Bazoo

Thanks @bulldog1935 and @Team9nine, I appreciate both of ya'll's input.

I just learned another knot, the Kreh knot, for a loop knot. I got to thinking about it though and I thought, maybe I'm missing out on an amazing knot. For years I used the improved clinch knot. But occasionally I would have a failure where the knot would twist and come lose. I learned the Trilene knot and I am very happy with it. It works with braid, it works with anything I've tried. Braid being mentioned, I do use braid, but I use 93% mono. I do not use fluoro, but I will eventually get around to trying it. Currently the knots I know are: Improved clinch knot Trilene knot Palomar knot Uni to uni Kreh Loop Knot So what am I lacking? What does everyone else use?

I normally yo-yo. I will occasionally do others.

When I was looking to learn a loop knot, and it seems there is a lot of choices. I ended up learning how to tie the Kreh loop knot as it seemed the easiest of the examples I saw, though I didn't do a huge amount of research. I have used it several times with mono and it appears to be all I need. Is there any reason I should discard this in favor of another knot? I haven't tried it with braid yet.

I've always used Rat-L-Trap lipless crankbaits. I don't use them a huge amount, but I'm starting to use them more. I see a lot of love for the Red eye shad, but I've never had any success with it the few times I've tried it. And then Bill Dance got me on the Cordell super spot, which I have had a little success with. So, between the Rat-L-Trap Red eyed shad Cotton Cordell Super Spot Which do you prefer? Prefer one for different situations vs the others? Personal preference or use all 3 depending. Of course there are other varieties of lipless crankbaits, and if you prefer one of those, please feel free to add that and explain why.

I caught a new PB 4lb11oz, but did not have the phone with me for a photograph. Honorable mention though! ---------------- A couple days later I got this guy on worms. Then I caught 3 bass on artificial, with again, no phone. The wife was with me so I left the phone with her in the car. ---------------- The boy got this one today, and 1 other. I walked around a while and I got this nice 3lb9oz on a fat albert grub. The boy was handy to take a picture of me with this beauty. I pulled him out of this tree. Then I went to another place and got a crappie on a new to me color trap. Overall it was agreat day!

Thanks for all the replies. Today was a windy day and I had several overruns but not birdsnest. I was able to click up my magnetic brake and resolve it.

Thanks all, and Thanks Harold. I'll have to look for it.

I've been trying to pair down the number of lures I use, the number I want to master, and just in general go lighter. I find myself going to a core of about 5 lures that I know will work. I try to use something I don't like or am not proficient with occasionally, and I try new stuff here and there but I always come back to the tried and true. So, lets say 10 lures, with the only variation being different colors of the exact same lure (same brand, weight, size), what do you choose?

I was looking at those last night actually. I was hooked once, by someone else, in the back. Thankfully I had a friend with me and my trusty leatherman tool. It was resolved in short order.

So just hook it through the lips, like nose hooking it? Then what? do I bounce or creep it along the bottom, swim it? what?

Thanks for the tips all. Yes, I use a spinning rig too, and it's much easier to cast. I've been known to be stubborn.

Those are useful comments, thanks guys. I had thoughts of... putting it on a carolina rig, or a jig head. But I can't say either would be effective.

When using a casting rod, casting into the wind is the hardest to master. I've not mastered it yet, but I'd say I'm an intermediate, maybe even advanced intermediate. One of my preferred bank spots always has the wind in my face, and I resolved to learn to cast into the wind regardless of how hard it is. Obviously using a heavier lure, but also casting sideways to avoid as much wind as possible are the two things I have learned. Is there any other tips that will help me out? I actually don't use a heavier lure if I can get by casting wise without it, and I've caught several fish when I can't feel the lure at all, only the hit or weight of the fish. I wonder though if this, which goes against conventional wisdom is hurting me in some way. My theory is, I am solid on my technique (and also familiar with my spot), so I don't need to feel the lure to know what's going on, and that a lighter lure always looks better, and looks better if the water moves it around some.

Interesting discussion. I've been thinking of trying a similar setup, not with circle hooks, but with j or octopus hooks, for fishing crankbaits in heavy cover. Never occurred to me to do it for less hand hooking. That's a great idea though. It's interesting that some days you get a good hookup ratio and some days not.

I have had several occasions that I'd find a dead baitfish, like a shad or other small similar fish on the bank. They are about 3"-5" long. I mostly just take note of the color and try to get an idea of the natural forage in the lake. Well yesterday me and the boy was in Walmart and he grabbed a jar of dead preserved baitfish. They were about 3" long. I declined to purchase them, mostly because I haven't a clue as to how to use them. Is there any way to effectively use either for largemouth bass?

Thanks for that tip. I bet it helps release the scent too.

Thanks king fisher. I hadn't thought about summer/winter pool, rather just flooding. I suspected as much, what you describe about bass not following the water down.

Very interesting. I guess it never occurred to me that bass will be following any moving lure. Thanks all.

Thanks guys, good info.

I have a 2 part question. We've had historic flooding for the last 4-5 days. First question. I have always heard that bass, or fish in general, will follow the water up. So lets say the water rises 2 feet, the bass leaves his preferred underwater stump and comes up to eat bugs, crawdads, whatever, that is newly under water correct? And this means really, that newly flooded areas would likely be a good spot to fish, correct? Is this always so? Second question. How does flooding affect river fish? There is a place I go, that the water has risen 20 feet above normal. I know that river fish do go up and down the river, depending on baitfish, water lever, temperature. The spot I fish is at a low head dam, and it always holds some fish year round. Do those resident fish just hold up next to the dam and stay put when it floods? I guess they would go to the shore to eat new forage like lake fish would though. I guess the main question is, will that spot continue to show similar results aftet water level goes back to normal, say in a month? Or can/does flooding cause signicant changes to where fish hold on a river with regards to dams/bends/eddies?

The other day I was at one of my regular spots, a private pond just up the way from church. It had rained for several days and the water was about a foot higher than normal. I fished the normal easy access corner to start, first with a grub, then a squarebill crankbait. Then I dug through my box and and I thought, heck, I'll try the Shad Rap. I'd tied the hooks on this particular one. I made a few casts and only about 3 feet from the edge of the water, I got a hit. I set the hook, and as the fish swam to the side, getting closer, I got a look and it was a nice bass. I played him only a few seconds and slid him right up on the shore after seeing he was hooked sufficiently. It weighed 4lb11oz. The interesting thing is it seemed like the fish was following my lure. Now... I haven't any evidence of this. Last year, at the local city lake, which is hard to catch from because of all the pressure, I had a similar instance. I was fishing a gold squarebill and I'd fished up the shore, and when the crankbait got closer to the edge, probably about 5 feet, I got a strike. It turned out to be a 4lb7oz bass. Again, no evidence, but I think the bass followed my lure. So, is what I describe common? Is it a known thing bass do? Do only larger bass do it?

Well, I fished this pond all last year, with my biggest catch being about 2.5 pounds. Starting this year, I have a few small ones, but today, I had a few minutes. It'd been raining for several days and the water was over a foot high. Well, a Shadrap produced a 4lb11oz largemouth! My new PB. I didn't have the phone with me for pictures, but I did have the scale. Glad it wasn't reversed.

Those are fine looking worms!