Bankc

I wouldn't want to do it because I find bass in the fall aren't as consistent on topwaters as they are on mid depth presentations. Plus, they often key in on dying baitfish, so stuff that you can float, suspend, or sink in an erratic pattern (like a spoon) often do pretty well. And they're not always in a super aggressive mood to chase fast moving baits around, and it's hard to fish a buzzbait at anything but warp speed. But, buzzbaits definitely do work pretty well in the fall, and I've caught a lot of bass that way. So there are definitely worse baits to choose if you're just going to stick with one.

Not always. Here in Oklahoma, most of the local TV stations have their own radars that are newer, more advanced and aren't a part of the NWS network. They keep them proprietary, so that viewers will tune into their stations first during severe weather. They also have some of the best meteorologists in the business. Of course, Oklahoma is kind of an outlier, as we have some of the most severe and unpredictable weather in the U.S. And with all of them tornadoes, weather is big business here. So they have incentive to invest big bucks in stuff like that that most other TV stations don't. Everyone in Oklahoma is a certified weather expert. It's on the back of your driver's license. You'll hear locals say stuff like, "You better keep an eye on that hook echo in the screaming eagle to make sure that mesocyclone doesn't occlude. Cause if it does, you better git in your fraidy hole, quick!"

I have and use a couple of free weather apps on my phone. I find they can often be pretty divergent from one another, but combined I have enough information to gauge whether or not I should be on the lake. Some have radar video and some don't. Some have breakdowns of the conditions every hour, some don't. Some have more details like wind gusts or barometric pressure, and some don't. Some are run by my local TV stations and have rebroadcasts of the weather reports. But all are free. A couple of weeks ago I was about half an hour out on my kayak when I saw lightning in the distance. I knew it was a possibility, but it was clear when I left the house. The sun wasn't up yet, so I couldn't get an accurate judge on the storm's distance. But in the past, I would have immediately turned around and went home. You don't want to take chances with lighting in a boat. But I pulled out my phone and opened the radar app and was able to see that it was just a small storm that was already north of me and heading northeast, getting further away by the minute. So I was safe to keep going. I kept checking my phone every 15 minutes, just to makes sure something new didn't pop up, as can happen around here. But nothing did.

Chasing balls of baitfish as they bust through the surface. You'll find one, fish it a minute, maybe catch something, and then it's gone. A few minutes later, you see them busting the surface a hundred feet away, and it's back on! No need for electronics. Just keep your eyes peeled!

The ozone in the air will also rot a tire, just like the UV light from the sun. It'll last longer if kept out of the sun, but it'll still rot. Fun fact: How many rubber molecules are in a tire? One! All of that rubber forms a single, gigantic, polymer molecule.

The point of the first hook extends above the line with the eye. So when you pull the line tight to set the hook, it pivots upwards, into the fish's mouth. Thus it has a higher hookup percentage. The point of the second hook is more inline with the eye. So when you pull the line tight to set the hook, it doesn't pivot upwards. Thus it has a lower hookup percentage. But what you gain in exchange for that is a hook that pulls more cleanly through vegetation and wood, as it's not prone to pivoting as much and swinging into things. Also, it's wider, so you can put larger soft plastics on it. I tend to prefer the EWG or second hook for thicker vegetation, especially when fishing in hard stuff like water willows or reeds. And I prefer the offset or first hook anytime I can get away with one, just because I'm more likely to get a good hookset with it. And of course, the thickness of the soft plastic also plays a role.

It works again! Good work!

Those fish could have diseases or parasites in them! You should eat them! But yeah, I get where you're coming from and agree. It just sounds funny to hear those two ideas, back-to-back.

One of the things I've learned about water clarity and bass is, it's all relative. Like if a lake is always muddy, the bass will act a lot different in 6 inches of visibility than a lake that's usually very clear, but suddenly only has 6 inches of visibility. They adapt to their environments rather well.

It largely depends on what else is out there. In my experience, if there's good vegetation nearby, the bass will prefer that over the rocks. If there's not much vegetation, then they'll prefer the rocks over mud or sand.

Yeah, it's been about 20 years since I owned a trailer, and I never did mess with the trailer too much, so I my mind was a bit hazy on that. Thanks for the clarification!

It doesn't matter, except for the times that it does. It's not something I worry about 99% of the time. But I have fished a few private ponds where it mattered.

Pretty much any mild acid, followed by a rinse (to neutralize the acid) should work. It'll also sharpen the hook. But, it'll also eat the rest of the metal and dull the finish. Acid eats all of the steel, but eats the rusted steel much quicker. Some easy to come by mild acids are acetic acid (found in vinegar, be it white, apple, balsamic, whatever), carbonic or phosphoric acid (found in most sodas and some beer), citric acid (found in lemon juice and some fruit flavored sodas), and tartaric or malic acid (found in wine). In other words, most any liquid you have in the kitchen that isn't milk (which is only slightly acidic due to lactic acid). The stronger the acid, the less time you want it to soak. Avoid using really strong acids like muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, as it's too dangerous and too difficult to control the time. Typical household vinegar should probably soak somewhere around 1-4 hours for something small like a hook. Though, you don't want to get acid on the rest of your lure, as it'll eat that finish too, so you'll have to remove the hooks anyway. Which means with all of the time and effort involved, it might be a better idea to just buy new hooks. Plus, if you don't quickly and completely remove the acid before it gets exposed to too much air, the acid residue will quicken the rusting process, sometimes in a matter of minutes.

It's doing it on my work computer. I click on the article below and then I can access the menu.

I'd focus more on the lake than the bank. For example, if there's a lot of vegetation in the lake, then you'll probably want lures you can get through or around that vegetation. Maybe a topwater to come over them, or a Texas rigged soft plastic to get through them. Or maybe it's all sunken timber and you want a squarebill or spinnerbait to bounce off of them. And, depending on how steep and deep the water is near the banks, you might want to consider heavier lures that you can cast further out, especially if there's much wind to deal with. Or, if you'll be fishing near to the bank, you might want lighter lures to remain more stealthy so you don't make a big splash. Of course, water clarity matters as well. And consider fishing pressure. In other words, I wouldn't approach it with a one size fits all mindset. I'd tailor my approach to the actual conditions I would be fishing in, which means I'd probably pack on a couple of lures. When fishing from a boat, it makes more sense to pack a bunch of options, as you'll often be fishing in a multitude of conditions and locations. From the bank, you rarely need so many options, as you're typically fishing the same conditions, just in different locations.

There's not much you can do to rubber to make it last longer, unfortunately. Not if it's going to be in use. Keeping it in a cool, dark, oxygen-free environment will work, but that's not practical outside of a museum.

If you've got two tires of different sizes mounted to a fixed axle, the trailer will want to turn in the direction of the smaller tire. For every revolution the axle makes, the larger tire will cover more ground than the smaller tire. This will want to turn the trailer and cause you to pull the trailer at a slight angle and put a lot of wear on your tires. The increased heat from the friction of the sliding tire (to make up for the lost ground) increases the chances of a blow out, and decreases gas mileage. Also, how old is the spare? They only last about ten years, even if not being used. The rubber breaks down over time. So it's probably a good time and reason to replace the spare anyway.

I once fished in 80 mph wind gusts, just to say I did. Not from a boat, obviously. Didn't get a single bite. I was launching that spinnerbait into space though!

I'm sure it's a mixture of habitat (diet) and genetics, as most things like this are. I too have noticed that it varies. But I haven't put any effort into figuring out why. Part of it could be your thumb too. If you're catching a lot of bass all of the time, you'll build up callouses, and they won't seem as sharp.

This thread makes me sad. I lost that lure about a year ago and wound up buying three more replacements. Of course they were discontinued, so I had to find them online, but they weren't ridiculously priced... yet. And wouldn't you know it? The new lures that aren't cracked don't seem to catch fish nearly as well as that old one did.

That's how to do it, in my opinion. Try something and learn from it, then try something else. I've had several failed kayak experiments that lead to better ideas.

You'll need to upsize your anchor for fishing in a hurricane. If you normally use a 5lb claw anchor for your canoe, I'd probably upgrade to a Ford Expedition or bigger.

I buy disposable Styrofoam cups to put them in and throw those on the ground. I gotta at least try to fit in with the locals. ?

Probably a good idea. Especially with the seat being that high up. Or sell it and get a Bass Raider, seeing as how that's kind of what you've created.

The option to remove the trailer hook and downsize. A thinner gauge wire for easier hooksets. A smaller hook is less likely to get hung up and easier to break free if it does. And a trailer hook will probably trail further back to catch more short strikes. But I wouldn't think any of them are deal breakers. And I've never fished a spinnerbait with a trailer hook. Buzzbait, yes. But spinnerbait? Never had the need. I'd be perfectly fine with the 5/0.