roadwarrior

Nice pic, too. Congratulations! 8-)

hamer, Welcome aboard!

Wow! That's a deal. 8-)

Well, a couple of months ago some of us spent a few days at Lake Fork. There was EXTREMELY heavy fishing pressure, lots of colorful outfits and some VERY clear water (depending on exactly where you were on the lake). As a group, we caught fair numbers and a couple of nice bass. Our favorite Administrator and his wife caught two GREAT bass in shallow water that had been fished constantly by a few HUNDRED boats. Maybe all this talk about bass eyesight, colors and noise comes into play on ocassion, but that certainly wasn't my observation in Texas.

There are too many line options available to continue "testing" one that has failed. Here are a few suggestions: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft Yo-Zuri Hybrid orginal formula P-Line CXX or Premium CX Sunline Defier Trilene XL (XT for baitcasters) Maxima (Also, Mean Green and Cajun Red Cast are recommended by some of our members, but I have never used them) If it's braid you want: Power Pro Suffix Fireline is not on my list.

Any "minnow" profile will work when the white bass are schooled and feeding near or on the surface (white topwater plugs, too.) Three other consistant producers are Little George, Silver Buddy and white Rat-L-Traps. I also bought some Cordell Gay Blades which I'm sure would be hot, but I haven't actually fished them. When the fish are schooled up for spawn in the spring, we fish a sandy flat on the downstream side of Diamond Island on the Tennessee River. Last month my partner and I took my daughter out for a day. She hooked up a lot of fish and landed them herself, but what was really fun was handing a loaded rod off to my little girl and letting her land ALL the bass! We fished three quarts of small, live crawdads. I would estimate that my daughter landed between 120 and 150 in four hours or so.

Excellent!

New from the BassResource. com Home Page. Written by our very own, earthworm77: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/jig-fishing-specifics.html

The Shimano Symetre is a great reel at a fair price. You will not be disappointed.

Me, too. I fish Gamakatsu & X-Point.

The GYCB Senko has been my #1 bait for most of the last ten years. I quit fishing the 5" version a few years ago, experimented with 7" and have settled on the 6" model. I fish all soft plastics almost exclusively on spinning tackle, specifically: St. Croix Legend Elite ES70MF Shimano Stella 2500FB Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #4 & #6 Gamakatsu or X-Point 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks

Hmm... got me thinking... I've shot a lot of dove over the years...probably got that down to under $10 per ounce Pheasant...$100 per pound. Well, if you count the whiskey :... no way... Ducks...I've killed my fair share...$200/lb Goose...$500/lb Deer...$200-300/ lb Bass (eaten as an adult)...$1000/lb...Nah, way more than that.

Well, as Yogi would say, "I think you should release them unless you're goin' a keep 'em." :

January works, big time! (The fish in my avatar were caught 1/15). I don't pay attention to anything but current on the river. At different times of the year and for other species (striper), the presence of specific bait fish species is important. Water temperature also comes into play in the fall and spring, but otherwise, it's all about water flow. Length? At least 3". The bait shops sell "bass" minnows which are the biggun's around here. All smallmouth are suspending, in current and generally on structure. We maintain contact with the bottom, but that can mean a lot of things when drifting a big river. The smallmouth are at various depths, I don't consider that part of the "pattern" in this type of fishing situation. Of special note: Many writers claim smallmouth bass are NOT line shy. Many successful smallmouth fishermen, including several BassResource.com members, have recommended 8lb, 10lb test or even greater diameter lines. My partner and I have had SIGNIFICANTLY better results with .010" diameter or thinner.

Man, that's ridiculous! I'm surprised the retailer doesn't take care of the cost, but either way I would fire off an e-mail to Shimano. One "defective" is one too many, but three in a row? Hmm...

I know, I was just jerking your chain. Rascal Flatts is the most popular or at least the most successful band around right now, but that doesn't make them "Country." Shania? Comon' give me a break...

L-Train, I hear Rascal Flatts signed an exclusive with your local bar and the whole group is moving to Austin. Some of their "Special Guests" will include Shania Twain, The Dixie Chicks and friends. Is that true? :

February is PRIMETIME! January and early February are pre-spawn. The spawn starts around the middle of the month. The Tennessee is a commercial river. The channel is maintained at a minimum depth of 11', but the river and reservior system contains depths of more than onel hundred feet. Trophy smallmouth can be found this time of year anywhere from 0 to 50' or so, but the majority of the big brown bass are in 5-20' of water. On the river the water temperature during the winter is virtually constant at any depth. Structure and current are the key factors. I don't know the scientific name of the common green shiner, but that's what these fish prefer. Big is better and they are sold locally in three sizes. The smaller minnows are used for crappie and sauger. The three day generating schedule for each reservior's dam is updated hourly: http://www.tva.gov/ Important considerations: Adequate and dependable water flow is almost assured Monday thru Friday, but not necessarily on weekends. The weather is volatile (duh), but with a little luck you might have daytime highs in the 50's to low 60's.

EXCELLENT! 8-)

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits 6" Senko: watermelon w/ black flakes;watermelon w/ red & black flakes; green pumpkin w/ black flakes; black w/ blue flakes Fat Ika: same colors or just watermelon w/ black flakes Kut-Tail: same colors Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube, black neon I like fishing other techniques, especially this time of year. However, if all I wanted to do was catch the greatest number of big fish on every trip, this is probably all I would ever use. There are times and situations where another type of lure would be more productive, but these soft plastics ALWAYS produce some nice largemouth bass.

Welcome aboard!

Push a few moth balls into their tunnels, just one every 3-4' and they will disappear in no time. (You can push them through the ground with a stick).

Welcome aboard! Nice fish.

Well, that's a common complaint among Senko fishermen, they catch too many fish so their lures don't last all day. I like justfishin's remedy, but I have found a partial solution, too. Try a couple of bags of 6" Senkos. You won't catch as many bass and the bait lasts longer. Imagine that! Something else might happen with the larger bait. On average, I think you will catch bigger bass.

NewMatt, Great post. If you want to learn how to fish and/or gain confidence in other lure classes, leave your soft plastics at home.