Bankbeater

Nice. Getting new gear is almost as much fun as being out on the water.

Strike King Red Eyed Spinnerbaits in the 3/16 size.

Around here the ponds and small lakes see a lot of wacky rigs. I have better luck fishing straight weightless.

For shallow water it's a Mann's Baby One Minus, BPS Egg, or a Storm Subwart. Mid to deep depth is usually a Cordell Spot, Rat-l-Trap, or a Red Eye Shad.

I will keep using the same bait as long as the bass want it.

Congratulations!

My dad's family had a couple of pics like that but with catfish. Back then they would catch fish by any means possible.

Lip gripper and a good set of pliers. If I don't have the lip grippers I try to immobilize the lure so it won't move around when the bass shakes.

I start checking the weather a couple of days before the trip. I have a checklist put together to make sure that I haven't forgotten anything, and I'll go over that the night before.

Coontail or water willows. Better if they are next to each other.

If you run the hook through the nose you can add a small bullet weight to counter the fluke rising when you move it. For keel weighting you can either use a weighted hook, or clamp a large split shot to the hook.

About 10 years ago I was fishing a Stik-o from the bank and casting around fallen timber. I hooked a good one and it went right into that wood. I gave some line hoping it would run out, and it did, but by then the line was around something. Game over.

The conservation dept. does some trout stocking down this way also. Right after the ponds get stocked I fish with Kastmaster spoons. I'm not sure if it's because of the trout getting wary, or the population gets thinned out, but after a couple of weeks I go back to bass fishing when the trout bite dies off.

I'm not sure what the water temp was, but the bass started going after spooks here in mid April and the bite was strong up until mid June when the temps got up into the 90's.

I tend to find a lot of tools around the parking lots. Most of the water I fish has signage with creel and fish size limits on them. I'll put the tools next to the signs.

I fished some ponds yesterday and it was a total dinkfest. This was the big one of the day I caught using a plastic worm.

Depending on the size of the bait, I use either 10 or 15 pound Big Game.

Never had anything stolen, but we have a hedge in front that hides most of the front porch.

I get a lot of sunfish that grab the frog legs and try to run with the bait.

Steady retrieve, work it like a popper, or walk it are the 3 types I use the most.

It depends on how much time I have to fish. If I will only be out for a few hours I will fish the spots I know. If I have time I will go exploring.

Now I'm thinking about it again.

Nope. I have used a lot of different brands of rods and reels over the years.

Any water coming into the lake will work. One lake I fish is heavily developed and I fish around the french drains that run down from the houses.

Sometimes you have to fish a large bait to keep the little bass from tearing it up.