Senko lover

You guys seem to love Rage Craws....might have to pick me up a package.

I like the black and blue better than a green pumpkin on my ponds because they seem to stand out a little more on the bottom. The green pumpkin looks so much like the dirt and leaves on the bottom of the pond that I prefer the black and blue.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I have tried a suspending jerk as well to no success. However, as I posted elsewhere, I was able to catch one when I went out yesterday. My first fish since the cold fronts went through and also my first jig fish! It was fun. I used a small finesse jig (Strike King Bitsy Flip) and was able to draw that one strike.

You can throw either of those on spinning tackle. Okay, so they don't inhale a mile of line every crank of the reel handle, but they get the job done. Funny story. I was visiting my Grandparents up north, and had before that done quite a bit of fishing at a private lake and pond on other stops that vacation. My spinning rod got a massive, massive tangle while I was night fishing, and it was out of commission. I was pretty disappointed, because there was a pond and a stream right by their house. So, I borrowed my little sister's rod (that I got her): a Zebco Dock demon spincast combo. About a foot 1/2 in length, bendy as a switch and could handle-at the max-four pounds. So I take it down to the stream in an attempt to catch my first smallmouth. I tried several different lures and eventually ended up catching 3 on a beetle spin. They were really small, but the true test was yet to come. The next day I took it down to the pond. I caught one bass on a plastic worm (!) and then switched to a square bill. The Dock Demon probably had a gear ratio of 1:1:1. It was that slow. But it cast a mile, and I kept whizzing that squarebill out there. Ended up catching a two pound bass on it (okay, so I well roped him in) and released it. That squarebill must have been crawling! I couldn't believe that I had actually caught one on it. Not suggesting that you get a Zebco Dock Demon, but that story goes to show that maybe gear ratio's aren't as vital as we think.

Not a giant, sad to say.

Today, I did something that I've been trying my hardest to do for two months: catch a jig fish. I fished it and fished it (not exclusively, but often) for that time period without even getting a bite. Imagine my exuberance today when I finally caught a jig bass! Did a little dance move and whooped in the air......May many more follow!

Dude....If I had known that a month ago when I got the Vengeance.

Pardon the sarcasm.

I forgot. I love those too.

So smallmouth are almost always going to be much browner than largies, which are typically a green/grey. Also, the mouth on smallies does not extend past the eye. That helped me when I caught some.

Besides that lol.

What goodies do you crunch on during a typical fishing trip? My number one favorite would be cold pizza. Easy to eat and energizing. I also like Doritos, chocolate bars, and Cheetos. I'm a big advocate of healthy eating while fishing, so I try not to binge on fruit or power bars or stuff like that.

I've caught bass in a cemetery pond near my house all summer. It's full of little bass and a lot of fun to fish. However, after the first cold fronts started sweeping through, the bass shut up and I haven't been able to draw a strike or even see a bass. I don't have experience with winter fishing at all, but I've tried most traditional techniques, such as finessing the bottom (using grubs and then bigger baits), and small jigs. Like I said, haven't caught a thing. Any suggestions?

I agree with slonezp. I was considering that idea myself.

Terminator jigs are your best bet for the money. You can get one for about 2.99 and they're better that others in that price range (aka Bass Pro and Strike King). For spinning gear, get two 3/8s of an ounce jigs, one an arkie head and one a football head, one in Green Pumpkin, and the other in Black/Blue. For casting, 1/2 or 3/4s oz. should do the trick. Again, one in arkie, the other in football, GP and the other in B/B.

Yeah. For one, the heat/cold can potentially deteriorate the rods or, more likely, the line. I keep all my tackle inside.

Well, they are pet bass. I was talking about bass outside of aquariums.

Equipment and location.

Nice rack, man. I hesitate to leave my stuff out side ( in a garage), but that's just personal. Not that I have that much, though .

I agree with you, but there has to be some bait or lure that you like fishing better than others. I'd call that a confidence lure if nothing else.

Okay. I'd either go in the 50 dollar range or bump your price range up 10 bucks to the hundred dollar range. I can only think of a couple rods in between there. The Abu Garcia Vendetta being one of them. -50 bucks you can get the Abu Garcia Vengeance. I have one, it's a pretty good rod. Not a G Loomis but it gets the job done. The Bass Pro Tourney Special is in this price range too. -100 bucks you can get: the Duckett Ghost, which I've heard is a superb rod for the money the Abu Garcia Veritas, same thing lower end St. Croix A Bass Pro Extreme I think the Diawa Lexa rods are around there too. Lot more options in this range.

I take one rod when bank fishing. Actually, when fishing at all because I only have one stick. Purchasing another, though. Back to roadwarrior's thread on the only rods you need, where he listed three rods, I totally agree with him. However, there's nothing wrong with having multiple rods! I would love to be able to afford a dozen shimano/g loomis combos. Dream on..... If you're a tournament angler, though, you gotta have multiple rods because retying takes a long time. Sounds like a little thing but it adds up. You have to utilize every second you have (or so I've heard), and so you'll have pre-rigged rods that you can pick up and lay down in a second.

What makes a lure a confidence lure for you? Catching a fish on it? Catching your pb on it? For me, I think the defining factor is that I know that I can catch a fish on it. Having that confidence before the first bite or even the first cast is a big deal.

I definitely see the value in having a checklist if you have a boat. Not having one though, I don't use a checklist. I have one small backpack that all my bank fishing tackle is kept in, so I grab that and my rod and go. Don't forget your boat plug lol

I've experimented with craws as a buzzbait. Never caught anything on them, but I'm sure I could if I tried hard enough. Honestly, though, I'd rather just use a buzzbait or a soft plastic frog. They're designed for the technique.