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Steady or Erratic Retrieve ? While each has a level of effectiveness, quite often what I do could be in the 'Both" category. I'd call it sort of Steadily Erratic or perhaps Erratically Steady. Sometimes it's all about cadence. And while that might mean what the bait's doing in a 5 foot stretch, other times it could be what the bait does over the entire length of a very long cast; especially for smallmouth in very clear water. I have come to believe that SMB often really want to 'chase' or 'stalk' a bait before eating it. Seems like part of the successful 'strike process' for me. So if during the cast or 'the process', if I'm not getting bit ( often indicated by follows) a change in 'retrieve' can turn them into biters. Conventional thought is to change baits or colors, but if what I was throwing was good enough to follow, often times changing the cadence is just as or more effective as a bait change. Of course all that goes out the window when 'inactive' bass are encountered. That lock jaws action is rarely overcome with any bait or cadence change. Either way there's almost always at least some type of pulse, pause, speed in flux or even a slight slow down of cadence. Just some type of hiccup along the way to offer a feeling of vulnerability. That's my story and I'm stick'in to it. A-Jay

Got an hour or so between work stops, so I was near one of the ponds I've fished in that area. 2nd cast on a beat up senko and this one nailed it , ended up with 5 total.

Well I wasn't planning to fish today since it was rainy and in the low 40s (which I guessed would shut them down after a warm stretch). Little did I know that today I would be busting some fat girls in 1-2' of water on a jig! I don't know what these WV bass are thinking, but I'm okay with it. The rain we've gotten over the past week must have warmed up the water really fast. I fished some brand new water today, and it was a good choice! I was feathering a 3/8oz flipping jig through emerging lily pads and I was watching almost every fish that bit come out and smoke the jig. I discovered the bite by complete accident as I had been focusing my efforts out away from the shallow water where I assumed the bass would be. I like it when they prove me wrong! I also caught several flipping the jig in the flooded field pictured below, it was a very unique situation.

Like everywhere else in this part of the country, we went from sunny and 73 to rain, wind and 34 overnight. Rain has continued for several days, some places getting as much as 5-6 inches already and still 2 more days predicted. Lots of flooding, and most all major rivers and reservoirs are getting trashed. Only thing being spared in my area are smaller lakes and ponds with little to no major inflow, and they're staining up, but fishable. Hit judt such a place after work in a cold (43 deg.) mist and was surprised by a better than normal bite. Managed 10 in about 90 minutes, including some better quality individuals. It was definitely an above average trip for these little places. Stained water had them up shallow and aggressive.

Wednesday it was around 75 degrees here with a 70 degree day on Tuesday. Tuesday fishing was slow with one fish. Hit a different lake on Wednesday and action was much better. The swimbait bite was on and landed 16 bass 5 pickerel and a catfish. Caught my pb from this lake at 6lbs. The catfish weighed 4lbs but felt like something in the 10lb class.

me and my cousin hit lake norman today, first time out this season. we weren’t expecting much, run the motor, work out some winter kinks, maybe get bit in the process. we found swt’s in the low 50’s and a little muddy. the sky was cloudy with steady breezes and warm. we started out fishing main lake points and it was the right call. 22 spots, all on t rigged zoom lizards dragged slowly in the 10’-15’ zone. easy pattern for anyone this time of year.

Quick response: Two components: Attraction (getting initial positive attention) and Triggering (inciting the bite). The "steady" part provides control/consistency that allows me bottom and strike detection. It also sets up the triggering moves. I'm working on a video on this very topic. Got most of the graphics done, just need the time to put it together. Speaking of which, I gotta go.

Every two minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer. To show my support and to raise awareness and funds for research, I'll be getting my head shaved on Monday. Look for before and after pics (if you don't have a weak stomach) here sometime late Mon. morning, or you can see it happening on FaceBook as I'll be streaming it live at 10:30 central time. I should say my son-in-law will be streaming it 'cause my hair would be grown back before I figure out how to. Before and after pics can also be seen at stbaldricks.org I'm shavee #952317 Joe Cortesi

Had a great time with the family last weekend on Lake Fork. Unfortunately the weather kinda stunk and the fishing was really tough for us northern folks. Finally put a little deal together on our third day and caught a few. No TX giants but it was still fun fishing a new lake with my dad, sister, and brother in law.

My starting strategy is erratic retrieve in daylight, steady at night or very low water clarity. Notice I said where I start. and I'm speaking of mostly hard baits like cranks and spinnerbaits. It also depends on the lure. A buzz bait works both ways, but is a lot easier to reel steady.

It does not work even on a major cold front when nothing else worked - jigs, spinnerbaits, tubes, drop-shots. Yep, WP is totally overrated...

I just got mine today! Two hours total to pick it up. 15 minutes to sign papers the rest for a walk-through of the boat. At the Portage, IN BPS they told me they have sold 37 so far and if you were to order one today they wait is to August. It tows nice. One thing I noticed there are a lot of shavings in the bottom of the boat. Even some in the carpet. I may rinse the hull to get the shaving out the plug rather than the bilge. I can't wait to get it out, we have had some crazy rains lately. Hopefully next week sometime.

My lab ended early today and I already had my truck packed just incase. Fished a pond/swamp and had an awesome time! Fish were up in 2FOW which shocked me, (stuff was frozen over less than 2 weeks ago) I had one blow up on my chatterbait as I pulled it out of the water. I also watched one come up out of the grass in 2' and eat my chatterbait close enough to me that the hook set was a boat flip. Also got to cross a couple eyes with a jig on 20lb fluoro which always feels good. Ended up landing 7 bass and they were all over 14" so in WV that is a darn good day. Looks like 2-3" of rain on the way, should be an interesting weekend of fishing for sure

Took this week off of work and I been out every day on the boat for 6-8 hours depending on how long my battery last lol.I been power fishing lately and catching alot of fish and good size at that but today around noon my back started hurting but I didn't feel like calling it a day so I started worm fishing just sitting down in the chair with Texas rigged worm and I gotta tell you it was an amazing experience just to sit down and enjoy my surroundings and I started catching alot of fish than I said to myself now this is fishing, but it brought me back to when I first started and it seemed by slowing down and worm fishing I became part of the refuge.You dont see alot of pros or bass fishermen in general talking about worm fishing Texas rigged style today just made me realize how much I enjoy it and missed it.Also I made the conversion over to tungsten weights wow what a difference!!Just wanted to share.Thanks!!!

They're no magic bullet. I saw the Larry Dahlberg Hunt for Big Fish episodes where showed how he made the prototype, and I was pretty excited when R2S put it into production. I just haven't had the results that reflect the hype.

It works, but it isn't that much fun to fish.

Almost every moving bait, short of topwaters, will encounter either the bottom, or some form of cover, thereby altering the the path and rhythm of the bait. The retrieve is generally steady, though I will stop and even give a little bit of rod back to the bait when the bait hits something.

As a once-or-twice-a-week fisherman who fishes extremely weedy lakes, I was a skeptic since anything with treble hooks is doomed to failure around here; however I was sucked in by a color called “Monkey Butt”. To be honest, I started with a black 90-sized model and caught five or six bass from shore in a half hour. Sounds good ... except the largest was just 10 inches!! That’s when I bit the bullet and bought a Monkey Butt in the 110 size. Got a really nice fish (I’m guessing around three pounds) but it broke off as I tried to get it in my kayak. What excites me about the Whopper Plopper is that even with the weedy environment I can use this lure because all my fish were caught before the lure had moved ten feet. I’ve found I don’t have to retrieve the lure far to get results! I cast to a hole in the weeds and let it sit ... and sit ... and sit. Then I twitch the lure and let it sit some more. Then I move it a foot or two and let it sit again. Yes, I can only move the lure a few a few feet before it gets covered in shrubbery but those few feet are exciting. Made me rethink my attitude about using treble-hook lures in weeds. The few casts I could fully retrieve didn’t result in fish, but that first ten feet is the secret for me. Kind of a pain in the butt to fish, but worth it. Oh, and I’ve only tried fishing it at dusk. This year I plan to experiment more during the day. As a side note I have picked up a couple of jerk baits to see if the same or a similar technique might work. It would be great to fish something besides soft plastic weedless rigs. Hope this info helps.

I keep varying the retrieve until I see what works.

For what a BG can be had for with a little shopping I cant see ever spending more on a spinning reel.

Good colors. I like the 110 myself. 90's can be temperamental. You need to keep the rod high with them. Use a line that floats for sure.

Spent about an hour talking Midwest fishing history with a living legend last night...

Tom, we are having our LSU Alumni Chapter crawfish boil on June 2nd this year. We get them shipped from Louisiana and the Cajun guys cook them. I will consume around 10 pounds all by myself. I love playing a largemouth bass at this annual event.

I recently discovered that many of you don't know we have an Instagram page. So here it is: https://www.instagram.com/bassresource/ For a chance to be featured on our Instagram page, tag your photos #bassresource We're constantly posting new pictures, so follow us to see the latest!

They never leave anymore. Stay all year round, pooping on every patch of grass they can occupy. I hate them.

For me, if I'm catching some fish, I'm having fun. I don't ask for anything more than that. I'm never going to catch any real hogs out here where I live, so my sights aren't set that high. If this thing catches me a few fish, I'll be happy with it. I never even had any intent to buy one. I was in Cabela's and it was there on the rack in front of me. Some force beyond my control made my hand reach out and pluck the box off the peg and drop it in my cart. When I came out of my trance, the Plopper was in the bag and I was getting into my truck. If it doesn't work, it's not my fault... I was under a spell.

That's the nature of hype. You can go on YouTube and watch insane catches on most lures (and some things that aren't lures). In a few months ya'll move on to the next new must have, that will not be new or must have...

In most of the lakes I fish the lake bottom dictates an erratic retrieve for crankbaits though there are some spots where I can employ a steady cranking action. Bottoms littered with brush, branches, stumps, and unevenly sized rock can eat a lot of bottom dragging crankbaits. When I hit something, which is often, I pause because if I don't it is likely I will lose the bait at some point. Plus, the pause is often where the bite occurs if a bass is hanging near that location. For baits that don't drag the bottom, I try both until I find something that works.

Few things in nature is consistent and truly predictable. Even what seams to be a slow and steady retrieve like a top water, needs to have variables

Out & About Early this morning ~ A-Jay

I use to fish lots of crawdad patterned crankbaits , especially pre-spawn. Over the years I have lost most and have not replaced them . The Arbogast Mudbug is a favorite and I still have half a dozen . Lots of anglers like tight action flat sided baits during the cold pre-spawn season. I like the wide action of the Mudbug fished parallel to steep banks at an agonizingly slow speed . Its a proven way to catch hawgs .

Have fished baitcasters about 15 years. Still sometimes notice small loops that have to be pulled out. Most times that this has happened I was not paying enough attention at the end of the cast as the thumb was allowing a tiny amount of looseness to occur in the next wraps on the spool. By feathering the spool with the thumb at the end of the cast, or pulling this looseness out before rewinding, long pull outs can be avoided. When fishing walking baits, I sometimes develop looseness on the spool. After a number of casts, I just make a long cast and do a fast straight retrieve, then go back to walking.

Most of my retrieves will at least have a pause in it . When my crankbaits make contact with the bottom I like to pause it for a second and sometimes there will be a bass on it when I start it back up .

I have a 3700 box of nothing but Ploppers. 90's, 110's, 130's, and a 190. I've caught fish on every size and color I've fished. They aren't magic, they won't catch fish in every condition, but something about them just makes the fish want to kill the bait at times. Bone and Monkey Butt are my favorite colors. There's times when they'll outfish a buzzbait badly, and times it's the other way around. It may not be magic, but I wouldn't want to have to go without them.

Speed and directional change seems to get me bit more than a steady retrieve. Not that i haven't hooked up on a steady pull here and there, but something erratic seems more productive. Also, depends on the lure, jerkbaits are constantly erratic. Buzzbaits are usually more steady although I will change speeds multiple times during a given cast, but mostly find the speed they like and set the cruise control, haha.

I have a GLX 842, Metanium 13 with a Yumeya shallow spool and HH air bearings and its amazing. I also added Curado K brass gears I would say a 842 with a MGL would rock, I also two NRX 852 in casting and spinning one with a Excense and one with the Metanium MGL and they are awesome also.

It sounds like your spool bearings need cleaned.

What if you had a buzz bait where the hook up percent was 2 or 3 times better than any other buzz bait? How about a buzz bait that you could pause? How about a topwater that catches a lot of bass? If that appeals to you and a $13 bait doesn't scare you away. Get one. Color hasn't mattered for me.

Daiwa BG 2500!! You won't regret it.

You are asking a lot for one rod. However, if you aren't fishing heavy cover I imagine it could be done. I wouldn't want to use my dedicated frog rod for any treble lures (a HF rod). Take a look at the Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MHR. Rod lists for about $150, but you can find it for less on ebay. There is one at $120 right now, but I paid less than $110 for mine. That rod and a Tatula CT reel will keep you within your budget, and you will have a very nice combo that is pretty versatile.

Raccoon Lake in Rockville, IN never fails to show me how terrible of a fisherman I am.

Backlashes are inevitable. One tip to make them less severe is to make a long cast then put a piece of tape over the line on your spool. Then you at least won't backlash any deeper on your spool.

Seasonal periods;internet search Cosmic clock and Bass Calendar. Tom

Actually Jared, I move around the cooking area very slowly as to not show myself and then I hide around where the boxes of cooked crawfish are and very quietly open the top and eat three or four. I than move back to my original hiding place and wait for my turn to strike again.

Click on menu, then fishing articles, scroll down a little bit and there is a whole library of articles with seasonal patterns as the subject.

This will be my dinner tomorrow!

This is it! soon to be home.

On my kayak I don't use a cooler, so I'm not much help there. I usually just have a Gatorade between my legs and a can of Grizz in my shirt pocket for a snack ? On my boat, I use a soft cooler my GF got from work. It's no Yeti but it works plenty good for a day on the water. On my old bass boat, the live well wasn't big enough for 5 perch, let alone 5 bass, so that was my designated cooler.

I've caught hundreds of wipers on my KastKing Assassin along with hundreds of bass of all sizes. It's handled all of them without any issues from plastic flex. It's reeling a fish in, not winching a Jeep out of a mudhole. The rod is what I move them with, the reel just takes up the line so I can continue to move the fish with the rod.