WRB-2.0

GY #208 and 221 are good most places.Tom

OK, we have a medium fast action baitcasting outfit with ? line, points a and islands preferring to cast and retrieve like a plastic worm in and around weed cover.The rod isn't ideal, MH would be better. The medium rod limits where you can fish the jig, the weight and hook setting with heavier weight jigs and heavier diameter wire hooks. My suggestion with your current tackle is going with Yamamoto Hula grub jigs, Owner hook, size 3/8 oz, with weed guard and 4" Hula grubs. This jig is $1.25 ea ($3.60 for 3) plus the double tail Hula grub, excellent combination and price. The jig head is good for your application and good quality, inexpensive enough so you will fish it in harms way. When you have caught some bass and have a MH jig rod, then consider Sieberts jigs and various trailers. Tom

Having taught a few anglers how to fish jigs I have a few questions before we go any further. 1. Describe your rod, reel, line you plan to use. 2. Where do you plan to fish jigs; heavy cover, or casting and retrieving in light cover? Tom

Spinning tackle with 6 and 8 lb mono is perfect for light to medium wire style hooks like Owner 5100 or Gamakatsu #11 worm hook size 3/0 for standard worms up to 7 1/2" long. The slip shot rig with 6 or 8 lb mono works better with size 1for 4 1/2" worms, size 1/0 with either of the hooks mentioned or Owner 5133 down shot hook that also works for weedless drop shot rigs. The nail weight worm rig is also good with the 8 lb spinning outfit. The above rigs catch all sizes of bass, including larger adults depending where (location on the lake) you fish. These rigs are designed for deep structure lakes like you have. Your casting outfit with 10 lb line is marginal with heavy wire 5/0 hooks, OK with medium wire like Owner 5100 using larger diameter soft plastics. The reason is 10 lb line doesn't apply enough force to penetrate the adult size bass mouth. I make my own jigs with 5:0 Gamakatsu #114 because the medium wire forged hook penetrates better with 10 lb line. You need to use lures with hooks and presentations suitable for your tackle. Thank you for clarifying what your tackle is, it helps with making suggestions without guessing what is being used. Tom

You introduced 25 predators into a small (1acre?) ecosystem that has supported 2 bullheads and bluegill or green sunfish. Does this pond have a small creek running into it? Relaying on exiting prey source including terrestrials critters and this years bass fry is a lot to ask IMO. Tom

Pre spawn to post spawn, dawn. Summer dusk to dawn, night is right. Late fall through late winter, afternoons to dusk. Nice to live where the water doesn't freeze and few bugs at night. It's all good, the dawn bite usually last longer, the dusk bite is usually faster lures like crankbaits. Enjoy your time on the water whenever it may be. Tom

You stocked adult size bass, more than likely more females than males and they will reproduce next spawning season. So let's say you have 50-60 lbs of bass to feed everyday that will eat about 15-20 lbs of food each day. There isn't any young of the year catfish or bass to eat, that means the minnows, bluegill and crawdads must sustain your bass population and the 2 big catfish. You are going to be busy catching prey for your bass population, lots of crawdads and minnows. Consult a pond biologist (Lusk) and ask him if you have a good balance. Tom

25 bass, what size? Fish management in ponds requires some expertise, lots of factors to consider. 1. Determine the size of your pond in acres (43,560 square feet) or about 200 feet x 217 feet for example is about 1 acre. Depth is important,habitate is important, your pond looks to be well established and at least 1acre in size from the photo. Tom.

Off topic, the original Sassy Shad soft plastic kick tail lure is about 4" long and well over 30 years on the market was not considered a swimbait. The Basstrix 5 & 6" hollow body paddle tail minnow wasn't considered a swimbait out west where the original hollow body lures started this bait category. BrassTrix made trout swimbaits before the hollow body soft minnow. Today the definition of a swimbait is any swimming style lure that would include both the Sassy Shad and hollow bodies. The original term applied to lures that looked exactly like trout, baby bass, bluegill and crappie and swam at a slow natural pace. OP, I have looked at your video's and conclude you are more interested in making a video catching big bass, then spending the time and effort learning how to catch big bass. It's my opinion a 3-4 lb bass will satisfy your goal. To accomplish this goal you need to relocate where you are fishing. Small juvenile bass and larger size adult bass occupy different lake areas the majority of the time. Take a look at a lake map you fish and start fishing around the longest underwater points with deeper water access and any underwater humps, rock piles or trees that top out around 3' to 8' under the water surface. You are using spinning tackle with unknown line size, maybe 10-12 lb test? This is OK, but the hooks are way too big for the line and lures you use. Suggest going down in hook size to 3/0 for 6" to 7" worms. Also take a look at the "less popular rigs" thread in the tackle forum and try a jig & craw worm and slip shot rig for 10-14 lb line and rig exactly as detailed. Slow down and let the big bass come to your lure. Good luck with your goal. Tom

Your boat is a fishing platform that moves and can go nearly anywhere on the water. Where you fish is long journey that should start by learning something about the fish you intend to catch. Finding bass is only one step towards catching bass consistently.If locating bass is your primary concern, then tell us something about the lake or river you plan to fish, then we can tell you go where the bass should be located. Tom

When we had predominately northern strain LMB color wasn't critical and the lakes that still have them holds true today. Nearly all our lakes today have predominately Florida strain LMB and color is critical. Determine the right size, profile and depth is important, ounce you have that dialed in you better have the color the bass are eating or it's a long day on the water the majority of the time. With soft plastics color can be the difference between 1 bass and 10 bass or a 10 to 1 advantage, so I would say very important. Tom

Not sure what larger size bass means to you? Bill Murphy's book referenced is excellent at many levels, adult bass behavior being very important. Trophy bass fishing is different than recreational bass fishing because it requires a lot of dedication to details and learning about the fish you are trying to catch. Good luck. Tom

Contact Don Iovino about legacy Ambassadeur 5000 reel upgrades, see Don Iovino products or call 818/848.6180. Tom

Scrounger* with 6" Sluggo trailer. *Xtreme Tackle 1/2 & 3/4 oz, shad or trout color Sluggo. Slip shot rig, finesse 6 -8 mono or FC, 1/8 oz brass Pro-Jo weight, pegged glass faceted bead, Owner 5133 hook, 4 1/2" worm use size 1, 6" worn use size 1/0, weight 24" -30" above the hook. Standard casting use 12-14 lb FC , 3/8 oz pro-Jo weight, pegged 8mm glass bead, 3/0 Owner 5140 hook, Finesse use Roboworms, standard use GY 4" twin tail Hula grub. Nail weight worms, 6" finesse worms, cut 1/4" flat off the nose end and insert 3/32 oz Eagle Claw lead nail wright flush to flat end. Wacky hook 1" back of node end with Gamakatsu or Owner weedless wacky hook, 6-8 lb FC line and present like a Senko. 3 very effective "secret" tournament winning presentations that few will ever try. Tom

I agree with the OP's conclusion that it may depend on the type of fishery. TB is a massive reservoir over 185,000 acres with a good sustained bass population, difficult to over harvest specific spots. Reduce the acreage to 1,850 you may want to rethink sharing specific way points and further reducing size to 185 acres public fishery sharing specific spots on line could severely impact the small lake or river section. The old saying "loose lips sink ships" could apply regarding some small fisheries. The lakes I fish fall into the small size category and sharing areas like "east shore" or "fish arm" is about as detailed that I will give up regarding spots. Tom

This is the 1st thread that I recall that Glenn has participated in, good to see. Matt hasn't participated in a long time and maybe some others will chime in like Chris who is a expert photographer and trophy bass angler. Calling anyone out about the weight of a bass they claim is larger is a touchy subject and should be avoided, so I agree unless the claim is about record size bass. With digital cameras in smart phones taking good photos is easy today, not so easy even 10 years ago. With digital photos making changes to enhance the quality or even alter the photo may not be as difficult today.

Powells $30 for a rod warranty program needs to be factored in the price and the low end guides are an issue. If you like Powell rods, then it's a good rod. Tom

Yes bass are always near the food source, except when spawning, then the food source feeds on the bass eggs.When someone ask for help to fish lake X and post a map, we all study the map quickly and make recommendations based on what is know; topography contours and can only guess at the food source and seasonal periods. Without being on the water it is impossible to know where the primary bait source is actually located, we can only make educated guesses. High percentage zones is the same as percentage triangle. Breaking down a lake into smaller zones based on seasonal periods isn't new and discussed on this site several times. Don't get yourself lost in the triangle. Tom

I use a good sunscreen Elta MD UV Sport SPF 50 on my face and forearms, Verta SPF 45 water gel on the hands and long sleeve SPF Solumbra or Landsend, Sundays or Tilley hats. Don't like gloves, never have. Pants are standard loose fitting cotton, deck shoes with socks. Going to give the new snap cool type buffs a try soon. I have serious skin cancer and protection is essential. Tom

Jealousy and the fact the pin heads can hide their identity. Yes, the avatar photo is a replica, the real photo of this bass could use some photoshopping, it's on the site somewhere. Tom

As I recall you fish northern AZ and it's got to be getting hot there for mid day fish. You goal is catching bass so you need to locate them. I agree you have gone overboard with tackle for the boat you have. If you can fish at dawn to 10 or late afternoon to 8 or so, your chances increase with more active adult size bass using reaction type lures like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The mid day bite maybe more finesse with drop shot or slip shot/split shot 4 1/2" to 6" plastic worms. 4 outfits should be more than enough: 2 baitcasting and 2 spinning. I know you may not want to consider trolling along the break lines with a shad colors crankbait but this is a fast way to locate bass, then fish the areas you catch bass with your presentations. Good luck, Tom

Baitfish make up a % of the bass prey or food chain, crayfish, amphibians and terrestrial critters are other sources of prey. I agree this triangle is just another term describing bass fishing 101, we sometimes forget not all bass anglers have basic bass fishing knowledge. Tom

Are you using any lubricants or experiencing backlashes? It sounds like loose line under tight line deforming the under laying line. FC sheds off water and dries very quickly, then tends to loosen during the cast. A good line lubricant like Tangle Free keeps the line wet and the line remains tight on the spool. KVD claims to wet the line or allow water to coat the line but I don't think it works as good on FC. Tom

The advantage of a split shot or slip shot rig is 1 knot at the hook. The advantage of the slip shot rig is strike detection. There is a good transparent plastic swivel (Aquateck) available that would be interesting to try on a finesse C-rig, still needs 3 knots.Tom

Before B.A.S.S. and Bassmaster magazine I read Outdoor Life with Robert Page and Sports Afield, Jason Lucas, both fishing editors and avid bass anglers. Both these bass anglers published good books on bass fishing, worth reading today. B.A.S.S. Started in 1967 with the All American bass tournaments that featured blind draw partners, before that the tournaments were team events. I became one of the early life members in '68, Bassmaster magazine was published quarterly until around '73 and still have the early issues. A few lures are still available today, Mann's Jelly worms and Cremes Scoundrel worms for example. The pistol grip rods are gone, the Ambassduer 5000 series reels can be found. I think the interesting ads are the boats, motors, electronics and clothing of the day. Tom