phototex

Hollow-bodied frogs on the weeds - just wait for 2 seconds before setting the hook. If you set it before you feel the fish, you'll usually take it away from the bass. Takes some practice and some intense concentration (Say to yourself, "don't set the hook yet, don't set the hook yet," then hit him hard.

What's going on with the Texas Fishing Forum? Haven't been able to access it for days. I keep getting a "can't access the server" popup.

Take a look at this for cart ideas..... http://youtu.be/LjlK1IshnUc

Several years ago, I had a vocal frog named Oscar. I taught him to sing an old song - "Dinner Bell," (originally recorded by They Might be Giants). After he finally got the lyrics down pat, I took him down to the local pond, gently tied him onto a frog harness with weedless hook, and made a cast. As soon as he hit the water, Oscar started singing that song in his deep bass voice. It only took about 2 seconds, and a huge LM simply destroyed him and broke me off. No more vocal frogs for me. (Sorry, y'all - sometimes I just can't help myself.)

I wouldn't ever worry about doing so, as I fish only lakes.....and since I'm a fisherman, everyone thinks I'm lying anyway....so why not tell the truth? I usually do.

I've lost a couple of DD bass, and those were bad...but the worst was getting sprayed by a skunk when I let my boat drift too close to the bank one night.

After dark, I seldom use any lure that's not black - black single-spins with black blades, black Jitterbug, black Musky Jitterbug, black buzz baits, black jig & pork, and black worms. A PB 8-12 LM was caught on a black Jitterbut at midnight. My PB SM hit a black single spin with black metalflake Colorado blade and black Sin-Sation trailer...also around midnight. If I'm using a topwater hard bait under a full moon, I might go with a white or grey belly plug, but that's about the only exception to my "rule."

I like both, but prefer sunrise when the air temps are above 40. However, 2 of my 3 biggest bass were caught at noon.

Black muskie Jitterbug (Lake Fork, TX), black Jitterbug, Black buzz bait, black single-spin, black worm, black jig & pork.

It's new to me, too. On my last trip, thin, 4" whacky worms outfished the same worms T-rigged 2 to 1. Who woulda thought?

Congratulations!

I dearlly love photography, but my cameras have been gathering (too much) dust lately due to bassin'.

I've never heard this before, but it could be true. After all, TV is TV. However, Bill - in his early days - also did quite well on the Bassmaster tournament trail.

Here in Texas, it's either late May or early June on into late September or early October. Baits? Depends on where I am and what I'm fishing for. My two biggest SM, a 5-02 and a 5-00, I caught near midnight on a black single-spin with black blafe and black trailer. Those were in Newman Lake, Washington, as was an 8-18 LM on a black Jitterbug. Those are two lures I always have tied on at night. I also throw a 10" black worm, Texas-rigged, and a 1/2 to 3/4 oz black bucktail jig with a pork trailer - either a Split-tail eel or a 9" eel.

I need to concentrate on what my lure is doing, and music/chatter is too distracting for me. Each to his own, though.

I like mine best basted with butter while grilled over charcoal and oak bark. Ambosia!

Yeah, RW - I'm an old fart. BTW - those are beautiful smallmouth in your avatar photo!

The worst I ever saw was back in the mid 70s at a San Antonio Bass Club weigh-in at the Medina Lake State Park ramp. There must have been about 75-80 of us watching when a BIG motor home pulled up to launch a 16' bass boat. After his multiple tries to line his rig up on the ramp, we were in hysterics. The driver was finally successful in getting his rig lined up, and then he backed it down to float the boat off the trailer. When he tried to stop the motor home, he must have hit the accelerator instead of the brake. A few seconds later, the only thing we could see was the air conditioner on top of the motor home and the very top of the windshield. He had not yet loosened his tie-downs, so the boat didn't float off, either. It took 2 wreckers almost an hour to pull him out. Even though it was a real expensive tragedy for the owner, we couldn't help ourselves - we laughed until our sides hurt. Shame on us, right? OMG, it was funny, though!

I have been keeping single-page, paper fishing logs of every bass fishing day I've spent since 1973. Normally, I record most of the following: date, lake name, who I fished with, where I launched, fishing start and stop time, temp range for the day, water temp, depth of 68° to 72° range, lake level, weather, wind direction and strength, water clarit, brief description of feeding activity, fishing depth, a paragraph of "notes," and - for every fish caught: time, weight, depth, lure, location, and remarks. I don't always record every item, but I usually record what I considered important for that day. This has helped me immeasurable when I go back to the same body of water in subsequent years. I just repeat what has worked there the same dates in previous years, and the bass are almost always doing the same thing they did in the past. For example, here is my log from May 30th, 1992: Lake: Ray Roberts WX: partly cloudy, warm, and calm until noon; then overcast and windy Wind: ESE @ 10-15 after noon Water temp: 72° or so at surface Launched at: Buck Creek Park Fished from: 0500 until 1645 Fished with: alone Fish log: 0522 - 4lb,12oz - 6'-8' - Black single-spin with black blade and black trailer - E side of railroad bridge 0529 - 1-04 - 6' - Black single-spin with black blade & trailer - E side of RR bridge 0626 - 2-08 - 4' - 6" purple Phenom worm w/ yellow tail - E side of RR bridge 0658 - 1-04 - Surface - 1/4 oz chartreuse & white Lunker Buzz - highway riprap,E side of south RR bridge 0749 - 1-08 - S - 1/4 oz chartreuse & white Lunker Buzz - first cove E of highway, on S side 0757 - 1-00 - S - 1/4 oz chartreuse & white Lunker Buzz - parallel to bank E of last fish 0807 - 1-14 - 3' - 6" purple Phenom worm w/ yellow tail - E of last fish, in isolated stickups 0912 - 0-12 - 7' - Texas- rigged Black lizard with yellow spots - fence row on N side of Buck Creek, across from last fish 0915 - 0-14 - 5' - same lure - same fence row, just W 0926 - 1-00 - 8' - same lure - same fence row, just W 1040 - 2-08 - 3' - same lure - E of fence row on north side of arm, across from Big Tree hole 1235 - 3-00 - 2' - same lure - isolated tree E of last fish 1248 - 3-08 - 5' - same lure - same tree as last fish 1345 - 1-12 Crappie - 5' - Black lizard with yellow spots - same tree as last fish 1352 - 1-00 - 4' - 6" purple Phenom worm w/ yellow tail - point between old roadbed & cove, in tree line 1526 - 3-08 - S - 1/4 oz chartreuse & white Lunker Buzz - point on N side, just E of highway 1617 - 5-04 - S - same lure - cove E of highway, on N side 1625 - 3-04 - S - Same lure - just W of last fish 1634 - 3-04 - S - Same lure - E side of N highway riprap + 6 others less than 1 lb each; ended up with 223 bass, 1 white crappie Biggest 10: 32-10 Biggest limit: 3 for 13-08 Total: 18 bass for 43-00 + 6 small fish I fished Ray Roberts just about a year later, and caught fish on the same lures in just about the same places. Hope this helps.

I'm in! It's never too late to learn!

Try to remember that there are simply a lot of people out there who need full-time proctologists.

I've caught bass under schools of shad like that at Lake Livingston (Texas)on tailspinners and spoons....but not often. Usually, topwaters work better for me.

Way to go - congratulations! Any PB is a great accomplishment and a great feelling. Now you can shoot for your first six!

For the biggest smallies, I like to fish rocky dropoffs at night with a 3/8 oz. sinle spin - black blade, black skirt, black trailer.