Black Hawk Basser

Win a tournament, bass or otherwise. I placed 2nd in a pretty large local ice tournament two winters ago. I haven't even fished a bass tournament, as there are very few nearby. So just participating in one for bass would be an accomplishment in itself for me.

My OCD also won't let me use unpainted jigs. However, I think a plain lead head pairs pretty well with a shad scheme plastic.

MVP of topwaters for me is a Lucky Craft Sammy that has a green back, but a clear belly.

Ditto.

My favorites: Small Bomber Square A, Zoom Fluke, #6 X Rap, #8 & #6 Husky Jerk, inline spinners, jig & twister/boot tail, Ned rig I don't think color is that important in rivers as much as in lakes. I feel that they are more opportunistic in rivers and they will crush a lot of baits if it is presented in front of them. I catch a lot on firetiger and shad pattern cranks/jerks. Those two schemes are pretty much polar opposites.

Search Berkley Gulp! Their Sinking Minnow has been great for me. You should try to use the whole bag in one season because it's tough to keep them preserved well. Even if they don't dry out, they will get misshapen in the package after a year or so. And don't leave them on the hook out of the water for very long. You'll basically have to throw the hook and all away.

The town I work in has a nice little river running through it. I take about 15-20 minutes almost every day on my lunch break to make a few casts. I also wade it sometimes when the river level allows. My bread and butter tactic is small squarebill crankbaits and small stickbaits like Rapala X Raps. Zoom Flukes and "Ned rigs" are other options when the crankbaits don't produce. Just above and below low-head dams are easy access and produce some fish. They aren't the best spots due to lots of pressure. If you can find a tree mid-channel, don't ignore it. I've caught over 10 smallmouth from one stupid looking tree in 2 feet of water. Even a decent sized boulder can hold a fish or two. Wading is the odds-on approach, as it allows you to hit targets at multiple angles. It also lets you get away from those pesky overhanging trees that hinder casting from the bank. It's best to walk upstream, so you don't spook fish with your mud trail flowing downstream as you walk.

Spent a couple hours flipping docks this morning. Black/blue jig with a blue Zoom chunk trailer got the big one. I also stuck a half dozen on a T rigged Biffle Bug.

You must not have inhaled. ?

Don't knock the Sunfish. I love that thing!

Heck, go with 20 lb Sufix. It's still only like 6 lb mono diameter. I use 20 lb 832 on my spinning reels and I have literally had no break offs from fish in years.

Yep yep. I've had this happen many-a-time. I wouldn't encourage picking up the habit of cigarettes just to catch some fish, though. But I wouldn't shame anyone for casting out, reaching into the pocket, and lighting up a doobie.

Summer update: Stanley Ribbit in the slop(Watermelon Red Pearl), and weightless Zoom Finesse Worm(some sort of purple) on the outside edges. Texas rigged Gene Larew Biffle Bug for flipping docks and isolated cover.

I can't say walking a frog works better for me than just straight forward jerks. I will add, though, that the Live Target Hollow Body Sunfish is very easy to 'walk' in place. It doesn't take a high level of skill. The sunfish is my favorite topwater for targeting fish around isolated pieces of cover.

Wow, now I can finally match the hatch.

I've always been a fan of paddle tails over twisters. At least, for largemouths. Even back when there weren't many options available other than the Mister Twister Sassy Shad, I thought they were a better option. The affirmative thump you get when retrieving paddle tails just gives me more confidence in throwing them.

Jointed shad raps, among other Rapala baits, is an early season favorite for me. I favor all of the craw patterns for LM's.

The OP is about baits, not anglers... A way I may define versatility in a bait is how well it can perform in a variety of seasons and conditions. Already mentioned was a jig, perfect example. Catches fish year 'round.

Less 'meat' for the hook to drive through compared to a solid body plastic. You could also possibly insert a rattle or some scent, if that's your thing.

Doug Stange. He doesn't get enough love in the fishing world.

Thanks! Those'll do the trick. Awesome price.

I would have a hard time with fishing if there were strippers around. ?

Aww man, I got excited for my 5 year old until I saw the required age limit. I guess we'll have to hone his skills for about 9 more years. ?

I do my best in these situations with small square bills(1.5"), #6 X Raps, and 4" Zoom Flukes. I catch both dinks and bigs on the same baits. I haven't found any correlation between a certain bait style/size and size of fish caught. If anything, I tend to do better on the smallest baits I can throw, even for bigger fish. Edit: The chunky smallmouth in my profile pic was caught on a Bomber Square A, probably their shad color. The 1 & 5/8" size.

Tip of the day! I just slammed half a dozen on Ribbits Sunday morning, even with it running upside down. Your tip seems logical, I hadn't thought of trying that.