MN_Bassin

I'm with Bluebasser, those Zman plastics are virtually untearable by those pesky sunfish and dink bass. I always hated burning through plastic trailers so durability is a must.

In my experience, certain conditions must be in place to use topwater. It will always catch fish, but there are definitely special days where it out produces everything. About a month ago, I had a crazy day with hollow body frogs. Light wind blew a thin film of scum into a little back corner of a bay on a sunny day. I heard sunnies popping bugs, and heard/saw bass explode of those sunfish. Anyways, everything was set for topwater for that specific day. I went back the next day, expecting to pound the bass again, only to find that the film blew away. I still caught some fish, but subsurface lures would've been a better choice.

In Minnesota, there's no way that I'd get away with throwing an expensive bait. Too many pike, especially the little buggers, that'll cut your line without you feeling a thing.

I'd stick with a frog. Why change if you know the bigger bass are blowing up on topwater?

Without a doubt, skipping docks with swimjigs.

A white skirted black jig, with a chartreuse paddle tail. The white and chartreuse combo is a killer up here in stained water.

I use jigs 90% of the time, because of their versatility, and they catch bigger fish. You can skip them, swim them, hop them, flip them, drag them, etc. all in one cast!

Caught my second personal best bass today! It was also my first fish on a baitcaster. She was 21" and I didn't have a scale, but I'm gonna guess around 6lbs give or take a few ounces.

Try skipping under docks, the shade during the heat of summer is like a magnet!

In 7 hours, my friend and I caught well over 80 bass, while there was a club tournament going on. I was trying to give a team tips and I caught one while talking, they still didn't listen. It was to the point where we were both laughing everytime we caught one!

This... This is the truth... My legs once looked like Neapolitan ice cream. Knees down was tan, lower thighs were strawberry, and the rest of my thighs were vanilla!

All you guys telling these stories sorta scares me! I only seem to burn the first few trips of the year, but once I get tan, I don't burn again. However, Minnesota is higher in latitude than southern states, so we get less direct sunlight...? if I can recall junior high science class correctly. Anyways, wear whatever it takes to get to those big 'uns!

Pretty much all I ever fish are swimjigs, and I was eyeing the heck out of those the other day!

In a kayak, it's much, much easier to fish shoreline cover. Not that fishing deep can't be done, but you would need Navionics or a depth finder unless you know the lake extremely well, or there are tell tale signs. I skips docks 85% of the time with my friend, and we each put 3 or 4 skips into a dock, and drift down to the next.

Weather Bug or some other weather app. They aren't fishing apps, but definitely will come in handy while on the water.

Any crankbait at all, I just have no confidence in them.

Man, I'm itchin' to purchase a new casting combo and other tackle...but want to save for a truck... Screw that dilemma, should I keep the order all together, or separate it in order to make it seem like I spent less than I really would? Decisions decisions...

I'm not sure on what to use, but once you get one to bite, you gotta horse the heck out of that fish!

A massive front screwed me over in a tourney, the only smallies caught were before the storm. Not a single person caught a fish during or after the front. Given this, my advice may not be the best, but in hindsight, I should've worked subtle presentations painstakingly slow.

I like fishing with my friend, but I definitely fish better alone. I focus more on fishing instead of trying to outfish him. (Everything's a competition for him.)

Get Storm Live Kickin' Shads. Caught my PB pike on the 4 or 5" bleeding roach. Some swim crooked, some swim fine. Or get the Cabela's Real Image Forked Tail Baitfish. That has the most incredible action I've ever seen on a lure, and actually caught two largies on one cast with it.

Without a doubt, skipping docks is my favorite thing to do for bass. They will hold fish all year except for MN winters, but the bigger fish are under deeper docks.

In a kayak, space is limited to what I can bring, so this is a reality for me, but I've recently found a nice tackle box where I can bring most of my stuff. Anyways, I'd bring: -swim and skipping jigs -paddle tail trailers -chunk trailers -topwater frog - 4/0 EWG hooks -flukes -spinnerbaits

I'm in high school, and frequently get asked why I like fishing. Everyone seems to say "Fishing is boring, unless you're catching a fish.", "It's soooo slooowww.", or "On a lake I'd rather be tubing/jet skiing/etc." I think it comes down to instant gratification and patience. Like so many of you have said, there's all this information at a touch of button. If people have to *gasp* actually work or wait for something, they think it's boring, and don't realize all the little things in life.

Just throwing it out there, what if the world record doesn't get broke? All you guys are talking about how Florida's waters are too hot and shallow, California's waters aren't managed correctly and are heavily pressured, Mexico/Cuba eat their bass and don't manage the waters, and Japan considers bass a nuisance. Considering all those conditions, my vote would have to be on private waters, like the link someone posted earlier regarding the man in Texas. (Sorry, I forgot who posted it.)