Bazoo

No picture. The fish I saw was red on the gills and underpart of its jaw toward the mouth, it was small, maybe 10". The old man caught it on a jerkbait sometime about mid spring. I said something about it being red and he said it was because the oxygen was low. I have caught several bass out of that pond since then and none were reddish. I've never eaten lobster, so I can't say.

I was reading this thread and it prompted a 2 part question. First part. I've seen a few bass that came out of ponds that had a red tinge to their gills and mouth area. Not in the mouth, but outside. An old man that was there told me that it meant the pond was low on oxygen. Second part. If bass are feeding on crawdads, the inside of their mouth is stained red, correct?

Might switch from a squarebill to a regular crankbait. I've been using the Bomber Fat Free Guppy lately. Also might try a jerkbait. I try both suspending and floating models.

A lot of times I'll catch them on crankbaits, sometimes topwater. Cute little guys. The other day I was fishing a pond and I kept getting nipped right at shore on my worm, so I put on a smaller worm and pulled out a dink. Gotta meet the Boss sometime.

I've never noticed a bass having a smell. I'm interested to know too @WRB.

Thanks. Looks like a jig eye cleaner on there too.

Interesting thread, thanks for starting it. Lots of interesting and useful suggestions, thanks all for sharing.

I imagine that the pros would have their favorite rigs that they are the most accurate with, and then have some that are less suitable. They probably ain't as good with their heavy Carolina rig rod as their 6'6" M/F rod.

When I first switched from a medium/medium to a Heavy/fast rod, there was little bit of a learning curve for me to be able to effectively cast. Each rod is a bit different, but each speed is bit different. I found that a good technique with a heavy rod will be a good technique with a M/M, but a passable technique with a M/M will be nearly useless with a heavy rod.

I print and save articles that I find of interest. Gun and fishing articles. I have a big stack of hunting/fishing/reloading magazines that I look at occasionally. Thanks @Spankey, I enjoy shooting clays too. I've never been to a clay range with different stations, but I've done some informal games with a church group. They have several nice throwers and set up some pretty good shoots. I won it once, and some of the shooters are pretty well versed with some more expensive guns. I use a beater 870, but it fits me and shoots good for me. I have a cheap hand operated spring thrower for the farm, and I always enjoy that, though admittedly it's a pretty easy shot. I was shooting with a buddy, and we were keeping score. I got 65:65 that day. Proud of that one.

The pictures I take are generally quick. I always feel compelled to get the fish back quickly. This picture, which is one of my favorites, I happened to have a buddy that was close. Several other buddies were halfway down the reservoir. I put it back right after this picture before my other buddies could make it back to see. I estimate that I if it's a long one, I don't keep a fish out more than a minute. Usually I'd say less than 30 seconds for me to unhook, and take a picture and return. I've seen a lot of people say 30 seconds, and I try to get them back in as quick as I can. I'm interested in the effects of keeping a fish out for periods of time longer than that. Does anyone know, or can point me to an article/study that shows what percentages of fish won't make it as the time increases?

Light weight is surely a virtue to those that fish afoot.

Howdy and welcome to BassResource! I only have 5 combos at present, 3 casting and 2 spinning - I'd bring them all. I mostly am a bank fisherman. I most often carry 3, mostly so I can have the 3 primary lures I want to fish ready to go. Sometimes, it's the 3 casting rods, sometimes, its 2 casting and 1 spinning, especially if I'm going to be using a weightless worm and I want to get it out there. I can cast a weightless worm on a casting rod, but not as far as a spinning rod with braid. For a boat trip to unknown bass waters in VA, I'd want 6 casting rods pre-rigged for crankbaits, spinnerbaits, split shot rig, light crankbaits/beetle spin, texas rig, topwater (spit'n image or popper).

Interesting discussion, I'm definitely learning, thanks all. My first thought when seeing the thread title was Bass Raider! Course that's not what you're looking for, but it might serve as an interim while you search for the perfect boat.

I haven't watched it yet, but I'm going to, thanks for the link.

I just finished reading the article posted in the first post. Very informative and a good reminder. https://www.bassresource.com/beginner/how-to-catch-bass.html

Interesting and nice assortment. I've never seen those mini bolt cutters, thank you for sharing that. I've been thinking of something like that for occasionally cutting hooks. I've used the cutters on my Leatherman occasionally. It damages the cutters on a standard Leatherman PST (which I have done, then had to file the burr down), but any that have been returned for broken pliers get the new plier head that have a hard-wire cutting notch. Those cut well, but it's hard to get them where they need to be due to the nose of the pliers.

Interesting. I am not super well versed with a lot of different brands and styles, but I have found things that work for me and have worked hard to master them, and some of them I ain't mastered yet but I know they work. Soft Plastics 1 Senko 2 Zoom Finesse 3 Zoom Trick worm 4 Zoom Fat Albert 5 Zoom 6" Lizard 6 Zoom 4" Lizard 7 Power worm (7") 8 Keitec easy shiner 3.5 9 us bait co sceamer (ain't tried them but know they are fire!) 10 zoom fluke Hard 1 Spit'n Image 2 3/8oz Spinnerbait 3 H2OX Squarebill 4 H20X 1/4 squarebill 5 Rapala Floating minnow, size 7 6 Rapala shallow shad rap 1/4 oz 7 Fat Free Guppy 8 Lunkerhung pocket frog 9 1/4oz Beetle Spin 10 Jig

That brings up a good point; I am primarily a bank fisherman. Very little chance I'll lose my Leatherman. I'll definitely have to use dedicated pliers on the boat from now on. I will also have to keep a pair of pliers for docks and such too, I hadn't thought of that.

Practice using the patch kit before you need it.

Howdy.

Interesting replies. Thanks all.

I watch Roland Martin and Bill Dance videos sometimes, and I noticed something. Roland will catch a 3 or 4 pound bass and (while he gets excited during the catch) he gives it a quick look and throws it back; like most of us would throw back a dink. Bill takes a bit more time to look over the big ones, but he throws the dinks back like... dinks. I can't blame them, granted the amount of fish they have caught in their lives. I've been trying to get in a routine of looking each one over, big or small. Sometimes I thank them for participating. I often tell the little ones to go back and get big.

Lots of interesting suggestions so far, thanks all for sharing. Since I rarely go on my boat, I don't worry about losing my Leatherman. It did cross my mind though when aboard, but I have pretty tall gunwales so not chance of accidentally knocking them overboard, just dropping them or flipping them out.

Wish I could get my buddies together for a little casting practice. Even if it was just a few minutes before a fishing trip. I haven't practiced in the yard much in the last little while, since I have been fishing nearly daily. Which really is a mistake as I often don't cast for precision when fishing. Though of course sometimes I do. One of the things that helps me to be accurate is to watch my lure as it flies. It helps me to judge distance. Inside of 15 yards, I can sink a spinnerbait in a coffee can, not a cup, a can. I can do it probably half the time, and get real close the other half. I have spurts of hitting it 100% of the time for 4-5 in a row. I can hit a 5 gallon bucket at 25 yards, but only 1:3 or 1:4, and get close all the other times. I have noticed that I get relaxed in the yard and start getting "on". Then when fishing, I am a little less relaxed, and my accuracy suffers.