Finessegenics

70th overall! Does BASS give any prizes for DTL? In some of the groups I joined, I am top 5 or top 10 for DTL so pretty cool. Im 4th in the Bass Talk Live group lol

Awkward start for me this season. 29.5th percentile for fantasy fishing but 99.5th percentile for Drain the Lake. This time I just chose whoever I thought was the best angler in each bucket, except for bucket A kind of. I think Drew cook will have another good event. Tie breaker weight is 83lbs 12 oz. DTL:

They're definitely one of the baits I throw the most but in recent years I have been gravitating towards smaller swimbaits. 3"-3.5" on 1/8 heads. Usually a slim profile like an easy shiner or slim swimz from zman. If I do throw the 4" it's still these thin profiles. A 4" Swammer or 4.3" fat swing impact are not huge baits but I've lost confidence in them. I don't know if it's a match the hatch deal or what, but they just don't get bit as well. And in my home river, all the baitfish I see are tiny. I need to branch out and throw those baits around bass which eat bigger baitfish. Swimbaits are definitely the most versatile bait anyone can throw. Can be fished on bottom, mid column or as a topwater. Keep throwing them!

Lots of good shouts here, I'd use all of them. I have a couple of ZMan Project Z in their green pumpkin shad. The Ayu pairs well with them for a darker profile or Bad Shad for a more traditional shad look.

Dressing in natural tones is definitely a good idea. Try to match whatever bank you'll be standing on. I don't have to deal with this too much as I fish some pretty muddy water. It's hard to know before you get there but I suppose any natural tones will do. Also, approach the bank quietly and stay a ways back if you can. There might be bass right at the water's edge. Don't go crazy over it but a stealthy approach could help.

All it takes! You beat me to it

Its doable for Bob but if Crews gets a slight upgrade on any of his fish it’ll be even harder to pull off

Downey with a tank! Still think it won't be enough to catch up to Crews

I didn't know there were Walleye in Texas! You learn something new everyday

Well, I don't think it was actually hypocritical of me but I was protecting myself in the event of "but you're puncturing a hole in their mouth and yanking them out of their home at mach speed" comments. It's not the end of the world but even I'm guilty of accidentally dropping them on the bank or laying them on a rock to get a measurement of a fish. I need to do better too. Looking to buy a collapsible bump board this year but I'm worried about the amount of space it'll take up in my tackle bag.

Don't mean to be a hypocrite but I cringe every time I see someone hold a bass the way Felix did on his big one I guess when you're fired up you don't really think of those things though

I figured, at least it’ll be back soon for you guys

@HaydenS @MN Fisher https://m.bassmaster.com/bassmaster-live-international-feed Does the link work for you guys? They have a watered down version of live for international viewers. There’s still some commentary so it’s a bit better than the live mix.

It’s a bit different for me, I’m fishing a river but they do come shallow. If I can help it, I’m targeting areas with a hard bottom (usually gravel in my case) or sand with rocks. These spots are just so much more productive than a mucky weedy bottom. Not sure what it is. The areas of the river that have this mucky bottom seem to be devoid of walleye. I think they specifically move up to the hard bottom areas because it’s the perfect place for them to lay their eggs. I’d compare it to what we call staging; they’re sort of moving up shallow to check the area before doing their thing. These spots are usually a bit out of the main current too. Little bends and bays in the rivers where a current break is tight to shore, it creates pretty big pools of calmer water. I might catch them later in the process of their migration to spawn. I imagine really really early ice out they can’t be far from these spots. So maybe just a tad deeper than these areas I just described. Still look for the cover or structure that breaks current in the deeper water. Now I’m not sure how this would translate to a lake though…does your lake have a feeder creek or any inflow/outflow? Maybe I’d look at those areas first, if not I’d check out the hard bottom. Baits are pretty simple for me, a jighead and 3’-4’ plastic like a swimbait, grub or minnow work well. Pearl or white is the popular choice around here but every few years I notice a bright firetiger-ish color works better. Those are really the only 2 colors I need in my walleye kit. I usually cast, let it sit for 15-20 seconds, no bite and I use a straight retrieve at a moderate speed. Jigging might work too but I get snagged way too much when I try to do it. Best of luck, hope this helps

Could be worse fellas 25 62 56 66 77

It's crazy how so many of the anglers who did well yesterday really struggled today with most of them weighing in 1 or 2 fish; New, Downey, Gross and Pipkens.

That's cool. It wasn't working like that yesterday though. I hate waiting for well into the evening to see the standings update. I jumped up to the 99.6th percentile for Drain the Lake, at least for now

Looking for something similar. Want to get myself a trout/creek rod for this upcoming season so I’ll be following this thread closely. In my research so far, there is an Okuma Celilo which is 6ft but 2 pieces. It is rated 1/32-1/4 oz, it’s an UL…so not exactly what you’re looking for.

That is what they say about northern anglers in FL. But the overblown talking point of this tournament seems to be how the SJR has no more grass ? I don’t know what’s going on

Still can't skip with a baitcaster either?‍♂️

For any big predator, cut bait or live bait is the way to go 100%. I always thought dough bait was marketed towards channels and bullheads. I don't have blues anywhere near me, but we do have channels and they can get pretty big. I fish for lake sturgeon as well, which are plentiful on this part of the st lawrence. They get real big too. I have dried the powerbait doughy stuff and haven't gotten anything on it. A gob of nightcrawlers or shrimp (it's way too expensive to use shrimp regularly though) are my go to's.

Similar story for me; I'm in the 15th percentile ? 84 45 59 61 68

They're beautiful creatures! Every once in a while I see one when I'm fishing away from the city. They're not common around here. I saw a ton when I went to Alaska in May of 2019.