Mobasser

Pick up some 6" plastic worms, bullet weights and worm hooks. Learn to fish a Texas rig worm. Comes through weeds very well. You can fish it everywhere.

I have no superstitions with fishing. When I was iny teens, I boxed in the Kansas City Golden Gloves for 3yrs. My thing was this: I always had my dad touch my gloves before a fight. He did this for me, and I think he said a quick prayer. He did this in 1973, on the final night of the Golden Gloves for me. I won the the novice division championship that night by 3rd round TKO. I weighed 119lbs. My dad did this for me for the rest of my fights.I think it helped

I'm 6ft, and have 6ft, 6'6, 5'6 and 7'6 flipping stick. I use them all, and don't feel my height has any bearing on my fishing

Agree 100% , and I still do the same Catt. It's worked well for me for too long.

Over the years, I've caught the most fish on blk/ blue, brown/ orange, solid black, and recently a PBJ color. Green pumpkin hasn't worked well for me

Catt, I've tried most of the different hook styles out there. A few years ago I went back to standard straight shank hooks. My catch rate has improved too. I sometimes think many people use too large of a hook. I like 1/0 hooks for slim worms too. Mann's, Roboworm, etc. I feel.like I still hook and land as many or more fish than when I used larger hooks also

Worst advice: " topwaters will always catch larger bas than all other baits".Best advice: Learn how to fish a plastic worm.

Good thread! I love fishing ponds. We recently were allowed access to a 2 acre pond, and going this wknd to fish it for the first time. I love the challenge of locating good spots in a pond. And, many can produce some nice fish too

My wife laughs when I run water in the sink or bathtub, to check the action on a new jig or plastic bait. She says I take it way too serious too.Maybe she's right??

Agree with all. I've always loved fall. The fishing usually picks up, and the scenery is great. This year, I'm going archery hunting with my son in law. Havnt bow hunted in a while. I'm practicing a little now. Need to practice more before October, if I plan on hitting anything. Trying for a turkey this year, with a bow

I've known several guys who's wife or girlfriend didn't care for fishing. This made it hard for them to enjoy the sport. My wife of 36yrs likes to fish, although she's not fanatical about it like I am. Bass fishing is not really her thing, but she likes to fish for crappie. Her only rod/reel is a Falcon 6ft light action spinning rod, and her reel a Shimano. She fishes all sorts of small light jigs, and small spinnerbaits. In 35 yrs, she's never taken a scientific approach to fishing. She chooses her baits based on color and style. If we go shopping for fishing stuff, she simply says" this one looks good", I think I'll try it. She also likes to catch stocked trout, and can use many of the same lures that she uses to catch panfish. I rarely have to help her when we fish together, and over the years there's been many times she's caught more fish than I have. Her outlook on fishing is " well, it's a good, healthy, thing to do." Being outdoors, catching fish, and enjoying the scenery is good for the body, and good for the mind". So Im lucky to have married a woman who likes to fish too. Does your better half enjoy fishing? Does she go fishing with you?

My wife doesn't fish for bass, but goes crappie fishing with me each spring. She bought a whirly bee spinner last year at our local baitshop, and ended up catching several nice crappie on the bait. I ordered her a couple more about a month ago. It's a good all around lure to throw. Almost anything will hit them. She just used a cast and slow reel retrieve.

Have you given up on them? I know from other threads that you've fished them a lot in the past, and done well. One thing I like about them is their an easy lure to modify. A curly tail grub, or paddletail can work good too. This is how the Ned rig is for me. I bought the correct Z man plastics and heads, but I've only caught a couple of fish with it. I've tried all the retrieves that are recommended but it just doesn't seem to work for me.

I usually make 2 or 3 bank trips to a smaller lake near my house during the week. For the past 4 trips I've been throwing a beetlespin. These used to be a favorite of mine years ago, but I hadn't fished one in several years. Thanks to a thread we had this spring about spinnerbaits, I got fired up about the old beetlespin, and bought several packs from the local Wal Mart. 82 cents for 2 pack, 2 bodies, 1 jig, and one spinner harness. Through trial and error, I've found the hotspot- just above the weeds, which grow about 3ft from the surface. As long as I can count it down to that depth, and fish it back with a slow steady retrieve, something will hit this bait. So far it's been a mixed bag, bass, bream, and crappie. The 1/4 oz brings more hits from bass, the 1/8 oz more from panfish- with a smaller bass here and there. Best colors have been white/ red dot, orange, and blk/ yellow stripe. This is such a simple, effective lure I don't know why I ever stopped using it. Now, I'm.carrying some Beetlespins on bank and boat trips every time. A great all around fish catcher for sure. Also, I have to say I like this bait for another reason: It was first marketed and sold by fellow Missourian Virgil Ward, one of my early fishing heroes. Anyone else using a Beetle spin this summer?

Agree. The big ones are not that good to eat. But a 6lb bass at 10yrs old is still a very good one!

I bank fish a couple of times a week. I like to carry no more than 2 rods, one with a search type lure( beetle spin, grub, lipless). I stay on the move. When I catch a fish, I'll fish more slowly with a t rig plastic worm. If I'm not catching any, I rarely stay in one spot very long. Location has been more important than lure choice.

I've given grn pumpkin a serious shot, but it really hasn't worked that well for me. I don't know why either? But, I've had the most success over many years on grape, mine but and blue

I both hunt and fish. My 30-30 lever action deer rifle is a tool just like my fishing rod. As has been said before- obey all the laws concerning hunting and fishing.Then, sit down to a great fish dinner, or a deer steak. And enjoy it

My older brother was the first one who started me on fishing for bass.We spent a good portion of the summer at our grandparents farm, and went fishing almost every evening on the bigger of two ponds there. We mostly fished with baits we borrowed from our dad's or grandpas tackle boxes. Most were surface plugs. Hula Popper, Bass O Reno, and Lucky 13 were our favorites. A red/ white Lazy Ike was one we liked at times too. We would row the boat to the center of the pond, and slowly row and drift along, casting to the shoreline. The pond had a good population of 13" to 15" bass, and we caught quite a few, especially the last hour before dark. Our reels were Zebco 33, paired with fiberglass Heddon rods. These are my earliest memories of bass fishing. How did you get started fishing for bass? Who taught you, or did you learn on your own? What baits, and tackle did you have? We all fish for a variety of ressons.Without realizing it, my big brother helped to create memories which have, and will last the rest of my lifetime. Getting a youngster involved in fishing is one of the best things you can do. Create memories, and pass it on- down the line. What are your earliest memories of fishing for bass?

I'd like to go on a dedicated smallmouth bass trip. Somewhere that has beautiful scenery

On the Ozark lakes here in Missouri, a clear Zara Spook is a very popular color

Mr. Twister, Kalins , and Zoom all make good plastic grubs. I like pearl white, smoke, and chartruese

We've caught crappie on this jig. We use light spin rods and 4lb mono

Sometime in the early 1980s, I went to a sport show in Kansas City. Larry Nixon gave a seminar on structure fishing. At the end of his seminar, he held up a plastic worm and said" learn this". I listened. It's very hard to beat a Texas rig worm through most of the fishing season for me. I've been addicted to a light"tap" for a long time now.

I had a similar situation many years ago too. I was using a blk/blue Culprit. My partner that day was throwing shallow cranks, but not doing well. He spent more time picking weeds off his bait than anything else. He got all ticked off at me, but was bullheaded and wouldn't change baits. I took 2nd place, and afterwards I overheard him telling another guy how I was all luck with a plastic worm. All luck? No. I was fishing the right bait, that's all. I fished very few club tournaments after that. Too many hot heads and sore losers. The deadly Texas rig struck again.