gulfcaptain

I have both, and while I've never had any problems with the micros, I would be more concerned about the amount of line guides you have on the rod which eliminates line slap on the blank and distributes the load better across the whole blank. Being you're looking for a crankbait rod, either will work fine. Yes, if you use micros, your knot from braid to flouro has to be small and tight to keep from hanging up. I keep the line on my micros no more then 30lb braid to 17lb flouro, anything heavier I go to standard or minima guides.

Well when I lived back in Oklahoma fishing the river that fed the lake I lived on I learned a few things. They don't like to sit in current, so anywhere you see where something can break that current you're probably gonna find a fish holding. Look for the deeper pools or areas of the river where it slows. Don't try and fish the whole area, find an area you can concentrate on an really look and study the way it flows, where if any weed patches grow, old timber/trees and brush that can and probably hold fish. Big rocks where your SM will stage. Search river fishing articles on here and read. The canal that feeds into the river, is there a deeper area close by with slower waters...ie backwater pool? If there is that would be a good area to fish pre-spawn LM, and yes your canal would be a good spot for them to spawn, especially if you have caught them there in the summer months. Always remember, fish upstream and not down, fish face the current and wait for food to come to them.

I have 2 different set ups, have a 6-6 mh Vendetta with a Quantum Code and 20lb braid for the smaller frogs....IE live target field mouse and frogs. Then my other set up is a 7" mh Falcon with a Quantum Kenetic and 30lb braid. Also have a 7'3 Falcon if I need a bit more I can use that has an Accurist on it and 30lb braid that also is my lighter punching/pitching set up. And I really like the Ish's Phatt Frog and Poppin Phatty. Easy to walk and they don't sink. And going to be using the Sproz's bronze eye shad as well. I probably fish lighter braid then most, but I haven't had any issues getting fish out of the weeds on 30lb. I think anything else is overkill. Just my opinion.

Grass that thick, get the flipping rod out and go to punching with a 3/4 to 1oz tungsten weight.

can you float tube it or like the above comment, use a small water craft. If so work the outer edges of the weeds. The deeper lily patches would be a great idea as they may be staging on it. It looks like you have a creek that runs into it as well(drainage canal), Bet the point is steep and that would be a good area. Buddy had one of these behind his house in Louisiana and I took a dropshot to them. The neighbors didn't even know there were that many bass in there and it was in the middle of July, And if you want a bigger fish, try a bigger bait. Try a larger wake bait, or try a 6" huddleton swimbait or the 68 special and see what happens. Remember, big fish like a big meal, and the less work they have to get it the better. I wish I had a pond like that behind my house.

also being 45 degrees, the shad are gonna be in the warmest waters they can find which is probably where you will find the bass waiting to pick off the weak for an easy meal. I would stay in the 6-10ft range.

Wow, where I'm from the water never gets below 50 and when it does its cold. If I was you, I'd focus on Smallmouth. They seem to tend to move more in cooler water....ie, few days after your ice disappears. Look for staging areas, rock piles, ledges, humps, areas close to spawning flats. Pre-spawn, lures seem to be lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits., the spawn, soft baits (senkos, flukes, dropshot worm, tubes) and jigs work well around the beds. And well if you have both you could probably fish the SM on beds and then work weed edges or other staging areas for LM in their pre-spawn. Then post-spawn, tubes, wakebaits, spinnerbaits, topwater, all work as they are feeding. Look for them to hang around the same area where they spawned. Any cover close by will more then likely hold them while they re-coup from their spawning activities. SM I believe use more rocky areas as where LM will use a hard bottom, old lily pad beds, and wood to spawn. This would be my game plan if I lived up around where you do.

Good job, took my son out for the first time this year a few weeks ago to a local pond. After about 30min of course he was bored, tough fishing, but after a couple hrs I got one on an Ika and he caught one on a wacky rigged senko (he reeled it in) and I missed one other. That's the best part of the time change, more daylight after they are out of school to take them fishing. His only problem, he wants to catch A LOT. Couple more months and those bluegill better watch out.

Man this takes me back. Used to live on T-Bird just east of Norman, sure you have fished there. Look for the deeper points with a creek bed, if there's standing timber close by even better. I'd fish a jig slow on the timber, or if you have one, fish an A-Rig on the points where a creek channel is close as so they can transition and fish that slow. If they are there and suspended, that set up may set them off. I'd stay on the North side of the lake, it's probably gonna be warmer and look for the primary points closest to the main channel or a creek. Good luck.

Ah the golf course, great places to fish. Around my house the only thing other then goltfer you need to worry about are the police helicopters. But other then that, look at how the pond is laid out. Is there an inlet pipe that flows water? Does it have a fountain? Is there a creek running into it? Does it have a few points, bulkheads holding up the bank? Is there big trees next to it? Look at how the bank is, does it drop sharply off? Most courses around where I live have a grade and then a trough to collect the balls......normally about 3-4ft of water and it acts like a shelf. Weeds seem to grow just off of it. If there are fountains, where do the pipes run....structure to fish. Study the pond and look at the small details, a sign in the water could hold a fish. If there isn't much cover...(grass and reeds) then the other stuff will hold fish. Note where each fish was caught as well as they may give you clues to where they are.

I bank fish, and if you pay attention to details just walking along you can learn a lot as well as catch quite a few fish. Also, look into a float tube if the waters you fish allow this, it can give you the access to waters and structure/cover you couldn't fish from shore. Most lakes in S. Cal don't allow this for me, but the few that do and the few times I've gotten to do it you can get right up on areas and if the water is deep enough the fish don't spook. The rush of catching a 5-6lb bass from a tube is a rush as you get spun around and pulled. This might give you a way to get off the shore and try something new.

everyone is going big, I'm gonna say 3-13.

I would say no to seeing one eat a snake, but they eat frogs, ducks, rats, mice, small birds that end up in the water (all of which I haven't seen them eat either but they do) and anything else that will fit into their mouths. So being opportunistic hunters/feeders I wouldn't rule out that they wouldn't given the chance and the right situation a small snake would probably make a fine meal.

Also, clear water you may want to try colors like green pumpkin, watermelon,....etc. Subtle colors seem to work best in clear waters.

clear water, try a dropshot. fish a 4-6" worm either wacky or nose hooked. I like Keitech's Swing Impact or Live Impact in the 3.5 or 4". Or try a wacky rigged senko weightless and let it drop slowly or a nail weight in one end if you need it to sink a bit faster.

I'm like most, I love the challenge of trying to figure them out. Once you do then it's game on. I know all of us who bass fish love getting on a pattern where we are catching just a few more fish then others. It's the challenge to get a big bass to eat a piece of plastic/wood. The excitement of hooking one once you have presented you lure just right to get the bite. But also, while you are in a mental game with the bass, and as hard as you are working, it's an escape from the outside world and at that point nothing else really matters but you and the fish. That and the fact that all bass anglers are addicted and obsessed with fishing tackle.

yeah I would agree with WIguide. Fish bigger baits, or fish in the nastiest weeds/cover that you can find. Being from S. Cal, I would try a swimbait/wakebait. Where you are, a 6-8" floating swimbait/wakebait/rat would be a good idea, maybe a MS Mini slammer, or try the whopper plopper.

Also didn't mention the water color. Is it clear, stained, or muddy? And like the others, without any contour lines it would be hard to pick a spot. Also, is there brush, logs, stumps...etc. Need to find the cover. I would locate some deeper structure...drop offs, rocks, humps..etc off of a primary point which has some cover close by. If you have an area where the fish can move vertical from deeper water to shallow cover without going very far that may be a good place to fish and I'd probably fish a jig around the cover. Look for wood close to deep water and fish slow. If you think you are fishing slow, then fish slower.

baits I have no confidence in would be the ones I don't buy nor have any interest in even using.....so I guess that would be brush hogs and 8-10" worms.

Academy's H20 rods are all IM8 and are about $10.00 over your price mark but are light and sensitive.

ok, for the 2 items combined...combo set up, I'd probably start looking at BPS combo set ups. Or you could look at Academy's store brand H20 line. They make a crankbait rod(IM8 composite) that is around 59.99 as well as others that are just graphite with styles in regular as well as micro(79.99) and have a few of the H20 reels that you can get right around 69.99 to 79.99. I have 2 of their casting rods that are IM8 and 1 spinning rod as well as one of their H20 reels and haven't had any issues and have had them for over 2 yrs.

I have the 7' M Falcon Bucco Micro and love it. It's a bit softer which I like and the butt of the rod isn't too long. Run you about $130.00

I would say that it's fine, oil as you would normally on a monthly basis and keep fishing. I fish saltwater and yes, I hose them down pretty good just to make sure I get all the salt off of them, even if I didn't fish with it, just being in the air you can get salt creep. And I had a spinning reel end up in the lake after a catfish managed to get it out of the rod holder my son was watching(supposed to have been anyways). Hosed it off, oiled it up and it's still doing just fine.

I would have to agree with Tom, as well as a few others, but like throwing them in the dark as well. . But the main thing is throwing the bait/baits and having faith in the bait your fishing that it's going to get bit and sticking with it. YOU have to figure out what will work on your body of water. I fish a handful of places and what may work on 2 may not even get looked at on another. The baits you listed I wouldn't throw anything on more then 20lb as line heavier then that may kill the action as well as in clear water be seen. I fish big swimbaits and use 25lb flouro in clear water and 25lb mono when it's a bit stained. Wakebait work great in the dark, over bluegill beds when they are keying in on them. Glide baits are a bit more of a suttle presentation and work well in clear water. But nothing will beat time on the water fishing them and learning what works for you.

The umbrella rig wouldn't be a bad option either slow rolled on the main points as well. Believe that is what the record was caught on as well if I remember right.