BassFishingMachine

I think its somewhere in the 5lb range.

I rig it the exact same way, minus the nail weights.

Ive fished the Rage Tail Craws and the Rage Tail Chunks. Both worked simply incredible for me, definetly an amazing bait. Only problem I had was as everyone stated, the claws tear pretty easily. But this won't get me to stop buying them because the action is great/catch rate is great. I just wish someone will invent a craw/trailer in the future that has the same action and claws don't rip easy at all.

Also, be advised the waters I fish, deepest parts of the lake are 5-6feet.

Hmm, I'm not sure about the flappin hog, I know I use either 2/0 or 3/0 gamakatsu. Try both and see which fits best, if the 3/0 will fit I'd go with it. The Fat Ika I use a 4/0 Gamakatsu, nothin bigger..nothin smaller.

Well, after coming back from a very slow day of fishing, I came to realize I need to find out some tactics for fishing the post spawn. I have seen less and less bass on nests lately, and now I will occasionally see 1-2 on a nest, but all in all it seems majority of the fish are in the post spawn period. I have been pitching alot of jigs and softbaits in stickpiles/pads and any other cover I can find, but it just seems to be getting harder to catch fish as the days pass. So what im thinking is put away the "pitching tactics" and find another tactic to use for these post spawners that will increase my catch ratio. I can pull out the pitching tactic come summer, but for post spawn it just doesn't seem to be the best option. I just read an article on fishing the post spawn where the writer spoke about the bass's main forage in this period of time is the hatch from the recent spawning, so basiclly the bass are eating mainly baby bass and baby sunnies. Now I'd love to throw a jerkbait but the lakes don't seem to want to adjust with the fishing tactics :, the milfoil and every other aquatic plant just seem to be really spreading out, which means it will be extremely difficult to fish a jerkbait. In this article the writer also said that he finds chartruese or anything with some chartreuse to be a very very productive color, along with firetiger due to the orange of the sunfish. Now relating to the info provided by the article I have two ideas in mind. Number one, slow rolling a spinnerbait in either white/chart, all chart, or firetiger. And number two, Super Fluke Jr's in baby bass pattern. Other then that Im still at the drawing board. I just wanted to know if anyone has any tactics they specificly use for the post spawn period. Any specific baits, or colors? Any tips would be greatly appreciated as I'm missing the easier days of the pre-spawn/spawn as it is :'(. Oh and here is the article I was refering to incase anyone else wants to check it out; http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/post_spawn.html

I'd either flip/pitch a jig, or flip/pitch a creature bait or crawfish.

Imho I'd buy a few spinnerbaits, particularly in white/chart and a pack of trailer hooks to go with em. I'd focus as much cover as I could possibly find, if the shallow cover Isn't producing, focus the deeper cover etc. I also believe what fishfordollars said. You have to think positive, if you truly believe your not going to catch jack, then thats whats going to happen. Be confident in yourself and feel as if your going to catch a fish every cast. I know its hard to do so when you don't pull anything in on a few casts, but keep tellin yourself "this cast ones going to hit, you watch and see!". If you have a positive mind set it should greatly help. As all experienced fisherman know, confidence has alot to do with fishing, so if your thinking in your head that nothings going to bite your bait, wheres the confidence? Be confident and stick to cover, I can almost guarantee you'll be rewarded. Another strategy I'd recommend, even though its kind of "snotty", fish in the same general area as where other boats are fishing, or if you don't want to be too rude and fish there when they are there, then simply wait until they leave and fish the exact spot.

How fast is the current? If its pretty slow I'd try a finesse style football jig with a small Yum Chunk trailer, or Paca/rage chunk. I'd also give tubes a try. Now if the current was a bit quick, I'd use Fat Ikas or Senkos/stickbaits.

Hey, just thought I'd post this real quick and see what everybody thinks about it. I was just thinking of fishing tubes, and pictured a standard tube with not only your average tube skirt on the end, but also 2 claws, that really wiggle on the fall, basiclly like the claws on a Rage Tail, or Paca Chunk. I think that would make a sick bait no? Someone create it! ;D someone should invent a clawed tube bait that does. Maybe you do it Big-O? I promise I'd buy a pack!

Jig w/ Paca Chunk, Yum Chunk, or Rage Tail trailer.

Its a wake bait right? So its basiclly a topwater?

It is indeed a nice fish, I am sorry if my comment offended you/her, but I merely enjoy joking with people who exaggerate the weight of their fish.

I haven't tryed the Rage Tail toad yet, but I do pretty darn good with the Stanley Ribbit, so the ribbit gets my vote.

In my opinion its all preference in comparing these two styles of worms, the only thing I can think of is the ribbontail might give off more of a vibration with its curly swimming tail so maybe better in disclored/overcast days? But then again you can always add a rattle or use a dark colored worm on the straight worm, sane goes for any soft plastic.

I haven't tryed one, but I have fished with someone who has, and witnessed the action of it. I think your alot better off throwing a spinnerbait.. just my opinion.

Im a bank fisherman, if I ended up gettin caught up on a stick pile with this lure I think I'd die from a heart attack right there on the side of the lake. Atleast the turtles would eat well... .

Well if he got em with a t-rigged worm, pitchin it, I would do the same thing but with a few other baits other then just a worm. I'd peg a creature bait like a Zoom Brush Hog or GYCB Kreature and pitch it to the cover, I'd also pitch a jig around, and last but not least a worm.. probably a powerworm.

Jig, but a topwater, especially a hollow frog would definetly be my 2nd choice.

How do you get the gill to stay on the nest? When ever I try something like this the gill just runs away and the bass stops chasing, if I pull it back onto the nest the same thing just repeats itself, how do you get the gill to stay within the nest? Do you injure it or something to quiet it down a little?

Ok, just wanted to get a understanding of how bass react after rain. Any articles would be appreciated along with comments etc. We've recently been getting alot of rain around here in NJ, so once this all clears up I want to know what to expect from the fish and where they'll most likely be holding and how they'll be acting, now I know what your going to say "you have to fish and the fish will tell you", yes this is absolutely true, but there are common facts known for different weather patterns that are tend to be correct alot of the times. So what do you use after the rain, and where do the bass relate to after rain? Does the time of the year effect this? If so lets assume the time of the year is early spring.

Hmm, sucks to see a member leave, but I truly believe he will be back or already is back on another name using a diff IP. He will not tell anyone its him to keep controversy low and not have to repeat the same story over and over again, but you will see the and know its him, you won't even have to ask.. which if you did he'd probably reply with a or a comment that leaves you guessing. Another I seen is Avid listed as an exmember, was he the one who also was banned in the whole ordeal? He'll probably be back also, and instead of bouncingness you'll realize its him by the crappy camera pics ;D.

The rule I follow which probably has already been stated is dark colors on overcast days or at night, and more "natural" colors on slightly stained to clear water. I believe when the water is slightly stained - clear, your best bet is something generally in the "natural chart", but when the water is badly stained - murky, I believe that rule goes out the window and the best colors are something the fish can see, which for silhouette reasons, as you probably already know, are dark colors such as black, black/blue, black/red flk (anything that has alot of black), or very bright colors such as firetiger etc. For hard lures the sun has alot to do with it, if the water is stained and we have some sun I will use a black/gold or more commonly known as "golden shiner" pattern. Whether we have a sun or don't have a sun and the water is chocolate milk colored I will use a bright color, not "flash wise" but color wise as in chart, orange etc. When the water is extremely murky, I don't think the sun helps the lure much and I believe a brighter color instead of a shining color is the best bet. On overcast days, topwater wise, I like black or a yellow belly, and at dusk or night, black is my most common and confident choice. I will use colors that are extremely natural in slightly stained - clear water, such as a perch pattern, a standard silver w/ black back, or even golden shiner tends to work well. Basiclly anything that looks extremely natural relating to the forage in the water your fishing is the best bet IMO on slighty stained - clear days.

Hmm, maybe the best bet then would be to start out visiting each lillypad patch with a spinnerbait along the sides of them and even through them if possible, and then on the way walking back fish the same pad patches with a slower approach such as a jig/pegged creature.

Ok, I fish a lake that has alot of small patches of pads, now I don't mean theres just pads all over the place, I mean 4-6pads clumped here, another 4-6 clumped there, spread out all over the place. The fish tend to hang out in these pads along with the stickpiles and other cover in the lake. My question is, what is your go-to bait when fishing patches of pads like this? Currently mine are pegged creature baits and trying my best to bring spinnerbaits through them or directly along side them to a point where the spinnerbait bumps the end of the pad as its going by.