Bluebasser86

Unfortunately we don't have many lakes with grass in them around here, most of the cover we have is wood, but I guess if you put some slippery attractant on the tail it might not catch on the wood as well. Might have to try that to keep the d**n green sunfish from biting the tails of them off.

I'm the same way. I can't afford to put that stuff on all my rods if I like it.

I love fishing a finesse jig around rocks and wood and just move it slowly along the bottom like a crawdad. A small jig with a plastic crawdad trailer is one of my go-to baits in cold water. Or you can go with a big jig fished the same way and swing for the fences!

A little more info on the pond and environmental factors would be helpful in making suggestions on what to try.

I like to use what works but I have a limit since I'm not fishing tournaments anymore. $20 is about my limit on what I'll spend on a bait since there really is nothing on the line if I can't get that 5th bite of the day.

I try mushroom hunting every year and I can't ever find the dang things on purpose! Only time I ever find them is walking around ponds bank fishing and stumbling across them.

Move the tournament to a different lake would be my best suggestion. Spinnerbaits and jigs usually catch their share of fish in May at Truman. I had my best tournament in the Grand Arm fishing squarebills around the timber. I've also done really well in the Little Tebo arm throwing spinnerbaits in the very back of the coves. Truman has always been really tough anytime I've been down there and I've been down there a bunch of times for club tournaments. Usually takes about 15lbs to win and drops off fast from there.

I gave the trout to my buddy that went with me, I'm not a big fish eater. I'll keep a walleye for myself now and then but I usually give them away to someone else that will get more enjoyment out of them than I do. We had a blast catching those smallmouths! They were slamming those jerkbaits and pulling like freight trains! I'm hoping to maybe get back there Tuesday if the weather cooperates!

That's what I was thinking, you don't want those things! The andaconda is a great worm but it doesn't drop through cover very well sometimes with that big tail. I love it on steep rock banks though.

I use Excalibur XR50s a majority of the time in ghost, foxy momma, rayburn red, and gold black. The Red Eye shad in Sexy shad does get the nod every once in awhile too though.

I knocked a hole in the wall setting the hook while I was sleeping. For some reason I have dreams about finding a lake in a cave with huge fish in it fairly often. I guess it's just every fisherman's dream to find some hidden body of water that nobody else has ever fished.

I love them on a light texas rig in cold water. They've caught me some really nice fish!

Went with a friend down to one of my favorite smallmouth lakes on Tuesday. Weather was beautiful and the fishing was great! Started off fast and never slowed down much. Most of our fish ate jerkbaits. We had all 3 species of bass, crappie, catfish, white bass, and walleye. One of my first ones of the day. My buddy had the big fish of the day with a 3lb 3oz smallie. One of my biggest of the day. Pair of 'eyes on jerkbaits. http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_0984.jpg Wife called while we were out on the lake and wanted to go fishing after work . So we packed up and went and picked her up and headed to a local lake. I bought her a new combo this winter (St. Croix Avid Pearl and Quantum Energy Pt reel) and she was really wanting to catch something on it. Her first fish was a trout. Next fish was a huge white bass, I'm guessing around 2 1/2 to 3lbs. It really was one of those days of family, friends, and fishing that I wish came around a lot more often!

Wyandotte has been hot the last couple times I've been out! The smallmouth population seems to be really taking off with the average fish being around a pound. My wife and I went out there with a friend Tuesday night and in about 2 hours had a limit of trout, largemouth and smallmouth, wiper, walleye, and 1 huge white bass. My wife finally got a chance to fish her new Avid Pearl rod and seems to like it pretty well. Her trout. and her monster white bass, should have weighed this one but I'm guessing it was between 2 1/2 and 3lbs. My buddy with his walk off last cast of the day keeper walleye, one of 2 we caught.

Fished Melvern on Tuesday 4/12 with a friend. Weather was great and the fishing was about the same. We caught all three species of bass, white bass, crappie, catfish, and walleye. My friend had the biggest smallmouth of the day that went 3lbs and 3oz on a jerkbait. One of my biggest was also on a jerkbait. A couple more smallmouth. My pair of keeper 'eyes on jerkbaits. Love this lake! Just wish it was a little closer!

I'm in as long as my work schedule allows! It would be nice to actually meet some of the guys off of the board.

Melvern was hot on Tuesday! Went there with a friend and caught a bunch of fish and several different species of fish. Most of them were caught on jerkbaits with the exception of a few that ate plastics. This was one of my biggest of the day that I caught on a jerkbait. My friend had big fish of the day with a 3lb 3oz smallie on a jerkbait I loaned him . Some more of our smallmouth. Weather was great and so was the fishing! Just wish the lake was a little bit closer!

Both good reels that cast a mile. I had a little more trouble with backlash on the SX but distance is about the same.

That's a great buy at that price! They make great backup or bank fishing rods so you don't have to worry about your nice rods!

Had something like that for my first boat, caught a bunch of fish out of that little thing. Enjoy!

I get bored catching dinks. Nobody cares if you caught 100 12 inchers anyways, but you catch one 5 pounder and you had a good day in my book. So I guess I'm a size guy .

If you have 2-7 feet to work with a squarebill would be a great option or a smaller rattlebait. I would suggest 20lb mono or floro to keep the bait from getting too deep. Fish a rod with enough backbone to rip the bait out of the weeds and to keep a big fish from burying back into them. Experiment with the speed your reeling to keep the bait just above the weeds and rip it if you feel it bury into the weeds, this will trigger strikes a lot of the time. A stop and go retrieve is usually most effective for me around weeds. Fishing cranks over weeds is one of my favorite summer time techniques and if you find them eating cranks over weeds you'll meet your goal in a single afternoon I promise!

The part where he really gives it a good pull and gets up on his toes made me lol. Good job getting him started young!

I had the same problem breaking the 7lb mark. Now that I have I can say I've broken it several times. Hopefully it will work the same way for you. Nice fish!

Nice fish! Norman makes a tiny little crankbait like that and it's a great bait for bass and tends to get pretty good sized fish to bite when it's tough for me. Good work!