FrankW

Hi Jdm219, Your comments make more sense now. I assume you don't have a boat and that is why you are fishing the Marina. The Spinnerbait is a searching bait that allows you to cover a lot of water. When you hook a fish it is sometimes hard to tell where the fish came from. Most plastics like worms or creature baits are a targeted lure that you toss to a specific target. Once you learn where the fish are laying around the docks this will help you target your fish with a worm, creature bait or Jig. If I was fishing a Marina my first choice would be a Jig with a plastic trailer. You should also consider fishing plastic jerk baits. They will cover a lot of ground like the spinner bait. If you are using spinning gear then I suggest you try a black Zoom Trick Worm with a pegged, 1/16th bullet weight. Learn to back hand flip it and you can be pretty accurate with it. If you don't get a bite on the fall let it set in the rocks and grass. Just barley drag it over the rocks and grass. Each time you move over or pull through some grass you have the chance at a bite. If there is a local Bass Shop in your area I would go there and ask them to show you how to fish a worm. If it is a good shop, they will help you out. I just noticed you are in Indiana. Are you fishing Smallmouth. My comments are about Largemouth. Frank

Hi Jdm219, Ok, that gear will work. Tell us how you rig it. The size of hook/weight/worm. The depth/color of water. What kind of cover are you fishing? Are others who fish with you catching fish with plastic. Can you afford a guide for a trip? Frank

Hi ForrestByTheStream, It sounds to me that your mono is too old. Mono stretches and its life is some what short compared to other lines. I would at least take off five to 10 feet of line from the end and see if that helps. Are you wetting the knot when you tie it? If you really want to be a success at catching Bass the first thing to learn is knots. If you lack interest enough that you don't know the name of your knot, then you may not be tying it correctly. Knots are critical to success and some don't work with all lines. Frank

Hi MIbassin, That is a nice pond you are fishing. The grass around the edge is not a problem like it would be with Hydrilla. I don't think you need a heavy rod for that style of fishing. If you have a true MH rod and 30lb braid you will have no problem landing fish there. Now if your rod is rated for 5/8oz baits and you are using 1 1/2 oz weights then you have a problem and need a heavier rated rod to cast your baits but not necessarily to land fish. That grass will never be very tall due to the water level. Also remember that if there are fish in the grass with higher water they are also in the lake during low water. So fishing other times of the year will also work but not in the edges. I am going to guess you are visiting relatives in the Winter. Frank

Hi Jdm219, There is something wrong with your technique or equipment if you are not catching fish on plastics. Since you are catching them on spinner baits then that tells me there are fish present. What rod, reel, line, hook, weight are you using? Are you fishing from a boat? I suggest you pay more attention to where you are catching your spinner bait fish. If you catch a fish and then fish the same spot and don't catch a fish, you need to fish other sports that are just like that spot. For instance, if you catch one by a stump close to shore then fish other stumps close to shore. If you catch one on outside grass then fish other outside grass. You need to stay away from your target and cast so you bait makes a minimum entry disturbance. More than likely you are fishing too fast and you need more or less weight, smaller or bigger bait. We can't say for sure unless we know more about how you are fishing your plastics. Fank

We all know that Bass strike or pick up a lure for other reasons than feeding. They are easier to catch when they are feeding but lots of fish are caught when they are not feeding. Lots of bass are caught during spawning picking up a bait and moving it away from the nest. We usually catch at least one bass a day by hitting it on the head. Spinner baits and other reaction baits catch bass when they are not actively feeding. Even when Big Bass are feeding they may hold up in their favorite cover and wait for food to pass by. Just because Bass are on a feeding cycle they may not be any easier to catch. I am not sure what the OP means about "After Intense Feeding". The only time I have seen an intense feeding is during schooling and that doesn't happen all year long. We can see in big tournaments that fish can be caught every day and may have nothing to do with feeding frenzies or feeding cycles. During a tournament fish are caught at different parts of the lake/river at different times of the day and they bite different lures. Some spots hold up to lots of fish for four days and other spots may only last a day or two. Catching Bass is a complicated thing and I am not sure in my mind that your chances are less after a day that you caught a bunch of fish. Catching a bunch of fish doesn't necessarily indicate intense feeding. Frank

Hi new2BC4bass, What works has a lot to do with what part of Florida you will be fishing and what grasses you have. Are you fishing big lakes or small ponds? South Florida is ahead of Central Florida on how high the grass are. Centeral Florida is ahead of North Florida. Hydrilla for instance could be topped out with some mats. Or, it could be topped out in shallow water but not so in deep water. Will you be fishing from a boat? Frank 

Hi Blackmax135, What you need are true Topographic Maps that you get from the USGS. If your lakes are man made then you want a Topographic map that predates the construction of the lake. You will be able to locate all kinds of structure that is in the lake bottom. Creeks, graveyards, railroad beds, roads, hills, ditches, town sites and such. It is amazing what you can discover about your lakes. Frank

Hi SCJW, To really help you we need to know your budget. Doesn't do any good to recommend something that is not in your budget. Frank

Major Bass tournaments can be very hard on Bass. Just think about a big bass caught first thing in the morning and is beat up in a live well all day and the temps soar. Then they race back to the launch and motor forty to seventy miles to a convention center. They finally get to weigh-in then the fish are transported back to the lake and released. Now add in that the tournament is held during the spawn with that added stress. The major Bass organizations are concerned with TV and money and have little concern that they are killing a percentage of Bass every tournament. Lets remember that during the spawn the very biggest and most important bass are caught and a percentage of these fish die. Frank

I think the way you hold your rod/reel will influence the way you thumb your reel. The size of the reel will also make a difference of how you lay your thumb on the line or spool. When I first got my Tatula I was tripping the clutch when I thumbed the reel and had to adjust my grip in order to place my thumb higher on the spool. Frank

What works is correct. For pitching with a bait caster I hold the reel with a palm hold that allows me to cast and set the hook if I get a on their noggin hit. I cast both right and left handed according to what setup I pick up. If I am casting for distance there is plenty of time to change hands and get ready if I pick up a right handed reel. There are way too many Elite members who change hands while casting to say that one way or the other is wrong. Each person needs to find their own way. Frank

Hi cjam93, This is a good question. In this day of fancy electronics many fishers forget about marker buoys. They are not just for deep structure fishing. I use them to mark creeks in coves, drop offs from flats to deep water and any area that fish might be. My favorite way to fish a creek is to make the channel over a cove or inlet. I motor over the creek with electronice using buoys to mark out side bends and important structure. Bass don't live every where in a creek and you need to fish all of a new creek until you have some history with the creek. If you mark it correctly you can then look at the buoys and pretty well know how the creek flows. Then back off and fish along the creek until you locate the fish. This was one of my favorite techniques when I lived in Texas and just had a simple depth finder. Frank

How many times you wrap an improved clinch knot is dependent on the line type and the size of the line. Smaller diameter lines require more wraps than large diameter lines. Braid requires more wraps than mono or fluro in the same size line. A simplistic approach of 5 wraps for everything will get you into trouble with some applications. Frank

A punch rig is pegged while a Texas rig is not pegged in its basic configuration. Frank

a lot of meat fishers around here target Pan Fish and in many cases they need to be harvested (the fish, not the fishers). I have seen pictures in BASS and Bass fishers on the lake that kill trophy Bass to show their family and friends. Or, to mount. If any bass should be spared it is the big bass. We need the biggest Bass to spawn and contribute to the gene pool. If I eat bass I kept the one and a half or two pounders. When I lived in Arizona they were trying to close bass fishing in Lake Havasu during the spawn period. While it would have been good for the fishery there were a lot of people opposed to it. I don't remember if it was passed or not. I personally would like to see the spawn season closed in our Florida Trophy lakes even if it meant less fishing time during the year. The Bass population could then be regulated by not allowing the lake to over populate. Frank

Hi Catch and Grease, Thanks for your reply. This was the first time I have seen your screen name and was just curious. No disrespect intended. Frank

Hi Catch and Grease, Does your screen name indicate that you don't fish catch and release for Bass? Frank

Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing that great fish. This big fish should never be killed. Frank

Hi stratos4me, You should have a campground travel guide. They have information about facilities available at each campground. Those located at lakes/rivers should tell you what you need to know. Frank

Hi Creekcrappie, If I understand correctly the mono is breaking just below the swivel knot. That tells me when you are tying your knot in the mono, you are damaging the mono. You need better lubrication or a knot that doesn't cause so much friction when you tie the knot. Of course this probably wouldn't be a problem if you adjusted your equipment or hook set. Frank

Hi Incognito, For some reason you have the weight bias on the wrong side. A heavier hook may be a good solution. I would use a Owner Weighted Twistlock hook. Then you know the bait will be presented correctly. Frank Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook

Hi BigBlock496, The easiest solution is to get a shorter rod. When you walk the dog the technique is based on pull, slack, pull, slack. The bait doesn't know if the rod is directly in front of you or off to the side. You should be able to hold the rod to one side with the tip just above the water and walk the bait from this position. If you are using a really long rod then I would get a second setup with a shorter rod. Frank

I always split the tails for more movement in grass. I also add a skirt and cut it short for a whole lot more movement. Frank

Hi BuffaloBass716, You can use any line to practice with but eventually you need to work with the lines you fish with. I find the best place to practice is while I am watching TV with the wife. Keep your line and cutters close and get in some practice ever chance you get. It is a good way to learn new knots. You have to be very careful with pieces of line if you have a cat. Don't let any fall on the floor. Some cats will pick up the end of a line and swallow it. Our cat had about eight inches into its throat before I saw her. We were able to pull it out with no harm to her. Our vet said it can be deadly if a cat swallowed it. Frank