Brad_Coovert

Yes, I know how many copies there are. I've fished almost every one of them. There are only a few that are big national sellers though while others are just regional. I still feel, that given the choice between a Senko and another bait, all things being equal at the same exact price, most fisherman will take the Senko over the copies. If Bombers were $15 and Lucky Crafts $15, I believe the LC's would win also. If the Lightning Rod was $200 and a Loomis GL3 $200, the Loomis will win out also. Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world will never know. As for #1, I am implying sales. I doubt that any one brand is outselling the Senko on a nationwide basis. It's also #1 for me though. ;D Brad

Then what does that tell you?? Brad

A sweeping hookset, especially with a longer rod, follows a wider arc and moves more line than an overhead hookset. You also turn your body as well with a sweep set (or at least I do) and that helps add power as well. Crigs are usually cast farther and many bites come when there is much more line out than when you are fishing a Trig which usually is fished with shorter casts. Being able to move more line helps put more power to the hookset. I have gotten in the habit of setting the hook to the side on all baits rather than overhead, unless I am flipping, then I want to move the fish out of the cover and set the hook at the same time. The side hookets have resulted in more hookups, deeper hook penetration and less lost fish - and those are all good things! ;D Brad

Let me get this straight. You have found a bait you feel is equal to the Senko, costs less and you are using that bait and catching fish. So, why do you even care about how much a Senko costs? ??? BTW - Gary does not charge "twice as much" - the others all charge half as much as Gary. On a level $ for $ dollar playing field, Senkos would outsell all the copies combined. Still, at $6 a bag, they are #1. Gary has been selling plastics for $6 a bag for over a decade. It's really no big deal. His DT Hulas are still the best seller in skirted grubs. He still sells tons of worms, craws and lizards and there is no innovation with those baits. His Kuttails do well as does the Kreature. GYCB has a reputation for top quality products and top quality service and that is why they will always be a good seller, even at $6 a bag. Either use 'em or not. It's really not an issue. Brad

shiloh The split shot rig is nothing more than a mini Crig. Great for smaller weights, baits and light line. One thing I have noticed with a split shot rig is the light weight forces you to slow down which is a good thing for pressured fish. The drop shot is just another method for fishing a plastic bait. You can use it in all the same places as Crig, but with the drop shot, you can work a bait in place much longer. Brad

Nick, the Crig is a great summer bass catcher. In fact, I have one tied on all year as it works shallow and deep in any water temp. You can cover a lot of water quickly and the heavy weight also lets you learn a lot about the bottom also. Any type of structure such as drops, channels, long points, flats, ledges, humps, etc. are all great places for the Crig. Basic set-up is a long, MH or heavy action rod. Your 7' CD will work fine, but if you can get one, a 7'6" BI or a 7'6" BA will be better. I use 15 lb. line for my Crig with a 15 lb. leader. Some people use a lighter leader in case they snag just the hook, that way they save the weight and bead, but I have not noticed any more loss in weights using the same weight line for my leader. My rig is usually a 3/4 oz. black brass weight, a brass ticker, a glass bead, a plastic bead with a large hole to protect the knot and then a swivel. Next is the leader, usually around 2'-3' then the hook, usually an EWG that fits the plastic I am using and the hook is always skin hooked. For baits, I like Senkos, Beavers, Brush Hogs, lizards and Ring Frys. About any plastis will work. As for working the bait, I cast it out, let it hit bottom and wait a second, move the bait feeling for a fish, let it sit, shake it a few times and repeat. Bites can be subtle or the fish may try to pull you out of the boat. Using the bait and catching fish on it is the only thing that is gonna really teach you this rig. Hope this helps. BTW Nick - I'll be seeing Brent next week. Any thing you want me to ask him? Brad

I've been around bass that were in what I call a pre-spawn "bed searching" mode. They wer all shallow swimming around in small areas. There were lots of them. They refused every offering made. Brad

More on water clarity. In water with really good visability, I like to either make my baits blend in with the surrounding cover, bottom or even better, the water itself. I will hold some baits under water and see what is hardest to see and I will start with that. Many prey are great at camoflage and do their best to blend in. It's always something to try with your baits. Brad

Steve, the algae will be in the upper part of the water column and will affect the clarity in that part of the water. It will only affect light penetration below the algae, forming sort of a "shade area" if the algae is thick enough. Kinda like a mudline. Waves and wind will beat up some mud near the shore, but it is usually only near the surface with clearer water below and forms a shadeline when the sun is out. I have fished in both and algae bloom and in mudlines and would see clear water kick up from beneath when I would hit the trolling motor. Brad

Geez RW, he already said he was going broke with Senkos, now you want him to fish the Fat Ikas too? Then he will have another dillema, which one of these baits to throw. ;D Of course, he could buy some Sweet Beavers too. They work great weightless over grass also. Sounds like a wacky rig will work on all those fish as well. Get some rubber Orings and some wacky rigging hooks. Catch a lot of fish and save baits. Brad

Fish kinda reminds me of me! ;D Nice fish! Brad

Baby Bass pattern is just another fish pattern. Greenish on top and white on the bottom. It just looks like a fish. Bass will eat bass fry until there is no tommorrow. I was at Barkley a few weeks ago and they were eating their own fry with reckless abandon. Brad

It's not a pet peeve, but it is something that causes some anglers to actually miss out on fishing success. A guy who joined our club was pretty new to bass fishing. He would fish just any ol' grassbed, stumps, laydowns, standing timber, rocks, etc. If he saw it, he fished it. It was structure he said and thats where he had always read to fish, the structure. If there some fish there, he would catch some, if not, skunkville. Once he understood the concept of cover and structure, seasonal patterns, etc., he then concentrated on fishing the same cover, but only the cover on the most likely structure holding the fish. Since then, he has become a very good bass fisherman, caught a lot more fish and has even won some club tourneys. Brad

OK, logs, weeds, docks, grass...these are cover not structure. Humps, ledges, creek channels, bluffs..these are structure. Favorite of either? Whatever I find the fish on. Same for baits, my favorite is what I am catching fish on at the time. Now my confidence areas to fish are grassbeds on a dropoff of some type. Grass close to or on a depth change usually means fish sometime during the day. If I cannot find fish any where else, I will look for fish here. If there is no grass in the lake, like where I will be this weekend, I'll be looking for wood or rocks on a dropoff and fish there if I cannot find anything else. Brad

I'll 2nd BillyBob. Many a boater has gotten their tail kicked by the nonboater who was dragging a mini Crig, a split shot or drop shot rig. Brad

The answer is a big YES! In fact, the last time I fished Morse, I flipped a tube to a small overhanging branch that had about a dozen leaves on it that was about 6" above the water. The bass sitting right under it slammed that bait and headed straight under the boat. I have done similar things on a lot of lakes. Limbs in the water, no matter how small, can hold a fish, especially if they are the only one on a large stretch of shoreline. There once as a great limb that layed on a bank in my local lake. It was the only cover in 80 yards of shoreline. It was not very big, but it always held a fish. Every time I fished it, I would get a fish. Was really nice in tournaments. If I see any slight wood on or over the water and the fish are shallow, I will hit that target with a bait. Brad

There has to be some type of foodfish in this lake, so baitfish lures should work. As the water is at its highest in the AM, I would be fishing baits over, through and along edges of the grass at that time. As the water drops, the fish will pull out off the grass or bury in it if there is enough water in it. You could then either flip in/through the grass or fish the deeper edge of the grass. Bass may also suspend off the drops over deeper water. Brad

Small buzzbait or 1/8 oz. spinnerbait 1 foot or less crankbait Soft jerkbait, soft stickbait These are the exact baits I use in the pond across the street for said situations. Brad

In really dirty water, the fish will usually move up shallow and will also get right on the cover. I fished my local lake one year the day after we got a ton of rain and the bait had to be put right on the cover. 4 inches off target and you hauled water. I think we had to hit them in the head to get a bite that day. Also, if you use spinnerbaits or crankbaits in that dirty water, make repeated casts to the same target and retrieve along the same path. It may take a few casts for a fish to home in on your bait. These two things have worked for me. Brad

Nothing against you or your ideas, Fivebass. I've read about it and heard it too, but my experiences with the fish leave me to have doubts. Is scent necessary? Salt? Will human odor or gas actually repel a fish? Is color really important? Does RW keep a Fat Ika under his pillow for the bass fairy? ;D There's lots written on each subject by some very knowledgable people. I have had enough on the water experience or can find lots of information from others to support either a yes or no on any one of them. Until the fish learn to talk, we are going to continue to guess and debate about the bass. I have a pond across the street that I frequent almost daily - either fishing or just watching. It is my test lab so to speak. It is very interesting to watch fish go through part of the daily life. I have sat and watched bass swim or stay put right in the open in the sun and they did not have a pair of sunglasses on. Same for bluegills and other fish in the pond. The light had little affect on those fish. In my fishing, I have experienced the same thing. I have caught a lot of shallow clear water bass and panfish in the middle of a bright day out of lakes, ponds and rivers. If the sun affected them that much, they simply would have not been there. Yes, bass lack eyelids like we have and it is easy to assume that they are affected by the sun the same way we are, but the bass' is designed to live in the underwater world and who knows exactly how sun affects their vision in their world. Water also diffuses light differently than air. That is easy to see in how colors appear one way above water and another way in the water. So, the light may not be near as bright in the water to a bass as it seems to us. Brad

There are no bad creature baits! That bait on a 3/0 and a pegged weight oughta catch 'em if they are there. Brad

I agree, the fish are probably off the bank, but not too far. The docks and the matted grassbeds should hold some fish. You've got two good baits there, but I would try some jigs and small craws also. I would also change-up my presentation. deadsticking is great, but I wouls do some other stuff. Shake the bait a lot. Pop-it off the bottom quickly. If you're fishing matted grass, you need to also fish for suspended fish. Use a heavy jig or a heavily weighted small plastic craw like a Fat Baby Craw. After the bait breaks through the mat, real it up to the top then drop it a foot. Jig it up and down. Drop it down some more. Joig it up and down. Do this all the way to the bottom. Those fish may be suspended under the grass at some level and may need a bait dangled right in their face. Good luck! Wish I was out there. Brad

Every year I frequently come across bass who cruise around in the bright sunshine in the middle of a hot day. They are usually difficult to catch though. Bass do not mind the sun at all, heat is what they avoid. Still, most bass will seek cooler water for better comfort and being in the shadows helps a bass ambush its prey. What type of water are you fishing? Any grass beds in it? Lily pads? Underwater stumps, laydowns, etc? A small group of pads provides enough shade to hold a bass. A grassbed will provide shade as well, either down in it or along one of the edges. A stump or laydown under the water will provide shade just like a stump or laydown on shore. There are some other things that will help you on a bright day. Wind will cause some ripples on the water and will cut down on the direct sunlight that reaches the bottom as the waves break up and diffuse the light waves. If the wind is blowing on the bank you are fishing, it will also blow in food for the smaller fish and the bigger fish usually follow the small fish. If you happen to get a windy day to fish, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and topwaters may do the trick. The killer days are the flat calm summer days with glass water. On these days you are gonna have to slow down. Small worms fished slow may be the best bet. Also, if you have the room to cast, a small Crig or drop shot tossed deep and worked back may work well. Hope this helps! Brad

I'm happy if just ONE bass jumps on may bait! ;D Brad

Several things could be happening. The fish may not be eating the whole bait, so you are pulling the bait from the fish and the hook is not in their mouth to make contact. Inspect your bait for the scuff marks from the fish's teeth. If only an inch or two is scuffed, this is what is happening. I would try a smaller bait if that is the case. Also, what type of hook are you using? I made the mistake of wacky rigging Senkos using circle style hooks and missed every fish because I was setting the hook like standard hook, pulling the hook right of the fish's mouth. I learned that just reeling down on the fish and tightening the line was all it took to make a circle style hook dig in. Brad