corn-on-the-rob

Yea I agree completely, but they collected tons of information over a decently long period of time, yet neglected to collect critical information as well that should have been done alongside. Obviously they can go back and test the waters that they collected data from, and while it certainly would be telling, it would not be as credible as the levels fluctuate and may be higher than they were or in the opposite case, non-existent though they may have been present at the time they tested the fish. It is just a little frustrating to me. I am going to conduct a study to record the top speed of 10 random vehicles, then because I suspect it, I will attribute the fastest one's speed to having more HP, then present my study with out ever looking under the hood to see if that was actually the case. I actually don't know much about these chemicals, I shall return!

As much as I am intrigued by this information, I was pretty much stopped dead in my tracks when the words "researchers did not test the water" were uttered. From what is presented here, regardless of likeliness of the actual cause, is merely speculation. This leaves too many questions: Has there always been inter-sex characteristics present in a "normal" population of bass that has been relatively unaffected by unnatural chemical influence? If so, what percentage? Is it increasing? At what rate? Can this just be a natural fluctuation or change in nature? They mention these "changes" but are bass with inter-sex characteristics unable to reproduce properly? If they can, what are the other possible negatives? Are there any benefits to these characteristics? Are these specific endocrine disrupting compounds the only possible culprits? Etc, etc, etc. I am all for protecting these waters and doing whatever is necessary to more strictly regulate these chemicals, but without data to support and identify an actual cause and its actual impact, it's really hard to facilitate change.

3'' Green Pumpkin Grub on a smaller weedless head. Anytime, anything, anywhere, any presenation.

I think the biggest issue you have here is that all jerkbaits are not "suspending". Instincts tell me the ones that don't suspend were models designed to do what they actually did, not suspend. The shadow rap is designed to slow sink, The mcstick is design to suspend at LOW water temps, which can have a significant impact on a lures buoyancy at other temperatures. There is a floating model of the smithwick jerkbait, but you didn't specify the model. If the clunn and the LC baits slowly float, that can actually be a good thing. You can always make your jerks sink, but not float. You can add suspend strips to the bottom or you can attach small split rings to the hook's ring, for just a little weight. Also, were you testing these lures out on the water or in the kitchen sink? I am only asking because I have had skewed results using the sink method haha.

I as well. As a younger angler I am glad I got to learn on it in order to have a good understanding of bottom layout and content. Most other guys my age that jump in my boat have no clue what that "red flashy light" is.

http://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Bullet-Bass-Weedless-Jig-Molds-P256C56.aspx The larger cavity mold has the weights similar to your range, also accepts bigger, stouter hooks. The bullet shaped head works well in grass.

While "college" tournaments started in the early 90's, the major sponsored college series' started in the late 00's. The 3 biggest players are FLW, BASS, and Fishlife. Many colleges have fishing clubs or teams that they then affiliate with one of the aforementioned circuits. Fishing clubs must be officially recognized by the university in order to compete. Most clubs must raise their own money by having dues and fundraisers. Overtime they may raise enough to purchase club equipment like boats or rods but most anglers use their own personal or family-owned boats and gear. Some, but not all, clubs do get help from their respective college/university to help deter equipment/travel/lodging costs. You also must be a registered full-time student in good standing and an official member of the club to compete. Some colleges have official fishing "teams" that are recognized and supported by the university. These teams are much more likely to get financial support for team equipment and scholarships. As long as the college angler meets the requirements, whether they are apart of a club or team does not matter to the circuit, it mainly affects university involvement/support. The university then chooses to send a team or teams (depending on the circuit) to each qualifying tournament in their predetermined region. There will be a certain place you must finish higher than in order to move on to the next tournament, some have multiple steps before reaching the national championship in their own series. These tournaments do not have entry fees to keep the cost to compete down for college kids. But on the same note, there are no personal winnings. The same reason a collegiate football player cannot be paid. There are winnings that are awarded to the represented club that can then use the money for equipment or traveling/lodging costs. Most if not all of these clubs and teams compete among themselves for practice,fun, and sometimes to choose who represents the school at official college tournaments. They also may compete against neighboring schools for practice/fun/fundraising as well. Some new/inexperienced clubs may choose not to compete in any series and can be more oriented around fun/recreational fishing. College fishing has really taken off the last few years as more and more schools get involved and clubs/teams get created. There are an estimated 600+ college clubs/teams in existence and that number is steadily climbing each year. It is a great way for college students to get the experience of both competition and camaraderie at a higher level with out investing too much money.

The ISG Intimidator tubes (the small 2.75'' version) have been my go-to tube for lake erie smallmouth these days. The downsized baits up here have been killer for both size and numbers the last couple years, maybe fishing pressure or forage related. The colors they provide are amazing, they even have a great built in garlic flavor. My favorite part though is that they are very wide for their length so you can still fit larger weighted hooks inside, plus I like the fatter profile. The smaller version is cheap ($3.19 for 12) on TW but while the 4'' ones are awesome, they are a little too fine for my wallet. For larger 3.5'' to 4'' tubes I like Big bite baits, powerbait, and zoom. As for colors, I like it pretty basic: Watermelon seed (or gold flake), green pumpkin purple flake, Black/blue for dirty water, and an oddball yellow/orange color like orange-melon, chartreuse, or mustard. Also any smoke color tube can be really really hot at times.

If you subscribe to the BASS or FLW magazines, they provide a ton of good info. He may be more interested in the pictures until he gets a little older, then he will start to read the in depth stuff more and more, at least that's what I did when I was younger.

I just started using baitcasters 2 years ago after using my spinning rod all my life. So my dad started me off on the pistol grips with a simple, no-fuss reel to get the hang of it. They were the 5' 6'' Shimano Magnumlite Fightin' Rod and the 5' 6'' Shimano Bull Whip Fightin' Rod. Great little rods, especially to learn on, but I have since moved on from them. Really my biggest issue is that I use the butt of a rod very often to leverage during hooksets and fighting a fish and you really can't do that with these rods.

Boxes are fine, just not as space efficient. I like boxes because of the organization compared to the chaos bags. The only thing I don't like about boxes is I like to add attractant to most soft plastics and if it isn't a special sealing one, it dries up or leaks.

This day and age, it is hard to be a one brand soft plastics guy. So many companies have diverse and plentiful offerings that you can get just about anything you want just about anywhere. Some companies do excel at certain things more than others so this is what makes it tough. Whether it's price, shapes, colors, actions, you have to pick and choose, one brand won't cover it all perfectly. I thoroughly enjoy Powerbait minnows and chigger craws, we even have some old power tubes that still can be the ticket to a tough bite. I really like the havoc baits. Cheap and effective. I really like some of the designs, some I don't but that doesn't mean they don't have a place in someone else's arsenal. The Havoc juice worm and slop craw (used in a specific way... shhhhh!) are two of my most used and productive baits I throw. I actually like that most of the lineup is unsalted/unscented so that they have decent buoyancy and I can add scent of my own choice. They just introduced a few baits/changes for 2016 that look like great additions I am looking forward to giving a try.

Welcome!

Regardless of color choice, confidence is key. Sometimes you need to develop that confidence. Just like everything in bass fishing, nothing is ever certain. Can color matter? Yes Will it always matter? no In this case I like to keep it simple. For cranks I like natural shad, natural bluegill, orange/red craw, and a non-natural color like bright chartreuse/black or fire-tiger. This color choice doesn't change regardless of if the lake has that specific forage, I will always have that selection. Bass are known to both follow specific feeding patterns AND being very opportunistic. I like to believe when bass approach your bait, they ask themselves two questions: Is it alive? and will it fit in my mouth? And there are plenty of instances when they ignore those questions lol. I will also argue that there are plenty of instances when bass are conditioned to react certain colors/shapes so it can be beneficial to mimic these. I know this was a very vague answer, but utilize your instincts and pay attention to your surroundings.

I am a big fan of Mike's products and services but I will agree that I think a bit of clarity needs to be added to the site. Most of the the Jig descriptions are virtually identical which can make selection/decisions difficult. If under each jig description he could add: Hook guage: fine/medium/stout/xtra stout Hook style/brand: Mustad/Round bend or Ownder/deepthroat or etc Performance based Ideal cover: Rocks/wood/weeds/all/etc A little clarity will go a long way I think. This is meant to be completely constructive, I love SO!

Atta boy! Confidence is a strange concept in this sport, the impact it has is incredible. Kudos to you for sticking it out, hopefully that determination and dedication will pay off in both this sport and all facets of your life, happy new year!

Honestly, my year went as well as it probably could have. There will never truly be a "perfect" year in this sport. You will always have bad days, and if we could, we'd probably all want to be out there every day. And if you don't have bad days each year, you probably didn't learn as much as you could, so take the good with the bad! I was able to fish a ton this year. I am finally comfortable taking my dad's boat on my own with out worrying about towing or the launching/loading process. I learned a lot about being versatile in presentations this year, there is a reason certain baits have a "time of year" so don't be stubborn and give em a shot! I have always been much less confident, heck ill call it scared, of water cooler than the low 50's. This year, we went out in early december and my best smallmouth day all season in 42 degree water. This was my second year tournament fishing, it been one heck of a ride. In the FLW college series I placed in the regional qualifier, then the regional championship in order to make the national college championship which is this coming spring. In each of those tournaments, it came down to a strong mental game, good decision making, and execution. My partner and I make a great team, he's a heck of a fisherman and we compliment eachother's strengths and weaknesses well. I was extremely proud of the outcome. The best of the year and the best catch of my life: I met a girl in June, got her out on the boat by July, and... she loves it. She has gone out about 8 times with me this year and has yet to put the rod down, even on the tough days. Over the trips we got her a PB largemouth of about 2.25lb, a couple of close to 4lb smallies and a PB pig of a smallmouth at 5.4lbs. It's amazing to share a passion of your with someone like this, I cant wait until next year.

sweet craw and 24/7 are my favorites

Pick about 3 or 4 colors YOU like and think will work. Chances are they will all work pretty well. Also, by limiting yourself to 3 or 4 colors, you can cover a decent spectrum of color and also make choosing/changing colors easier by not having an overwhelming amount to choose from. With cranks I like a shad, a bluegill, a craw, and an obnoxiously bright color to choose from.

This year I was drop shotting some rip rap. The fish must have hit the weight on the fall and it fell through the gill slits in the bottom of his mouth and reeled him in that way. Had to cut my sinker off as I couldn't get it back through.

While straight braid will work for nearly all situations, those who say it is good in rock, have been around some very forgiving rocks. That is completely fine especially if the areas you fish play nice rock-wise. But, if you find the right types of rocks (shapes, sharpness, size) braid will get eaten alive more so than mono or FC of the same diameter. I use straight braid in all heavy cover. When I am around rock or clear water, I will attach a short to medium length FC leader to combat abrasion and visibility.

Are all heat applied powders equal? It seems like there are a ton of powder manufacturers that sell nice colors for much cheaper even though they are not explicitly made for lure making. How can you tell if they will work?

I run Sufix 832 braid with Trilene 100% professional grade fluoro leaders when necessary. Everyone seems to use something different and the key is to find something that works for you. Do some experimenting to see what you like, then stick with it!

I grew up in a Shimano house. But over the least couple years we have had too many recurring problems with their mid level spinning reels. The bait-casters, as usual, are very solid. The Shimano name was always one of quality and dependability, and while they have not gotten worse, many companies really stepped up their game to challenge them, and many of them have better customer service in my experience. At this point, unless I go high-end Shimano, I will be looking elsewhere, but to each his own. Always do what works for you. In the end, that's all that matters.

small bait on the bottom.