Team9nine

Agree with scheduling in-state guide trips with ‘trophy potential’ during any known time off. Sounds like the ideal option in your case to maximize your odds, time, efforts and money expended.

What is this “desired depth” you're trying to achieve? Most traditional shallow billed jerkbaits run 3’-6’, and the ‘plus 1’ versions run 6’-10’. Since you’re using 12# copoly, I’d expect you’re just hitting the shallower end of both ranges depending on model. I’d drop line test to something thinner, consider fluorocarbon, consider SuspenDots and strips, and also work the baits slower, with shorter twitches or longer pauses - all those things seem to increase effective running depth.

Rain held off, winds were calm, so squeezed in a few hours this afternoon. Managed a limit of bass and a couple bonus crappie. Water temps now in the upper 70s.

Lol - nice fish, and a good picture showing off her size We're already post spawn down here now.

Yep - at this point, you’re just a pawn in a game of financial chess, waiting to be built up and sold off to bigger and bigger private equity firms. It’s all about the 🤑🤑🤑 This is actually what the Milliken video was about, but it was Al Lindner who first ‘went off’ about this trend in the fishing industry.

A little birdie told me the site police will be more lax with enforcement going forward, so I figured I could get away without having to photoshop the pic this time 😉

Half a dozen green ones to hand today on a pretty nice post front day, along with about 60 crappie. Lots of swinging given the conditions.

With good line selection, near equivalent knot strength; equivalent stretch (to mono); equal or better abrasion resistance; near equivalent casting/handling; better refractive index; better density; better sensitivity.

Baitcasters: all fluoro except a few top waters (not all) and every once in a while a heavy flipping outfit. I simply prefer all the attributes of fluoro over those of mono/hybrids when I can get away with it, which is most of the time. All the supposed “negatives” can be offset with ability and proper tackle setup.

My definition of a good problem to have - when your crappie weigh more than your bass 😆

Hours and hours and hours and hours of time with the electronics, combined with hours and hours and hours and hours of fishing areas to figure out which were good and which weren’t, all built upon a structure fishing foundation.

Changed lakes today. Sunny for much of the afternoon with a steady but light breeze. Started on bass and caught 3, but no size to them. After an hour, I checked out a brushpile in the area and found the crappie were moving out and starting to regroup. Nothing but males on all the spots I then started running, but caught around 60 fish, so it was fun doing all that swinging for a change. The jigging rod got a good workout today

The bass didn’t want to play despite some great looking cover on this lake, but found some post spawn crappie (up to 1.5 lbs.) moving back out toward deep water, so still got to swing on some fish. Probably a change of venue next trip though.

Quite possibly the greatest river/creek crank bait of all time, but they don’t get a lot of love by the reservoir/green fish guys. I have no doubt it would still catch fish though cranking around riprap or gravel banks on those lakes. Still have a couple sitting around the garage tackle somewhere myself.

This is pretty much me when it comes to bass (but not crappie 😆). I am focusing a little more on overall better quality bass, what I refer to as ‘the 10 percent,” since I’m on all new waters with a longer growing season, still trying to figure out what makes these lakes tick, but I’m not fixated on that aspect of it. I’m always happy with “bites” regardless.

I once wondered the same thing, so years ago, I did a simple on-the-water test to see what would happen. Here’s the write-up I did at the time: “I pulled up to the boat ramp Friday afternoon to find a tourney about to head out. I hung around and waited for them to blast off so I wouldn’t get in their way before proceeding out. It also kind of changed my plans for the night, so at the last minute I decided to do another of those fun but meaningless on-the-water tests to see just what you can and can’t get away with when fishing for bass. In this case, power vs. finesse on the same stretch of water. I started on a stretch of bank that encompassed 2 small coves and 2 stretches of main lake shoreline. Total distance according to Google Maps was a little over half of a mile, about 3,100 ft., and this lake is lined with docks and scattered shallow weeds. I began with power, picking up a buzzbait and running the entire stretch of bank. My thought was hit the fish first with the fast presentation while they might be active versus making that the comeback lure after already beating on them once. And I didn’t just kick the troll motor on high and wing it either, as I throw a pretty wicked buzzbait. I just steadily worked the entire shoreline area til the end. When I was done with that stretch, I had caught 11 bass and missed 3 other strikes, 1 of which I’m pretty certain was counted in the catch when I threw immediately back to the same area after missing a strike and promptly got another blowup right in the same exact spot, only this time connecting. Next, I picked up the finesse rod with the small soft plastic and immediately turned around and reworked the exact stretch of bank I had just been through with the buzzer. It actually got a little too dark before I completed the entire stretch, but I was able to rework about 80% of it. The result...12 more bass, including the two largest of the trip. That made for a total of 23 bass landed in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. So take what you want from this little experiment. One thing that seems obvious would be that if you move through an area throwing one type of bait, odds are good that you didn’t catch everything, only whatever was prone to hit that particular bait. This becomes a good argument for having two guys in the same boat throwing two completely different baits until they get a pattern dialed in during team tourneys, or for co-anglers to make certain they aren’t trying to work the same stretch of water as the boater up front using the same lure. Use something totally different in most cases to better your odds of catching fish behind him.“ Bottom line, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. If you feel confident or comfortable in a stretch of bank and think there might be (more) bass holding in the area, then definitely rework it with another presentation. It won’t always pan out, but it will sometimes.

Outside of the possibility of having spooled it on wrong, the simplest answer that no one likes to hear is keep practicing to become a better caster. Fluoro is a stiffer line than mono, and much more so than braid - one of the many reasons I don’t recommend anyone starting with braid that is new to baitcasting. It takes some time to get used to. Adjust your brakes up along with the spool tension knob if you have to to start, and just practice making pitches and short casts initially using a little heavier weight until things get comfortable…but double check if you can remember if you spooled it on properly first. Braid doesn’t care, but fluoro definitely will.

I’ve never come across a study that directly tried to answer that question, but you can certainly find a ton of references to that saying, including people like Paul Johnson, who was Berkley’s head of R&D prior to Keith Jones. He was an avid diver and spent a lot of time researching all things fishing while underwater. But if you wanted to literally answer that question in regard to bass, the answer can be determined, and it turns out that 99.9% of the lake holds no bass, and they all live in less than 0.1% of the available water…and that’s just based on surface acres, not volume, and assuming a bass occupies 2 sq. ft. of space at any given time (like I said, literally). If my math is correct, and you back calculate out to bass occupying 10% of the available water, every bass in the lake could have their own 800 sq. ft. playground 😆

That’s the one…The most photoshopped bird in the world 😆

Snag Proof came out with the first version of that back in the 1970s. It was a soft plastic craw with a hook ran through the middle of the bait (where the line tie exited) so the hook points were next to the nose, and a hollow tail pocket that you placed a split shot or two in to tail weight the bait so it ran/swam in an upright and backwards position like a real craw fleeing. Mister Twister later created their own version of this with a custom jig head rigged similarly. As you mention, you could probably do the same with most any soft plastic craw these days with a little creative rigging and a Neko-type weight. Report back after you get a chance to try it.

Agreed. My initial thought after checking the standings each day was that with a little time, effort and thought put into scheduling, tournament directors could probably squash most of this giant FFS debate by simply selecting a better mix of location and timing for their events without even having to touch the third rail of restricting or banning of equipment.

Back in IN, our largest reservoir was the site of our first eagle reintroduction program. And while you see a lot of interesting but obviously “photoshopped” pics of birds carrying off bass and other unusual things, the local photographers have posted numerous photos of our eagles “in action,” and bass seem to make up a surprising number of their catches, so I think you might be on to something there @ol'crickety with your bass location theory. I collected several as I would come across them and post on my FB page to tease all my bass friends about “one less keeper” in some of our tough to begin with fisheries. If you believe big bass go for big easy meals as part of this Optimal Foraging Theory, then it only makes sense that eagles, as part of nature’s web, would, too 😉

Definitely some topics to “complain about” from what I’ve been reading and seeing mentioned from this event. He wouldn’t be the only one. Several posters here have already “complained,” I mean “mentioned them,” too 😉

Which is why I posted a couple weeks back that anytime a Johnston bro doesn’t win an event is a good tourney in my book - lol. Looks like I‘ll be a little sad come tomorrow though - but they’ve been doing this since they started fishing the US tours. Also never watch weigh-ins because I can’t stand Mercer. Haven’t cared for him since before he was selected as BASS MC, back when he was a Canadian Swindle that I never found funny. Actually, I almost never watch any tournament coverage these days unless following a specific angler. Just not happy with where the sport has gone.

No one way to approach anything, but here’s a few recommendations from over 40 years of bank fishing: NOT CASTING TO OR ALONG THE BANK: This is far and away the biggest mistake I see most bank bound bassers make. The old observation about noticing bank fishermen cast out towards the boats and why boat fishermen cast in toward the shore is really true. Bass, by nature, are largely shallow water fish. They are also very cover oriented. When you combine these two concepts you have the basis for the start of an approach. In most of the lakes I fish, the best cover is along, or near, the bank. And the best way to fish that cover is to cast parallel, or nearly so, down a bank. Sometimes, just short pitches are all it takes. Why waste your time throwing out into the middle of the lake when so many fish are at your feet? There is a time to throw out into deeper water (say >45 degrees off bank), such as if I’m fishing a point or a known piece of structure, or perhaps in winter, etc. Other than that, so many casts are within 10-20 feet of the shoreline. The clearer the water or the more open the shoreline, the longer and more parallel the casts. In heavy cover or small openings, small pitches and flips will suffice. Any piece of cover, no matter how insignificant gets a cast. Rocks, drains, washed in logs, weeds, lay downs, docks, you name it. Just be quiet and still and you’ll be surprised how many fish youll catch within feet of yourself. COVER WATER: Mistake number two is standing in one spot for half an hour or more and making cast after cast. Have you ever noticed how most bass boaters are always on the trolling motor covering water? If you accept the fact that most fish you’re chasing are shallow water object oriented, then probability says that the more water and spots you can cover the greater your odds of running into an aggressive (read biting) fish. This is especially important when first learning a body of water. The more water you cover the more spots (holding areas) you’ll discover. I will typically make 3-5 casts from a given area on the bank and then move 20-40 ft down the bank for the next 3-5 casts. On and on it goes. You can easily cover a couple miles of bank in just a few hours. Remember, you’re trying to find as many spots and as many bass as you can. Dont wait for them to come to you, go to them. USE ONLY ONE LURE (but carry backups): How many times have you seen this mistake made? Someone bass fishing from shore with a big tackle box, casting a lure for 20-30 minutes then digging into his box and changing to another lure, only to repeat the process. At this rate you might only fish 2 or 3 spots in a day. The largest tackle box I ever carry with me is a tiny, flat drop-down that goes around your waist and attaches to your belt. Often times it is only an old lure box with a couple extra baits or a Ziploc bag stuffed into a pocket. There are several advantages to this. One, it lets you cover water by not wasting time changing baits, thinking they’ll hit something else better. Another is that it makes you more mobile. Anymore, I’ll frequently fish an entire trip without a lure change. As long as you pay attention to retying when appropriate, you’ll rarely lose too many baits. Remember, you’re fishing shallow cover close to the bank. Most times, even if you do hang, you can reach out and unsnag lures that get stuck. As a side note here for those of you fishing small ponds regularly, use a different lure each trip. Several times I’ve had the good fortune of having 5 or more ponds located within my subdivision. The theory of fish becoming conditioned is definitely true, especially in these smaller bodies of water. I can’t count the number of times I’ve proven this to myself. Day one I’ll go out and catch 30 bass. If I go back out the next day with the same lure, my results will be cut in half. By the time I try this a third or fourth day, I might only catch a few. These fish get used to seeing the same bait day after day, so change up! Try a crankbait one trip, a topwater the next. Jigs on the third trip and maybe worms after that. After a week or two of not seeing the same bait twice you can usually go back in with the original bait and theyll bite it well. FISH THE CONDITIONS: At first, this might not make much sense. Or maybe it’s too obvious. I’m referring to choosing the bait you throw based on the weather and water conditions you are faced with. It is usually best to not randomly select baits. Base your lure choice on weather conditions first, water (lake) conditions second, and always keeping seasonal patterns in mind. For example, if you are getting ready to head out and you’re dealing with a sunny, frontal day, choose baits like jigs, worms, tubes, or single spins. On the other hand, if you have cloudy and windy conditions, maybe pack spinnerbaits, swimming grubs, shallow crankbaits, buzz baits, etc. Once you get to the lake, or if you already know what conditions to expect (water and cover), then use those to fine-tune your selections. Things like brighter colors, larger baits, or noisemakers in stained water and thinner, natural colored baits in clearer water. Likewise, if you are fishing open water conditions use grubs, crankbaits, top waters and such versus baits like jigs, worms, Senkos, single spins and so forth for heavy cover situations. TIME YOUR FISHING: This is another one that may slip by most people. The best time to go fishing is whenever you can, no doubt about that. But whenever possible, choose the days and times you get to fish based on conditions. This little tip will truly maximize the number of bites youll get in a day. For example, everyone knows that bass generally seem to bite best first thing in the morning or right before dark, typical low light conditions. But they also bite extremely well on a good cloudy day with an approaching storm. Days with a dropping barometer come to mind, as do windy days. Try and avoid those nice, sunny, post frontal days if you can. This tactic also increases the odds of having more room for you to fish, as most bank fishermen dont like to put up with inclement weather. Another example of this tactic relates to time of year. Those extremely tough clear water lakes and ponds will give up some surprisingly good fish in the cold-water period or at night through the summer. Vice-versa, inherently murky water lakes usually arent all that great real early and late in the year, but can be great with the warmer weather and water conditions. If you have your choice of a couple different types of water to fish, choose according to which fits the given conditions and seasonal patterns best. Finally, those odd times that create short windows of opportunity. The perfect example of this is a couple of the small ponds I fish. Almost without fail, one of the most consistent patterns is fishing the incoming flats or drains after a good rain. While you can always seem to count on one or two from these areas, these areas become incredible spots when you are able to coincide your trip with fresh, incoming water. Spots that only give up a fish or two now may give up 5 or 10 fish without moving, sometimes dozens. The bass realize this is a temporary feeding opportunity and act accordingly. You should too. FISH SPOTS (the exception): Earlier I said covering water is the preferred tactic. This is true, especially when fishing a new body of water that is not familiar to you. However, with enough time on a given lake or pond, certain spots will seem to consistently give up a fish or two most every trip. These areas or spots are worth taking a little extra time on before moving on. As I mentioned, small drains on my ponds always seem to hold bass consistently and I will frequently spend up to 20 minutes or more fishing these areas. The general rule of thumb is if you catch a bass on a spot, it is worth taking a few extra minutes to thoroughly scout the area. Sometimes the reason is obvious such as the drain example. Many times though you wont be able to identify what it is about the particular location or bank. Some just seem to hold fish better than others. Your job is to be aware of these areas as they unfold to you and fish them appropriately. Then feel free to keep scooting along the bank between these hotspots. There is no one ‘right’ way to approach bankside bassin’, but these tips have proven themselves to be pretty consistent over much of the waters I have fished through the years.