WRB-2.0

One of the best hard jerk bait bass anglers is KVD, check around for his vedio. There is no way I could pause a jerk bait for more than 5 seconds, it would drive nuts! For me it's the right size jerk bait at the depth the bass prefer to react and strike. Reel the jerk bait down , stop and give it a couple of jerks pause a seconds, then a few more jerks, reel pause and repeat. The cadence or number of jerks is determined by the bass. Length of jerk long or short or a mix of long and short, number of jerks; 1, 3, 2 and pause etc. Soft jerk baits like Flukes can be fished a lot slower and deeper. Tom

A pattern isn't necessarily a lure or it's action. Often several lures appeal to active feeding bass; the key Is active bass. For example during the Classic successful anglers determined the specific conditions that triggered the bass to become active , the depth those active bass preferred and the location those bass were feeding. Aaron Martens found active bass during pre fishing; the right depth and didn't determine why those bass were active, he assumed incorrectly slightly warmer and clearer water was then key. Aaron fished nearly all day trying to get bass he knew were there to react to the lures that worked in practice and never got a strike! Right lures, right depth wrong location under the environmental conditions during that time. Aaron gave up and only had time to catch 3 small bass before weigh in. Aaron figured it out too late, it was wind that triggered the bass activity; west wind on west faciing points with deep water. That was the winning pattern for the Classic, only Aaron missed the cut because of his mistake thinking clear and warmer water was the pattern on day 1. Cliff Pace was on the right pattern for 2 days, but on day 3 the wind died, then changed direction and his pattern disappeared and he almost lost the Classic. There is always more than 1 pattern the bass are using and the Classic runner up was on a different pattern and wind wasn't the key, green water with bait fish was the pattern. Nearly all the anglers figured the right depth and used lures that were effective at that depth and cold water temps. Tom

It should depend on wind and current. 1/4 oz is heavy enough in clam normal lake conditions for 6-8 lb line and 3" to 6" finesse worm used for most drop shot presentations down to 25', 3/8 oz down to 40'. If you use heavier line, then the increases. If you can feel the bottom, the weight is right Too heavy a weight and you may snag more often. Tom

Never had a chance to fish Smith Moiutain lake. I would classify this reservoir as a highland lake with multi-species, largemouth bass not being the prime predator. The bait fish are both dermasil and palegic, meaning fish that live near shore and off shore. The water is fairly clear with good depth of light. Put all this together and you have a wide spectrum of color choices! To give you my best guess I need to know a few more details; what types of lures and what depth do you fish most often? Are you targeting bass between 2 to 4 lbs or larger bass? Tom

Try to purchase rods with life time warranties, they cost a little more and last a very long time. Avoid rod makers who charge you to return their rods and keep in mind shipping long rods is expensive, if you can't return the rod to a local dealer. Returning the Loomis NRX for example will cost you $100, something to consider when paying $525+ tax for each rod; great rod with terrible return policy! Tom

x3The Waky Saddle kit is the next generation o-ring technique for rigging Senkos and plastic worms for the serious angler. If you have not tried it yet, you should! Tom

Wht area in the country do you live and fish in? And what type of bass do you fish for? Smallmouth bass prefer different colors than largemouth bass for example. Shad colors are good where shad are available for bass to eat and shad are not available where the water freezes during the winter. Tom

The reason I took the time and effort to post a detailed specific rig and presentation for light spinning tackle is; it has a long history of working everywhere for new bass anglers. The Verde river is a seasonal water way that dries up or goes underground most of the year. The bass live in ponds along stretches of the river bed, during dry periods. The Phoenix area also has several golf club and park ponds or small lakes with a bass population, plus several larger lakes on the Salt river drainage and lakes Alamo, Pleasant, San Carlos and the Morman trail lakes. All these waterways can be fished from shore with light tackle. Being a trout fisherman, you know about inline spinners like Panther Martin and fire tiger is a good bass color. The standard safety pin shape bass spinner baits require heavier tackle, as most bass lures. My advice is try the slip shot rig along break edges; deeper water next to shallower water with cover like cat tails or weed beds, any brush or tress, bass like shaded areas or rocky areas with deep water nearby. It's always a good idea to stick with one presentation until you learn how to fish it, then try others. Too much too soon only leads to frustration, fishing should be fun! Tom

When I began bass fishing mono line was new, we used braid (Dacron) and felt adventurous adding a mono leader, this was the '50s. Soft plastic worms had not been introduced to bass fishing, we only had hair jigs for bottom lures. Fast forward to the late 60's , soft plastic worms are here; Creams, Mann's and Strembridge and mono line. During the next 20 years millions of bass are caught using mono line and continues today. Bass fishing hasn't changed, the bass are the same and can be effectively caught using premium mono line. I started using Fluorocarbon line in the early 90's, long before most bass anglers heard of FC line. Also tried super braids and combination of braid and FC leader, just like in the '50's and had knot issues with FC line. Keep in mind I pride myself as a very good at knot tying and FC line is difficult to tie good knots consistantly. Braid is not the panacea to feeling bass bite worms or jigs. Fishing at night is a nightmare for a new bass angler, everything is harder to do at night; cast accurately, tie knots and land bass when you do hook them. It's a lot easier to close your eyes if you want to feel the strike. It's true bass strikes are more aggressive at night and it's a good for an experienced bass angler to sharpen skills, not a new angler. The only time I bass fish with braid is in heavy cover presentations, never in deep clear structure lakes with light cover. If braid would improve my catch rate, I would use it, it doesn't! Learn to watch and feel your line and you will become a better bass angler. Tom PS; I use and recommend FC line for both worm and jigs, knots are an issue nd FC line isn't essential to feeling strikes.

Reding this brings up the question what is a medium heavy bass rod? There isn't a standard to measure rod ratings and every rod maker uses the ratings differently, even between models of the same manufacturers . Here are the basics; 2 power = medium-light 3 power = medium 4 power = medium-heavy 5 power = heavy 6 power = extra heavy 7 power = XX heavy How rods bend are rated ; slow or moderate for half parabolic bend or 1/2 the rods bends, fast for 1/3 of the upper rod bend, very fast for 1/4 of the upper rod bends before the lower half starts to bend. All this is very subjective and dependent on the rod materials and rod guide placement. Custom rod makers offer rods in 1/2 power increments to finely tune the rod to the user's specifications. Tom

Your rod is light for most bass lures, the beetle spin can work for you. Your reel is very good.You need to scale things down if you plan to use your current tackle, considered ultra light for bass fishing. You don't need a lighter leader when bass fishing, 6 lb mono is OK tied direct to the lures. The simplest rig is the split shot rig or a finesse C-rig that I call a slip shot rig. Here is what you need to get started; 1. Package of size 1 Owner #5133 hook. 2. Package of 3/32 oz and 1/8 oz Mojo sliding weights. 3. Package each of Roboworms 5 1/2" curl tail worms in oxblood with red flake and MM II. 4. Package of BB size round split shot. Slide the mojo weight up the line then clamp on the round split shot. Now pull the line through the split shot about 3 feet, then cut off any line that is flatten by the split shot. Tie on the hook with a Palomar knot. Slide the split up the line about 24" and lightly reclinch the shot so it holds the mojo weight up the line. You are ready to rig the worm; Insert the hook into the nose of the worm just past the barb, then rotate the hook so it comes out the belly of the worm, should be bout 1/4" from the nose. Now pull the hook until the eye is about 1/8"from the worm nose, rotate the hook so the point is towards the worm belly and slowly pull the hook eye into the nose of the worm until it's covered with plastic. Now place the hook next to the worm on the outside nd look where the hook bend intersects the worm belly, this is the spot where the hook point needs to be inserted through the worm body, The worm should be straight with the hook throught the worm. Pull the hook back a little so the point is sticking out a little, pinch the worm then stick the point into the soft plastic . We call this skin hooked. You are redy to bass fish. Simply cast this out as far as needed, let it sink to the bottom and very slowly drag the weight along the bottom, stopping about every 3' for a few seconds. If you feel taps or ticks reel faster and sweep the rod back hard if you feel any weight. Good luck Set your drag with 2 lbs of tension. Tom PS; you have good bass tackle shops in your area.

Get a simple swimming pool thermometer, the water temps are critical when trying to figure our the seasonal periods. Check the water temps in the morning. 60 to 65 the bass are close to spawning, over 67 they are more than likely done. Look for beds in the shallower wind protected areas, beds can be anywhere from 1 foot of water to about 8 feet. Beds are usually about 1 1/2' to 2 1/2' in diameter with a smaller male bass sitting near it. If you see lots of smaller 1' diameter beds, those are bluegill beds and the bass are finished spawning. From shore a T-rigged or C-rigged soft politic worm 6" to 8" long work well. Fan cast the area. Again any points near the spawning coves or any deeper water in those areas should produce results. Translucent neutral colors like cinnamon with blue neon blood line or purple with blue neon blood line should work good there. Tom

Catching bass isn't about finding the panacea lure, it's about find where the bass are located. You say the surface water temp is 40 F, that is cold for DR this time of year, should be warmer! Talk to the spear fisherman and ask them where they see the most bass, what areas in the lake and what depth. Next task is determine what the bass are eating, the prey they prefer. Whenever I start to determine where bass should be is first determine what seasonal period the bass are in; Winter, pre-spawn, spawn, post spawn, summer and fall. 40 degree surface water would inducte winter period and that surprises me that far south, but it is what it is. Winter means the bass are deep, so fish the deeper ares near the dam, the long points with deep water around them. Use deep diving crankbaits in the afternoon and jigs and drop shot worms from a boat or c-rigged worms from shore. Size and colors depend on wht bait the lake has. Tom

Bait casting or spinning rod you should pick a rod that suits how you fish, what line return nd wht weight lures you plan to use. Gary Yamamoto for example only uses spinning tackle and there is a wide variety of rods to choose from. Need a little more input before making a suggestion. Tom

It maybe of interest to know Don Iovino, considered by the fresh water fishing hall of fame to be the Father of Finesse fishing didn't fish with spinning tackle, he used tuned 2500C bait casting reels and Phenix rods with 6 lb Maxima mono line. Don made Doddling or shaking "brass 'n glass" hand poured small worms. This is the forerunner of shaky head jigs, same presentation with flat face round head jig and worm. About the same time period, esrly 80's, Don competitor was Dick Trask, who won more tournaments then Don by split shotting and dart hed 4 to 5" curl tail worms. Trask used spinning tackle; Daiwa TD reels and Phenix rods, also with Maxima 6lb mono. Don and Trask used the same rod blanks and between them dominated western bass tournaments. Iovino and Trask knew how to power fish, but 5, 3 lb bass = 15 lb limit and gets a pay check in most tournaments fishing high traffic small lake on weekends. Not all finesse presentations are light tackle, stitching a split shot rigged 12" hand poured worm with 15lb line is also considered "finesse" presentation that trophy bass anglers used like Bill Murphy. Iovino's PB 18. Lb bass was caught shaking a 5" Smitty worm, not all finesse bass are 3 lbs! I recommend Don's book Finesse fishing and the sonar connection to anyone interest in finesse bass fishing. Tom PS; Aaron Martens credits Dick Trask for teaching him, as a young teen, how to tournament and finesse fish. Unfortunately Dick passed away before publishing any articles.

I think you should define what finesse fishing is for you. Fishing slowly isn't how I would define finesse fishing. To me finesse is Precission presentation of your lure to the bass. This means Knowing exactly where the bass are located and putting lures in their face, instead of presenting light weight lures on light line and hoping the bass will find it. Light weight lures and tackle help because the lure tends fall slower through the water column and are easier to control it's action. The easiest presentation to learn is drop shot, Split shot or slip shot (finesse C-rig) allows you to make longer cast and retrieve to cover more area faster, then the drop shot rig. Finesse jig fishing with small light weight jigs with small trailers or shaky heds with worms is Los targeting small areas and starting the spot thoroughly and takes time to pick apart the structure or over precisely. If you don't know if bass re on the spot, finesse is hrd to tick with, unless you get results. Tom

Thanks, that helps to eliminate heavy cover, flipping and pitching.So you are more than likely casting your T-rigged worms and jigs in light or sparse cove using 10# line. Mono line isn't a game breaker, tens of thousands of bass have been caught using mono line. Both braid and mono tend to float, whereas FC line tends to sink, sinking line reduces the belly or lose of contact on bottom bumping lures like jigs and T-rigged worms. FC line is a better choice, but not necessary. Line watching takes practice as does line feeling, you need to know what to look for and feel. If you keep the line tight between the rod rip and lure, the bass usually feel the tension and drops it. The key is keeping a slight mount of controlled slack. When you move the lure the line is tight, when the lure I falling through the water column the line has some slack. You can feel strike when moving the lure and it's more difficult when in the water column or sitting still on the bottom with slack line. To control slack you need to know how the weight feels, we call this weighing the jig or worm by feeling the line with your index finger having line from the reel run over the finger. The T-rig with a 3/16 oz bullet weight with a 6" worm feels different than a 1/4 oz weight with the same worm and with practice you can tell the difference. Same thing with jigs, each weight feels different. When you are fishing and the weight feels different it is usually because a bass has the lure in it's mouth, or it's going over something and it will not be in the basses mouth very long, so set the hook, swings are free. The classic aggressive strike is a definate tick or line moving, most strikes are slight weight changes. I watch the V the line makes as it cuts through the water as the lure sinks. When the line stops or the line jumps before it hits bottom is a strike. The pace or speed you move the lure along the bottom should be controlled and slow so you can feel the weight of the lure and bottom structure. If you can't feel the weight or the bottom, increase the weight of the lure, or slow down. Wind affects the feel for example and so does distance of the cast. Start out with shorter cast between 40' to 60'. Tom

What type of tackle are you using and what presentation or technique are you using? Rod, reel, line, type and weight of jig, style of jig or hook and worm size. Tom

I prefer slip shot over split shot because you have better strike detection and less line failure issues. Top brass Pro-Jo black 1/8 oz weight, 7mm tempered faceted glass bead pegged to the line with a Peg-It II and Owner down shot hook 5133 size 1 for smaller dia worms and 1/0 for fatter finesse worms. You can up size this rig with a 1/4 weight and 3/0 hook for lager 7 to 8" worms or GY Hula grubs ( jig fishing without a jig). Start with the weight about 14" above the hook and adjust longer out to 24" or longer depending on what the bass prefer. Strikes on a split or slip shot rig are often pressure bites; meaning slight added weight feel or rubber band like resistance. Set the hook by reeling fast and sweeping the rod back. Straight tail worms work, I usually split the tail about 1". Curl tail worms often work well depending on bass activity. Roboworms makes Reapers! Just be aware that reapers tend to spin if not rigged straight or retrieved to fast. The split shot rig often twist line, slip shot not as much, however line twist is an issue with spinning reels. To untwist line run about 100' behind the boat slowly for a few minutes without anything tied on. Also use a good line conditioner like KVD or TangleFree. Tom

Being a life B.A.S.S. charter member I ger Bassmaster and enjoy reading it. B.A.S.S. has gone through a few ownerships and honored the life memberships. In-Fisherman I was a charter and life member and they dropped both memberships with change of ownership, no longer read it. Bass Angler is a site sponsor and look at it on occasion. Western Bass digital magazine is my favorite, it covers lakes I fish by anglers I know. Tom

Super light rods and reels help you can feel the difference in the weight or lure resistance going through the water better than with heavier weight tackle. Detecting strikes from bass you can't see is about changes in the line movement caused by the bass engulfing your lure and this happens a lot more than you know. If rod sensitivity has anything to add it's allowing the angler to detect line moving or no movement. Bass don't have hands, they can only affect the lures movement or weight by striking it with their mouth, not by looking at it or swimming near it......set the hook, swings are free. Tom

Sears & Roebuck, now Sears initiated the satisfaction garrantee with free produced replaced, the reason ; Sears doesn't make any of their products, you the customer are the quality control. Abu stopped making their own reels for general public use and has the reels made in China to their specs and you the customer are the quality control. Trust the Chinese to follow the rules and use proper metals and not cut corners. Your replacement reel may or may not work well and can return it again if needed. Tom PS; Chinese counterfeit parts is costing the US billions of $$$ each year.

The odds are on Jason Christie, not familiar with Jason. I believe the drop shot experts dominate this event due to the deep structure bite in the cold weather and water conditions. Aaron Martens is the drop shot angler in the field, both Omori and Miyazasi are good deep structure anglers and you can't count out Edwin Evers, knows the lake and how to win. Ike is the wild card, very versatile and determined. If KVD gets on fish, he is the man. I hoping for Aaron and think all those mention will make the cut. Tom PS; my tract record on picking tournament winners is zero winners!

If you know bass are in the area and what depth they are likely to strike, you have a "feel" the bass will strike and become highly aware of slight stike indicators. Feeling a lures hydrodynamic swimming motion change is way over the top, feeling a bump or lose of vibration indicating a missed strike and anticipating the bass may return and strike agian is closer to what happens. Tom

This site has one official attractant or bass scent sponsor; MegaSrike listed on the right side bar and unofficial JJ's Magic. I believe MegaSrike is worth trying, JJ's Magic may requires special handling from what has been posted.My preferences based on my experiences are; Pork rind trailers, fresh garlic and pure anise oil. Soft plastics, except swimbit, Edge Hot Sauce. Soft plastic swimbaits, Pro-Cure trout butter. Attractants that have worked for me; Bang, Smelly Jelly and original Berkley bass attractant. Tom