WRB-2.0

Definitely! You decided to leave out the tackle ? Your region the lakes freeze and eliminates a lot of bait fish types.It also adds in smallmouth bass and walleyes, northern pike, musky toothy predators. The soft swimbaits that work good tend to get shredded by toothy fish. As far as colors are concerned the panfish colors, including perch and baby bass , plus Ayu/Aliwifes and herring would be good choices. Almost all the productive hard body swimbaits are over an 1 oz that the toothy fish can't destroy easily. Tom

Welcome to bass fishing young man. You didn't indicate what region of the country you are fishing or what type of rod/reel/line you plan to use with a swimbait. Without knowing what tackle you have, then it's difficult to suggest a swimbait other than the 5" to 6" soft plastic type that weigh less then 1 oz rigged. The highest quality in hollow bodies are Basstrix Paddletails or Little Cjripper Trash Fish. Berkely makes very similar swimbaits for less money, like the Sick Fish. This type of swimbait is rigged using a keel weighted hook. In 4/0 to 5/0 size, the weight depending on how deep you plan to fish. The level up in soft swimbaits are Huddleston Delux and Matt Lures for medium price range and sizes. The Huddleston 68 ROF 12 runs about $20 on EBay or on the Huddleston site. Matt Lures makes a good soft swimmer in 5" Bluegill or Crappie and Baby Bass for less money. For the heavier 1 to 3 oz swimbaits you will need special tackle. Colors are specific to where you fish, what type of prey fish the bass are eating. Good luck! Tom

What size and brand of braid and FC line are trying to join? I believe Tuf-Line makes a hollow core spliciable braid that you can run the FC leader inside and super glue it after thread wrapping the splice. This will eliminate the knot. Tom

First change the line to 10 to 14 lb, no reason for 20 lb line in water with little to no cover. If the bass are hitting the jig on the retrieve, even a very slow retrieve, mean the jig is on the bottom. The heavier jig allows you to make longer casts. Go to the top of this page and read jig fishing questions. When I first started to bass fish it was from shore about 60 years ago. My first lure was a Haiwiian Wiggler #3, a weedless lead spoon with a hula skirt that could cast a long distance and learned to bass fish with. My 2nd lure was a black hair jig called a Doll Fly, round head jig about 3/8 oz, no weed gaurd or trailer. I can still remember clearly fishing off a long point and hitting rocks every few feet and thought I was lucky not to hang it up. Went back a few hours later and tried the point again, this time there wasn't any rocks, no matter where I casted! Rocks don't move, so those must have been strikes....lesson learned. No rod ever made has better feel then your finger tips, run the line under your thumb and over your index finger to feel the slightest changes in line tension that often indicate a bass striking your jig. If you feel 2 bumps; the 1st is the bass biting, the 2nd is the bass spitting it out, swings are free, so swing early, not late. Learn to watch your line, especially where it enters the water, that is the best strike indicator, if the line jumps slightly you jig moved and jigs can't swim on there own and bass don't have hands. Tom

Bouncing bass is new to bass fishing and came about when B.A.S.S. tournament rules changed to disallow the use of landing nets. This happened when ESPN owned BASS and I believe that happened not as a conservation tactic but as more exciting TV. Bass flopping around on carpet does more scale damage then any net can. Flipping, the original presentation, used very strong and long rods (without reels) and lifting bass out of the water and into the boat was how it's done. This technique also contributed to bouncing bass or high sticking by weekend bass anglers. Tournament anglers are also in a hurry so getting under size bass in and released as fast as possible factors into lifting smaller bass out of the water to unhooked it and toss it back has always been part of bass fishing. The rod rating system that uses power ratings; 2, 3, 4, 5 for medium light, medium, medium heavy and heavy came from how much dead weight a rod could lift before bottoming out or be fully loaded. Live weight is very different because the bass can help by swimming itself out of the water or apply more pressure by turning at the wrong moment, then something is going to give! Rod mfr's can tell when a rod has been over loaded verses a flaw, hence the warning. Tom

As regulatory as California is, the general daily limit for fresh water bass is 5, 12" or longer. We have several,lakes with special regs and slot limits. We can't keep any trout alive in a livewell, it must be dead. You can't transport more than 1 daily limit, you keep more at home for personal use, not commercial use. Tom

Size 1 maybe a better choice for the smaller finesse worms. Also take a look at Owner #5133 size size 1 for weedless rig, I use both Gamakatsu size 1 and the Owner 5133 size 1 with Roboworms on 6# FiC.Whatever works for is OK. Tom

What size or lb test line are you using? The Palomar knot is very popular, however difficult to clinch tight without flattening the main line at the knot and that will weaken the line, ending up loosening or breaking FC line. Use more line then normally used to tie the knot and be very carefull to keep the loop double line even so it doesn't cross over itself. Wet the line before tightening and draw it down carefully, then when snug, wet it again before clinch the knot tight by pulling on the tag end only. Position The hook upright and clinch it tight a second time by pulling both the main line and tag end. If the hook point is facing down instead of upright, then put the tag end down through the hook eye to rotate the hook point upright or retie. Gamakatsu size 1 is a good size hook for nose hooking drop shot worms. The size 1/0 is a larger wire size compared to size 1, what size worms are you using? Tom

The Pedigo Spin Rite was the first tail spinner of this type of lure, legendary big smallmouth lure. Tom Mann's Little George, named after George Wallace, was designed to catch bass feeding on shad and excels at doing that when shad schools are primary bass prey. The newer Little Geoge have holographic paint schemes and work very well. The little George has a few competitors lures like Sworming Hornet and other horse or fish head type under spins that work in a similar situation. These lures are design to be cast long distance and cover deeper water horizontally. Use a weight size that will stay down at the depth you desire, heavier for deeper water. Vary the retrieve speed until you get strikes, very productive lures. If you are fishing vertically, up and down, a structure spoon is often more effective then a tail spinner. Tom

There an old saying; if a Fishermans lips are moving he is lying. You can politely ask other anglers how they are doing and if they are catching anything, be aware of the reply the water. You may get better answers at the boat ramp as anglers come off the water. At the ramp I will share very specific lure information, if asked, not locations. The whale that surfaces gets harpooned, so it's my goal to keep a very low profile on the water, out of sight out of mind. Most tournament anglers avoid making eye contact, they don't want to ask or be asked any questions and that is OK with me! The weekend family out fishing, especially young kids, I will put them on some keeper size bass when given the opportunity. Tom

Today's modern bass angler doesn't trolling deep diving lures, therefore have little idea how deep lures actually run on different line types and sizes. Depending on unknown casting length and retrieve speed that both affect how deep any lure can dive during a specific cast makes it nearly impossible to determine. If you have a boat with sonar, you can let out a specific measured amount of line and troll at a known speed over known bottom depth and determine when the lure hits the bottom. It's been my experience deep diving lures run deepest using 10 mono or FC at a slow walking speed about 2-3 mph, with 100' of line out. Rapala may rate their lures with a similar technique. Tom

First and foremost it is important to understand that adult size over 4 pounds have lived long enough to prey on critters they prefer to eat; high protein and easy to catch. It is also important to remember that largemouth bass are primarily sight feeders and this can lead some anglers to think that bass have eyes that work similar to ours....big mistake! LMB do not need good light penetration to see their prey, their prey needs good light penetration to see the predator! Low light gives the LMB a big advantage over prey and this is the time the biggest bass are active feeding. When the sun is about 30 degrees above the horizon, morning and evening, the sunlight penetration starts to improve as the sun is higher above the horizon, where low light is no longer an advantage to LMB, prey can see the bass equally. This is one reason bass tend to use shadows during mid day and wave action to defuse light. This doesn't mean the occasional mid day bite doesn't occur, it does when activity levels peak during that time period, just not often. The only seasonal period that mid day big bass are caught in good numbers is during the spawn. The reason is noon time the sun is over head and light penetration is at it's maximum; good for the sight fisherman, bad for the bed bass, who will not abandon their spawning just because anglers are trying to catch them. Every big bass over 15 lbs that I have been blessed to catch were caught in January, February and March, between sun rise and 10A, none after that time period. I have caught a lot 10 lb+ LMB throughout the day and night, very few at mid day. Prime weather for me has been light rain between the hours of 7A to 10A, all 5 of the bass over 17 lbs (17.4, 17.4, 17.6, 18.6, 19.3) were caught under those conditions during that time period on jigs, none were bed fish to the best of my knowledge, due to the depth being 12' to 20' and were pre spawner's. Tom PS; when you read through this thread a few facts jump out, random PB bass caught mid day, general good catch rates of bass during low light periods, but few PB at that time, except my catches that have been consistant over decades. Why? I believe most anglers fish at the wrong locations during low light periods and only fish deeper water where the big bass locate as a last resort instead of their first choice. This may be a result of tournament anglers who want 5 bass in the live well before trying to catch that kicker later. Active bass are easier to catch then inactive bass.

Most bass anglers like slower action rods like glass or eglass (blend of glass & graphite) for easemofmcastingnand more forgiving when using treble hooks, like crank baits. A spinner bait rod is similarmto a crank bait rod, except moderate fast for ease of casting and a little more hook setting power. The bottom line is you can use a moderate fast spinnerbait rod for both cranks and spinnerbaits, not so good vice a versa. Tom

Andy "Cooch" Cuccia, contact Cooch! 7" Senkos and jigs with blue trailers are always good on the delta during pre spawn and sawn. Tom

90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fisherman is what us old folks say. Tom

If you are bed fishing then noon is good for light and no shadows.My top 5 bass where caught before 10A and after 3P, zero at noon. Every giant bass over 17 lbs that I have caught was during low light periods, overcast with light rain, pre spawn bass. When I was bed fishing, then 11A to 1P was prime time, not because the bass were active feeding, they were easier to sight fish! The old time guides take their clients to shore for lunch, the shore lunch is a great tradition in the north. I would welcome a response from Chris, Mike Long or Butch Brown. Noon time is prime time......for lunch! Tom

Mike When you launch your boat what is your routine? Where to you go to fish and why do you go there? There isn't a lure made that can catch bass if the bass are not there or not active. My routine is based on over 60 years of on the water time bass fishing; 1. Look at the water, how deep can you see? Can you see any fish? 2. What is the surface water temperature? 3. Turn on my sonar unit and determine at what depth the bait is holding or any bass in the marina area, before I leave the marina. Is there a thermocline? The reason I do the above is trying to determine the seasonal period and what depth the bait and bass are using after I figure this out, then I select a few lures that should work to catch bass where I think they should be located. The lures I like to fish; jigs, worms, swimbaits may not be appropriate for the seasonal period, so I make adjustments until I locate bass or catch bass, then try to zero in on what is working better that day or night, then stay with it. I only fish shallow water at night or during the spawn, unlike 90% of bass anglers who never fish farther away from the bank then a casting distance. Why go out and buy reaction bite lures until you know where the bass are located? Pounding the bank hoping to find active bass is a very low % technique. Tom

California is 1,000 long and like fishing 3 states with different weather and lake sizes. A 12 lb bass could be caught throughout the state. Are you in SoCal, Central or NorCal? Tom OK, just retread your first sentence and see you are in SoCal, that helps. We are in early pre spawn in most lakes and late pre spawn in some others. The bigger bass are in deeper water than you are fishing. The smaller bass are either jueveknile 1 year old bass and extremely aggressive or small males staking out very shallow nest sites. Can you see larger bass cruising or smaller bass holding on nest sites? Are you fishing the back of coves? Your lures choices are not your problem, it's where you are fishing. So when you say bigger bass lets define what you are looking for; 3 to 5 lbs? Or larger bass? Try using a shad colored Chatter bait in the shallower flat spawning areas. Also try moving out to secondary points and fishing your grubs and Senko's in 3' to 20' to start with. Our lakes are high pressured lakes, so try to be very quite, the larger bass are wary of boats. Tom

Since I am an old folk whatever I have posted would be Old Folk Lore..... I believe fish eating birds will find fish faster than modern electronics. Birds have a second sense and phenomenal eye sight. Active animals around the lakes or river does indicate active feeding fish. Active ecosystem, terrestrial insects, feeding animals indicates the predators should also be active, including bass. Wind from the west, fishing is best, wind from the east fishing is least. Westerly winds are usually due to approaching low pressure systems and the east is high pressure; pre frontal or falling barometer is far better than rising barometer or post frontal blue bird sky. Don't leave fish to find more fish. More money in fishing tournaments of all kinds has been lost by leaving a bite for a better bite...bird in hand is better than one in the bush! Dawn and dusk is better fishing than noon. Very true, bass have extremely good low light vision and are active in low light periods. Noon is a good time for lunch. Tom

I disagree with time on the water doing the wrong things over and over will ever improve your bass fishing skills. What will improve your skills at consistantly catching bass is learning basic bass behavior to determine where the bass should be located seasonally. Practicing skills to present lures where the bass are located with lures that the bass are interested in eating. The bass calendar is; winter cold water period, pre spawn, spawn, post spawn, summer, fall everywhere that bass live. Bass must eat to survive; learn about the prey the live on, where you fish. Bass are active and catchable about 20% of a 24 hour time period, about 5 hours. This means they are not active about 80% of the time, about 19 hours. Don't waste your time fishing for inactive bass, optimize your time by targeting active catchable bass. Several groups of bass are active and inactive at the same time, target the active groups of bass. Tom

The lakes I fish are high pressured and the big bass stop eating when they detect a boat in the area, stealth is important and long casts are essential, during day light periods. Weather conditions help to get closer, overcast light rain being good, light wind also helps to stay out of site. My average casting distance is about 90' or 30 yards and often make cast further up to and sometimes over 150' or 50 yards with jigs and even further with swimbaits. It's all about presenting a lure to bass willing to strike it; 40' or 40 yards whatever it takes. Tom

There isn't a standard to rod makers that determines power verses bend rates, it's a personal touch and feel thing. The more parabolic the rods bends ( bends evenly from tip to butt; like a fly rod) the easier it is to cast because the rods loads up under the lure weight into a full bend. The faster the rod bends from tip to butt meaning the tip end bends faster then the lower section of the rod, the more difficult it is to cast. What you give up for good casting is less rod power to set hooks for example. Crankbait rods are slower action or more parabolic, bend more like the letter U, good for lures with treble hooks that can tear out of the basses mouth easily. Fast action rods bend more like the letter J, most of the bend is in the upper 1/3 of the rod. One rod can't do everything and that is why application specific rods are popular. In the fishing tackle you rarely get more than you pay for, it's easy to get less. Tom

Red sky at night is a sailers delight.Tom

You are looking for a crankbait rod, most are called medium heavy for lures 3/8 to 3/4 oz. Go to Tackle Warehouse and look under bait casting rods or crankbait rods, just about every mfr makes a few, if you go to the mfr websites. Most will be 7' to 7' 10" because of the longer cork handles that add about 3" behind the reel. Tom PS; I use a G.Loomis PR845C GL2 for smaller crankbaits. This rod is a popping rod, 7' with cork handles, rated for 3/8-3/4 oz lures and 10-20 line. This isn't a traditional bass rod, but works great for what you are looking for.

Having wide variety of bass lures doesn't make a bass angler, you will gather up more than need without trying. What is important to know before trying to give you any advice is what type of rod and reel do you fish with? Model numbers help a lot. Line type and lb test. Tom