broncoboxer

To the book's credit, they do mention this later in the chapter: There are two primary exceptions when speed reeling is not necessarily the best choice for crankbaits. These occur at either extreme end of the temperature scale, when the water is either too hot or too cold. The reason is simply that in such conditions bass do not move as fast and won't go after a fast-moving lure. Maybe this should have been added to your first post.. Thanks. Yeah, maybe so. But my fingers were getting tired.

To the book's credit, they do mention this later in the chapter: There are two primary exceptions when speed reeling is not necessarily the best choice for crankbaits. These occur at either extreme end of the temperature scale, when the water is either too hot or too cold. The reason is simply that in such conditions bass do not move as fast and won't go after a fast-moving lure.

I've read so much about slowing down lure presentation. How it gets finicky bass to bite. How when nothing works, just S L O W down. In fact, I've been reading Charlie Brewer's book on Slider fishing. If you're not familiar with it, he can't say enough about fishing slow. Because of this, it surprised me when I read an excerpt from the book "Best Bass Tips." It was written by Steve Price. It's one of the Falcon Guides. Anyway, the section on crankbait fishing espouses an entirely different philosophy. I'll write it below and I'm real interested to hear what you guys think. Here goes: Speed Reeling One of the most misunderstood aspects of fishing crankbaits involves speed of retrieve; a majority of anglers generally believe these diving lures need to be reeled back slow to only moderately fast, in order to reach their maximum depth and produce their most effective vibrations. Most of the time, this is a false assumption, and any bass fisherman who who limits himself to a slow retrieve with a crankbait is severely limiting the lure's potential to attract strikes. By far, the most effective retrieve with a crankbait is absolutely as fast as you can turn your reel handle. No less authority than four-time world bass fishing champion Rick Clunn learned this lesson some twenty-five years ago, and has used it more successfully than any other fisherman. The man who taught Clunn the lesson was none other than Fred Young, the legendary creator of the first modern crankbait, the Big-O, whom Clunn drew as a partner one day in a professional tournament. "He gave me one of his crankbaits to use," Clunn remembers, "then sat in the back of the boat and watched me fish it unsuccessfully for a couple of hours. Finally, he asked me for my rod, and when I gave it to him, I never believed anyone could crank a lure back so fast. He told me I would catch 75 to 80 percent more bass by retrieving a crankbait as fast as possible, and over the years I have realized he was absolutely right." The reason a fast retrieve works is because it changes the appeal of the lure. Instead of a slow-moving bait plodding along the bottom that bass have a chance to study, it becomes a fast-moving object that bass hit purely on reflex, even when they're not necessarily hungry or actively feeding. Fast reeling causes your crankbait to dive faster and thus reach the bottom--where bass are located--and stay there longer, too. Another basic rule of crankbait fishing also applies when you're reeling fast, which is hitting rocks, stumps and other cover as much as possible. In fact, the practice of bumping your lure off a stump becomes even more effective when you're reeling fast, because the lure ricochets off much more erratically and causes more commotion--which simply helps get the attention of a fish.

It really is.

Love that idea.

Great pictures! Makes me want a kayak all the more.

But you could get the same thing from a quiet walk in the woods. What is it about fishing that keeps you coming back for more?

Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

Zoom Super Fluke. Hands down.

Hey, we all have giant balls when we're 14...

^That's how it is for me. I'm not really new to bass fishing, but I've only really been possessed with it for a year or two, so you could say that I'm a newbie. If I'm fishing worms or senkos I'll reach for my little medium-light spinning setup w/Fireline--I'll sacrifice a LOT of hookset for being able to feel everything on the bottom. Part of that may come from the fact that I can't afford the more sensitive, more expensive heavier-action rods, but I've found it's improved my feel and patience on even my $60 MH combo: I know how much underwater stuff I'm hitting and how much distance I'm covering if I move the line so far for instance. Ah, I love Medium Light, Light and Ultra Light set-ups. Ever since I read the book "Ultralite Fishing" I've been a believer. A lot of times I'll head out to the water with nothing but two ultralite set-ups, some mini-crank baits (Strike King Bitsy Minnows, Rapala CD1's), Beetle Spins, Road Runner Jigs and 3 inch & 4 inch Senkos. Now that's finesse. And I love that I'll catch "extra" fish along with bass. You know. Those aggressive blue gills, crappie and assorted other sun fish. On an ultralite set-up they all put up a fight. And it's a blast.

Enjoy!

I don't have a lot of patience either. To me, burning spinnerbaits and crankbaits are a lot of fun. Slow presentations have always been a challenge. But I've found that using a sensitive rod makes a lot of difference in how much "fun" I have while fishing slow. With a sensitive rod, every little tick and scrape is magnified. Feeling the bottom composition like this, mentally mapping the topography has made a world of difference. I actually look forward to fishing slow now. No more pool sticks for me, where the only thing you feel is a 5 pounder swimming full speed away with your bait stuck in its lip.

;D

I have good news. You can watch every episode if you're a current ESPN BASS Insider member. You can also watch every Classic and watch a ton of other BASS related video.

Target species will include: Red Fish, Spotted Sea Trout, Weak Fish, an occasional Striper or flounder and whatever else happens to bite. Most of my fishing would probably be around bridges and grassy flats, though there will be occasional boat trips up to the outer banks (Nags Head; Oregon Inlet).

Thanks for the link, Mike. I'm gonna check that out right now.

I love a lot about bass fishing. But here are the things that I think I love best: 1. Catching one. Better yet, catching more than one. Unlike the more seasoned anglers on here, I rarely get to fish. And when I do, I zero as often (or even more often) as I catch. So any time there is a tug on the line, I get excited. 2. I love collecting lures. Every trip to the tackle store is fun. Yeah, I'm that guy. 3. I find angling to be a greater form of stress relief than simply sitting at home playing video games, reading a book or working around the house. It's fun to get outside, enjoy the scenery, breathe the fresh air and to soak up a few rays. 4. I love reading about bass fishing too! Yup, I've spent far more hours reading about fishing than I've spent actually fishing. Some day I hope to remedy that.

Great story. Thanks for sharing it.

My personal best is the one you see me holding in my avatar. She weighed in at around 4 pounds on an old spring scale (I didn't have a digital scale at the time). I caught her with a Zoom Super Fluke. The fluke's color was watermelon seed. I had T-Rigged that baby weightless and weedless using a Gamakatsu EWG hook (I think it was 4/0 but I could be wrong). It was caught in a friend's pond (1 acre or so). That pond was absolutely choked with weeds.

Before reading any other replies (and thus being convinced of better ways of doing this), my gut tells me to fish the following lures: 1. A lipless crankbait (probably a Red-Eye Shad for its Senko-like wiggle as it drops). 2. A slow-rolled spinner bait (you could pull out the big boys for this one, like a one-ouncer since it will sink faster and get deeper in a hurry). 3. Jigs! 4. T-rigged worms like a Rage Tail Anaconda. 5. Spoons, baby! If the drop off is snaggy, you could use a weedless spoon, like a Johnson's Silver Minnow. If not, you could throw a Kastmaster or a Strike King Sexy Spoon.

For heavy cover, I love weightless soft plastics such as a 5 to 6 inch Senko Texas rigged weightless with the barb skin-hooked. Fat Ikas are great in these conditions, too. If you're careful you can work them through some hairy stuff (weeds, lay downs, slop, etc.). Lately I've been getting into Carolina rigging. Soon, I'll have to try a drop shot rig...

My best luck has come when throwing Rebel Pop-R's and Zoom Super Flukes into the boils.

For the record, I don't consider using live bait as cheating (unless you're competing in an artificials only tournament...). Heck, if it helps me catch fish then it increases, not decreases, my fun. And I while I love fishing, I love catching even more.

This made me smile. For more reasons than one.