BigAngus752

Left work early even though the wind was 25-30mph. Chose a small, electric-only lake with a lot of timber around it. The Ultrex is the ONLY reason I tried it. Glad I did. Struggled for two hours because the fish weren't where they were last Sunday. Couldn't find them in the spawn areas either. Tried fishing the wind and caught a 1-10 (no pic). Another break with no fish. Finally found some fat-bottomed girls hunkered down about halfway between last Sunday's points and the spawn area. A @Siebert Outdoors Grid Iron in Bluegill with a Berkley MaxScent Chunk stuck these three. A 3-8, 4-4, and a 4-9. The wind beat me up (and my boat has some brand new scratches) but it was a good afternoon.

Dynamite.

Exactly right. That is where I am catching fish right now. Points leading to spawning area. Depth dependant upon weather. Vibrating jig and lipless crank. I should say...when the wind isn't 30mph and I can put a boat on the water.

I'm so broke my bologna doesn't have a first name.

^^^this^^^ I agree with @slonezp so often I'm starting to wonder if I should propose to him but that would ruin it. I have to say @A-Jay 's question is super simple to answer. If they are already chasing something when you get there you found "active" bass. If they are sitting and watching football with @king fisher and you put something in front of them and they eat it then you made them "react" and be active. If you put something in front of them and they don't eat it then they aren't active...until you troll away and I come along behind you with a different lure that triggers something in their prehistoric brain and they eat it. Then I activated them and I hold the fish up and wave it at your boat and you call me a derogatory name under your breath. Which will be my favorite fish of the day, by the way.

It sounds like you are saying that the Ultrex battery indicator shows your batteries are dropping but that's the ONLY indication that they are not fully charged? Is your TM slowing down or stopping? The first thing I would do is unplug the charger when fully charged and put a meter on each battery. Then I would let them sit unused and not on the charger for several hours or overnight and put the meter on them again. If there is not a substantial drop I would start using the Ultrex and watch keep checking them with the handheld meter. I used to use Interstate exclusively. My last two purchases convinced me to never use them again.

That's a good point. Perhaps the fisherman's personal preference is simply to wait the fish out until they are in the mood. Kind of like being married...

Absolutely right. I should have clarified that. I love to bank fish also but you are generally tied to a spot.

I was recently doing some studying and ran across a video with a theory about off-shore fishing from a popular fishing guy (many of you have seen this video and will recognize it as I describe it). I would very much like to hear the opinions of the bassresource-ers. Please and thank you! The basis of the theory is that "off-shore fishing" (defined as fishing more than a cast-length from the bank, regardless of depth) is often treated differently (and incorrectly) than "beating the bank" fishing, by fisherman. Bass fisherman will move quickly down the shoreline making one or two casts at prime targets or spend five to ten casts on a juicy looking dock and will then move on if they don't get a bite. Conversely, a bass fisherman tends to devote 30 minutes or more to an offshore target simply because it's easy to spot fish on the graph bunched around a ledge with rock on it. Since the fisherman doesn't know WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that the dock holds bass, they will make a concerted effort with five to ten casts using one or two different lures and then move on. But once the fisherman IS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the off-shore target holds fish (seen on the screen) they will hit the spot lock and spend 40 or 50 casts or more chucking the tacklebox at those fish even though they aren't getting bit. This particular expert/teacher believes that bass fisherman should treat off-shore structure just like a good looking dock. Regardless of how many fish you see on the screen, you should make no more than ten casts with a couple different lures and then MOVE ON. He reasons this out as follows: -Bass only feed a couple/few times a day BUT bass in different areas feed at different times -A fisherman is only going to be successful by targeting actively feeding fish -A bass fisherman that is beating the bank is presenting his lures in the faces of tons of bass that aren't in an eating mood and just don't bite as he heads down the bank or past a dock but the fisherman doesn't care because he doesn't know they are there. -A bass fisherman should keep that same mentality when fishing off-shore targets and make a concerted but brief effort and accept when the fish aren't in an eating mood and move on. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Would you modify this somehow? This is a mental game-changer for me. I avoid the atypical off-shore fishing like the plague because my only experience with it is an hour of thowing every boring technique at a bunch of fish I know are there only to be frustrated. Whether this is a well thought out theory or not, I will be adopting this mentality simply because it's going to get me to make a short but concentrated effort on more off-shore targets at that time of year when that's where I SHOULD be. It may not be the best way, but it will get me started at being a more well-rounded fisherman. Or is this the best way to fish off-shore? Happy Easter and God Bless

I can only answer for myself, but I have to be using a rod with a more moderate or "softer" tip if the lure is light. I skip with fast tips too though. It's more about what I'm skipping I guess. I am constantly skipping wacky rigged 5in worms under docks but no way I would try that with a BC. I'm sure there are some people that could, but I use a spinning rod with a moderate tip for wacky. On the opposite end of that spectrum is when I'm skipping a 1/2oz bladed jig with a large paddletail trailer. I use baitcaster and a MH Okuma with a fast tip, and that Okuma's "fast" is much stiffer than, say, one of my Dobyns "fast" tips. But the vibrating jig with the paddletail is so heavy that I very rarely have an issue. It's more about getting the angle right IMHO. If I screw up that first angle I'm picking yarn regardless of what rod I'm using. I only skipped with spinning gear for years. I finally realized that I was only going to learn by doing. I cinched up my undies, put my head down, and started hurling it. It turns out it wasn't difficult to learn at all. I made a few messes but I never had to cut any line. I'm not Andy Montgomery but I can put it where I want it most of the time.

I skip with both. I pitch with both. I'm trying to get my lure where it needs to be. I'm not picking up a rod and declaring "this is my skipping rod" or "this is the bait I flip with". Just this morning I pitched a lipless crankbait because pitching it was the most efficient way to get it exactly where I wanted it based on what I was throwing at, the boat angle, wind, etc. I'm not saying that I can skip with every rod, it has to have the correct action, but I skip with multiple rods both spinning and casting and I'll pitch absolutely anything if that's what works best at that particular moment.

^^^this exactly^^^ Weather Underground's ten day forecast shows you wind speed, temperature, and barometric changes in a rolling, hourly format that you can scroll through with your cursor. And it's pretty darn accurate. It shows me that at approximately noon on a particular day the wind is going to pick up and the barometer is going to crash...which means I'm leaving work at 11am...

I'm gonna use this so often that I'll owe you royalties.

Sorry brother. They have to make it in the boat. You can, however, mitigate the "skunk" talk by talking about all the good bites you got.

Fish the season first. Then fish by the weather for the past few days while taking today's weather in consideration. Then look at the map. I can show you the map of a lake that I have great success on. You'll pick the wrong places if you don't take into consideration; the time of year, the preceeding weather, today's weather (especially the wind), and water clarity. These guys are giving you great advice based on assumptions they are making in their own heads. If one guy tells you to fish a certain piece of structure but the wind is blowing baitfish against the opposite shore then you will think he is wrong because you won't get a bite. He's not wrong, you just aren't taking everything into consideration that you need to consider first.

This is a no-brainer and extra unbelievable that it's in Illinois: http://www.mikestackleworld.com/ The variety is amazing. Mike passed away several years ago and his wife runs it every day with only a little assistance. Unfortunately she told me that her kids have no interest in the place and she can't continue for much longer. Fantastic place and wonderful lady.

FYI, the proper way to disinfect a wake boat is a five gallon can of gasoline and a match.

Yes! Thank you. This was my backup plan. I'm not a "deep structure" bass fisherman but I should probably bite the bullet and go learn from a good guide on an epic lake. Thanks very much, Tom. I almost messaged you directly as I knew you would have the goods on So Cal.

I'm sure you're right. Unfortunately I live in east/central Illinois. The closest boat dealer is the BPS I mentioned. Thank you for the suggestion though.

BACK TO THE TOPIC: Not to hijack, but I am definitely in the "brick and mortar" camp and would prefer to buy from somewhere I can go back to and have a "hulk smash" moment if the battery fails. Can anyone tell us any other chains, other than BPS, that we might find some lithium batts? I've got a BPS about 90 minutes away and that's likely what I will do.

My wife has to travel to San Diego in late June for work. This is awesome for me because we recently wrote out our separate travel "bucket lists" and high up on my list was the San Diego Zoo. I was thinking about down time while she is working and started looking at bass fishing guides but I'm wondering if it's worth it that time of year. I am willing to spend $$$ for an epic bass fishing trip, however, standing on the bow and playing a fishing video game with live bait is NOT an epic bass fishing trip. I don't care if the bass is 20+ pounds. I am totally unfamiliar with the lakes in Southern Cali so some info about the summer bass fishing there would be much appreciated.

KastKing anniversary sale 15% off. code: KKBD15 I know opinions are mixed on their stuff but I have their digital scale and it's excellent. Sharky spinning reel is also very high on my list for the price.

Maybe this would be useful? Hard to say not knowing the surface. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tow-tuff-adjustable-trailer-dolly-with-caster-1229945?cid=Shopping-Google-Organic_Feed-Product-1229945

Oh man, are the depth labels correct? Depending on water temp, recent weather, etc. I would be hammering the two extreme ends. First I'd hit the flats on the right where @Deleted account and @papajoe222 are talking about on the east (deep). If that didn't load the boat (water too clear, east is coldest water, etc.) then I would be waaaaayyy up in the dirt on the west side scraping the bottom near that bridge where there is fresh/warm/muddy water coming in. That's the kind of stuff I like in the spring and fall. I have my push pole right next to me on deck.

Your boat is light and you are making it lighter before you drag it. I would fashion a keel guard first. Gorilla tape (not duct tape) would last for several (or more) launches/retrievals if you cleaned the aluminum well first. Leave your trailer attached and pick up one of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-marine-electric-winch-61237.html Unless the ground is very rocky I think it would take a lot of retrievals to damage your aluminum if you put something on to protect it. Plan B: get something you can put on the ground instead of on your keel. Maybe a kids Slip N Slide?