Bass_Fanatic

A Zoom Trick Worm will not only work, but probably outfish the Gulp Wacky Crawler.

Yeah it can be tough right now. Dont get discouraged, in a few months (September or so) the fishing will pick back up and get hot agian!

I own a Dobyns Savvy 734C and three Powells (704C and 703CB Glass Max series and 714C Endurance series). The Dobyns is nice, but I prefer my Powells any day. The actions are just more crisp and they feel more sensitive in my hands.

If you just want to catch fish, tie on a Lucky Craft Pointer 98 in American Shad and fish it along the rocks in the main river. I caught about 60 fish last weekend doing that, but the vast majority are smaller fish. I would also try a frog early around some grass. If your launching in St. Maurice oxbow, if you run towards the back of the oxbow from the launch you will see saline bayou on your right. The mouth of saline bayou can be good at times and then out in front of it is a flat that comes up from 20 foot of water to 3 ft of water. Dragging a jig or digging a 6XD across that drop can catch some hogs this time of year. Good luck and be sure to report back how it went.

I use a Dobyns 734 Savvy. I think it has plenty of back bone and I like the soft tip. It keeps me from ripping the frog out of their mouth if I set the hook too early. My reel is a Curado 200E with 65lb Suffix braid.

Congrat TxGator! Thats an awesome fish and what better way to catch him than on a top water bait!! I went up to Toledo yesterday evening and fished from 4:00-7:30 (it started raining) and then 6:00-2:00 today and caught a whopping 4 fish. I fished the humps I caught my fish on last month...0. Went down and fished Hog Pin and caught 2 on a frog, fished Boones Crossing humps and caught 0...fished Arnolds, yup, you guessed it, 0...fished Yocum, once again, 0. Moved back to Boones Crossing point and caught 2 on a spoon. My biggest fish was 3lbs and the other 3 were 15" fish. That place amazes me. One day I feel like a hero, then Im back to a zero lol. I fished 2 FOW all the way to 40 FOW and everything inbetween. I hope some of you are having better luck than I had!

Its no doubt that the majority of the bigger fish have moved into deeper water. The thermocline should be setting up nicely soon which should make the fish bunch a little tighter. If you can find a ridge that is about 4 foot shallower than the thermocline then there should be a good school nearby. For example, if the thermcline is 25 ft. then find a ridge or hump in 20 FOW that drops off into the main river channel and fish the top of the hump and then on the drop just above the thermocline. They will move up on top to feed and back down right above the thermocline to just chill. Looks like thats what alot of the top Elite anglers did. Big spoons, worms, football jigs, and 6XD's are the way to go right now. I will be up there Wednesday (and maybe Tuesday) to see what I can find. One more tip...use your electronics! No use in fishing an area that has no fish.

The d bomds are D BOMB! I love the love bug color and have caught a ton of fish on em...matter of fact, I caught a few on it today. The ribbed body and claws give it a lot more action than a RI Sweet Beaver and it is bulky to catch big fish. Like ealier posted, the only downfall is the durability. Your only going to get 2 maybe 3 fish per bait, but it is worth it.

Roboworm, Big Bite Baits Squirrel tail, and Zoom trick worm

My suggestion(s): Phenix Recon 764 or 766 ($170) or Powell Endurance 775C ($170) Pflueger President ($150) (has a 20lb drag and is super smooth!)

There are a ton of good rods in that price range. Phenix Recon 714C, Powell Endurance 714C, Dobyns Champion 734C, and Shimano Cumara 7'2" MH/F are all great choices. I dont have all of those models, but I do own all of those rods and they are all great! I do own the Powell 714C and it is a super versitale stick, but if I were you I would go with either the Phenix Recon or Dobyns Champion. Both of these rods are great for bottom contact baits and have plenty of backbone, but the tip is soft enough for a crankbait if you had to throw it. The Shimano and Powell has a much faster tip and would be harder to fish a crankbait with.

Thanks for the offer man! I appreciate it and would take you up on it, but I have a club tournament this weekend on the Red River. Im fishing out of my dads boat for the time being, but man Im missing my own lol. As far as rules go, Im not sure if there are any in place besides the obvious...stay a respectable distance away, use your TM and not big motor as much as possible, and dont go right behind them and catch thier fish. Sounds simple, but Ive seen many people do stupid stuff.

Ive had a Carbonlite 7' M/M for about 4 years and it has hauled in a ton of fish with no problems. Great rod for the money!

I would love to be there this week to watch some of those guys fish the lake. Apparently 20-25 ft. ridges and ledges are producing right now. I wont be able to make another trip up there for awhile...my dang boat is broke again.

I have a BPS Carbonlite 7' M/M rod that is excellent for 1/4-3/8 oz cranks and a Powell 703CB Glass that handles lipless and 3/8-1 oz cranks perfectly! I would recommend either.

I didnt get to fish it...I had a wedding Saturday, so that means rehearsal Friday night, wedding Saturday, and church Sunday. Oh well, maybe next year. I havent been up there in a few weeks due to other tournaments around here. Cant wait to get back up there tho!

The new Powell Deisel cranking rod would be perfect too!

Well, I went Wednesday and there are still fish on the spot. I noticed early that I wasnt seeing nearly as many fish on my graph but there were still a few schools. I ended up catching 40, all bass. Apparently all the whites moved off, but the black bass were still hanging around. I would go an hour without a fish and then I would find a small school on top of the hump in 15 FOW and throw a marker bouy on em and catch em. Caught all fish on a Strike King 6XD and a A-Rig. Ended up with two 3lb fish and one 5lber. The key is to find a school that has moved up on the hump willing to bite. I found em in 40FOW all day long, but couldnt catch em, but once they moved up, they bit.

Yea Im not sure. I have a lot of work to do around the house before then lol. Make sure to PM me a few days ahead and I should know for sure. Good idea sticking to ledges and humps. All the community holes are going to be pounded...but if you can find one that is not as well known, you will probably have better luck. My problem is that my spot is no secret, its just a spot on a spot actually. Good luck to all and I will post Thursday letting yall know how it goes tomorrow.

Yea thats definatly a once in a lifetime trip!! My fish have been fairly consistant, though not 300 a day lol, but I think they should hold there pretty heavy for a few more weeks. Im hoping they hold till May 18-20th haha.

Sammy Gill is actually Sam Maguel. It is north of the Pendelin bridge just north of Lanan and south of 1215 on the LA side of the lake. Im going back Wednesday again to see if my fish are still there. Debating on that MacDonalds tx...

12lb Suffix Seige mono...

I wish I could take off and go fishing...security never rests...

I have found that a 4/0 EWG will work in most any situation. It isnt nessecarily the best size hook for everything, but it is the most flexible IMO.

Hybrid is GREAT line. Try some, you'll love it! It is super strong, supple, and sensitive.