roadwarrior

Yes, there was at least one couple at last year's event. Plus, we have a couple of female members that might show up with their men in tow. Women are welcome and will be shown the highest level of respect, I can assure you. C'mon over, you will not be disappointed.

Cabela's Guidewear over long underwear is what I recommend. I like a stocking cap on my head and Sorel insulated boots on my feet. I wear cotton gloves when the boat is running, but I don't fish with gloves.

Live bait? Isn't that cheatin'? BTW, What's the name of that baitshop and where did you say it was?

Excellent response Matt Fly. 'nuff said.

I was just wondering how many Share Lunkers a live well will hold? If you can only keep three or four at a time, will the Texas DNR come out to pick them up on the boat or will we have to go back to the dock for lunch?

Water primrose infests many of my ponds. It is pretty, holds and attracts bass and generally forms very distinctive edges allowing you to fish relatively deep water right next to heavy cover. Thanks for the post GMAN, I never have known what it was called. Now I do!

No problem girls, I have the accommodations covered, three days and four nights. I put the reservation under all our names, so just check in as Chevy and Marcia if I'm not there yet. No worries, those other guys won't have a clue.

Technically, two, but who's counting?

Heineken is an excellent beer when it is FRESH. Althouigh Heineken is brewed as a bitter beer, as opposed to sweet, the skunky taste is simply old beer. Once beer is canned or bottled it begins to deteriorate. Budweiser's "Born On Date" marketing program is/was exceptional. If you ever have a chance to go to Grant's Farm in St. Louis or any of the Busch Gardens, they serve "same day" beer everyday, for free! I promise you, there is nothing quite like fresh, cold beer direct from the brewery.

Call out the Texas Rangers! Forget about the Mexican border, you'e being invaded from the North and East! Circle the wagons and get the women and children off the streets! Tell the big ones to line up, little ones to bunch up. Looks like we're headed to Texas! If that works out for you, I'll see ya there.

Well, Here are three rules that you can live by: 1. Fish where they live. 2. Feed them what they eat, or 3. Tick them off. If you are not on fish, I don't care what you throw or how well you present it, you will NOT catch fish. I fish a lot of live bait, but if we are just talking about artificials: Your lure should be something they like (soft plastics, jigs and minnow like lures) or something they hate (reaction baits).

I too have a ten minute rule for guys, but that rule doesn't apply around my house with girls! I don't think my wife or daughter have ever been on time for anything. Back to fishing...no excuses.

My experince suggests that if you put a lure/bait within a few inches of a bass' mouth, you have a fair chance of getting bit. The vast majority (all) of my biggest bass have been caught on what I perceive to be a "feeding" bite, even while fishing "reaction" baits. It is my observation that the most important variables are not lures, but depth and structure/ cover. On a river, 75% of being successful involves current and its impact on the various structural features of the river. The other 25% involves the predominate natural prey: minnows or crawdads. I'm not suggesting that all soft plastics should resemble a crawdad, I don't even know what a Senko is suppose to immitate, but my point is this: When bass are more focused on bottom dwelling prey, soft plastics and jigs are very effective. Right now, during the fall, minnow type baits are more effective for me. Mostly, I think, this is because all of the fry have grown up to meal size and they are easy to catch when they school up. The fact that bass eat other fish year around is why hard baits work year around. So, choosing "exactly" the right lure is not nearly as important as fishing the right structure, at the right depth, with the right "class" of lure. If you find the Holy Grail of lure selection through your study, you will still need to find the fish. I am in complete agreement with Rick Clunn, " Catching bass is easy, the challenge is finding them."

My favorite time to fish is on a clear, warm, January afternoon. I have a great appreciation for the soft light of winter. That time of year is prespawn for smallmouth on the Tennessee River. The bass are VERY aggressive and, not coincidently, this is when I have caught the most big brown fish, including my PB. The river current is usually strong and the water is relatively clear. This is some of the best fishing of the year.

Well Rolo, Not to belabor the topic...but... I think "luck" comes into play sometimes regarding size. Although I think I am always fishing for bigger fish, there isn't a thing you can do to keep those 6 and 7 lb bass off your lure. It just sucks when that happens!

"Confidence" baits might work because they are the right bait, but generally they work because you fish them like they were designed to be fished, Concentration and the right presentation are important, but location is everything. If you fish the "wrong" bait in the "right" place, you will usually catch some fish.

I am not superstitious and don't believe in luck or coincidence. I have ZERO interest in MOJO or any other pagan voodoo. I have nothing that is "lucky" or unlucky. Superstition and bad luck go hand-in-hand: Try to control your future, make life decisions that have a higher probability of success. BTW, I don't buy lottery tickets either.

Hey Calvin! Nice to meet you, too. I am glad you guys caught a couple of bass. There are some big bass living in that pond. Please put them back so we can both catch them when they grow up! Really, it was a pleasure meeting you and running into Dave again. Good luck on your next outing.

Clueless? That seems kind of harsh. I caught my PB (27 1/4") on a Norman Fat Boy (bluegill pattern). That seems like a pretty good lure to me.

womanangler1971, Welcome aboard! I fish live bait quite a bit. One of those fish in my avatar is my, PB, the other one weighed just over 7 lbs. Although I fish artificials almost exclusively for largemouth bass, I don't find fishing live bait any less exciting. Nearly all of my biggest smallmouth and all of my striper have been caught on live bait. When people are in a slump, I think the most important thing they can do... is get out of it!

Cheers!

Fish Chris, You sir, are so politically incorrect. This is a "Fishing Forum" but you seem to think it's all bout CATCHING big bass. Crawdads, worms...what are you thinking? If everyone fished like you do we would have no pros because they would have no sponsors. A lure company can't make money if everyone goes back to fishing live bait! Besides, that's cheating. I hope you can get your act together and become more "versital". How else will you know about all of the things that don't work? You sometimes spend hours fishing that Hud without success. There are plenty of other lures that can do "that" just as well.

BD...BD...BD... BD... BD...BD...BD... BD... BD...BD...BD... BD... BD...BD...BD.... Budweiser, The King of Beers

It's not the bait or lure, it's the location. You will often catch largemouth (and spots) fishing for smallmouth, but you will rarely catch brown fish when you are fishing for green bass. Smallmouth orientate to structure, not cover. They will always be in current if that is an option. On the Tennessee River I have NEVER caught a smallmouth in slack water. The baits are almost exactly the same, although I do prefer 3 1/2" tubes when I target smallmouth. I NEVER downsize hardbaits.

The key is finding exactly the right place to fish them. You cast out into structure and let the bass find the dad. You don't do anything, it is the crawdad that does the "fishing".