iceintheveins

I use them the same as any suspending jerkbait, though they have a more aggressive darting action than many others like a Rogue, Mcstick, or LC Pointer. Work them on a medium action graphite rod with a fast action on a SLACK line. It's a lure I use mostly in the 50 to 55 degree water and colder. Throw it out, and reel it down to it's diving depth. Throw a little slack in the line (use fluoro or braid for maximum action), and give it a couple sharp twitches downward with the rod tip (don't overdo it), then pause. To me, I will start with 5 to 10 second pauses in 40 to 50 degree water, and 3 to 5 second pauses in 50 to 55 degree water. I'll vary the amount of twitches from one to perhaps four. Develop a cadence, and if you get bit, remember that cadence and the length of your pauses, and that will probably be what the bass want. One really good tip I learned from watching Ike was to change your cadence every 20 to 30 casts until you start getting bit.

I like the Halo cranking II series. I use the 7'10" MH for my deep diving cranks. If you want a rod that handles squarebills and deep cranks up to the 5xd, I think the 7'4" MH would be best.

My friend is there fishing a tournament now, the bite is on and off good.

Correct, the Columbia is primarily a series of reservoirs and so is the Lower Snake. There are a few miles of true river below each dam before it backs up into another reservoir, with the exception of below Bonneville Dam, where the Columbia is true river until it hits tidewater downstream of Portland. The Willamette is more or less free flowing. I would fish mostly with heavy jigs and spinnerbaits in the main channel, but in low light conditions topwaters like a buzzbait can be killer.

I haven't fished Mohave, but in areas where you can access it, it should be good. Another option is Willow Beach further upriver, not far below Hoover Dam. MONSTER stripers, bass, and some big trout. However it's swifter and deeper than the Laughlin area because the river is only a couple hundred yards wide here due to the canyon walls. And yes, Davis dam is about 2 miles upstream of Laughlin, and is what forms Lake Mohave. Flows will run as low as 12,000 cfs at night and as high as 30,000 during the day.

Thanks guys. I've also heard of back splash guards installed on some bass boats. Are they worth it?

Skipping a frog has definitely been easier for me as well. Some tips I've learned are to have your tension set so the lure just barely falls, and have the brakes on close to max for learning. Even then you get backlashes, it's a hard thing to learn and takes practice, I'm still inconsistent as heck on it. Having the reel you use filled with less line, and using limp mono (in a higher diameter if necessary) help as well.

Tiny Paca chunk and zoom 3" creepy crawler, which is a small profile double tail grub.

Do you guys do that well on carolina rigs in heavily stained water (one to two feet of visibility)? I was thinking of using a bulkier bait like a black blue LFT Ring Fry or a Black worm or lizard, and a brass sinker with a glass bead for a little more noise than my usual tungsten.

I just started getting comfortable enough to start going fast enough to get up on plane with my bass boat. When I was shutting the throttle back down toward neutral to decelerate though, the boat comes off plane, the bow sticks up and I get a pretty good wall of water coming in (enough to get the carpet wet in the back of the stern and a little water in the bilge). How do I properly decelerate to avoid or minimize this? Someone told me to decelerate gradually and that should help.

Sand Hollow And Quail Creek, right near St. George, Utah. Sand Hollow is a very clear fishery so the bass often stay deep during the day (20 to 40 feet).

Fish the areas out of the main current for bass most of the time. The size of the river down here makes bank fishing difficult. One option is night fishing when they shut the flows off to much lower levels than during the day (electric power generation and navigation require more water in the river). Otherwise, it's often as wide or wider than a quarter mile with depths to 35 feet and SWIFT, so bank fishing is hard unless you're fishing backwaters.

The Columbia dwarfs it's tributary, the Willamette, but I understand bigger rivers are intimidating. The Columbia is so big, a river doesn't have to be even that close to it's size to be considered a "big river" in my book.

The four inch is the best all around size, but I use the 5" a lot. Don't use the smaller or bigger sizes hardly ever.

Fished with it once and caught a couple little ones already. Definitely casts further than the 3xd, but not dramatically so. I'd say the diving depth is roughly the same but it has a tighter action. Definitely a series I'll have to fill out (oh great says my wallet).

Funny how they are worried about boaters and recreation, but treated sewage is okay. That's the insanity of water utility managers for you.

I use a lot of 1/4 ounce to fish slow in shallower water, 3/8 for mid depths, and 1/2 for depths over 12 feet. Pepper Custom baits Fred Roumbanis Swim Jig is by far the best, in Gilly Gal, Green Pumpkin, and Black Blue. I use matching trailers, usually Zoom Fat Alberts, Mr. Twister Split Double Tails, and Zoom Swimmin' Chunks.

It can work on a swimbait hook with a little weight. But I don't prefer senkos and the like in heavy winds.

There has to be a minimum of 18" to fish a soft jerk or even a senko type bait for me. Two and a half feet is better, and they work well in any clarity above that.

SK 1.5 for clear or stained, Norman Fat Boy for murky. Natural forage colors in clear water, firetiger and other high vis colors in murky or heavily stained.

For the super fluke jr, I use a 1/0 EWG Gammy or Trokar.

I use a 7' M Abu Veritas with a Curado 6.3:1 or higher ratio and 10 - 14 pound fluorocarbon. For heavier lipless cranks, a 7' MH Veritas Winch and the same reel with 14 - 17 pound fluoro is great.

If they keep your gear though that's completely excessive, if they return it after the court case that's more reasonable. Like I said, I can see permanent seizure of gear for severe offenses, like being way over your limit, especially repeatedly.

Who else here gets frustrated because it's hard to find a good reel with a 5 gear ratio anymore, and most reels seem to be in the high 6 range, 7 plus, or 8 plus? Of course high speed has it's place, but in my experience you lose winching power in ratios above 7:1 or so. Reels with under a 5:3.1 ratio are almost impossible to find now.

A regular old plastic worm is still a GREAT bait for bass, especially in moderately tough bites.