roadwarrior

Since this is my 1000 post, I just wanted to say, "Thanks Glenn for putting together such a great website". And thanks to everyone for all your posts. Everyone together and each person individually makes this forum work. Cheers to BassResource and all the members.

You need a heavy power rod and braided line. Fishing lilly pads, thick grass and timber requires the ability to move a fish and horse it out. You will lose some fish by pulling the hook out of their mouth, but you have to get them out of all that stuff.

I think Bill Dance has done a lot to promote the sport. He has always shown himself to be a gentleman and a sportsman. His sense of humor is genuine. He was a successful competitor, but also made fishing fun. Now he is a successful businessman. What's wrong with that? #3 is EXACTLY where I think he ranks. Rick Clunn and Rolland Martin, they tie for #1.

Your odds are better winning the Powerball lottery, that's only about 129,000,000 to 1.

Not a chance, that girl's coming home with me! I've paid my dues with lots of big fish, I won't even keep a personal best. The real dilemma is a near record. The guys in California are releasing 20+ lb fish, now that's impressive. My fishing partner released a 10 lb smallmouth that I netted and weighed. Man, that was tough.

Slug-Go, Ika, Bomber Square A

You can't catch bass in a pond that has no fish. The baits you have been using should have produced some fish. Look for a different pond. Ideally the pond should be at least four years old and professionaly stocked. If you are going to stick it out a little longer on the water you are fishing, focus on just one presentation until you catch some fish. I am NOT saying that a Senko is the only thing that catches fish, but if you can't catch a single fish on a Senko, the problem is probably the pond.

Rain and particularly runoff from the surrounding land has a very negative impact on pond fishing. The rain and partical contaminants affect the chemical composition of the water. Rain may also impact the water temperature. This usually only lasts a day or so. As a side note, rain has no impact on river or lake fishing. Overcast skies, temperature changes and wind may affect your overall success, but not the rain itself.

Well, I don't know about the expert part, but I will throw in my two cents. I do like fishing deep structure and sometimes it does appear to be in the middle of the lake or river. Let's look at a specific lake structure that is always productive. Points are obvious. What I really like is a steep drop or a laddered drop. Ideally the windward side of a primary point that drops into very deep water. Sometimes it's a secondary point with these same characteristics. The keys are bait fish and a deepwater escape route. In a river the most obvious superstructure is the channel itself. Big smallmouth will suspend near the break. Big boulders or piles of rocks that attract baitfish and break the current are also prime targets. The more isolated the structure the more likely it is to hold the biggest bass on the river.

You all need a rubber net, they don't tangle and never get hooked. I'm not kidding, it's one of the best investments you can make.

Ray Scott has a pretty good piece in this month's BASSMASTER magazine. He sums it up pretty well, the Greatest Angler debate really boils down to Roland Martin and Rick Clunn. I'm still voting for Bill Dance.

Largemouth bass taste good and are good for you. Fish is easy to prepare. The cooking process eliminates all bacteria (the meat itself is very clean to begin with, any contaminants would be acquired in handling). Here is a simple recipe: 1 fish = 2 fillets 1 cup peanut oil heated to 375 degrees (an electric skillet works best) mix 1 egg with 1/4 cup milk mix 1/2 cup corn meal with 1/4 cup flour Dip the bass fillet in the egg/milk mixture. Coat the fillet with the corn meal/flour. Fry for 4 minutes and turn. Fry for an additional 4 minutes. I like a squirt of lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Serve it now, piping hot.

2_Poppa/ ball_coach_1: Ditto. Getting off the bank and fishing structure in deeper water. I used to just fish, now I hunt hawgs.

I don't keep smallmouth, that's just my thing. I don't keep many largemouth and I never keep big ones. That being said, there is NOTHING wrong with keeping fish. As a matter of fact, in most lakes and especially in ponds, you would probably be improving the fishery by eliminating a MAJORITY of the smaller bass. I'm checking with this state's DOW to see if I can LEGALLY kill all the little bass in my Secret Pond, I know it's overpopulated. (I don't mean with nets or poison, just most of the little bass we may catch). So, keep some fish, it's good for the environment.

ball_coach_1, I sent you a PM. The fat one was just over 7 lbs, the long one a shade over 8. Both were caught on the Tennessee River, 1/15/05.

Tannycomo is a cold, trout lake between Table Rock and Bull Shoals, it won't work. Beaver, Table Rock and Bull Shoals are all good choices. Tennessee lakes? Well, there are a lot to choose from. Guntersville in Alabama would be another interesting destination. I don't fish tournaments, but I'll be there for this one! Com'on Glenn...

I prefer live bait when I'm fishing for smallmouth on the Tennessee River. My partner and I probably catch more large smallmouth (over 5 lbs) than all the other fishermen combined on this river. I estimate we outfish fishermen fishing artificials at least 20/1 and on big fish 50/1. Catching monster smallmouth is more fun than just fishing for them.

I catch almost all my big largemouth on soft plastics, specifically 6' Senkos and Fat Ika. All of my biggest bass have been caught between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM on clear, bright, hot summer days. I T-rig, weightless and weedless, generally in 5-12' of water. I always fish soft plastics slow.

BD, That kills them. Trust me, I know something about fishing live shiners.

I have a small room off my garage that is mine, everything else seems to belong to my wife and kids. I store all my hunting, fishing and camping gear in this little room. Most of the stuff hasn't been used in years. All my tackle is organized in plastic boxes like most of the rest of you have. I have two hard boxes with tools and line and lures that I basically collect, but rarely use. I have a soft bag that holds about six plastic boxes that I sometimes take on big trips. I have a small Plano box that I carry pond jumping which contains soft platics and hooks. It's pretty standard advice, especially on this forum that you must let the fish tell you what they want. Well, that's not how I fish. 90% of the time my lure selection is dictated by the rod and reel I want to fish that day. Like many of you, I have lots of equipment that I don't really use that much. So, on any given day I decide what to use. For example, yesterday I decided to fish my Calais which I have on a medium power St. Croix baitcaster. I only use this equipment for lipless cranks, buzzbaits and spinners. That's not the stuff I have been catching fish on the last couple of weeks, but it's dictated by the rod and reel I want to use. All I took with me to the pond was one white/chartreuse spinnerbait. I rarely (never) change lures and I pre-determine what and how I'm going to fish. I try to use lots of different lures and techniques over time, but not at the same time. This keeps me focused.

For drifting on a river, split shot rig and no float I always hook them in the lips, from bottom to top. For smallmouth bass I use a Gamakatsu #6 Octopus Circle Hook. For stripers using larger baits (gizzard shad, yellowtail or skipjack) Gammie #2 Octopus Circle Hook.

Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork are close enough for a weekend trip. Reelfoot, Kentucky Lake, Barkley and Pickwick are some more options for a little longer drive. I don't much about Stockton, but it's probably close to you, too.

I would prefer the "right" six numbers on a Powerball ticket, but I would settle for a 12 lb smallmouth. I'm also fishing for a 40 lb 6 oz brown trout, a 20 lb rainbow and a 25 lb 2 oz walley. Otherwise, it's a plastic replica for me.

These are not really guidlines, I'm just telling you what I do: Weightless in water <12' where I can fish slow. For me that's Fat Ika or Senkos. I have NEVER fished these plastics with weight. For deeper water or where I have to fish fast (only because someone I'm fishing with fishes fast), I'll go with a Gitzit or a lizard. I also like Kut-Tail on a jighead around docks and steep or stepped blufs. I have not fished the Kreature much and have nothing, good or bad, to say about the lure. I'm going to Bull Shoals in a couple of weeks and plan to devote a few hours to the Hula Grub (GYTC's version of the spider grub).

I have a new post in the "My Fishing Tournament or Outing" category. My First Trip to the Secret Pond.