Mobasser

Come on man! Shimano, put the anti reverse switch back on your spinning reels!

My own answer is Nick Cremes invention of the plastic worm. Without this, there may not have ever been a Senko. Every plastic bait since was influenced by his invention Exactly what I was thinking too. That's the game changer for sure. It changed how we all fish for bass ever since

Past century

As experienced bass anglers, what, in your opinion, is the single most groundbreaking bass lure invented in this century?

Wishing you the best in this tough time Tom. Sending prayers and positive thoughts.

Catt, I'm a fan of the Mister Twister worms and grubs also. Good tail action on a slow retrieve. With all the plastics out there now, they're still one of the best.

I think Qauntum makes some very good reels. I have a tournament narrow spool casting reel I bought on clearance. It's my only mag brake reel. Smooth, well made and cast great.

It was my older brother who was the first one I ever saw trim down a larger plastic worm, to around 4" to 5" size. His concept was simple. If the bass wouldn't hit a large 8" or 9" worm, they might strike a smaller one. Back then, the only worms we had were Mann's Jelly Worms and Producto Fliptail worms, both in larger sizes. We also didn't know anything about Texas or weedless rigging, so we nose hooked these trimmed down worms, and fished them with a split shot crimped on about 12" to 15" inches up the line. If we could keep this rig out of moss or weeds, it caught quite a few fish for us. A split shot rig can still be a good setup. Later we learned about Texas rigging, which changed everything for us, and caught us even more fish. Now, and for years, I always keep a couple of bags of smaller plastic worms along. Brands we've had good luck with are Zoom Finesse worm, Roboworms in the smaller size, Lucky Strike 4" worms and CB slider worms. We rig Texas style, shakey head, split shot, slider head, or in more open areas a ball head jig. These smaller " finesse" plastic worms catch the heck out of bass. They've often saved the day for us when the fish wouldn't hit a larger bait.Ive heard a couple of fisherman say they never use them, calling the small worms a dink magnet, and complaining that they're only good for small bass. I disagree. I know there's been some good size fish caught on them. Slowly fishing one of these smaller worms through a good spot, could draw a strike from any size bass. Do you use the small worms? What's your favorite rigging method? What brands do you like, and, have you ever caught any good size fish on them? We all love those days when the fish are slamming spinnerbaits, blasting big topwaters, or killing lipless baits. As we all know, these days don't always happen. The small worms have caught fish for us when the bass seem to get a case of lockjaw, and have been one bait that I've caught bass with in colder water, which is always tough. Anyone else like this " finesse" worm fishing?

I bank fish one pond in winter. I fish from the dam, and the rocks along the dam help warm the water on sunny days. If you can locate the first drop off or shelf within casting distance this can be a good spot. Fan cast the area, and fish slower than you normally would. A SK Bitsy Bug jig is a good cold water jig. Sharpen the hook good, and use a smaller chunk, or other trailer. A 3" piece of plastic worm threaded on can work good. I've had a few fish follow this one in, and hit closer to the bank too. Same with grubs, and smaller light T rigs.

I fish a pond each year untill it finally freezes over. I use 4" plastic worms, and 3" or 4" plastic grubs, and fish them slow near bottom with a slow lift drop retrieve. As has been said, on sunny days, sometimes you can throw smaller spinnerbaits, or lipless baits with good results.

Hope all here on Bass Resource have a good Thanksgiving

Catt, I'm thinking about doing the same thing. My son in Turkey hunts, and likes the mouth calls the best. He likes to keep his hands free. When I hunted turkeys before I always liked the box calls. I thought they sounded the best. The slate calls sound good too, and some guys around here use them for everything. I never could get the hang of the mouth type calls. And yes the 870 is my fave also, or a Mossberg model 500 12ga. Both are good pump guns

I've never caught a DD bass. My biggest bass was 8lbs 9oz caught years ago. From all the info I've read, and especially on this site, it's hard to catch trophy bass consistently. All of our site moderators have all caught their share of huge bass. Although I can't speak for anyone else, I think they would all agree that it isn't easy. Most trophy hunters put in years of study, and I'm sure have days when the big fish just don't cooperate also. These guys are kind of in a class of their own. It takes time, study, and great fishing skills, and a dedication to the sport that many fisherman may never have. Anyone who would tell you that catching huge bass is easy, is simply not telling the truth. Its not impossible, as some fisherman have proven, but it's tough- to say the least.

I throw 1/8 oz on a rod rated 1/4 to 3/4 all the time. The only thing I would watch are not overloading the rod on the heavy end of the rating. Not by too much

I'm sure many of us learned as I did. With a non mag reel, tie the bait on and let it hang 10" or 12" from the rod tip. Let the lure drop to the floor, and adjust your spool tension in till the lure hits the floor with no over run on the spool. If I do this with my ABU4600c reels, and back off the spool tension just a slight amount, it seems perfect. Still, I thumb the spool lightly on the entire cast. Seems like I get the most distance with less effort, and stay on target too. I've got a newer Qauntum low profile mag brake reel now. It cast great with the spool tension slightly loose, and brakes on minimum setting. With baitcasting reels, regardless of what type, an educated thumb will still work the best for distance, hitting targets and ease of casting. Mag brakes are nice, but nothing beats thumbing the spool correctly at least for me.

Some good casters I knew years ago used round reels with no mag brakes. This took more skill of course. Now, with mag brakes it's easier to fine tune.

I can cast most accurately with a rod with a slight tip flex. I can feel the rod load up, and hit targets better. The reel I'm using doesn't seem to matter too much in my own casting Some of the better casters I've known liked to keep their reels spool tension a little on the loose side. They relied mostly on thumbing the spool to cast. Of course this won't work for everyone

Plastic worms are a cost effective bass lure. You can get a couple bags of worms, some slip sinkers, and good hooks. Later, you could upgrade your rod for a fast action med, or med hvy to fish them with.

Catt, good point. Skipping is my worst also. It should probably be, location first, then casting accuracy. I see lots of guys just randomely throwing baits, and I've wondered how many more fish they could hook if they would practice casting

Reading through the forms, I see lots of questions and opinions on rods, reels, lines, and bass lures of all kinds. These post are good, because they help folks learn about new tackle, and get opinions on the gear we use to catch bass. One topic I rarely see is casting, especially accurate, target casting. I've known a few very good bass fisherman in my lifetime, and each one was good at casting. One of them told me that accurate casting was eqaully, if not more important than the actually bait your throwing. As we all know, it takes some practice to cast very well. Flipping and pitching are great ways to present baits to bass, but, no one approach is perfect in all scenarios. Being able to drop your bait within inches of your intended target is still where it's at. It will help you hook and land more bass for sure. I try to practice my casting in the off season. On a scale of 1 to 10 my own casting skill starts around 7. As the season moves along by mid spring, I'm probably in the 8 to 9 group as far as accuracy. I don't think I've ever been a 10. Even after all my years, I still have an overshot cast, short cast, etc. It happens. How would you honestly rate your own casting skill, on a scale of 1 to 10? Regardless of what rod, reel, line, cost etc accurate casting will catch you more fish. It's well worth trying to get good at this simple basic skillset. How do you rate your own casting skill?

I've been married to the same woman for 36 yrs. I've never hidden anything from her. That's why I'm still married to her.

Agree! One of the all time best.

Lews Tennessee handle medium spin rod, and ABU Zebco Cardinal 4 reel. Perfect 4" worm, Bitsy Bug jig, grub rod. Would be very hard to replace it

Last night I watched 3:10 to Yuma. The new one with Russel Crowe. The old one is good too. I'll watch The Magnificent Seven this weekend. I.like the original the best.

I would suggest pairing down you lures, and stick with a T rig worm, spimnerbait, lipless bait and 1 or 2 proven topwater baits. I spent three seasons learning to fish a T rig almost 40yrs ago. Once those first couple of fish are caught, you'll be on your way. Don't give up. It takes some time to get good at bass fishing. Keep fishing as much as you can- it's still the best way to learn.