roadwarrior

Weight balancing systems are one of the technical advancements that seperates the minnow lures I use from the one's I don't! Rapala X-Raps are not cheap, but they are the only minnow shaped lure with this system that I know of for six or seven dollars. Besides catching big fish, the other thing I like about the Pointer 128 SP (my favorite lure) is that you can cast it a mile with the right equipment.

It makes it a lot harder to catch 7 or 8 lb bass, that's for sure.

fivebasslimit, I made this comment on another thread but it applies to 40 mph wind and 3' waves, too: B double E, double R, U N 12 oz curls, now that's athletic!

Personally, I'm not convinced scent is particularily important, but I still sometimes use it with soft plastics. Although I happen to have several brands that I have collected over the years, MegaStrike is the only one I use. The scent may be special, I don't really know, but the key factor for me is "ease of use." MegaStrike is similar to Vaseline to the touch. It disperses easily without mess or waste, is easily transported, doesn't stink and lasts longer than my baits!

Maximum distance: Lure weight and aerodynamics, rod length, rod action and wind. The smoothness of the reel (resistance to line release) and the overall diameter of the spool combined with line size will also impact casting distance. A perfect example is a Lucky Craft LV-Max-500 (3/4oz lure), 7' Slow Action Rod and of course, casting with the wind. Generally a longer rod with Moderate or Slow Action will cast the furthest. On a practical basis, fishing treble hook lures (crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater) on these particular rods reduces the chance that hooks will be pulled out of the fish's mouth, another huge advantage in addition to casting distance.

That's clever RoLo! I don't consider fishermen athletes, but I don't consider those girls twirling the little banners at the Olympics athletes either.

B double E double R, U N. I can't catch fish in cold, muddy water. I say stay home or go home. I have tried, it doesn't work for me...Nothing works for me when the water is in that condition. (Last weekend I did not go to the river for this very reason, but being the fool I am, I fished Friday afternoon, Saturday early and late and Sunday twice for a total of about ten hours. This is where I keep my "pet bass", it is a VERY productive pond...usually! I never had a bite, not a single bite!)

On the initial strike I reel down, dip my rod slightly and use a snap set. I then raise the rod FIRMLY and the bass invariably loads the rod. I strongly discourage another hookset, which I see lots of guys doing. That tends to rip the hook out and the fish is lost.

For all soft plastics, except C-rigged, I fish a Medium Power/ Fast Action spinning rig, specifically a 7' St. Croix Legend Elite ES70MF, Shimano Stella 2500FA, #6 (11.9 lb test) Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft.

4/0 EWG Gamakatsu hooks are perfect for 4" tubes, but too large for 3 1/2" tubes. The point goes entirely through the tube entering and exiting the body approximately 1/4" above the skirt, with the point resting parallel to the body. With the smaller tubes I generally fish an inserted jig head or a 2/0 EWG in conjunction with an inserted bell weight for a weedless presentation. With the 4/0 EWG hook, I use a bead and a 1/8-1/4 oz bullet or barrel weight, unpegged. I use this presentation for largemouth and the 3 1/2" tube fishing for smallmouth. I have never had a problem with hook-ups using a tube rigged any of these ways. On the initial tap I reel down, dip my rod slightly and make a snap hook. NEVER reset the hook, that only serves to pull the hook out and lose the fish.

It's not so much what you use, but where you fish. Smallmouth fishing is all about STRUCTURE and CURRENT. Find the bass and a lot of lures will work: grubs fished on a jig head, Hula Grubs (spider grubs) and Gitzits (3 1/2" tubes) are prime candidates. I you are comfortable with jigs, hair jigs are another option. Suspending jerkbaits, topwater, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are also effective in certain areas. The key to success is finding the fish. Oops! I almost forgot the Magic Lure. The Fat Ika does not perform well in swift water, but you may want to give it a try if you are fishing a lake or slow current.

Yes. Braid will slip on the spool. The backing "grabs" the spool. With so little backing you will never feel the knot buried deep in the line. It's no big deal and when you replace your primary line, the braid, you never need to replace the backing.

Nothing special, just a standard Arbor Knot unless you are spooling braid. In that case you need to put on some monofilament backing, ten yards is plenty.

MattFly, I've mentioned this before, rubber nets are fish friendly. They don't get tangled and neither do treble hooks. Until we're ready for the picture, our fish don't leave the water. I can safely unbutton the fish and leave it in the water, in the net. Everything is simplified and no apparant harm comes to the fish. I'm a big fan of rubber nets.

Well, here is something that doesn't get a lot of play, but highlights really how good Bill Dance is: He and his partner, James "Big Catfish" Patterson fish in a local professional catfish tournament held here in Memphis on the Mississippi River. They won the first tournament and have either won or finished near the top every year. Now, I'm not defending his handling of those bass we're talking about, but the man can still fish. There are no "controlled" situations on the Mighty Mississippi! Biil was intrigued by big catfish that very few fishermen target, I'm talking 50 lbs +. He was a quick learn, as you might expect and has truely mastered a drift technique on the Big River and that's not a small achievement. Just something of local interest I thought I would share with you.

Welcome aboard! Best time to start fishing for bass? AM or PM on any day ending in a Y. Better fishing conditions are right around the corner, generally when you notice the first signs of spring.

the_muddy_man, Once you start catching smallmouth, the largemouth are like carp, kinda fun but disappointing. I guarantee largemouth will not be #1.

I rarely have an opportunity to fish at night (nighttime's for drinkin'). However, I fish Bull Shoals several times a year and have a friend (my guide during the day) that likes to fish at night on his own time. We fish jerkbaits almost exclusively for smallmouth and walley, but last fall he took me to the White River to fish for giant brown trout! Smallmouth and walley are found on the same structure in this lake, so there is no telling what you really might catch. We target primary points in 10 to twenty- five feet of water, surrounded by much deeper water. Sometimes we fish bluffs for suspending fish in 200-350' of water. The jerkbait is an ideal nighttime lure. They are big, or at least can be, loud and move a lot of water. All fish are less inhibited at night and can be VERY aggressive in attaching prey. There is nothing subtle about this presentation, we are after big fish on a feeding bite. The strikes are often vicious and the fight fierce. It's by far my favorite fishing!

The majority of my largemouth bass fishing is at local ponds, public and private, from the bank. Of all the 10+ lb bass I have caught, all but one have been caught from shore. I fish at least ten hours a week, weather permitting, from the bank. The major differences for me are small water versus big water and fishing one technique only. When I fish from land I rarely carry more than one rod and if I am fishing anything other than soft plastics, I only fish one lure. I totally focus on one technique at a time. Here is the plan: Most of my small water can be thoroughly fished in 1 1/2 hours. I rarely change baits unless I make a second loop. I cast parallel to the bank, out from shore five to fifteen yards. The majority of the water I fish involves structure, not cover. One pond has heavy vegetation in the summer, but I fish it exactly the same as other ponds so than I am effectively fishing ALONG the cover, not in it. This involves long casts and constant movement. I will sometimes make multiple cast from one spot, but usually only one and then move up ten to twenty yards. Generally I fish soft plastics and recently jigs. I fish top-water and floating jerkbaits and a few crankbaits that I am willing to lose. Recovering lures or baits from the bank is a losing proposition. I find little difference, except mobility, in fishing from a boat or the bank.

nofishforme, Welcome aboard! To get started: Go to the top of the HOME page and click on "Fishing Articles", the first section is titled "For Beginning Anglers." Read all of those articles and take a few notes. The BassResource.com Library contains all the fishing related information you will need to become a better fisherman. Read the articles, access the links and get out there and spend some time on the water trying some of these techniques. Catching bass is fairly easy once you have a working knowledge of a few things to try and get out there and put them to use. Also, in the "Fishing Tackle" section there is a thread, "Just Starting To Build Your Tackle Collection?" that will give you some suggestions on beginning equipment and lures. Check it out. Good luck!

Before you start making up new lies, consider this: "When the hole gets deep enough, quit digging!"

If you want your location displayed, simply add it to your "Signature" on your profile. I just did.

Buy a small air conditioner/ heater, a little carpet, several cans of Spam & crackers, water and some toliet paper. I've been married for almost twenty-nine years, I know how this works. That "little house" is going to be "home" more often than you think.

Oops! After re-reading the original post, I see that four fish were caught (I was thinking there was just one bass caught). That, I agree, is a "pattern". my mistake!

I'm not sure this was a winning "pattern". If a lure, any lure, runs right past the mouth of a bass, there is a chance she will strike, it's the nature of the species. A slower, deeper presentation in cold water has a higher probability of success.