roadwarrior

I clean and oil everything I can on the EXTERIOR all of the time. I have the guts serviced once a year by The ReelMech.

No harm, no foul. Just a misunderstanding...We're family...Let's move on. Nice fish, but the pics....Well, I want to stay positive....They have a touch of "personal charm". :

Double installment on fishing a drop shot. Outstanding! 8-)

Welcome aboard!

Man, those are some fine fish. Nice pics, too! 8-)

The majority of my biggest bass have been caught between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM on the hottest days of summer, bluebird skies and no breeze. I have recently had some luck with Mattlures Baby Bass, but I still recommend soft plastics as my GO-TO baits. Specifically: In shallow water (<12') : 6" Senko (not knock-offs), Fat Ika and GYCB Kreature. In deeper water: Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube and GYCB Kut-Tail.

Nice fish Avid. 8-)

I only fish jig heads with 3 1/2" tubes in open water for smallmouth bass. Otherwise, I prefer T-rigged, Tx-posed, skin hooked, 1/8- 1/4 oz bullet or barrel weight, with a bead and unpegged. I fish all soft plastics on spinning tackle, 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action and #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft. Color is not important as long as it's DARK! (Exception is 3 1/2" Mizmo Kent's Classic or squash green). I fish tubes like a Senko most of the time. Occasionally I'll fish it with short hops and sometimes with long exaggerated lifts, letting the tube spiral on slack line. However, my most productive technique for big bass is doing nothing: cast out, light a cigarette and let it lie. After the first smoke, reel in about ten yards SLOWLY and light another, maybe drink a beer...NOTHING is VERY productive. In a boat, drifting with the wind over points with the tube dragging the bottom is killer. My three best producers of big bass are (in order): #1 Fat Ika #2 6" Senko #3 Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube (black neon)

Welcome aboard! For 5" & 6" Senkos, Fat Ika, 4"+ tubes, Kreatures, Hula Grubs, Laminated Lizards and Kut-Tail (all worms > 4") I recommend 4/0 EWG Gamakatsu or X-Point Offset Worm Hooks. I have been fishing with these hooks for a number of years. My hook-up ratio is something north of 95% with soft plastics and my landing ratio, once hooked-up, is much better than that.

Sometimes the stripers bust shad on the surface and you can fish topwater or jerkbaits. Lots of guys fish sassy shad, spoons and bucktail jigs. However, the guys that catch most of the striper are using live bait. That's all I ever use. The easiest technique is a simple split shot rig. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1184097542

Many of our members have links to their own websites accessed through their contact information which shows up in the signature as a www icon.

*** MODERATOR NOTE *** We're taking a break from the Senko debate for awhile. Everything that can be said, has been and it's all in this thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1121527643 -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator

Fine bass and nice pics, too!

Excellent! Nice fish and pics.

WOW! How'd I miss this post earlier? Another great fish and a beautiful picture. You da MAN!

Hmm... I might not ever fish the shallow pond. I like "bigger, deeper and closer."

Well, my partner has that rod and I have fished it on occasion. This is a fine rod for fighting smallmouth, but I think the tip is too soft for plastics. We fish live bait on a split shot rig with circle hooks, so there is no "hook-set." I prefer a firmer tip for soft plastics: SJR843S. Also, if you are comfortable with a softer tip, I would HIGHLY recommend the PR844S over the Bronzeback. This is my favorite rod. This is a saltwater (popping) rod and the G.Loomis ratings seem to be different than those for freshwater. The rod is rated Medium Power/ Fast Action, but it's really Moderate Action. Catching smaller fish on the PR844S is still fun, but if you hook-up with a 30 lb drum, no worries...This G.Loomis can handle practically any freshwater fish and this is my "smallmouth rod."

ivan, Welcome aboard!

Congratulations!

The Stren Magnathin is unreliable. Yo-Zuri Hybrid #6 is .010" diameter and rated 11.9 lb breaking strength, but may be stronger than that! Hybrid is HIGHLY abrasion resistant and suitable for all fishing conditions.

Welcome aboard! Your reel is designed for deep cranking, it is VERY technique specific. For general use you need at least 5.8:1 or higher gear ratio. Although IPC (inches per crank) is probably a better measure than gear ratio, the reel you have is too slow for many applications.

Lucky Craft lures are on sale "in store" most of the time. Not every lure, but some. The average price of my collection is under $10. The specific lures that really "stick out" are the Pointer, Slender Pointer, LV series (lipless crankbaits) and Sammy. I have recently started collecting their crankbait series, but have not fished them yet.

I fish ponds 1 1/2 - 2 hrs at a time. I make it a point to fish one type of bait/ lure only. I may take another, but it is the same in case I lose the first. This forces me to concentrate on one technique only. I often fish lure classes that I don't like (spinnerbaits for example). Over the years I have found that all lure classes work, sometimes. Maybe I'm not always fishing the "best" lure for the day, but I fish that lure "the best I can." If you want to learn how to fish a bait and become confident that YOU CAN FISH that lure, work one lure ONLY. I think you will be surprised.

I think I get more bites using smaller diameter lines. All of my finesse fishing is on spinning equipment and .009" or .010" diameter line. However. I do NOT consider my equipment or line "light tackle." I set the drag properly and fight fish aggressively. Most of the biggest bass I have landed, both smallmouth and largemouth, were caught on #4 or #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Hybrid Ultra Soft fished on a Medium Power rod. "Light tackle" to me ranges from Ultra Light to ML rods and 2-4 lb (actual breaking strength) line. When I use light tackle I'm fishing for things I don't really care about: white bass, crappie, stocker trout, bluegill, etc. I don't use "light tackle" for bass fishing.

Nice fish. Great pic!