primetime

Bed fishing can drive you insane. I never feel good even if I spend an hour to finally get the fish to hold the bait long enough to get a good hook set plus I already know the size which just takes away that "Surprise of first seeing the fish". I obviously will do it when I just happen to notice a big Female on a bed, but I rarely go looking for beds unless it is a last resort. I know it is a skill for sure, but I try to fish spawning areas by simply fan casting different baits & just hope for the best...I prefer to fish the nearest drop off where I see bedding fish hoping to hook into some big females in transition instead. Obviously I always check for beds in any Lake or Pond starting in late November in Florida since in ponds or even some lakes you start to see fish move up if you have the right weather patterns, same with December. If you see beds then I usually have more confidence fishing certain areas I may not usually try figuring big females are waiting to move up so I target the nearest drop off, with cover near by, and usually figure the fish are suspended...It works all the time 50% of the time.

Does That Frog have the line tie that when you cast it causes the legs to kick? I saw a few of those years ago in a tackle shop & they were old but looked cool. Those Kwik Fish are really good lures, especially for Salmon/Trout...Trolling...I remember using them upstate NY & we would catch all sorts of Fish trolling them....Some of the old stuff still works really good. I have looked at Tournament results form years ago on Bass Archives in the past & some of the fish being caught with old techniques & lures are just as impressive as today in some cases. Change out the hooks on some and fish em, then maybe save some to collect. Seems like he also liked to fish for Walleye?

I have noticed that DIck's has had them at a deep discount locally & they still are sitting on the shelves...I never really liked the concept but I am sure they catch fish...I like the way the lipless cranks look but not enough to buy one. Just my take.

I like any version of the skinny dipper, Keitech style as well, but I really like the Swim Senko, Gambler Swimbaits, and a zoom swimming fluke...I also like the Creme Swimbait called the screamer as well. I have tried the Yum Swimming Dinger, Slider bass grubs, and cane sticks but I still have the most confidence in a swim senko as I seem to catch fish on them no matter how I rig them or fish them...Also they are great for trailers if they get torn up..Something about the density & shape make it such a great bait, especially when you want to fish slowly & let them sink....So many good models really depends on how you fish them & time of year..The Small Sassy Shads in 3" on a ball head jig are money for when you just need strikes as well.

Soft baits, Terminal tackle....Then Jerkbaits.

bomber 2a and 3-4a....Spro flat sided little John, Speed traps, DT 4,6,10...I love the baby bass bomber 2a crankbait. One of my best producing. Rapala Shallow Shad rap on 6-8lb test is a Fantastic crankbait, you can also fish the #5 or #7 in shallow water & works awesome all year round....You need some shad raps in shallow and SD versions in your box. Kind of a classic lure and when it works, it really works.

So many answers, none are wrong, I have done well no the BPS River Bug, and I still really like to use the SK Rodent, and Smaller Gambler Otter, but beavers have different actions...Some glide more, some swim more with more appendages, then a bait like the Otter has paddle tails, different times, different days some work better than others. For a standard beaver, I do as well with the RIver bug as I do with a RI Beaver, or any other brand that is a beaver style bait for most part. I like the Rage Bug but not for heavy weeds, I like it as a "Rage Rig" 3/8 oz or less for pitching and swimming, and love the Havoc pit boss, they have awesome colors online, hook stays in well even when going heavy, pound for pound with price are really good. I think size and color matter more than brand. I can grab a D-Bomb and be just as confident as any other similar design if size & color are right...Just try a few of the most popular, in 3 best colors you prefer.

I had purchased some bladed Jigs from Bluebasser and they are awesome since he made them with Owner Hooks and bigger hooks, all components matched really well. I then kind of copied his design although he has the capability to make a flat eye bullet head which is my favorite, I have yet to find a brand that I had as much confidence in, although I now make my own and just use my favorite swim Jig, by the blades and then add either a ring, Wire, or take a spinnerbait and cut the arm off, then twist the head into a chatterbait style head, then just add a blade. I like the colored blades although I just like to use gold, black, white, dark Nickel, I never really use silver but I am sure they work great. I like a black blade with a black and red or black and blue skirt at night. I find the trailer, bend in blade, weight all give any bladed jig different actions. The safest trailers imo are the Rage Menace, Small Devil Spear, Subwoofer, Salt Craw, 4" Finesse worm, double tail grubs, single tail grubs, or a fluke...I don't do as well with boot tail swimbaits but when I use them the extra thump seems to get bigger bites, but the swim Senko is money all the time most of the time...Hard to go wrong, they are not as easy to fish as people make it seem. It takes practice and chucking and winding works, but I keep learning new little things & still miss more fish than I should. Really an amazing lure that has endless ways to fish it. I often run them right under the surface & use a 1/4 oz, I even use the 1/8 oz mini size at times, if using Z-Man, just make sure the hook is sharp & snap is secure. I change the snaps out to a better quality or bigger. I do like taking the z-man blades off of old cheap models and add them to strike King Hack attack swim Jigs.

Both really good. I would get a pair of booyah frogs when they go on sale for buy on get one half off and get 1 of each size. The Live Target Frog is also really good, The 55T is the most popular size but due to the softness, the hook up ratio is good on the 65T if you want a bigger profile. I would not worry about color all that much. Just get the colors you like best for topwater lures in the lakes you fish. Hard to beat the quality & Price of the Booyah Frogs, pound for pound maybe the best? Can't go wrong either way imo.

I think it is because the plastic is so soft, but that is what often makes the Rage baits effective or how I have seen it. I have never checked to see if the claws stand up but I have obsessed over similar types of situations. I think the movement of the claws is maybe more important if standing still. If they are flapping while sitting, that may be a good thing, I used to obsess over baits standing vertical on bottom until I started to realize that maybe it doesn't matter as much as I thought. I used to fish the ned rig with only Elaztach since it would float after it soaks for a bit, but I have tried a piece of a regular salted worm & it seems to work just as good at times. I would think not every crawfish is in a defensive posture before it gets eaten. I doubt they even get a chance to put the claws up if a Bass is ready to ambush.

Blue water color, I also like a bait with some contrast that has some blue/Chart in it, maybe a sexy shad type color which has some blue gray, white or silver, yellow/chart....If the water is not clear I would try to match the color of the bass or bait that you see in the lake, but Flash never hurts, and bluegill for most part will take on a color similar to the water color so blue/Chart, maybe something with silver is good since all fish flash. All good suggestions, hard part is usually finding fish in ponds without alot of obvious structure but fishing the drop off lines, or looking for any slopes that are different on the shore or any composition that is different may also extend into the water. Even if water is mostly 5 feet, a spot that has a change of depth even 6-12" can be good. If the wind is hitting a certain side or area harder than others, you may want to try the windy shoreline hoping bait is also getting swept into that area, or find an area that has something different than the rest of the lake meaning sun, or shade lines, but if you can find where water enters or exits when it drains after rain, those spots are usually good year round. Every time that water creates current it makes a channel even if only a 12" dip can be a great spot for bass to ambush prey & give them an easy spot to conserve energy. If guys are throwing big swimbaits and not catching much, I would consider that a good sign. I am sure they know big bass are in the lake which would make sense since bigger bass are hard to catch & take time if targeting them only. I would think a Swim jig with a Trailer like a Rage Bug, The Rage shellcracker on a jig or chatterbait can work well since you can figure out what speed, depth to target. I would personally focus on just getting some strikes to start before going reallly big. If bluegills are stunted, match that size & shape. I notice ponds with really big Bluegills usually have Stunted bass, and ponds with mostly smaller panfish have Bigger bass and less of them since the bluegill eat most fry, without cover it is hard for fish to survive, but find Bass, and big ones should be near by. I doubt you caught that 4lber by accident. The fish was there for a reason and probably holds more fish. DEC should have maps online for Urban Parks. Also stocking info etc...Google earth helps to see if lake has deep areas. Hope that helps. Always tricky, but worth the time if you only get one good strike each trip.

Missille Craw...Good call. I need to break those out again. I used to use them & do really well but somehow moved on, but they are nice & thin, get through the mats easy, Kind of John Crews first bait he used after the BB Cricket when he started with Missile. Devil Spear is just a great bait for any type fishing.... All good baits. Lake Fork Flipper is different looking & I actually like almost all the Lake Fork baits they are just hard to find & expensive but they make a bunch of good baits that fish do not see often unless you live in Texas probably.

For Punching which to me = getting the bait through the cover as easy as possible, no hang ups, & has the right fall rate & action. I like to seperate them into baits that glide, Swim, or have a paddle action if that makes sense. First choice lately-Culprit Incredicraw, Incredipunch,Powerbait Lighting Bug, Thief, Gamber BB Cricket (John Crews used to dominate with this bait b4 missile paid him) Gambler Y-Not is one of the best as it glides & is better for hooksets than a tube which can be tricky. A Flipping Tube in Smoke/Red Flake is something I always try on a Trokar Tube Hook. SK Baby Rodent, Rage Craw, Burner Craw, Zoom Ultravibe Speed craw, Z Craw, 3" Gambler Ugly Otter is fanastic, Larew Salt Craw, GYB Flappin Hog, Psycho Dad which hold a huge rattle from GYB or Kinami is really good. Any bait is good, the Pit boss stays on the hook much better imo than most other beaver baits, all the Rage Baits are really soft, work awesome but for Punching I find I get more use out of them in other areas, same with RI beavers, again, if over an OZ, not sure they can tell the difference between RI beaver or BPS Beaver. I just like the Rodent since it has always worked well so never found need to change. I keep colors simple, Black/Blue,Okee Magic, Basically Darker colors, chart dye on tips, or any contrast of black/Green pumpkin. You can Punch anything if it gets through, many guys use Stick baits, they can get through most anything with lighter weight, then a bait like the Power Team Punch Bully weighs double than most baits so you can use less weight as well. Bait is a tank, Glides well, needs a big hook, I watched a guy land a 9lb Bass this year punching a Stanley Ribbit so sometimes thinking outside the box helps. If you hear bluegills popping, get the profile to match, then a swimming style beaver bait works well like the Pit boss...Hard to beat the Havoc Pit boss on price & for a flipping Craw the BPS Flipping Craws are a good alternative to the popular Larew & LC baits. Did I say BB Cricket and Otter?

I would say a 1/4 oz is size I use most since they are always easy to find, then 3/8 & 1/2 oz.....However, I always buy or order 3/16 or 5/16 and even 5/8 when possible since it may not seem like much, but I had a really good JIg/Texas rig Fisherman who used to believe that the difference in fall rate in areas that see alot of jigs & soft baits makes the 5/16 a better option than a 1/4 oz. I have used this approach with the Original Stanley Jigs and a few others and some days I do feel like the 5/16 works better. I know when I was watching a tournament on TV at Lake Harris Greg Hackney was catching more fish than everyone else in the same shallow docks/Grass using a 5/16 Jig & Sliding Weight. I think the type of jig matters most. For swim Jigs or Shallow water Pitching/Skipping etc. 1/4 is really good as well as for swimming over weeds, then 3/8 is good for added distance but I would also make sure to buy a few Finesse or smaller Jigs like the Strike King Bitsy Bug & bitsy Flip. You can always give any jig the buzz cut to make it have the parachute on top to slow the fall, and for $2 it is hard to beat the SK bitsy bug jigs. Standard is good for Swimming & light cover as it has a thin weedguard. I use 1/16 on a spinning rod, then always carry 1/8,3/16,1/4 & up to 1/2 oz since the smaller profile can work. Obviously trailers change the rate and action on the fall etc...But with the Bitsy Flip, I feel the weedguard is a bit stiff on some, So make sure you do not cut it shorter which makes it stiffer, just trim a few strands at the base to soften it which I like to do, just do not pull them out since it makes them all fall out. Colors-Black, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon, White, White/Chart, black Blue, Brown/Orange are what I use most..For a bluegill color, It all depends on the lake but a Green pumpkin/chart/blue seems to work well. Hope that helps. If you need to buy them over the counter, Strike King Hack Attack is a good jig with strong hook for heavy cover, and good jig overall, all SK jigs are good Imo for store jigs, then the Terminator Pro Jig for $3.50 is a good jig with a bullet style head, colors, the VMC hook is good but get's dull so needs sharpening & for the money pretty good jig even to swim. I would also grab a SK Texas Rig Jig or Swing Jig which is really good & I like to buy alot of blacks and browns and then use the trailer to either match or contrast. I love a Black/Blue Jig & green pumpkin Trailer and then the opposite. Dirty Jigs are great, I would check out TW and this way you can see all the options in Jigs & type as they divide them in 8 categories. They also carry every brand popular....Dandy, Oldham, AT, Gambler, plus reviews really help. All Terrain jigs are actually really good for the price, so are the Megastrike Jigs.

Land It and hope it is a huge Bass and My eyes were playing tricks on me. Catching a big fish especially a personal best is awesome no matter when or where you catch it. I still get excited after getting frustrated when I hook a ig Bowphin which are considered junk by most people. I don't mind landing them because they fight really good & it is just part of fishing. Pickeral are a different story because they swipe topwater lures which throws you off at times. I just Tighten the drag & horse them in, you know it when you hook one how they fight. Same with other fish, But a Big Striper is a big Bass in my book. Just has stripes on it. I would stay and catch more striped Bass in a tournament assuming other bass are in same area, and if they are over 10lbs, fun is fun, Striped Bass as a PB is an accomplishment you should brag about at the ramp.

Lightest line you can use, 4lb test, match the forage and just fish slowly & look at the contour of the land around the pond, type of ground composition as that tells you what is in the water. Also focus on where water enters and where it exits...Also head out at night and plant some brush piles for next year, in a spot that is in deep water near quick access to shallow water and some weeds on or near the first drop off.... I find finesse is different for anyone. Try using smaller lures, panfish lures. I catch some of my biggest bass on panfish lures in the cold or in summer on Tiny baits and lures, Winter I love a Road Runner Jig in 1/16-1/8. Or hair jigs of same size. Panfish tubes etc...Big bass in ponds learn from sounds, and lures. Loud casts can be an issue. If it gets alot of pressure, fish the area that people think is not good, I have had days in smaller ponds/lakes when fish moved to spots where I have never caught them again since too many boats were on the lake making too much noise. The fish will retreat to safety.

I will use grubs when I have a tough bite, or in places I can't get a crankbait or just because of size, plus a grub will work at any time of the year, all depends on how and what type you fish. I use a Darter head style jig the most with Soft baits since They seem to work better on suspended fish and I get more bites on the fall, or reeling. Or I use a bullet head Jig, Or texas rig. I consider the Rage Menace a grub, Single Tail or curly tails, and boot tail swimbaits that are not fat a grub. Maybe it is a North East thing since Mike Iaconelli calls the beat Shad a grub....Some Flukes are like grubs, Bass Assassin makes a curly tail fluke which works really good as it is essentially a 4" Turbo Shad with a curly tail. I use ball head jigs but not as much as most people. I like to add a DOA Hot Head to a grub to give it eyes, or those logic lures Clip on eyes that hold baits on the hook instead of glue, I find a grub with eyes seems to work better plus makes them stay on a texas rig & more weedless, less frays in line etc... Grubs work. All Kinds, all colors, but Smoke & Gold/Silver is my favorite.

Only 12 Questions? I have way too many issues to understand with 12 questions. Those are great questions and you are viewing them from a flawed prism imo. I think everyone else in your life has issues they need to deal with first. The Key is denial and Deflection...I never have missed days to buy tackle, but buying tackle during lunch and then not coming back get's tricky. Yes I have lost a few jobs because of this but not my fault, I chose the wrong people to work for, that is why you need to ask good questions during interviews. Never work for anyone who is anti Fishing & Pro Environment/Conservation. The "It could be worse" only works at times because I can rationalize the Financial aspect (Most would think it is a financial burden, but numbers are easy to interpret to fit your narrative if you use some critical thinking. I just like to collect things, I was the exact same way as a small child, I had to have every Baseball card I could get my hands on. I sold them all my freshman year in college as I found a few other hobbies I enjoyed more to obsess about. The question for me is this: Does buying fishing tackle compromise your life in any way negative? My habit (Genetically passed on through my Father) of saying I am only going fishing for a few hours at Noon, then ending up coming home at 5 AM has caused problem's and always will. I used to send a Text saying Phone is dying, put in some excuse a friend would help me create since only a few are valid, then stop and fish the saltwater areas at night if I saw cars parked & next thing I know I realize it's 3 AM and the tide is dead. The Bass Fishing Industry does a terrible job of marketing to woman. Why not make Fishing tournaments for Just Woman that pay good money so they get involved. I call for more Woman to start fishing, then they would undertsand why you need 40 colors for each lure, they need Shoes in every color for each day of the year. What is the difference? I wonder if she really works late most nights and if her friends car really breaks down most nights. Oh well, not my problem, I have reliable transportation & never have to work late.

iHere is what I would do. I have had the same frustration fishing Deep water from shoreline as it is tricky. The best plan is to try to get info on where the fish are, the best spots, most lakes in a region all fish similar so your local tackle shop can help you. To save time & get action, Buy some live bait, Shiners or Minnows, then free line them and keep them out for a good 10 minutes then move if you do not get any strikes. I would get some small minnows to see if you can get some Crappie since at least you then know you are also near bass since both feed on smaller fish. Fisherman will help you if you ask, and from shore, if you have to pass through a yard, make sure you ask the owner if it is ok to pass through. That will go along way since they can tell you where most people fish. If you see any docks or boats you can be certain that somebody has planted brush piles off that dock or beach area to attract fish so they can catch them quickly. Lastly, Fish either live bait on a Carolina rig, or use a soft bait on a carolina rig since you can cover water quickly, figure out depth changes and drop offs, or a split shot above your soft bait. I would google "How to catch bass from shore in deep water" look for articles then videos. The Shoreline fishing is every bit as good as on a boat if you find the fish and what level they are feeding. lastly, If I had one lure to use, I would honestly cast a 1/2 ounce Lipless Crankbait like a Red Eye shad, Rattle Trap, and fish it from 3' down mid, then bottom. You can fish quickly that way and it is easy, plus they always work just remember how fast you were reeling or if you were on or near bottom. Live bait is the way to go since it is fun, works better than any artificial, & you find fish much easier. Lip hook and use 10-14lb mono. That is what I would do for sure. Shiners and Minnows is what you should buy or catch yourself. Live worms can also work well to find fish.

I use the standard BPS split tail trailer if I use one at all. Or I use a grub. Standard single tail grub for more action, I don't like messing with a spinnerbait too much. Simple Grub or split tail does the job for me, if I want to fish a boot tail swimbait, I would fish that seperate, I don't like adding it to a spinnerbait. Too much imo. If I can add a trailer hook and not get weeds, then I will but I seem to either hook them if they want it, or miss them if they are bumping it or hitting the blades. Size matters with Spinnerbaits in terms of profile and blade type and size more than trailers imo. Colors are either white, White Chart, or something black based. Gold blades stained water, silver blades other times, I don't use many colored blades out of habit.

If you are going to flip....less action on your baits like the BB Cricket as an idea.

There are many good swim Jigs on the market, Getting them custom done from a place like Siebert Jigs is great for Price, plus have it done any way you want. Plus you get to pick your Hook which matters most and he leaves the guards very long so you can cut them to how you like them. He has awesome colors & sells just the heads as well,has good deals on all related items. I really like the Gambler Swim jigs, the Heavy cover is great for tough places, then I like the finesse Swim Jigs for lighter grass, line etc..then the flat head or pan head style for skipping. Not sure what makes the Gambler swim Jig so effective at times, maybe the starflash skirts which have a different action & flash than Silicone or Rubber. Great prices, & SK is another who makes good retail Jigs. The Texas rig Jig/Swing jig I forget the names, but you have the bullet head, skirt, then weedless worm hook to texas rig trailers. Most jigs are good but some are not since they are not balanced right. I have had a few bad experiences with booyah & terminator swim Jigs, but I also like to swim grass jigs like you mentioned, and also the SK bitsy jigs which are good for tough days or smaller profile. Also, a Trailer is not always needed. I fish Swim jigs without trailers at times to get more hook ups & some days a good Jig does not need a trailer & will actually catch more fish. I know that sounds crazy, but I always try both. maybe it is profile, not sure, but a white jig right now without a trailer seems to be better some days then with a trailer some days. Hope that helps. Tackle Warehouse has a great section of swim Jigs. Flat heads skip better but ride higher, All Terrain has a decent flat head, Lunker City Pan head not sure about yet.

Some say I have a problem. I call it a "Part time business" as a Front. This is a small fraction of stuff I never bring, just extra stuff in storage. Plus my storage unit which is full of tackle, my Kayak barely fits. The pressure of selling it is building and it stresses me since most of this is stuff I have not sold as "Reserves". I actually need to sell most of it and then put the money toward some necessary stuff that is not fun to buy, but I really want to get a top end Fish finder. But I like Me. That is what is important, The 1 Frog box in the picture is my back up. I like buying frogs. Can't stop. I realize 200+ Frogs is excessive for some, but I share, so I get invited on some trips where I am pretty sure I am being used and that is ok with me. You can get on any private lake with a bag of soft baits & a cool looking frog. If you offer a grown man with a boat in his yard free tackle in exchange for fishing the lake in his backyard, you get access & a fishing buddy. It has some benefits, I let some of the neighborhood kids fill up shopping bags of stuff to use in the local ponds, which gives me more satisfaction than just selling it, although I need to just dump some huge lots cheap since I don't have time anymore. I have had to make a 3 box rule, 1 bag when I go fishing, otherwise I spend most of the trip digging for tackle which ruins days. Less is better. Picking 10 Frogs to bring is not easy. I need a Xanax the night before when Packing. OCD is real.

I rarely use Football Jigs in Florida unless I am on hard bottom, but recently I have been told by other angler's that they actually like to use them in some "Soft Bottom" situations when they know crawfish are in the area. It was explained to me that you want the football Jig to scoot like a craw and also burrow into the soft bottom a bit, to get the attention of the fish. I guess the key is using the right weight. The places they drag football jigs are the same places I would never think to use one. I use a C-Rig or Texas rig instead, but have you ever tried this? Great Breakdowns. Thanks for taking the time to explain the differences of jigs, I have noticed that Football Jigs get so much press & that is the type of jig I use least. I use light stand up Football Jigs for shaky heads, but I have never been confident with the Biffle Bug type of jigs unless on sand or hard bottom, I think I am going to heavy. I would imagine you would want a lighter jig in soft bottom if it is a football jig. Good Stuff. Too many tackle options out there these days, but in the end, if you can fish every type of jig you can pretty much fish anything I guess. Trailers: Try to match you trailer with your jig color. If you can not, try to match the opposite. This is why we all have too much tackle. This gray area is what allows me to rationalize much of my spending which I kind of enjoy. You never know when that black and blue jig needs a Tomato seed trailer.

Good stuff as always. You do a great job of explaining techniques & you do it in less than 500 words. I am working on that as well. Your last analogy is a good one. I have never heard it explained like that but it makes perfect sense. I just watched some videos last night of guys flipping Jigs yesterday & they all broke down the tricks just like you did. Thanks again for always adding good advice, I look forward to improving my skills this winter, especially my precision & learning the right names of weeds. I know which ones grow on hard bottom, and have a decent undertanding of which areas should be good, but as you know, Fishing is a never ending learning experience. This is what I am usually tackling most of the year.