Ozark_Basser

When I learned to pitch baits, I would get a five gallon bucket and turn it on its side to practice. If I could get it into the bucket without hitting anything but the back (bottom) of the bucket, I knew I would be presenting the bait perfectly (no splash) out on the water. That's all the "off the water" practice I've ever done.

I caught a smallmouth with a bluebird in its mouth one time. So if you use live (or dead ) blue jays as bait, then yes, yes I have.

My dad and my brothers really laid a foundation for what I know now. Everything else has came from fishing with other people, my own creativity, and lots of research on the internet including bassresource.com.

I make my own as well. Well, I really just buy the skirts and put them on boss jig heads lol, but anyway. I need to start using paddle tails as trailers. I tried it once when I was low on trailers, and I stuck one just a few oz's shy of my PB. Thanks for reminding me.

There's definitely no guaranteeing that, but that's where I would start. Especially if the water color and the weather are the same.

I just wanted to share with everybody how effective this technique has been for me lately, especially on small, shallow, pressured lakes. While everybody else is tossing squarebills, spinnerbaits, and whatever else to get a reaction bite out of shallow water fish, I'm really tearing them up with this technique. I really like the V&M mudbug as a trailer. Really gives the jig a good "flow" as I pump it back to the boat. If the squarebill bite slows down, try this technique. I like to keep it on the bottom with constant short hops all the way back to the boat.

Definitely gotta pick some up. I haven't used this bait since they first came out. They worked well in clear water for me also on the biffle hardhead.

I'm gonna hit up Bass Pro tomorrow or the next day to buy some soft plastics and maybe some jigs to flip and pitch into the shallow muddy grass flats on my local lake. Any suggestions on bait/colors? I'm considering a rage hawg in black blue flake

Yeah that's what I figured. Just how great is it? Should I mount the screen by the steering wheel or the trolling motor?

Just wanting to know how efficient the 5 inch screen is. Am I going to be disappointed with the visibility compared to the 899ci HD SI? Should I fork out the extra $300 for the 899?

Become a better caster. Learning to cast with pinpoint accuracy, being able to skip baits under docks, and being able to put baits in the water without making a big splash will get you bit a lot more than the guy beside you who's not as good at it.

Anything in the BIG swimbait genre. I've fished the smaller ospreys and have done well. I feel it's time to step it up to the Hudds, Triple Trouts, etc.

Went bank fishing today here in central Arkansas. Didn't catch too many fish. Was too busy chatting it up with a cameraman from the bassmaster elite series tournaments while he sat and watched me practice skipping a jig under the same dock for like two hours lol.

I like dobyn's rods. They are really well balanced and look sharp too. I just prefer st. croix for the taper they have that seems signature only to st. croix and g loomis. A lot of people will say that dobyn's will have that same bend, but I've never owned a dobyn's that does. They seem a bit too stiff for me. This is in terms of an all around kind of rod. When it comes to rods that are very technique specific like deep cranking or swimbait rods, I couldn't give you any insight because I've never owned those types of dobyn's rods.

If I owned what you own and wanted another spinning outfit, I'd go with a 7' medium. I don't know what kind of bait or lakes you usually fish, but that seems like an ideal rod length and power to fish everything I would want to fish with on a spinning outfit.

Jig - Just because it's versatile and usually catches larger fish

I personally won't throw straight braid unless I absolutely have to. The visibility is kind of a confidence breaker for me. I used to exclusively throw braid using a double albright knot for leaders when needed, but got tired of retying knots and hearing the knot go through my guides all day while casting. I guess there are advantages and disadvantages no matter what type of line you want to throw, but I just like the easier route. Straight fluoro for me, even for topwater.

You can always just send it back, but I like to handle a rod beforehand.

If you're throwing 1/8 oz, your not gonna get a whole lot of distance on that rod if it's a "mag" medium. One thing you should make sure of is you have the maximum amount of line spooled on that the reel can handle. Also lighter line will cast a little farther as well. Perhaps that is because you can spool more of it on your reel.

Fish really tight to shore cover if there is any. If there's grass on the shoreline, fish spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, bladed swimjigs, or whatever else through it while getting your lure to really bang up against that grass. If there's rocky shorelines fish brighter colored squarebills while banging against the rocks. Don't neglect topwater either. A soft bodied frog or a buzzbait could get you a good bite in shallow muddy water. One thing about muddy water is it can make fish pretty predictable as far as placement. The strike zone just gets smaller, so really get your baits into that cover.

Very true. I own one, but he said under 120 lol

I regretted buying the black max a long time ago. The pro max however was not a bad buy. Never had an issue with it and still have it. I can't say anything for the rod

St. Croix Mojo Cranking Series

Swimjig or a chatterbait would be good baits to be thrown anywhere a spinnerbait is thrown. Depending on cover, I'd say a lipless crank or squarebill would be some other good options.

Just trying to target smallmouth on The Rock will be pretty tough. There is a good population of all three species of bass in the 2-3 lb range. Here's a good guide on what I'd be throwing this time of year if I still lived up there. Reaction/Search Baits 1. War Eagle Spinnerbait in Blue Herring - It's sort of the staple spinnerbait for the White River chain of lakes. Throw it around visible cover on banks (buck brush, laydowns), and docks. 2. Storm Wiggle Wart - No better bait to throw than this one paralell or at an angle down gently sloping rocky banks. 3. Megabass Jerkbait - Lots of " ledgey" points and blufflines to hang this bait over. Slower Baits 1. Football Jigs/Finesse Jigs with twintail trailer 2. T-Rigged Reapers (Not a lot of people throw them, but they get bit better than anything I've found when the bite gets tough) 3. Skirted Twintail Grubs One thing about this lake is there is a lot of deep water where bass will often hold. It's a big lake and can be pretty intimidating. When it comes to fishing the slower moving baits I rarely go less than 3/4 oz on the jig/jigheads to get down quicker so I can cover more water. Water clarity is also gonna vary a bit depending on where you go also. I'd start the day off fishing visible cover and points in the back of creeks then make my way out to the main lake points that coincide with the mouths of those creeks. You should get a pattern going pretty well this way on this lake. If you don't have electronics, it's a good idea to buy a topo map for this lake to learn how the creek channels swing into points and what not. Another big factor is fishing areas of bank changes (areas where you can see the bank drastically change from clay to rock or even smaller rocks to larger rocks). Hope this helps.