OCdockskipper

We both got started at a time where pistol grips and one handed casting were the norm, so I think the 9 o'clock thumb was taught because it is a natural motion that doesn't stress the wrist or elbow. A longer handle allows the left hand to be part of the cast, but it also allows the thumb to be at 12 o'clock without it feeling too awkward. It does seem to put more stress on the wrist, making it bend thumb-to-pinky and the elbow gets pushed into a motion not unlike that which can lead to hyper extension. I don't know, I hadn't thought about this for decades until I saw that video. Where is Aaron Martens to explain everything when you need him...

I don't know if he is correct, but Clunn said with the spool vertical, it lessens the torque on the spool

I saw a video a few weeks back that featured Rick Clunn giving some basic tips on how to use casting equipment. His number one point was that when casting overhand, the reel should be handles up so that your thumb is at 9 o'clock instead of 12 o'clock (for a right hander). This seemed second nature to me, I grew up with pistol grip rods and that technique is a natural motion for ones wrist. Then, while watching Classic highlights last week, I noticed quite a few pros who cast with the reel upright and thumb at 12 o'clock. It seems like an awkward motion and wonder if it leads to some of the elbow issues that Brent Ehrler and others suffer from. The 9 o'clock cast is a snap of the wrist while the 12 o'clock seems to be a push of the elbow. Also, if casting with an upright reel is now the norm, does the change to longer handled rods and away from pistol grips have anything to do with it?

Defining "average angler" as a person who makes under $200K per year, I would say they aren't practical for the average angler. Along the same lines, a $5 crankbait isn't practical for a person in North Korea who makes $200 a year (or some other ridiculously low amount). If you are worth hundreds of millions, a $500 bait is no different than a bag of TRD's for the rest of us.

For a 12" bass to weigh 2 lbs, he usually needs to have just eaten another 12" bass. If you like the lure but just dislike the treble hooks, there are single hook models you can change them out with. I believe Owner makes some specifically for this.

My number one suggestion would be to not scare the bass. Scared bass are more interested in getting away than biting. If possible, fish in such a way to not be seen by the fish and to not startle them with casts. Odds are, even if there isn't much fishing pressure, there is probably alot of human presence. Avoid detection and the fish won't have a reason to be scared.

You are right, I am still stuck in the 70's with 12" sizes and 10 fish limits. The last time I paid attention to bag limits was while house-boating on Lake Mead. I knew my nephew wanted to keep some stripers to eat, so I asked at the marina what the size & creel limits were. The guy laughed and said if they are under 20", I could fill the houseboat with them (i.e., unlimited). Turns out even over 20", it is still 20 fish a day. Coming from the world of LMB, that is amazing for me to fathom...

This thread is a great explanation as to why the real estate prices and cost of living is so high in Southern California. Look at the bright side, you guys still have the prespawn to look forward to. That was months ago here, we already have fry all over the lake and are in the middle of a 2nd wave of spawners. You have a future, all we will have soon is memories...

I am junk fishing while trying to figure out a pattern. If I am able to figure out a pattern, I am junk fishing between hitting the pattern locations or to test if the pattern can be expanded.

Although Tom is slightly older than I, like him I grew up in the time that B.A.S.S. switched to C & R. It made an impression on me as a teenager and for bass, I have practiced it ever since. I have kept stripers, bluegill & catfish for eating and the lake I grew up on wanted to lower the carp population, so we used to catch them, cut them up and use them to catch crawdads & catfish. Although I don't do it, I fully understand and have no problem with keeping 12" bass. It would be very difficult for me personally to keep any bass over 14" because I am constantly thinking of what that particular fish had to do to survive and get to at least that size. It sounds kind of tree-huggerish, but I really respect a largemouth that beats the odds to become an apex predator of its environment. I know that fooling them into biting a hooked lure and yanking them out of the water to look at them may be an odd way to show my respect, but i don't scuba dive so that is the only way for me to check them out

Ned Rig (ZMan TRD in California Craw with a 1/16 oz Shroomz jighead) I noticed if I am throwing any other bait & not getting bit, my first thought is to wonder if a different bait would work or if I am just in the wrong area. With a Ned rig, if I am not getting bit, I know I am in the wrong area.

I think back to a few years back, before he was on the Elite series, when he basically ended up going head to head against KVD on Kentucky Lake during Bassfest. He didn't flinch under the pressure, a great combination of confidence and respect of others talents.

I had never thought about before, but I have done just the opposite. My casting outfits have more expensive reels while my spinning outfits have more expensive rods. No wonder I have never caught a bass over 17lbs, I've been doing everything backwards!!

I believe I saw one picture of a Pond Prowler done like that. I would think the only problem with that is it would be a bit awkward to reach over the side to either land a fish or grab something off the surface or just under the water. With a raised platform on the just the front, you can still sit on the edge of the platform (feet on the lower section) and reach easily over the side of the boat. Think of when guys land fish on full size bass boats, they leave the front deck & go back to the sunken cockpit to reach into the water. As long as you aren't getting passed by full sized boats making full sized wakes, they are very stable. Having a plywood subfloor increases the stability (and carpeting it increases the comfort when standing). I'll stand when fishing jerkbaits or skipping docks, but once I hook up and begin fighting the fish, I'll plop my butt back in the seat. It is convenient to be sitting, fighting a fish and then just reach over & land them without having to move from where you are.

I bet that blue idled really rough after that...

As long as I don't have to pay sales tax... ZMan TRD (8 pack), CA Craw - $3.99 Zman 1/16 oz Shroomz finesse jigheads (5 pack) - $4.99 Fish Sticks Lure enhancer, crawdad scent - $10.99 I should be set for a month...

The only problem with that strategy is you could only do it once or twice in a lifetime. Plus there is a chance the entire group of fishermen you are approaching would be dead by the time you passed them.

My longest cast was also my most painful cast. I had the wind with me, blowing about 50 MPH on a very calm day and I was throwing a Ned rig with a 2oz jighead. I fired the cast so far that it circled the globe & hit me in the back of the head, leaving me with a welt that required 200 stitches. Best thing about it was as the lure fell in the water behind me, it was engulfed by a bass well over the 25lb mark. I didn't get to weigh him because I had to go to the grocery store for band aids for my wound. Yeah, that's the ticket...

So can I, but it takes 3 casts and moving forward to the landing spot each time to accomplish. The last cast is more of a flip than a cast...

Could be those bass either didn't like Italian food or were Vampires. I never had confidence in Garlic or Coffee scents, even if they do disguise human scents. I prefer those that smell like fish or other creatures that the bass typically feed on.

Do you think the tournament results, the pictures folks posted and the info Catt reported is not true? That would be odd for a lot of different people to get together and lie in order to make you feel like you are the only one struggling on this lake. That is the stuff of conspiracies. Lets go this route, I have a story for you. A Grandpa was taking a nap on the couch when his mischievous grandson snuck in and put a piece of limburger cheese under his bushy mustache. A bit later, Grandpa woke up, stretched and then immediately began sniffing. "This room stinks" he said and he went into the kitchen. He sniffed a few more times and said "Heck, this entire house stinks, I'm getting out of here and getting some fresh air". He stepped outside, took a deep breath and nearly choked. He quickly walked down the street, trying to get away from the rancid smell until he bellowed "This entire neighborhood stinks". He came back home, jumped in his truck & tried to drive away from the smell, but to no avail. He finally declared "For heavens sake, this entire town stinks!!". The moral of the story is before you claim that everything around you stinks, you may just want to check your mustache for limburger cheese...

There is an explanation for that as well. When the tech company released the robotic "bass" into Toledo Bend Lake, the main programmer goofed up and calibrated the "fish" as being in Toledo Bend Reservoir. When the OP caught one of these digital wonders last week, the auto-report mechanism built into each one hacked into the OP's Bassresource account and changed his location from Ohio to Louisiana. It also shorted out his depthfinder and fried his phone, but that is another story & will be corrected in the next firmware update the "bass" receive.

Wait, I think I figured it out. The OP was writing about Toledo Bend lake, which we all misunderstood to mean Toledo Bend reservoir. I did a little research and found that there is indeed a Toledo Bend lake and it is not the famous body of water that we are all familiar with. Toledo Bend Lake is located in Ohio, not Texas. It was named for its location, a curve in the road right next to the stadium where the Toledo Mudhens minor league baseball team plays. It is a smaller lake, only about 150 acres, so when the OP talks about 10,000 boats on it during the weekend, you can imagine how crowded it gets. It kind of looks like Lake Havasu during Spring Break, you can literally walk across the lake by going from boat to boat. Needless to say, vertical presentations are preferred - casting will usually end up in you snagging another fisherman. When the OP says the lake was drawn down, he is actually being kind. In fact, the lake was drained and was completely dry during the winter. When it was refilled, signs were posted that there are no fish in the lake, but that didn't stop those Ohioan bassmasters from giving it a try. Later, out of pity, a nearby tech company designed, built and released about a dozen robotic "bass" that now inhabit these waters. They are willing to bite, but there are so few of them, only catching 4 or 5 a year is about normal.

I checked the calendar and April 1st still isn't for a week or so... I wonder if the best responses would be time stamped photos or published tournament reports?

I use Fish Sticks crawdad scent on all my soft plastics, even those with built-in scent. While I can't prove it increases the number of bites or catches, I do know for a fact that it repels my wife...