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3 more in about an hour with the t rigged black/blue Dinger. I’ve got this neighborhood pond dialed in and I don’t ever want to leave. Largest went for 3.1.

Think of a lake as a three dimensional body of water instead of just surface area. Bass will position themselves according to seasonal patterns horizontally, and vertically. Sometimes their shallow and buried in the weeds, downed wood, and docks. Sometimes they move off shore and chase baitfish gathering in baitballs. During prolonged hot weather they will also hang at the Thermocline depth, enjoying the comfortable temps, good O2 levels, as well as baitfish hanging at this level. Sometimes they move to the first deep drop-off and position against the drop-off walls. Sometimes they move deeper and position around any structure they can find deep. As long as the O2 levels are good deep, they will be quite happy deep hugging structure. In lakes, you can't just beat the banks for fish all year long, knowing how deep they are is a key factor in catching fish. There are lures that will maximize your chances at each of these depths. You could write a book on what to use at each depth. You need to do research on line to figure that out for yourself. Good luck my friend, the more time on the water the better you will get at catching bass, all year long.

I wear a diaper when bank fishing, like an astronaut so I can focus solely on bass fishing I’m just hard core like that.

I've been working in Northern Michigan lately and decided to fish the West Grand Traverse Bay at the mouth of the Boardman River. First smallie caught was 3.94, which sad to say for some, beat my previous smallie PB. Yay, right?! Well roughly 10 brown fish later, I catch a 4.04! Awesome, right?! At this point, I can't not catch one. It's almost silly! I ended the night, roughly 16 bass later, on a 6lb 22" CHUNK! So I beat my smallmouth PB twice, and 6lbs beats my overall bass PB.

After six fishing days & four days of travel to Rainy Lake Canada I decided to try my home waters. When I left Erie the surface temps were around 49-51 degrees. Ten days later the surface temps were only 51-53. There was a massive mud line from shore to 4 miles off shore when I left. When I went out yesterday the rain from two days before left the water a little turbid but not to bad. I started fishing a LC pointer 128 & a deep diving jerk bait. The 128 proved to be what the bigger fish wanted. I caught two nice eater walleye & about 9 smallies. My best five smallies went 24-25lbs. Big fish of the day hit the 6lb mark on my boga. It was a great welcome back for me.

Am I the only person who hears Bigfoot in the background singing "Midnight train to Georgia" off key?

I'll try to talk you off the ledge. Not trying to sound like a jerk, but if you have to finance a $60 reel it's probably not a good decision.

Got some more done to the boat at the weekend. All the decks and framing are now complete, TM wiring complete. Need to find a way of covering the decks now. I would like some marine vinyl, but it's utterly unattainable here. I can't find a company who will ship from the states either, which is frustrating. Not sure quite what I'll end up doing at the moment. Once the covering is done though, I just need to wire in the nav lights, bilge pump and fishfinders. I probably need to raise the motor about 3" too annoyingly, but that can wait for the moment.

Apparently so is lying around in the garden!

Fishing all day is hard work.

get one of those pocket catheters

A nice 4+ on a black buzz bait before going to work. hit right over this fallen tree trunk that ive been casting at for the past 3 years. this was the first ever catch at that target.

I have now been fishing Clearlake for 3 days. My visions of giant football shaped bass have not yet become a reality, and unfortunately I don't think we have a shot at more than a couple of them. Weights for tournaments have been way down lately, and we have not heard of anyone catching big fish consistently (although I'm sure someone is). There has been a ton of pressure on the lake recently (maybe it's always that way, I'm not sure) and that combined with other factors that I can't pinpoint seem to have the larger fish in a funk! That being said, we are having a ball with the smaller fish, 20+ bites a day in the 2-3lb range, however nothing over 3.5 in THREE DAYS! It would only take an 18"er to be 4 or even 5 pounds too, these fish are built like nothing I have seen before. We have caught bass all over the lakes on a wide variety of baits, I can't figure out how we haven't at least stumbled across a big one. One more day of practice and then it's showtime!

Get it don’t look back you’re wife’s not going to leave you just do it !!! Feed the monkey!!!

Every bass water being a reservoir, pond, natural lake or river has a life zone where largemouth, smallmouth or Spotted bass are active or inactive. Depth is important, it’s the 1st piece of the puzzle to to determine. If you know the depth you can eliminate areas to fish and what lures to use that are effective at the depth where active bass are at. Tom

I am not sure about you but i like to work and get paid and then buy my stuff. I'd also be hesitant on any boat that i would need to put a bunch of time and effort into to get where i want it to be. That additional time and cost should also be factored into your decision on if your job is worth that expense.

One of the best days of fishing I've had today. I fished the mouth of the Boardman River (West Grand Traverse Bay). Fished 100% with a white Underspin with a 3" white Keitech paddletail. I caught 15 in 2.5hrs. Top 5 going for 21.5lbs. Biggest fish, and my new PB, went 6lbs!!

Went fishing with a friend at a pond then a private lake in our kayaks this past week. Caught about 12-15 of all different sizes, then caught my new PB- a 6lber. Texas rigged zoom ultravibe worm, junebug & green pumpkin colors.

I'd rather have a good graphite frame that a pot metal cast one. The frame flexing thing is blown out of proportion. A cheap or quality reel is just that regardless of materials.

Megabass Orochi XX Ronin ('18) with a Shimano Exsence CI4+ 3000HGM. Fished the rod this past weekend and it was a joy to use. (& fish caught).

You do what soccer players do when they warm up. You make sure no one is opposite you. You kneel down on both knees and put your tackle bag in front of you, but a tad away. You then start fumbling with your baits like you are looking for something. And you hope no one sees you.

Fished a couple's tournament on greers ferry yesterday. Absolutely stunning lake, beautiful clear water. As for the fishing just caught 3 keepers and a bunch of almost 15 inchers so the finish wasn't too hot. Had a blast all-n-all though. Good weekend spent with the significant other. The fish in the pic was by far the smallest of the day lol

I have always wanted to try Rainy Lake on the Canadian side so a small group of four guys decided to go. Three of us drove two days to get there & one guy from Atlanta flew to Duluth Minn to meet up with us. We pulled one boat up & rented a 2nd boat up there. We stayed at LaBelle's Birch Point Camp on Northwest Bay. The accommodations, food & boat rental/guide service was great. Ice out was May 5th & we arrived on the 11th. Water temps were 47-53 during our six days of fishing. The bass were confused as to where they should be location wise with the three week late ice out. We searched & searched & searched looking for them. We tried points, bays, humps & islands all over. Most days we ran 20 miles out & 20 miles back. Weather was cool & sunny and mostly dry until we left. We had three days of high wind but fishable. We found one or two fish on most spots we tried but no schools or concentration except for one day. Our best day gave us 55 smallies for our boat that day. Most other days were 20-30 fish for the boat. We caught lots of snot rocket northerns & some walleye mixed in. Walleye season didn't open until the day after we left so they were released rather than eaten. Early successful baits were tubes dragged on bottom or just off. As the water warmed my favorite bite started to shine. I only fished jerkbaits & a few flukes the rest of the week. Our biggest fish was 4.5 lbs. Five pounders are considered trophies up there. The camp owner has a 6.5 lber to his credit over 30 years of fishing Rainy. Typical good days on Rainy average 50-75 smallie per day to a boat during normal conditions. If you want to try a Canadian smallmouth trip Rainy Lake is a good choice.

Brief story. Pics are the best I could do seeing as I'm no @A-Jay I took some crappy long arm shots and selfies because dad's arthritis and lack of tech savyness gives him issues with taking phone pics. Day 1 Got up to Sister Bay around 3:00 Sunday afternoon. Took care of a few things at my folks summer home and then dumped the boat in the water. Water was 48*. Fished for 3 hours without a bite. Did see some fish cruising the bottom in 17fow, had 1 follow. Day2 Launched in Sturgeon Bay. Fished an area that is normally productive for an hour without a bite. Headed to Little Sturgeon and got my first bit an hour later. Dad got one as well about 45 minutes later. We're now 3 hours in with 2 fish. Head to another area for a short bit and then headed to where we would spend the rest of the day. Day 3 Was a bit foggy at the beginning of our trek. Visibility about 20ft. Without the graphs, I would not have been able to launch until 10am when the fog cleared. Be they fish or humans, the female of the species can be completely turned on one day, and completely shut down the next. Caught 1 female today and a bunch of males.

Reading all these posts about skin cancer got me to thinking about better protection from the sun. I can't stand anything tight across my face or neck so a boony type hat and sun screen have been my go to. Problem is I always seem to miss a couple of spots and have been burned my ears and back of my neck more than once. The wife and I were out shopping over the weekend and came across these Sun Guide Caps, and bought a couple. We tried them out today and although they look dorky as all get out ( looks like I have beagle ears ) they were very lite weight and totally covered my neck and ears. You can also snap a front flap to cover the front of your neck. Here's a pic from todays trip. Try not to laugh too hard.

@Buffdaddy54 If she does kick you out I think you should go sleep on @Burros couch

Here are some of my best catches from my Susquehanna river trip back in April. Thanks to all of those who gave me tips on how to fish it. Most were caught on Jerk bait and T-rig craw. I couldn't connect with the tubes and the others that were fishing them caught more than me. All in all I caught 50 plus in 3 days so I consider it a successful trip.

If there is one thing a bank fisherman should master it is stealth. The fish can feel you at the bank... Crunching leaves and breaking sticks, Talking loud or your music on your phone... I approach the bank as if I'm walking in the woods deer hunting. Slowly rolling my boots over the ground being as quiet as possible. If you can see them they can see you. I know situations like that are exciting but the best thing to do is back away, and cast to it from a distance after you've gave it a little bit. You could always do what the world record bass holder did.. catch her with a bluegill. Just sayin.

I fish the same structure with same lures at night as I would during the day. The only thing I add to my tackle is a Brinkman Maxamillon III Q-beam! Bass Do Not Morph Into A New Creature After Dark!

STOP CALLING HER THE "OL LADY" AND SHE MIGHT BE OK WITH IT...

Always nice to have your cake and eat it too. I am also asking for the Fuego CT 7:3:1 for fathers day, I plan to just use a slower retrieve when needed to emulate the 5:3:1. That's a dangerous game putting fishing gear on the credit card with interest accruing, I suggest waiting until you can pay out of pocket.

I pitch/flip right handed and switch hands. Been doing it for 35+ years. Never, ever, missed a fish because of it. Never felt I was at a disadvantage, nor has it ever been a problem in any sense of the word. There are no "bad habits". It boils down to personal preference.

Shhhhhhh!!! I like black or white for almost all baits. Skirted jigs and spinnerbaits I can accent with the color of my trailer.

By the time my bait hits the water, I've already switched hands and I'm ready to set the hook with my thumb on the spool. I can pitch to open targets left handed, but I'm not threading the needle or skipping left handed.

And a pocket catheter ain't??? I'm sure Tupac used a pocket catheter when he went fishing. ?

Then there are those, like myself, that are just so right hand dominate that they can't do anything left handed. I even tried LH reels........................NOT

It's nice to learn but not necessary! If you think it puts me at a disadvantage, you'll only underestimate me once!

The reel frame is not made of graphite, it is composite that may have graphite reinforcement fibers. 2 reasons to use composite materials; weight saving and corrosion protection. Composites are about 50% lighter then aluminum and impervious to corrosion. Modern composite materials are far more expensive then aluminum alloys and can be stronger, all depends on design and materials used. Tom

Of course i didn't have my scale with me, but she was a MONSTER! well over 5 lbs.

Hot on the dink bite... Few days later the Dink Fest continues, and his first Snot Rocket...

went out on the local rezzie today with my brother in law to test out a new piece of gear he bought. i dont think we caught one fish there the whole of last season and not for lack of trying. the fishing there is tough. well today was a different story. i hooked into five fish of five different species one after the other. beautiful evening not sure what was up with this guy, abnormal coloring smallie up on the bank. if you didnt get your bait close in to the bank you didnt get a fish this next fish i threw a morning dawn yum dinger wacky rigged up against a rock face near the bank. as you can hear my bro was amped. i was frozen in disbelief. did not end up landing the fish. we were completely unprepared for this guy. my wacky fishing rig is a 6'0 fenwick eagle medium-light strung with 10 lb spiderline braid and 8 lb super silver thread copolymer leader. it lasted much longer than i expected. he didnt inhale the bait i actually had him lip hooked with a 1/0 finesse wide gap. but he eventually turned and got his mouth around the line and sheared it off. was hard to fish after that, that was the first time i ever hooked into a musky. didnt know what this was but im told it is a white perch. this thing inhaled a 4" cinnamon yamamoto, and took a dump on my leg pickerel on the bagley minnow b took a swipe at it hooked him backwards through top lip was pretty shocked to get 5 species like that in a row. managed one more largemouth before the wife summoned me home to help with bed time.

Went out to give my lefty reel a try this morning with new handle. Used zoom Magnum Fluke got 3 bites and land only one 16 incher. As always the one that you lost always a giant, this one jump, and spit my lure made me screaming like those YouTube kids.

Out on the bass hunter today. Boated 19 bass, shallow cranks (bps the egg, h20 wake), 110 whopper plopper, Jackal Kaera frog doing the damage.

me and my cousin hit the water around 7 this morning in the little johnny. skies were mostly cloudy and an easy SW breeze made for perfect conditions. we caught 39 spots and 2 largemouth.

Just have to say that after some great advice here on BR I took a single rod and practiced on nothing but Texas rig and wacky. Worked nothing but these two methods for the past couple days. Took me a while but I landed several nice sized Bass. Feels good to take the time to study and practice and get a great return... thank you all who took the time out to give me great advice. .

Video added of my daughter falling in lake havasu. This could have gone way worse if she wasnt wearing one.

Try wade fishing in the river with them! Did it for years. Many , many more people are killed by lightning than gators. I'd just about as soon deal with a gator than a cottonmouth personally.

Mostly they are just annoying hanging out just off shore waiting for you to catch something. If you move they usually slowly move your way after a few minutes. The juveniles are a pain because they think every splash is food. Occasionally it can get a bit more exciting. I've had one try and hide along the bank and slowly stalk my position. During mating season they get more territorial and I've had a few chase me up the bank. The scariest was when for our five starting crashing a concrete fishing pad we were on after I caught a fish. We got out of there and a few minutes later they had climbed on that pad. A few things I keep in mind when heading out: 1. Check the banks as we approach. Stomp the ground as you approach (gets rid of snakes, too). 2. Use polarized glasses and check under the water near the banks. 3. If a gator even hints at being aggressive go fish the next lagoon. 4. Never turn your back to the water when alligators are nearby. They cover water and ground pretty darn quick. 5. Even if you don't see a gator, assume one is around. Keep scanning the banks and water when you fish. 6. Personally, I NEVER bank fish at night. Too scary. Those orange eyes are creepy. 7. Don't do anything stupid. Don't tempt fate. I'll admit I've been scared more than once out there. I'm too chicken to kayak fish as well. The alternative is to give up bass fishing, so we learn to live with it.

That's about right, based on the billions of browns I've caught. Also, at least I get to hold my PB brown over you. 22 lbs. Beautiful fish by the way. Up here, the spots are very faint until late summer early fall. Spring: Fall:

Do I believe the lake in a decline? Absolutely! Is it the doom & gloom ya reading on Facebook? Absolutely not! According to some the dam needs to be blown & the lake drained!