Violinguy

Great question. I can certainly say I've tried different lures based on what someone has told me that day. I've also gone out and purchased a bunch of XYZ based on someone else's killer day.

Are you talking about the H2O Xpress cranks? I picked one up today. I can't wait to tie it on. Especially at that price. I can't wait to get back there when I have time to really look around.

I have only fished there one time, and it was with a guide. Best overall day of bass fishing I've ever had. No PBs for anyone, but lots and lots of 5 pounders all day. Based on what I remember, I can say I wouldn't go there by myself (no guide) if it were my first time.

I have no problem telling anyone anything when asked. I have a teaching background so I do love to help people who want to be helped. I told a guy at my local pond where, how, and how many fish I caught there that day. No problem. BUT I will never walk up to a stranger at a lake and tell them how or where to fish. First, I know I don't like unsolicited advice on anything, especially when I'm already frustrated. Second, I live in GA where lots of people carry guns and other weapons everywhere they go. Nothing wrong with it, you just never know what kind of people you're going to encounter. My safety comes first.

Picked up some Senkos for $5.99 today. Good price, but not great selection on color. I've never been to Academy until they opened a new store right up the road. It was very clean and they had lots of good fishing stuff. Since I was there for soccer stuff for the kids, and in a hurry, I didn't look deep to see if there were other deals. I'll surely be back.

In my experience, any lake that is featured in the DNR publications as a great lake for fishing usually sucks. When I was in college in CT, we would go a few times a year to Twin Lakes in the far NW corner of the state. In the "list" provided by the state, it was one of the top rated bass lakes in the state (and very very deep in spots so lake trout also). Well, we caught just about everything but bass there. Crappie, panfish, perch, pickeral, etc. Never had a bad trip, but never got on the bass. Without a boat, it's never worth going to the famous lakes in any state. Here in GA, we have Lanier and Alatoona, but I don't fish there because I don't have a boat and can't stand the crowds. George Sparks Reservoir (Sweetwater state park) is always mentioned, and it has good bank fishing opportunities, but I've never even had a nibble there. Yet, a tiny pond that doesn't even have a name in a county park near me produces 12" bass every time I go. Sure I'd rather catch bigger fish, but I also want to catch fish period. I'm going to try Sweetwater State park again this summer now that I have more confidence, especially with plastics, but being skunked in all 4 trips I've taken there, I don't hold out much hope. Probably rent a canoe - that'll help. Yeah...

I had a nice morning on my local pond, and it was easy (and a little painful) to know why. My thumb was raw after about 10 fish lol. I don't fish a lot, and even more rarely catch a lot so I don't have any kind of callus there where I lip bass. I didn't get any lunkers, but I'll take a day where I catch a bunch (10 or so) of 10-12 inch bass in under 2 hours. Most were the size of my second image. I even caught a dink on my first cast which was a nice bonus. All of them were caught with my light spinning outfit with unweighted Senkos and Yum dingers. I threw a swim jig with my casting outfit but only had a couple nibbles and no hookups. All in all, a really nice morning, and in the dreaded heat of a Georgia summer to boot!

Nice fish. Always a great day when you get a new PB

I have only eaten smallmouth once, and it was delicious. I rarely eat fish at all so I've never even thought of keeping LM. I've eaten all manner of panfish with perch being my favorite. Now, if I were crab fishing, it would be very hard for me not to keep every @#$%! one of them!

THIS. And, it's hard to hear surfacing fish nearby with headphones on. Like I said, I've never done it, but have been considering it.

I am hoping to join you. Tomorrow I am heading to my favorite local pond with new jigs. Never fished them before. Can't wait!

Yep, before I started leaving plastics in their original bags, I had many a bleed from bait to bait. Haven't had any melt though.

I fish primarily from shore and almost exclusively by myself. I also love music. I am reluctant to listen to music through headphones while fishing simply because I use all my senses including listening to make decisions while fishing. On the other hand, I think music would help ease the boredom of cast after cast. Not that I think fishing is boring, but you know how it is when you're fishing for hours by yourself and catching a fish once every 20 or 30 casts. Thoughts?

My favorite is whatever is catching fish that particular day. I love the way bass pound crankbaits but I also love the challenge of detecting strikes on finesse plastics. Back in the day, spinnerbaits were my favorite, mainly because I caught so many fish with them. Right now it's plastics. I'm going to try fishing some jigs tomorrow which is something I haven't done in many many years. Maybe that'll be my new favorite....

I'm pretty new to GA myself (Douglasville) and have been using google maps to find places to fish. It isn't easy because you have to sort out lakes that are private or no-access. It takes time and patience but there are lots of small ponds and lakes that hold decent bass. I've been fishing at Boundary Waters Park in Douglas county lately and have had some success there. It's a small lake but there are some 2-3 pounders in there. I have had the most success with plastics, Senkos and Yum Dingers mostly. Also lipless cranks seem to still be working. With the weather being hot, the fish are getting more and more finicky. Time to slow down and try to get to the deepest water you can find. With my next available expendable income I'm going to invest in a kayak or canoe to reach better water. I don't know when that will be, but it will definitely help.

So is this, like, common core bass fishing?

The heat of summer is upon us here in GA. It's pretty much Senko season from now until late Sept.

I've been working very hard at slowing my presentation with plastic baits like Senkos and other worms. What I mean is, not just waiting a few seconds once the bait hits the water, but waiting a full 20-30 seconds. Then waiting longer in between moving the bait. This is not an easy thing to do because it's hard to leave a slack line that long without checking to see if any bass ate the lure, but I assure you, once you learn to slow down a bit, catching more fish will keep you doing it. The only side-effect of this type of presentation is more gut-hooked fish - you don't feel them hit the bait and when you set the hook they've swallowed it. As you gain more experience, you'll get better at line watching and other techniques to minimize this.

Read THIS. Great post that is especially handy when you're fishing new water from shore. I usually take 2 or 3 rigs with me with the following baits: Plastic worm (Senko, Yum Dinger, Culprit), Crankbait, Inline spinner (Mepps, Rooster Tail). The inline spinner is my desperation bait. It'll catch anything so expect the unexpected (caught my PB rainbow trout with one while bass fishing in NJ). For a small pond (2-5 acres) it shouldn't take but a couple days (2 hours each day) to find a few spots that have fish.

That certainly is a nice fish, especially for south Jersey. I used to live in Monmouth county, but didn't do much fishing down there. Mostly in North Jersey where I went to high school.

This. Also, read THIS. If fish are not biting senkos or other finesse plastics fished slowly, then perhaps another lake would be a good idea. It took me about 3 trips (1-3 hours each) to locate my 2-3 spots on a small pond near my house. If I had fished there 3 times and not caught anything, I would move on. Slowing down and throwing slow presentation baits like Senkos/Yum Dingers etc. should help a lot.

I caught 5 bass yesterday, 3 on senko, 1 on Yum dinger, and one on lipless crank. The lipless crank fish was the most fun, and the only non-plastic catch since before spawn. It be Senko season down here now.

My dad actually turns spinning reels upside down for the retrieve. I never quite understood it, but he taught me to fish and has caught lots and lots of fish over the years. Good to know I'm not the only ambidextrous-retrieve angler. It's funny, the only reason I even noticed how I like my retrieve is when I ordered my casting rigs a few years ago and had to choose. I chose right hand retrieve without thinking since I'm left handed and then after I got 'em set up and in use noticed that my spinning rigs are left-hand retrieve. Oh well, whatever works.

In total, I have 3 spinning and 2 casting setups, all of which I use regularly. For some reason, I prefer to have my spinning rigs as left-hand retrieve and my casting as right-hand. I've tried a few times to switch the spinning reels since they are switchable but it just doesn't feel right. As a left handed person, I'm already a little strange but...

Funny, I caught my first bass on a lipless just yesterday. It was already tied on my casting rig and I hadn't used it all day. Decided to give it a couple of casts right before calling it a morning and WHAM. Small bass, but it hit like ton of bricks. Mine was a red crawdad XPS rattle. Love those things.