Dorado

Insane!

I caught my PB LMB (my avatar) off a Manns Baby One-Minus waking it from the bank during the post spawn. Just keep the rod tip high and reel slowly with occasionally burn then pause (repeat). With that said, I fish them in areas and times (spring and fall exclusively) when I'm fishing a square bill. I'll search the shallows with the square bill in the day then switch to a wake bait at dusk when I see surface activity.

I can’t believe it took me this long to finally start buying hooks in value pack/bulk quantities. Just received my first bulk order and it’s been enlightening so I wanted to share. My example: My favorite soft plastic hook ever- Gamakatsu G-Lock Worm Hook 3/0. (For this case below we are not considering taxes, delivery, and other surcharges just retail price for comparison purposes only) 6 pack standard quantity = $5.50 at Bass Pro Shops. Per Unit price of 92 cents 25 pack standard quantity = $15.99 at TW. Per Unit price of 64 cents I would’ve saved decent money if I would’ve considered this earlier in my fishing days. This might seem like a Captain Obvious commercial for most, but someone just starting out, it’s just logical to do it this way.

I can just tell from your inventory alone that you definitely catch fish! Nice set up.

Perfectly stated right here. Nailed it

@Team9nine That's a slab! Nice kittie too! You're having a great fall.

The Zoom Weightless Texas-rigged Trick Worm (Candy Bug) incorporates a new technique for me this year and it’s been a game changer. 2017 marked the year where I dedicated myself to fishing soft plastics almost exclusively. (Notice I said almost- need my lipless crank, swim jig, or chatterbait fix ever so often) Had no clue it was going to be responsible for my top night producer as well. Previously, had misconceptions that it wasn’t loud enough or distributive in the dark to get any love. Positioning myself 10-15 yards from the target on foot, I like landing the worm on the bank’s edge first, then creep it quietly with the rod tip into the water at night. When you hear or see the water swelling, get ready to draw! Experimented with various hooks too and narrowed it down to a 3/0 Gamma G-Lock which is my new favorite hook. Wide enough gap, sharp sticky hook points, and the unique angle in the offset z-shaped position keeps the plastics flushed straight even when pulled thru weeds. And that’s typically when I also get the most aggressive strikes. Judging by my last fishing experience experimenting with a Rage Tail Menance in Black with Blue Flake, this will be the Robin sidekick to the Batman duel. Just add a 1/4 oz tungsten weight and will use the same exact hook to swipe it out. Since my headlamp is ALWAYS off when I’m casting at night, it’s impossible to line watch. But at night, the bite is usually more aggressive in the shallower waters because the bass are there for one of two things: pin the schools of Shad against the artificial metro pond walls or stalk the bluegillls near the weed’s edge. Jigs are next year’s endeavor.

The colors on that wart are wicked!

Your responses have been enlightening and restored my faith in putting in more time with the jig. Love this site!

Good response. I think I do fish a jig from shore with too much slack. When I move my rod to move the jig I'm using a side sweeping action. pause. then two quick short pops. repeat cadence. I think I'm fishing too fast and not reeling up that slack line fast enough. Also throwing a 3/8 oz from shore which might be too heavy. Dumb question..but should I be slowly lifting my rod UP as opposed to that side sweep? Would I snag less?

As an active shore fisherman, I snag a football jig just about every time I fish with one. It happens to me 9 out of 10 times it seems. Texas rig - none! if I was fishing with my kayak, could be a different story, but fishing from shore, a jig just gets donated more than catch fish for me. Any other shore fishermen share the same experience?

Thank you for the troubleshooting. Very helpful tips

Not trying to highjack this post. I did Tex-pose last night and had no issues until I caught my first bass. It was after that initial catch, I couldn’t get the menace to ride straight thereafter. I’m going to peg it with a toothpick next time!

I tried this bait in Black/blue tonight for the first time. Caught three dinks but had a major issue with the tail end constantly sliding off the eye of the hook down beyond the z- part of the shank. I used a 4/0 EWG too. Do you use super glue?

I know you said you already have artificial worms but they are not all created the same. These are some classics that I strongly believe in -Zoom Trick Worm (Candy Bug) with a 3/0 Gamma G-Lock Hook TX-rigged weightless -Berkley Power Worm (Purple) TX-rigged on a 4/0 Gamma G-Lock Hook with 1/8 oz Tungsten worm weight. - Mister Twister Sassy Shad (black and silver) 1/8 oz Roadrunner Jig (Chartreuse) -Strike King Red Eye Shad 1/4 oz (Chrome with Blue Back) -1/4 oz Chatterbait (Shad) with Zoom Fluke Jr trailer (White Ice) in the spring and fall gets the trailer swapped for a Reaction Innovation Little Dipper (Pearl Blue Shad)

Do you fish mostly from a boat or from shore? Ponds, streams, or lakes?

That begs the question. What advantages do Craw worms and Craw imitations have vs. spider Jigs or jigs with Craw trailers? Ive been watching a lot of BassResource videos and he emphasizes why a jig is so effective due to the duel action from the skirt flaring mixed with the water displacement from the appendenges. It seems that the Craw worm is a lot more subtle.

@WRB Appreciate your details - as always, Tom. This is very location-specific and insightful. I'm jonesin' to try these tips out! I was checking out the Yamamoto hula grub head below in 1/2 oz.

Great advice right there! As @WRB stated, here in AZ, our aquatic vegetation is sparse so I'll look for rocky shores and cliffs. The theme from all the responses sounds like I should cast towards shore and work it back like I'm working sets of descending stairs. Thanks all for the responses.

Unreal

For Ponds, I’m referring to the cheap Strike King Bitsy Bugs. If I’m bank fishing, I prefer throwing cheaper Jigs because I get hung up frequently. On docks, shake it after it hits bottom, then slowly drag it a few feet. Shake it. Repeat. Those open water sandy areas were 100% on the initial drop. For Ponds, those lightweight finesse Jigs fall slower which is critical for catching highly pressured fish. Paired with the Toledo Special.

Late November - late winter, the weeds finally start to recede where I live. As an active pond fisherman myself, that's when I'll finally whip out the drop shot from shore. What are you using for your drop shot rigs? Last year, it was all about the Roboworm 4 1/2" straight tails (SXE Shad and Desert Craw). Migratory birds, like cormorants, start to head to our ponds and urban lakes from the north. I'll follow those shad-feeding birds with my drop shot and discovered that catfish and bass are usually on the bottom of those frenzies. Last year, same time, I experimented more with finesse jigs and tiny Netbait Paca Chunks. Those took some decent LMB around docks and areas with sandy bottoms when we had a warm streak. If that doesn't all work, add a 2.5" Gulp! Alive Black Shad to your drop shot and fish it SLOW. For my waters, all three of those methods should result in something during this time of the year. Not a large swimbait angler myself, so downsizing with slow finesse presentations is the theme for my late fall/winter pond tactics. Good luck

I’m bookmarking this article. Answered a lot of my lingering questions. Looks like rocky shorelines will be my first start. Depending on where you live, Fall sounds like it could be dynamite for the Craw bite

I'm already thinking about my 2018 New Year's Resolution and that is to fish with the other 1/2 of my unused tackle. This includes various jigs, crawdad baits (Netbait, Rage Tail, PowerBait Chiggers), tubes, and creature baits (Pitboss,RI Beavers). As a beginner kayak fishermen, my habitual ritual is to find schools of threadfin shad with my Lowrance Hook4 and use search baits like chatters, lipless to mid-depth cranks, grubs, and paddletails. It's been my comfort zone because schools of shad are easy to locate and are becoming more predictable for me to locate throughout various times of the year. Through experience, I'm finally starting to become successful using this technique and it's fun, but I'm neglecting the crawdad "stuff" due to a severe lack of confidence. As a kayak fishermen, equipping these types of baits, what structure, both underwater and above water, do you search for when imitating crawdads? I live in AZ, so our lakes are more/less flooded canyons. If I just stick to those baits next year to build new skills, I'll be more well-rounded and not feel like I wasted $$$ on proven baits that I know works exceptionally for others.

If you said what you quoted very quickly in a rhythmic fashion.........sounds like a rap verse LOL