papajoe222

The pads are tough to fish from shore as far as landing the fish goes. If you opt not to get down into them with your presentation,a Fluke, stick worm, or speed worm can be used with the gear most guys have. If you have a combo with braid, break out the hollow body frogs and hang on!

Two quick questions. How thick are the weeds? Do the weeds grow to the surface, or is there open water above them? If the weeds are thick and you're not accustomed to getting down into the heavy stuff, stick with the edges both shallow and deep. If there is an abrupt edge, look for irregularities in it and concentrate on those. If there is a layer of a foot or more of open water above them, a Fluke or Senko are hard to beat when it comes to catching numbers. For thick or weeds that surface a hollow body frog, or speed worm can draw some explosive strikes. Be sure to pause them over any obvious openings in the weeds and use tackle stout enough to either get them out of the thick stuff, or hold them on until you can go to them.

I stay out as long as I plan to and sometimes longer. If I have only four hours free, I'll be ouit the whole four. If I go night fishing, sundown to just after sunup is the norm. When I'm on vacation the little time I spend off the water is to sleep. The longest I've gone is just under 13 hours, but that was when I was young and spry. Now if I go out for ten hours, I'm usually ready for a nap.

The weeds look like a mix of some type of cabbage and maybe sand grass. I'm guessing this is a natural lake somewhere north. Wherever it is, a hollow body frog or Johnson spoon with a 4in. ribbontail should also be productive.

I limit my choices to only three 'colors' as I don't put a lot of faith into subtle differences in color on a fast moving bait or one that runs more than 10ft. deep. Natural (shad or bluegill or craw), bright (firetiger, chartruse), Dark (red, black). Between shallow-medium, and deep runners, square-round, coffin and spoon bills, flat,-fat and long bodied baits, suspending and floating and silent and rattle baits. Three color variations are all I can afford! Hey, I just figured out what my answer to the wife's 'why are you buying another crankbait' question should be.

The heavier weight you use, the easier it is to keep your swimming worm (or jig) just off the bottom. The extra weight works against the natural lift of the bait. One thing I'll suggest that you may have figured out already and that is to make bottom contact a few times during your retrieve. This keeps you oriented to the bottom, especially when that bottom is irregular or may change in composition.

Quality sunglasses can be had for a lot less than $100. I got my Oakley Half Jackets polarized lenzes for $40 and the WileyX pair I wear mostly for driving for just under that. I had to do a little searching, but the search and the glasses are well worth it just for the eye protection. If you ever have a bullet weight or jig come flying back at you, you'll be thankful you went with quality eyeware. The polarization is a plus and when you consider you can have both in a quality pair your outlook (pun intended) on eyewear becomes focused. (sorry, I couldn't help it)

How did I know you'd mention these Ole Monsters are another that I use along with a 12in. Mann's Jelly Worm which is dynamite when worked extremely slow on a split shot rig. Thanks for all the responses, I did see some baits I haven't tried and one excellent post about using smaller baits too.

Thanks for the reminder Catt. When I locate a potential big fish spot, I rarely downsize if the spot doesn't produce.

Yea, it does, especially when it seems that's all I've been throwing the last couple of weeks. There are two trains of thought when it comes to when to set the hook and both are right, but not in every situation. There will be times when you don't feel any weight and times when your line won't move or any other visual clue. When in doubt, set the hook. That is where most fish end up getting off. We either set too soon, or too late. Yea, you're going to loose fish that didn't have your frog, just clamped down on the legs or whatever. There's nothing you can do about loosing those fish, you never really had them. You can tell when you're using a good hook setting technique, the fish will be hooked in the top of their mouth, back from their lips. If the fish you do land aren't hooked there, it's time to take a good look at your hook setting abilities.

Welcome to the board and I compliment you on spending some time reading before asking when you or someone else might consider 'a little too new.' Basically there are two main factors to consider when choosing a color; the fish's ability to see your lure (water color and light penetration), and the natural color and shape of their prefered forage. Think of it this way. A shad doesn't have the ability to change it's color, so if you're targeting bass strictly by appealing to their sight, they aren't going to be able to see a shad colored bait in muddy water. This is one example of color or contrast being important. Shape is also important under low light, muddy water conditions, but often times a fish will search out forage that is easier to find than what they prefer. This is why color becomes more important than what you're attempting to imitate under those conditions.

Sounds like one of the many strip pits around here. The first ten or fifteen feet off the bank is shallow and you can catch some dinks there, but the the water's depth drops quickly to 30ft. or more. Sometimes there is a second ledge that will extend a short distance further out before that big plunge. Before I mention the methods I use on strip pits, I'll answer your question about fishing deep water with a Texas rig. I always move a bottom presentation with my rod and not my reel. You can maintain bottom contact so much easier and at the first indication of a bite, drop the rod tip so the fish can take the bait without the weight. Speaking of weight, you'll need to go heavier if you want to maintain contact in that deep water. As for what type of worm to use, that is a personal prefference. If I'm moving the bait quickly, I prefer an action tail. If I'm crawling it along I prefer a straight tail, but that's me. Now a quick word about my experiences with strip pit bassin' Unless they are actively feeding, they are most likely suspending just off one of those drop offs I mentioned. Paralleling the drops with a crank that runs just above the depth of the drop with a crank or jerkbait is a killer. If they are actively feeding, get that bait up on the shelf just off shore as that's where the majority of forage spends their time.

This is a topic I am constantly drumming into the heads of the kids I introduce to bass fishing. I liken it to finding their favorite food at a supermarket. "If it's PopTarts, you wouldn't look in the frozen foods or dairy isle." Although to us this isn't an accurate analogy, it seems to hit home with the little tikes. I guess a better one would have to do with hunting. The bottom line is that you can luck into a fish or two without knowing anything about them, but if you want to continually catch them, you'd better not be relying on luck. This is why questions like; I'm going fishing at my local pond tomorrow, what lure should I be using? receive few enlightening answers on forums like this. There is no information for anyone to apply their knowledge of LMB. Not that the forum members are reluctant to give advice, they can't honestly recommend a lure to fish the unknown. Another teaching insight I attempt to impart is that no pro athlete started out with the skill he or she currently posesses. They were born with a natural ability, but it was nurtured through learning and practice. Learn as much as you can about the fish and when you think you know what makes them tick, start studying what they eat, then............

The weight of the plastic only matters when casting. The heavier the bait, the heavier the combination. What I pay attention to is whether or not the plastic floats. One that does will stand up better and most importantly compliment the presentation. A bait with salt in it will work if you are moving the bait a lot. A floating bait works best when the jig is stationary and shaken in place. That is the main reason I don't use baits with built in action. That action requires moving the bait.

I've been using hollow body swim baits anywhere from 3" to 8" BassTrix and Money Minnows mostly. I fish the 8" for musky and have landed a couple of bass over 20in. when doing so. The only time I use hard body swimbaits is for musky fishing, so I can't help you there.

The last few seasons I've been targeting big fish when I'm out by myself and I was wondering what lures you use when doing so? Big fish around here translates to 5lb.+ and I've been using a variety of baits. 1/2oz. jig w/CrawPapi or RageTail Lobster, 5&8in. swimbaits, 10in.+ ribbon and paddle tail worms. and salt water Spooks and Jitterbugs along with some Northland Tackle spinnerbaits. I know it takes more than big baits to catch big fish, I'm just looking to add a little more variety to my choices. No need to mention colors.

Will you be using spinning or casting gear? Unless you have some stout spinning gear, I wouldn't recommend a full size Spook. I'd go with the Jr or Puppy. The original is a 3/4oz version the SuperSpook Jr is 1/2oz and the Puppy is 1/4oz. BTW, for beginners, I highly recommend adding a split ring to the line tie as it makes learning to 'walk the dog' a lot easier.

My first question is; Have you had success catching big fish on the big water before? If not, your success on the ponds and not on the 'high pressured waters' could be explained by the fact that you can cover more productive water with your presentations than you do on the bigger body of water. Fishing pressure does affect catchability, but that does not mean the fish aren't catchable. Your presentations or bait selections may need to be more precise, the fish may have a smaller strike zone or be more line shy than on one of the ponds you frequent. Don't give up. Keep a positive outlook and eliminate possible negative influences on your fishing starting with a negative attitude.

For numbers in a variety of situations, I like a 4 or 5in. worm. For big bass it's one of two things, a buzzbait or a big worm.

There are a variety of jig heads produced for tubes and this rigging will give you the most action on the fall. Two things to remember. The first is the fact that when rigged the standard way, the tube is not weedless as the hook is exposed and second, pick a jig head that keeps the hooks bend no longer than the bait's body. Jig weight should be determined by what fall rate you are trying to achieve. For maximum action, a lighter weight around 1/8oz. and for a quick drop 1/4 or more. For a weedless presentation, weedless versions are available. Another option is what's called stupid rigging. A quick search will get you the info. Tubes are a great alternative to standard finess presentations as they offer a bigger or bulkier profile to most of those.

If I'm fishing timber, I trim the weed guard at an angle. That stiffens the fibers and I rarely hang the jig on a limb. If I miss a fish, it's due to loss of concentration not the weed guard. If I'm swimming a jig through or around weed cover, I leave the weed guard length and maybe fan it out a little. If I know ahead of time that I'll be fishing a variety of cover, I'll leave it alone unless it's excessively long to begin with.

You're asking three questions. I'll address the first. How do you methodically work a piece of cover or structure? It depends on the bait. With some baits you can not cover something completely, but enough to develop a pattern if you are consistantly catching fish. With others you can. Once you decide how you plan to attack that cover or structure you continue that approach until you've covered it completely. Let's say it's a laydown and you decide to methodically work it from the outside in with a tube. Starting at the outermost visible parts and working your way in toward the trunk on one side and repeating that process on the other side, you have worked that piece of cover methodically. Now, if you catch a fish, say on the on the outermost part of it that happens to be on the shady side and at the next laydown you catch another fish on the shady end, you have the makings of a pattern.

When you ask if a day of clear skies will get things back to normal, you have to ask yourself what is normal? If it's clear skies and high off colored water then, maybe. You can't take just one condition and attempt to derive a justifyable answer. Take as many variables as you can into consideration whenever you go out and don't presume that any one of them is more important than the others. Sorry it sounds like I'm preaching a little, I'm really not. I just want you and others that are trying to learn more, to look at the whole picture and not make assumptions with little to back them up.

My area has been experiencing the same weather related problems yours has. The bottom line is the weather has been very unstable. From overcast to sunny to rain to bluebird skies all in one day. Pick a day, any day in the past week or so. The fish don't know what to do and it's like turning a light switch on and off every couple of hours when it comes to catching. Do you want me to tell you where they should be after all the rain we've gotten. Shallow, in the newly flooded brush and grass. Now I'll tell you where they aren't. Shallow, in the newly flooded brush and grass. Where they are is the same place you'll find them during the early stages of a cold front. The short periods of low or falling pressure is when they're feeding and when you're likely to catch them. Other than that, they're sitting on their recliners, covered with a blanket over their heads and eating is the last thing on their mind. So either knock them on the head until they come out from under the blanket, or find your own recliner and think about something other than fishing.

I tend to set my drag looser for treble hook hard baits and when I fish with braided line. If I'm fishing a single hook presentation (spinnerbait, jig, worm) with mono, I set it just tight enough so the drag gives under a hard steady pull. There is enough stretch to mono and flouro, that when you combine it with the flex of the rod, break offs aren't as much of a concern as a successful hook set.