Marty

Amber might help. You can go to Cabela's and on any page for sunglasses you can click on the Buyer's guide and read what they have to say on lens color and other things. In the June Bassmaster magazine, Skeet Reese was asked what color he'd choose if he could have just one color and he said amber. Of course, that's just one person's opinion.

I agree, adding/subtracting washers can even up the line on a spool. However, what I would do first is make a few casts on the water and retrieve with real lures to see if the same spool unevenness is still there.

Unfortunately, I have experience in this area. If it's just happened once or twice, then it could be attributed to random distribution. More often and likely something's wrong since things would even out if something wasn't wrong. You need to look at the various things that could account for the differences. Things like line size and color, depth, retrieve speed and tempo, lure color, position in the boat and other things. If there is no answer there's the possibility of a negative odor on your lures which calls for adding some kind of scent. I once eliminated the other factors and thought odor might be the problem and I was right, as things changed starting with day 1 of using scent. Good luck. Situations like this can be maddening.

Congratulations on the PB. Do you have an estimate of the weight?

A warm rain can certainty warm up the water temps, but whether the bite will improve is iffy. For example, the water temp might already be at an ideal temp before the rain so that the rain wouldn't improve conditions. But get out there and give it a try by all means.

To each his own, but I wouldn't feel comfortable tossing stuff into someone else's pond. For the bigger bass that you know are in there, I'd try bottom lures during the day and topwater, crankbaits and spinnerbaits at night and during low light conditions. I've never had opportunities to fish private ponds, but wish that I had.

The lures that work in Virginia should work up here as well. Maybe this page will help somewhat: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/32371.html You might look into possibilities at the north end of Cayuga Lake. If there's still a railroad bridge there and you can get out on it, that might be worth a try. Also the lock areas between Seneca and Cayuga. I don't have experience there but I've heard things. Enjoy your summer and let us know how you made out.

As MDP said, there is no "best." It's now late spring and a wide variety of lures will work. I've been using crankbaits but yesterday they were hitting Jitterbugs. That's not to say that these lures are superior, it's just that they work. No doubt other lures would have caught many of the same fish as well.

Congratulations. A 4-8 is my personal best also, but that was 30 years ago and I haven't come close since. According to the New York length-weight charts, an average one of that weight would run about 28".

Like Brian said, just about anything can work. Depending, on weather, water depth, weeds and other cover, you could use topwaters, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and the like. I happen to live close to the Finger Lakes but the advice is not region-specific.

Does that include present team members?

If you're confident about the presence of fish, then by all means throw an assortment of lures that fit the conditions. You might want to try some frogs in the grass.

Take your choice of Horny Toads, Ribbits, Sizmic Toads and others, they all catch fish. It's not the hook that's weedless, it's the way you rig it. Depending on the thickness of the bait, I'd use a 4/0 or 5/0 extra-wide-gap hook, rigged "Texposed." You won't have to worry about snagging the pads, you might have to worry about getting a big fish out of the pads.

As one who has fished frogs, but not that brand, what, in your opinion, does it have over the other brands to make it more effective?

I set the hook basically the same as I do for other soft plastics. Be a line watcher and set the hook when you see the line moving off to the side. Or set it if you feel something and think a fish has taken it. I recall some years back reading advice from some pro which basically was to set the hook anytime you think a fish has taken it, whether by sight or feel.

Bank fishing is not all the same, what with different bodies of water, different locations and the like. I've used crankbaits, topwaters, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, jigs, etc. There's really no lure types I rule out, I fish what I can depending on the cover and other conditions.

Try to use a hook with a gap at least double the diameter of the plastic so there's room for the hook to get through the lure and into the fish.

A friend does the same thing.

I'm a rank amateur without any cameras following me, but I never get into my canoe or friend's bass boat without a pee bottle. It's as standard an accessory as pliers or tape measure or line cutter.

I and my partners have also caught many topwater bass under bluebird skies. I fish them spring through fall as long as the water is reasonably warm, say about 55°. There's rarely a day when I don't at least give them a try. You can see the sky in my profile picture. That's a topwater fish that was just under 5#.

Almost any lure than can be used from a boat can be used from shore. I was always a big believer in moving around a lot and covering a lot of water until and if you find spots that seem to be productive. I tried to go as often as I could and make sure I was there under the supposedly better fishing potential of low light. More often than not I found that fishing parallel to or at angles to the shore was more productive, but fished a place further from shore to see if that water was one of the exceptions. Mental attitude can be important too. Don't get worked up about that great-looking cover or structure that you can't reach and concentrate fully on what's within your casting range. My personal best and 4th best have come from the shore of a six-acre pond.

Up north I'd use a variety of lures in those conditions. Since the vegetation is submerged you can run shallow cranks and spinnerbaits right over the grass. Of course, jigs, soft plastics and assorted topwaters can (and should, in my opinion) be used as well. I'm not one who places a huge value on color selection.

I haven't targeted them for a few years, but when I did I was using a split-tail grub on a 1/16 oz. jighead because I did most of my fishing with that lure back then. But, as has been said above, they'll take anything, although I'd use smaller lures even though they often hit lures meant for bigger fish.

My guideline is to use a hook with a gap at least double the bait's diameter, so as to allow enough room for the hook to get through the plastic and into the fish's jaw.

The fact that you're asking indicates that you're thinking about expanding your horizons. Bank fishing can be productive but having a boat makes a large difference. I have a canoe and have had some great experiences while fishing from it (some lousy experiences too). As has been stated, you can pick up a used canoe or kayak for a small price. I was wishy-washy about buying my canoe for 15 years before I decided to go for it. I'd recommend you act more quickly, especially if you're getting up there in years.