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On Monday, May 18 I fished Lake Cherokee by my home and had a big bass pop my line. What was upsetting is that I had just spooled the line on the spinning rig and to have it snap was a big surprise. Today, May 19, fishing off the same dock but with a new spinning rig setup and fresh line I nailed her again and this time, by letting the line out via the spinning reel's drag, I managed to fight and land her. She is about six pounds, if not more, and a very pretty and healthy lady. I removed my jig head and Zoom Junebug trick worm and as I was lowering her into the water I noticed some line coming out of her mouth. I figured that I had rehooked her when I took the photos. But no! What I saw was a jig head and Zoom Junebug trick worm just starting to go down her throat. The bait I lost yesterday. I grabbed the jig and removed the hook with no damage to her throat and let her go. She swam off a very happy and healthy lady. I need to rebend the jig head hook and it is ready to go. I also saved the trick worm and plan to use it again this week. Now to catch the other two bass that broke off yesterday and today due to faulty line and remove those hooks and baits from their mouths.

The best from this past weekend. Top fish was from a reservoir in Maryland and the bottom fish was from the Tidal Potomac River.

well surgery went great; all as expected. good i had it done as the dr said the tendon was worse than the mri showed. one armed bandit for a couple few months now. thank you all for the kind words. much appreciated.

Exactly. I catch an 18lber and the servers for this forum would get overloaded with pictures. The newspaper would be called, I would have to buy new underwear, and fish and game would be called.... Not in that order either

Welcome to bass fishing. If your goal is competitive tournament bass fishing there is a lot to learn....one step at a time. The best way is to find a mentor to fish with, local bass club may be a good place to start. Keep in mind that tournament anglers are very tight lipped and can be a difficult to learn from. Would yo be willing to name one of the lakes you plan to fish? We can look at the lake map, you need to get a map to make notes on. Be glad to point out areas on your lake where bass should be located and the reasons why the bass should be there. Locating bass is essential to catching them. There are lots of ways to catch bass, start with high percentage presentations that work for bass between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 lbs, these are your bread and butter tournament size bass and easiest to catch. Tell us something about the tackle you have, rod & reel, line, so we can suggest lures and presentations suited for you. Good luck. Tom

Hardbaits yes, plastics no. Bill Norman speed clips are good, or plain snaps....skip the swivels.

I started seriously tournament fishing during the early 70s on Toledo Bend & Sam Rayburn with some of the best anglers B.A.S.S. has ever seen. Even today their names would intimidate anyone but back then they were simply guys I fished with weekly. The best advice ever...K.I.S.S.!

That Ugly stick Light is probably too soft and light imo if you are already changing out the hooks, I would leave the hooks on the KVD lures, Strike King does a good job with hooks, and if you are like me, I used to put the KVD trebles on many cranks but those are 2x strong I believe, so you need some backbone to get those hooks in, you also need to feel the fish before swinging.... But as guys said, sometimes they just get off, but I find with the right rod and line, even one treble in the fish, especially from shore, is all on me and my rod and line choice...I use spinning gear as much as possible from shore, a good 6'6" rod allows you to cast all over the place and skip baits etc..plus a medium action rod meant for cranking with some backbone really helps, but tip needs to be slow.... I would make sure you are using fluoro or Mono and try to wait for the fish to take it and I know that is tough to do, I am not even sure how long I wait since with the right rod and stretch, even if I set to quickly, the hook set turns out to be fine where if I had braid it would pull the lure away....I used to lose a lot of fish and it was not just fish getting off, it was 100% my fault on how I was landing them and if it was a big fish I would get excited and force them in too quickly. That is a good rod you have, I feel the ugly sticks are great for crankbaits, but you don't need a 2x strong hook if that is what is on them, and some 1x strong are also too thick, regular VMC Inlines work fine for me and I focus on the front hook, if they are grabbing the rear hook, then I would downsize the lure, slow down maybe, try changing lures for a slower floater if they are taking it after deflection, all that stuff that seems trivial matters and I have seen videos that Glenn has done on this site that instantly sent me to the store to get a different rod and I don't use expensive rods for the most part, but I always use good line and have my drag set properly, Strike king lures and a 1.5...Tie it on from the box and make sure you are getting a good set since most ugly sticks have a whippy action which is good once they are buttoned usually..Hope that helps, everyone fishes differently and sometimes you just learn through trial and error, or ask someone you know or visit a tackle shop and tell them your problem and show them your set up.....Most Local tackle shops want to give you the right info to help you catch fish so you come back, and most owner's of small tackle shop's know how to fish from my experiences and almost alway's help me out...

Here is my theory on losing fish on crankbaits like squarebills, topwater's etc... I believe too many people swap out stock hooks thinking that will help and for lipless crankbaits I would agree that often you can go larger and it will help you and also having a larger split ring gives the fish less chances of losing fish. I used to have a terrible landing percentage with any type of crankbait and I actually had a good landing rate when it came to hard jerkbaits/ripbaits but I fished with a very good angler a few years ago who watched me bend out a treble on a Pop R', lose 50% of my fish on a crankbait, and after I lost a good fish that really upset me, before I dug into my box to change out trebles and sharpen them, he simply told me I had the wrong rods for the job and to swap out all my braid for fluorocarbon for Mono when it comes to trebles....I thought about it and at first was resistant because I thought braid was the best for horsing in fish out of the grass, but I watched him skillfully land almost all of his fish with the same amount of effort because he had the right rods and line.... For crankbaits, I feel that is the most important rod as it needs to be a crankin rod which is whippy and has a slow tip (especially if you are throwing braid) Obviously there are things you can do to fix this and plenty of great articles and videos on this site to explain this, and I realized that on my floating jerkbaits with trebles, I never had a hook bend, fish would slap at it and miss is like they just do, but once I hooked them rarely did they get off.....That is because I alway's used a Hand me down rod from my Brother which was a short Spinning Rod that had a soft tip and decent backbone so I could still walk the dog or cast light floaters easily, but I was not losing fish because I had a soft rod and it was Medium action, and most importantly I had a Mono that floated in 12lb test which caused me to give fish some drag and not horse them, but at the same time not smack the water every time I twitched the bait, in short it was my favorite rod for topwaters and jerkbaits because I could feel the fish, make accurate casts, and it was the right tool for the job.... For a cranking rod, I have a fiberglass whippy rod and one that has a slow tip but heavy action and backbone which get's loaded up with 17-20lb mono or fluoro, and I have yet to bend a stock hook ever since. Most lures, especially Strike King come with good hooks, and I don't like dropping tons of money so I would replace lures with VMC trebles anyhow and that is pretty much the least expensive hook all companies use and they are plenty good imo. When I read that Rebel Stock hooks are terrible, I could not disagree more since Pradco puts those hooks on most of their lures and the Rebel Pop'R for example in the normal size which is small comes with light wire #6 trebles, and yes those are smaller and you could put a #4, but if the hook is too thick, you have to set way too hard and will get less penetrations with the right rod....When a fish takes a crankbait, if he only has one treble than the key is not having braid and horsing the fish in, if you are in weeds, and I mean heavy weeds, maybe the Rebel pop'r is not the right lure for heavy weeds, if you want a fast action rod with a heavy action, let's say a flipping stick, then I would throw a Sebile Splasher instead since it comes with Owner ST-41 trebles and I know they are not bending or I use a saltwater grade topwater (Bass are not aware of the difference between the saltwater wakes vs. Freshwater wakes, only difference is the guage of hooks and size of split rings....You can horse a Bass with 3x strong trebles, and a heavy rod with heavy split rings without worry if you have the right tools. I only bend hooks on lures when I use a lure designed for 6-10lb test on 20lb braid and I play the fish wrong...I have been fishing for 30 years but in the last 7 years or so in Florida I have learned why it is important to have at least 5-6 rods and different lines for applications....If I am fishing Lake Toho for a day, then I will upgrad a treble to a 2x strong or 1x strong if using heavy braid or rods, and if I want to throw a Rapala Floating minnow, I know those hooks and the lure are designed for light line, so I will use 20lb braid, maybe a leader for stretch but I find that doesn't help me, I just use a rod that is softer and I put better hooks on the 3-5 squarebills I am using for the day and test them in the water before going, changing hooks on crankbaits can mess up action, or make it better...Hope that helps.....If I am throwing the Red Fin I use a heavy action and fast tip short casting rod with braid since they are tough to cast as they are light but come with 4x strong trebles, so you will land almost every fish if you swing harder than usual, since thicker hooks need to penetrate more skin....

Do you need a hug?

delicious! Please give me a reason to justify this purchase for myself, living in so fla with shopping carts, stolen cars and whatever else in the water. It has been in and out of my cart 6 times since yesterday. I talked myself into a metanium and alderbaran which is on the way.

I use Bill Norman Speed Clips for hardbaits.

Honesty will gain you more friends and reputation than any tall tale my friend. When you are honest, people may not always like what they hear, but they can't ever fault you. Learn from it and grow. Stick around too, great group of guys here with unlimited knowledge.

Teeth marks on your weight! Tom

Welcome to BR from a fellow NC member. You've come to the right place for info. Tons and tons of it here. Read, and read some more. Do your homework, and most importantly implement what you learn on your own water and you'll be catching big 'ins in no time!

I did my first tourney, you gotta put in the time researching and believe in yourself. Then it will happen, it could be you next tourney, next year or ten years from now till you start doing it consistently. It's tough and nobody does all the time look at Vandam. Just put your tryst in God, practice hard, do your research and then perform on game day

I'm already having a tough day if I'm down to color choice. I generally only have a few colors of a certain bait. Cranks even less - usually only one color, MS American Shad.

We need Sales & Deals. We've been getting them all along, and the members are the only ones that could make it better. How? Support this site's sponsors. Many sponsors have been here over the years, and almost of them announce special sales aimed right at us as members. The more business these sponsors get from us, the more others will decide to join up, and the more benefits you'll gain. And speaking of deals, are you happy with the price Glenn charges you to access this place? Just how much do you have to pay to read the extensive libraries (print and video) on this site? Does the price you pay go up when more and more people decide to sign up and log in? Once you've thought about those answers, head on over to your favorite "They Don't Charge Shipping" websites and see what they have to offer in the way of articles, videos, or forums. There's a real forest here folks, it's not the trees that are blocking your view of it!

Geo I think that's where we were. We were trying out new water and like a dummy I wasn't paying too much attention to the mile markers. No missing me. Red and Grey Storm with Carlos Garcia painted on the motor. One of these days I've got to wet sand that guys name off my motor! lol

Mission accomplished!

I was 16 when I first joined a club and was concerned about being treated differently but I found a good club and was welcomed with open arms. Be courteous, be polite, don't be afraid to ask questions, pay attention, offer to help where you can, and have fun. I learned a ton fishing in a club and would recommend anyone that is interested to give it a try.

Sorry guys. I found a Curado I for $100 shipped, and bought that. Now I guess I need to learn how to use a non-VBS Shimano reel.

I will throw out that a couple of years ago I had a week where I lost a ton of fish, trying different poles, drag settings, harder hook sets, adding a second or third set while retrieving, nothing helped. Then all of a sudden the issues disappeared, with no notable change by me. The worst are when you play a fish halfway to shore and they come unbuttoned when you have steady pressure on them. Sometimes it's just fishing, don't let it get into your head and slay them next trip out.

Weightless lizard, cast it onto the weeds, swim it across the top, then let it sink once it's off the edge of the weeds

ya, sure!

I will also fish them on a weighted hook and swim them along the bottom.It is a killer from pre-spawn all the way to late summer!!!!

40 6in bass in a small pond.. sounds like alot of stunted starving fish.. but a whole lota fun

The bait monkey got me again today.... I went in to DSG and used up some coupons.... I picked up a new Minn Kota trolling motor and my first fish finder. I picked up the Lowrance Elite 3x. This is the low end model but I figured it would be good enough for what I do. The last time I looked at a fish finder it looked like this...... This new one will be high tech and confusing as you know what.

My little system is not new or original but it works for me. I first tend to use a moving bait like a spinnerbait or finesse swimbait in my favorite color. White or some translucent white color. No bites ... I slow down with a mojo rig or dragging bait. Green pumpkin. If it's gin clear I go watermelon or watermelon red. Dirtier ... black/blue. Any other colors I choose are merely for entertainment purposes only.

X2

Ouch.

Welcome to bass resource. Since you're 17, I assume you're going to college correct? If you are, see if there's a fishing club or if there's a fishing team you can join. I live in California and am apart of my school's fishing team. The club will introduce you to new ideas for bass fishing. I just experience my first tournament and didn't do as well as I expected, but I learned a lot from it.

Aaaaand, results are in from the Lunch-Hour Ned Rig Tryout: Hmm. Do white bass count?

I immediately thought of this rod. Ironic you need it for a Gan Craft lure. I use mine for peacocks in Brazil. You will not be disappointed. They come up on Ebay as well as other Japanese sites. I forgot where I got mine. http://www.gancraft.com/english/products/superbrain/

North of Lincoln on 93 you could hit Profile lake or Echo lake. Both very good trout ponds. You could also drive west on 112 for about 7 miles and hit Beaver pond. If you're willing to travel a bit further, drive north on 93 past Littleton,NH and hit up Moore Reservoir which is loaded with some huge bass (both SM and LM), trout and northern Pike.

JLS hooked it up with some fish arrow's Will be testing these two out today.... Hedgehog air's, red avail screw set, zpi handle, knobs, bearings. Might throw a red avail side cover on...

The blue fishing has been insane on the coast this year. starting to slow now, maybe the stripers will feel safe enough to come in now. BTW nite is the best time for strippers, just be careful what you take home. Sorry could not resist. C22

Definitely don't get into this looking to save money cause you always find something you want to tinker with and end up spending more money on tools to modify something to get what you want. I started with jigs and moved to soft plastics now I started building rods. I guess my next step is to build a mold and start laying fiber glass for a hull lol jk. Barlows tackle has always been good for picking up molds and components for lure building as well.

We're done here.

There is no "best" line, everyone has different preferences. I would suggest putting a different line on each to see which one you prefer.

I like hoorag. Cheap and gets job done.

Could the fish have been guarding a bed?

I built and owned a two acre pond yrs ago.I can tell you with certainty that fish become acclimated to lures and line.I used to feed the bass minnows. They would gobble them up,until I put a small bare hook w/minnow with line on it. No dice. Bluegills ==ehh not that smart

Here's what I know. The environment (and the bass) change fast, and we fishermen are often the last to adapt. If they're under the scum as you say; well, go after them instead of fishing the little open water there is.

It depends on what you want to do. Makelure.com is Larry Dahlberg's website. It has great videos and a forum devoted to lure making. Their products are geared more toward 100% do it yourself. Which gives you way more creativity. Jannsnetcraft.com (probably the best for beginners because they have a little bit of everything). They have a wide variety of stuff from spinners/buzzbaits, wooden crankbait, and soft plastics. The are a little salty, but it's the best place to get things like wire, hook hangers, and thing of that nature. Bass tackle molds and do-it molds are the best when it comes to aluminum cnc machined molds. Hobby Lobby is where I get all my paint, glue and epoxy. They always have printable 40% off coupons on their website, which makes buying an airbrush a little easier. Hope this helps.

that sucks big time. For what theyre gonna give him, he'll be able to buy a new Touch 12 and a canoe.

Stopped by the local bait and tackle-Wacky Worm. They don't have much of a internet presence but they are loaded with baits. Picked up a nice 3/4 flat head brush jig, some neko sinkers, a pack of Power Team jig craws and 1/16 weighted hooks for wacky rigging senkos. I'm really interested in trying the neko rig on my plastics to see if that technique works.