the wild are ridiculously low. Will the odds be better in this private pond in discussion? Of course. But the sample size is also MUCH smaller, the number of anglers fishing it will be lower (thus the odds of catching it decrease), and it may be in the wrong climate, regardless. So ultimately, if this guy can grow a world record bass, he should have the record. What I am saying, however, is that given the size of the lakes and the time period in question he has about the same odds of growing a world record bass as anybody fishing in Cali or Japan has of catching a world record bass. And, if he does manage to grow it, he still has to catch it! Note: This is not a knock on the guy managing the pond in question. I am sure he can make one heck of a trophy pond, but there probably ain't gonna be a world record bass in there.

Wouldn't rods from another brand be returned to the manufacturer, not Cabelas?

KVD or Rick Clunn. They have both been very successful for a long time, and I'm sure I could learn a ton.

This took a while to get used to when I got my boat. It felt like feet were facing one way and my body was facing another. Now I don't even think about, it just feels natural with both feet.

Nice fish!

Just go to the local tackle store and buy a few different styles. Some brands I like when I have to buy from Bass Pro are War eagle, jewell, strike King and chompers. Once you find what head shape and color you prefer, order from Siebert Outdoors or Northstar. The jigs from these companies are cheaper and much better quality than anything you can get at bass pro. Just consider jigs to be disposable, however. I lose more jigs than any other lure, but they have accounted for probably my top 5 biggest fish.

Not sure about the XL but I use Berkeley 100% fluorocarbon and really like it. It has some memory but it casts well, is sensitive, has good knot strength and is very manageable with KVD Line and lure sprayed before every trip.

I played a baseball team with a girl on it a few years ago. It was a 30+ team tournament in Mississippi. She got a hit off my team's pitcher and he never heard the end of it.

I bought my boat used with a hot foot and pro trim already installed and can't imagine driving without them now. I never have to take a hand off the steering wheel while underway, which makes me feel much better in rough water.

http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en