roadwarrior

#1 Finding the fish #2 Lure/ bait (includes technique selection) #3 Presentation (includes casting and boat position) #4 Equipment (includes the right knot and line) #5 Enough beer and cigarettes to last all day

Most of my life I thought having a good trip catching fish was luck. Sometimes it worked, most of the time it didn't. I used to think catching a couple of fish, any size, made a good day. I always thought I should use about every lure I own until I hit on the one that worked. What I have learned is the key to success. I don't necessarily own the key, but I know exactly what it is and I am totally focused on exploiting this knowledge. I've discovered that catching fish is fairly easy. It's not luck, although I still think size is to some extent. It's not lures, but exactly the right one is still important sometimes. It's not all the time you spend on the water, but that certainly helps. It's not all about better equipment, but that is part of being confident and consistant. Nope, all these things and much more are parts of the complete package. But the key, the Key to Success... Finding the fish.

I'm with Rebbasser on this one: Buy the lures that are designed for specific depts. For shallow crankbaits (0-2'): Norman Fat Boy, Bomber Square A. 2-4' : Bagley BII, Excalliber Fat Free Shad Suspending (jerkbaits not cranks) 4-6': Rattlin' Rogues, Lucky Craft Pointers and Rapala Husky Jerks. Deeper (6-10'): Lucky Craft Staysee, Lucky Craft LV300 & 500 or Rat-L-Traps. Deep deep: DD22

5" Senko and Fat Ika fished weightless on or near structure and cover in water <12' deep. In deeper water, Kut-Tail, Roboworms (6" Shakin' Zipper Worm) and tubes T-rigged (1/8-1/4 bullet weights, unpegged). Fish slow. Let the lure fall to the bottom on slack line. Move the bait 6-12"s at a time with a horizontal sweep except Kut-Tail worms and tubes which I fish with a slow vertical hop. On the initial drop, leave the bait on the bottom for up to a minute. After each movement let the lure sit for 15-30 seconds or more before moving it again. This is what I mean by slow.

Send a PM to earthworm77 (forum member and author), he owns Micro Munch Tackle.

The Yamamoto Kut-Tail is the same formulation as the Senko, same salt and density. It's obviously a different profile and has differfent action. I fish the 6 1/2" version and it has produced some very good fish and has recently been a top producer for me. Interestingly, even though this worm is made out of the same soft materials as the Senko, it's durability is considerably greater.

I'm guessing 22-23", average range of 6 lb 6oz - 7 lb 5 oz. However, this big girl looks thick (that's PC for fat). So, I'll say just over 8 lbs., 8 lbs 2 oz.

Upnorth, I didn't mean to dis the worm. I bought two packs of every 6" Shakin' Zipper Worm the company makes after reading a couple of articles last year covering some western tournaments. They have worked for me when nothing else was producing a bite. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago I caught something like four bass on five casts and a total of six in fifteen. Now, that was something! But, all I have caught are small fish, certainly nothing over 3 lbs. Maybe I just haven't fished them enough. Anyhow, I highly recommend the Roboworm for numbers and I think it would be especially effective for those of you that drop shot.

The latest number of members and the last to join are listed on the 1st Forum page or Forum Home Page at the bottom. It's currently 2780.

Spend your time catching fish not worrying about your bait. When in doubt, throw it out. If you don't think it's perfect, then it's not good enough.

LBH, You da man! Excellent!

Soft plastics? You don't need anything softer than Yamamoto baits. I have recently fished some Roboworms and they are soft, but I find them far more durable than GYCB. Unfortunately, Roboworms are a small bass bait and I'm way more interested in big bass than I am in durability.

Only pull the tag end, slowly (even when properly wetted you will notice it gets a little crinkled up). When you are basically done, wet it again then pull it tight with both the main line and tag to finish the knot. Then trim the tag. I'm so confident in the knot, I trim it close, probably within 1/16-1/8". One more suggestion: If you've caught the line in the eyelet opening or part of the knot is "stuck", cut it off and re-tie, don't settle for "almost right".

My take is a little different. A technique has to have a result I'm interested in. For example, when drop shot fishing first came into vogue I jumped on it, bought all the right stuff (including the GYBC kit) and got pretty good at it, too. Well, I have not fished this way in at least two years. Why? I never caught big fish. Then the more I read about the technique the clearer the picture became: This is a numbers game. If you are a tournament fisherman, I think this is something you should be all over. I'm not. Same story for flipping. I think I've caught more fish in a shorter period of time flipping than anything I have ever done. Some of the fish, and I mean quite a few, were some of the biggest bass I have ever caught. BUT, since I'm not fishing for money, jerking a big fish out of the water just ain't my cup of tea. If I were a tounament fisherman, I think I might use this technique about 50% of the time! I'm not. What I want to focus on are techniques that are fun for me and produce results. I'm kinda there with soft plastics, I'm going to get there with jigs. Crankbaits? Thanks to KU_Bassmaster, Chris and Raul, I have had an awakening and man, has that paid off! I prefer long casts and a big fight with big bass. I don't care anything about improving numbers, just size.

I did, it's one of the featured articles on the Home Page. If you haven't, then don't. What's interesting about a trip that doesn't work out? The "Rulers" are: 1. Don't get over excited or have high expectations for your BIG trip. Come on, isn't that why we plan big trips? 2. Don't expect the fish to do what you want them to. Duh? 3. Don't give up when there is still time to fish. Well, if I'm not catching fish I would just as soon have a beer and catch a buzz! I'll be fishing next week, what's the big deal? Oh well, not the Rules (For Me) to Live By.

Matt_Fly, Everything you mentioned in your post makes sense to me, but I fish soft plastics slow year around. Finding fish is the challenge, but if I can find them, a slow presentation always works for me.

I usually start with a twin tail Yamamoto Grub, but if it tears or is lost, I never replace it. I catch just as many bass without a trailer. The only thing a trailer adds is bulk and weight. Maybe I can cast just a little further, but the bass I've caught aren't any bigger when fishing with a trailer.

scbassin, I doubt if we disagree very much. I too want the perfect rod matched with the perfect reel, but if I could only have one 10 and the next best piece of equipment had to be a 9, my 10 would be the reel and my 9 would be the rod. Still, I see your point. Let's get the best of both!

I fish slow because I think big bass are attracted to a slow moving bait. If I make the right cast, I rarely throw to a spot twice, I thoroughly fish it the first time. I may only move up five or ten yards, but move I do. When I talk about slow, I mean three to five minutes per cast. I usually let a soft plastic sit on the bottom on the initial drop for a minute or so. I often get hit on the first movement. I think bass are attracted to the splash and fall. I think they literally sit there and stare at the bait. Part of it's reaction, part of it's feeding and a large part is just curiosity. I'm amazed at just how many times I get bit with a bait sitting on the bottom still, doing nothing. This bite also occurs in the middle of a retrieve. I usually let the bait sit for thirty seconds or so at the end of "the zone", before bringing it in. Again, that's when a strike often occurs. BTW, I don't drop shot. Since I don't fish tournaments, I don't care about little fish. That may be a great technique for catching numbers, but I don't think it catchs many big bass.

Fishing is generally good before and during a storm. The rule of thumb is a good bite on a steady or falling barometer, a poor bite during rising pressure. I fish ponds a lot, but I rarely fish after a storm and I never catch much when I do. Ponds are significantly and negatively affected by runoff.

You need new line. A Palomar Knot will not fail if properly tied and won't fail repeatedly even if you have twisted the line, failed to properly lubricate the line (spit) or not fully cleared the eyelet of the hook. Change your line and take your time and make sure you have completed the knot. This is a 100% knot, it will not fail.

Okay then, leave me alone! I don't need a Megabass Destroyer Evoluzion DTi DNA Titanium F4-610XDti Elseil. I can hardly remember wanting it. I'm not going to buy it. I'm not going to. I'm not even going to think about it. I don't even have the reel I'll need when I get it!

It's the Dark Side. He is the Evil Force that makes fishermen buy equipment they didn't know they needed. He has no conscience. He makes you buy things you already have. He makes you buy things when you don't have any money. He turns wants into needs. He is the force that bonds Megabass, G. Loomis, Shimano, Ranger, Yamaha, Lucky Craft and all the other high priced equipment manufactures together. The Bait Monkey is Raul.

Dink What Rick Clunn was hoping to catch five of at the Classic. What Aaron Martens needed one more of to WIN the Classic! What Kevin VanDam caught more of than anyone else at the Classic. Another name for a "keeper". What tournament fishermen hope to cull, if they can just catch two more. Sometimes the best fish of the day.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that bluegill were very active along a shelf near deep water. Although the bait was very shallow, there was easy access to the deepest water in the pond. It seemed to me that this might be a prime area for predators to cruise in search of prey. On Sunday morning, September 4, 2005 I went to this public pond a little before daylight with one rod and one lure: Norman Fat Boy, bluegill pattern. Following along Chris' line of thought: Attracting feautures: Size and color almost perfectly match the baitfish. Triggering features: Wiggle, speed and depth. Again, a close match. I fished this lure parallel to the bank but out several feet to where I thought the ledge broke into deep water. The lure runs 0-2' and I retrieved it at a steady pace, occasionally bumping rock and stirring up the bottom, but mostly just tooling around in open water. Around 6:30 or about ten minutes before sunrise, I got smacked! Eaten by the biggest bass I have ever caught.