FCPhil

Never tried this but I think the key to a good hookup ratio on a wacky rig is having the hook perpendicular to the worm. I'd try to get some weedless hooks. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Wacky_Jig_Head_4pk/descpage-OWJH.html

Sweet. It would be great to see more.

Looks interesting to me. Hard to imagine it would not work at least as good as a chatterbait.

In my experience the distance you can achieve varies a lot based on how heavy the lure is. If you have loose line on your reel after the lure hits the water it means you didn't thumb the reel before impact and the spool kept spinning. If the line is fine after the pitch but loose after you retrieve it back in then it has to do with how your retrieving the lure. If that is the case try not to reel in line when the line is completely slack but keep it semi-slack as you reel. Different baits on different retrieves will produce different tightness line on the spool however and there is no way around that.

This summer I am going to fish for bass at Echo Canyon Reservoir in Pagosa Springs, CO on vacation. Any tips on fishing there? Or any other bass fishing in Pagosa? Thanks, Phil

I think covering water with search lures would be a good place to start. In light rain I'd suggest a more subtle topwater: walking bait, wakebait, popper. In heavier rain if there is wind I'd suggest a loud topwater: buzzbait, whopper plopper, pompadour, etc. if the topwaters are not working I switch to crankbaits and lipless crankbaits that are on the louder end of the spectrum. Especially if the rain is hard.

Just try with your highest percentage lures. I would suggest a small wacky rigged worm and a small crankbait. Hopefully you'll at least catch a small bass to clue you in on whether bass are present.

Recently I was fishing a pond on a clear sunny day with no wind. These conditions have always been the toughest for me. Usually the only bites I get in this situation comes from fishing in and over cover. After thoroughly working the limited cover with a frog and a jig I tried to cover lots of water with a lipless crankbait and some with a Colorado blade spinnerbait. Ended up getting skunked. In conditions like these (sunny, clear skies and calm) what should I turn to when the cover is not producing? Any suggestions? (I'm shorebound BTW)

I always use treble hook baits if I can because their hookup ratio is so good even if the bass just swipes it. My usual go-to is a lipless crank if I can get away with it. If the grass is too shallow for it though I go to a shallow running crankbait. If it is too shallow for that I like a whopper plopper. If I'm still getting snagged up in grass then maybe a buzzing frog or a buzzbait.

I have a megabass pop-x and a rebel pop-r. The megabass spits and walks while the pop-r does more of a "bloop, bloop" action. Haven't fished them enough to say which works better but at this point I actually like the rebel's action more. I can use a walking bait to get a splashing sound while walking better than the pop-x, but I don't have any other lures that make that bloop sound.

Don't know about the skitter pop but my 2nd largest fish ever came on a regular Rebel Pop-R.

I got "IS Gill Bone", not sure if it is better than others but it looks really cool. I strongly recommend you consider the pompadour jr. I purchased the jr. size and was surprised how big it was. I was very glad I didn't get the full size version. It may be shorter but it is surprisingly wide.

Found the Megabass pop-x at Dick's sporting goods for $2.99 because was mislabeled. Not exactly the size I was looking for but I couldn't pass up a deal like that!

I have the same issue using 30 pound braid. Here 2 tricks I have found: -On a steady retrieve if you hold the rod tip up and reel quickly at first it will pull the lure to the surface and get the line off the water. Once it's buzzing on the surface the way you want it you can then slow down to a slower speed and usually it will stay on top. -If you give it hard pulls, almost like you would with a chugger, it will buzz on the surface in between pauses.

My PB by a long shot was on a small glide bait (5 inch savage gear Shine glide). I was fishing it same place I usually do and first time really trying with it I hooked a bigger fish than I thought possible in this pond.

I use the smallest and second smallest eagle claw snaps that are sold at Walmart. I use them on everything and have never had them fail on me. I fish with 30lb braid and the braid still breaks before the snap does. I'm sure there are better snaps but they are cheap and do what I need.

What causes them to be active versus inactive?

Maybe I should leave out the schooling aspect. Mainly I'm trying to figure when to cover as much water as possible with moving baits versus when to focus on thoroughly fishing pieces of cover. For example in my experience midday is better to focus on specific cover and mornings better to focus on covering open water.

I was thinking about bass behavior as I have been strategizing about how to catch them. I fish mainly large ponds that have a lot of vegetation and pretty shallow. Sometimes it seems like bass are roaming in schools and once I catch one I start catching multiple. They usually are smaller and often caught on crankbaits. Other times I'll catch single fish on individual spots of cover that usually are bigger. What I'm trying to figure out is when do they roam in open water and when do they stick tight to cover so that I can target them better with the limited fishing time I have. Anyone have some insight?

In the future I'd put a glide bait on. That's what my PB (by a long shot) came on. If you don't have the gear for a big one there are smaller glide baits that you can cast on a standard set up. If you have never tried a glide bait it would be a good tool to add to your arsenal. I was using a 5.25 inch Savage gear Shine glide in the bluegill color.

Try a Yum swimmin' dinger. It may seem odd but the boot tail makes it shimmy on the way down. You have to rig it so it falls upright which is a bit tricky but it really works.

This morning I caught a good size fish (for my standards, 3 lb 4 oz) on a regular sized Rebel Pop-R. I really like the lure but I have trouble casting it very far. Anyone know of a similar size popper that casts better on baitcasting gear?

I really like the watermelon pearl belly. In dirty water the pearl stands out, in clear water it still looks natural like a small bass.

Anyone know what kind of worm this is? I like the slot in the top. Found it at a pond I fish.

One of my favorite lures is the Yum swimmin' dinger. It is shaped just like a worm but has a swimbait style boot tail. I'm looking for other baits like it. Closest things I found are the swim senko which is expensive and swimbaits that don't have the worm style profile. Anyone know of something similar to the swimmin' dinger?