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Some lures catch fish.. some lures catch fisherman. I know for sure I'd have alot less stuff if someone let me in on this little secret without finding it out for myself.

When you catch a fish don't take it for granted. Take the time to try an understand why that fish was there, why it bit the bait you presented. Look at the depth, water color, temp, wind direction, shadows, structure, cover, try and take in as much as you can about why, why, why. It can really help you start to understand some things, and find a pattern. Trust your instinct and don't let anyone talk you out of them, find out for yourself.

Don't miss the forest for the trees.Enjoy bass fishing and understand that everyone has slow days in fishing. Relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Went fishing today at the pond I described in one of my first posts here and finally caught my first bass! My heart was pounding so fast at the fact that I finally hooked one. http://imgur.com/s0IjikU Thanks to this forum that I'm learning some stuff. Caught him on a white 3/4 oz. spinnerbait.

One thing that stands out to me about the replies on this thread. IF, someone had given the advice that we now find valuable, way back when, would we have been wise enough to listen and done as we were told? I'm sure we all got good advice from our parents when we were young. How many of us ignored that wisdom and went out and did something stupid anyway?

Not to go and buy a bunch of baits. I did and then didnt use half of them.

The past few seasons, the mid & especially late fall bass bite for me has been all about The Blade Bait. After reading about how & where to present them I set out fishing it. Wow, the initial result were pleasantly surprising. The more I fished it the more I learned about them the better the results. Since that first time out, I’ve had some very memorable days on the water bouncing one of these little guys along the bottom of the local lakes. But it’s time for a change. This fall I’m going to venture into the Umbrella rig zone. First making a major splash in bass fishing back in 2011 when Laurel Mississippi Pro Paul Elias, better known for kneeling & reeling, used it to crush the competition on Lake Guntersville in Alabama during an FLW event. This rig was the center of controversy and even prompted Top Level Tournament rules changes as well as many state fishing rules changes. Despite all of that, I've really never done much of it to speak of and really haven’t given it a fair chance to show what it’s capable of. Hopefully this is the year that I can make it happen. By all accounts, I have the right water and fish to do it. There is no shortage of different versions of the bait and plenty of different ways as far as tackle goes to present it. The Rigs themselves have change quite a bit from the initial introduction as well. Can’t do or fish them all so at least half this battle has been looking for which type / style of bait to throw and what gear to throw it on. After doing some research (reading / videos) of the material that’s applicable to this part of the country, I came across some information presented by one Mark Zona. I do believe in his methodology regarding the A-Rig (or as he calls it “The Widow Maker”). Z’s ideas on when, where & how to fish this chandelier of a bait appear to fit what I’m hoping to accomplish here. So armed with this info & full of confidence, I set out to put together a couple of A-Rig set ups. In an effort to at least get me heading in the right direction, and not wanting to waste prime fishing time doing the R & D, over the summer I’ve been trying different rods & reels to cast & retrieve the bait. Line choice, either nylon or braid, seems to be a point of contention as is jig head weight. What I did read in advance and have come to believe, even with only limited experience at this point is this: A longer handled, stout butt, soft tip stick is the way to go. Whether using heavy nylon or braided line, a larger capacity reel is helpful. The Z Train highly encourages 20 lb fluorocarbon line, so that’s where I’ll at least start out. So for the rod, I’ve tried what I have, the heaver stuff, 7’11” flippin sticks, 7’6” H action casters, and 7’6” MH Swim bait rods. For reels I tested my swimbait reel a Calcutta 300D and smaller 200D and my standard size casting reels in various gear ratios from 5.3:1 up to 7.3:1. Didn’t like ANY of the rods as they all felt either too big, too stiff or both. The 300D seemed like over kill and the 200D & standard reel’s line capacity went too low on a long bomb cast. The line has been 20 lb Seagar InvisX fluorocarbon. Lastly, I tried a ST Croix Rage rod 7’6”MH & Mod Fast I’d recently purchased (2) and that I’ve been happy with as a longer jig rod. Although only rated to 1 ¼ oz, when using the lighter A-Rig bait jig heads I planned on using (mostly 1/8 – ¼) even with the plastics I didn’t feel like the rod was taxed. So that’s the rods I’m going with. Mounted to them I got a pair of QUANTUM EXO PT EX200SPT 6.6:1 reels that have the 20 lb line capacity that I was looking for. As for the actual Rigs & baits, I’ve got a few different brands & designs. Some I’ll be fishing as they come and a couple I’ve modified a bit – we’ll see how that goes. Strike King Tour Grade Titanium Umbrella Rig (short arm), will be a main player and the other models I’ll be fishing were purchased a while ago, are no long available and I unfortunately don’t remember what they are called or who made them (CRS). SK Rage Swimmers, SK KVD Swim N Shiner, Berkley Hollow Body Baits, Reaction Innovations Skinny & Little Dipper, Z Man Scented Paddlerz & Zoom Swimmin Super Fluke will all get their chance to show me what they can do. They will get pinned to either a VMC Flat Shad Jig Head or a VMC Boxer Jig Head. Both have Premium 1X strong needle point hooks, complete with a forged shank, hi-carbon steel construction and traditional round bend that deliver excellent hooking capabilities and comes with a decent bait keeper. The Plan is, starting next trip out & until further notice, to fish the Rig in the same areas where the Blade bait scored well. Deeper, Steeper Clean bottom zones; hopefully spots that have some bait present. And so there it is – That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. A-Jay

i'd be stoked to catch a 6+..... i can't seem to break that 6 mark myself. i'm holding at 5lb10oz right now. that said, i'd just get a bunch of pics and put it right back in the water. something close to 10 though i'd be thinking long and hard about the replica mount!

Exactly the same as Scaleface, I primarily fished a bog, a small reservoir, and a couple small ponds. To only have the same magazines to go by, I was at a huge loss and struggled for years, then I eventually learned that the techniques depicted, needed to be applied in different manners to work up here. It took many years and I must say,...It would have been nice to have someone "teach" me, But then I wouldnt have become the angler I am now. My diligence and determination on the water is what it is, and I can attribute that to those days I struggled. I can remember using a old bagley's fat cat crankbait in the bog, as a topwater technique, jerking it to dive a few feet, like a dying bluegill, and snagging brush, slime, weeds, etc.,and not many bass....lol. Slowrolling a spinnerbait in the res, on the ever so slight "channel" in summertime searching for key cover on structure, which just wasn't there,. fishing that 90% of the res that had no fish,..... And casting a original berkley powerworm weightless on a eagle claw weedless bait hook, rigged with a slight twist by pushing the worm on just a bit too much, this created a "spin" for the worms presentation, hoping to create a better vibe in the weeds. Hence, how I learned the valuable lesson of fixing line twist,... To think of the money wasted on new line back then,..omg. I did catch a few fish, but under extremely aggravating conditions. As for baitcasting gear? OMG,.. 3 full seasons of pulling my hair out till I finally gave up. I "learned" from my team partner many years later. Also, I learned the hard way about: DEET, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and to never go barhopping the night before a early am canoe outing, cheap snaps suck, sunglasses are better than losing a eye, and before you push off a log with a paddle? look to see if there's a dangerous snake on that log first, they will slither down the paddle. Gigantic ancient snapping turtles will attempt to flip your canoe, if you have a bass on a stringer, hung over the gunnel into the water. Slow moving puddle jumper type rigs, are at a loss on big lakes, when there's a threat of lightning. Just for a few tips I "remember",... Im now like one of those old guys, I used to curse at the launch,..that took so long getting ready to shove off while I waited in my truck. And now I know why they did so. lol

Peddling pricey pedal propulsion proves perplexing!

Yea, $20hr. Was good money back then, but the 15-20 hrs. overtime a week is what contributed to my retirement @ 58. That and not spending $99 on a Curado ?

Yep, but they get away with some poor design or QC by marketing their baits as, "...the right erratic action with the wandering and searching motions...", something I would simply refer to as, "doesn't run right." -T9

Because there's Daiwa and Shimano, and then there's everyone else.

I know there's a lot of guys on here that are getting into making their own videos, YouTube, Instagram, or Periscope content. I know I am looking into it. The rules state you can't do a round of self-promotion since the General Forum would literally be flooded. Would it be possible to make a forum that guys can just link their videos? I know I would like to see some content from some of the guys, but unless they state they have a channel, and the channel name, I wouldn't know where to go to find our members' videos. Any possibility of that?

I wish I had understood more about which rods and reels to buy. Don't go cheap; you'll regret it later.

I wish some of the guys I fished with early on knew what they were doing . I had to go learn everything by myself . Bassmaster , FishinFacts , In Fishermen were my text books .

Each body of water, each type of cover, & each sky condition is different!

Any time I get a lemon from SK,which is rare in relation to how many baits I buy............an email to them takes care of it. They usually ask you to send the baits back, and then they replace them............usually with 2 of the same bait for your troubles and some extra "goodies"....

He has ABU Garcia reels so he knows what lews brings to the table whether he realizes it or not.

As I read thru this thread I'm hearing banjos...and they're dueling..

I actually target days with rain in the forecast because it generally keeps recreational riff raff and families off the lake.

The best time to go fishing is anytime you can go fishing!

I absolutely LOVE fishing after rain, or during rain.

For the first time in a while, I spent several, I say again Several hours on the water without anything in the way of fish catching. Oh I did a boat load of fishing, just not catching. I guess I was getting a little spoiled there as I've had a pretty decent run lately. Perhaps the 3 1/2 INCHES of Big Fat Rain we had the night before had something to do with it. I should have known better. Anyway, about half way through the day I took my frustrations out on the Garmin Virb. FYI ~ Zeroed for the day ~ Jambalaya. A-Jay

I think I probably established a world record today for the smallest fish ever caught on a crankbait. Hootie

How Long a bait is fishes is rarely an accurate indicator as to it's effectiveness. Where, When & How it's presented will often tell a much better story. And if I'm seeing the results I'm looking for with one brand of bait, I don't really have any interest in switching to something else regardless of what the rest of the planet is throwing. A-Jay

All of J Franco's stuff...plus a set of Allen wrenches and a dead blow hammer.

Buffalo...

Congratulations, it is cool that you have a picture of it. Put that picture in a frame like business owners do with the first dollar they ever made.

I'm kind of puzzled why you need 200lb test braid... with a 12 lb leader.

While I know it isn't good for hook sets, I prefer to cast a long ways away. I tend to fish out of noisy boats and I think I spook a lot of big weary bass. Long casts give me the peace of mind so then if I am not catching any, I might have the wrong bait or spot.

You are welcome. I see you caught the bass on one of the lures I recommended you earlier(spinnerbait).The particular size you used to catch your first bass is a very good size for big bass,so don't be surprised if you catch a big bass on it soon.

Yes it felt extremely good to catch a 10.3 pound bass in a highly pressured public park and felt even better watching her swim away strong after I released her.Let me know when you come down to South Florida and I will show you some pictures of this bass and other big bass I have caught from land in South Florida.

J "Dr. Seuss" Francho pens proverbic post piling P's proving pricey pedals perplex phishermen.

I just went from 215s to 205s this spring...the 205s are narrower (about 0.40") , but slightly taller. My Goodyear 215/75R-14's were 26.7" diameter, the new 205 Kumho 857's are 27". 0.30" difference. It your trailer is set up so that much difference gives you a problem...you've got other issues that need to be dealt with. I highly recommend the Kumho 857s, but recognize you might not be a place to wait for them. The odds of your guy having them in stock are pretty close to zero. They are an 8 ply, D load range tire (2271 lbs @ 65 PSI on a single axle for each tire - I doubt your boat weighs anywhere near 4542 lbs.) with a higher speed rating (a Q Speed rating is 99 MPH and really is a way to judge how well the tire is made and balanced) than most trailer tires...all good stuff, and they have deeper tread than most as well.

Haven't had one yet but it's bound to happen as many as I buy.

The bite I was on last week was completely shut down with the rain we had here - 3 1/2 inches worth. Hope you don't end up with any part of that action . . . A-Jay

6'6" Avid X Medium and Medium Heavy with Shimano Chronarch's..Very light setup

I love it when it rains heavily for a couple days in South Florida,the bass start moving around to some predictable areas and that's where I will be fishing for them.Another plus of heavy rain days is that it keeps most people away from the water and I can fish in peace.

If they didn't make Shimano I would use Daiwa

Pretty dang sure that's how we learned

I saw this long post and was excited to read about what reel 'spoke' to you and earned it's right onto your rod. Then I read that you found a deal on one so decided on it....oh well. You should put this in the deals thread. Congrats on saving a few dollars! Hope the reel does everything you expect it to.

While there will always be a few "Lemons" mixed into the mass produced baits of most any manufacture, I have Not found anything more than that within the rather extensive arsenal of SK RES, Squarebills, Mid & Deep Diving Crankbaits, Top Waters & Jerk baits that fill the boxes I select for every trip out. Unless a bait is not "running true", the fact that it gets hung up or doesn't produce for me - is Never viewed as the baits fault. A-Jay

As long as the barometric pressure is rising or falling ie. not holding at 30 the fishing should be golden regardless of rain or shine!

I do just the opposite of J F. I start slow and speed up if I'm not getting any reaction. Sometimes giving the fish a good look at your bait is a good thing, but like others, I switch up speed prior to changing color. When I really think about it, I'll change the size or type of bait before even considering color.

I haven't been able to use this rod as much as I'd wanted to by now. But enough to know that it's the real deal. Had a trailer bearing fail on the way to my Potomac tournament that kept me off the water for that event (and cost me my AOY lead )...After that fiasco I've been focused on prepping for my next event which is a lake where the chatterbait won't play, so it's been on the back-burner. I've only been able to use the rod on a couple practice days for that Potomac event. The rod I was using previously was a Zillion Glass 7'2" MH/R which I really liked overall, but didn't care for the split-EVA grip as much...The 736 is lighter and more balanced than the Zillion and has a faster action, power is about the same. The 736 is also more sensitive than the Zillion...You're not getting the same feedback as you would with graphite, but you can feel everything the bait is doing just fine. Application-wise it does it's job well, you can really move a chatterbait through the grass and popping it free isn't cumbersome. It loads well for casting and even though it's on the long side, it's pretty good at skipping a chatterbait under docks too (to be fair though, the docks on the Potomac are pretty tall). I haven't caught a ton of fish with it, but it handles fish well...You've got power to move them for sure but the glass keeps a nice, even pressure on them. Seems to keep em pinned pretty well, I haven't lost any yet (it will happen though) and I've boat flipped every single one.

The best way to get better at fishing tournaments is to fish with guys who are better/ more experienced then you. A local club might not be the best route. Back in the day - I had a year of fishing Red Man tournaments as a co-angler under my belt (Redman was the precursor to FLW & BFL) . Anyway, I decided/got talked into joining a local club that was trying to start up. There were 30 or so members - more boaters than non-boaters and decided that they were going to fish a semi-regional tournament schedule. By the end of the year I had discovered that all any of the boaters knew how to fish was to beat the banks. The problem was that I already knew how to beat the banks. When I did the math on out of town tournament expenses, I found out that aside from the entry fee, expenses were the same as BFL, i.e. I stayed in similar motels. I didn't eat any different. My gasoline expenses were roughly similar - everything was similar except for the entry fee. the BFL co-angler entry fee was higher than the club entry fee. After a year of club fishing, I did the math and decided that I didn't learn enough fishing in the local club to justify the savings. Going to the BFL's and drawing partners whose fishing skills went beyond the banks enabled me to learn a lot. Hanging out in the parking lot the couple of days prior to the tournament, I learned a lot of stuff that I could apply to my week to week private fishing and also to the tournament situation. I'm not saying don't join a local club. I'm just saying that in my opinion, fishing in a local club set back my skills accumulation compared to what I learned in a season of BFL. AND the BFL didn't cost that much more A national or regional tournament organization might be a good choice for you also.

Go have fun and don't stress. Fish like you'd normally fish. If you go and try to do something different just because you're fishing against the "good sticks", it's not really a very good measure of how you'd do against them. I've gotten the chance to fish against some of the best, it's always a fun experience.

My setup for this season.

The Boston Red Sox finished out a four-game SWEEP of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park tonight. Coming from behind to win all for games. Good Times. A-Jay