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Went out tonight bank fishing a local pond from 7 to 8 pm and caught this 6+ on my last cast, as the sky became dark. I was tossing a Menace grub, and at first I was hopping it back slowly. I caught a bunch of dinks that way, kind of finessing the bait, because in the summer here fish are often shy. But on my final cast, just for the hell of it, I burned it back really fast -- and this pig slammed it hard!

Caught a monster today pitching the tule reeds. For the curious I got it on a Dbomb, 3/0 ewg, 3/8 tungsten bullet weight and straight 50# maxcuatro braid.

Caught my first fish on our "new to us" bass boat that my brother and I have been restoring all summer. It also happened to be my PB! Tipped the scales at just over 3.5 lbs. Great way to break in the boat!

I lost my white chatter bait just a little while ago to a low hanging tree branch that I was trying to cast on the edge of. Lost the battle and had to cut it off. Oh well the main reason for this post is before I lost my chatter bait I finally got me a big un(a big un to me). My new PB! This girl is every bit of 4lbs. Was alot heavier than the one I caught earlier. She put up a bit of a fight but I got her in. Caught her on the red bug Ol' Monster out in the middle of the sunlit smaller pond here by the house. Glad I decided to cast out there. My original PB was 2+lbs and today I broke that twice! What an awesome day this has been! ?

We were fishing a tournament and when we weighed it on our scales it was 7lbs. When we went to weigh in she won big fish it weighed 7lbs 8 ozs

My Father-in law and I took a fishing trip on the Hudson on a cold foggy Saturday morning. The river Smallies were hitting tubes and Ned Rigs all day. I hooked into a 2 and a half pounder with a green pumpkin TRD. This was my PB Smallmouth Bass for the year. I was using my lucky reel, the Kastking Sharky II 1500 size spooled with 8lb Fluorocarbon line on a medium light action Lew's Carbon Fire Speed Stick. It's the same setup I had when I got the 3 plus pound Channel Catfish earlier this year. On Monday, Labor Day, I took out my kayak for some more fun. Fishing with the same setup I landed this 3 pound Smallmouth. New PB for the year. Great fight especially since I went to reach for my net and realized I had forgotten it at home.

This small but chunky bass fell for a chartreuse with black back square bill while I was bouncing it off of rocks. Caught half a dozen more that was smaller. This small lake is recovering from a bad drought and is coming back nicely.

Baitcaster is officially broke in, catching a bass with it that is! Haven't been to Valentine Lake yet today. Family things come up and delayed it for a bit. So I went to the smaller pond by my house only taking my Lew's spinning rod and my new Lew's baitcaster. 3/8oz white Z-Man chatter bait with a sprayed grass Reaction Innovations sweet beaver tied on to baitcaster and a 1/4oz black and blue Strike King swim jig with an black and blue Arkie crawfish jig trailer tied onto my spinning rod. I was alternating between the two to see what the bass wanted. No bites on the jig and got one bite on the chatter bait. So I tossed it out there more. Finally got a solid bite on it and brought in this little fella marking my first ever baitcaster bass. It looks like a turtle or something took a bite out of him down towards the tail. Not sure though. Kinda sucks all my firsts are little ones but at least I caught them. Been getting a lot of firsts here lately, thanks to this site and all you awesome folks on here. So glad I joined this site. Thanks a million everyone! ?

new pb went 4.45 caught on a tube @ 930 in the morning. Had been a slow bite, saw some shad skipping and threw my tube in behind them. I thought I hooked a tree when I set the hook and the she jumped and bout had a coronary. Anchored my limit of 8.33 and big bass. Can't wait to break 5lbs now!!!

Still on a solid bite here in Indiana. Picked up a few more on a short trip Monday before a line of storms moved through the area. Cooler weather also has the crappie bite picking up, so trips have been back and forth between those two species - hard to pick one over the other. Good problem to have

Visited a couple more friends this Sunday in Virginia before I came back to WVU. One of which was a minority not often seen in Virginia.

It's their inherent design that makes them bend out easier. Going to have to go heavier wire like Gammi Superline EWG as mentioned above.

A lot of bass fishing is learning the water. Every pond has a different personality. Some have different forage than others. Some are barren bowls and some are flooded stump fields. I fish one where the owner says they won't bite when the wind blows. He seems to be correct. I fish one where 20-plus fish is expected and one where I might only catch one, but there's a chance for it to be a 5 pounder or better. And the best tool I have for pond fishing is my kayak. I have access to almost every fish in the pond with it. You know what they say. It's more important to have the wrong lure in the right place than to have to right lure in the wrong place. So getting to the fish is most important. The next best weapon is a bottom bumping bait like a T rig. It will show you the depth, bottom composition and structure/cover on bottom. That's the poor man's electronics. And as a bonus, it catches bass! If you're walking the bank, be stealthy, especially if it's open to the public. When you approach, take some casts before you get to the water's edge. There might be a bass right there. When you get to the edge take some casts parallel to the edge. Pond bass love the edge, especially in the low light periods. That reminds me, pond bass are more likely to bite topwaters, so get a few like a buzzbait, Pop R and and Spook, Jr. Try to carry lures that cover the water column from bottom to top. And lastly, my secret weapon for ponds (don't let this get out) is the Zoom Trick Worm. I haven't found the pond where they won't bite this bait. You can use it weightless, on a T rig or a C rig, or you can wacky rig it. It's my Senko. And I have some Senkos. Next best is the hollow body frog, but that can call for some specialized equipment like a hvy rod and heavier braid line.

Another one for the baitcaster/white chatter bait/sprayed grass sweet beaver combo. Could be my new PB. Didn't have a scale but it felt bigger than any of the other bass I've caught. I'm guessing 3lbs.

Batten the hatches Florida, looks like Irma category 4 to 5 hurricane is coming your way. Tom

granny Naylor from Holton in. is 105 years old and can still cast a pole . and if you ask here how she is doing ,she will answer , JUST AS AWNRY AS EVER!!

My Father In-Law and I had a record day of doubling up on Saturday. Three times we doubled up on Smallmouth and then we had a double when he caught a Smallmouth and I got a Redbreast Sunfish. We were using Zoom Salty Tubes and finesse TRD's

Change hook design, EWG hooks are your problem and Flippin style hooks are your solution. Tom

I see lots of threads on casting distance, not too many on accuracy.

Our dogs first time in the pool.

Mid-summer night, deep water structure, full moon on the horizon, gentle southern breeze, Hoot Owl in the distance, the solid thump on a jig!

I would do just what you've been doing, try them both and see which one the fish prefer on a given day. Just like worms, sometimes they want a ribbon tail and sometimes a paddle tail. I determine which one to start with by the cover I'm fishing. If I'm punching or working into the weeds, I'll start with the least action. If it's rock, timber, or anything else, an action bait is my starter.

Hello and Welcome That's why they call it fishin and not catchin...Noone knows what they're gonna want or how they're gonna want it on any given day, or in any given spot. The only way to know for sure is to look in and around the water, and make the best decision you can based on what you see, and go from there. Guess right, Great! Guess wrong, that's ok too... Watch, Look and Listen to what they're telling you. There's a lesson to be learned everytime you get bit Good Luck Mike

Once my brakes are set I never change em! Unless I make a drastic change in lure weight I seldom change the tension knob! Educate your thumb!

Ya gonna get replies like; clear skies, over cast, pre-frontal, post frontal, stained water, gin clear water, cold water temperatures & so forth. I tend to believe it's the bass's mood! Just like rate of fall, sometimes they like fast, sometimes they like slow!

@Angealy thank you sir! Baitcaster strikes again! My girlfriend and I went to Valentine Lake for almost 2 hours and not even a bite. Very disappointing. So we left and stopped at Sonic to get a shake and headed to Buhlow Lake. Wasn't much happening there and it was a little too hot for my girlfriend but I noticed a spot that I like to fish from had become vacant. So we drove down to it and my girlfriend stayed in the car in the shade. Even though the spot I was going to was fairly shaded too, she didn't feel like walking over to it from the road. I told her I wouldn't be long unless some bass catching was going on. I only took my baitcaster with me with the white chatter bait/sprayed grass sweet beaver trailer tied on. No tackle bag or anything else. About my fifth or sixth cast got a hold of this about a pound or so bass. Continued to cast a few more times to see if anything else was biting but the trailer didn't want to stay on. That happened earlier also after catching the little guy I posted a few hours ago. Sucks those things only last for one catch using as a trailer. Is there something I can do to keep the trailer put so as to stop this from happening? Anyways, third day learning a baitcaster I seem to have it dialed in pretty good for a 3/8oz chatter bait with a sweet beaver trailer, didn't have any backlashes or birdnests. That makes me happy and I caught two bass with it too! Still no big un but it was a great day regardless.

Keeping it simple on a cool, post-front day. Pond hopping with a couple baits stuffed in a pocket, along with just 1 outfit. A lot better quality than I expected given the conditions. A brief warmup starts tomorrow before the next front moves in.

Destination ~ Bassville. A-Jay

Hello Jimmy and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ In open waters I like to wacky rig a stick bait and if there's cover around, I'm Texas rigging it. As for line on that set up you've listed, I like 10-15 lb braid & 8-10lb a mono or fluorocarbon leader. A-Jay

This question dates back to 1979 and that year's Classic. Here's a little history on the debate the first time it came to the forefront. Fun to see the question still debated nearly 50 years later 1979 Debate I 1979 Debate II

For a non-flipping hook, the Owner Wide Gap Plus Black Chrome Hooks are my go to for next level beyond standard wire Gamakatsu . Also the "superline" hooks by Gamakatsu are pretty stout. A-Jay

I have an old 1973 5500C which I bought new in the day, it was expensive at the time, $54.00. Over the years it has seen modifications of various sorts. It can and will, pretty dang sure, with the right lures, embarrass my Curado Is and just about anything else. But it is not a stock reel. It was not bad new. And, unlike many of todays reels used for bass fishing, it could/can and has stopped a bull shark run and landed an alligator gar longer than a boat. In fact one time, I did have an alligator, without the gar, on the end. Sometimes I think bass reels have become a little sissified. For a newbie to bait casting, I would set the tension knob so the lure just barely drops and stops with no overrun. That is the primary adjustment for each lure. Latter you can back it off, almost entirely as these fellow are saying just so there is barely just a skosh of sideplay but your thumb will need to be quick and sure.

CONGRATS ON THE NEW P.B. ! nice fish! great big congrats! new p.b. is always fun ,nice fish

Tom, when it comes to talking about NY fisheries...whats the old saying...better to keep quiet and let people think your a fool, then open your mouth and remove any doubt. You talking about NY fisheries and making absurd statements like that, would be like me talking about the fisheries in So. Cal. But I know better, because I don't know a dang thing about them. I have caught dozens of 6lb largemouth in NY. Usually several per season. One, or more is caught almost weekly in local tournments here in the Finger Lakes. And several times a year a 7-8 lb fish is brought in. In fact, Conesus, Silver, Keuka, and Cayuga are surer bets for a 6+ lb Largemouth than Champlain, Oneida or Chautauqua. Honeoye is the only regional lake not known for size (but big ones do live there, they are just not as plentyful as the other lakes). Waneta Lamoka is a "tweener" lake....most of the time it produces small fish, but it has a larger population of big LM than Honeoye, and tournament results show that. Sodus is a wildcard. It has a lot of quality (3-5lb) largemouth. But it doesn't kick out the really big fish (5-7lbs) as often as the other lakes. 6+ lb smallmouth are rarer on inland (IE Non-Great lake) bodies of water in NY. I have ONE in my lifetime. You'll have to go to the Lake Erie/Niagara river systems, or the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence systems to have a true legit shot at one without it being a one off "fish of a lifetime". Keuka, Champlain, Oneida, and Chautauqua will kick out a 6+ lb smallmouth more often than Cayuga, Conesus, Silver, and Honeoye, but not with the absurd regularity of the Great Lakes fisheries. A healthy population of big toothy critters is a help to growing big bass. Waters with pike and muskies grow larger bass almost without exception than waters with no pike/muskies or waters with pickeral as the only toothy. This is Honeoyes problem. A lot of Chain Pic, few (but large pike) and the result is a population of 12"-15" bass that has no checks and balances. Silver and Conesus are the opposite. The Pike in both lakes are big and plentyful, and Conesus has the added bonus of Tiger Muskies.

A couple more pictures of my kayak. Snapped these during my trip Saturday.

Took the kayak out Saturday morning hoping for a topwater bite. Chance of rain kept boats off the water, had the feeling of a crisp fall day. Labor Day weekend, and we had the water to ourselves. Can't wait for the fall striper run. Another beautiful sunrise, doesn't get old 26.5 in striper Whopper plopper enticed these little bluefish to bite, but this fiesty things will hit anything lol

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ The OP last visited this site two years ago - A response might not be in the immediate future. A-Jay

I'm with catt It all depends on the fish's mood. Some days they will crush a bait with all kinds of flappy action, and appendages. Some days they want a straight 5" worm that you CAN NOT move or else you won't get bit. Most days, it's somewhere in between. You just have to go fishing and find out what kind of day it is. I always start with reaction baits (frogs, cranks, chatterbaits, swim jigs etc)....I'll know soon enough if they don't want that. Then I'll move to higher action, but slower presentations (like your rage craws, brush hogs, etc...) and if that's a no go...out come the senkos, flick shake worms, robo worms, and beavers. Conditions mean little to me...yes often a blue bird slick day means a finesse bite, but I have also had some of my best days going against conventional wisdom on that. Vise Versa too...I have often had to slow way way down in overcast, windy conditions to get bit. Bass don't know, or care about the "rules of thumb" humans have put on how they should behave.

Back after the crappie this afternoon. Bite has been really good with the cooler summer weather. Should only get better with fall approaching.

I have been in a dropshot frenzy for the last few weeks. I have been catching more and bigger fish now then I have all year. On friday morning I hit a local pond and immediately hooked up with a little pounder. In an hour or so I managed 1 more around that size and two more right around 2lbs, with this being the nicest one. I got two more dinks and decided that since the larger fish both came very tight to the wall, I would re-fish the spot I started but a bit slower and closer to the wall. That paid off and I almost immediately I hooked into this fella; A three pound bass is pretty good for this place and this was likely the best bass I have ever pulled out of it. Or it was the best, as maybe 10min later I got this one; This is maybe a pound heavier than anything I have regularly caught here. At this point I don't know if I will ever put the dropshot rod down. All of my bass came on a 6" Marten's Madness Roboworm on a 1/0 Gamay Finesse Cover hook. Incredibly, I got my first five fish on a single worm. I had never seen on so worn, I usually loose one every fish when with other hooks.

After what felt like hours of tying on most of my tackle and not getting a single bite i felt like heading home. But before i did, I gave it one final shot and rigged up a bullet weight t-rig with a green watermelon color yum dinger thinking "Why not?, I haven't used this today" Bingo! My first bass of the day was like playing cat and mouse, I watched as this same bass went back to the same spot i was casting to after getting off the hook two times just for my worm, Talk about being determined. Cast 1:Hooked, Lost. Cast 2:Hooked, Lost. "Blood is boiling at this point because i want this fish regardless of weight and size lol" Cast 3:Hooked and she was not getting away this time. Bass number two went much better>Threw out let it sink and felt first bump/saw my line go in another direction and set the hook. This bass jumped in the air many times till the grass was on top of her and after getting all that slop off of her to unhook her she ended up breaking off one side of her mouth/jaw off allowing the hook to fall off. I wanted to get a picture but didn't want to hurt the fish so i put her back into the lake and packed up.

Okay so here's the story, I've heard all this talk about night fishing so I decide to give it a go. I take 2 setups and head to a local pond. Except for the mosquitos it was beautiful evening. I start off with a buzzbait and make a handful of cast, didn't get any takers so grab my senko rod. 1st several cast I'm mostly getting used to how it feels since I can't watch my line. (very different at first) I'm using a dark colored 5" senko T-rigged with a 1/16 oz bullet weight. I've got a 6'6" MH rod with 50# power pro braid. (plan to change that up but it's working fine for now) So anyway I'm casting it out and letting it hit bottom....wait....lift.....wait.....lift. ...just the usual. I've been fishing for about 15-20 min by now when I get a small thump, I set the hook and reel in a dink, but at least I know I'm on to something. Then, it was either my next cast or the one after that I get the same small thump/tap and I set the hook, and it's solid! Since I have braid on this reel I keep the drag pretty tight, a couple pound fish won't really take any line. I knew I had something good on when she started peeling drag!! I knew I probably had my PB on the line so I tried my hardest to slow down and not horse her around, but every time I turn her she peels more drag! Finally I coax her to the bank where I lip her and actually start breathing again!! I just knew something would go wrong and I wouldn't get a hand on her but thankfully everything went like it's supposed to!! She tipped the scales at 7 1/4 lbs and was 22" long. She swam away strong and I was so happy I packed it up and came home! P.s. I know it's not the best to lay them in the grass but I was by myself and it was dark.

...and it's a Bass Resource article: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/streamers-bass.html?utm_source=SEPnews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9417 Works on Largemouth too... That's an 8" fly...hard to see in the pic, but it is...

love that town!! I think I need to make it a visit!

As long as it is a "general" location of where I live, fine. We don't want or need to provide our specific location, IMHO.

Ignore the jumping fish . Concentrate on casting to cover . Cast past the cover and work your lure into it . A buzzbait , spinnerbait , Texas rigs ... can be effective and fished through cover with minimum hang ups ..Do not make random cast . If you're not casting at cover then cast at a depth . Sinking lures cast out in deep water work well . Let them hit the bottom then bring them in .That way they follow the contour of the bottom . Bass like to orient to cover or the bottom . inexpensive lures like jig & grub , Beetle Spins , pre rigged swim baits ,Texas rigged worms work good plus they are easy on the wallet when hung and lost . One of the best places to fish like this are rip rap banks and dams . A huge difference between a novice fisherman and an experienced one is the new guy makes random cast and the veteran cast with purpose . As far as the jumping fish , theres a good chance they are not bass .If you see bait fish fleeing by all means cast that direction . If you see a fish hit the top like a bass hits a top water throw at it . You will be able to identify a feeding bass over time .

I thought this was going to be about the Seattle Mariners.

This should help:

Picked this up a few weeks ago. 2010 TR-18 Pro - Elite 7 at bow - Elite 5 in console I also have a hook 7. I'll either replace the 5 or keep the 5 and add the hook 7 off to the right.