Needemp

I think Bill is a great teacher. Some people can do things great, but they cant tell you how they do it. And then some people can not only describe how to do it, but tell you things that you wouldnt have even realized you needed to know. Hes like that in my opinion. So far,out of all the criticisms I have heard from people, none of them hold any water to me. I wish I "HAD GONE FISHIN WITH BILL DANCE TODAY"

That had to be one of the funniest things you have ever seen. I'm laughing pretty hard just at the mental picture I have and also at the facial expression of that fish after he landed in the boat.

I noticed a few ex-member titles next to some names. Why wouldsomeone become an ex-member? Why not stay registered?

All you can do is what you think the right thing is. You obviously care about this dude, and if you think he would want you to go, then go. It might make him feel bad that you canceled because of him. I say go!

It's like ain't texan said, you really don't want a lure that you have doubts about. Whats been happening to me is that I also have 5 rods set up, and I will use them all till I catch a fish. Once I catch a fish on something, I now have confidence and will use that lure till the fish tell me not to.

good article

Good stuff on Lateral lines

Pretty good stuff

This is good stuff.

I learned from KVD that you should find out what color your crawdads are in the lake you are going to fish and match accordingly. In many lakes they are brown, but in one particular lake I fish, they were blue. I don'trecall blue crawdads when I use to catch them as a kid, but I might not have payed attention. BTW I live in St. Louis. What color are your crawdads in your neck of the woods.

That is a good point. Do you know any good links dealing with the biologics of baitfish (Mainly bluegill, young crappie, and shad)?

Mehico- here I come. Uh, :-? you do have an extra room right? If not, I'll give you time to buy a bigger house ;D ;D ;D

How to catch a 10 pound bass everytime out! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

My statement was more about professional fisherman, tourny-men and television/magazine hosts. There are a lot of fisherman that can go to any lake and catch quality bass given a little time. I can't do this, but I have figured out a few little things that work and that I have never read about or heard. It's just some of the little things I have noticed that improve my quality of catch.

I started to realize this year that expert fisherman don't tell all thier secrets. I think that most, if not all, will hold on to the really good stuff. And I don't think they should spill all. If a person puts all that work and time into this sport, they should keep the really good stuff they find from others. What it seems like they do is kinda point you in the right direction and then you have to work hard to solve the mysteries. And to be honest, I like it that way. I would just like to know how much some of these pros really know. Does anybody feel the same?

My goal is to first fish tournaments, then win them, then get sponsered, then win a bunch more and then eventually win the angler of the year award... Lets see what happens!!!

Maybe its a lack of goals. Do you have any goals you would like to accomplish? If you don't, then maybe search for some and set out to achieve them. Meeting goals is very self-satisfying and it can help make bass fishing a little more than bass fishing. This is what keeps me going.

Thanks guys for the responses. That gives me an idea. I know there was some confusion about what I meant in the question. What I was talking about was the actual bites that no doubt about it you had a bass on. I wasn't refering to the bites we get that we don't know about. That would be kind of hard to keep track of, at least for me anyways lol! I'm not even talking about the ones that could be the bottom or a limb or something like that. What I was talking about was the ones that you could definately say "that was a hit". I know some could be bluegill, catfish, etc., but you cant always tell, so they get counted.

I was curious, how many of your hits on a normal day (not counting ones that you know are bluegill, etc.) end up in the boat? I'm curious to find out how many people keep track and what the normal percentage is. I have been landing on average 75% of my strikes, which may or may not be a good percentage, but it's for sure better than my old ratio. I have had days where when the bass are hitting real light, I only land 10%, but I also have had days where I land almost every bass that I fool. But those are very rare days. Anyway, just curious of your responses.

A 7.5 pounder and a 5.5 pounder on a crankbait. And two 4.5 pounders and another 5.5 pounder on yum crawbug. Needless to say that this has been my best year so far! ;D

Thanx for your response. I usually fish from shore on week nights. So the sonar doesnt really come into play. But I have read articles and heard people say that it can be done.

I fish a bottom bumping lure on a 6 1/2 and a 7 foot rod. I use braided line. When I let the lure drop, I can feel the lure hit the bottom. My question is how do I tell what it is made of?

Hey Avid, thats a good point about those bass seeing lures swim toward the shore. See, I love this forum. I learn new things all the time. The only thing better than learning this stuff is using it to catch dem hawgs!

I wish this lake had cover away from the shore. I believe that because the only forage in the lake is bluegill and young crappie, that these fish are going to be hard to find and entice. I dont know if these young fish school up together or not. I suspect the crappie do, but if that is the case, then those schools usually stay in the shallow mostly and the bass are heavily pressured there. They get used to seeing spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and the rattle of crankbaits by fisherman everyday. In early spring, I got my 7.5 pounder on a spinnerbait and a crankbait (long story). Then I got my 5.5 pounder on a crainkbait. Ater that night, I have not had a quality bite on any of those lures. I caught my other 5.5 and 4.5 pounders on baits that are more realistic to the forage of that lake. All these fish were caught in the shallows when they are not used to seeing any pressure at all. Now that they are off shore, it is making it difficult to find them, but I will, one way are another. I guess what I want is 'The Great Bass God' to come down and tell me what to do, but he never bothers to, oh well!

Thanx for all the responses. Christmas trees are not legal. The lake literally is flat. It does go from 10 to 30 feet, but it is very graduale. To show you what I mean, the lake tapers off to the deep end probably at a 10 degree angle. That pretty much provides no real ledge or dropoff for bass to ambush prey. This lake is just old and has settled to a flat bottom. Trust me, I can go to every other lake in my area and find something to target. This lake literally doesnt have anything. I used my depthfinder for 2 hours one day and four hours the next. I know its wierd, and I didnt believe it when one of the locals told me that there was nothing out there, but now I know he was right. So how in the world do I fish this lake? How can I find the location of the current without any physical signs of the channel? Has anyone else fished a lake like this and how was your success? Thank You!!!