roadwarrior

Welcome aboard! Well, the first question is this: Are there any bass in the pond? If so, any idea on what size they are? You can't catch 'em if they ain't there. Assuming the pond holds bass, I suggest walking around the bank and casting parallel to the shore. If there is any cover, pay particular attention to those spots. Over time you will get some idea of the pond's underwater structure. If you plan to fish there often, select just one class of bait to fish each day and change it up on every trip. The bass will not get use to a variety of lures. 1-2 acreas is pretty small. I think you are going to want to find a couple of other places to fish, if for no other reason, a little variety. Good luck.

Bill Dance still fishes professionally once a year. He and James "Big Catfish" Patterson partner up for a tournament held on the Mississippi River here in Memphis. I think they have fished it for five years and won twice, including this year's tournament just a few weeks ago. Professional catfishing isn't big money, but they won $5000 and a new boat. In addition to winning the event, they also won big fish.

George, Now, I'm a fan, but he does have a "Ray Scott" pond or two to fish on. His shows are for entertainment and learning, and they are syndicated, so he is still getting paid. What's wrong with that? He really does have the "Ultimate Pond". I'm still working on an invitation to fish it with him.

I like Bill Dance and apparently most fishermen do, too. He finished 3rd in Bassmaster's Greatest Bass Fishermen poll last year. I've met him a number of times and fish with some of his partners. He recently sent me one of his orange and white Tennessee fishing hats, signed on the bill with a cleaver little note, "Let's go fishing." Heck, I'm a fan.

I fish dark colors and although I have personal favorites, I am not convinced that a particular color is generally important. Sometimes, however, color can be critical. On Jim's Lake Quachita, I have been told that blue is the magic color, so when I have been there, that's what I mostly fished, and it worked! But that might also be because that is what I fished. Regarding bait size, I have had my best success with 6" Senkos. I fished the 7" version for a couple of years without catching better numbers of big bass. I quit using the 7's mostly because they were too heavy for the equipment I like to fish soft plastics on. I'm certainly a fan of big lures, just not bigger soft plastics (not bigger than I'm already fishing). On the otherhand, I'll probably follow Jim's advice and try some 10" worms...

Welcome aboard!

I suggest 6 lb test fluorocarbon for gin clear water. My most productive artificial lure is a 3 1/2" Mizmo tube (squash gree or Kent's Classic) fished on an inserted jig head. Other suggestions are grubs and single tail Hula Grubs most of the time. In low light conditions, early and late, jerkbaits and topwater can be effective. Specifically I would recommend Lucky Craft Pointer 100, American Shad and full size Zara Spook, Frog pattern.

If you are stationary, cast upstream and work the bait towards you. If you are floating, cast perpendicular to the bank and work the lure/ bait back to the boat, but at no more than a 45 degree angle upstream, never downstream. Smallmouth relate to structure, not cover. Target boulders, rock piles, humps, pools and current breaks. Fish in front and on the sides of eddies, smallmouth are rarely (never) in slack water.

Wow! Looking at those bass is a humbling experience. Now I know why you think of "Big Bass" as something north of 12 lbs. Around here a 10lb bass is a monster and anything bigger is almost always someone's PB. Your pictures are stunning, those are some fine bass.

Sounds to me like the perfect situation for fishing a Slug-Go, weightless and weedless. I would try all soft platics, weightless and weedless.

No, it's significantly different. The texture of soft plastics feels good to fish and they will generally hold it for at least a moment. The feel of lead has the opposite effect. Soft plastics are my forte, but I am still struggling with the jig bite. When fishing artificials last winter, I fished jigs almost exclusively for awhile. Although I caught a few bass, and a couple of nice ones, I still don't "have it". Jigs remain my focus lures for 2006, but I still have a ways to go. I think the most productive approach to learning to fish a new lure or technique is to focus on that particular lure exclusively for extended periods of time. That's my thought and that's what I try to do.

I rarely throw spinnerbaits mostly because it seems that everybody does. This spring, as a result of several threads on the forum, I decided to fish them a few times. Well, I can assure you, they do work! I fished them parallel to the bank, along and extended ledge with some success. I also found them to be particularly effective along weedlines. Although I'm still not a big fan, the strike can be awesome! I bought a couple of big (3/4 oz) Ledgebusters to fish deep water for smallmouth. Although I didn't catch a bass on my first outing, I did catch the biggest drum I have ever seen. Maybe that doesn't count, but at the time, I thought it was the World Record smallmouth!

I test all my new lures in my swimming pool. Even the ones that become "magical" never seem to work for me in the pool. I have been fishing the same water for five years and have never landed a fish, but occasionally I think I get a bite. Wassup with that?

Jim, If you find what you consider the ideal structure or combination of cover and structure, but no baitfish at the time, do you fish or move on? Also, what is the first lure you are most likely to fish shallow? And, the first lure deep? One more question: If you find everything you are looking for at a particular location, how long will you stay if you haven't caught a fish?

Valascus, Twelve years? Find another place to fish. There are no big fish in your ponds and there never will be. Your pond is stunted and will never produce quality fish. I have a pond, the Secret Pond, that produced the biggest bass I have ever seen in person, alive or stuffed. A friend of mine caught it last year and released it. I fish for this fish exclusively when I am at the pond. If I catch it, we'll know exactly how big she really is. My fishing partner caught a 10 lb smallmouth on the Tennessee River in November, 2004. There is a ridge that is submerged when we have 40,000 cfs or more being released from the Pickwick Dam. When we fish this ridge, we are on high alert. Although I doubt this particular bass is still alive, I fish like it is. Every spot that has held a big fish in the past has the potential to attract a big bass in the future.

And here is a completely different take: In June of 2002, I had a three day outing on Bull Shoals. Because of a legal agreement with certain counties in Arkansas, the Corps of Engineers were requied to hold the lake at maximum pool to relieve flooding downriver. Significant rains came AFTER the trees were in full leaf. Thirty foot trees were completely submerged! When I arrived at my motel, fishermen were leaving. No one, including the guides, could catch a fish, not a bite, nadda. Well, no one besides my guide. For two and one half days we never went fifteen minutes without a "fish on!" They were mostly smallmouth, but we also caught largemouth, Kentucky and white bass. No one else at Bull Shoals Boat Dock caught a fish, not one. Everyone was fishing the newly flooded cover, we fished what appeared to me to be the middle of the lake. We fished the perimeter of the submerged tees and the deeper water where the shoreline had been just a week or so earlier. BTW, The weapon of choice was a 3 1/2" Mizmo tube (squash green/ Kent's Classic) fished on an inserted jighead, 6 lb line and spinning tackle. Of special note: Line size was critical, but that's another story.

I was typing while Jim was posting! I just want to clarify something: If you are already accomplished with a number of techniques, as Jim is, then it's like "A Day on the Lake" in Bassmaster. You need to carry everything and make numerous changes as they are called for, just like a professional tournament fisherman. But, if you are trying to learn a technique or improve you skills, that's what I was responding to.

"Would this approach be productive?" I don't think so. It's too hard to stay focused on what you are doing and your mind tends to wander, thinking about your next move. I suggest using different techniques on different outings. For example, maybe on the first trip, focus on topwater early and late, selecting just a couple of lures, then switching to soft plastics. Again, selecting only a couple of different profiles (Senko, Fat Ika, tube). Next trip, shallow crankbaits early, maybe jerkbaits. Then, jig & pig through midday. Something different each trip, but only a couple of techniques.

Great point avid, a Senko might be the worst choice you can make if your partner is running a bank. The Senko is totally ineffective in a situation where the boat is always on the move. Even if you cast forward, the bait is invariably worked way too fast.

Fish Chris, I think your water is relatively stable, mine is a commercial river that varies from day to day. If the TVA does not release water, the fish don't bite...period. Current stimulates the entire food pyramid, without it, we have nothing. I have been fishing the Tennessee River for more than six years. I use to push it when I was new. I have learned that when the water isn't moving, the dog don't hunt! We also have cold, muddy water when the flood gates are open in the winter and spring. I have fished those conditions a few times in the past. I won't be in the future. There are times when conditions aren't right, no matter who you are. I'm a recreational fisherman and I don't have to fish those days.

coachjoe, I must have missed your initial post. Welcome aboard!

I'm thinkin', we're going to need more beer! Seriously, the only time I don't catch fish is when there is something wrong with the water. Then it's time to go to the lake if we're on the river, or just go back to the house. I rarely (never) fish more than an hour or so if they aren't co-operating.

Man, I fish soft plastics so slow I would have to reel in half way through a presentation to change colors every five minutes! I guess my color selection is limited, I only fish "dark" under all conditions. I will change profiles after a while. Sometimes the bass prefer a Senko to a Fat Ika or a T-rigged tube may be the ticket. Occasionally I will have bass follow a bait in or hit it on a fast retrieve to the boat. That's when I might switch to a Kut-Tail, unweighted and fish the worm like a jerkbait. However, for the most part, I don't change very often. I expect those bass to behave and eat what the chef is serving. BTW, I used to T-rig a variety of ways, but for the past couple of years I have been fishing a bullet or barrel weight, unpegged and with a bead exclusively. I think it gives soft plastics far better action. I have also downsized my weights dramatically, even in deep water. I usually rig 1/16 or an 1/8, but never more than 1/4 oz. (For Carolina rigging I go much heavier for a variety of reasons, but that's another topic).

I noticed that the poll on the Home Page is "What is the best time of day for bass fishing during the hot days of summer?" With 1161 respones, only 7% said mid-day. Hmm... This has been an ongoing topic in a variety of threads. Perhaps for most fishermen (45% of respondants to the poll), morning seems like the easiest time to fish, but is it really the most productive? I like to fish in the middle of the day because that is when I have been most successful catching big bass. If numbers were the criteria, I would think fishing at night might be best. The chances of catching better weights, especially for smallmouth bass fisherman, would seem to be in your favor after the sun goes down. What are your thoughts?

Line can't swim! When your line starts moving, reel down and set the hook.