iceintheveins

Cavitron buzzbaits are the best. I like the 1/4 ounce model with a black skirt and a trailer hook. I throw them on 12 - 14 pound test mono with heavier spinning gear. I prefer spinning reels over casting reels for buzzbaits because sometimes with casting reels you have to peel off loose line to prevent backlashes, so your buzzbait is already sinking. With spinning reels, you can engage and retrieve as soon as it hits the water. As far as using buzzbaits, I use them when the water is warmer and the bass fairly aggressive. They are at their best when trying to cover water in shallow, cover filled areas, or whenever you need to draw fish out of cover to hit on top. Due the fact that they provoke reaction strikes, I use buzzers during the day more than I do other topwaters, though buzzbaits are still almost always best during mornings, evenings, or cloudy days. BTW, buzzbaits are a LETHAL lure for pike.

That is one heck of a pig. I am with most of you guys, I feel ALL trophy fish should be released, not just bass. Replica mounts are better than skin mounts these days, and if you want fish to eat, smaller ones almost ALWAYS taste better.

The only time I use a crankbait with weight is when I'm trolling it in deep water, when I will use a carolina rig or a bottom bouncer. Most of the time, you just tie on a crank with a rapala knot and start fishing. I have better luck with cranks when I can tick the tops of weeds or bump rocks and wood.

This time of year I would use a 3" tube in natural crawfish or baitfish colors with enough weight to get it to fall to the bottom. Senkos and hard jerkbaits are also good options. When the water warms more, a shallow running crankbait fished with a stop and go retrieve is good, as is a slow rolled spinnerbait.

I use spooks and walking baits when the bass want an actively moving topwater. Most of the time I prefer poppers though. With the rapala skitterpop, and can pop it AND walk the dog at the same time with the same bait. So you might try a skitterpop in the same areas.

I use a trailer when spinnerbait fishing always unless there is very heavy weedgrowth. On buzzbaits I use a trailer at ALL times.

I use spinning gear for pretty much all bass applications unless I'm fishing heavy cover or throwing lures 1/2 an ounce or over. Six to ten pound test is plenty for any bass if you are away from cover. Since smallies are more often found away from heavy weed and brush growth, I generally use spinning gear for them. It's only when you are fishing cover that you need to beef up your line.

Colorado has very good trout fishing and excellent pike fishing, though the bass fishing is fair if you know where to go. This time of year, with the colder weather (and with most lakes now unsafe to ice fish), I would go with trout. Fish the South Platte River below Spinney Mountain or 11 - mile with either flies or spinners or crankbaits.

I use braid for just about all hard jerkbait applications. I will use braid if I need extra depth out of my crankbaits too.

How is the action of the bomber long A? Is it more like an x - rap or a husky jerk?

I always carry at least one pointer, one x - rap, and one husky jerk.

I rig a 5" fluke on a 3/0 EWG gammy and 6 - 10 pound test line unless fishing heavy cover. I let it sink to the desired depth, and then will slowly twitch it in, with long pauses. I alter the number of and intensity of the twitches and the length of the pauses to make it behave like a wounded baitfish and the bass just hammer them.

I usually fish my senko with a slow retrieve that consists of a pull/twitch, then a long pause. I will alter the number of twitches and length of the pauses. Almost no way that I won't catch bass.

If you think that's bad, in my state (Colorado), a very special river is being systematically destroyed because the bass aren't native there, and that they are unfairly blamed for contributing to the demise of native suckers and chubs. Well over 35,000 smallmouth bass, 10,000 pike, and 10,000 Channel Catfish have been killed in Colorado's Yampa River. The data shows it has not increased numbers of native fish, and it costs millions of dollars each year. Who is doing it? The US Fish and Wildlife and the Colorado Division Of Wildlife. The smallmouth fishing in the Yampa is still world class, and it's still the best pike fishery in Colorado. But this destruction is senseless and should be STOPPED!

Takes a lot of practice, hey I STILL get backlashes even though I've been fishing casting reels for almost ten years. The spool tension is probably more important than the braking system. You want your lure to slowly fall and when it hits the ground, you DON'T want coils of line to jump off the spool. The more expensive reels with better braking systems do backlash less.

With the 5" I use an EWG gammy 3/0, and rig it with the hook in the belly slot. On the 4 incher I drop down to a 1/0. I always fish them weightless. If I'm using a weight with my plastics, I would rather throw a worm or a lizard. The fluke's strength is it's slow, erratic fall that perfectly mimicks a dying fish.

I'm going to buy a staycee on payday and try it if I see fish suspended deeper.

The 4" lizards are great when bass aren't aggressive enough to hit the 6 incher. I rig it with a 1 EWG gammy and a split shot. Great lure.

Baby bass!

X - Raps rock and might be my favorite jerkbait, even over a pointer. I would say the pointer has an action in between an X - Rap and a Husky Jerk.

Four inch white creme yamamoto senko rigged weightless and texposed on a 1/0 EWG Gammy with 6 - 10 pound line.

Is the yo zuri soft line pretty manageable or does it have a lot of memory?

They work well, similiar action to a wiggle wart.

Pepper Hawg jigs and the Strike King Denny Brauer models.

Norman deep little n's will dive about 12 feet for me on 10 pound test. Using thin braid and a fluoro leader will give most baits an extra foot or two as well.