river-rat

When I'm not fishing I follow this regimen to stay healthy. Walk/jog 3.5 - 6 miles five times per week (I'll do this either before or after I go fishing) Go to the gym three times a week and do squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Drink 1 gallon of water day I eat a big breakfast, moderate lunch, and a light dinner. No processed foods/cheese/sugar/fast food/sweets (sometimes I'd kill for a donut but I stay strict about my eating habits) I'm 71, retired, and do pretty much anything I want to do. I firmly believe that because of my physical condition I am still able to stand up in my boat and fish all day.

I tried the 5/0 Rig'N hook for flipping tubes, but I kept missing fish so I changed to the Mustad Big Mouth Tube hook and have never looked back. I'm sure the Trokar hook recommended by Glenn will work, but it's hard for me to try something else because I've had success with what I use for tubes. I've never tried the Owner Twist Lock hook for tubes.

Same here. Seems like the wind was blowing 20+ MPH for a couple of months or more. Fishing in the marshes below Morgan City, LA was near impossible. There is nothing to break the wind down there.

I have used a Mustad 4/0 Big Mouth Tube hook for 4" - 4 1/2" flipping tubes for years. I upsize to the 5/0 when using a 5" tube. I might add that I use a flipping tube all the time. It's one of my confidence baits

Absolutely. I have used Mend-It since it came out and find it to be quite effective. I keep a bottle in my boat all the time.

Back in my teens we would fish for Alligator Gar in the Atchafalaya River and hooked some monsters. It was a hell of a rush trying to bring one of these to the boat. The biggest problem was if we did get one to the boat was getting it unhooked. They are one tough fish to deal with.

I have as much confidence in a flipping tube as anything else I use. There is always at least one rod rigged with a tube on the deck of my boat year round. I'm partial to the 4" tube made by Right Bite Baits for fishing around home and will use the 5" at Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn. I'll also use the Strike King Denny Brauer flipping tube from time to time. I usually start with a 5/16 oz. slip sinker but will adjust up or down depending on the mood of the fish. I use a 4/0 Mustad Big Mouth Tube Hook for 4" tubes and a 5/0 for 5" tubes. And I always insert a tube rattle. As far as colors, I keep it simple. Black/Red Glitter, Black/Blue Tail, and Green Pumpkin/Red and Green Glitter are the primary colors I'll use. On occasion a Junebug tube works well.

I've stated numerous times on this Forum that the Gene Larew Salt Craw has been one of my favorite plastics since they were introduced in the 1980's. I have always got one of these tied on either a Texas rig or as a trailer on a jig. And I never see anyone else using them which suits me just fine.

If I'm limited to a 1/4 oz. jig it will be an Oldham's Trailer Hitch Jig. For a trailer I'll use one of the following. Gene Larew Salt Craw (I'll trim this down to about 3.5 inches) Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw Uncle Josh #11 Pork Frog

X2. I've been using Bitter's Bait and Tackle plastics for years. The 7 1/2" worm in Candybug Gold is deadly on a couple of the Mississippi River oxbow lakes if fish. I also use the Salty Hog and the 10" worm. Great products in my opinion.

I wish I had a better answer for you but the only way to tell is go fishing and try to determine what the fish are doing that day.

I've been using a flipping tube since they came out in the late 90's after Denny Brauer won the Classic with one. For the past couple of years a flipping tube has produced better, for me, than a jig-n-craw. I have the utmost confidence in this presentation. In fact, just this morning I went out and a flipping tube outproduced every thing else. It's gotten to the point that I have started keeping two rods with flipping tubes rigged with different weights. I have also found it to be very productive when punching through matted vegetation.

Cordell Redfin or Smithwick Rogue (depending on which one the fish prefer that day_ Flipping Tube 4" Salt Craw or SK Rage Bug Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw

When the water starts falling in the Atchafalaya Basin in early summer after the spring flood, it's not unusual to fish one drain where the water is coming out of the swamp into a canal or natural bayou and literally catch 50+ bass in that one spot.

I don't think it makes one bit of difference to a bass if the hook is running parallel or not. I've been fishing a spinnerbait since the 1960's and the majority of the strikes I get are when it runs into and bounces off of cover.

I would also suggest Sam Rayburn. But I'm also partial to night fishing so Lake Fork would be hard for me to pass up.

Cypress Trees Laydowns Hydrilla Water Hyacinth Mats Give me any of those or any combination and I'm good to go.

Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw Flipping Tube Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw Strike King Rage Bug 7 1/2" worm Honorable mention Zoom Brush Hog Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm

I buy nail glue with a brush applicator on Amazon. It works as well as super glue and it's easy to apply with the brush. It costs about $6-$7 a bottle and works as well as super glue gel.

I'm partial to the following: Devil's Horse - been fishing this since the 1960's with my Dad and Grandfather teaching me how to fish it. Still one of my favorites. Hub's Chub Rattalur - I have caught some some huge Largemouths on this lure. I only use two colors - Black or Gold Chrome. Thankfully I still have a few. As far as I know they have been out of production for several years. Heddon Baby Torpedo - This one can be extremely productive in the Black Bayou Marsh area around Houma, LA in the summer. Buzz Bait - Black with Black Blade under low light or at night or White with Gold Blade when the sun is bright. Whopper Plopper - I'm including this because it has been fairly productive but it's not my first choice when using a prop bait.

When it comes to plastics I too rely on the Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw a great deal especially in Black/Red Glitter, White, and Sapphire Blue. But I can't imagine not having a Texas rigged 4" flipping tube and a 4" Gene Larew Salt Craw in the boat.

I’ve been fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin since I was a kid (I’ll soon be 71). I’ve been known to run my bass boat in some really skinny water to get to areas that hold fish. The skeg on my outboard doesn’t have any paint left on it from running across mud flats. My brother and I have an aluminum tunnel hull with a hydraulic jackplate that we use to run areas that a bass boat can’t get through. Even with this set-up you still have to be careful about where you're running. The thing that you have to be most careful about are sandbars. If you run aground on a sandbar it's about the same as dropping your boat off the trailer in a parking lot. I've had to be towed off a few over the years.

Texas Rig is the only way I have used them.

I'm going to say a flipping tube since that's what I used to catch a 7lb. 13 oz. largemouth this past Thursday.

The lake was completely drained and then re-stocked. There are several boat lanes that are clearly marked but you don't want to run outside the lanes. You can check with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for a topo map. As far as I know there are no boat rentals for the lake. Hope this helps.