RHuff

You could try it and see......the only downside I see to it is that the body of the biffle bug is a lot larger profiled so it would probably make using it as any type of trailer (if you use trailers) a little tougher as there would be more plastic that the hook would have to penetrate...

No they are different baits.. I’ve always been under the impression to use a more subtle bait like a D-Bomb or Beaver Style in colder water as the bait glides or imparts less action… And use a rage craw, something with flappers that kicks aggressively for more action in warm water… Until I watched a video of Greg Hackney explaining it pretty simple.. Subtle beaver style for clear water and aggressive craw flapper style in dirty water… Mr. Hackney has made a ton of money fishing for a living and I have not… so…

Use loud, large profiled baits… big single colorado blades.. Big bladed chatterbait… something the fish can hone in on with their lateral lines.. Scent helps too. It’s tough conditions no matter what you do. Not a numbers day for sure…

Probably a smart move.. Cold, Muddy water is the toughest water to fish

My #1 go to in most tournament situations.. I wouldn’t give this up locally but will gladly share with you all on here… Medium Action spinning rod 8lb Fireline 8lb Copoly Leader #2 Wacky Hook 6mm VMC Crossover ring 5” Berkley General Maxscent in Baby Bass for Largemouth 5” Berkley General Maxscent in Green Pumpkin Candy Red for Smallmouth If fishing brush or heavy cover texas rig it with a 1/32 oz bullet weight and 3/0 finesse EWG worm hook

I like to use a 3/4 oz jig out deep do you recommend that same weight? Also, what kind of trailer?

That is correct, hopping it off the bottom… So you work the bait and kill it so it flutters during the drop?

Well said! Correct! Stonewall Jackson in WV.. loaded with timber and big bass. I wish the WVDNR would have managed all lakes in WV as hard as they did that one when they first started…

How does one particularly go about approaching a stretch and fishing it thoroughly? We have a couple of local lakes up here Stonewall Jackson and Lake Moomaw in Va that has a few areas of timber. Do you look for the ends or "points" on the stretch like you would a field of lilly pads? Do you flip each individual tree like you would weeds or laydowns? What do you do if the stretch of standing timber is massive? How do you know the good from the bad? Just looking to improve on a few of my weakest areas this winter. Does anyone ever fish a wacky rig around them? Flip jigs around them? Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or crankbaits?

What Rod and Reel setup do you all use??

Do you let it fall onto the bottom and rip it up? Sorta like cracking a tube? A lot of my lakes have that dark green algae grass looking stuff all over the bottom....

I also see where Strike King is a releasing a tungsten thunder cricket I wonder if it is more designed for offshore structure in deep water? I'm thinking for ledges, humps, and channels? I can't see any way something with a blade on it like that would come through any type of brushpiles or boulders very well...

Soooooo.. listened to this week's Luke Dunkin podcast and he had Zona on as a guest. About 2/3 of the way through the interview he asked Mark what is one technique, lure, etc that you think is getting ready to take off in the fishing world and Z alluded to fishing a chatterbait out deep in offshore structure but it takes a certain way of rigging it up.... Anyone of you beautiful people on here have the scoop? My hunch is a big heavy chatterbait with a big swimbait trailer as opposed to a craw or grub and letting that sucker fall and either slow roll it or hop it off the bottom similar to a blade bait but this is just me guessing...… He hinted that it is a big fish bite... anyone got the juice and wanna share?

I'm jealous......I listed to JT Kenney talk about that place on Luke Dunkin's podcast last week. Looks and sounds almost too good to be true! Have fun man...

I was getting skunked at Chickamauga late last spring and was getting frustrated so I finally said screw it I'm gonna throw finesse the rest of the trip and started catching a lot of numbers on a wacky rig including just missing one who's head looked to be the size of a gallon sized paint can..... After that I started fishing the wacky a lot around home and in a few tournaments and I probably caught more fish last year than I have ever caught including size and numbers. I bought a dedicated stick worm setup this year that I will have tied on year round from now on regardless of the body of water I fish... I grew that much confidence in it in a single year's time.....

I'd look at it at the specific area of the lake you are wanting to fish.... Some areas may fish like a highland reservoir and other parts may fish like a lowland. No reason you have to group the entire body of water into one category. You can't fish the whole lake at once anyhow. Try dividing it into thirds. Lower third. middle third. upper third. A lot of our lakes in WV have deep bluff canyon walls at the lowest end of the main lake by the dam, with sloping points throughout the middle, and a river running into the lake feeding it at the upper end. Some days each specific part fishes better. It just depends on the conditions and how things set up.

When Tom takes the time to post, I pay attention.. Rather than trying to keep up with temperatures and cloud cover and fronts etc., could one simplify this entire theory by saying: As a starting point on a body of water, low pressure scan the shallow flats (bank to 8-10ft) and high pressure scan the deep ledges, points, and channels (15-30ft)?

Also a good site to use is wunderground for the weather.......if you go there and put in your city and click on 10-day forecast it puts everything in the same flow chart so you can watch the line rise for warming trends and go down for the cold fronts.....it also lists the pressure on the same graph.. and cloud cover....it's all easy to read.....I think I saw once where Mike Iconelli uses it that is where I saw it at

Well said.... that's what I was trying to say in my previous reply... there are a ton of variables that goes into it.... it's a constant game.... that's why I love it If you know where the fish are and how they will bite each and every time you go out then you better join the tour.... Like Catt said, pre-frontal conditions.....fish may chase and want horizontal baits such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, etc up around bank cover Post-frontal conditions they may want something on the bottom, in deeper water and moving slowly..... t-rig, jig, dropshot, etc. Search youtube video "Buck Perry Weather and Bass Movement" and watch his seminar on it... even back 50 years ago he does a great job explaining it.... Not to confuse you, but a lot of people believe that some fish stay shallow year round... I would say with those fish follow the same guidelines that Catt pointed out except that.. Prefrontal = fast moving horizontal baits and Postfrontal = slower moving baits tight to cover (such pitching a jig into the cover, senkos, T-Rigs) John Cox has made one hell of a living fishing shallow year round... Aaron Martens made one hell of a living with the drop shot...… I guess it's however you chose to look at it

No... I'd say they may go shallow on the 4-6 day of a warming trend... especially after that occurs before a front moves in... and they move deep during and the next few days after the cold front.... There will always be cold fronts and warming trends throughout a calendar year regardless of the season.... See if this helps.... This is just a general summary of Buck's theory... Cold Front - Deep inactive Day 1 - Warming Trend - Deep Inactive Day 2 - Warming Trend - Deep Inactive Day 3 - Warming Trend - Deep Inactive Day 4 - Warming Trend - Deep may be a little active Day 5 - Warming Trend - Moved in some, may be a little active Day 6 - Warming Trend - Heading Shallow - Active Cold Front - Deep inactive the whole shebang repeats itself.... He says fish go deep because it makes them feel safe and gets them away from all of the storm variables of the cold front.... and it takes several days for things to stabilize before they feel safe enough to move shallow Also, we know fish have to eat.... and the warmer the water their metabolism speeds up and the more they have to eat... Also, we know the spawn and reproduction is the single most importing thing to bass during that time of year.....so you gotta take all of that into account... This is just Buck's theory on the average week of the average time of year most places throughout the country

I would view a warm front as the same thing happening as what happens after a cold front.. A warming trend works similar fashion.....

So.. as a cold front moves through, a Pre-Front is the day before and up to the moment the front begins to move through..... basically you know how a storm rolls in.... the wind picks up, the clouds get dark, it may start to rain, etc.... the day before up to the moment that happens.... the moment it "arrives".. Post-Front is the moment it passes up to the next few days afterwards..... If you study Buck Perry's weather and bass movement theory he says the next day immediately after the front moves the sky will be the washed out blue bird day with wind and fish are as deep as they can get in their sanctuary water depth (30 ft or more based on thermocline and available waters)....... Day 2 will be the white puffy clouds and a little less wind where you can see planes in the sky..... Day 3 will be blue skies and moisture trails from planes in the sky.... Day 4 will be little to no wind and the vapor trails start to look fat..... Day 5 will be vapor trails galore with no wind a few thin hazy clouds and fish begin to move up to around the 15-20 ft stage.....and Day 6 is the average day another front begins to move in and the fish head shallow.... He says the pre-frontal conditions is the best time to fish as most fish will move shallow and get active

Start shallow and if you are catching smaller fish up shallow the bigger bass are just a little bit deeper… 8-10ft or 12-ft range

Is it similar to Buck Perry’s theory on Largemouth Bass? I know smallmouth are pack feeders, prefer clear, high visibility conditions.. Attack things they can see… Feed by sight and smell as opposed to vibrations.. Prefer rock and hard cover.. In a lake setting, how do smallmouth move?

Search Buck Perry Series on youtube.. there are 5 or 6 20-30 min episodes of him conducting a seminar explaining his fish movement theory… extremely beneficial to watch He also has written several books