PersicoTrotaVA

Confident 90%, Color 7.33333333333333%, Type and Shape, 2.66666666666666%, .1% Luck Confidence is the biggest to me. If I'm not confident in what I'm throwing, then I'm not going to give it my best when it comes to presentation, and if the presentation sucks then I am just wasting my time. Color comes in next. I usually catch fish in my lake on darker colors. Today was a green pumpkin and watermelon red flake day. Color is important. Water clarity, sky color, water color and forage are all factored in to what color is going to work. This changes daily. That super awesome color that always works might not work that 1 day and I may have to go digging for something else, like I had to do today. Type and shape is 3rd but no slouch. Although not as important to me as the other 2 mentioned above, type and shape has a little to do with catching fish. Seasonal patterns usually dictates this but there are those baits that work 365 days a year like a jig and most plastics. I don't like throwing a crankbait unless its Spring or Fall. I don't like throwing a spinnerbait unless its Spring or Summer. Now I still go out with my favorite crankbaits and spinnerbaits but I hardly ever throw them, even though I have a crankbait tied on all the time. I have had days where I have caught them on multiple lures and I have days where they will only hit one type. That's why I love bass fishing. Every day is different, even on the same lake. And well luck...sometimes you just drop your spinnerbait in the water right next to the boat because you're bored as your fishing buddy is relieving himself of fluids, and as it falls a 5 lber inhales it and you win a tournament because of it. Yea that happened in a tournament I was in once but it wasn't me.

St Croix Mojo Glass. It's more around the $120-$130, but I wouldn't trade it for any other cranking rod in the same price range.

Just don't get a Livetarget...

Am I done buying for this year? Short answer, Yes. Am I done done? Heck NO! I almost have all the rods I want. It's getting to the point where I want 3 or 4 jig rods and 3 or 4 crankbaits rods just so I don't have to spend time retying baits on the same rod. I am almost done with my lure collection, still have a few plastics and some swimbaits I want to get but for the most part I'm pretty satisfied with what I have...as long as something new doesn't come along. I want to get back into panfish and crappie fishing so I am going to be buying more stuff for that this winter...oh and saltwater gear! Striper season on the bay starts tomorrow!

To be honest with you, a leader really doesn't do all that much for stealth. I went straight braid and caught numerous fish that way until I started to lose fish when a hook stayed on the line for a bit. I am also used to fishing from a boat but I still bank fish about once a week. Setting the hook is a little different on a 10 ft jon boat in water and solid ground. I tied on a leader of FC to have a little more stretch and give so the hook doesn't pop out as easy and I haven't been happier when bank fishing.

I won't go out in hard rain but light rain is ok. If it starts raining while I am already out I don't go running for the dock. I just keep fishing and I find I catch more fish. Lightning does scare me but that just means I am casting side arm more and staying close to cover and not fishing in the middle of the lake.

Get an ugly stick...

Trokar(Eagle Claw), if I am not mistaken...

That's the only way I have caught them. I haven't really tried any other presentations with it yet because its somewhat new to me. Next time I go out, I am going to try a football head and try bouncing it like a big wacky rig jighead.

Man I just put in an order from TW today...now my next paycheck is going towards another order hehe. Those things look awesome!

It's a casting jig and I toss into heavy cover and let it fall through. The worm head and tail shake back and forth and looks like a crawfish thats fleeing down or a fish or 2 running down to the bottom. I have tried bouncing it like a wacky rig as well, but I haven't had any takers on it that way.

It depends. If I am fun fishing, I usually go out with a plan to practice a certain technique. I always have my wacky rig with me just in case that doesn't work. During a tournament, I fish what I know and I have 3 or 4 rods rigged up and ready to go. Jig, crankbait, flippin worm/creature and my spinning rod. If I can't get a bite on a spot with any of those within 10 to 15 minutes, I move to the next section and repeat. I don't really have an order but I usually start with a crankbait, then the jig and then flipping the worm/creature and finally the wacky rig on the spinning rod coming in last.

I love jig fishing! Wacky Jig:

Usually its a crankbait but I have been really wanting to try Ish Monroe's "dropping bombs" technique. It seems to be a good way to cover a lot of water quickly and get reaction strikes.

Take a 3/8 oz regular casting jig. Now take a 3/8 oz Keitech Tungsten Casting Jig and set them next to each other. The Keitech has a smaller profile, same weight. Tungsten is great to have a smaller profile with the same weight to get down deeper as you would with a bigger bait. Works wonders when the bite is not on, especially on those high pressure blue bird sky days. Another thing I forgot to mention is the feel. You feel so much more with tungsten. Tungsten weight + braided line = fishfinder.

I don't look at it as brand name and off brand. Making baits is an art. There are some big companies that make crappy baits and there are some small mostly unknown companies that make amazing stuff. I like to look at it like craft beer. There are tons of great brews by microbrews that don't sell outside of their county let alone their state. Same thing with lures and baits, there are small mom and pop ops that don't sell baits outside of that 1 or 2 local tackle shops in their county. THESE are the companies I like to try out.

I'd get them all but I'll stick to 5: Firetiger Chartreuse Black Back Sexy Shad Green Shad Red Craw Others I like are Chartruese Sexy Shad, Green Gizzard Shad and Tennesee Shad. Also the Rootbeer colored ones. I used one of those today and it had a really nice flash in the water.

We are starting to get there but it's not quite there...

I don't know yet, I'll let you know what happens after today. First weekend I have taken off in 7 months and it's too nice to not fish.

My brother: "I have a good feeling about today." Me: "Don't say that, every time you say that, we have a bad day." So when I cast into a pocket near the shore a few minutes later, slow reel back. The fish comes out of nowhere and inhales my crankbait. I wait 2 seconds and sweep the rod back thinking its a 2 lber. 4 or 5 minute fight, 5.5lb bass on a 5'6 spinning rod. Let's just say I was jacked up for the rest of the day and my brother put 3 more 5lb+ fish in the boat one being his PB of 6.5lb. Both of us put numerous 2-4 lbers in the boat as well. His buddy caught a 7.5lb one that day too. I don't know what happened that day but they were all hitting anything we threw out.

I don't really change lures. I fish whatever lure I am feeling. Colors to me depends on time of day, water clarity and forage. I also try and see what colors are being reflected off the water. If I see more red coming off the water, I will tie on a bait that has red somewhere on it. If I see more green, I will tie on something with green somewhere on it.

Black, Big, Loud Since there is no structure, the fish are most likely more active at night. Find out what they are feeding on and match the hatch. This time of year depending on where you are, they are most likely feeding on shad so I would throw a black back chartreuse squarebill or other shallow running crankbait. Jerkbait could work well also. If it rattles, even better. Lipless crankbaits work well too.

Yea I plan in advance all the time. Get the tackle box ready, bring the baits I think will work, that kind of stuff. As soon as I get to the water and start fishing the plan, I soon learn my plan isn't the fish's plan.

I guess I am more positive about a spot than negative. My brother looks at it as a waste of time because there are no fish in that area that are actively feeding. He feels like he will miss fishing time in other spots. I always say to him, what about the 6 lber thats sitting under that stump thats laughing at us right now? We don't fish together much anymore.

I wish I could get my brother to do this when we fish together. I am like you as well. I like to pick a spot apart. He likes to give it 2 casts and move on, really gets to me because I know we are missing fish.