JRammit

Since I have nothing to compare it to, I can't argue..... But I've tried XT and didn't like it, felt like fishing with an old coil telephone cord compared to XL

I'm with the Trilene XL guys.... I haven't tried any other brands, because i haven't had to Sometimes they get it right the first time

I paint my weights for my own satisfaction, I don't know if the fish care or not I go the cheap route... Acrylic paint from Walmart 50 cents each, and a top coat of thinned 30 minute epoxy... You can also mix fine glitter into the epoxy to match the flake in the bait

My dad started taking me fishing soon as I got out of diapers... But he wasn't into bass fishing, you look in his tackle box all you would see is hooks weights and a bunch of red n white plastic corks I was about 10 years old when I started watching Bill Dance, Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston... That's when I got the bug!.... Bass fishing was my whole world until I was about 18 or 19 and I got into other stuff I picked the rod back up when I was 25 and fishing became my world again, but I was after everything that swims.... Only about 3 years ago (I'm 36 now) I came down with a major case of the "bass flu"... Now it's all I think about day and night!

Down here the water belongs to duck hunters from sunrise til about 9:30 when they pack it up Last few years I was one of them... But this year I'll be fishing all winter cause I lost my dog and I'm just not in the mood to hunt without her Winter fishing has me scratching my head, and I love it... I can't catch anything, so I can't wait to get out there again next week and try something different

Goal #1... Finish my tackle box!..... i only fish homemade lures because it's so much more rewarding and just more fun to me!!... I have a ton of soft plastics and plenty of hard baits, but my jig and spinner boxes are empty..... Though Santa may be bringing me a few things to fix that problem Goal#2... Learn to fish open water..... i just got my first depth finder for my birthday last month.. A little Lowrance 3dsi mounted on my little 12' Jon boat.. Before I was limited to fishing what I could see sticking out of the water, but now I have no excuses Goal #3... Learn WYH I'm catching fish..... Example: one day last year just after the spawn, nobody else could seem to catch anything, most were throwing spinners, swim baits, or senkos, all empty handed.... I slayed em on a 4 inch "Rapala style" jerk bait that day!... For some reason, anytime I found a big group of fry, I could rip that jerk bait through them and get bit.... I could have just assumed that I'm a better fisherman than anyone else on the lake that day ... But I'd rather understand WHY what I threw worked and what they threw didn't... So I did a little research, and while this may be common knowledge to some of you, I did not know that the males hang around to protect their fry... Obviously they protect the eggs, but I just assumed their responsibility ended once those eggs hatched...... So a spinner or swim bait cruising through their territory wasn't a big enough threat, and the Senko was completely off the radar.. But a jerk bait darting erratically through their gene pool crossed the line! So for goal #3, I'll ask myself this question every time I catch a fish... Why???

I wouldnt... Those are three completely different presentations, even if you use the same lure on each.... Weightless plastics are plastics too, but you wouldnt fish them in the same situations as the 3 techniques you listed Speaking of weightless, here's something you can try.. One of my favorite techniques that I don't think anyone else uses.... A tandem hooked weightless worm.... I make my own worms specifically for this, but any strait tail worm will work (Roboworm or Zoom trick worm both do the job).... Hook size depends on the sink rate you want, I use #6 or #4 bait holder hooks..... The worm is nose hooked with the first hook and skin hooked with the second... The smaller hooks give the worm full range of motion, you can make it swim with a jiggle of the rod, or dart eratticly with gentle jerks.... Either way, the worm really comes alive, and the sink rate is so slow on a pause it's almost suspending..... Great for shallow water or bank fishing, and killer over the top of submerged weed beds!

Nobody mentioned a drop shot.. With a long enough leader, it will keep your bait above the muck and dead grass

That's exactly what happens on a swim bait... I built this one, then decided to tie buck tail on the rear treble... It dampened the action a bit, but I think it looks cool so I left it ive never tried it on a crankbait, but I know how one little weed or leaf can kill the action all together... So I don't think you would like the result, but you can try it, ez to switch back if it don't work

I build my own cranks and swim baits, I can say yes a feathered treble does affect the action... Same as if you snag a weed on the rear hook You see them on jerk baits because a consistent oscillation (wiggle) isn't needed... Since jerk baits start and stop, there is no constant water flow around them, the feathers don't get a chance to interfere with vortex shed

I can say get more motivated when I DONT catch fish than when I do... I feel like I've left unfinished business and have to go back and prove myself! I have a spot I fish occasionally that I consider tough... It's a flood prevention pond, about 30 or 40 acres... Zero structure, and featureless other than one creek channel and one off shore hump.... Add to that muddy water with about 3"-4" of visibility and you practically have a bass fishermans nightmare I only go there because it's close.. About 5 miles from my house.. Easy short trip if I get off work early and only have a couple hours to spare..... Most of the time I get skunked, but when I do catch a couple it feels like quite the accomplishment!.. It's the only place I'm proud of a 10" bass Ive been fishing it 5 years and only caught one worth bragging about... 4 lbs, off the hump, jigging a 4" Berkley Gulp minnow

I use to suck at fishing crank baits.. Had no faith in them.. Tie one on, cast it a few times, then cut it off and fish a worm One day I got stubborn and fished nothing but cranks ALL day... Didn't expect to catch anything, but I did... Now I throw them on the regular, and I'm improving my presentation a little every time out....... If not for that one stubborn day, crank baits would never leave my tackle box

"Catch fish consistently"... That's an ambitious phrase!... People who do that are on TV If you are catching fish at all, you're doing something right... Stick with it The biggest two things that help me fish better are confidence and stubborness Confidence in baits and techniques I've had success with in the past, and Stubborness to keep using them when fishing is tough Just starting out, you should have a short list of baits you're familiar and proficient with... Be stubborn with them And every now and then, be stubborn with a new bait.. Go out not expecting to catch anything and use that one bait all day until you do.. Then you can add it to your list...... Eventually you'll have an arsenal of weapons and techniques you're confident with

instead of buying expensive drop shot weights, use cheap split shots... Tie a simple over hand knot at the end of your line and the weight won't slide off

Thanks riverb!... I been a little busy, just now had time to check in I expected everyone to say poppers and buzz baits.. But im surprised yall fish same day as night! Im a sucker for throwing T-rig worms!... Id think bigger is better at night right??

This would probably be worthy of another thread (unless there already is one)..... Ive never night fished for bass.... Catfish, yes.. Crappie, yes.. Even trout..... But never bass fished after dark..... How's it done??

Junebug! Not on the list??

Great topic!... And some great tips! I just tuck a bandanna under my hat, letting the tail hang over the back of my neck...... Keeps the sun off my neck, and sweat out of my eyes Plus, it kinda works like an evaporarive cooler with the sweat Im in Texas, no shortage of 100+ days here!... When it gets too miserable durring the day, there are always catfish biting at night!

So just last weekend i was talking to a crappie fisherman on a different lake... Found out we both use to fish Cottonwood (the lake i lost this fish in) back before the flood... The guy starts to brag about a 10lb'er he supposedly caught there a few years ago.... So naturally, i tell him my story.... Then the guy tells me thats the exact same laid down tree he caught his on Then he ended the conversation by telling me he kept and cooked the 10lb fish.... Thats when i pulled anchor and moved to a different area Odds of his claim being true are 50/50 at best... But it still gets under my skin!

Pond owners stock grass carp to keep weeds from over running their ponds.... So yes I live in Texas, doesnt get much more south than that... And we have carp everywhere

Glad i asked... Thousands of heads are better than one! Certainly worth a quick pitch... Why do i hesitate?... ADD maybe, sometimes there's just too many targets to choose from Now ill spend more time in these creeks on my next trip

This seems like a dumb question... But i have to ask Ill be cruising along a creek, pitching at the obvious targets... Then ill see the perfect laid down log, but right before i swing the rod i notice bluegill swimming all around it..... I cant help thinking they would not be on top of that log if a big bass was under it... So i hesitate and my eyes wonder over to that low hanging tree branch Do you cast at this log? Or move on to the tree branch??

Most likely carp... But no reason it couldn't be bass, its not like they only eat lures off the surface Its hard not to cast at the splashes... 9 times out of 10 my lure comes back empty.... But every now and then, it pays off

The thing i like most about NOT having any electronics on my boat is.. I always have an excuse when i have a bad day?...... If anything, i feel sorry for the guy with the $2000 Lowrammingbird.... Hes under a lot of pressure! That said, i put one on the list for fathers day?... Its about time i moved farther from shore, but i have no idea whats down there?? Response to the deer hunting comment.. Good point.. But the difference is, even without aid you can physically see signs of a likely good hunting spot.... We cant see fish tracks, they dont make trails or scrape trees either... And i never had any luck with fish urine on my boots (joke) Sonar is an aid for finding productive areas... Whoever decided to call them "fish finders" ruined their reputation However, they keep getting so much more advanced that i fear one day we'll be able to just pull up google maps when we wake up, zoom in on satellite as we drink our coffee and scan the whole lake for fish before we even leave the house.... THAT would be cheating

I agree, you should stop what youre doing and go buy a lottery ticket right now!