Tennessee Boy

Spinnerbaits are a good example of a bait that’s easy to get started with but are deceptively hard to master. I’ve caught fish on them for 30+ years but I’ve never taken the time to master them. The great spinner bait fishermen I know carry a couple of hundred extra blades and are always customize their baits in ways and for reasons that baffle me.

Great question. No doubt some are harder to master than others. Some are deceptively harder than they might seem. IMO buzz baits are probably one of the easiest and I would agree crankbaits are pretty difficult. It is very subjective as you said.

I’m cross dominate and I’ve always felt like it gives me a big advantage in shooting. I’ve always shot left handed. Guns, archery, even pool all left handed. Being able to control the gun with your dominant hand and aim with your dominant eye is an advantage IMO. I would struggle if I tried to shoot right handed.

By what standard? I probably harp on this too much but I think the BPT is a different sport than the rest of the tournament world. The BPT test an angler’s ability to catch large numbers of bass around the spawn. The anglers that can do that will rise to the top on that tour but it’s a very different type of fishing compared to what they had to do to get there. Time will tell but I would go with Jordan Lee on the BPT.

Welcome!

Has she been watching Mike Iaconelli on TV? Cute girl and nice bass. You're raising her right.

Most people who pay attention to their drag set it between 1/4 and 1/3 of the line test they are using. So 11 lbs would cover 44 lb line at 1/4 drag. That's strong enough for the bass I'm trying to catch and anything more would probably break most of my rods.

Heavy rod, heavy line, set the hook hard and be prepared to duck when the fish is not as big as you thought.

Over the years, I've slowly moved to heavier and heavier tackle. In the spring, I fish trickworms on 16lb Sunline Super Natural (0.013 D) on Shimano 4000 spinning reels. I throw into all kinds of heavy vegetation. Been fishing that way for years. This thread has given me the courage to lighten up a little this year. I may try 14lb or maybe even 12lb test....maybe. 6 lb test? I don't see that happening. People will talk about you if they find out your fishing 6lb test on Kentucky Lake. ?

Welcome to BR

Let me share one more important point. I spent around 15 - 20 hours a week wading creeks while in high school and college. I caught large numbers of very small fish and had a blast doing it. When I bought my first boat I had no clue how to fish a lake. I didn’t get a bite my first three times out. On my forth, I went as far up in a creek as I could drive my boat and start creek fishing the way I had always done. I caught a bunch of small fish and enjoyed fishing in my boat for the first time. I quickly learned that I could do the same thing in certain places on the main lake and catch small fish. Then I learned to fish bigger baits in deeper water and catch bigger fish. I’ve been learning and having fun ever since. The lesson here is don’t forget to have fun in your new boat. Buy a bunch of crickets and go bream fishing if that’s what it takes.

I can’t read minds but it looked to me like there was a lot of “junk fishing” happening this past weekend during the classic. Even Ott seemed to be doing it on Saturday. Being able to make any fish bite that might be in the area is a skill that shouldn’t be downplayed. I’ve actually won big fish in two different tournaments with fish I caught while junk fishing around the weight in area in the final few minutes of the tournament. I can’t claim that skill played a role in either of those fish but they payed me the big fish money anyway.

Very interesting thread. I’m having a hard time imagining hooking a 6lb bass in heavy vegetation. The bass gets wrapped up in the vegetation without breaking the line then I go in and net the immobilized fish. Sounds very challenging to me. Am I missing something?

They have little satellite antennas on the boat. They showed how it works during the first season. I would imagine it's the same system used by satellite telephones. It provides slow but reliable digital connections.

I thought you were implying that the list was not long enough. While jigs, spinnerbaits, jerk baits and crankbaits would not be my ultimate do all year round list. I think someone that could fish jigs like Bauer, Cranks and spinnerbaits like Clunn, and jerk baits like VanDam would have all 12 months covered pretty well and I'm sure they would be fishing a jig when the water temp is about 50 degrees. I couldn't agree more.

Is it easy to master jigs, spinnerbaits, jerk baits and crankbaits?

Very nice fish?

? Why do you use 6lb test?

It used to be called Junk Fishing, now it's called Major League Fishing ?

Welcome!

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome back!

I went through a similar experience in the 1980s when I bought my first boat. I had been wading creeks for bass for years and fishing with my grandfather for catfish but fishing from a boat for bass was a new experience. I started reading everything I could about bass fishing which just slowed my learning down due to information overload. Most of the stuff you read about bass fishing is designed to sell you stuff. The advice I really wish someone had given me then is to learn to do one or two things very well and then add new things slowly over time. If you are in the south fishing water with low visibility, I would start with spinnerbaits and plastics. Learn about all the different ways you can configure and fish a spinner bait. Learn how and when to use different blades and trailers. This can take years to master. Spinnerbaits will be your technique for covering water fast. For slower fishing, become a master with plastics like worms, lizards, creature baits, and trickworms/sinkos. Learn the texas rig first. Try the many other rigs later. Weightless trickworms are a blast to fish post spawn around here. Learning to master everything you can do with plastics will take a lifetime. These are the tools you will use to catch the fish you locate. Learning to locate them is the real key to success as others have stated. YOU WILL HAVE MANY DAYS THAT YOU DON'T CATCH ANYTHING. DON'T LET THAT CAUSE YOU TO LOSE FOCUS ON THE THINGS YOU ARE TRYING TO MASTER.

If I was BASS I would change the rules to invite several previous champions. Inviting all previous champions might be too many but the last 10 years and maybe anyone who has won more that once would be a good start. BASS can create new stars but that will take time. They need some of the all time greats competing in the Classic.

I've been watching a lot of the Classic. I'm reminded how much I prefer the BASS scoring system to MLF’s. There are a lot of guys catching a lot of dinks in this tournament. 19 of the top 25 had a limit both days. Today Keith Poche in 37th place culled 12 fish that weighted a little under 13 lbs. Adrian Avena in 9th place culled 15 that weighted 15 lbs. Under MLF rules this would be a total dink fest. The guys at the top are the ones finding the big ones. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.