Marty

I bank fish a lot. If you have visible cover or structure, fish it thoroughly. If not, move around and cover a lot of water until you learn more about the particular body of water. Go often and try to be there at higher percentage times, like low light conditions. Don't rule out any types of lures, as fish can be caught from shore with the same variety of lures that succeed from boats. I'm almost always fishing weedy waters and i use a lot of topwater, shallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Good luck. P.S. I wouldn't count on using more colors as the magic bullet.

What do you mean by "knots in the line"? If you're talking about tangles, a possible cause is not getting rid of the slack and letting loops form. Try to take out the slack as you retrieve and if you notice any loops on the spool, don't cast until after you pull the line out by hand, past the loop(s) and crank it back in under some tension.

I don't know when. But I use duolock snaps (no swivels) all the time.

This is a question that comes up fairly frequently. A few years ago, on another forum, a guy answered by saying the questioner should check the wife's closet, count the number of pairs of shoes, and that's how many reels he can own. ;D

I'm not good at ID'ing weeds, but I'm trying to learn. I've been using that first site that Rolo recommended and have found it helpful.

I know nothing about smallies in your part of the world. However, in general, they are found in somewhat clearer, cooler and deeper water than largemouth and are not as cover-oriented. Rocks and rocky bottoms are good. Smallies are pretty pugnacious and will hit any lure that a largemouth will. Cranks, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, a variety of soft plastics, topwaters and others can all work well. They'll take any color but seem to be drawn to chartreuse a little more.

Weather plays a large role. There are generalities such as good fishing ahead of a front, poor fishing behind it, good fishing when cloudy, poorer when sunny, good before a storm, lousy afterwards, and so on. The thing is, though, that there are always exceptions to these "rules", because fish don't read the same books that we do. Barring weather that threatens your safety, do what most of us do, which is to go whenever you have the opportunity. Some great fishing has been had when conventional wisdom said it wouldn't be so good.

There's a difference between snagging (a deliberate act) and foul-hooking (accidental). Rules vary by state. In NY, snagging is illegal, as it probably is everywhere, but a foul-hooked fish may be kept except for trout and salmon.

>Say you just arrived at a lake. Do you rule any lures out by the water temp, clarity, or weather conditions? I don't rule out anything entirely, but topwaters take low priority in cold water or bright, sunny conditions. >How can you tell what the bass want on a specific day? You can't predict in advance, even though there might be some general guidelines. It's a trial and error thing. >Also, people say, "The bass will tell you what they want" How long does it take for you to find out? Sometimes, the whole day passes and you don't find out. >What are the first things you do differently to ge a bite? Do you change color, retrieve, or even lure? I might change the retrieve, but after that I'll generally change lures rather than just change color. >I hear all these talks about well you gotta find that pattern and stick with it. Wouldn't it take forever to find the pattern? It can. >With so many different lures in ones tacklebox how do you know which ones will produce on a given day? See above. You don't, you experiment to find out. Obviously, you need to fish a lure that is compatible with the cover and depth you're fishing. Then there are personal preferences and confidence lures. Under the same conditions, five different anglers might choose five different presentations. Just read as much as you can and put in your time to determine what works for YOU.

I use a so-called "stream thermometer." This image is from Cabela's.

I'm no meteorologist, but a cold front is the leading edge of a moving air mass that is colder than the air it will replace. It's usually accompanied by rising pressure, clearing skies and a shift in winds to the N or NW.

I like Byron, he doesn't bother me at all. He may not be KVD, but he doesn't need to be. Look at some other sports, and you will find that some of the best analysts were not the best at playing their sport.

You may be right that it would be hard to prove if you wanted to fight it out in court. But as to the worm, sure, panfish will take them, as will pike and pickerel, but telling someone that you're targeting non-bass with plastic worms may fall on deaf ears. I sure don't use worms when targeting non-bass.

No offense taken, Abel. But I'm curious why it bothers you if OTHERS want to discuss it. ????? Nobody's forcing anyone else to read what they don't want to.

There are only five or six states where there is a fully closed bass season, NY being one of them. A few other states allow catch-and-release all year, although they have seasonal restrictions on possession. In NY, it is illegal to fish for any species during its closed season. There is nothing wrong with accidentally catching an out-of-season fish as long as you're not targeting it. There are also differences in how officers will enforce the law. Some will ticket you for targeting, others might not care as long as you aren't keeping. Just like some cops will ticket you for speeding and others will let you go with a warning. Certainly you must avoid bass beds and using a bass-specific lure, such as a plastic worm. Other than that, I don't know how an officer would determine that you're illegally targeting.

It may be the biggest ever caught, but it's not and won't be the record on the books. They are not going to apply for the record, and I doubt it would have been certified if they had.

No way do I consider fishermen athletes. It may be rigorous, but so is the life of a construction worker. High level tournaments have been won by smokers, obese people, senior citizens like me, and others who are not normally thought of as athletes. Besides, I think success is had at fishing with one's brain, not athletic skills. I don't know why so many anglers argue that they're athletes; it's as if they believe it legitimizes the activity more. Tournament fishermen are competitors, no more, no less.

I agree with you. That's why I put my location as part of my signature, but that doesn't work if most don't do it. While I know nothing about running web sites, I do know that a number of forums do show location in each message if the person has agreed to make it public.

You got it right Leo. But a lot of people use the wrong term, just like a lot (much more) use "action" when they mean a rod's "power."

That's how the cheater was caught and who is now banned from BASS tournaments. Someone reported it, the officials tagged the fish and waited to see who weighed in the tagged ones. It wasn't as obvious as jugs, though

# noun: any new participant in some activity

Marine Mammal Observer? :

Might you be thinking of scientist/writer Ralph Manns? I like his writing and he makes a lot of sense to me. I have a lot of respect for him.

Sinker, that's not quite true. Foul-hooked trout and salmon must be released, but other species may be kept, with a couple of special exceptions.

Check your state regulations. It's illegal here in NY and it's hard to imagine that snagging bass isn't illegal everywhere.