roadwarrior

basser89, Try the Fat Ika, they have produced the majority of my big largemouth bass this year. As the summer warmed up I found myself going to a tube, specifically Micro Munch Tackle's El Gordo, black neon (black with red flakes). In deeper water I prefer a weighted lure, but <12', the Fat Ika rules.

Chris, I don't know why, but it's magic.

Anyone read this week's featured article? It's worth a read, but I have a little different take on the subject. Now, they're the pros and I'm not, so you probably ought to go with what they say, but... My strong suit is soft plastics. What I have found is that distinct action and a different profile perform on certain days and at particular lakes and ponds. I break it down this way: In shallow water (<12') I generally fish a Senko or Fat Ika weightless regardless of the season, cover or structure. For deeper water I like weighted Kreatures, tubes, Hula Grubs and Kut-Tail. That's not to say I don't ever fish weighted presentations in shallow water, I do, just not often. Another weighted presentation I like is a C-rigged lizard, but I fish this bait much differently and on heavier equipment. I fish these techniques year around and that's my point: These lurers work all year, I've never noticed any seasonality. I'm still a work-in-progress with jigs, but again, I think it's all about the right spot or situation, not the time of year.

Well, I'm not a tournament fisherman. You saw the "keepers" the pros caught at The Classic. I don't fish for those fish, I never downsize. You'll still catch some small fish on bigger lures, but I think you have a better chance at quality fish.

Nope, stained water is much easier to fish. Some will suggest brighter colors, but I fish natural and dark colors almost exclusively. If you are used to fishing smaller lures and finesse baits, you may want to kick it up a notch. I think you will find that every lure and technique you use in crystal clear water will work in stained water, too. Now you don't have to be quite so stealthy.

Smallmouth bass will actively feed with water temperatures down into the high 40s. Smallmouth relate to structure rather than cover. On a river it's structure in current. I recommend primary points and humps, boulders or rock piles and flats surrounded by or closely associated with deep water. Ledges are another prime locale. If you find schools of baitfish there will be smallmouth near the school and often under the school, but these fish are difficult to target, especially in open water. Focus on structure on the main lake. If there are schools of baitfish that's a bonus. Current, any current, is icing on the cake. My most productive lures are jerkbaits, baby diaper yellow Gitzits, Hula Grubs and Yamamoto lizards. Others seem to prefer jigs, crankbaits and spoons. On the otherhand, my strong suit is live bait. If you really want to catch some fish, split shot live shiners.

The Hula Grub is one of the most underutilized soft plastics I know of, at least around here (Mid South). I rarely see anyone fishing the lure. I usually fish it as alternative to other actions and profiles, when a tube isn't hot for example. For me, it's a primary smallmouth bait.

Ben, I don't agree, particularly if you are fishing treble hook lures. I have had many big bass suck a BIG lure all the way in on aggressive feeding strikes. I don't think those fish survive if the lure isn't removed. I want to remove all hooks, not because I'm so cheap, but for the sake of the health of the fish. I can assure you that gently landing a fish in a rubber net does the fish no harm, none what-so-ever.

Hillbilly_Hooker, Probably, but I don't really know. I bought mine at BPS.

Get a rubber net, it's good for you and easy on the fish. It's standard equipment for me.

Gamakatsu #3/0,4/0 or 5/0 EWG, depending on the size of the lizard you are using. I generally fish a 6" lizard on a #4/0 EWG.

I fish several ponds throughout the year and have been successful before and during a storm, but never just after heavy rain. As others stated, things will stabilize in a day or two.

earthworm77 (Craig DeFronzo) owns the company, www.micromunchtackle.com. He has a pretty cool website, too. While you are there be sure to check out his jigs, that's really his specialty. I bought a pretty large assortment of lures from him and am VERY impressed with the quality of the products he offers.

I never use weight with Senkos or Fat Ika, but I fish tubes T-rigged. I have recently been fishing the El Gordo (black neon) from Micro Munch Tackle. This tube "stands on it's head" with the tentacles fluttering upwards off the bottom. Guys, I'm telling you this is quite a sight! It not only attracts big bass, but monster catfish, too. It's my #1 soft plastic right now and I'm talkin' size!

I have never fished the giant Florida shiners for largemouth, but the 3-4" version is my main smallmouth bait. I fish a medium power/ fast action spinning rod. My specific equipment is: G.Loomis GLX PR844S Shimano Stella 2500FB Yo-Zuri Hybrid #4 Gamakatsu #6 Octopus Circle Hooks #4 or #5 split shot

Flyrod, We are lucky here in Tennessee, too. Except for a few bitterly cold days, we generally fish year around, but some "seasons" are better than others. I fish year around for largemouth in ponds and a few lakes, but April through August I'm pretty focused on stripers on the Tennessee River. September through March is what I refer to as "smallmouth season". We sprinkle in a littlle sauger, white bass and crappie, but for the most part it's brown fish.

This is my best story: I was fishing near some docks when a 20'+ jet boat pulling two skiers blew right in front of me at full speed. Unfortunately for him, the jet intake sucked up my line, all of my line, maybe 200 yards or more. These guys made it out into the lake maybe a half mile or so before coming to a complete halt. No paddle, no other boats in sight and no one but me to help. Well, I happen to have another rod all ready to go, so I went right back at it. After an hour or so they were still stranded and I moved on. I never knew what became of that boat and those jerks.

We ended up catching a variety of fish including thirteen smallmouth, three over 5lbs with the largest coming in at 22 1/2 inches or just under 6 lbs. The bass are on the hunt and the featured entree is yellowtail (threadfin shad). As water temperatures drop, the fishing should just get better.

Your bait rests on the bottom. You do nothing. I have caught several big bass recently dead sticking, but it's soooooooooooo boring. I fish a modified version a lot. I'll let a soft plastic sit on the bottom for a full minute on the initial drop, move the bait and let it sit fifteen to thirty seconds and repeat until I feel I'm out of "the zone".

Every bass we catch will still be there for you in November, Nick. We just want to exercise them a little, maybe take their picture and make sure they're happy and healthy. I wish everyone that fishes the Tennessee River the best of luck. You are welcome to keep all the catfish you catch, your limit of whitebass, Kentucky and largemouth, but please... Carefully release all my pet smallmouth.

First weekend of fall, Hurricane Rita on her way, cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 80s, falling barometer, water temperature down 8 degrees (79) and projected water release 40,000cfs. Well, it doesn't get much better than that! I hope the fish are hungry. Ya-hoo! Here we go!

Wife tag: "Warning: Release Immediately, Upkeep Can Be Hazardous To Your Wealth"

Raul had a more detailed post a couple of weeks ago, there is a scientific model that he described in some detail. If you're just looking for what's a general answer, try this: If you can see individual rocks in 10' of water, that's "clear". If you're in the water and your feet look fuzzy, that's stained. You might be able to see a white jig in 2-4' of water, but it's blurred or not well defined. And muddy? Muddy's muddy, your lure hits the water and disappears, you can't see anything below the surface.

Nick, Very interesting. I too have a little pond that I have fished for three years. The pond has produced three 10 lb bass and 5+ on a consistant, weekly basis. This is my practice pond and I fish a variety of lures and techniques, always from the bank. When I first started fishing the pond I fished 5" Senkos almost exclusively. I felt like I was catching too many small fish and upsized to 6 & 7" Senkos. The larger baits produced bigger bass, period. Although I occasionally fished other techniques and Gitzits, 6" Senkos were really my bread and butter. By the spring of 2004, the bite had diminished significantly and persists today on Senkos. Switching to Fat Ikas in particular, larger tubes and Kut-Tail worms has brought the soft plastic bite back in spades. Most days I simply don't fish soft plastics on this pond anymore, I would rather experiment with other lures. So, my experience has been very similar to yours. In a virtually closed environment, bass can become wary of particular lures. I am positive this is the case on my pond. BTW, Regarding LBH's post. I think you are right, but there seems to be a significant difference in learning patterns with "feeding" bass vs. a reactionary strike. If that were not the case, there's not a three year old bass on the planet that would ever hit a spinnerbait!

Chris, Are there any professional tours where we could fish as partners? If you are half right and I'm half right, we ought to sweep them all! What's 1st Place in every tournament and the Championship worth? Maybe this is the ticket we need to quit our day jobs! You find 'em, I'll catch 'em, or we'll both catch 'em or, heck, I'll just help you catch 'em! We won't need to find any sponsors either, they'll be beating down the door just begging us to take their money. Watch out KVD, here we come.