roadwarrior

Bass like the texture and taste of most soft plastics, especially GYCB baits. Jigs generally require a very fast hook-set (bass don't like the feel of lead), but soft plastis are different. I reel down to pick up excess line and then dip the rod and come back with a snap-set, then reel fast and load up the rod.

Jim, Everyone reads your stuff. You are not only very knowledgeable, your posts are technically acute with fun facts that most of us have never heard about. I am sure your experience, background and advice has helped many and inspired others. Punctuation, spelling and grammar are not requisites on this forum, but some of your fans might be able to follow your thoughts better if you break them up just a little. I for one enjoy your posts and the contributions you have made, regardless of how they are formatted. Keep up the postings, some of us care.

Talk, yell and scream! My buddies and I drink beer, make a lot of noise, play country music real loud and this time of year, jump in the river, often. I fish a heavily worked, commercial river. Cruisers, jet skies, party boats and barges...there is a lot going on. The fish don't care what we do.

Well, fast baits catch bass "sometimes", slow baits catch them all the time. Although my forte is soft plastics, I force myself to use a vaiety of lures just for fun. As a matter of fact, my favorite technique is working jerkbaits, but they are not my most productive lures. I am NOT saying that fast baits are never the best choice, sometimes that is EXACTLY what bass are focused on. However, if you were fishing soft plastics at the time, you would probably pick up a few fish. It doesn't necessarily work the other way around.

There is a piece I wrote that we kept as a "sticky" in the "Fishing Rods, Reel, etc" section of the Forum that you might find interesting. You refer to "action" when you actually mean "power". The power of a rod has much more to do with the lures and techniques you fish, not the fish you might catch. I use medium power rods for the vast majority of my bass fishing. Catching larger bass has very little to do (like nothing) with the power of the rod. I fish all soft plastics on a medium power/ fast action rod and #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft line (11.9 lb test). For all of my smallmouth fishing I generally fish #4 Ultra Soft and a rod with the same rating. I think lighter line allows the lure/ bait to have more action. I know for sure that medium power will handle any big bass you will catch and make fighting the smaller ones more fun. Heavy tackle is still required for certain techniques, big swim baits come to mind. Fishing thick vegetation and timber are some other situations. If you are fishing deep crankbaits or for that matter, any lure you have a strong desire to recover, heavier tackle, especially heavier line is handy. For soft plastics that's not a consideration for me. I don't "drag" fish in, the battle is everything to me. The key to catching big bass is getting the bite and lighter tackle helps in many cases. I fish predominately deeper structure not cover. This is another consideration in chosing light or heavy tackle. There are times when a cable and winch are required. I don't fish those situations often.

Welcome aboard! I fish ponds from the shore several times a week. I fish parallel to the bank, 5-15 YARDS off the land. Target cover and structure. Your baits are fine, it's all about locating the bass and they may be in a little deeper water than you have been fishing.

I think largemouth bass start to get interesting at about 3 lbs (that's a 5 pounder if you are not weighing them on a scale). I have caught plenty of smaller bass that have put up one heck of a fight, but the bass' mass becomes a factor as they get bigger.

#1 6" Senko #2 Fat Ika #3 Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo Tube However, I actually caught my PB on a Norman Fat Boy, bluegill pattern. Plus, that particular bass was caught about ten minutes before sunrise. Maybe I was just at the right spot at exactly the right time. This has never developed into a pattern for catching big bass for me. Soft plastics consistently produce trophy class largemouth.

Chris, You da Man! I mostly fish the Tennesse River which has a tournament every week including BASS, FLW and every club in the region. Various local clubs fish two or three times a week. We have about 100,000 recreational boats on the lakes and river and another 20,00 jet skies and such. More importantly, this is a commercial river, so the barge traffic is continuous, 24/7. THE FISH DON'T CARE!

I hope LBH responds, but if not, ask Russ to set up a picture account for you. I still haven't posted a pic, but plan to. If you catch big bass, tell us about it. I'm here in Tennessee, too. 7-10 lbs. is a big bass.

Welcome aboard! I would not fish there by myself. You need a partner to fish remote areas, especially when you know there are gators and probably lots of snakes. Regarding fishing the pond: I would fish the entire pond until you determine that some parts are just never productive. As you fish them over time, you will learn more about the underwater structure and specific spots that are particularly interesting. I fish parallel to the bank, near or in (on) structure and cover. I generally fish out from the bank five to 15 yards where bass may be staging throughout the day. Soft plastics are my forte, specifically Fat Ika (weightless), Senko (weightless) and Gitzits (T-rigged).

BPS lure retriever for $8. Don't spend a lot of time trying to re-invent the wheel...This dog hunts!

Well, maybe you didn't like George's response, but he is the ONLY professional guide that has responded. If I were you, I would heed his advice and try to get a MUCH BETTER handle on what is required to be a successful guide. That includes fishing expertise and perhaps more importantlly, the financial prerequisites needed. I certainly don't think you should just "Go For It", that's a receipe for failure. Do your homework and find out what you are really getting into, what it takes to be successful and how much momey you can realistically expect to make the first year, the second, third and so on. Another possibility is working with some of the experienced guides for awhile. If you can find someone to take you under their wing so to speak, maybe you can work for them and learn the ropes. Have you ever fished with a guide? That might be a place to start.

Madhouse27, If you fish spinnerbaits, crankbaits are an alternative, and you can fish them under the EXACT same conditions. There are, of course, other techniques, like scouring the bottom, but fishing them along a grass line for example is another option. Also, to get started with something that is generally productive, try a shallow running Norman Fat Boy or Bomber Square A. For basically the same action, but a little deeper presentation, Bagley BII. These are very productive lures.

John, Here's something to try: T-rigged tube, 1/16 oz weight with a bead, unpegged, fished on stucture, like the deeper section of a point for example. Deeper water just takes a little more patience. Once the lure is on the bottom, you fish it just like you do in shallower water. We don't need to make it any more complicated than that.

I like things simple and I don't want to hear any sad stories. I wouldn't do any of that. If it were me I would have anyone under sixteen that is interested send me a PM with their BassResource name and NOTHING else. I would set a time frame of a couple of days and pick names randomly, matching one name with one lot of goodies. So, five to ten winners, notified by PM. At that point, WITH THE PERMISSION OF THEIR PARENTS, I would send the merchandise to the PARENT'S WORK ADDRESS. No hassels, no whining and NO LIABILITY. BTW, I'll take the original Lucky 13 if it's in perfect condition and you still have the package it came in, preferably unopened.

No, you're way past that.

Rocks, ledges, pools and humps. In a river, almost anything deflecting current including wing dikes, river bends and boat ramps. Steeply sloped, rocky primary points are a good place to target on a lake.

I don't know the answer out west, but in the Southeast you can basically draw a line from Little Rock, AR to Atlanta, GA and that is the line, give or take a hundred miles or so.

I started fishing the Senko in 1997. I quit fishing the 5" Senko several years ago. I was catching too many bass. Most of my biggest largemouth have been caught on the 6" Senko. I think I'm going to stick with them for awhile. Heads Up! The next "Magic Bait" is already out there.

Soft plastics for me. I know others will say jigs, and I agree, but not for me. BTW, The majority of my big bass are caught between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, on the hottest bluebird days of summer and on soft platics. However, my PB was caught last September, about ten minutes before sunrise on a Norman Fat Boy. That is the only 10+ I have ever caught on a crankbait.

What do you think it takes to consistently catch big bass? The are the factors I think are important: #1 The water you fish MUST hold big bass. KVD can't catch an 8 lb. bass on a new lake where the big bass are just now reaching 5 lbs. You can't either. #2 Structure and/ or cover. For largemouth bass, a combination usually helps. Being near relatively deep water is usually an advantage. The important point is that you have to find 'em before you can catch 'em and the best places to start are where they live or at least, places they occasionally visit. #3 The right bait/ lure for the situation. Duh...If you always knew what that was, that's what you would be using. Right? Well, I suggest starting with the usual suspects and NOT being creative, most of the time. #4 Quality gear. Big bass are the predators at the top of the food chain, the rarest of the rare. Every bite counts. That means if you can get the bite you really need to connect and then boat the bass. You don't necessarily need high end equipment, but you do need high quality equipment that is properly maintained. #5 Experience This may sound silly, but it is a lot easier to land big bass after you have caught a few. When I get a big bass on, I EXPECT to land her.

Early and late (lowlight) topwater and shallow running crankbaits have been the ticket (Sammy, Spook, Bomber Square A, Norman Fat Boy and Bagley BII). I continue to have sucess with Senkos and Ika in water <12' deep. In the heat of the day my most productive bait, especially last summer, is a T-rigged Gitzit (tube) on or near structure in deeper water. The vast majority of my bigger largemouth have been caught on the hottest, bluebird days of summer between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Around docks, the GYCB 6 1/2" Kut-Tail worm (T-rigged with a bead, unpegged) has been a consistant producer.

Guys that call it hit and miss are those that miss...I catch fish all the time, actually too many. I fish for big fish only and it's not hit and miss, it's conistantly hit...The key factor, as I have already stated, is fishing cover and structure...You have to fish in places where fish live or at least visit. It's really all about location and presentation, NOT THE BAIT. Luck? Well, if you generally catch 5-6lb bass and you snag an 8, maybe that's a lucky day. But really, luck has very little to do with catching bass. Bass are easy to catch, it's finding them that's the challenge. Focus on the most likely places that bass might like to be and you will catch a few, promise.

I didn't want to really get into lures, technique, presentation and your location (cover and structure) are far more important. However, here are four lures that will always catch bass: Low light (early & late): Zara Puppy, silver & black. Water less than 12' deep: 5" Senko (weightless) Fat Ika (weightless) Deeper water: Gitzit, T-rigged, 1/16 weight with a bead, unpegged.