iceintheveins

I catch tons of trout on larger inline spinners and crankbaits, and plenty of them on curly tail grubs and tube jigs. But to answer the question, sometimes lures you don't think of will produce bass, I have caught quite a few bass on inline spinners, spoons like daredevles, and even flies.

Lake Washington is good for smallies, as is the Lower Yakima River, and of course the Columbia.

I usually replace hooks. A little hone can do minor touch ups though. The automatic sharpeners ruin hooks and are a waste of money.

I use the #5 and #7 and bass love them. Those sizes are best for spinning tackle though.

Don't do it, you WILL get interference.

X2

Better when the water is calm, the forage smaller and the bass pickier. The Spook Jr. is a good lure too, in between the size of the pup and the regular spook.

I ordered a PQ last week, should get here tomorrow or the next day. Gonna be my froggin' reel.

At least in your states they don't kill bass and throw them on the bank to "protect" suckers and chubs here like here in Colorado. Tens of thousands of our bass, both largemouth and smallmouth, have been killed in our rivers or in ponds nearby the rivers.

Didn't they repeal the barbless hook/artificial bait thing last year? Still catch and release though. Barbless hooks only are one of the dumbest regulations in fishing. Thank goodness my state doesn't have them, as horrible as the Colorado Division Of Wildlife is. Why mandate barbless hooks when just about all scientific studies show no difference in mortality between barbed and barbless?

Bass will hit topwater anytime the water is above 58 or so degrees but the topwater bite really turns on above 65. During cloudy or low light conditions, when the temp is over 65, topwaters catch more bass for me than anything else.

I even caught a smallie on the 7" last year, about a 2 pounder.

I would think the 7" fluke in white pearl would be really popular in California in lakes where pigs get fat on stocker trout.

1. Suspending Jerkbait 2. Jig and pig 3. Senko 4. Centipede 5. Slow Rolled Spinnerbait 6. Lipless crank

I like the 3.5" gitizits, bass pro tender tubes, and the strike kings. I usually use motoroil, black/blue flake, white, chartreuse, and watermelon.

Just a flat out great lure that basically always catches bass unless the water is murky or heavily stained. Soft jerks period rule, especially for pressured bass. I usually use the 5", but I will use the 4" if I need a slower sinking lure and the bass are picky. The 7" I've used for pike but have caught bass on it, and a 14" bass has no trouble engulfing it.

I hate it with a friggin' passion!

They are like a harder version of the senko and they are good for aggressive bass.

What is your water clarity and primary forage?

Yeah I got the Pro Qualifier reel because it is on sale and it has a very high rating. My next reel will be a Curado, probably this fall when money isn't so tight.

I actually use spinning gear about 70% of the time when bass fishing, because I use a lot of finesse tactics like senkos, smaller worms, tubes, grubs ect. Smaller cranks and poppers also work better thrown on spinning gear. But if you are throwing deeper running cranks, most spinnerbaits, fishing in heavy cover, jigs, or frogs, baitcasting gear is the way to go. I generally use baitcasting gear to throw any lure over 3/8 of an ounce, but I can cast 5/16 ounce topwaters and 1/4 spinnerbaits just fine with a $50 quantum baitcast reel. Spin gear is best for lighter presentations. I also prefer heavier spinning gear for buzzbaits because you can't get an overrun and can reel the bait as soon as it hits the water. But I do pretty well with buzzbaits on casting gear too.

I just ordered a pro qualifier BC reel from BPS. How will this reel peform with 50 pound power pro? I intend to match it with a 7' H action casting rod to use primarly as a frog rod.

Natural colored or even clear plastics. Senkos, tubes, grubs, centipedes and fluke style soft jerks. A clear zara spook could also work, as can naturally colored topwaters in low light conditions. Keep trying live shad or other live minnows with minimal terminal tackle.

I generally use spinning gear for river smallies with 6 - 10 pound test line. I like Abu Garcia Cardinals and Shimano Saharas that are big enough to handle the line I want to use. Use flexible rods for cranks, spinners, and topwaters, and a stiff rod for tubes and grubs and other plastics.

Splash a lizard right on the bed with a heavy weight pegged on it.