ClackerBuzz

sounds like ur in the right location. i'd be far more inclined to change from reaction lures to slow moving baits b/c of not getting bites than to blame it on weeds hanging off my trebles. i love vibrant green weeds coming back on my hooks b/c it tells me i'm fishing in the right area. vs i hate slimy half dead weeds b/c there isn't growth, oxygen, water flow, bait fish ie bass in the area. i just rip/stroke my rattletrap really hard to clear the fowled weeds. that alone gets tons of bites. a chatterbait is my other golden weed area reaction lure b/c that blade just vibrates weeds right off (vs a spinnerbait being a weed magnet). if no takers on reaction i'm slowing down to pitching jigs and slow dragging weedless senkos (putting a glass bead in front of senko allows it to slide thur weeds much easier).

this is literally an entire industry. you really need a professional to come in to analyze endless variables. they will shock the fish to find out what slots to start harvesting, recommend adding/removing species etc etc

i fill 3 reels with a 150 yd spool of line (i'm never going to cast farther than 150 ft). my arm to arm length is 6 ft. i strip off 150 ft of braid in my living room for my main line (25 arm lengths). tie it direct to bare spool and reel in. then just add as much mono as needed to fill spool, leaving 1/8" of spool rim w/o line. the line is on backwards but perfectly spooled. strip all line off and tie on mono. after all line is back on just add 5-15 ft leader of choice. with this method the only thing you have to be careful of is the mono can coil in ur house if in a tight area. i'm careful in winter and run the mono around chair arms, under pillows etc. it's very easy outside b/c you can walk off the mono and keep it straight. just reel up slowly so you'll see if a coil is coming

if we're talking high octane buy a black 1/4 oz buzzbait (clacker preferred ) and burn that sucker parallel to shore during dusk or dawn!

a slow dragged soft plastic of ur choice is hard to beat. some guys like senkos, some lizards. just grab whats on sale http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/ of course there are plenty of other exciting lures to become addicted too

Dr. Ruth-aider

x2. the only time you'll catch me doing 5 mph under the speed limit is in deer infested areas (ur road goes from having a field on both sides to a tunnel of trees). the other greatest thing that has saved me from hitting tons of deer: honking the horn. deer react quickly to sound. i'll go for the horn equally as fast as, if not faster than, my foot goes for the brake. yes sometimes they just stare with that blank look but by far the majority of the time a horn gets their @#$ moving quickly. you can spook smart deer by just stepping on a twig in the woods. the horn spooks the smart ones and the dumb ones follow. the problem comes when there are all dumb ones in the line of fire another tip: where there is one deer, there is many. they travel in packs so the rest of the herd can be 1/2 mile down the road. basically i almost hit one lone deer, got my heart rate down and car speed up only to almost slam into the rest of the herd 1/2 mile ahead. so if you see a deer don't let ur guard down till ur out of the woods bc there are more around

its hard to beat a weightless soft plastic of ur choice. of course its not as exciting as other baits. but that's my go to when all else fails (and actually i start with it often b/c it's so stealth you catch those big girls off guard). http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

experiment with the length of the pause to find out what the fish want that day.

great advice. pm me ur address Grizzn. i'll send you a generic 4 oz 8" Hudd (Reaction strike). Take a few hours to play and learn how to blast/cast it. If ur not used to casing 4 oz lures by far the fastest way to lose one is a backlash. second fastest is a snag so get a lure knocker. third fastest pike. i only tinkered w/ swimbaits last year but i learned a lot and i'm coming back this season in full force (biggest mistake besides backlashing was reeling too fast. gotta reel s-l-o-w. even dead stick a Hudd). they cost more but i ordered more 2 oz lures b/c you can cast them so much easier ie 7" slammer, 200 S wave, Triple trout, Hardgills. many are jointed but the noise will come in handy June-Aug when my water dirties up from algae blooms. why cast a 4 oz 8" BBZ1 floater when you can cast a 2oz 7" Slammer.

jig fishing is 100x's more productive and versatile than frog fishing. focus on getting a nice MH jig rod. you can easily toss frog on it during a hot summer bite.

this. 5" senko wacky rigged has a nice fall rate and action for finicky bass

i've seen you mention baby diaper color before kent. are you still getting them online?

imo most guys don't need to change out hooks. they are just wasting money feeding expensive trebles to stumps. i would however change them out of i was a semi-pro angler....or if i lived in Texas. or if the lure had extremely cheap trebles. SK hooks are plenty good for the average angler. just food for thought

I'm under the firm belief that all public employees should have to wait tables for 3 months as a prerequisite. you'll truly learn hospitality after trying to pay ur rent based on tips generated solely from being humble and courteous.

they are great for open water but first i'd reach for a spro poppin' frog in the conditions ur describing http://www.***.com/Spro_Dean_Rojas_Bronzeye_Poppin_Frog/descpage-SPBPF.html

i also give props to the guys jamming hooks into their skin on purpose to educate us. ouch

I love the SDJ. it's great for beginners using fluoro b/c you cinch it upward (opposite direction of the eye on hook) so you can't burn it as easily and you can take your time making sure your wraps lay nicely. it's also great for lures 5-8" b/c you don't have to waste ablot of line using a hoop like with a palomar. now that my fluoro knot tying skills are up to par i'm back to the palomar for lures smaller than 4" and use the SDJ for larger lures to save line.

"Better not show that one to Diane"

i know people have alot of rules like clockwise or label up etc for loading line onto reels (spinning or bc). I reel 5-10 handle revolution and flip the spool b/c coils start to form. just keep repeating (skip to 1:50) but really my life has been heaven after switching to all braid

i'm sure you'll get alot of suggestions for lures so i'll give ya a suggestion for technique: fish fast and loud if they are aggressive. fish low and slow if not.

x2. take enough line off so 1/8" of ur spool is exposed and it won't 'jump' off anymore. no need to spend extra cash on conditioner...unless you want

a 6 lb bass looked on unhappyly as his foot long Subway special got away.

there are guys here far better at ledge fishing than me but i can give you a tip that changed everything for me. most guys troll parallel to the shoreline and cast a 45 deg angle. don't do this. you'll miss many depths and many angles. instead troll rainbows. most everyone does this around points but forget about it along a featureless shoreline. doesn't matter the lure. trolling a rainbow shape means you'll be casting parallel from both directions, perpendicular, and every angle within 180 deg. and you'll be covering many depth levels. lure choice doesn't matter. works well with spinnerbaits, jigs, crankbaits, c rig, a rig etc etc etc. make sure to note the direction and depth when you get bit.

way to young to pass. rip