RO_Watkins

I typically rig them on a 3/0 ewg hook, weightless. I always bury the hook tip so they're weedless. I will occasionally put a 1/8-1/4oz bullet weight on and Texas rig them if I want to sink quicker. You can fish that top water too, actually makes it a little louder. Can be the ticket sometimes.

A cheap rod when I first started bass fishing. I thought it was just like catfish or crappie where you could catch them with about any ole rod. I wore my arm out, missed a lot of fish and broke it within a couple weeks. Luckily I didn't spend too much!

I'm with Roger in the top water. I spend $15+ a week on zoom horny toads during the post spawn. In my experience the bite can go from feast to famine bad vice-versa in a matter of seconds. I love fishing weedlines and drop offs on river banks during this time. One of my absolute favorites for post spawn is to fish the river in the middle of the day and throw against the current, parallel to a shaded bank and work a frog back towards you with the current. Top water or just slightly below surface with A TON of action. When the bait hits the shade it will sound like land mines going off for all the strikes. Can also be a good time to try/learn new lures and presentations, a lot of feeding going on. Good luck to ya!

NCthompson, I have fished all my life, but just started bass fishing about a year ago. Since then I have gone completely nuts over it and fish almost everyday. Much like anyone else is saying it is very important to gather any and all information that you can. Websites like this one and YouTube will be your best friends. One of the hardest things for me has been figuring out presentations of baits. For that I would just suggest finding some shallow clear water sometime and watching to see how you bait reacts to your movements. Another thing that I think is hugely important is to fish where you know there are fish to be caught. I know it sounds obvious, but it can be very frustrating to literally throw everything at them with no result. I started in ponds that I knew had a healthy bass population and moved to rivers and lakes from there. I have gotten a lot better in years time but I still have a lot of days that remind me that I don't know too well what I'm doing. The last and most important thing is you can't catch them from the couch. I know you probably don't have ton of free time but if you want to get good you gotta fish. The more time spent on the water the more you'll learn. With that said, good luck and don't get discouraged. Look forward to reading about your progress!

I used to have permission to fish a pond here in my hometown that I would kill to have again. Some people came out there and left tracks, trash, were loud, etc. so he won't let anyone back. But it was a dynamite fishing spot. 8+lb bass, 16+in crappie, good channel cats, big bluegill. Perfect balance.

Thanks Roger!

I feel like this website is the best place to find the truest fishermen and women that are on the internet. That is why I want the honest opinions of the bass resource faithful. I have put a lot of thought into producing a podcast about fishing. I feel they can be a great tool to learn more about any topic and who doesn't enjoy some good fishing stories. (facts optional, of course) I know I would enjoy something like this and I would hope to include professionals, popular outdoor business people, etc. It would be both informative and entertaining. I want any and all opinions, would you all listen? Also would appreciate suggestions if anyone has any that come to mind. Thanks!

Seeing that weather conditions may be one of the most important factors to consider when fishing I have started to be much more diligent about studying patterns and results in varying weather. I understand that nothing knocks the fish quite like a sharp cold front showing up. On the other hand I understand that a lower pressure system can cause fish to feed at a much higher clip. The problem that I have found is that these two things often come together. I think one could see where the issue would arise here. So my question is, knowing that every body of water and every situation is different, how much colder is too much colder and how low is low enough to make a difference? Also, how should one change their approach when the conditions occur? Feel free to also add on changing approach for other weather shifts as well. Keep in mind I do the majority of my fishing in ponds, but some rivers and lakes as well. Thanks!

Creature baits of all kinds Texas rigged slowly along the bank can produce during the spawn. Top water is always exciting. The problem is a lot of bites during the spawn are smaller male fish guarding nests. You will weed through a lot of those. The majority of bites are going to be aggression or "reaction" strikes. Finding nesting areas, keeping a good distance from the banks so you don't spook fish, and being patient about making those ornery females mad enough to strike are what I think are most important. Love using the zoom horned toad for top water and a Texas rigged chigger craw for subsurface. Good luck!

Going to buy new equipment and tackle for me is like a small child in a toy or candy store. I want just about everything there regardless of if I need it or not. However when it comes to buying rods and sometimes reals I feel a little bit in he dark. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there, who isn't the most experienced bass fisherman and doesn't have all of this figured out yet. So I'll go ahead and ask, what does all of this mean? When it it comes to rods there is the action, and the power, both of which use a lot of the same terminology. What's the difference and what do they mean? And once I know all of that how do I apply it to what I need? As for reels there is gear ratio's and bearings and drags and all of these different settings and such. What do all of these numbers mean? Once all of those make sense, why do they matter? I'm not completely lost on all of this but I feel like there may be someone out there who is, so if you all don't care to help with that I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated by all of the rookies out there.

I was wading in a local river crappie fishing with a live minnow on a cork. My brother and I were standing about 5ft apart and a cotton mouth dropped out of a tree top about 20ft high and started swimming towards us. We eventually managed to scare him off and continue fishing.

Just out of curiosity is there something you would recommend for someone who fishes mostly ponds but wants to fish lakes in the future? I fish almost exclusively soft plastics with some jerk baits and the occasional buzz bait or spinner thrown in. I like to be able to cast a decent distance but nothing crazy. I appreciate all of the comments and advice! I will definitely put it to use!

Just out of curiosity is there something you would recommend for someone who fishes mostly ponds but wants to fish lakes in the future? I fish almost exclusively soft plastics with some jerk baits and the occasional buzz bait or spinner thrown in. I like to be able to cast a decent distance but nothing crazy.

A zoom ole monster in the heat of the summer can produce a pretty big bite. But you just can't beat a zoom horn frog or a rage tail either top water or suspended. I've had a few bites on those that have taken years off my life.

That makes sense. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't costing myself a ton of fish because I use middle of the road stuff.