Bassbum80

These are great so far! Keep them comming. Yeah Will...That's a pretty big looking fish.

I don't blame you Fishinaz...guys like that make me want to stand out on the docks and ruing the business he's trying to get for those boat rentals. But then you realize those are the battles that just aren't worth fighting (as tough as it is to ignore) I personally would never go there again though, even if it doesn't affect his business. Or just wave a wad of cash in front of you when he's nearby and say "bet you wish YOU were selling those worms....sucker" ;D Hope you have a better day tomorrow!

Without knowing more about the lake and its structure, it is difficult to say. My guess is that being in AZ the water temps are a bit warm right now so I would try fishing deeper for the bigger females. The small ones you were catching were probably males in the shallows (just my guess). Those lures you're using should get the job done. Good luck!

;D I was going to say drinking b/c it magnifies any flaws that I already have

I was digging around in an old shoe box full of pictures and came accross a picture of a pretty nice smallie that I caught in N. Wisconsin when I was a kid. This got me thinking, I would like to see some classic childhood pictures from B.R. members if you have them. It is always cool to see the old cars, boats, clothing ;D, etc. in the pics. So if you have them, lets see them A tip...if you don't have a scanner & only have them on prints, usually taking a picture of the print w/ your digital will work out...that's what this one is.

I have my best luck when I move very frequently to new spots. Just b/c you are catching fish doesn't exactly mean you have found a pattern. For example, this week we were catching small males off of the shores in thin water. That was fun, but we wanted the bigger ones. Once you move around and catch a bigger fish, this is where it is important to pay attention to all of the details of water temps, cover, structure, etc. Then take a look at a map and try to find these types of locations on your map. Give the next spots a try & if they bite again, you have probably got yourself a nice pattern. Once we moved around, we finally got on the bigger females & thats when the fun really started.

I just caught a smallie on a bed in gin clear water using a crawbug. I threw about 20 casts at it with several different baits. These were VERY slow presentations and unless I got it right on the bed, the fish wasn't interested at all. The lizard, senko, worm, fluke & tube didn't interest it at all. The crawbug got nailed as soon as it landed on the bed. Where are you fishing? Are the fish spawning? This could be why they aren't very active. Drive them crazy & be patient...you'll get it.

Definitely...and then we can trasform the "No Ma'am" acronym from "National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood" into the "National Organization of Men Against Angler Management"

For color selection you can catch bass on a variety of colors but your standard white, black, chart & Chat/white are pretty much the basics. They should fit most applications. White in cleareer waters, Chart in dirty waters. I like black on cloudy days in clearer water. Blade selection, as mentioned above, has more to do with water clarity. Colorado blades produce the most vibration which is why they are better in dirtier waters. Willows produce the least vibration so they are better in clear waters. Indiana blades are a nice middle ground for stained waters. It sounds confusing, but it is pretty basic once you memorize a few basic rules of thumb. Like any other lure though, sometimes you have to break the rules when fishing gets tough & anything CAN work. Hope that helped a bit! Good luck!

Welcome!

Did she need to send a photo to get that sort of cooperation? ;D

I currently have the misfortune of fishing without a depthfinder most of the time so I like to drop a trebble hook where I think there might be weeds & it will let you know based on what it brings up with it

I like the sounds of this. It kind of has the "No MAAM" quality to it like on Married With Children. As a matter of fact...If this thing blows up, I would like to request that we make t-shirts, drink beer & discuss our fishing trips & techniques on a regular basis in person. Maybe at a VFW hall or something. We can get hats with replica bass on it like the elks...Oh man, the opportunities are endless...I love it ;D Good thinking Avid!

Not exactly, but I have had a simmilar injury to Avid's. Sometimes when I have the thumb bar pressed down and the spool is free, I will get a bite and set the hook with thumb pressure on the spool before locking the crank. I have gotten small cuts where the line comes off of the spool and the tension of the line breaks the skin. Usually an injury I don't mind because a landed fish is involved.

Are there any noticable changes in the contour of the land surrounding the body of water? Sometimes the part above water can tell you alot about what's below the water. Anything that would produce any change beneath the water is where I would start. There's a great article I read a long time ago about where they put bass in a pool and painted lines on the bottom of the pool & added a single rock in another spot & a whole bunch of random things. The bottom line was they look for anything "different" than what is typical of their surroundings. Try to find that spot and you should have some luck. Good luck!

Madhouse...that's kind of what we are shooting for except that his Ranger is an aluminum. He still has a bit of trouble on rivers and in tight waters. I think after it is all said and done, we will both think this is a pretty sweet deal!

-You go to the dentist for toothwork not from sweets & cavities, but rather from biting off your 17# test line so you didn't have to waste time looking for the clippers. -You have a special saying that you swear will coax the bass into hitting your lure

It's all been said already...so I will simply say thanks!

Being on the environmental side of the issue, I would strongly suggest against using WD-40 for scenting! > Not only will it be bad for the waters you're fishing, but the fish too. If you eat bass, think about the WD-40...and if you release them, well, think about the WD-40. There are many different opinions on whether scenting works or not, but I think most would agree to stick with the scents that are manufactured for that purpose.

I have seen plenty of 16-18 ft Nitros in that price range. I would prefer aluminum as well but that is just because of the locations I fish...I guess thats all a matter of preference.

Wow...I have a whole new approach on this situation now. My brother was thinking about getting a jon boat in addition to his Ranger so we came to the decision that it would be great if instead of me getting a bass boat too, I got a jon boat for rivers and getting into tight parts of lakes, and we used his boat for the bigger lakes that I couldn't use the jon boat on. Only problem is I have only researched bass boats. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look for in a quality jon boat. I have to think used is the way to go, but I could be wrong. I have heard that many of them have very slow leaks. Is this true? Looks like I am going to get out the door here spending much less than I ever planned. Thanks for the help!

I'm with Fishinyank...I spand the majority of my time on the water fishing dock on a lake in WI. I fish tubes probably 80% of the time and grubs the rest. Obviously I switch it up every now and then, but there really has been no need b/c those kill on this lake.

I was ging to say the same thing. There's an adhesive in the same section that you trowel on that works very well indoors or outdoors. It is the stuff that you put on the back of astro turf...basically a little thicker than rubber cement. It is pretty cheap too.

spinnerbait & ratl' trap

I have to say since i found this site, I hardly pick up a magazine anymore. The only thing I miss reading is "A Day on the Lake" in Bassmaster. My brother has his Bassmasters archived since the early 90's and we only take out the issues relevant to the time of year it is when we are planning a trip.