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In response to the question, I am going to start fish the isolated structure. My home lake is basically all rock. You'll hear guys say all the time that they caught the fish on a muddy featureless bank. This is where they are usually wrong, there was some type of isolated feature that the bass were holding to. Sometimes its just one or two rocks or a section of gravel the size of a 5 gallon bucket. One of my best spots I found using google earth and its just a couple of large rocks with a couple drainage areas that run beside it. Also there is a laydown at the end of a point where a vein of rocks breaks up. (the ditches are caused by rains when they drop the water.) You can fish these areas all year round as the isolated rocks on the drains continue to extend into 40 feet of water. Fish will move both up and down depending on the conditions in this area. You will also see this lake has many rock veins that run thru it. Most guys find the way the rocks are laying and fish with them so they are not getting snagged. I have always found that fishing parallel to the veins produces the best. I tried to show a little diagram with arrows pointing to the drains, stars to show the isolated areas where we have success year after year.(blue line shows where it would be at full pool + bottom picture))

Dear bothers, may I take a moment of your time to share with you the word of our tackle savior, the Bait Monkey? For he hath declared that there is a hope, a way that we can attain the glory of maximum sensitivity. It is said to be that by wielding the highest quality rod, constructed by the mystic rod building ancients of Gaar Eloomus, one can ascend into a dimension where the powerful wielder of such a rod is said to be able to feel the breath of his quarry prior to striking. However, such a rod as glorious as this mustn't be paired with meager, plebeian nylons of peasants, a rod of such caliber requires only the finest of lines developed deep in the jungles of se-Agu-ar. The locals call it tatsu, which is believed to translate to "String of the Gods". Now go, lord Starkeer, go to seek the glories of ultimate sensitivity, and land the fish of your greatest fantasies. Ignore the simple constructs of "budgets" or "stupid car payments", for they are merely barriers that draw you away from the glorious sensitivity that may one day rest in your hands. All Hail!

My Dad got me addicted at a very young age. One of my earliest memories is looking at a 6 pounder he had mounted and wanting one myself. It took me until I was 15 to catch that 6.25 pound beauty from the bank in some backwater. It took me a bit longer to work odd jobs to save up the money to get her mounted. It was a priceless moment to me to put it on the wall close to Dad's. My favorite memories are fishing with Dad in a John boat as he sculled around some ox bows off the Pearl river. We would have to drive down nasty, muddy roads across private property to access these jewels. He always gave me a hand-poured, flat tail worm on weedless hook attached to a Zebco 33. I'd cast to my hearts content. He's been gone nearly two years now and I never get in my boat that I don't think about him. The deck of my boat is where I reconnect with Dad and the good memories flow. So, while my addiction to bass fishing is all about figuring out the puzzle, it goes way deeper than that. And, I'm proud to say, I'm passing the love for fishing on to my kids. The addiction continues.

Caught this girl yesterday, full of eggs. She looked liked she was ready to bed.

And now you start seeing the nuances and differences in thought (and terminology). Sticking with my originalist mentality, Buck stated structure is a feature OF the bottom...meaning, the dirt. Breaks, or what most people call 'cover' now days, are features ON the bottom. Rocks, whether we are talking tied to a Christmas tree or laid down to protect a shoreline, are still sitting ON the bottom, therefore are considered break/cover. You can really get into nuances, and even Buck said there are some instances where what we would traditionally consider breaks could also be considered 'structure-like' because of the lack of true structure in certain bodies of water (and fished or treated accordingly. The good news is that whether I call it a break, or whether Tom considers it structure, it is recognized as something important by each of us, and would be evaluated and fished accordingly. The difference is just to what degree of importance (and terminology).

Get rid of the wife and buy 4 more

Great discussion. Thanks for the Buck Perry refresher @Team9nine . I'm definitely in the Buck Perry camp. Again, my real concern is how something affects the bass' behavior. What we call it only matters in our discussions. Does a cement block that holds down a brush pile affect the bass in a way that I need to be aware of? If it does then maybe we need to classify it. If not then it doesn't matter what you call it.

I pick out about four baits that will effectively fish the area or cover I am facing . A Texas rig or jig is always among them . Then I rotate through those baits . Those lures are a lot different fishing deep clear water than shallow stained water .

Here we go. Just got these this week. The G. Loomis GLX 785 crank bait rod and the Shimano Chronarch 201E5. I've wanted this combo since it came out. At the time I was working an entry level job and living alone, so it was pretty much out of the question. I never really gave up on the idea, and about 7 years and a lot of Facebook "for sale" posts on local groups later, here it is! Now I know what you're going to say. "But that's just a Curado E painted white!" and "that particular GLX wasn't as good as the current one, the gloss finish added weight to it. And a GLX for cranking is just overkill!". I agree. But look how awesome it looks! ?

Local pond. Which tree do you fish first haha!

Excellent photo that clearly shows isolated rocks that most anglers don't bother to fish. Bass located at that type of isolated structure are nearly always hunting prey and active feeders. Where the clay soil meets the shale ridges to me are breaks lines edges that also can be good areas that get over looked. Tom

Old timer... Humph young whippersnappers thinking we don't know nothing bout them new falooting high dollar expensive scientific lines.

I've fished braided Cotton, Dacron, Micron, Suture Material (Silk), Micro Dyneema®, Kevlar, & Spectra. Fluorocarbon has as much stretch as mono with far less abrasion resistance & shock absorption. Copolymers in my opinion does nothing that Impresses.

I don't recommend big game unless your using it for backing now all the old timers here will push mono on you because they are accustomed to it or used to it but I found myself asking this very question not to long ago and I'm telling you go with copoly, floro or briad always, times have changed and mono is useless in my opinion.

My #1 line of choice is 15# Big Game Mean Green ? Berkley Big Game is the highest abrasion resistance mono on the market. With any monofilament the less you fish the more coils you will experience. As for line conditioners, throw that in the trash! For the price of Big Game I simply re-spool

I've been using Big Game for decades. I like the Solar Collector (12# or 15#) for bottom contact baits like jigs and T-rigs because I'm an incurable line watcher and it's MUCH easier for my old eyes to see. I use 10# clear for crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater and spinnerbaits. Lately, I've been trying BPS Excel mono and I'm liking it pretty well also. Tom

The little memory issues I have with Big Game on baitcasters is solved with a little KVD line and lure or Reel Snot application. I am skeptical about using it on spinning gear as well. I prefer 8# Sufix Elite mono for my spinning gear.

Yes, I think the XL is much more applicable for spinning then Big game. I myself personally would not go down to that low of a pound test on a bait caster (gonna get jumped for that comment). Bait casterfor me is 10lb and up, spinning 10lb and down. FM

That duo realis pencil is hands down my favorite walking bait. It is so effortless to walk. Nice order by the way!

20% off DSG online today and tomorrow.

Price has nothing to do with sensitivity! The most important part of rod sensitivity is who is holding the rod!

sensitivity is important to me for bottom contact rods, comfort is just as important. i have a couple of rods that have split reel seats on them that are a tad more sensitive than the steez xt rods i primarily use, but the daiwa reel seats are just my favorite, so i stick with them.

It's always worth going out...if I can get out of the drive way. Personally...I enjoy the challenge and the beauty of each day given to us....I know this will change someday.....but....today....bring it.

Bass fishing is one of the few sports that you can enjoy with family, with friends, or all by yourself. When I fish with my son my greatest thrill is watching him land a big bass. When I fish with my friends there's the spirit of competition. When I fish by myself my focus is more on my breathing in the air, enjoying the surroundings, and clearing my head. Each of these things gives me great pleasure that is only heightened when I manage to land a big bass of my own.

Of course bass can't hide in cement blocks. I always looked at cover as weeds, wood, etc, but in the bigger picture of structure, which I thought to be the bottom contour, depth changes, drop offs etc.Maybe I don't understand this correctly?

Agree. The way I understood is like you do.Structure is bottom topography. Cover is anything in those areas that bass can hide in.

One of the most skilled members on here is @Team9nine. Follow his blog and you'll see that's all he's talking about lately. It's all for fun. I'd fish more for crappie except that I walk small lakes where they're not as available.

Yup,the votes have been all counted up and your gonna have to turn in your badge and screen name ?

Here's the problem that I ran into by depending upon "search baits"; earlier this year I fished a long shoreline using my typical "search bait" and best bass catcher, a lipless crankbait (why it's my best bass catcher is part of the problem also). I fished along not getting any bites until I hit a point that I knew tapered into a deep channel. The sun was perfect, the season ideal for the depth, the structure was exactly what it should have been but I didn't get anything. I was so convinced that instead of moving on I kept throwing the lipless. Nothing. I was so sure that I stayed longer. Finally I decided to throw a t-rig with a trick worm. Immediately caught a bass. Then another. Then I decided to go back down that same shoreline I had just investigated with my best "search bait". I caught two more. I went from a skunk to a good day by slowing down. I no longer believe in "search baits". I pick areas based on the totality of the circumstances. I search that area and I use several baits. Depending upon the circumstances, I will usually run the entire water column from top to bottom and from fast to slow. AS I get more experience I expect that I will be able to zero in on what works more quickly.

That's why I got married the second time.

Unless you do a lot of deep cranking I’d keep 3 and 4. Much more versatile.

Keep all 4, most couches are surprisingly comfy...

Random reward, the same reason gambling is so addictive for some.

I think the decision is now between 1 and 2 personally and it really just depends on what you personally want. It is a Medium vs a Medium heavy so you just have to make the decision. I don't think it will do you much good to have number 3 as well as number 4 though. If it were me I would probably choose number 2 but I would have to feel them both side by side first...

Not to be contrary, but to clarify. This weekend will be December, you can fish plastics fast if you want, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't go well. It kills me when people say hook sets are free. They usually cost me about 4 bucks if I'm jig fishing.

My 4 lures for winter are: Sweat pants Sweatshirt Slippers Recliner ?

"Isolated" is a key word here. In a lake filled with stumps, laydowns, rockpiles, grass, weeds, etc., you have to find out why some are productive and some are not. There are a lot of other considerations that then come into play, time of year, water conditions (clarity, temp, etc) and the rest of the fishing puzzle. BUT.....all things being considered, you can drill down beyond cover to structure to help identify why they are where they are. That's what separates the bank beaters from the fishermen many times. But if either cover or structure is isolated it has a better chance of holding fish as a general rule.

Put a new PB in the boat today!!! My buddy’s been working hard for this fish for a long time! 8.5lbs, 24” I had to play net man on this one, and we were both pumped to bring in a Giant first fish of the day! Rest of the day was an absolute grind. Only three fish total between us. Can’t complain too much for the first fish out of a new lake! We were also the only boat on the water from sunrise to 3pm. One other boat put in, and then a few brave kayakers hit the water just as the wind picked up to 15-20mph and chopped the place up big time. 43° water and less than 3 foot visibility. They were on the bottom, and we could find an occasional school, but just could not get them to eat. Except the important one!

Remember reading that ?

In the 40 acre lake I fish shallow to is sitting in 8-10 feet of water and throwing into 4-8 inches of water. There’s a few places where it goes from 2-3 feet to ten or 12 really quick.

Have owned a couple of ZX rods. Love em'. Grips are fantastic, very good sensitivity, light and balanced. I currently still own the swim jig and spinner bait model and it goes with me every time I fish. Honestly I'd recommend it for bottom contact but it doesn't load too well below 1/4 weights. No experience with the custom, but have fished a TP1 from Lews. It was super stout for its rating and tip heavy (for me to notice it has to be pretty tip heavy). Again, the Custom may be totally different. Not to make your decision tougher, but Falcon Bucco is an excellent rod in that price range. Their rods are rated a little weird to me, but excellent rods. The king daddy in that price range to me is the Diawa Tatula original version. They are getting tougher to find but I will always recommend them. The 7'2" Med/heavy-Regular is a phenomenal rod, and what I use for Texas rigs 3/16-1/2 ounce. Never used the Dobyns Fury but have heard many people talk them up. Maybe worth taking a look. If you want, I can give more detail about the ZX, Diawa, and Falcon. This was just getting long winded

My favorite " the first thing I'll try bait" is a soft paddle tail swim bait. Extremely versatile. From the surface to the bottom, fast, slow, anywhere in between. I've caught bass on them from right on the surface to bouncing them across the bottom 30 ft. down. Really no wrong way to use them and they cover a lot of water

You just described my entire life of fishing experience in one post. Try all kinds of lures to no avail, throw trick worm and catch fish after fish

I would spend the day graphing areas & marking fish. Do not! Stick any fish! Put together a milk run of at least dozen or more spots.

The fence/hedge row example Buck used is a little tricky (IMO). It was diagrammed in an article on the best places to locate fish in a reservoir, as well as in a little booklet he published. In both cases, that example was in reference to what Buck referred to as "structure situations." Similar to Tom's original premise, "structure situations" are the areas Buck stated we are most likely to find fish consistently. This is because these "structure situations" are comprised of 4 different entities; structure, breaks, breaklines and deep water. It is the combination of these 4 things that make these areas so productive. In the case of the fence row, it was situated on a small bar (structure) and was comprised of individual trees or posts (breaks) that happened to run in a line (breakline) and that led all the way from the shoreline out to the channel (deep water). This example was used to try and explain why, as Buck put it, "'Structure fishermen' should [be able to] tell the difference between fence rows and standing trees out on some big flat."

I have seen all types of youtube channels fishing, lure making, combat sports, gaming and many others. Most of the channels I have watched have evolved from their initial videos. Many will go back and make a video poking fun of their first videos for their lack of direction, errors and other things they learn while making them. Sometimes a person will make a specific type of video that they will get more feedback on, this prompting the direction of the channel to take a different path. My suggestion is not to be afraid to fail. Some of the most important successes came from learning from some type of failure.

For playing around the tops with weighted rigging, I will generally use one of four methods: - 1/16 Slider Spider Head - 1/16 Owner Ultrahead Finesse - 1/16 Mojo style cylinder weight - Split shot rig

I'm with Catt. Use an Oldham's jig with a Gene Larew Salt Craw trailer. Been using this set-up for 20+ years and see no need to change.

Bone is my favorite, both shad colors are good too though. The 185, 7" model is by far my favorite size. You can search Shine Glide on the forum and I'm sure you'll find lots of threads of me talking about it.

i do it all the time. It is especially good for dead sticking for smallies in rivers.