Shakes

Hey those cranks are pretty sweet. I'm liking the deep running green one a lot more than the shallow yellow one. $10.99 is a little high, but at least the hardware on 'em is premium. Those VMC's are the best trebles you can buy.

2. Baitcaster - Rigged with 50 lb. braided line. (Spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, frogs, buzzbaits, etc.) Open-face spinning reel - Rigged with 12 lb. flouro. (Plastics, shallow cranks, light topwaters, etc.)

Its sad is what it is. Pollution of this planet is way too extreme. You wish you could do something to stop it, but it takes everybody. The next time your fishing and smoking a cigarette and think about pitchin' it in the water, stop and remember.

Ok, first off.... that place sound like heaven. Really. Second, remember that everybody has off days. I'll go to a lake and catch 20+ in a day, but a week later get skunked. Its just how it is, it happens. The vista you described sounds like exactly how you put it, "too good." With all sorts of baitfish present, it sounds like a prime habitat for a bass. Maybe they haven't been introduced to the lake? Ah, who knows til you hit it up a few more times. Try it again, and be patient with what you do. Good luck.

In November, I went deer hunting with my father in law. It was the first time I had ever been hunting. After the evening hunt on the first night, my father in law and his brother were talking about how many deer come out at night in the fields, and how if you shine your lights on the fields, they all look up and just stand there. They said there were hundreds of 'em. So we went... No guns were present, and we had no intent of harming any of them. About 5 minutes into the drive, after we had seen a few deer, he shined his lights another field. Conservation comes flyin outta nowhere. Got the blue and reds on like the 5/0. Asked for all ID's and if there were any firearms in the vehicle. Wrote all 3 of us a ticket for $250 each. Had to go to court and everything. Again, this is for shining your lights into a field. :-? Charge was "spotlighting deer without the use of firearms."

That first one is BAD man! Good pickens. Looks like they cost a load of cash.

Slack isn't bad, especially on days that there isn't much wind. Watch the line closely. Even with slack, when you get a strike, the line will jump... and you'll probably still feel the vibrations through the rod. As far as solving the problem, I don't know if any of us can help you... its a feel thing. You just have to find the touch. Good luck.

My eyes. Locate any kind of structure around and there is bound to be a bass lurking nearby. Whether or not you can convince that bass to attack your lure is the real question. ;D

Whatever you fish, fish it slow. Those kreature baits are nice. T-rigged with a light weight to make it fall slow. Be patient. Good luck.

Great post, WRB. I completely agree. The future of this sport is catch and release. I've seen people catch bass that are 10 -12 inches and talk about having a fish fry. Around here, regardless of any laws, people keep what they catch and eat it. Public lakes are overpressured, and the only good fishing is the small untainted farm ponds around the area.

The only line I use on a buzzbait is braid. The only buzzbait I use is a Black Booyah Buzz. I've fished with all sorts of different lines and different brands of buzzbait only to find the right combination for me. I'm prone to throwing my buzzbait anywhere. The braid comes into play when a lunker smashes on my buzzbait in heavy cover. With 50 lb test, you can pull anything outta the water. I like the Booyah Buzz because of the metal blade thats smacks the buzz blade on each rotation. Makes a *clank, clank, clank* sound that drives bass crazy. I've fished all different sizes of this bait and found that the 3/8 oz. size is the only size that produces. Its a lethal combination. Give it a shot. Good Luck.

Xcalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait in Black/Chrome

Signal Bite - The White One.

Braid is a good call with a lipless crank. Its difficult to lose the lure when you can pull the tree that you're hung up on clear outta the water. The most effective technique I have found is to tick the grass on the bottom. Reaction strikes like crazy. There really is no way to fish these lures. Jimmy Houston calls them "idiot baits" because any idiot can fish one. Speed it up and slow it down like the others said. Just find the right technique for the certain day you are fishing. Good Luck.

Just got a frog in the mail about a week ago. A friend recommended it and said it was a must have for frog fishing. I thought it was a little expensive, but thought I'd give it a shot because of the reco. In the first outting, in the first 20 minutes, I had already hooked 5. The great thing about this bait is the small colorado blade on the back that churns in open water. Great for those pockets between lilly pads, and still has an effect in heavy vegetation. http://www.***.com/descpageSWMFISHARRHDTLOBINA-FACJ.html#

These guys hit the nail on the head. Fish slow. I'd just t-rig plastics like Sweet Beavers, Worms, Tubes, or maybe even a jig. You gotta be really patient. Good Luck.

Jeff City. Willing to meet and fish in local area. Hit me up if your down.

My advice, don't mess with barb on the hook. If you file it down or remove it, you'll take a huge chance on every fish you catch. Its quite a bit easier to for the fish to throw with no barb. Try some needle nose. Don't be scared that you'll hurt the fish when you rip the hook out, remember that bass can't feel pain. Good luck.

TIMELESS! Good word for it. In certain lakes that have heavy pressure, Spinnerbaits are junk because everyone has thrown 'em. The fish have seen them every day for the past 10 years.

Any time fish are active in shallow water, and hitting top waters like buzzbaits and such is a perfect time to throw a plastic frog like a horny toad. The best frog bait on the market is the Spro. Any type of heavy veg. or cover submerged in water is a good place to fish a frog. Just run straight back to you. I'll change up the speed sometimes. It seems that at certain points, they won't strike it until you speed it up or stop it. You just have to play around with it and try different techniques. In my experience weather and conditions really don't have that big of an effect. I think the bass can see the frog better through the veg. or sunny days, but I still get plenty of strikes on cloudy days too. Just depends are where ya throw it. Good luck.

Netbait Paca Craw in Okochobee. Write that down. It'll work wonders in that murky water.

I would bet those fish are not deep in that warm Louisiana water in Spring. I bet those fish are aggressive and very active. My first choice would be a buzzbait. Not just any buzzbait, but a Booyah Buzz, black in 3/8 oz. Long casts, and long runs. If it didn't work, I'd break out the cranks, starting with a lipless crank like an Xcalibur Xr50 or a Strike King Red Eye Shad. If all failed, I'd try a Green Pumpkin w/ Red Flake Sweet Beaver, T-Rig with a 1/8 oz. bullet weight so it falls slow. Anothing good soft plastic that gets the attention of these fish would be a LONG ribbon tailed worm with a light weigh. If you still haven't caught anything after all of these attempts, move on to a new body of water - it's been fished! :-/

I know Dean Rojas uses a 7H w/ 75lb. braided line on his Spro. I've always used a 6'6" MH w/ 50lb. braid. Works great for me. I think the line is more important then the rod in a frog situation.

I've had success in alot of different ways with hollow body frogs such as the Spro. I had a Spro once, fished it for a few days and never caught anything. Then i got it tangled in a tree... and lost it. The local tackle shop doesn't carry Spro frogs, but they do carry the River2Sea Bully Wa. Its basically the same frog. I've caught most of the fish in lilly pads or heavy vegetation. However, the biggest one I've ever caught on a frog came out of completely open water. I just run it slow. Anywhere I fish it. I've walked it before, but never had any strikes. In open water, I'll just reel it really slow. The legs give enough action. I'll stop it, and let it sit. Even when I don't get the hookset, you still see the strike... and we all know just how exciting that is.

Nice catch. I've also caught quite a few frogs with hollow bodies.