FatBoy

Yes!

Thanks, RW. That's what I was hoping to hear! I wasn't looking forward to trashing a $15 bait.

That sounds like a great trade! You said you salvaged HALF the cranks? Where are the rest? Don't tell me in the trash. I've been looking for a stash of old baits to try "refurbishing". I'll pay the shipping if you'll box them up and send them to me.

I picked up a sammy this winter and finally got around to trying it for the first time this wekend. But it seems like there's something wrong. The first couple of retrieves I couldn't get it to walk very well at all. When I took a good look, it was sitting in the water completely vertical. Nose straight up, back end straight down. Is that normal? BTW, it was tied on with a trilene knot and I was using yozuri hybrid ulta soft #6.

Thanks for the replys. I've mostly been fishing the frogs pretty slow. Maybe I've been going to slow. I'll try speeding it up some to see if that works any better for me.

This year, I'd say 90% of the fish I caught on senkos, I never felt a thing. They were all due to watching the line. I watch the line at the point where it enters the water. Usually you can see it move one direction or another. The hardest one for me to detect is when the senko is still falling and the fish moves toward me. I've been trying to get better at detecting just the twitch in the line that avid's talking about. But most of the time my hands and arms give the rod enough virbration that the line seems to always shake a bit. Guess I need to cut down on the coffee.

1. super fluke 2. trick worm on a spot remover

I know there have been a lot of discussions of floating frogs, but I'm hoping some of y'all can give me a quick rundown on these guys. Specifically, I'm talking about a SPRO bronzeye. Do you move it with a twitch, jerk, pull, with the reel? Are you trying to make a commotion or move it more subtly? How far do you move it each time? How long do you pause? Any other tips? I know the standard answer: experiment with different retrieves and see what the fish want that day. But beyond that, what seems to work best most often (for you)?

Thanks again, Raul. Sounds like this might be a case of being in "violent agreement" with one another ;D

Thanks, Raul. I guess I'm still not convinced that color makes NO difference whatsoever. I understand that there may be no difference between, say, watermelon and green pumpkin. But it just seems that there must be a difference between light and dark. On any given day you can probably catch fish on either, but you may catch more fish with one versus the other. I have to admit, though, I'm not basing my opinions on years of experience (far from it). The importance of color just seems so intuitive ( but then again, I'm not a bass, so my intuition shouldn't count for diddly squat). I guess I'm just thick headed and stubborn . Thanks for taking the time to explain your side of the issue.

Raul: I hear what you're saying. You definitely have to be in the right place with the right presentation. In that example you gave, that was clearly the difference between you catching fish and your friend not catching fish. BUT, I'd also say that all those colors you used are "dark". (So was your friend's watermelon.) If you had switched to white or yellow or bubblegum, do you think you still would have caught those fish? Aren't there certain days and conditions, like clear water and bright skies, when light colors are going to work better? These are meant to be honest questions. I'd like to hear your opinion on this.

Hmmm...I'm not sure you're talking about duckweed. Duckweed is tiny little plants, no roots, just leaves, that floats on the surface. Weedless baits is not an issue and you can't throw a senko or anything on top. It will just fall straight through. I could be wrong. Maybe duckweed can get thick enough to hold up a lure, but I've never seen it like that. Got a picture of the stream?

I think the taste of crappie is pretty similar to how they smell (the whole fish right out of the water). Is that the same for bass? Do they taste like they smell (or like your hands smell after a good day)?

The recent thread about bright day/light colors got me thinking about this again.... I carry only "dark" colors. Some version of watermelon usually w/ red flake is my confidence color. I also throw black/blue flake a lot and occassionally green pumpkin. I don't own much of any plastic that's light except some white ice (?) super flukes. The bait monkey says I need to round out my selection. What's a good/favorite light color for say senkos/fat ikas, dingers or trick worms?

I think this is the ticket although we can argue about the breakdown of percentages. I got nothing yesterday (but to be honest I didn't have much time on the water). Yesterday, the solunar effects probably made the difference between tough conditions and TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH conditions (for me).

I only carry one rod when I'm beating the bank (which is most of the time). It's usually a 6-6 M action with a Shimano Stradic spinning reel. The reel came with two spools and I always have one spooled with braid and one with yozuri hybrid. That way if I REALLY need to change lines I can. But I'll fish every bait in by tackle bag, from cranks to senkos to frogs, with the same set up. There's definitely a reason the pros have a dozen rods layed out on the deck of their boats. Sometimes those very subtle differences in rod length or line test make the difference for them. And if I had a 6 figure paycheck riding on my gear, I'd do the same thing. There's a big difference between a 90% chance of catching a bass and a 99% chance when you're talking about that much money. That said, though, I don't think you NEED all those different set ups to catch fish (and have a good time). If I had my choice, I'd always go froggin with a MH/baitcast combo spooled with braid. But can you catch bass with a horny toad on a M action spinning set up spooled with mono? HECK YEAH! Can you catch bass on a crankbait when you're using braid? NO PROBLEM! Will a bass hit a subtle little drop shot rig even if you've holding a baitcast reel? I actually don't know cause I've never done it, but I'd bet you a steak dinner they would. K-I-S-S

WELCOME!!! And thanks for your service to our country!

WELCOME! You've come to right place. I'm in central IL now, but I grew up in southern IL (Mt. Vernon to be exact). Of course if you ask anyone from Chicago, everything south of I-80 is "southern" IL. ;D

Yep, lakes and ponds are different from the rivers and streams for sure. You're not going to be able fish the inline spinners in weedly places and even a lot of cranks won't come through the thickest weeds. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by getting snagged. If you've got your bait t-rigged it shouldn't actually get hung up too much. Just keep the point buried in the plastic. When you feel it get hung, try to work it free slowly. If you're talking about pulling up weeds along with your bait...well that's just the nature of the beast. If you're not snagging some weeds, you're fishing in the wrong spot! Pulling weeds off your bait between casts is just part of the ball game.

I've never been too sure about all that solunar stuff. But I'm planning to hit my favorite lake on Thursday morning anyway. So this time I hope the solunar thing really works!!! Thanks for the info

Thanks for all the info. Gives me some confidence to use my ML rod for bass. Especially for the finesse stuff.

Bummer! I've lost two definite PBs this year. One threw my jig on a jump and the other buried in some weeds and I broke off trying to pull him out. Felt like I got punched in the stomach both times! Still, 15 fish, and some nice ones at that, makes for a pretty decent morning in my book. Good job!

Well since we're showing some dinks, here's the first bass I caught in 2007... What a way to start the year, eh?!?!

Well, is he already interested or are you trying to get him into it? If you're trying to get him interested it might be harder. One thing to do is to take him to a place where you KNOW you will catch fish (and lots of them). I know that worked for me. A buddy started me off with a rooster tail in a little pond where we were catching bluegill, crappie, bass like every other cast. That got me hooked!!! If he already has the interest and you want to teach him the ropes, I'd start him off with a t-rig worm or a senko. Another thing is pretend like your a professional guide. Let him hit the best spots first. You'll want to spend as much (or more) time watching him and helping as you do fishing yourself. At least until he seems to have the hang of it. There's nothing more frustrating for a beginner than watching the other guy catch fish while he's just hauling water. I hope he gets bit by the bug...and BAD! There's nothing like fishing with your dad!!!

I typically use a medium power rod. I know lots of guys go with a MH or heavy for flipping, frogging, etc. Is there a situation or type of lure when a ML or light power is the right choice?