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My brothers and I spent the day yesterday on Lake Anna, both the hot and cold side, and we had a blast. The wind was absolutely horrendous, but we made it work and only suffered sore arms and shoulders from paddling. We started the day on the cold side, to target stripers, and I caught a 21" saugeye on an underspin on my first cast in the dark before we even launched the kayaks, pretty cool IMO. We then went on to catch a few stripers and largemouth on Alabama rigs and swimbaits, including one 25" striper. (in the evening we went back out after stripers again and they were really feeding, we caught over 40 stripers total that day) Then it was off to the hot side. We had to paddle over a mile in white capping waves to get to where we wanted to fish, but it was definitely worth it, as we landed well over 40 bass between the three of us. Most of these fish are small, and unfortunately the only two good bites we had (both fish pushing 3-3.5lbs) spit the hook. Nearly all of our fish were caught on 4" keitech swing impacts on 1/8oz jigheads, that is an extremely effective bait there in the clear water. I did have a school with 3-4 bass in the 4-6lb range swim up to look at my kayak while I was pulled off on the bank to re-tie. Once they are looking at you they definitely won't bite, but it's a bummer because I knew what that area held and made two passes fishing it before I saw them! Smart fish! Dinner guests

Cool ~ After reading your stuff I was hoping I could send out some bait's you'd like. The RES is a somewhat rare "Sensitive Shad" and it excels in off colored water. (change out the hooks) The BS is a custom and I'm betting your local Hawgs may be all over it. Time for a new PB ! Happy Holidays Jordan. A-Jay

Berkley Big Game Mean Green

What did I learn????...... I learned how precious spending time with the ones you love really means. I learned how I miss fishing with my son. He has decided to become a grown up. He's in a serious relationship and now has to find time to fish rather than just show up at the ramp. With any luck, I'll be well enough to fish tournaments next year, because it's the only time I fish with him anymore. I learned my dad is getting old. Losing his memory old. Can't remember which lid is for the livewell old. Needing to hold onto him as he gets in and out of the boat old. Having "accidents" on the boat old. Gotta hand it to him. That old man will fish from sun up to sun down and then some if he could. I learned how important it is to my mother, that I take my dad fishing. She thanks me every time, because he always comes home happy. I learned that even though I don't want to filet dozens of crappies or bluegills, to just suck it up and do it because my folks love eating them. I learned that even buying my ol' lady a set of Carhartt bibs, she still won't join me on the boat when it's below 50* out. I learned the ol' lady no longer loves me. I bought a second boat and she never said a word about it. Had she loved me, I surely would have never heard the end of it. and I learned that Senkos flat out catch fish. I already knew this but I haven't fished them for years. They were my goto bait this year.

Follow your gut and never second guess yourself. After about 30 minutes of not catching anything, I start to ask myself that question. Sometimes I think a bait change is best, sometimes I feel a change in location is warranted. Whatever you FEEL is right, do that, and know that whatever the outcome was the best it was gonna be for you.

Been working in a jail for a decade now. It ain't that bad and I actuallyget paid really well. We'recertified LEO's though so we get paid way better than most. It's not glamorous, but it pays the bills, has great retirement and benefits, and there's never a shortage of idiots keeping me in work.

Keep in mind that you can catch bass with the "wrong" lure in the right location, but you can't catch any with the "right" lure in the wrong location. For me, when I am starting the day, I am switching up lures & locations at the same time pretty quickly. As the day progresses and I have figured some things out, the process changes. I typically will have lure selection down to one or two and will move away from locations if they don't produce.

There is not a perfect answer to this question since changing lures or fishing location depends on many variables. I will often fish the same spot for hours with the same lure if I feel the conditions are right for me to catch a big bass, which I often do.Other times I stay on the same general area and change my lures/retrieve until I find what is working at that moment. When going for large numbers of bass I often change lures/fishing locations to continue catching lots of bass.

Join the Service ~ Serve your Country. http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/military-service-branches-compared.html A-Jay

WOW. A-Jay went above and beyond. I got home today and I just couldn't wait any longer so I opened them up and I was blown away by his generosity. A 6" bull shad that appears to be custom painted, 2 Matt lures gills, a red eye shad in a pattern I've never seen before, and a nice SK 1.5 in a great color. I can't thank you enough @A-Jay!

Yes take the job. Your chance at the other job may not happen right away. The upgraded position at your current employer shows you're working hard & considered for more responsibility. That will look good on your work record. If the other job does come up be honest with your current employer for your reasons for leaving to pursue your dream & give adequate notice. You have to look out for yourself first then others.

A lot of guys run Trilene Big Game mono and also MCCoy mean Green copoly.

Here in the Memphis area it's winter! The actual temperature is 17* but the wind has picked up. The dog got a very short walk this morning.

I'm surprised that no one mentioned a lipless crank. (At least what I saw). A Treble hooked lure in the weeds? *GASP* Absolutely. If you have any kind of area between the water surface and the grass below, chuck a trap out there and burn across the top of that grass. Let it even flutter down into it and RIP it out of there. This is NOT a finesse technique...lol...but man does it catch some hogs

Phoenix 618pro bought used. http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc290/GetBent_08/6FF127DE-D73C-48A2-A60D-CF738CE89654_zps1tfquafe.jpg

These are the ones that I was talking about .

Good advice . Confidence is extremely important in bass fishing, much more important than what gear you have ,even more important than where you are fishing.

Next after location is timing; just because you don't get bite does not mean the bass aren't there or you tied on the wrong lure.

Couldnt pass these up for $120 each. Tatula CT Type-R-6.3, 7.3, 8.1

Opened up NorCal's gifts, really impressed with his bait selection and thankful for his generosity.

Best of anything is in the eye of the beholder. Sunline Amrillo Defier Nylon line is pricey and a excellent mono line. if price is a problem then use Trilene Big Game 12 to 15 lb. Tom

Nobody mentioned a drop shot.. With a long enough leader, it will keep your bait above the muck and dead grass

OK, you have both a ML spinning and a MH baitcasting outfits with braid line and good detailed explanation of your tackle. You are setup to bass fish nearly any standard lures and rigs. It comes down to where to fish and what lure presentations will be effective where and how you fish. Grass and laydowns to me me are both cover elements, the lake terrain, bottom, dam, points, dock pilings etc., being structure elements. For simplicity let's look at bass location as being the spawn cycle and balance of the year. Bass spawn in wind protected areas with shallow water 1' to 6' deep as a general rule in small lakes. During the spawn most of the bass population will be near this type of areas. Before and after the spawn most bass will be located near the points close to the spawning areas or in deeper water near the dam. I always like to start fishing near dams and points except during the spawn. Start there. Select lures and use presentations that allow the lure to work properly where you fish. You can't use crankbaits in weeds effectively, use weedless lures. Fishing from shore limits how and where you can fish, you are fishing uphill so select lures and presentation that work well uphill. Surface lures are good choices and deep diving lures are not a good choice where and how you fish. Lures that tend to snag on the bottom easily are not good choices. ML spinning tackle; Rapalas floating/diving F13 original minnow in silver black back. Split/slip shot or mojo rig using 1/8 oz cyclinder or bullet weight and Carolina keeper with 1/0 hook. 5" to 6" inch soft plastic worms that float and use 8 lb mono ( 3' to 6' long) with 14" to 20" leader length from weight to hook. Rig the worms weedless. Weighless 5" Senko with 2/0 weedless wacky hook, use 8 lb mono leader, 3' to 6'. Attach leader to braid with Uni-Uni knot. MH baitcasting tackle; Spinnerbaits, buzz baits, super spook, for open water and nail weighted Flukes and hollow body frogs for grass areas. Carolina rig using 1/4 to 3/8 oz bullet weighs with Carolina keeper and 12 to 15 lb 6' mono leader, Uni-Uni know and 3/0 hook. 6" to 8" worms and baby brush hogs, eight 14" to 20"* above hook. This should keep you busy next year and catching bass day and night. Good luck. Tom * longer leader lengths are OK if you can effectively cast from shore.

At 5:09 PM on 12/17/2016, my wife and I welcomed our second son into the world. He was 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20.5" long, and we named him Finn Momma and baby are doing great, we should be going home tomorrow.

I fish smaller ones in colder water or after fronts (mostly size one to three) by changing out to a larger hook and tying something with hackle that resembles a small baitfish, weigh them down a bit, and fish them really (really) slow on slow days, oh and bend the tie 60 degrees or so, and it will keep it from spinning. Fish will hit these when thy are ignoring most other things.

It's neat to hear so much input about Mepps. I figured they weren't nearly as popular anymore. Real sleepers for just about anything. I grew up on them. #1 silver/squirrel tail cast from a Garcia Brown Conolon rod and Mitchell 300 reel.

Dude if I could only have one lure it would be a mepps spinner... I've caught bluegill, perch, crappie, bass, big channel cat and pike. #3, #4 silver blade and the black fury variations. An often overlooied is the red/orange black fury. It pi.sses em off, from a distance !

I use the #3 black fury I got a couple of different colors I'll post pics in the morning but I haven't thrown them in quite some time now but I used to love them I really use to love the regular gold and red ones I need to go back to the basics maybe?

Here's one of mine in Lightning Shad, with #4 triple grip trebles, the back one dressed by me (first time dressing a hook)

Long time XL user here who has recently started using Big Game, because i was getting lots of problems with XL not holding its strength well. I could break knots with my hands after a while. so I switched to Big Game (up here in Canada we can get Big game in 8 pound test and even 6 pound test though I do not know how old the spools of 6 pound test are that my shop has on the shelf - since it looks like this size is no longer offered). so far I really like it. 12 pound green on my baitcaster, and yes, i even use the 8 pound on spinning gear with no issues. it is noticeably stronger than XL and still seems to cast well. no problems with knot breakage anymore.

With the plain versions, the blades are about the only color choices you have! And the plain ones are all I use anymore. Another reason I like the plain ones is that when they catch weeds, they are easier to clean. Either way, Mepps are good baits when you are looking for numbers of fish. Where multiple species are present, you will catch everything on them. Especially pike.

As mentioned, the squirrel tail Aglias with silver blades would have to be considered a "must have" in the Mepps lineup (IMHO), but my favorite for bass has always been the Mepps Black Fury. Size 3 and 4 would be considered standard for most bass fishing. -T9

My first lures were: 2 Rapala Original Floating Minnow 2 Mepps Comet 2 Mepps Aglia Which colors ? Gold and Silver Which sizes for LMB ? 4 - 5 My recomendation is you use a good quality snap & swivel combo, they twist the line with gusto without it.

Not being rude but what makes you think you are in the right location ?

It sounds like a great opportunity has been presented to you, I think it would be wise to accept it if you enjoy what you are doing. As other posts have identified, the jail/police job opportunity may not happen for a while (or at all), and the best of plans do not always go as scheduled.

Just thought id drop in and let you all know, h20 xpress ethos rods are on clearance at academy. Awesome deals going on them. I just picked up a 7ft mh-mod. composite cranker, and a 7ft mh-f ethos micro for 24$ a piece. 48 total for a couple highly underrated rods. Go get em!

Redline, I can't see him leaving Michigan, where he is king and is doing so well.

Big Game and Ande.

No set rule . I always make an educated guess on what to do next .

Have you determined whether or not there are fish where you are fishing? If there's no fish, you can change baits a hundred times and never get a bite.

Back in the hottest days of the summer, I was targeting big bass in some highly pressured bodies of water. Sometimes covering water right behind other anglers who'd power fished right through it without landing a thing, even though I knew they were there. I learned to find my patience again, and to really slow down - way, way down - pretty much "stitching" my bait back along the bottom excruciatingly slow. There were some tough days when this was the only way I could find success in some of these places. Not a new technique to me, but I think over the last couple of years I've often been too impatient and would cover an area too fast, then move on to another spot, etc., and at the end of the day I'd have little to show for it. This year I forced myself to slow down, and it was very rewarding.

I'm back in from shoveling as much snow as I care to, and will now turn my attention to observations from the 2016 season. Don't know that I learned anything new but rather reaffirmed, gained more confidence in baits that I had previously shown to smallies and refined my presentation of them. Let's start early season with small hair jigs when the water temp was in the mid to high 40ºs. In an earlier post I used the term "dawdle" because that describes the speed of the retrieve in water this cold. Save the hoppin' and boppin' for warmer water and a different type of jig. Vibrating blade baits showed me some decent cold water smallies too. If you missed it, check out the recent post about this extremely effective cold water bait: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/183746-a-difference-between-blade-baits/ Still early on a bright June morning, the topwater bite died. I was sitting on a favorite rock hump and noticed a hatch had started. Opportunists that they are, smallies eat just-hatched bugs that are making their way to the surface. Opportunist that I am, I wacky rigged a 4" Senko on a #1 Gamakatsu circle hook, cast, let it sink for a two or three count and twitched it back to the boat. The smallies ate it as long as the hatch lasted. Here's one of six: Can't say enough about Duo Realis' Spin Bait 80 which worked for me consistently in water that ranged from 55º - 75º. This June day had been very slow overall and at 3:00 I was hot and bored. Why not amuse myself with a popper? I was working the edge of a steep breaking flat thinking maybe, maybe a hungry cruiser would take notice. The boat you see in these photos is one from the rental fleet that the Massachusetts Division of Conservation and Recreation maintains at Quabbin Reservoir. One morning, when I was in the middle of this sizable body of water, I spotted a stowaway! If I were fishing a pad field for largemouth this creature would have been in big trouble but, being a smallie guy, I had no use for it and deposited it on shore at the end of the trip. This season I used 6 lb. line, both Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon and Silver Thread AN 40 copolymer more often than the 8 or 10 lb. lines that I also use. That's because I often used light, subtle presentations. (1/8 oz. hair jigs, 4" Senko, Duo Realis Spin Bait.) Even used it toward the end of my season in late June for T-rigging a a small bait on a 1/0 EWG hook. And I'm thinking through this recap of the season's memorable events that 6 lb. works fine to properly balance an outfit/presentation and may make a difference on a "tough bite" day. Here's the biggest surprise of the season. On 6 lb. Tatsu: Got my jig back! Hope you enjoyed this ramble through my 2016 smallie season.

Took advantage of the $20 off orders of $100 or more from Dick's. Have a cheap rod and some hooks for the horny toads still coming.

just b there when he asks for help, only he can changes his situation. i spent about 10years on that same path & now have had about 15years on a much better path!

fly fishing for bass more. best year yet for it.

I learned how to fish an Alabama rig and have a lot of confidence in them now. There is a lot more to understanding that bait than people think. Also getting better at fishing with electronics.

As I added a new fishing platform in 2016 that included an big step up in electronics, I've been learning how to decipher it's display and how to apply it effectively. Still plenty to learn on that front. Along with that, and this may sound like a simple thing but I learned (again) just how much I like to drive a boat especially when it's a little sloppy. I learned (or perhaps was reminded) how effective a triggering factor speed can be; not to mention how much fun the strikes are. And finally I've learned that I get just as much happiness & satisfaction reading the post below - as I do having some success myself. A-Jay

I learned it's getting more difficult to keep my grandson at bay! Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance!

The blade baits I use cost less than $1.50 apiece because I put them together from Barlow's components. Buy a 25 pack of 5/8 oz. "body blanks," whatever hooks you want, a pack of split rings (unless you're using double hooks), a pack of Duo Lock snaps and 3-D eyes. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Vibrating-Blade-Lure-P2631.aspxIt's Too, it's less painful to leave one of these on the bottom than say, a Damiki or Lucky Craft bait. And last year my clear water smallies weren't fussy about brand names.