Team9nine

Why fight it? Put the darn thing darn and throw something more appropriate and productive until the weeds thin again. But if you really want to keep messin' with it, get you some lightweight (1/8-oz or less) swimming style jigs with a big trailer and fish them over mats more like a frog than a jig, and on the same heavy gear as you would a frog. Bass don't know the difference and will blow through the grass after it the same. -T9

There are definitely differences between brands of fluorocarbons, but in general all true (100%) fluorocarbons by nature will be stiffer than the mono you're used to throwing. Just something you have to get used to. It is the same quality that gives them their abrasion resistance and good sense of feel. But the tradeoff comes with weaker knot performance (compared to mono) and manageability. Different lines (and line manufacturers) address these trade-offs respectively through their own proprietary formulas, so keep testing different brands until you find one that suits your setup and applications. -T9

Since I use cranks a bunch of the time, I still prefer to specialize when it comes to setups and gear ratios. For really deep cranking (20+, DD-22's, DB-III's, Poes 300/400's) I love the 4.3 - 4.4:1 ratios. To me, 3.8's were always too slow even for those applications. I also still have a few specific applications where 5:1 or there abouts works best for me. It is tied more to the specific lure action and resistance more than anything, plus it forces me to slow down a tad so I don't get to overpowering the situation, which is easy to do when you get hyped over a good bite. Lastly, the 6.2:1's for a good majority of the shallow cranking and ripping, including things like 'Traps and other bait burners. Tried the 7:1's but have never really liked them. For most guys the 6:1 ratios will probably work as the best all around setup and will provide great crossover potential for other non-cranking applications. But if you live or fish on a good structure/river channel lake and get to throwing the deeper divers frequently, it will pay to have a second setup with a slower ratio. -T9

Kudos 8-) Love the post. I did the exact same thing a couple years ago (2003), except expanded, receipt tracking not only the "real" boat costs, but also the "real" costs for me to fish period for one year, including all gas/oil expenses (truck & boat), tourney expenses, food, lodging, licenses, tackle purchases, repairs/maint., etc. Bottom line was just shy of $10,000 or $830/mo. Was a real eye opener. Would hate to redo it with gas/oil prices at their current levels (LOL). -T9

Very nice summary Pont, and pretty much dead on. Quality on Waveland has picked up a bit this year though. Lots of fish to 16", with a 17"-18" big fish or two each trip. I'm not sure any other lake in the state can touch it for numbers of keepers right now. 8-) Still not sure what happened to Flint :-/ That lake rocked 3 years ago. Last two have sucked and this year isn't looking much better. -T9

Very nice perspective into the mindset of a trophy hunter. Only thing I'd comment on is the luck factor. To catch one of the largest bass in the lake, luck (for lack of a better term) plays a definite role as evidenced by the hundreds of Texas Share Lunkers caught over the years by normal, everyday anglers, or probably a good majority of the state record holders across the country - right time/right place/right presentation - just their "lucky" day for most of them. Almost like winning the lottery in a sense that it rarely happens and will probably never repeat again for most. But I agree completely with your statement that the consistently successful big bass anglers truly have an understanding and a talent, as well as that unique mental outlook you mention, that most anglers won't ever possess. -T9

Good posts. I love structure fishing, and even more so the search for structure. I rely a ton on my graph, and I do a lot of idling instead of fishing. When I'm searching a new lake, or a 'new to me' section of a lake, I'll cross and recross a piece of structure until I understand how it lays out, where the steepr drops are, if there is any cover on the structure, how the shad are relating to it, what the bottom content appears to be, etc. I'm actually not interested right off in catching fish. I'd rather have a complete understanding as quickly as possible of the spot. Once I've done that, I'll know about 80-90% of everything I need to know about the spot. Only then will I throw on it, largely to reaffirm what I think I understand about the spot and secondarily to catch a fish. Many times you'd be surprised at how much intrusiveness a bass will put up with. Even if I don't catch anything that first time, the GPS gets punched and you can bet I'll be gunning for fish right from the get go the next time I arrive at the spot. 8-) -T9

No such thing as "THE" best one crankbait given everyones unique water conditions, but I've caught a ton of fish over the years on : Bandit 100's Mann's 1- Big-O Bomber shallow A Have friends who have done really well on the RC's and 'Traps also. -T9

Never been a fan of worms myself, so I only ever carried a single pack of 7.5" Culprits in Red Shad with me. I rarely ever slow down to fish a worm, and that one pack will catch fish about anywhere when needed. Do carry a couple other different plastics for flipping and skipping, and a pack of big black worms if I do any night fishing, but otherwise in most drop bait fishing sitations I'll go to a jig before I ever pick up the worm. Now that I've down-sized boats though, I'm trying to develop a little patience and a larger arsenal of baits. -T9

Still a huge fan of old cedar Poes 300's and 400's myself. The Zoom knock-offs are pretty good, too, just pricey. Aside from that, a few specific colors of DD-22's, Deep Little N's, DT-16's and Mann's 20+'s and I'm set. Oh ya, still throw some of the old DB-III's from time to time just for kicks. -T9

x2 - This size will be different for every brand of tube, so best thing to do is just test different ones until you get the right size for whatever tube you have. I use Gammi EWG's a lot for tube rigging, but have also had success with the Grigsby HP hook. Also use tungsten bullet weights, usually unpegged. If I need to peg, I use a little rubber Peg-It stop. -T9

x2 I've had both black and white bottom hulls, and friends with about every other color. We all caught plenty of fish. -T9

I've never been a morning person, but I got up early like most everyone else while fishing tournies all those years. But 2 years ago I retired from tourney fishing and started sleeping in on weekends. Seemed like the club kept starting earlier and earlier every year. Got to the point where guys were using the morning bite as a crutch because they couldn't figure out how to catch them after 9AM with the sun up. Now I've given up fighting the traffic at the ramp at 5:30AM. I sleep in and get a good nights rest, have a nice lunch, get some honey-do's done around the house and then head to the lake around 3PM. All the tourney guys are leaving about the time I pull in. Most recreational boaters are out an hour or two after that to get back in time for dinner, and I end up with most of the lake to myself. With DST the sun doesn't set until 9:30 PM, and the sunset bite is almost as peaceful and as good as the sunrise bite, so I still end up catching more than my share of bass. -T9

They work, and in a lot more places and situations than many realize. Definitely keep a few in the box at all times. -T9

Nope - What Catt said. It goes on when launched and never goes off until I leave. Usually have at least 2 going most days. Bass have a much lower hearing threshold than humans. Just because you hear it doesn't mean a bass can, too. They might hear the ping getting energized, but they don't hear the frequency wave. A lot more things to worry about when it comes to catching fish than whether or not your depthfinder is on. Ever watched a bass on your depthfinder swim up and eat your dropshot? -T9

Pont, 65# PowerPro Been whacking them on Spros all weekend with it. -T9

See if this helps... -T9

Three more options that all have their time and place: http://tackle.redshad.com/proddetail.php?prod=SG-Hooks&cat=24 http://tackle.redshad.com/tips/PekTube.php http://tackle.redshad.com/proddetail.php?prod=WNS&cat=24 Click on 'rigging instructions' for detailed pics on the last link. That style jighead/hook is what people refer to as "Stupid Tube" around here. Very popular and effective in these parts. -T9

She's a goner... another site -T9

On size, I always go with what seems to fit the exact lure in question best. That seems to usually be a #6 or a #4 on most topwaters, though bigger baits like full-sized Spooks and such can certainly handle #2's. In general, I'm not a huge fan of upsizing though, especially on topwaters where you might run into a balance issue. Same thing with different brands in the same size. Just something to keep an eye on. As for EWG's or triple grips, you'll never find either on my cranks or topwaters. Every one that comes stock on a bait gets pulled off and replaced by a round bend Gammi, and then either thrown in the trash or given to a friend. -T9

What Brian said - Don't limit yourself to just worms. Most every plastic can be rigged on a shakey head. I've done things like tubes, beavers, grubs and craw worms. Half the fun is in experimenting with different baits. The bass will eat them all -T9

I've made a lot of enhancements to my custom jon boat, many are "standard" add-ons like livewell, bilge and recirc pumps, troll motor brackets, storage space, light holders, etc. My favorite though has been this "command center" that I added: Carpeted lid flush with the back deck acts as an extension of the rear deck. Tackle racks made of aluminum L-angle hold 4 Plano 3600's and 2 Plano 3700's. Cabela's lighted rocker panel switch has been installed and hooked up to running lights, livewell, bilge pump and recirc pump. Black round cap on top is covering the onboard charger plug - just uncap, plug in extension cord and go after every trip! Also have a 12V power outlet added just right of rocker panel for accessories. -T9

Yep, strip off the old line and respool with fresh new line, then apply. The KVD stuff needs to be able to bond to your line, and if your line was already treated with Reel Magic, WD-40 or other such products that have already coated or been absorbed by your line, they will prevent the KVD stuff from bonding. -T9

Had 3 of them wired up front on my Triton for 6 years and never had a problem with any of them being in the way. The key is to position them well forward or off to the sides within inches of your boats deck edge/glass interface, not out in the middle of the deck. -T9

Good read, but I have to side with Jeff H.'s thoughts on this one, regardless of whether we're talking reservoirs or natural lakes. For the most part I believe maps and map reading are way over rated, the exception being some of the new super-detailed (micro contours) maps being put out. They can get you a good overview of the layout of a lake and point you in the right direction seasonal pattern wise, but if it shows up on a map then everybody else can see it also, meaning whatever you find is potentially a community hole. Much of the really good stuff is either between contour lines or doesn't show up on maps (isolated cover). -T9