Pat Brown

I think it's gonna be great if you plan to buzz or swim the jig and want it to fall slow and rise fast.

Berkley or Strike King for me. I could go either way and probably be fine. Preference would be Berkley by a smidge personally but I use both a lot. I have a lot of confidence in the Stunna, Slobberknocker, Frittside, Money Badger and all of their soft plastics. I love the Hybrid Hunter, 6XD, Red Eye Shad and Pad Perch and all of SK soft plastics. Thankfully I don't have to pick and use a ton of different brands and baits for everything. I find Strike King is usually on the back of jigs during the hot months and Berkley is usually on the back of my jigs during colder months. I am a plastic junkie fully though. I'm just glad I don't have to actually choose! ?

I don't know how to describe the power worm motor oil red flake but it's very pretty even if it ain't quite right. And it caught me an 11 lb bass ???

@LrgmouthShad tongue was planted firmly in my cheek on that comment! I know they're probably the most fished bait on earth still. I honestly just think the fish bite other stuff better *most days* on my lakes and ponds, especially the bigger ones. But I'll never totally rule out tossing a stickbait. It's just a bait. I try not to get too emotional with my bait choices. I like Senkos weightless and I like other stick baits with a weight (Big Bite Baits, Berkley, Yum and Buzz Baits), which is how I throw them when I throw them these days. I have killed far more bass with treble hooks than I ever did with weightless plastics. I have almost gut hooked bass with hollow body frogs even. Hooks kill fish. We can't control how fish bite or take the bait down. It's a sad part of fishing and merely being aware and caring is all that's expected of any of us. We are all gonna kill one now and again, even the ones hooked clean and released immidiately.

This thread is giving me a strong urge to fish only a spinning rod with a senko. Maybe the reason it catches fish is because it's so uncool to use for all them serious fisherman types, the fish never see them! ??

I think one important consideration that can never be taken for granted is fishing pressure and what YOUR fish have seen a lot specifically. There is a place that I fish where bass won't touch green pumpkin anything. Clearer water most days 3+ ft of vis. They want red or purple or blue or white or something silly way more than a natural color because all the anglers that fish that pond just KNOW green pumpkin is the best color for clearer water....and the bass have learned. I still think the presence of flake or lack there of is more important than colors on many days and right now you're comparing no flake to flake and they are preferring something with some flash.

I feel like flipping blue vs old purple would be more fair because they both have no flake/ junebug vs sapphire blue is a better competition because they both have the flake.

@WRB that's some solid juice sir. Thanks as always.

There's nothing says 'serious bass fisherman' more than a fire tiger double Colorado blade spinnerbait with a chartreuse curly tail grub on the back ????????? I think stick baits are just another type of soft plastic. They work sometimes. Worms are fun to fish. Not really a whole lot more to it. Plenty of times I can't buy a bite with a stick bait and plenty of times I can. It's just a tool I reckon. I feel like they cast nicely on account of being rather torpedo shaped. That's ultimately my favorite thing about them.

This year I mostly donated them to my son for weightless worming in the spring. He caught a couple good ones with them. I used them in the dog days of summer this year (4") with pegged weights to get reactions bites when they weren't hitting anything. I assume I'll use them in the winter some when working ledges and drops. It's not usually what I reach for first but I'm never without some stick baits because they catch fish and are efficient to present in awkward places.

I can't prove it with pictures but there is another fish I caught off the rip rap near the dam at the lake I fish at twice off the same spot and it's got one of those really big black blotches on its skin that makes it pretty clearly the same fish. That was months apart but I believe same exact bait! (Black and blue chatterbait). A buddy of mine caught her this year and tied his PB on a DT8 so she's still kicking and still aggressive. She got bigger though because my buddy weighed her at 5 lb 8 oz and I weighed her at 4 lb 8 oz a year prior.

I have caught the same giant fish 3 (basically 4) times now on 4 different baits at 3 different times of year and gotten 3 different weights on her. First time she ate a swim jig in February and weight 9 lb 1 oz, second time I caught her on a lipless in April and she weighed 8 lb 12 oz, third time she ate a frog in July and weighed 7 lb 14 oz and a fourth time (a couple weeks later in July) she ate a buzz toad and got off before I could get my hands on her but I'm absolutely certain it was her from the jumps/size/coloration/location etc. Twice I have caught her near a spawning pocket (spring) and twice I caught her on a feeding flat in the early morning (summer). She is a very aggressive large fish on a small pressured pond and she seems to like how I work my baits. She has a specific tear on her lower tail that gives her away and distinct shape and markings and she always jumps on the way in a lot. I have held her vertically by the lip 3 times for photos and it does not seem to bother her one bit. wish I had landed her properly the 4th time I hooked her on the buzz toad but you gotta lose some to win some AND lose some ??

I would say that you were doing the right thing if you hook to fish and it came off. Maybe dialing the presentation and keep doing whatever you were doing there! I really like frogs and worms after a good heavy rain. Seems like they work that much better when bass are up there looking for those sorts of things already.

I believe it is Blueback Herring and Alewives that look almost identical and we have the Blueback Herring here in NC. I love the purple/pinkish and green hues!

That's a TOAD factory @ol'crickety I reckon that alewives pond is the deal right now!

Nice camera upgrade @ol'crickety Looks like you had an incredible day. I'm very much looking forward to this weekend what with the new moon and such. @Bluebasser86 I need to stinkin commit to the 'stupid tube' jig on Saturday on the boat and see what happens. ????????????

It's a popular thought that spotted bass have ruined largemouth fishing in the south. I for one love catching spotted bass but I understand the concern. I simply don't believe the concern is that warranted. Spotted bass are non existent in my lakes currently and I'm okay with that but my family always does a little 'hooray' when we catch a nice spot visiting paw paw in Charlotte. Plenty of big largemouth still out that way, just gotta know how to catch em but what else is new.

You'll start to feel like a pretty lazy person when you catch your first '30 minute trip to the pond' 9 lber. This time of year, being in the shade of the trees slowly picking apart a drop off sounds more fun than idling around on a drop on a slick calm day where it's 91° and cloudless. Then there's the whole aspect that most bodies of water have entire populations of fish that have learned to feed when people typically aren't there. This is the bank anglers playground. It's all a matter of perspective. I still say go earlier or later than you would normally be boating to really experience the magic of bank fishing and why it's something else entirely and special unto itself. Edit to add totally random thought: I have lost 20 lbs and my blood pressure is normal for the first time in my life since I started bank fishing from 5-7 am daily. Not saying it's a cure all but it sure as heck beats a trip to the gym and makes the doctor happy.

@Woody B that spot record is ripe for breaking but I'm guessing most fish in spot lakes that are getting that big are hybrids of some sort around here. Seems they need to go ahead and add a category for the Mean Mouth. I feel like a couple more winters like last years and there will be some new state records swimming around in the numbers needed to catch one. We basically are turning into Florida ?

I'm guessing the bass is thinking 'this is the last time I eat anything ever again'. ? I reckon it's safe to kiss bass when it is the wife is behind the camera taking the picture of the smooch ?

Come on. You gotta pucker up and smooch that pretty thang! ?

I think one would be fine but I'd take two in a pinch just so I rerig less if I'm being limited. I usually bring 5-7 rods on the boat and 1-3 when I bank fish. Just out of convenience/fun. My 1 rod to rule them all would be a 7'6 MH/mod fast Veritas. I've caught a lot of very very large fish on that rod and I love how it loads and drives the hooks in on just about everything except light wire treble hooks but I could set my drag for that and be okay. If it was gonna be only one rod only, probably go with 15 lb big game for 'all around' line for any technique. My second rod would have to be a 6'10 MH/XF for reaction baits and lighter lures just out of convenience and not having to retie as much. 12 lb big game is fine for that set up. If it's hot out, gonna need a 7' MH/F with 40 lb braid on it for all my topwaters. I'll run every thing from spooks to poppers to Buzzbaits to frogs on this set up. Beyond that it's mostly technique specific stuff like big swimbait rods and spinning rods and stuff. I could seriously be okay with 1-3 rods most of the time though. Honestly probably have more success with less options!!!

One thing is for sure. I thought catching a double digit bass was gonna help put out the fire a little bit.....I am fairly certain it has been more like a bucket of nitroglycerin being casually tossed at a pile of dynamite. ?? My new goal is a lake record or three and hey maybe eventually a state record would be wild! You gotta have goals, no matter how lofty or absurd! I feel very privileged to be someone who has had ample opportunity to do things like dial in my hookset on big fish with lots of types of baits and rods and lines. Having the luxury of hooking and losing big fish and getting to try different techniques and methods of seducing them is the kind of thing you only get into once you're way deep. Most people realize they hooked the fish of their lives and it's already too late and their endocrine system goes haywire and to them it's a fever dream and the thought of staying calm/improving things that happen in that moment is a distant star on the horizon. That's the main reason we lose big fish. We usually have lost them before our line goes in the water.

Nah, I'd wager you have it. I think if you're getting bit by the big ones, you're doing the right thing and it's a gear thing probably. You'll get your gear dialed in soon for the cover you fish it sounds like from other threads. I think it's more of an attitude/level of commitment some have and some can't be bothered with. The folks who make up their mind to find and catch the big ones usually do. Folks who enjoy fishing but do it when they can and fish the way they like to all the time will probably never get lucky like that or be met with lots of frustration and failure. The bass in the USA are well educated and the big ones are the smartest of the bunch. These folks who don't fully go all in may however enjoy themselves and catch some fish and even occasionally get a big one to bite and if that meets their expectations and goals, that's a win. But yeah, targeting the big ones is a slow learning curve and takes a lot of work and time on the water and most people would rather get lucky once in a while.

I recommend fishing glide baits from the bank on calm days. You'll get much better feel and feedback, and then you'll understand what it's doing on the days that you'll actually get bit.