Glaucus

Finesse. Wacky Rig, Ned Rig if you can get away with it, drop shot. No idea what you've tried. So little info.

I really was sick today, boss. Don't be so insensitive. It's called addiction.

Depends on the lake. Where you are, that would be epic. My first and only tournament was in central Illinois a couple weeks ago and 6 pounds won it. Trash lake, trash state.

Many a jumpin', splashin', bustin' bass have turned out to be carp or bluegill and other species.

Taffy >>>>>>

As long as it takes to heal up good and strong is the only and best answer. We don't fish in lightning, and we don't rush back from poor health, injuries or surgeries...all for a fish.

Full moon, half moon, no moon, storm, pre storm, after storm, sunny, overcast, 75 degrees, 100 degrees, I find fishing to be all the same. Never notice a difference. They bite all the same 'round here. Only changes as we move into different seasons.

So many people are missing my entire point. It isn't necessarily about the cost of gear and lures and boats. At all really. It's about having a plethora of things you'll never get through or that you don't use or that don't work as well as x in that same category of baits but you buy and have anyway because maybe once this year the fish will prefer it. Or having super specialized outfits that hardly get used, or having half a dozen 7' MH/F for this, this, and that, when you could retie. Not about simply the cost of a single lure, or the cost of any single setup.

Scott Martin

I like Lipless Crankbaits in the wind. They cast well and call fish. Squarebills too. But I avoid fishing in the wind. I hate that it causes me to not be able to feel slower presentations as well, and that without heavy weight, your bait will never be where you want it to be. And line watching can become a pain. It's just not fun. If I can't help myself and feel that itch to fish then I'm casting and retrieving with something that cuts through the wind and leaves no doubt that there's a fish on: lipless.

No. Just tie a good knot. I throw the 90 on my Squarebill and Lipless rod. 12lb mono. Never have had a problem.

Whopper Plopper, buzzbait, popper, Jitterbug, and frog. Any other pond I throw a WP and it gets annihilated soon after the plopping starts.

I prefer ponds to rivers and prefer techniques for LM rather than techniques for SM, and I like bigger fish.

Another thing I love about hooking into a SM is that they don't stop fighting. They fight hard til the end. And keep fighting once they've lost. LM run out of gas after a short time and it begins to feel like dead weight. Still prefer LM fishing, but SM catching is more fun.

Smallmouth are much more ferocious fighters. Years ago I was told that Smallies fight harder because they spend a lot of time in the current. And then years later I fished a SM pond for my first time, and they fought just as hard in water with no current. Up til then I had only fished for them in rivers and creeks. They're hardcore. Love it.

There's a fairly secluded pond that I fish from time to time that has never produced a topwater bite for me, my wife, or a couple of fishing buddies. We've fished it morning, day, and night, and have never had so much as a swipe. The pond doesn't see a lot of pressure, and it has a good bass population in terms of numbers and size. What would cause this?

Please tell me pun intended

You missed the point along with the other elitists.

Well of course, Tom. I'm not advocating for the use of a cane pool and some nightcrawlers. What I'm saying is, is having dozens and sometimes even hundreds of techniques ready to go really necessary? I get that it can be part of the fun for some people. I get that boating can be fun too. Lately I'm just not seeing a point in all of it when there's a dozen really good techniques that will land good fish, any time, any place, and that a Jon Boat will do everything a bass boat will do, when reaching spots is your goal and not simply recreational boating. Call it buyer's remorse, I guess, since I've spent years buying things for this or that situation, and out of not having to retie a lure. It's like, ok, what worm really works for me? Zoom Trick Worm. Many different rigging methods, always my go to. So why have 17 different types of worms? What finesse tactic really works for me? Wacky and Ned. So why have 6 ready to go? What crankbaits really work for me? 1.5's and 1/4oz traps, so why have 100 different kinds? What topwater gets the most action? Whopper Plopper. So why have a couple dozen different baits? After narrowing it down, it seems silly to me to keep stuff I don't use or that works to a lesser degree. It's not about the cheapest route at all. It's about what will work, what does work, and why having other similar stuff that isn't as good, just to say I have it, just in case??

In addition, I would definitely pass on Jigs, Swimbaits, and Frogs at this stage. Jigs and Frogs especially take experience, and they can be frustrating if you don't know what you're doing - even if you do know what you're doing.

I can't list colors because that all depends on your location and water clarity. 2x 3/8oz Strike King Spinnerbaits 2x KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits 1x 1/4oz Rat-L-Trap 1x 1/2oz Rat-L-Trap 1x Pack of Zoom Original Trick Worms 1x Pack of 7in. Berkley Power Worms 1x Pack of 4in Senkos 1x Pack of 5in Senkos 1x Whopper Plopper 110 1x 3/8oz Strike King Buzzbait 1x Pack of 2/0 Gammy EWG Hooks 1x Pack of 3/0 Gammy EWG Hooks 1x Pack of 1/0 Gammy Octopus Circle Hooks 1x Pack of 1/8oz Bullet Weights 1x Pack of 1/4oz Bullet Weights Right around $100 after taxes. Great way to start. This is what I would do.

That Craw is going to be stupid on river Smallies.

Frogs catch bass Spring through Fall, 24 hours a day. Some days and hours are better than others, but it isn't just a Spring and morning and evening bait some people say that it is.

Pond: 4 inch Green Pumpkin Senko River: KVD 1.5 Chartreuse/Black

The photo above with my wife and me was also my season best. It's been a tough one in Illinois. That was a good fish though.