king fisher

Did you make that spinnerbait with the French blades? How well does it work? Do you use those blades in with other colors?

7 foot 1.23 inches.

Thanks Tom. I will give the area you described a try All winter the big bass were in flooded grass on the shallow west end. Last summer they were suspended in trees in the deepest water on the east end. Bass less than a pound every where top to bottom. I'm not sure where the bass spawn. Most of the lake has shallow areas with gravel bottom. The west end is protected from the strong winds, but the water is dropping fast and most of that end will be dry in a couple months. I don't know if the bass realize this and avoid laying eggs in dropping water. There are a couple small bays protected from the wind with deep water close by. I will try these bays, the points protecting those areas from the wind as well as simply cover most of the shoreline.

You are not a poor angler, simply a good friend. Sure was nice of you not to sore mouth those fish so your friend could catch them. You really went the extra mile by going back and blanking on the Ned Rig. You should be proud for helping you friend, who obviously is an inferior angler, gain some confidence. Hope he returns the favor sometime.

I'm not sure how long the spawn is. The water temp. never gets below 65 degrees so the spawn isn't dependent on water temp. From what I hear from lodges on other lakes, the bass spawn mostly on the full moon in Jan. and Feb. The few sport fisherman that fish the lake prefer to fish Nov, Dec, Jan. when the bass are in the flat west end. The local tilapia fishermen attempt to net the bass during the spawn, but are not very successful, if the fish are in cover that tangles their nets. Fishing is tough on this lake during the best time of year. In June I would only get 2 to 4 bites a day, but almost all the fish I caught would be over 7 lbs. If the fish are in a post spawn funk, it could be next to impossible. I'm hoping a couple weeks is enough time for their activity level to come back. I guess I will just have to go give it a try.

For bass three hour drive one way to fish with kayak. For salt water five minutes to launch kayak. I will be driving the six hours Sunday, can't wait.

My wife looked at my gear and couldn't believe I was ordering more. She told me if I couldn't catch a fish with what I already had, than either their were no fish, or I was a poor fisherman. I had to agree, but then ordered a chaterbait, and umbrella rig, both of which I never tried before. After all these are relatively new techniques that are guaranteed to turn a skunk day into a once in a lifetime personal best bass catching frenzy day. A friend of mine only throws a single Colorado black spinnerbait. He fishes it 10 different ways top to bottom. If he doesn't catch any fish, which is rare than he declares the bass aren't hungry and goes crappie fishing for dinner. Needless to say the bait monkey is not a friend of his. We both love to fish, and enjoy our time on the water, that is what is most important. It would be nice if just once, one of my new lures would catch more than his old spinnerbait. I'm confident the A rig will be the one.

I have read that large female bass are not very active for awhile after they spawn. Does anyone know how long the recovery time is after spawn? When do they go back to normal activity? How long does it take them to regain their strength, and weight? Where is a good place to find large post spawn females, and what techniques work best? I wasn't able to go fishing during the pre spawn, in my local lake, and I'm assuming by now most of the fish have spawned. Last year I didn't start fishing the lake until June long after spawn. I had success June thru August, with big bass suspended in deep water with trees. After the rainy season the fish moved to shallow flats. Water has been dropping since Dec. I will be fishing this weekend. I'm trying to get an idea where to start. The lake is a small reservoir with large shallow flats, rocky points, 35' deep near the dam, and many large submerged trees, in 20 to 30 feet of water. Surface temp. will be around 74 degrees. Afternoon winds 15 to 20 MPH. Almost no sport fishing pressure, Tilapia main forage are netted year around. Attached map made with Garmin Quick Draw.

I feel Diawa has the best in the $100 range. The Diawa BG spinning reel blows the competition away for an inexpensive salt water reel. As price goes up I give a slight edge to Shimano. All brands have great products in the higher price range making personal preference the only significant difference.

I prefer the Rebel Jumpin minnow. It is inexpensive, casts far, easy to walk, sounds great, and catches big fish including one bass over 10lbs., rooster fish, yellowfin tuna, snook, jacks and even a striped marlin. I own a Sammy, and have caught bass with it, but it mostly just takes up space in my tackle box.

Brass and silver tarnish. Gold and nickel don't. Blades made of gold will outlast several spinnerbaits. Larger investment up front, but unless you loose them they will last longer than any component on a spinnerbait. I have gold blades that I have replace over a dozen times on inline spinner bodies that have caught hundreds of fish over a period of 20 years and I'm sure will outlast many more spinner frames in the future. If you don't mind taking the time to polish brass or silver blades, they will shine and catch fish as well as any. Lots of different brands of polish on the market that work well. Steel or brass blades work equally well for painted blades that are painted on both sides of the blade. If you only want one side painted, than gold or nickel would be best. If you loose spinnerbaits often, cheap blades are best, you will probably loose them before they tarnish.

I have fished many prop baits and my favorite for many years has been the Torpedo. I just ordered a H2O prop bait from Academy sports I plan on trying next week. Any one ever try the H20 bait?

I'm sure that combo will catch fish, but I think combining a Diawa rod with a Shimano reel might be illegal in most states and a few foreign countries. I would check on the laws in your state and don't be surprised if the bass police show up at your door after posting a crazy idea like that on the internet.

I spent the last month chasing tuna, marlin, sailfish, roosterfish, and dorado. Will be back to bass fishing as soon as my boss leaves next week. Lots of striped marlin, and small tuna. The area where the big tuna are this time of year was closed off. I was turned around by the Mexican Navy on my way there. The biggest tuna was around 130 lbs. Biggest excitement was a 250 lbs. Blue marlin on a light rod and reel with 50 lbs floro leader fly lined for small tuna. We had to get all the other lines in, start the engines and back on the marlin before being spooled. Only one wrap of line left before I was able to catch up with the jumping Blue.

Lumaflex with a few strands of crystal flash.

Both.

Recently ordered my first umbrella rig, and chatter bait. I have resisted buying both, thinking if I can't catch a fish on the lures I already fish, than my lack of success is due to my lack of skill with those lures. Bait monkey has convinced me, that a Jackhammer will catch fish that a spinnerbait, or swim jig wont. Umbrella rig is the result of watching too many videos.

I didn't say not to fallow your guides lead. I only meant to point out a good guide does not get mad at a client who wants to try something else, or prefers to catch fish a certain way such as top water, It is all about customer satisfaction, not total catch. Some guides can remind me more of a foot ball coach, or drill sergeant than a fishing partner. Even the best guides can learn something from a client, if he is willing to keep an open mind. I apologize for hijacking this thread.

Tell your guide to get over it. You are there to have fun, not just catch fish. If his guide ego at the dock at the end of the day is more important than your enjoyment, get a different guide. If trying different lures during a good bite makes you happy, than that is what you should do. I have guided most of my life. Many times I had someone try their favorite local lure, even though I didn't think it would work, and I didn't feel we had the time to screw around with new techniques. Most of the time they quickly switched back to what me the professional wanted to use, but their have been many instances where I learned a new technique or lure that came in handy another day when fishing was slow. Most of the time I prefer to have one fisherman keep using what is working and have another, or myself experiment. Most of the time it has been the opposite for me. The client almost cries when I switch out his hot lure with something else. I have to tell him the only reason I know his lure works is because of me switching to that lure with another anglers lure in the past. One time a clients new lure was better than dynamite. The next day my guests couldn't believe how much they out fished everyone else. I said don't thank me. Thank the guest I had yesterday, who took the risk and tried something new during a hot bite. You can always switch back to the traditional technique. If you only try a new lure when the fish don't want want your favorite, you may never know if it can out perform you favorite. My favorite part of fishing is discovering new places, lures, and techniques. If given the choice between catching fish every cast and experimenting, I will choose experimenting most of the time. I would tell my guide I am having fun, and understand that it isn't his fault if my switching from what he recommends will probably mean less fish. I know it can be frustrating for a guide, but in the end it is your trip, not his.

That is why I force myself to try different lures, retrieves, sizes, and colors, when the fish are on a good bite. The only way to tell if one method works better than another, is when you are catching lots of fish. If it is slow it may be impossible to tell if the few fish you catch is lure, or luck.

Spinnerbait is my favorite pre spawn bait. Water temp. at my favorite lake went from a cold 64 degrees two weeks ago to 72 degrees today. I will miss the pre spawn and spawn this year due to work requiring me to chase yellowfin tuna for the next month instead. In my local waters, the best tuna fishing is in Nov. and Dec., and the big bass bite, is best Feb. and March. I'm forced to fish the exact opposite. I guess that is why its called work. I hope to catch some big post spawn bass in April, probably on a spinnerbait.

Every time I buy a rod it is a gift to me. I always tell my wife it is for Christmas, or my birthday.

White or light blue is the least visible looking from the bottom to the surface, green blends in well with weeds, bright green or orange has the advantage of being more visible for the angler, and black catches many bass. I don't think the bass care much about the color of the line. If you feel they are becoming line shy add a mono or floro leader. I currently use grey J Braid. When I don't catch fish, it is my fault, not the line, or any other gear. When I do catch fish, I give credit to the moon phase.

Hula grub Senko Tube Floating Rapala #3 Vibrax inline spinner Rebel Deep WeeR

Does your Senko always catch fish? Does it always out fish other baits? My theory is when there is no hatch which is a majority of the time, a bass or other game fish will simply be looking for something to eat. A Senko definitely looks like something to eat. When there is a hatch (crayfish, insects, shad, minnows etc.) they will most likely key in on certain aspects of the hatch in order to become more efficient predators, making them appear to be selective, but most likely are simply extremely focused on a certain trait of the bait that helps them find and catch that particular bait. If the bass are busting shad on the surface, you may still catch bass with a dark colored Senko on the bottom, but you might do better with a white one twitched on the surface, or a shiny spoon allowed to flutter below the crashing fish. Even if an angler doesn't want to match the hatch with their lure. Finding out what fish are feeding on will give an anger an idea of where to fish, as well as time of year, water temp. day light, etc. If they are feeding on a variety of bait, than an angler will most likely can catch them on a variety of lures, in a variety of locations. Just a theory. My reply's may only prove I spend to much time trying to think like a bass and not enough time bass fishing. Matching the hatch has been productive for me with many species of fish, in both fresh and Saltwater. I have also had success catching the same species of fish on lures I can't imagine matched anything a fish would eat. In my experience the larger the hatch, and smaller the bait being eaten, the more selective the game fish appear to be. When bass are feeding on large bluegill they probably wont turn down a crappie. When feeding on small schooling shad, the large crappie may swim by unnoticed. Again just a theory. Many people that have far more experience catching bass than me may think I am way off base, and I am the first to admit it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. Most of the time an exact match is not necessary. Maybe only a certain movement, is all that is needed, and size and color doesn't matter. Sometimes size is most important, and many speeds will work. If the crayfish are bright red, you may only need a small part of the lure to be bright red. I do believe it doesn't hurt attempt to generally match the location, action, size, color and sound (in that order), to what the bass are eating. If an anger finds the fish to be selective, and keying in on one particular type of abundant bait, then they might have to find a closer match in their box. If that doesn't work something completely opposite might. If all else fails, Senkos work great.