Mobasser

I have tried a biffle hardhead, with mixed results. I'll probably stick with other things. It's a great concept, just doesn't really work for me

Agree with all! The versatility of this bait makes it so good.

Yes. The smaller bait should work great down there

I know these have been out for a while. We're late to the party. My grandson Aiden picked up a pack of these Friday night at Academy. We fished the old qaurrey lake Saturday morning. Throwing close to a rock wall, and hopping this bait across a small shelf into deeper water he hooked 14 bass in a little over an hour. He was rigged up with the summer craw color fished on a big bite baits 1/8 oz shakeyhead. None were over 2 pounds, but the steady action was great for him, as he's learning to fish soft plastics this summer- with the usual frustrations. Searching through the forum, I'm seeing many are using these baits in a lot of ways. I think Strike King has a winner with this. The other baits in the rage lineup look good too.Were planning a weekend trip to the Ozarks in October, going for smallmouth bass. I can see this being a good lure there. In 35 yrs of bass fishing I've only caught one smallmouth bass, at lake Taneycomo while trout fishing, so we're looking forward to this trip. And I'll be packing some menace grubs along for sure

Agree Bluebasser86. There is a green shade- lighter than green pumpkin that many use at Table Rock.But there are also those that like more purple, violet, blue shades down there too. Some roboworms colors are similar to this. Good idea to have a few different ones, light and dark.

I've fished buzzbait with success for 30 + years.I havnt bought a whopper plopper yet , and probably won't. Between these two, I'll stick with buzzbaits.

My favorites are ABU 4600c. No mag control. I've practiced with these reels a lot, and I have very few issues. Still good distance too. I don't care for mag brakes either

It's much the same way for me here in Missouri scaleface. We never know exactly how are fall will be. One thing for sure- as you said, when the leaves start dropping quickly with 3 to 4 days of consistent temps it's shallow water time.We just never know exactly when that's gonna happen

Agree. There are many good topwaters out there just as effective.

The Billy Westmoreland rods were my favorite. I still have, and use a 6'6 model.

The only one I have is the popper. Very good bait for the money. Mustad hooks, and good finish.

Very nice J Francho!

I agree! What many don't realize is that these guys have spent years studying big bass, and trying to figure this out. They have many fishless days along the way. They refine every part of their fishing, all geared toward catching huge bass. They put in countless hours learning all this. And like you said Catt, they look at the sport very different than the occasional fisherman. It's a whole different mind set.Once you've put in the time to locate the key areas- do you have the patience to fish these areas? Can you feel a jig strike- which will probably feel like nothing, in 30+ ft deep water? These things are a whole other set of skills, which take more time to develop. Guys who think this is easy, or just pure luck are only fooling themselves.

Not a problem for me. My fishing partner is my 13yr old grandson. He helps out with chores and buys some of his own baits, and I let him use some of mine. He always puts them back and takes care of them. After earning the money to buy some of his own lures- he understands it can get costly

Congrats to these two anglers. Both showed some real class here

I've read a lot about Bill Murphy also, as well as a few others who have consistent success on giant bass. Maybe some luck here, but not much. Location is the key! The structure is the big picture. Then locate the key different spots within that structure. Example: that one boulder or log next to a creek channel - the one that's different from everything else.Look for something different in a huge maze of similar looking cover. The most consistent lures used are plastic worms and jigs. They can be fished SLOWLY through these areas and still have good action. Some concentrate on night fishing, with bigger baits, banking on bigger fish moving more. Either way, location is where it's at.This is the hard part. I'm still learning these things after 30 some years at bass fishing. It's a lifetime study, and takes some time and experience. It's not easy

This is similar to what I do too. On the smaller lake, you can fish the whole lake- shoreline and deeper spots. With the bigger lake, pick two or three areas that offer the best cover and depth for the time of year,and cover those spots.Fall is coming up soon too.If you can time it right, bigger bass feeding good before winter

Yes. When I read this I thought of Bill Plummer also.Guys like this have it down.They simplify their fishing, and learn what works for them, not worrying about what everyone else's hot baits are. Very good bass fisherman

I agree with most of this. I do best with 7-10 inch plastic worms, fished slowly on the bottom. I use mostly Texas rig, but split shot and shakey heads work well too. Make it easy for them to get. Bigger fish are probably not in a chasing mood.

Thanks for sharing this. I've heard of most of the guys like this, but never him.Its always great to hear about these guys. We can all learn from this

As others have said, set the hook! Doing this will increase your catch rate for sure.I also agree that the biggest bass can strike the lightest. One theory is this: small bass compete for food much more than big ones. Those 8 pound+ fish eat when they feel like it. Sometimes, you just get a " sense" that something is slightly different. If so don't fool around. Quickly take up slack and set the hook.If it's not a fish- so what? Reel in , quickly check your bait, or re rig your Texas rig, and fire off another cast. But always set the hook

Lots of times I start with a popper. It's been really hot in my area,so I usually don't get a lot of action until the last hour before dark. That's the best time. Dead quiet. The only sounds are the popper hitting the water, and the "spit" sound of my retrieve.Im always a little bummed when it's time to go home. I never get tired of fishing this way

Plastic worm fishing. Works best for me in the hottest time of year

Years ago, I spent three seasons learning to fish a Texas rigged plastic worm, walking the bank at a small local lake. I forced myself to slow down, and cover good areas thourouly. Now 25 yrs later, it's still my favorite lure.Many think it's only a slow moving bait, but you can hit a lot of area pretty quick too.

ML would probably be best.