roadwarrior

Well, use your seach engine and bring up "meanmouth". There are several entries, one of which is about the MO State Record I mentioned. I think Bassmaster is wrong on this one.

A meanmouth is a hybrid spotted bass/ smallmouth, not largemouth/ smallmouth. The Missouri State Record was caught at Table Rock during a tournament 10/05/03, 4.76 lbs. The fish was subsequently taken to BPS in Springfield for display.

Yes, I have caught a few. They are black, or at least that's all I have caught. They fight like a smallmouth, but they don't get very big. I think the world record is 4 or 5 lbs, I've never caught one over 2 lbs.

Spotted bass a.k.a. Spots a.k.a. Kentucky bass (micropterus punctulatus). There are several technical differences, but the easiest to note are reddish eyes and a "spot" or lump on the tongue (actually a rectangular tooth patch). Although they look like a largemouth (color and vertical striping), they are most closely related to smallmouth bass.

Visit earthworm77's company site, micromunchtackle. Great tubes, Fatzilia and other quality products, especially jigs.

I'm with Chris. My Secret Pond is littered with timber, even in the middle of the main arm. I have had good luck with most soft plastics, but right now the Gitzit (tubes), T-rigged, are most productive. #2 is the Yamamoto Kut-Tail, also T-rigged. I'm fishing deep, slow and vertical (short casts).

Fish a Gitzit, T-rigged. It's my #1 producer right now for quality bass in 15-20' of water. Fish slowly on and around structure. I let the bait rest for a minute or TWO on the initial drop. I move the lure by lifting the rod, what might be described as a slow, elongated hop. Sometimes once, sometimes twice and then let it sit for awhile. Many strikes occur while deadsticking, otherwise after you move the tube. I think bass may just watch this bug until it drives them crazy and they have to strike.

Two of the three best months for trophy smallmouth on the Tennessee River are January and February (November is the other and I don't know about December because it's been too cold to be out). Water temperatures never dip below 45 degrees and the smallmouth, particularly monsters, are very active throughout the day. We only fish days when the predicted high is 40 degrees and try to avoid rain, but if we do fish in a little rain, we only fish as long as we're comfortable. On this water, sunny or cloudy skies are not really significant. Important issues are water release and wind. There are plenty of days when you cannot/ should not be out.

You have found the right site! Start with the beginner's section and go from there. BassResource.com has more information on this site than you will find anywhere else on the net. Start with the articles in the BassResource Library before spending a lot of time on the forum, but when you have a question, there are some very knowledgable fishermen here with years of experience to provide detailed response.

Small water: Ray Scott's pond. Many of you wouldn't find this challenging, but I'd like to get tired of all those 7 & 8 lb bass stealing my lure away from the 10's and 12's I'm really after. Big water: Guntersville, Percy Priest, Center Hill and Dale Hollow. If I didn't fish Pickwick and Kentucky Lakes almost every weekend, I'd include them, too. I guess I have a preference for smallmouth bass.

AceHigh, Which kind of bass are you catching? Newport puts you in the middle of largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass country. I have had smallmouth and Kentucky bunched up like that at Bull Shoals and on the Tennessee River, but never consistently year after year. Do you fish the White River much or are you a lake guy? I fish the White several times a year, but never that far downstream.

Size is relative. If you're catching some 1-2 lb bass, you might catch a 4 or 5 lber in the general area, but it's highly unlikely that you will find 7+ in the same location. Generally, I would say move on because smaller fish tend to hang out together and that's probably all you will catch. If there are larger fish in the area they will either be further out from shore or deeper or both. Bigger fish are sometimes around picking off bait that the smaller fish have injured or stunned, but that's the exception, not the rule.

Smaller fish bite first, they're generally more aggressive. Really big fish are usually loners, they probably scare other fish away!

Nope, not me. I always fish the Senko and the Fat Ika weightless. Weighted presentations: I fish the Kut-Tail on a jighead in relatively open water, otherwise T-rigged (unpegged). Kreature, T-rigged (unpegged). I might give this a try C-rigged, too. Gitzit, inserted jighead in open water, otherwise, T-rigged (unpegged). Lizard, C-rigged, sometimes split shot.

abelfisher, 1/4 oz bullet sinker and bead, unpegged.

Oddly enough, this is my best time of year for catching really big largemouth bass. Deep water, big soft plastics and a slow presentation are the keys. I'm catching my best bass in 15-20 ft of water on weighted T-rigged tubes and Kut-Tail worms.

Raul, So, let's see. You have been to the lake you are fishing about 100 times, and probably once or twice in the last month. It's 110 degrees and sunny, just like last time. The water is the same, the weather is the same, everything is the same. What are you looking at that helps you decide what to fish with today?

I will...It was me! We both went in with all our stuff. Luckily we were able to save the motor, the battery, most of our tackle and some of our rods & reels. Once we emptied the boat and got reorganized, we spent the next hour or so "bottom fishing" for a couple of rods. Fortunately we boated them all.

One of our members: earthworm77, Micro Munch Tackle. You can access the website and take a look at all their products.

I fish several local ponds. On any given day I'll decide to use specific equipment and my lure choice is usually dictated by the rod and reel combination I've chosen. I usually fish one lure only. If I know I'll have time to fish the pond twice or if I'm really in the mood to catch some fish (rather than working on a technique), I'll take my soft plastics rod and a little box of baits. Every day the fish seem to have a preference for a certain profile or action. I always carry Senkos, Fat Ika, Kreatures, Kut-Tail and Gitzits in my box. I never know exactly which one to start with, but it's usually the Fat Ika. Whichever bait is chosen, most of the time that's all I'll fish. On a lake and in a boat I usually rig four rods with what I plan to fish that day. I take a tackle bag along, but I can't recall the last time I actually changed a bait. Yep, I've got a plan and I stick to it.

I rarely fish at night and when I do it's only for walley and smallmouth. These are my suggestions: Have the boat organized so you know EXACTLY where you have your rods, lights and net. I have two spinning rods rigged with whatever I plan to use. This eliminates the backlash issue and all the problems with tying lures at night. If it's safe to have your lights off, keep them off. After a period of time you can see in the darkness. Night vision varies with indivuals and conditions, but it's surprising just how much you can see. I usually fish ACROSS points. This eliminates most casting problems. I fish jerkbaits exclusively. That's not necessarily a recommendation vs. other lures, but it works for me. Most importantly, I wear a life jacket at night and keep a small waterproof flashlight in my pocket.

If you could find some restraint and forgo the purchase of a new rod and reel this month, you could get another boat. How's that for an idea?

It's too bad you don't have any fun! With all of that going on, catching big bass is probably a distraction to you. Are your friends as crazy about fishing as you? What about their equipment or is that something you furnish your guests? If I didn't fish with friends I know I wouldn't fish as much as I do. My boys are half the fun, maybe more than that.

Lummer, This thread isn't for you! Keep doing what you're doing. The lures I mentioned generally attract small bass. If you're catching nice bass and want to fish topwater, I recommend the full size Spook and Sammy, those are big fish lures.

It seems like we're getting a lot of posts from guys that are having a hard time catching anything right now. So, I have a couple of suggestions if you just want to catch a few bass, probably not PBs, but fish none the less. Early and late, in low light tie on a Zara Spook Puppy, chrome black shad. You might want to try a Heddon Torpedo, too. These are very similar lures which almost always attract a few small bass. Although I rarely throw them, I can't recall ever being shutout. Throughout the day, Ika, not my favorite Fat Ika, but it's smaller cousin. You'll need a small hook, 1/0 EWG for this lure. I've caught a couple of good fish at the Secret Pond on this bait, but it's really a small bass lure. It's very effective weightless.