king fisher

Depends on the type of rock. Round rocks can be fished with jigs and Texas rigs. Some types of rocks will eat almost any weight or jig. I grew up fishing a lake that was completely made up of jagged basalt rock. A jig or Texas rig would be snagged instantly. Crankbaits caught fish, and could be deflected off rocks for awhile, but I never owned a crankbait that lasted long. Spinner baits worked and could be slow rolled, but again I never had one that lasted a whole summer. By the end of every summer, I would be fishing top water, because that was all I had.

If a bass can see color, than they will surely use that ability to help them find and catch prey. Could they find and catch prey with out color vision? I'm sure they could. A color blind person gets by just fine. Most people would agree, being able to see color is not the most important sense a hunter can have but it is an advantage for a human hunter trying to find game. I'm sure it is also an advantage for a bass. If bass are using their ability to see color to their advantage, it only makes sense for angler to try and use lure color to their advantage.

I bring a scale and a tape when I go fishing, for my personal knowledge. As far as what I tell my friends regarding the size of my fish. I like to use the less scientific method of knowledgeable estimates, combined with positive thinking, and a healthy imagination.

Tim of year is definitely not the limiting factor for when I go fishing. When I was young and single, I fished for work and play spring through summer, hunted all fall, then trapped until spring. My friends used to say there should be a law against how many days a year I was hunting and fishing. Then a got married and grew older. Now I spend more time working than I do fishing. Why do people say with age comes wisdom?

A man who can't make a bass grow after an intentional release, or LDR, either has no imagination, or is a lousy story teller. It is an insult to the fish not to give it the honor of adding to its size. Therefore I try not to let the truth get in the way of a good fish story.

None. I do use fluorocarbon, and appreciate its advantages in certain situations, but could easily get by without it.

No lucky charm I can bring can help, but leaving some things will. If I forget my camera, I will catch a big fish. If I forget my scale, I will catch my PB. If I forget my camera, scale, and tape measure, I will have a truly epic day. Also from experience I know if you measure a fish with a piece of fishing line, and use a tape to measure the piece of line, no one will believe how long it was.

My year started well with some successful offshore trips. ( large tuna and marlin) Then like every one else life changed. It was the first summer since 1988 I didn't guide in Alaska and I only went off shore fishing here in PV. one time this summer. Good thing was I bought a kayak and was able to bass fish more than I have in years. I will not complain about lack of fishing opportunities. I had a good friend miss a month of fishing while in the hospital with COVID. He still doesn't have enough energy to deck hand off shore trips making it hard for him to support his family. A cousin will never fish again because he is no longer with us. Even if I wasn't able to catch a single fish this year, I would still feel fortunate. I hope to have many more years fishing, and I appreciate every day on the water more than ever.

That is why you should buy her that expensive baitcaster you want so badly for Christmas. Just a few back lashes, and it is yours. Make sure you buy her something non fishing related too. A friend of mine still has a shotgun that has never been used at his house. He made the mistake of thinking she only wanted a shotgun for Christmas. Every time he has tried to use it she tells him it is hers, and he is welcome to borrow her jewelry but not her gun.

Make sure you buy her the rod and reel you have been wanting to buy, because there is a chance you will be the one using it. If you buy her a beginner set up it may just spend time in the closet.

I like to fish fast. Yesterday I started the morning with a buzz bait, no luck, slowed to a walking bait, with limited success and finally fished a popper which worked well. I fished the popper faster than most, but was still slow for me. In the afternoon, I started burning crankbaits but had to switch to fishing a swim bait with a medium retrieve. I know I need to learn to fish slow, but so much water, so many lures, and so little time.

Spinnerbait for bass. Inline spinner for bass as well as other species.

I start almost every day with a buzz bait. I can cover lots of water, it comes through cover well, and is easy to fish in low light. The sound of a big bass crushing one is always a big plus. Most days I switch to something else within an hour , but I live for the days I don't have to change all day.

The biologist gives lots of statistical data that he hopes will eventually help anglers catch big bass at Toledo Bend, when all he really needs to do to help anglers catch a big bass there, is give anglers the radio frequency of that 8 pounder lol. I once witnessed two biologists tracking a moving radio transmitter they had put in a king salmon through thick brush in Alaska. I asked them if they were aware that king salmon don't swim on bear trails. They replied the tags were very expensive and as long as one was transmitting they were required to recover it. Lucky for them the signal quit before they caught up with it. They were great guys, that were very dedicated to their research.

Whopper Stopper Dirty Bird

Water temp. dropped to 74 degrees. Bass moved to the shore line. Landed a 8.1 pound 24 1/2 inch on a buzz bait first thing in the morning. Lost a giant in the afternoon on a DT 10. Lots of small ones in-between. I still haven't found a good way to take a picture while fishing in my kayak.

Sounds to me like you did well. I spent all day fishing from my kayak in a lake with no other fisherman. Water temp was 78 degrees sunny with light wind. All I caught in 12 hours of fishing was two bass, with the biggest about 3.5 pounds. You caught more fish than me, and I was fishing a Mexican bass lake in ideal conditions. Good job.

I am happy with the Coastal 200 for deep cranks

A fish does not pull at a slow steady pace. Put a rod in a holder get a scale, set the drag at 5 pounds. Slowly pull drag off the reel with the scale. After pulling a few feet off making sure the scale is set right, give the scale some jerks and hard pulls. Notice the max amount of pull on the scale. You can easily double that to ten pounds just by pulling with jerks and uneven pressure, similar to a panicked fish and angler when the fish is close to the boat. That is why many people will recommend setting the drag at 1/3 the rated pound test. When I am fishing in heavy cover, I will have my drag set very tight, so I can instantly get the fish away from the cover. Once the fish is in open water, I loosen the drag, and let the fish fight until tired. Making the boat side part of the fight less hectic. If I'm not fishing in heavy cover, I set my drag at approximately 1/3 rated line strength. One of the most common phrases, I have heard while fishing is, this big fish is taking drag, I think I need to tighten it. Followed by the very common sound of line snapping, or sometimes even the rod. I watched an angler try and slow a big king salmon once by thumbing the spool. He burned his thumb so bad he let go of the rod. Set your drag correctly and trust it.

I fished a river where you could only use one single hook. The most common lure was a magnum Wiggle Wart. You could buy Wiggle Warts with no back hook and the front one connected to the front hook hanger, with a short bead chain swivel. More than once I had to tell someone that the bait would dive down to the fish better if they tied their line to the split ring on the front of the lure rather than attach it to the split ring on the back.

I bass fish less in the winter, because that is when I have to salt water fish for work. This year I will be doing less work because of Covid. Tough way to live but some one has to do it. Awsome picture Awsome picture

I have lived in two states. Both have rod restrictions. In Alaska for fresh water you are allowed one rod period. You can only have one lure or fly attached to that rod. In WA for years you were only allowed one rod. Now you can pay an extra charge for your license which allows for one more rod. My current home is in Mexico. Anything goes.

Action, speed, size, and color all can matter. Most of the time color is the least dominant factor, but not always. Some times the bass are keying in on only one factor, such as speed. Any thing you throw gets hit as long as it is fished, fast. Other times its action, only a wide wobble will get hit. Size can be critical, other times not. Sometimes they are keying in on more than one factor. Fast tight vibrating is what they want. Then their are times when you need to match all factors even color. Other times as long as they can fit it in their mouth they will hit. Those are the times that great stories are made of. Also their are rare times when color is the only thing they are interested in. Anything orange will get crushed, but something black wont get a look. If red on a crawfish makes it easier for the bass to find a crawfish, then he may get tunnel vision and only look for that color to find his prey. Anything red will get hit even if it doesn't look or act like a craw. Most of the time a certain movement is what helps a bass capture their prey but that is not always the case. If I'm looking for deer with binoculars in open country, I will be concentrating on size and movement. In thick cover I may be concentrating on finding the small white patch on their neck or the shine of an antler. A bass is a predator just like any other. They use all of their senses to the maximum advantage to locate a kill their prey. Color vision may not be used as often as other senses, but it will be used. If not they wouldn't have the ability to see color. If you hold a Jitterbug straight above you head all you will see is the bottom white. If you hold it above your head at an angle, you will see the bottom and the sides, at a slight angle you can almost see the whole thing. Try it. Not that I think it makes a difference, because I don't, but I always hear a bass can only see the bottom of a top water and that is not true. I don't think an exact color match is important. A rainbow trout colored lure is green on the back grey on the sides, and white on the bottom. That is the same color as many bait fish. Just because it has a red stripe probably wont make any difference to a bass. Try to throw an all pink lure when they are looking for a natural colored one, and you might have a problem.

Rebel Jumpin Minnow in bone. Like the PopR it was discontinued at one time but brought back. Sometimes I color the back black with a magic marker. Easy to walk, good sound, casts a mile, and doesn't break the bank. I landed a double digit bass on one this summer, along with roosterfish, jacks, pargo, and yellowfin tuna. Hooks are poor. I don't ever hear any one else on this sight recommend this lure. Does any one else use one? Why no love?

I don't recall using the technique with a fish, but occasionally will when snagged and my kayak is shoved by the wind or current over the snag. Has saved me from breaking a rod tip more than once.