iceintheveins

Where would you guys focus your effort for post turnover bass with the water in the mid 50s in weedy gravel pits? The deepest water is around 18 feet, with most of the lake 15 feet or under.

Terminator Spinnerbaits with the skeeter skirt. Miss that color. Also risto and rattlin' fat raps, and some colors of the bomber model A and Excalibur Fat Free Shad.

Do many of you return to throwing hard jerkbaits for bass once the water is in the mid to upper 50s again in the fall? I'm thinking of heading out one more time before I get ready for ice season in December. Any other really good late fall lures that you use?

Senkos, flukes, ringworms, finesse worms, hula grubs, pit bosses, and 6" curl tail worms get the most use out of me for plastics. I fish clear to stained water as well, and prefer white, green pumpkin, baby bass, watermelon/white, and watermelon black flake are my main colors. These will all produce in shallow water.

I have a chartreuse crank I got in 1989, and it still works good.

One of my PQs is in it's 3rd season, and is loaded with braid for frogs and tough fights winching bass out of the cover. It still pretty much performs like new. Awesome reel and IS smooth.

Ten pound test is perfect for most jerkbaits, anything under 3/8 of an ounce I use spinning gear and 15 pound power pro braid and a 12 pound fluoro leader. It's your line.

Raul is on the money.

I prefer the size 8 X raps and the size 10 for bass.

I use about 65% to 70% baitcasters for bass fishing, and the rest spinning. Casting lures with a baitcaster seems to take less effort than with spinning gear, ESPECIALLY with heavier lures. They are more accurate as well, but I'm pretty accurate with my spinning gear too. Any lure under 1/4 of an ounce or line under 10 pound test calls for spinning gear, the rest, casting gear. Generally I think spinning gear works better for light balsa cranks, small - medium soft jerks (both fluke and senko type, and most smaller plastics. So they are still an important part of my arsenal.

I mostly use a 5 ratio reel because slow rolling works better than burning most of the time around here. But there are times in shallow water or when you need a fast retrieve that a 6 ratio is better. You need both IMO.

They do catch fish for sure, not as many as regular spinnerbaits for me though.

Lipless cranks flat out catch bass. The old standbys of Rat L Traps and Super Spots still bag the fish, though I love the shimmy of the red eye shad on the fall. I lose more fish on them when I'm ripping them out of the grass with braid and a graphite rod, but sometimes thats the only way to trigger bites when the conditions are tough. A good fiberglass rod and monofilament will help keep them buttoned too.

Stren Original or Power Pro.

Get a pair of Pflueger presidents and use the leftover money for tackle.

I've heard some people say the toad flips over and isn't steady without a double hook. Is that true?

I use a 4/0 on the rage shad and it works great.

Two over 5 pounds, my biggest bass on any lures are three 6 pounders. Lots of 3 - 4 pound fish too. They catch smaller fish on average than jigs or big plastics, but they do catch some nice fish,

I've found swimjigs come through clingy grass/weeds better than a standard arky head.

1/4 or 3/8

The magnum fluke calls for a 7/0 EWG and the fluke jr. a 1/0 EWG gammy.

I use a 3/0 EWG for flukes, or 4/0 if I want it to sink faster. I rig it upside down with the hook point in the belly slot. I fish them by letting them sink to the desired depth, and using a twitch/pause retrieve, varying the amount and intensity of twitches and the length of the pauses. Use lighter line and a slower retrieve helps you fish deeper.

The rage shad is by far the best. The eel has a spook like action and works too though.

Just curious, what lakes are you fishing?

Very, very versatile. Generally I use it near cover or outside weedlines, with a 1/4 ounce weight pegged to it and a 1/0 EWG for the baby size. A lift fall retrieve is great, and jiggle it on the bottom when it hits for a few seconds.