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I spent a few hours casting around some shallows that I call the Devil Horns (cause that's what it looks like to me on navionics). Managed to run into a pretty solid sunset bite, but the fish and myself kept missing. I saw a couple that were big bass, 6+ for sure. Same place I caught that 7 back in spawn season. I had a 75% hookup ratio for the day going into that session, and I probably missed 4 big fish. Rough. Not only were the fish and I out of sync, but my favorite tournament pro started seizing on me. It took a dunk a few days ago and I hadn't cleaned it out. On my last cast, I backlashed and my line wound up in the tree. It was dark by that point and when I got it all out my line was a knotted mess. I decided to go home and clean my reel out. I managed to find the gremlin in my reel, sand in the levelwind bearings. Went ahead and cleaned/regreased everything, all good as new and ready for the meat of fall topwater fishing. All the bass are still warm to the touch, we are still just getting started. This was the best fish of the day, from my evening debacle.

Fishing was good again this morning. Stunning fall day out there too. Went with a friend and his son, caught 15 bass and 5 pike in about 4.5 hours. We caught 4 fish over 4 pounds, including a 19.5 incher that I caught which was over 5 pounds. I am done bass fishing for the season. I intend to muskie fish one more time though.

One good fish for my efforts yesterday morning. It was 33 degrees when I launched at sunrise and I’ve once again said hello to my cold weather gear. My year long contemplation of the spinnerbait continues. This guy was hunting in less than three feet of water, tucked into a downwind corner of a shallow flat. Gold blades and perch skirt.

What I've noticed is just because someone is fishing a "community" spot doesn't mean they know what they're doing. Heck I see guys getting skunked or only catching 2-3 with FFS 😅 Or guiding

I'm fishing four times in six days and today was my first of the four trips. I fished for 2.25 hours and caught 15. The water was cold and my feet and hands were cold. We had a hard frost last night and for the first time since spring, the water felt cold. Weirdly, nearly the only lure that would work was a popper. I caught 14 on it and one on a walking bait. Here's the walking bait bass and you can see the lure in the net: The other bass were well-fed, as so many fall bass seem to be. Not as thick as @Bluebasser86's beachballs, but then, I don't see anybody catching bass as thick as his Kansas blimps: And here comes my pretty pic! What's wrong with the world when you can't buy a bite on a spinnerbait or fluke?

Picked up two 13 fishing Envy Black 3 crankbait rods and a couple ebay finds. Rods are 7'4" MH rated 1/4-1.5oz. Weighed 132g on my new scale. Stole them @ $109/each. 13 totally copied the BLX limber line on these with 5A cork and similar blanks. *Edit- I took a pic of the '46T' logo because I believe it was meant for the standard Envy 3. The crankbait series is supposed to be a 30T Toray T glass blank. BDS4's in Tenn Shad and skeet MR in red river craw.

Man, I guess everyone's summer was as horrible as mine! For this fall bite I decided to go big--if I'm gonna take the skunk, might as well send what I wanna send. Finally paid off; got my first Deps 250 fish at a neighborhood pond! God is GREAT!! Hope you guys find some good fall action before it's over, these nights are getting CHILLY.

Follow the ducks. They will stop in Mexico, and you should too.

My wife is leaving later today on her girls trip. I could not have gotten these at a better time. Not shown is one swim jig.

I fish most topwater with mono, and I'd go with 14lb mono to cover the other techniques you listed. But I'm new to bass fishing, only 44 years of hunting them.

The river is the lowest it’s been all year. Still lake fishing

After three fours and a five? However, I get it. That north wind has a bead on you and me. With @The Baron talking about winterizing his boat, we northerners are crawling into our winter dens and I fear I'll soon join you, as it'll be cold when our Indian Summer ends. However, I'm not going to commit to a final day as I did last year because there's a chance we could have a few warm days in November. Anyway, I get it and you southern boys are gonna have to represent for the next five months or so. @AlabamaSpothunter will soon be posting his sixes, sevens, and eights and @Pat Brown, @thediscochef, @Catt, and rest of you too.

Back for another Halloween season

For recreational angling, my advice is as follows. I've been fishing my "home lake" for more than four decades. Those "spots" are pretty much community spots, though their popularity may ebb and flow with angler turnover. Like A-jay says, fish them when your chances are greatest - which usually means my next trip there, lol. I've fished behind enough boats and caught fish, and left a hot spot that wasn't producing, only to watch someone else clean up there. Not fishing is complete waste of time for me these days. For a multi day tournament, it can get a little more complicated.

Ethics is becoming a thing of the past

Strike King Craw and Bug, marketed in their Okeechobee color Mike

I fish a few lakes with private docks. Always try to be respectful and give them room. Heck, I can fish hundreds of acres of lake...they are concentrated on a few feet. It's a no-brainer in my book. Few weeks back I was working the bank on a public lake...didn't notice a guy bank fishing with his line out. When I did see him, immediately reeled in, set TM back and away from him, and apologized. He thanked me.

Nope, use this link instead: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/

Where I fish there are no secret spots. I feel like I do have a few secrets that combine spots with other details like timing and techniques. I can’t imagine a public lake where I would worry about overfishing a spot or educating the fish. There could be lakes in remote areas where this might be a legitimate concern but those place do not exist in my world.

That is a hot spot. @A-Jay has stated many times that he targets big bass and one time, he said he does so by returning to the places where he's caught big bass, but it doesn't work that way for me. I have a near photographic memory for where I've caught big bass and so I hit those spots that have produced big fish again and again and again, but rarely with success...except for one bay that has produced multiple four and five-pounders and one river headwaters. Otherwise, it's a crap shoot, but I'm glad it isn't for you. I agree with Pat. However, I also agree with @gimruis in keeping as low a profile as possible. If someone parks near you, start bragging about how you caught a 14-incher on that spot back in aught-8 and you've fished it ever since, hoping for a repeat of "the magic."

It has happened to me again since. This time though, the guys were talking to me as they approached, before they put the TM down. We made good conversation for a second. They fished my spot and blanked, and then I went back to catching dinks right behind them. World keeps turning. I wouldn't ever choose to have anyone but a buddy or two around me while I'm fishing, but it's a public lake. I like to think I would conduct myself better than 90% of the boaters I see.

Sorry about the bro country, we’ll bring some Paul Cauthen with us next trip

And I’ll add that on a body of water that small, there are no “secret” spots. 😉

50 years of fishing and I've only had one bad experience. Was fishing a small cove and catching fish on a Ned rig and 2 young " dudes " with their pants hanging down at the waste exposing colorful boxers shorts shot directly in front of me, like 20 feet, they heard the splash of fighting fish. I'm non confrontational to begin with but definitely not with guys that expose their underwear on purpose. 😳

Not all bass will strike artificial lures ever. Understanding bass behavior will help solve over pressured fishing. 1. Catch & Release doesn’t mean release healthy some bass don’t survive being caught. 2. The bass population isn’t all adult size bass and the larger bass are females. The adults are abou 25% of the population. In a pond with heavy pressure every bass angler is targeting the 25%, how many adult size bass do you think this pond has? 3. Fish at night and you have the pond to yourself. Tom

People fish right in front of me while I’m on my dock all the time, even when I have set lines out for catfish. They don’t even realize how dumb they are, not much you can do about it. I like them casting at my dock much better than the people that anchor up and blast bro country at 120 decibels on any holiday

Everyone is always asking about your favorite colors and the usual ones always pop up. My question is what are the non popular ones you use and in what water clarity? For reference most of the water I fish in clear to stained 90% of the time minus the Lower Potomac which is mud 90% of the time. With that said I will post my top 3 favorite colors that are usually not mentioned. 1. Yamamoto Natural Shad= I have yet to find a color that matched the local minnow forage than this and I have caught thousands of fish using this color. Senko's, Shad Shape worms, and I pour my own Flukes in this color because it works so well. 2. Zoom Scuppernong= This is just a translucent brown, but man does it work around here. Caught my PB Upper Potomac River bass on a Super Hog in this color at 6-7. Not sure why it works so well but it just does, and I buy at least 1 pack of every bait in this color to try. 3. Gitzet Leech= If you just look at this one in hand it looks black? Hold it up to the light and it is a different color sort of a cross between brown/black. Same with their Brown which looks black in hand. Not sure what Gitzit has going on with these, but they are the best tubes I have used especially in colder water. I have 100's of different tubes but none of them have worked as well as these in colder water over the past several years. Allen

I was out fishing off my dock early this evening and two chuckleheads in a crappy jon boat pulled right up and fished right where I was fishing and casting. It’s too bad I had only one rod with a weightless Freeloader on it. If I was throwing a Carolina rig I would have been tempted to do some target casting 🤣 I told them it was a #%$& move to fish a man’s back yard while he’s out there fishing that exact spot. Who the rolls up on someone like that when there’s 26 miles of lake to fish? I steer clear of everyone including people fishing from the bank. Sometimes I’ll ask the bank angler if they want me to livescope the area for them and call out what I see. But otherwise I never even come close to their casting distance.

I like their look too, Alex. They're darker than your southern lmb and oftentimes, they're nearly black like this one from yesterday. I like the contrast of the white belly and dark back with green in-between.

Agree with the Swamp Queen🤣, I'm not quitting after catching a 20lb bag full of fat beautiful 4lb+ fish......that's like leaving the casino with money in your wallet 😆 All the fat short NLGM you guys up north post are the most beautiful fish posted in this thread imho. If you're able to have awesome days during October and November, consider yourself extremely fortunate in my eyes. It's hard for me to pick a favorite month for 10/12, but those two months are easily my kryptonite.

It's hard to hang it up when the fishing is this good and the weather is cooperating. I hear ya. If I didn't have to get my boat winterized and get ready for hunting season on Nov 9, I'd keep right on fishing. All good things must come to an end. It makes things a little more tolerable when the season ends on a high note. I've finished on a dud many times before, and it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for 5 months.

Seaguar AbrazX would be my #1 choice

I was going to try Mille Lacs today but it's too windy, so plan B was largemouth fishing on a smaller lake with a friend. Plan B worked out pretty well. Caught 15 bass and 5 pike in about 4.5 hours. Most of the fish came on a slow-hopped swim jig, including 4 fish over 4 pounds. Biggest was a 19.5 incher that was over 5 pounds. The water has dropped to about 53 degrees and my bass season is now over. I intend to muskie fish one more time before I hang it up. Bass fishing was pretty ridiculous the past few weeks.

I use 20# sometimes 25# Shooter for most all flipping/pitching in fairly heavy to moderate cover. It has everything I’m looking for in a flipping line but don’t use it for punching Don’t know anything about a comparable Yo Zuri line. Mike

there's a code this time around. PUMPKIN25

American Legacy has their Halloween sale on. 25% off Dobyns, Fenwick and used gear.

Now, your post made me laugh out loud because I've been thinking about casting a big, bone-colored Whopper Plopper tomorrow morning at the pond that's become a river. I think all those fish squeezed into a river might react to a big, noisy bait.

The color purple has been my favorite but not just any purple. My purple isn’t wine red purple or dark grape purple, it’s Rit dye #13 purple similar to the old Stren box purple. Back on the day Vinyl skirts had 2 purples a red wine purple and a more violet purple, it!’s the violet purple that bass preferred where I fished. In the late 80’s that Action Worms came out with purple thunder that was my purple with gold, silver and black flake this would become my go to soft plastic color. Screamers Reapers Flutter Craft curl tails Tom

A friend has been up here since Sunday fishing with various people. We did a float of about 10 miles yesterday, saw one, hooked one, netted one. A good day. ...all flies yesterday. I always wonder what would have happened with gear.

Mono all the way Don't want fast sinking line with topwater

The only people that do it at my dock are very old, maybe they brought it from the past haha

Ive experienced several times where when im fishing near the bank on my kayak, a boat, or several kayaks will come right next to me and fish. Its usually a im bigger than you so move over mentality. Also have been kayak fishing near the bank on a mostly empty day at the lake, maybe a few people bank fishing on the other side. And with plently of areas to fish people will see me, and go right infront of where im fishing. And try casting into my area to get me to move. So i move over and then they leave that spot. I try avoiding kayakers and boaters fishing, theres tons of places to fish even in smaller bodies of water. And from being a former bank fisherman i give them plenty of room when they are there. Ill fish near a dock when able to do so. But will avoid them if anyones around. The human race today is nothing like it once was, everyones entitled and thinks the earth was built for them. The only time i would ever go next to a dock with someone on it fishing, is if they caught my pet bass. He wanders off every once in awhile.

Fall turnovers occur in warmer climates like SoCal where the water column doesn’t get colder than 50 degrees. Cooler water on top warmer water created by colder night temperatures coupled with cooler days flips the water column creating a turnover. It’s easy to tell when that happens from the smell of clumps of decaying bottom debris floating near the surface. What occurs is the entire water column mixes becoming the same temperature for a few weeks. The fishing during this few weeks is very slow because the entire ecosystem is adjusting to the temperature change and lower dissolved oxygen. Windy weather usually curs the low DO activating the bass. I just go to a different lake for a few weeks during turnover period. Fish as often as you can while you can. Tom

I am not a bank or shore angler, and I don’t own lake shore property. I’m strictly a boat angler and I can say with 100% positivity that if someone is on their dock, whether they are fishing or not, I avoid it. I will simply go past. Not only because I am trying to avoid a potential confrontation, but also out of respect too. Some of our lakes have a dedicated fishing pier. I would never purposely go fish by the pier when I’ve got the whole lake. Bank anglers are limited to their casting radius, I am limited to the entire lake. Some people need their head examined. I believe @thediscochef had a similar experience like this recently too.

I had two boats, a kayak and a canoe, park beside me on a 380-acre pond last week. We were the only three boats on the pond. I was happy to catch this bass and two others while they watched:

They're the basically same reel. The HD is a black Zillion with a power handle and Magforce Z Boost spool with a stronger braking profile to handle bigger baits and/or stiff plastic lines. If I was running 16 pound plus fluorocarbon without conditioner and throwing 3/4 oz and up total weight I would want the HD and if I was throwing lighter 16 pound or under fluorocarbon or braid with an emphasis on distance I would opt for the Zillion. I have both. This is assuming you mean the JDM Zillion HD. The USDM is still the old reel with a wide 36mm spool that is more of a high end Tatula 200.

I've got both JDM models, the TW HD is like an Abrams tank. The SV TW is like a Porche 911. The HD TW feels SIGNIFICANTLY more robust than the SV TW and just about any other reel I've used besides the Shimano Calais/Antares lineup. If you're casting it, and it's under 1oz, I'd just stick with the SV TWs. If you're casting it and it's over 1oz like big deep cranks, A-Rigs, smaller swimbaits, or if you're flipping or punching and it's over 1oz the TW HD is likely the more appropriate reel.

Congrats! I know what it's like to endure a long dry spell. My home waters haven't given up anything over 3.5lb since mid June. The powers that be decided to kill off all the weeds. Catching was excruciatingly difficult and then some invasive form of pondweed took hold and I had to learn tricks to get them to bite, but still no big girls until late September. Once the water temp dropped into the lower 70's, I was finally able to put together some nice catches.

Works for me. A few times I've been able to get multiple fish from a school/wolf pack, but more often than not, I'm getting solo bigger girls. This was yesterday morning after 3 days of cold and rain. scott

S.O.P.