Mobasser

I like straight cork grips. Understated, traditional colors on rods.

My dad's been gone since 1982. I think about him all the time. My go to man. I'll always miss him. Time does help heal this. I'm sorry for your loss. My condolences.

Tuna sandwich, crackers bottled water. Cold weather- hot soup and crackers, thermos of coffee, bottled water.

I'll say Zoom. Because I like they're finesse worm.

Blue can be a good color. When electric blue worms first came out they were a hot seller at bait shops around here. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd still take purple. The Roboworm in Folkstead Special is one I've had good luck with- in almost gin clear water.

I've used purple in some form or another for a very long time. I've had it work in clear or stained water.

When Senkos first came out I tried them. Everyone was throwing them at that time. I caught fish on them, but not enough to keep buying them. I do much better on a finesse plastic worm, and have continued using them over the years. I just stick with what I know best, and for me, the simple plastic worm rules.

Its probably been at least 10 yrs since I've used any Senkos.

Glad to hear you guys are ok. Quick thinking on your part.

I like size 2000 or 2500.

Your correct. The Scorpion spinnerbait was made by Bass Buster lures, as was the Beetlespin. Both were popular in Missouri.

Nice job. I was a carpenter for 35 yrs and knew some good stone masons. I always had a lot of respect for that trade. It was one of those things I always wanted to learn but never did.

Ol Crickety you've got " that big fish something " going on big time! Great job!

Glad to hear you all had a good time. Thank you for taking those boys out fishing.

I have a boat, but I bank fish two times a week also. Mostly because there's not time in the evenings to bring the boat. What I like about bank fishing is not being tackle bound. I bring one small box that clips to my belt loop, one rod, casting or spinning depending on things. After fishing my lake for years I've found a couple of good spots that produce well from the bank. It's more of a challenge, and I enjoy it.

I usually bank fish with one rod. In the boat, two is fine. One casting, one spinning

I don't get a chance to fish for smallmouths bass very often, but the Charlie Brewer Slider worm was developed on deep clear lakes in Tennessee. 4" worm with light Slider jig heads has caught many smallmouths bass.

I used to fish the Ditto Gatortail worm years ago in black/ blue tail. It was a great plastic worm. Now, if given a choice, I'll choose junebug. The Zoom finesse worm in junebug color has been very good.

I know many anglers target trophy bass on every trip. There are others who are content with catching numbers of bass, regardless of size. If someone has been fishing for many years, and has never caught a really big bass, would you consider them to be less skilled? Would you wonder why they've never caught a really big bass, a fish that would be considered a true trophy bass for the area they fish? I'm speaking from my own experience. My own PB was was an 8lb fish I caught over twenty years ago. It's been very hard to beat this fish. I'll keep trying. Have you ever thought that an angler who puts in plenty of time fishing, but has never caught a trophy bass is not a very skilled fisherman? What's your opinion on this topic?

My home lake is smaller, which may help in some ways. It produced two fish over 8 lbs in the last 5 yrs, and one 7lb fish for a bank fisherman last summer, in the hottest part of the day. A- Jay, WRB, Catt and others have all mentioned timing in past threads. We all have the correct baits and tackle to catch them, but I'm saying timing is very important. There's no way around it. You've got to be casting when the big fish are feeding. And, what are the odds? You could miss the perfect time by five minutes.Big fish have been caught on every type of lure at one time or another. This is the grinding it out thing. We have to be there at the right time.

Happy Birthday A-Jay.

Enjoy your break. You'll be ready in early fall.

Good electronics can help of course, but folks still need to be able to read the water and understand structure, seasonal movements, forage etc. I personally don't think electronics are a guarantee for a big fish. And the fact that in most lakes, there are way fewer huge bass than smaller ones. We have to put all this together, and still be there when a big bass is ready to strike. That's the challenge here.

Last summer, I became consumed with catching a huge bass. I spent most of my on the water time doing this. I never got the big fish I was after. This year I'm just fishing. I haven't given up on that 8 pound fish. She'll show up at some point. And, I'll be ready for her. It's not easy.

Happy Birthday Hammer!