WRB-2.0

Trilene knot or improved clinch knot, which knot do you use? I haven't used the improved clinch in decades, when I did it was 5 twists, no reason for more or less. The Trilene knot is very similar and stronger and the San Diego jam knot is stronger the both, 5 turns works good for all 3 knots. Tom

My Tatula reels a are filled about 1/16" below full,no casting issues using Sunline FC line with Tangle a free line dressing. Tom

I use painted brass bullet weights from Top Brass and glass faceted beads,rarely use lead weights. The reason is lead is soft and the hole in the nose gets damaged creating line drag on a sliding weight. Tungsten weights are smaller, heavier and harder, the problem is sharp edges that cut the line. The nylon tubes inserted into tungsten don't stay in the weight. Adding a shrink sleeve liner helps, but takes a lot of time and the tungsten is expensive for everyday use. Brass N Glass is my go to Texas rig. Tom

Controlling the fall rate means knowing how long it takes for a Senko or another soft plastic and jigs to reach bottom. If you can't determine when your lure hits bottom, you need to learn that, otherwise bass may engulf and swallow the lure or split it out after striking it and you will not know it, unless the bass swims away with the lure in it's mouth. When you make the cast don't add extra slack into the line. The difference between controlled slack and uncontrolled slack is you can feel light tension or see the line sinking as it cuts a V in the water, the V is your strike indicator and tells you when the lure stopped sinking by the controlled bow in the line between your rod tip and where the line enters the water. When the lure stops sinking the tension on the line decreases instantly and with practice you can feel the slight pressure change and if the water fairly flat with little wind you can see the bow in the in jump slack. If you know how deep your are fishing and know how long it normally takes to fall that depth, you will have a good ideal it's the bottom or a bass has the lure in it's mouth....set the hook! My hook setting technique for casting jigs or worms long distance is cranking the reel fast while pointing the rod tip at the spot I am watching the line (V) enter the water, I feel the tension change instantly, the line loads up, the hook point sticks the basses mouth and then my firm rod sweep sets the hook. If no bass was there, I don't sweep the rod back and continue the retrieve still in control of the line slack and jig or worm. If the casting distance is short, I just snap set the hook with my rod. Tom

Ken Duke at B.A.S.S. Is the person who publishes the top 25 list and what he uses to validate catches is a combination of local published newspaper articles, magazines and official weight data supported by witnesses. I have submitted all this data to Duke in the past and no listing, no explanation. Butch Brown has a 19.3 on video, no listing! The 2 Florida 20+ lb bass can't be validated, the Fritz bass has long been discounted as being valid, yet it remains listed. The California state record is 21.75 Arujo bass that was killed and examined, that is what it takes to be a state record bass. Whatever, interesting lists that does get changed now and then, maybe next time. The Smallmouth list is new and some questionable catches, year unknown and ounces converted to lbs at 4 digits! How about a top 25 Spotted bass list? Or Northern LMB list? Just ranting. Tom

Watching you line is only a part of the puzzle to knowing exactly what is going on with under soft plastics or jigs. Detecting strikes from slow moving lures that you can't see on slack line that you can't feel and hoping to see the line move makes for a lot of missing strikes. You need to concentrate on everything and a good way to learn is fish at night. You can't see your line well so you must feel your line for movement and any slight change in pressure on the line. The classic tick doesn't always occur, a change in the resistance the lure creates going through the water does occur. If you are keeping in contact with you lure all the time you can detect strikes when you feel the lure getting heavier, lighter, can't feel anything, like it was cut off, is called weighing the lure. These changes is weight or pressure on the line happen when you go through grass, up and over obstacles like branches or rocks and when bass engulf you lure. How to know the difference can only be learned by time on the water and setting the hook; swings are free, so when in doubt set the hook. Keep this thought in mind, we are all learning and will continue to experience missed strikes, they get fewer with practice. Tom

Doug Hannon the late bass fishing guru has thousands of followers you believe his fishing charts based on solunar activity. The charts have been and continue to be published in several fishing magazines including Bassmaster called Astro tables. It's another factor to consider along with weather and the other animal activity you observe. I respect Hannon memory and his bass fishing skills. Tom

Cjam93, Most topographic maps are in 5' elevation increments used for general survey, not a lot of detail but should get you started. Look up your lakes elevation at max pool and then a highlite marker and follow that elevation line around the lake perimeter. Draw a dark line where the dam is located, now you have a lake map. If your lake is below the full pool elevation, take a different color marker and follow the current lake level. Without any map you can visualize what may be underwater by observing the topography around the lake, it doesn't change because it's covered with water, except the trees may have been removed and any building, however foundations, road beds, bridges, etc are still there. When the water warms the lake may stratify into thermo-layers, the top layer being where bass like to be because of higher levers of dissolved oxygen or DO. Where the first depth layer meets the next lower layer is called a thermocline and bass usually don't go much deeper, unless the reservoir is used to generate power by the dam. If your lake is small without topo maps, then it's probably not a power generation lake and develops a strong thermocline. You can search the site for how to set up your sonar to see a thermocline. Your sonar become an essential tool when fishing deep structure. I recommend Don Iovino's book "Finesse bass fishing and the sonar connection" for anyone who fishes deep structured lakes, it's dated but a valuable little reference book. Tom

Deep structure lakes in CA are mostly steep rocky areas. I use 3/16 oz bullet weights about 90% of the time with a T-rig worms ranging from 6" to 9" and 1/4 oz if it's windy or worm 10" to 13". Keeping a bullet weight out of rocky crevices require touch, controlled slack and a lighter weight at times. Tom

Why not branch out and try other brands and worm styles, there is a whole world of worms waiting to be discovered.Tom

George Bush. President, would be the most famous bass angler still living. Tom

The run and gun tournament anglers only have to look at KVD for inspiration. Fishing slow and methodical like Aaron Martens also works within the same time period. Like most bass anglers catching fish is my goal and a top water bite or a crankbait bite is fun fishing, deep structure with a drop rig can be boring. Catching bass is a lot more fun than casting lures and I catch more on deep structure than shoreline fishing. One reason I like to make long casts with a jig or swimbait is too cover more deep structure without sitting on top of the bass, sometimes bass don't like boats overhead on clear water lakes. It's a lot easier to catch deep structure bass fishing vertical. The only time my trolling motor moves my boat forward fast is to move 100 yards or so, otherwise it's keeping my boat positioned to make casts and stay on top of the structure and fish on the lowest setting under the prevailing conditions. You can't hurry up structure deep structure fishing. Tom

My Texas rig is the "Brass & Glass" style rigging that Don Iovino made popular. Painted brass bullet weight,tempered glass faceted 8mm bead. I also prefer straight shank wide gap worm hooks like Owner 5301 or Gamakatsu 484. I fish this rig year around, one of my go to techniques day or night. Tom

It's been cold in a lot of the northern lakes, what makes you believe the bass are spawning? Use whatever lure you have confidence with to catch pre spawn bass. Tom

Back in '69 I wrote a article on how modern skilled bass anglers could impact big bass populations on small lakes under 2,000 acres. My goal was to get the average bass angler to release adult size bass. You can't believe the hatred this article created. The general overall feed back was very negative, the consensus was bass anglers can't impact a bass fishery by catching and keeping the bass they catch. Today the pendulum has swung the opposite direction, bass anglers release every bass they catch like it's a religious cult. Bass are a renewable resource, I still believe big bass over 24" need to be protected during the spawn and should be released in healthy condition whenever possible. Keeping a few young adult size bass in the 1 1/2 to 2 lb size range, 14" to 15", or bass when bleeding from being caught, shouldn't severely impact a fishery. The bucket anglers rarely catch adult size bass, mostly pan fish and a few juvenile bass, let them be, they are not ruining the fishery. Tom

Lakes with northern strain LMB I would suggest 68 Hudd ROF 12. High percentage location is any major point targeting the 12' to 18' depth zones. Swimbaits work best in light wind, bright sun casting into the wind and retrieving up and over points. Tom

I was talking to Aaron Marttens last Nov and he said the biggest change fishing B.A.S.S. elite events was deep water being 20' in most of the lakes they fish. Out west 20' is aversge depth, not deep! Tom

Xtool digital about $100 Tom

It's been several years since fishing Canadian Shield natural lakes. These lakes are very old, most bays tend to be dark muck bottoms ideally suited for pike not bass, LMB or Smallmouth. I would look for any rocky reefs outside of gravel or sandy shore areas for pre spawn bass. Where you find lighter color bottoms with emerging coon tail weed beds in pockets tend to be the preferred bass spawning sites. Tom

I have no idea how long the lures you posted are? The top swimbait doesn't have a shad profile, not sure what the coloration is? The bottom swimbait is a bluegill and can be good during spawn and post spawn. Black Dog makes a good 4" wake bait Shall Cracker G2, 5" Shell Cracker that is excellent. Matt lures also makes a 5" Hard Gill that is excellent. 5" hard swimmers work! Try Matt's soft U2 Gil series in the 4" size, they work.Tom

Off shore spawning occurs in big reservoirs bass can be creative when it comes to spawning sites. The majority of bass behave what we call normal bass behavior, some do their own thing. Fishing Clear lake several years ago I found a row of telephone poles about 2 miles off shore, some were above water others were underwater, the poles are about 30' tall. Bass were spawning on the flat tops of the underwater poles. DVL has a off shore hump (underwater island at full pool) that was 25' on the top and bass where spawning there, the water was crystal clear and you could see the beds! Don't always assume you know all about bass behavior. Tom

Very few small hard shad swimbaits work as good as a shad colored crankbait. 3" to 3 1/2" is about the size of shad bass like to eat and crankbaits fall into that profile. Hard swimbaits 4" or less look great but fished slow like a swimbait simply haven't proven to be as good as soft plastic swimbaits. Another problem is when bass get on a shad bite nothing works very well with the exception of fly lined live shad. Tom

Our small deep structure reservoirs are very deep, 150 to over 300 ft at the dams and get shallower where canyons or rivers enter the impoundments. Because bass have air bladders my depth is limited to about 40', however I have spooned bass out of 80' targeting targeting trout. The big bass during the summer through fall before the thermocline breaks down stay about 35' where swimbaits, Scroungers, worms, jigs and structure spoons can effectively be presented and I use them all. Your sonar is the best tool in your boat for structure fishing, your eyes under water, use it. Tom

If the anglers you observe are fishing illegally report them, do not confront them. Catch and release can impact small fisheries by over populating the ecosystem, fish are prolific breeder and removing smaller fish can help the overall fishery. Tom

I use Uptom's Customs 9" dragon tail (trick) worm and straight tails year around rigged several ways. Split shot, slip shot and Texas rigged brass n glass . Slow down and drag it along the bottom. Tom