Shad_Master

A guy once gave me a lesson in jerk bait fishing, it went something like this -- you cast it out, give it a jerk - pour a cup of coffee - give it a jerk - drink the coffee - give it a jerk - light up a cigarette - give it a jerk - smoke the cigarette -- get the picture? I must admit I don't have that kind of patience, but he caught stringers of big bass in the early spring this way.

Actually, I heard an interview on the radio with a Berkley guy who was talking about GULP! and he said that since the things were biodegradable they could be eaten -- don't think I would want to but there is the 411.

I primarily fish 'em on a small (1/8 or 1/4 oz) Slider head -- I'm not sure if that is conisdered T-rigged or on a jig head.

My son has the uncanny ability to see bright shiny objects from great distances and has accumulated a whole tackle box of lures that he finds when we are out fishing. Many of these are crank baits and sometimes they have been in the water for a while. I will remove the hooks and split rings and just dump them in the dishwasher and then replace the hooks. I don't know if this is the best method, but it does work (especially for CB's that I don't have to pay for).

I have always been of the opinion that buzz baits were for low light and would usually have one tied on when I launched at "safe light" and would throw it until the sun touched the water and then put it down and not pick it up again all day. I would also bring them out in the evening when the sun had started to set. However. last year I fished in a tournament with a guy on a day when the air tem was about 32 and the winds were 25 - 35 mph and there was a blue bird sky. He threw a buzzer all day long and outfished me about 5 to one :-[. Now I am really confused. Last night I saw a Jimmy Houston show where he was talking about buzz baits and said that you can catch 'em using buzzers any time of the day and any day of the year. I am really having to re-think this whole thing. Will watch for more responses to your post.

IMO it is the guy/gal who can consistently bring in what the fishery has to offer. We often have this debate in our local club, especially when a particular lake makes the schedule that has a history of being tough -- my point has alway been "we all fish the same water". If we are fishing an area where everybody has a stringer of 4-5#ers or better, then it seems like it is a matter of luck that so-and-so managed to stick that really big one. But if the bite is tough and someone can go out and find 'em and bring 'em in (even if they are small) then that person deserves the acolades for that day. If he/she does it consistently, then that person is a cut above the others.

My goal for last year was to finish in the Top 10 in my local club and I did that (by 20 points ahead of 11th place). I also had a 3rd place finish in the calcutta series (an alternate tournament schedule that we fish) and logged a 3rd place and Big Bass one of the club tournaments. Along the way, I landed 3 6#ers on tournament days and had only one blank for the whole year.

I did not see this, but heard about it from several people -- Last Memorial Day a local lake was ringed with people fishing from the bank - in fact it was so crowded that there were only four boats out on the lake and they were not able to get anywhere near the bank. One of the DNR (game warden) guys showed up and started checking licenses and fish, he spent most of the day writing tickets -- one guy had no license and whole bucket of illegal fish -- his fine was $1700 and he got angry when he wasn't allowed to keep the fish :

My mistake -- :-[

This was the one GULP! lure I never really got into -- they were just too small and hard to rig on the jig. They do have a couple of jig trailers out now that are awsome.

I was checking the line up for shows comming up this weekend and there is another new one called Aaron Marten's Angling Edge or something like that -- the way that guy mumbles, I hope they have a translator for him -- he did a segment on Bass Insider or one of those about tying skirts on jigs, I couldn't understand a word he said ;D

If I am correct, Ish won "bookend" tournaments this last year -- the first one down in Texas and the last one the Busch Shoot out -- that definitely makes him a "minority"

Dude, GULP! is my goto bait in lots of forms. But they ain't cheap. I throw the Sinking Minnow as a kind of search bait, 'cause they will draw fish into a strike. Once I am sure that I have located them, I will switch to a Senko or Zoom worm or something that will hold up better. Whatever this formula is that these things are made from is dynomite! They are water soluable, so you have to keep them wet although they will come back after drying out -- in fact, if you leave them in water long enough, they will completely melt away. This is part of the attraction as they are emitting scent and flavor in the water which helps to attract the fish. Probably the biggest "draw back" to GULP! is that it will catch all kinds of fish. A couple of years ago, I threw a GULP! Turtleback Worm (6") into a blue gill bedding area -- it felt like I was being hit with a machine gun. When I reeled it in, there was only about 2.5 -3" of the lure left -- I laughed and made another cast as a joke and pulled in a 3.5 -4#er from the same spot.

Senile1, I think you have hit the nail on the head -- it isn't so much a question of whether or not the polar ice caps will melt, it is what are we doing to the planet that is contributing to a problem that may be looming on the horizon. For me the issue is all wrapped up in the 'catch & release' that we as bass fishermen/women mostly support. I like to eat fish and do so when I can, but my main concern is -- if I eat him today, I can't catch him tomorrow. I try to do my part in supporting conservation and I think if we all did things would only get better.

I just caught the first episode of "The Bass Pros" on Versus Channel -- this is a new show put on by Bass Pro Shops and features their Pro Staff (KVD, Jason Quinn, Rick Clunn, Woo Daves and Edwin Evers). If you have a chance, check it out -- you can find out about it at Outdoor World TV at the BPS site (has schedules and show information).

All the hard work he put in entitles him to get paid for the promotion. Nice

One tip that I learned this last year is, if there is standing timber in the lake you can note where the biggest trees are and use them to track the channel -- the biggest trees are always closest to the edge of the creek or channel.

Thanks for the input

I want to replace the hooks on some of my crankbaits this winter and was wondering what is the most common size of hooks -- is it #4 or #6 or what? Most of my CB's are Bombers, Storms, Bandits - that sort of thing. Also, what are the common size split rings for this?

Well if you consider the "fishing derby" I was in at age 10 then my entry on the poll is not correct. I won a bait caster rod and reel for catching the first fish of the day with my cane pole. This was the one I learned to cast with and also learned to pick out backlashes ;D. However, my first "official" tournament was a club tournament I fished 33 years later. I spent 8 hours on the lake and never felt a single bump the whole day -- got to thinking maybe I should have stuck with the cane pole. I have never fished a "money tournament" but I average 15 - 16 club tournaments a year now and just had my best year so far. Can't wait to get started on next season.

At least around this neck of the woods, 4-6" worms are the norm -- 3" or less if you are finesse fishing

I haven't gotten mine at home yet, but my boss gave me the one she got in the mail from when she purchased a gift certificate for me for my annual bonus ;D

I think Senkos and Senko-like baits are one of the easiest soft plastics to lean with. They can be fished in so many ways and (especially in the Spring) there is no way to truly mess it up. I agree that the lures you have listed are good to learn with, but to make that next step it is important to learn to feel that fish strike the lure and this is where the Senko baits come in. Once you get the "feel", you can begin to refine your soft plastic presentations and learn from there. Once you have that down, is the natural progression then to jigs?

No Senko's??? I would think this would be a must from the Road Warrior.

Thanks for the input guys - as to the problems with the ones I have now, that is a long story and has some to do with how I got the boat so cheap. ;D