BigAngus752

Thanks for that article. That was a really unique and creative study...but when you think about it, it makes sense. We see that genetic "prey response" behavior in other animals all the time. But this time, we (our lures) are the prey.

I know there have been a lot of posts (contentiously debated posts) about bass' ability to "remember" lures and so forth. I'm curious if bass ever exhibit a genetic memory (racial memory). I started fishing a new lake this year and it's an outstanding bass fishery. It's man-made, created in about 1977. While doing some research I discovered that there is a specific cove which was dredged and lined with riprap down the middle and then isolated with a temporary dike for several years. This was the original bass nursery. I can't say exactly when, but at least several years after 1977 once the bass in the "nursery" were established the dike was removed and the bass were free to roam the rest of the lake. This former nursery is also in a unique location. It is at the far west end of the impoundment (this lake is fed by two feeder streams, one west and one east) and it is separated from the main lake by a large NO BOATS zone (it's a cooling lake for a nuclear power plant). This entire navigable section is NO WAKE and it has a boat ramp but because it's small and no wake it doesn't get much attention. I'm curious if that decades-old nursery is a hidden gem in the spring. Do bass exhibit a genetic memory like so many other animals that go back to the same locations generation after generation to mate, birth, or die? Is the original genetic line of the bass from the nursery going back to the same cove to spawn each spring? What do all of you much more experienced fisherman think? I know I'm going to find out for myself next spring but I'd like to know if I'm onto something or if I'm overthinking. Thanks in advance.

Like I said, I'm not arguing. I buy lures because I think they look cool. I don't have any idea what fish think is cool...or what my teenage son think's is cool for that matter.

So ALL of the other companies use colors that fish can see except for River2Sea? I'm not arguing your point at all about the uselessness of the vast majority of lure colors...but did someone at River2Sea steal your truck, wife, and life savings?

Regardless of what you decide to do from this point forward I just want to say congrats and great job in dealing with it when you realized what was happening. You stood up for what was right to the point of getting off this guy's boat and you didn't lose your temper with his childish attitude. You set an excellent example for your son. That's becoming more and more rare in this country and we see the repercussions on the news every day. Thanks for doing the right thing.

I am slowly making my way through many different brands and gradually deciding what I like best. Reels: I've already got the reels figured out. All of my bc's are Daiwa (personal preference) except for two heavy rods that I use for frogs/jigs/punching/etc. Those two rods both have a Revo SX (one Gen3 and one Gen4). For spinning reels I don't want anything other than a Daiwa Fuego. I have one Fuego and I will gradually replace all of my other spinning reels with Fuegos. I love them and just don't need anything else. Rods: This isn't as easy. I find that the rod specs vary greatly between manufactures and to make things more difficult it seems like I prefer a different brand of rod in each different spec/type. So far I know I really like Powell rods and Lews rods...but I need much, much more experience before I can say I've got the best rods for me.

I'm watching this question from @Alan Reed very closely as this is exactly where I need to go with my knowledge know too. So when I do my studying and head to my first spot on a lake that I know for sure has 7lb and 8lb bass in it and I'm catching 1.5lb to 2.5lb bass is that not going to be the right spot for a 5 or 7lb bass? Do the dinks and the hawgs not hang out together? I've been of the thought that when I'm pulling 2lb bass out of an area I am in the right GENERAL area or pattern, but slightly off on the EXACT location or pattern. Am I likely way off or am I close? Thanks to @Alan Reed for posting this one.

I keep trying other things but no plastic catches for me like a Zoom Trick Worm or Zoom UV Speed Worm. I have never caught anything on a Senko...and I've really tried! In fact, I have fished a Senko for an hour with not a bite and pulled it off, put on a Trick Worm (same rig!) and bang...fish in the boat. Not sure why and I'm not knocking Senkos. I've got a lot of other brands of plastics also but those two Zoom worms are my best bets.

Definitely a much better gearhead than fisherman, LOL! I have been my whole life. I had a steel Mustang pedal car when I was a kid and I used to borrow my dad's jack and jack it up and lay under it with dad's tools pretending I was fixing it. My mom says that I came out of the womb on two wheels. This is a pic of my Harley, the Jeep JK that I built for my wife to off road with, our 1985 Chevy C10, and my 1968 Mustang. I've had the Mustang since I was 19 years old (I turn 49 next month). It's one of seven Mustangs I have throughout my life. I've got it torn down to the chassis to restore it. It's the last time I'll do that. The next time it needs to be restored it will be my son's problem!

Wow, that's too bad. Powerton was one of my dad's favorites.

I believe there is a ramp at Liverpool which is straight south of Canton and also one on the river on the east side of Rice Lake. I can't attest to the quality because I've never used them. How far could your friend travel? Powerton used to be a good lake. That should only be about 30 minutes from Canton.

Is the model # CWD661MHC? That's a fast action rod. The recommended lure range is 1/4-1oz. Fast action is also my preference for spinners and all of those lures should fall into that weight range. As far as bladed jigs, it would be possible to get beyond 1oz with a large jig and big trailer, but you are most likely going to run 3/8 or 1/2oz bladed jigs so even with a big trailer you are well inside the rated range. Do you fish from bank or boat? And are you a tall or short person? I'm with @Dens228 as far as rod length. I throw spinners on a 7ft and when I'm on the boat I actually prefer my 7'6" Powell for bladed jigs, but I'm 6'4" tall and on the bank the 7'6" is cumbersome even for me. Mono is perfectly acceptable for spinners and bladed jigs. If you have the opportunity you might give Yo-Zuri Hybrid a try. It is just as cheap as mono and has some additional benefits. If you really want to "feel" the spinner blades turning or the bladed jig thumping you could give braid a try. I throw spinners with both hybrid and braid and I throw bladed jigs with braid. Personal preference. There are a lot of people with more experience than me on here. I bet they will chime in with some tips for you also. You are on the right track. Go throw those lures and try some different things out and find what works best for you. By the way, welcome to the forums! You are going to find some truly amazing fisherman on here on a daily basis. Absolute wealth of knowledge. I would be way, way behind the curve without BassResource.com

Not in central Illinois. We won't start seeing that until probably a couple/several weeks after Labor Day. It's hot and humid and also humid with some more humidity. Water temps in the mid-80s. The birds won't even come out of the shade until dusk. And neither will I.

Holy football, Batman!

Sounds like I'm with you, @Koz . When I go out on the boat alone I only take one seat with me. I start with the seat in the back and I stand on the front (preferably barefoot) and sling a frog, Spook, etc. while standing on the deck. If it comes time to slow down then I pull the seat out of the back, move it to the front, and sit while I slowly drag something across the bottom. I enjoy fishing both ways. Sitting seems to help me slow down and be more patient.

My PB is from a lake in another state. You are right, the cooling lake is an excellent lake and is improving. I have to say I'm more comfortable on the smaller lake. Easier to practice on smaller water, trolling motors only, learning to read the electronics, etc. I'm blessed that I have two good lakes to choose from. The cooling lake is an hour away, the small one only 30 minutes.

That's good info. Makes me feel like the big fish are probably using the entire little lake. Thank you. I have shore fished the little one several times and caught a few but not a lunker. Only half of the shore is accessible so Saturday evening we took the boat over there and went out on the water for the first time. There is an amazing lack of structure. Unbelievable how flat it is through the main body. I think it's going to be relatively easy to find the pertinent structure because there is so little of it. Looking forward to really learning the little lake.

I do the same as @looking45. I use a dowel for all snags with braid. It's been my (limited) experience that braid under 40lb will dig like crazy if you put too much pressure on the line. I have one baitcaster left with 20lb braid and once the season is over I won't spool braid on a baitcaster that is less than 40 or 50lb.

Same thing from my computer. They are having internet/server issues.

Complicated thread title, sorry. So I predominantly fish two bodies of water. One is a cooling lake of 5000 acres. The other is a man-made lake of only 175 acres. The cooling lake has the "best" bass fishing for about 100 miles around and hosts many tournaments. Nearly every tourney has a winning bag of at least 20lbs. During "good" seasons the winner is usually 25lb+ and the top five are all 20lb+. Big fish is usually 6-6.5lbs. The small lake hosts a weekly evening tourney. During "good" seasons the winner posts about 16lb or so. Right now the winners are going less than 10lb bags. However, on the little lake there are big, big bass. Every year there are several 7lb+ fish caught and last year someone pulled an 8.6lb fish. Here are my questions: I want to best by PB of 5.5lbs. The bigger lake seems like better odds for a 6 or 6.5 but when I think about the tiny size of the smaller lake I start to think that even though there may only be 4 or 5 fish that are 7lb or above in there I have a much better shot at them because the lake is so small. Thoughts? Also a question for the experts: I know bass don't move huge distances, but does the size of the water matter? Are the fish using the ENTIRE 175 acre lake? Or if the water is smaller do the fish move smaller? Are the bass in larger lakes moving around more than bass in small lakes? Thanks in advance.

You can get a Fuego CT from several different highly reputable sellers for $68. That's a much better deal than losing $60 and getting nothing.

I haven't found my favorite spinning rod yet. I have found my favorite reel. I cannot envision me buying any spinning reel other than a Fuego for the remainder of my fishing days. I've tried quite a few spinning reels and it's the best reel for it's price by far (and you can get them on sale frequently). I am not (nor will I ever likely be) a good enough fisherman to need anything more expensive than a Fuego. Although @A-Jay posted some to-die-for set-ups in this thread...but if I had them I'd be afraid to take them out of the house.

This is true, though. Have you ever seen a map? Totally flat.

+1 on what @IgotWood said. I seek out those trees when fishing from shore and I fish them with T-rigs very "gently" with good success. If you feel a hang then give it some slack, jiggle it, gently work it through. Most of my hits have come when I've slowly pulled the worm over a branch or trunk and let it fall on the side closest to me. Boom! I also usually fish this with Sufix 832 as my main line and a flouro leader. That helps when I do have to break it off.

All Booyah Toad Runners are $5.99 and FREE SHIPPING from https://www.presleysoutdoors.com/ . They have quite a few lures that are free shipping even if you just order one. Which, of course, I didn't.