JK Jake

And George H. W. Bush, who was friends with Ray Scott, helped pass laws benefiting the environment and bass anglers, read Bassmaster magazine, and of course enjoyed bass and saltwater fishing. Also a Bass Fishing Hall of Fame inductee.

Texas- Alton Jones Alton Jones jr Chris Zaldain (born in CA moved to Texas) Keith Combs Todd Faircloth James Niggemeyer Shin Fukae(born in Japan) Gary Klein Jeff Sprague Takahiro Omori (born in Japan) Todd Castledine Zell Rowland Youtube- Lake Fork Guy Tyler Anderson

I think I'll get the baitcaster. I don't have any in the platinum series but it had good reviews.

Thanks for all of the advice so far. I mostly fished shallow, I only fished a few drop offs and points that just happened to be close to some shallower spots I had caught fish at the past few weeks. I didn't feel adventurous to fish out the 2-3 rock piles I had graphed before. I'll make sure to keep a more open mind next time and hopefully I can also improve my grass fishing game.

Last Saturday I had a really rough tournament, only caught 2 small ones on a weightless senko, and my partner caught 2 small ones on a topwater, had no other bites all day. I've only been into bass fishing for almost 3 years and just started tournament fishing a year ago. Although I don't have that much experience I have had my fair share of success(including winning several quality reels and gift cards) in fishing large tournaments on a variety of waters. So I was rather disappointed this past weekend. I would have picked up a ned rig, but there was too much grass everywhere. conditions-post long series of cold fronts water temp had dropped 20 degrees in 3 weeks. There was lots of grass(not matted, most just died in the past week), rock, and timber. Water clarity varied depending on location(1-3.5 feet) Me and my partner threw moving and finesse baits. I threw a shaky head and weightless senko probably 70% of the time. I don't mean to overcomplicate this, but I just want to know what finesse baits do you like to throw in the grass when conditions are tough and what would you have done in my situation?

I normally just put the hook on the keeper and use a rubber band to hold the weight, but I think @Marc just blew my mind. Thanks for that great advice. I hope my drop shot hook is small enough.

So I recently visited my local Academy store and saw that the Booyah Prank popper/crankbait was on sale. Has anyone ever tried this lure? Is it really that special? I've fished some topwater poppers a little bit, but this lure seems like a huge gimmick to me. I would appreciate to hear yall's thoughts and experiences.

I gave him one of my good lighter spinning rods that was easier for him to cast(remember he had never been fishing at all) and we fished in areas with limited cover. We came across these bridge pilings and some rocks that I know normally at least have small baitfish around them, so I just told him to cast the Ned rig and shake the rod, and he ended up getting 2 small ones, he also lost one on a grub. I figured those lures were the best because they are light yet easy to cast and he doesn’t really have to pull that much at all to set the hook. My dad and I used several different lures and caught a small number of bass, but we didn’t stay out very long because he doesn’t like it when it gets really hot, though I took them to shady spots.

I agree with everything already stated, but don’t just do a normal sidearm cast. Do what is called a “Roll Cast”(that’s what others posted may have meant idk). It’s basically a sidearm cast but you kind of make a “U” motion as you swing. Look up a YouTube video, it’s kind of hard to describe but I do this more often than an overhand cast, mainly because I can personally just cast more accurately and quietly with it while still getting distance, as I fish a lot of shoreline cover.

Thanks for all of the advice, we all caught several fish, though none of them were big we still had a good time.

So long story short I’m going fishing on the boat with my dad tomorrow(he isn’t very good/doesn’t know a lot about fishing but really enjoys going with me even when he doesn’t catch anything) , but he invited a good friend of ours to come along, but this fellow has never even touched a fishing rod. Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to teach anyone how to fish, it’s just I don’t even know where to start with this guy yet I want him to have a good time. Plus I only know about Largemouth/Spotted Bass, any other “easier to fish for” species I have never fished for on the lake. Any suggestions about how to help him have a good time? What are some lures that are easy to use for someone who has never gone fishing?

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-ABUREELS.html?from=basres I haven’t tried a lot of different spinning reels, but I have this one and I love it. Very lightweight, smooth, and has a fast gear ratio. With that said this is the only one that I own that is over $100. You probably can’t go wrong with any reels in that price range.

I have the same exact 7’ 2” rod as Riversidebassin. He summed it up just right! It seems to be a little stronger than some other medium heavy’s I have fished with. I love it, and it is very light weight rod for its power (at least compared to the $100 rods I fish with). I don’t know anything about the 8ft model, but this is a great rod line.

Then why would the Strike King Red Eye Shad be such a popular lure?

The Bait Monkey strikes again... You could be spending your money on stuff a lot worse than fishing equipment, if you know what I mean.

Those colors all sound pretty good. I’ve had many bass slam one of my trusty brown/orange craw colored jig before. It just depends on what the crawfish/bluegill in your local waters look like. I like bluegill patterns for some of my swim jigs. I understand what you are saying, it can get overwhelming, but just try to not overthink. Green pumpkin is always a great choice.

Worst- The water is 85 degrees, there aren’t going to be any shallow fish. Best- Go into each day on the water with an open mind, it makes your trip more enjoyable and successful being able to adapt.

All of the places that have been mentioned are exceptional. I don’t know too much about other cities but the Dallas area is rapidly expanding, both economically and housing wise. Wether urban is your thing or not there are a lot of places down here. Like I said before though many of the previously mentioned places are rather good.

I haven’t been fishing for smallmouth or river fishing more than a couple of times, but as wading was mentioned, these are some nice water shoes that I have used many times. https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/footwear/fishing/g/3rgd?cid=PS|US|BR|ggl|all|under+armour+water+shoes|all|ftw|all|exact|dg|p29310680952&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvujcx6rV4wIVi8DACh3YBwZnEAAYASAAEgKK9PD_BwE

After reading all these posts I think I might buy some leader material (probably blue label) to put it to the test myself. Yes please let me know how that works for you.

Thanks J Francho, I did look at the blue label a little but I forgot to add that to the list. Also one more note (I don’t know if this matters or not) whatever brand I get it’ll be 6 pound test, so I just want to really have confidence in my line since it’s very light (at least compared to what I normally use).

I am looking to get some quality line for my medium light finesse set up. I will be tying a fluorocarbon leader to 15lb braid, and I am wondering what yall would recommend from the choices of Fluorocarbon that I mentioned above.

I don't blame you at all, any time I run into a good deal at Bass Pro I barely hesitate, knowing that you can't find good rods or reals for cheap prices that often.

Thanks for the advice!

Many of the lakes that I fish out here in Texas both for fun and on the tournament seasons are very dirty and pressured. Especially for the upcoming tournament season I will be fishing some rather small lakes. It is rather hard to finesse fish in muddy water(there are only a few lakes with clean water around here) but I have a few oddball lures/techniques that not many others use. My main question is this-Would it be better to hammer down in the more pressured areas with my unconventional tactics, (where I know there are fish, they're just pressured) or go and find new areas of the lake that not many others go to? Also would your strategies be different for more clear water? I know this is an oddly phrased question but I am curious to hear any feedback.