Fish Murderer 71

X2 I'll use a chatterbait first, before spinnerbaits.

7' medium/fast 15# abrazx on a 7.1 Lews tourney pro. I skip mine A LOT under docks...

anytime that wind isn't blowing over 15 mph or freezing outside!

I've been having great success with 3" soft plastic jerks and swimbaits. Been using them t-rigged with a 1/8 oz bullet and red glass bead and stroke them off the bottom.

wd-40... works like a dream as a cover scent...

mann's 30+ cranks at BPS

Water clarity is only half the equation... Think more along the lines of "light penetration". we have water clarity and ambient light, sunny, cloudy, and night time. The eye has three different light receptors, rods, cones, and ganglionic receptors. Rods require less energy to activate the receptor thus low light vision. Your retina has its majority of rod cells on the outer rim which gives you peripheral vision , and the inner core is cone cells bridged together with ganglionic cells. Thats why humans fumble around in the dark- we have more cone cells which require more energy for activation, but see color differentiation so well. Well, bass are the exact opposite they have more rod cells in the core of their retina and see better in low light situations than color differentiation. Motion is a subtle light change in a given area- rod cells easily activate the receptor, thus a little motion ( or light energy ) goes a long way when it comes to rod cell receptors. Colors matter, don't get me wrong, but color is more about the fish being able to differentiate between real and fake. To much light in a given area doesnt appear to be real, thats why we try to go natural ( or subtle colors) in clear water situations. and can use bright colors in murkey waters. Dark colors and blacks interfere with background colors thus giving us "motion" and are so effective in almost any given situation. Hope that this helps when you get hung up in the color selecting game. When in doubt- Black and blue!

In the 35+ years I've been fishing and eat what I catch... not once have I ever had a fish that tastes like weeds. So I guess with this mentality, Walleye taste like leeches, why do I bother fishing for them. Just fry me up some leeches and enjoy! Oh, and my deer tastes like corn and acorns ? I think not!

H20 Ethos micro guide crankin stick is what I have for my jerk baits. buttons up almost every fish that hits hits the bait! Even the hybrids with no problems!

I spend more on tungsten and gas than anything else... and I'll go through two or three bags of swimbaits and senkos a week

It's a sickness for some! I started out with a POS Pinnacle, 40$ combo. now its 300-400$ a set up... I sometimes wish I could go back to sittin all night at the spillway but its just not as much fun anymore, since I gave up drinkin and other illegal recreational habits

I eat almost any of the fish I catch. Lately I've been bring home the Spotted bass I catch and fry em up on the George Foreman when I get home. I generally catch and release the Florida and native strain LMB, but will keep the ones I think are going to die,

I' fish a couple of local open tournament, one on tues and one on thurs nights. I've only won one since I started last year. but I have caught one big enough for the championship at one lake and am in the top 25 for the championship on the other. Yes I love to win, but I fish against guys and gals that have been bass fishing a LOT longer than I have, so when I do place it's an ego boost!

I'm grateful for every fish I catch, dink to hawg...

I just couldn't imagine me fishing with just one rod any more. Before I knew better I would have had just a cheapy zebco from wal-mart and catch crappie and cats all night long down by the spillways.

This in my opinion is the best combo for the buck, and its the only place I can find it anymore PROMAX . I have one, and use it quite regularly for night time shakey head. 30# power pro super slick in Aqua green.

Glass can get heavy after a while, There are composites out there that are pretty good. I have a skeet reese S-Glass crankin stick that works like a dream for the 6xd's and I also have two of the H2O Ethos micro guide composites for jerks and cranks (square bill and mid ranges), no complaints there. I just picked up a All-star Big crank rod for the DD30's and DT20's . All of them run in the 90 dollar range. and all work well for their functions. Good Fishing to ya with which ever you choose.

Sparky, I recommend that you find something to read on "seasonal patterns" This is the starting point, or general knowledge. Each season, spring, summer, fall, winter the bass tend to act a certain way based on biological needs. From there, Patterning is an organizational skill of" what to do when..." it really only comes with time on the water and experience. We can give you our experiences, but they may not work for you. The first thing you really want to do is learn what your prey A.needs, B. likes, or C. tends to do. Each body of water is different and the fish act different. The best way to start developing a pattern is to record all the variables that were in use to catch the last fish. Time of day, location, water clarity, temp, depth, weather conditions, baitfish locations, lure, presentation, size of fish, how the fish attacked the bait. any information that may be pertinent to the moment you caught that fish. and then try to replicated as much of that information and see if you catch another fish. If you do, you just developed a pattern. Move to another spot on the lake and replicate from the information you gathered and it generally will produce another fish. Some days one pattern will work, another it wont... Thats where experience comes into play- how many different patterns have you tried with success. roll through the mental roll-a-dex until you find the one that works, or try something new. You have lots of lures, set-ups, and presentations mix them with the different conditions and we have an unlimited possibility of catching that Lunker. The main thing that you need to understand Patterning bass is all about time on the water, patience, and being aware of all the little nuances when you do catch a fish. Then being able to remember it all!

Then dont be the last man out!

JTHARRIS3 recommendation- Lews and the fenwick would be my vote. That combo would be the best bang for your buck! You can try the braid, but I would highly recommend some 12# mono to practice with before you load that spool with $$$$BRAID$$$$

and that sir, is why I keep a soft drag set on my reel. I had the biggest bass I've ever seen smash a worm at the boat and she swam off with it. just stood there and almost cried... I'm pretty sure people on the other end of the lake heard the four letter word I said a moment later.

When it all boils down, the only thing that matters is that you are a responsible outdoorsman. I pay a meager 68 bucks a year for my hunting tags and fishing license. and it ensures that my kids will have an opportunity to enjoy some of the things we do. If you see poaching report it! I will in a heart beat! I have met most of the Game Wardens in my area and I respect the job they are trying to perform- Law ENFORCEMENT! I say this because my Grandmother was a Game Warden in North Dakota for a long time. We the tax payers, pay these men and women to try to ensure that we all have an opportunity to enjoy the sport most of us go nuts over! They put their lives on the line for a meager wage, and have to deal with a lot of jerks and immature people. They put a book out at the start of the new license year- I, as a responsible adult and outdoorsman can take a few minutes to see if any of the rules have changed or I can learn it the expensive way. I'll say it again... If you see poaching- report it, it your duty! I'll get off my soap box now!

oh my! he said the Z - word... Shhhh! we dont have them in any of the lakes I fish yet!

back backlash after backlash with the smaller diameter- stopped happening when I went to the larger diameter. BUT, If its working for you... buy all means continue using it!

I kinda jammed it all together on that to keep it short. Sorry if it caused confusion, and Sam hit the nail on the head. Example: If your fishing really stained water with a bright noisy lure, your not going to slow roll it is what I meant... not trying to be a but head, but It's kinda a common sense thing.