WRB-2.0

The late Bill Murphy's book; In Pursuit of Giant Bass, is a must read for any avide bass fishermen and gives a good insight into the trophy bass fishermen mind set. I became a trophy bas fisherman with my fisrt double digit bass way back in 1959, that is a long time in pursuit of giant bass. In my opinion you must fish for big bass to consistanly catch big bass. A blind squirrel may occasionally find an acorn. If the squirrel lives in an oak tree, it's chances increase and are very good he will find the acorn. Same is true for bass fisherman, anyone can catch a bass of a lifetime, few can catch them consistantly. Like the squirrell in the oak tree, it helps your success if you fish where big bass live. My self imposed handy cap of not fishing with live bait has limited my success to some degree. I believe however fishing with lures has had a benefit in regards to learning big bass habits and honning my fishing skills to become consistanly successful at catching these truely special bass. There is no reason to lose a big bass from tackle failure. Big bass break your line because you allowed that to happen and made a critical error. We all make mistakes and mistakes are extremely costly in pursuit of giant bass. Your goal is to put the bass in the boat. There isn't any reason to break off big bass, or let them get into something and foul your line. You must keep focused and plan ahead, if you want to be a successful big bass fisherman. The thought of going out and not catching any bass during a trip doesn't enter my mind and it does bother me if I get skunked. I believe you can't use the excuse "I was fishing for big bass, so it doesn't matter if I catch anything", it should bother any bass fisherman to get blanked. If you can't catch a few average size bass you don't have a snow balls chance in H to catch big bass consistantly. WRB

With the popularity of kayaks, there are some really good clamp on accessories availble today. Humminbird 140C for example should work well for you. A hand held GPS will give you the way points you need to return to any specific outside spot you find. Before electronics we used triangulation; linning up 3 shore landmarks to remember where the spots were. Natural lakes are difficult to determine where there may be outside channels, humps, rock piles or whatever, however the lay of the land should give you some clues. Look around and keep you eyes and ears open; Grebes or other diving birds feeding out away from shore indicates bait fish, splashes or swirls out in the middle of know where should be checked out. Scale the C-rig down to a slip shot rig using 1/8 oz mojo type slip sinker and small round slit shot for a weight stopper, or a plastic Carolina keeper. Drop shot is another option for small plastics. In line spinners are very effective on smaller lakes. WRB

Without a sonar unit you are really just guessing what may be in deeper water. The thermocline will dictate at what depth the life zone will be in any lake during both the summer and winter periods. Without knowing where the thermocling is located, try to stay above 25 feet, that is deep enough in most lakes, unless the water clarity is allows you to see 25 feet, then go down below the depth of light. If you have a good sonar unit, look for the depth the bait fish are holding and try to meter the thermocline, then fish that depth zone within a few feet, during the mid day time period. Clear water lakes are usually excellent night or low light period lakes, so try night fishing, the bass tend tomove up into water less than 10 feet or so, during the summer nights. Smallmouth tend to stay deeper than largemouth so fish the deeper break lines for smallies. WRB

You need to provide all the fish in the pond a place to spawn, hide from larger predators, including birds. Build some rock piles, block piles, brush piles, gravel areas and deep water channels. If you don't have a few large trees along the shore, plant some. 5 acre pond; plant the bait fish at least 6 months to a year before planting fingerling bass. Pumpkin seed sun fish and some variety of minnow and crayfish are normally recommnded for ponds that size. I would take some of the bass to have them aged by the local DNR to determine what age they are. 2000 to 2008 is 8 years and the bass in a pound could live well beyond 10 years. The 6+ was more than likely the first year class you stocked, then you lost several year classes from preditation by the larger fish until the larger bass were removed. Crappie, if that was what you had, spawn before the bass and that isn't a good balance for a pond, becuase crappie are minnow eaters and prey on the bass fry. Bluegill and pumpkin seeds spawn after the bass, so thier fry become bass food. Bluegill are egg eaters and will eat some of the bass eggs, however should not off set the balance of the fishery. WRB

In regards to being on the water as the sun breaks dawn's early light, it is an important time to be in tune with nature in sprite. As far as bass fishing is concerned; the summer warm water period in lakes that have threadfin shad for example, dawns early light is the time the bait fish migrate out from thier night hidding places and the predator bass are active looking for an easy meal. The reverse happens at dusk, the shad or bait fish return to shoreline hidding places and the bass ambush them. Lakes that don't have shad migration usually have crawdads, sunfish and other young of the year bait fish moving near cover to take advantage of emerging insect life and the low light conditions offer the predator bass an advantage to capture prey. The suns rays penetration into water changes radically as it raises higher above the horizone. About 30 degrees angle above horizone (9 AM or so in the summer) the rays can almost penetrate to maximum depth and this signals a change to how predators like bass position to ambush prey; they move deper into cover to take advantage of shadows or out into deeper water to take advantage of shools of migrating bait fish. The active shoreline bass now require a change in presentation techniques to continue to catch them as the sun light becomes more intense. My preference is to fish the low light periods during the summer; the bass are generally more active and my toasted skin can no longer tolerate intense sun light, plus it good for my soul to keep in touch with nature. WRB

Ponds and small lakes are affected by the thermocline during the summer period. The deep water may not have enough DO, dissolved oxygen below the thermocline for the bass to survive. At night the weeds stop producing DO and consume it, so the levels drop during the night hours. Some ponds that have a lot of weed growth, also have poor water clarity, making it difficult for the bass to find anything near the bottom. Surface lures that bass can trap agianst the surface or near the surface work well under those conditions. The wooden Jitterbug is one of the most effective night lures ever made as it makes a lot of waves and sound with a steady retrieve that the bass can easily target. The best night fishing lakes usually have good water clarity and a mixture of rocky, sandy, clay, brush and weed areas for the bass to locate. WRB

My advice for night bass fishing is to " keep it simple". Everything you do at night is more difficult, especailly tying good knots. Your first trip; take a cell phone a let someone know you are out fishing. take a spare flash light and a small pen light. A cap with LED light is a good item. Bug spray before you start fishing and wash your hands. Bass roam the shallower water looking for prey at night, so there will always be some bass up tight to cover, unless you are fishing for smallmouth. Go up in line size; 15 lb mono minimum and increase the hook size to match larger worms. I would start with Texas rigged worms; 7 1/2" and 10" black with blue flake and Tequlia sunrise. Gamakatsu or Owner 5/0 G lock wide gap worm hooks, 3/16 oz bullet sinker with rattles. Bass strike hard at night and tend too move off with the worm, so be prepeared to drop the rod tip, reel in the slack line and set into slightly slack line when using the 10" worm. Good luck. WRB

The 640c isn't a big wide screen unit, it has a 5" screen. The transducer for the 320c may not be interchangeable with the 640c. I would use the 640c up front where you fish. You should be considering a good sonar/GPS unit for the consul. To get the most from your unit, learn to operate the unit manually in lieu of on auto. Remember the area of the signal return is only 1/3 of the depth of water you are metering, directly below the tranducer location. I would also set both units up on RAM ball mounts for easy viewing, removal and interchanging units, if the TD's are compatiable.. WRB

I second the 3rd Grip product pole holster; http://www.3rdgrip.com/ WRB

How do you catch a big fish if you loose it? The goal is to land it, everything else is is just fishing. WRB

The term pond has a different meaning depending where you live. The size of the small body of water should be the definning criteria, however like most terms in bass fishing, each region has there own interpretation. Where you live, Wisconsin, Minnesota ponds are called lakes as in the land of 10,000 lakes. Where I come from a pond is a small body of water less then a 1/8 mile long or 10 acres, about 2 football fields, anything larger is called a lake. WRB

2 acres is a tiny pond to be adding 50 bass into, unless the pond didn't have any bass to start with and the new bass are fingerlings. You stated the bass were spawning, indicates the pond has a stable bass population established. 200 lbs of minnows may seem like a lot, 4 lbs per each bass added, however it's like feeding 50 sharks, the minnows won't last very long. In a small pond there is a pecking order, the bigger bass dominate the smaller fish and locate in areas around the pond that fits there needs; easy access to prey. The smaller bass must roam to find prey and tend to cruise the insdie weedline, the adult bass the outside weedline zones and best ambush sites. WRB

The lake should be full of several year classes of bass, unless it's new and the bass you see are the first year class. The adult bass you want to slay are there now. During the summer period the adult size bass are out in deeper water and only come near the bank a short time during day light periods and return during low light hours and after dark. Califronia Florida strain largemouth bass can grow to 12" in less than year, over 10 lbs is about 7 years in reservoirs. Bass in ponds are dependant on availble forage and the bass population per acre. WRB

The big difference between any mount is how well the artist paints the fish and how long the mount looks good without deteriorating. Fiberglass molded replicas only require one bass of a specific size to make up a mold. For example a 12 lb bass with a girth 75% length and another 12 lb bass with a girth 90% of it's length represents 99% of the 12 lb bass caught; northern and Florida strain is all the taxidermist needs to inventory. A good photo of the bass gives the artist who paints the fish an idea of what color scheme to use. A fish shin used to make the mount is gray color before painting, the fiberglass is white. Options like mouth open, straight body or acrhed body are different molds or forms. I have a few skin mounts that date prior to fiberglass replica's and they have aged a lot, changing color, a few cracks etc. The replica mounts look like new after 20 years; the paint is still life like, as if the bass just came out if the water. WRB

Your bass would be about 25 1/2" long X 22 1/2 girth to be 12 lbs., in CA. Roberts Fish Mounts, Robert Munoz, 626/222.1366 is the bst in the business, IMO. WRB

Deep is a relative statement; how deep; 30 feet or 15 feet? It's early summer so my best guess deep is somewhere around the 20 foot depth in most high-land or hill-land reserevoirs or 8 feet in most low-land reservoirs. Short term air temperature changes are related to weather fronts, cooling means low pressure fronts, clouds with light wind generally improve the fishing. Storm fronts are more radical events, higher winds and greater temperature/pressure changes, which in turn affect the water conditions more. The bass that are up shallow will tend to more tighter to cover, the deeper bass are affected less, however can be more difficult to fish due to the wind. The core water temperature should not change too much; 2 to 3 degrees, unless a lot of rain and run off occurrs, then the water clarity and temperatures can change more. Bass will move to stay in the warmer water about 70 to 75 degrees, if available during the summer period. WRB

I agree with the 10% weight gain/loss for spawn to pre spawn bass. 10% of 7 lbs is .7 lbs gian or loss, in this fish it's gain; 6.7 +.7 = 7.4 lbs. as an estimate with eggs. Good size northern strain largemouth bass. Next time measure the basses length and girth; mouth closed from tip of jaw to center of tail and around the widest area, dorsal fin down. L x L x G / 1200 = weight, should be very close. note somewhere this has gotten reversed; L x G x G /1200, incorrect. The IGFA was L x G x G /800, good for marlin, not bass. WRB

Your tackle is OK for the worms you ae fishing, the hooks are too small for Texas rigging. The hook gap needs to be 3X the worm diameter for the T-rig. Try using a Gamakatsu Wide gap weedless finesse hook size 1/0 for the 5" to 6" Senko type worms and nose hook or wacky hook the worm. If you plan on T-rigging, then use a 3/0 wide gap G-Lock style hook and texpose the hook point. The old cross their eyes hook setting will not help, try reel setting and sweeping the rod back for better hook pentration with the weedless hook rig. The heavier the hook wire the more force is required, that is why it's important to expose the hook point, then pinch the worm at the hook point location to cover the point slightly. Give the weedless finesse rig a try, you can get a good hook set with 6 to 8 lb mono, with 12 lb and med/hvy fast action rod,you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck. WRB

The time of day is only one factor to consider, the most important is the seasonal period and weather conditions for artifical lure fisherman. My top 5 bass, 17 lbs to 19 lbs were caught between 8A to 11A time period, pre spawn, cloud cover with slight wind or light rain. Mid day blue bird sunny days with calm conditions may favor the live bait fisherman, not the lure fisherman, we need help with low light conditions. WRB

Once you know where the bass are located and what they are feeding on, catching them should be simple and some times it is. If you fish only one lake and fish it regularily, determing where the bass are located and what they are eating shouldn't be a big challenge to anyone, some times it can be. However if you don't accept the fact that bass locate at specific areas and feed on different prey based on the seasonal periods, you may never become consistant at catching bass. Some science is a good thing, too much can become an over load, there is a balance for each individual to achieve. My routine when launching my boat is to check the weather, look around the dock, check the water temperature, then meter the marina to determine if any bait or bass are there and at what depth. With the marina information and knowledge of the seasonal period, I will have a good idea where the bass should be located, what they should be feeding on and at what depth to start fishing. Scientific, yes to some degree. I have used this technique for at least 35 years and fished in nearly every state where bass live and caught bass successfully on lakes that I have never fished before. You can rent a tin boat, go out on the lake and catch bass without any knowledge, some of the time. With the basic knowledge of bass behavior and seasonal periods, you can up the odds and catch bass the majority of the time, anywhere you fish. WRB

Basser89 I fished out of a aluminum boat for years that had a home made 80 quart Colemen cooler for a livewell. I installed a PVC pipe that ran across the top edge with spray holes to aerate the water, using the same pump that filled the cooler with a valve to switch the water flow. However I also made a 8 foot stringer with safety clips that holds 2 bass and a weight to keep the bass in the lake water, down about 7 feet, as much as possible, using the livewell to transport bass in lieu of keeping them in the livewell. I still use the stringer to this day for keeping big bass alive until I want to release them. Some southern lakes with alligators you wouldn't try the stringer technique. I keep a simple pool thermometer in the livewell and keep the water about 70 degrees during the summer, using chlorine free ice to cool it. WRB

See http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bassblack/spotted/ The best method to determine if the bass is a spotted bass and not a largemouth bass is to feel the tongue. Spotted bass have teeth on their tongue, largemouth don't. The connected dorsal fin can be difficult to confirm on some spots and coloration changes with water chemistry. If you are fishing in Texas, the Guadalupe bass also has teeth on it's tongue, looks like a spot, but this bass isn't a common fish. Basically if it fights like a smallmouth and looks like a largemouth; it more than likely a spotted bass. WRB

The fact is most tournament fisherman believe putting bass in the livewell and recirculating water on a timely basis keeps the bass alive and in good health. As the senario points out there is more going on in a live then recirculating water. Understanding that bass breath dissolved oxygen in controlled levels; must higher than 3 mg/L and lower than 12 mg/L of DO is important during the warm water summer period. Cooler water holds higher levels of DO and when the water temperatures exceed 75 degrees the DO dispurses quickly. Because of the 2 factors; low DO and high water temperatures, it is very important not to add 80 degree surface water to the live well, you may be killing the bass, not helping them. Every tournament bass boat should be equiped with an oxygenator pump that adds DO to the water, not hot water. Adding ice to the water is OK if the ice was frozen using de chlorinated water or frozen water bottles that contain the water. Adding with ice with chlorine is OK if other live well additives like Catch & Release are added. During the summer warm water period it is essentail that the live well water is kept in the low 70's and DO levels around 7 mg/L. No matter how well you manage your livewell a percentage of the bass will die of post stress. If you have a bass that has rolled over, don't toss it in the lake and let it die later, keep it. For you night tournament fisherman; the DO producing weeds are comsumming DO at night, lowering the surface DO levels. Do not recirculate warm low level DO water into the live well at night. WRB

Before I try to answer to your question about females moving to summer patterns, let me ask this; what do you believe a summer pattern is where you fish? The bass calendar is made into the following; winter cold water period, transition to pre spawn, spawn, transition to post spawn, summer, fall periods. 6 baisc periods, all with a different patterns inter mixing on a daily basis. Bass spawn at different times around the lake, it's natures way to prevent a catastrophic loss of all the spawn. Big females bass may spawn several times at different nest sites before releasing all their eggs, they don't dump everything onto one bed. However it takes a bass one annual cycle to develope mature eggs. Most larger lakes will have 3 spawning cycles lasting about 3 months depending on how stable the water temperature remains. To answer the question; like most things in nature there is a pecking order, the most successful survive. The female spawns over a week or more period, then moves off to a sancturary place to rest and recuperate for about 5 days. Following the recuperation period the bass move to start feeding and continue the hunting and feeding cycle until the next spawn period in about a year. Summer period patterns vary greatly from lake to lake and bass to bass, they are not all the same. Big bass tend to move to deeper cooler water during the warm summer period and move to shallower water to feed at low light periods, like night. Young adult bass tend to stay close to the young of the year baitfish and prey to feed. Whatever patterns these feeding cycles take is a puzzle we all try to determine every time out on the water. WRB

You got a lot of conflicting info on this post. Smallmouth have connected dorsal fins and their jaw to eye alignment is similar to the spotted bass. The spotted bass has a patch of teeth on it's tongue, all bass have fine teeth on the roof of their mouths. Coloration changes with locale, however similar to LMB. You are more then likely catching smallmouth or northern strain largemouth bass where you live. Smallmouth are brownish and largemouth greenish color. http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bassblack/spotted/ WRB