hoosierbass07

Cool map. Thanks.

Yep, Walker ramp. I want to fish that area with my kayak. I will not try to go out into the main lake part because that is just too much paddling. I'm hoping I can have some success just paddling around and fishing the area around the ramp, to the left and right of it. I will be using a fish finder for the first time on my kayak this spring too. I might venture out into the main lake but not too far. One thing I learned last year when I paddled my kayak from the swimming beach area to another area - it takes a heck of lot of paddling to get to one spot to another on that lake. I also checked out Portland Mills ramp and I hope to kayak fish that area too.

That's one reason why I think those hooks should be banned. Treble hooks are dangerous and not very sporting even though I do use them since I own crankbaits. I wouldn't mind seeing a bass tournament where treble hooks are banned.

So if you all were fishing that area in the early spring, what lures would you throw? What would you use to fish shallow and what would you use to fish the deeper part? The lake is not a clear lake, it's green/brown colored. Visibility might be a foot or so.

Well, Raccoon Lake is not known as a good bass fishing lake. It's main purpose is flood management and water skiing. I think it's more known as a striped bass lake. The book I have says Raccoon is not that good a fishery because it gets drawn down so much. But I have got bass bank fishing there (another spot) and I did catch a bass that was almost three pounds last year. I bought a bracket/holder for my fish finder so I will use that for the first time on my kayak this spring at that spot and see what I can find.

Sunday I visited a boat ramp at a state park reservoir I usually bank fish at. I've done a little kayak fishing there. I visited this ramp to find a new area were I can use my kayak to fish for bass at. I've never bank fished or used my kayak at this spot. Anyway, the lake is called Raccoon Lake. I took some video from the boat ramp. The lake is 95% drained for winter so I could see all the structure (or lack of structure). So, I'm wondering if this area will hold bass this spring and summer. Really, all I see are slopes and I don't see many places were bass can hide. But I don't really know. I have a fishing map of the lake and it shows the deepest part of that area as twenty feet deep. Here is the video. What do you think?

My largest came on a Strike King Kvd 1.5 squarebill shad color in the spring time on a clear water strip pit. I didn't weight it but I do have video of it on my MidwestVideoDepot youtube channel. That was my largest bass caught so far. My second large bass was two pounds and fifteen ounces (almost three pounds) and that came on a split-shot El Grande Jr. Gila Monster in Green Pumpkin at a state park reservoir where I was bank fishing. Water was green/brownish. I have to add a third day where I didn't catch my biggest but I did catch four or five nice sized bass in under an hour on a Booyah Pond Magic spinnerbait. It was at the same place I caught that two pound fifteen ounce bass. I was bank fishing at the same spot in the evening during the spring and those bass went after that Booyah Pond Magic spinnerbait like crazy. Those three days were my best, all happened in the spring.

Two years ago when I got into fishing I didn't use spinnerbaits much. Last year I was bank fishing at a reservoir (water is green/brown) and had on one of those Booyah pond spinnerbaits. I wasn't expecting to catch anything and after my on or two casts I caught a nice sized bass. Then a couple of casts later I got another nice sized bass. Then a few casts later another bass. I caught around four or five bass in under an hour on that one spinnerbait and the awesome thing was the thump I felt when they went after it. I have never felt thump like that using plastic worms. I had one thump on my rod that was so big it startled me. lol. I have to say, soft plastics are extremely effective but catching them on a spinnerbait is extremely fun.

I don't know what kind of ratings MLF is getting on the Outdoor Channel and CBS, but from general responses I've been reading on forums and my own opinion, MLF is a pretty darn good program. I assume some of the producers/executives/participants scan forums like this one and to read opinions on MLF. I wonder if they have bigger plans for MLF in the future. I would pay a good amount of money to see GoPro footage from KVD for the whole day. He had one strapped to his chest. Yeah, I would pay $30 or $40 to see that all day footage.

MLF is really the only fishing tournament program on TV that I have a desire to rewatch over a few times. I saw that and thought the same thing. That was one of the funniest things I've seen on TV in a while.

I did a lot of split shotting last spring/summer and got away from the Texa Rig. I noticed most of the bass I caught on the split-shot were on the small side. Two years ago when I got into fishing I almost exclusively used the Texas rig and noticed most of the bass I caught were a little larger than the ones I caught in 2014 using the split-shot. That has me thinking about drop speed and plastic worms. I'm starting to wonder if larger bass like quicker drop speeds they see with a Texas rig worm/lizard.

Are spinnerbaits generally a darker/brown/green/stained/dirty water lure? Do they usually work better in darker water than clear water? I've had success at a reservoir where the water was green/brown. But I've had almost zero luck with spinnerbaits when I use them in clear water strip pits. That has me thinking spinnerbaits are for colored water only and not for super crystal clear water.

From watching TV bass fishing shows it seems I don't see to many spinnerbaits or Texas rigged worms/lizards. It's like they are out of fashion or something.

I'm not a big fan of Mercer. I will record his show from time to time but 99% of the time after watching three seconds I hit delete on the DVR. I think in his second show of the season all he used was a frog made by one of his sponsors. It was nothing but a thirty minute commercial. Yeah, I know Bill Dance does the same thing. But Dance does it with class and doesn't act like a clown on his TV program. I'm not saying Mercer would not be fun to fish with. If I had the opportunity I would fish with him. But his show is lame. Zona is almost as bad. But I still record both Mercer and Zona but I delete them almost without watching them 99% of the time. Joe Thomas is as bad as Mercer and Zona. Thomas's program where he puts two fishermen in one boat to compete is fun to watch. But his Steel's Reel in the Outdoors is not good. With Mercer, Zona and Thomas, it seems it's all about them.

I think MLF is 100% better than B.A.S.S. tournaments on ESPN and 500% better than FLW tournaments on TV too. A couple of reasons I like MLF so much - I see pros struggle just like me and I see them catch small bass just like me. If all they do is show them catching big bass after big bass and yanking on their rods over and over again I would probably not watch it. I like MLF so much I'm thinking of buying their DVDs tournaments.

I would start with a spinning reel with eight to ten pound mono line. Then buy two or three packs of soft plastics - one pack of Berkley Power baits worms in seven inches, one pack of soft stick baits like the five inch Yum-Dinger or Senkos, and one pack of lizards around five inches. Then buy some round bend or extra wide gap hooks and a couple of packs of bullet weights, 1/8oz and 3/16oz. Also buy a pack of split-shots. Then you can do the Texas rig which is the most successful way to catch bass throughout the year and all over the country. You can also split-shot which is effective. But there is nothing in the world that compares to the awesome Texas Rig. And it's great for bank fishing too. I would not go down the hard bait route just yet. Yes, all you see on TV are the pros throwing crankbaits. But crankbaits are a low percentage lure and are mostly an overhyped TV sales job. Plus you can get them hung up and when from the bank what can you do but loose it? Start and stay with soft plastic worms, lizards and soft stick baits and the Texas rig. If you do want to try a hard bait go with a spinnerbait as it's not as prone to get hung up (but still not as great as the Texas rig). Then again, you are in Texas. You might have access to much better bass than I do here in Indiana so consider everyone's advice and adapt it to your situation.

I just put on some braid on one of my spinning reels and put on a mono leader. I plan on trying braid out this spring/summer for the first time. I put on twice the length of my rod so that when I tie the lure on and reel it up, the knot does get reeled around the spool but stays on top. I'm going by what this guy says in this video:

The hot thing right now are sit-on-top kayaks. I have a Ride 115 and love it but - it is heavy. When you pick a kayak or canoe make sure you factor in the weight of it and how you are going to transport it. If you can transport a sit-on-top and deal with the weight, I would recommend a sit-on-top. Also, the most important thing about kayaks is the seat! If you do buy a kayak make sure it has a very very good seat.

Did anybody notice the GoPro on KVD's chest he had on? Does MLF put that footage online in their extended cast? I would pay money to see that footage uncut.

Last winter I went to Gander Mountain once a week and bought some of their In-Fisherman DVDs they had. Most were on sale for around $9.00 so I bought six or seven over a few weeks. I watch them over and over a few times a year. I picked up Mike Iaconnelli's Advanced Finesse Bass Strategies DVD from Gander Mountain and I have to see its one of my favorite DVDs. He uses a spinning reel through the whole thing and shows how he rigs his soft plastics.

OK, I'll change what I said again - suspend Ish for a season and a half and Poche for one whole season.

I've not followed Alton Jones much but in that interview he gave in that video he sounds like a thoughtful and decent guy.

Anybody watch the show Sunday? Wow, I loved the whole group of anglers. Seeing a mix of spinning reels and baitcasters was great too. The scenery was very pretty. All in all a great show. And to see Shaw and KVD struggle was cool too. I don't really care for those "select" shows but the main MLF programs are pretty darn good. I think they might be the best programming on the Outdoor Channel. The show is just plain fun. Plus, you really get to know the anglers a little bit. And when Aaron Martens was gloating a little bit when KVD was struggling - classic. One thing I don't like that I saw in one or two of the "select" shows - young guys. I'm not a fan of those twenty-something hot shots. I see enough of them in town driving around in their big 4X4 trucks thinking they are king of the hillbilly world. I don't want to see that on MLF. The show on Sunday had grown men acting like grown men (OK, maybe not Iaconelli, but he's still cool). That's what I want to see - adult grown professional men competing, doing good and struggling just like me. That two hour program was superior to any B.A.S.S. or FLW show. MLF is up their with Saltwater Experience, Hook & Look, and Lunkerville as the best fishing programs on TV.

OK, suspend both then. But if Ish's boat received enough damage that it needs to go in the shop, that Poche really needs punished. Ish should not have done what he did either. But I think Poche needs more punishment since he could have harmed other boats too. So suspend Ish for the whole season and Poche for a season and a half.

I've never considered Fire Line because I have/had no idea what it is or what it is intended for. Mono I know, braid I know, fluorocarbon I know, but Fire Line? I always figured it was some sort of line for Walleye fishing or something but not sure at all. So I've always stayed away. They don't seem to marketing that line very well.