Mobasser

Jim, all of the above are true. You may do best with spinnerbaits in 1/4 to 3/8 oz, on your spinning reel.They can be productive with a fast retrieve near the surface, a slower retrieve mid water, or near bottom. Very versatile baits.

The devil's horse is an old favorite for me. Shad colors have been best for me. Cast and vary the retrieve from a slight twitch to hard pulls, and experiment. Sharpen the factory hooks or replace them with better quality hooks. This lure has a proven track record on bigger bass. Good luck

I grew up around a farm owned by my grandparents instill age 16 when they retired from farming. Fishing and hunting were a way of life. My brother and I hunted rabbits before school shot qauil and hunted deer also. We were taught never to waste anything and never did. Now each spring I catch crappie for the freezer and still do a little hunting too. Obey the laws, and respect the fish and game. I see nothing wrong with it.

Happy birthday, nice fish

I just read an article about how severe our drought has become in Missouri.We are approaching records set 150 yrs ago for drought, being behind 10 to 12 inches of rainfall. At a nearby lake that I sometimes fish, they have started to take water from this lake to help supply a nearby town. My son in law runs his family farm, and told me that round hay bales went from 25.00 to 85.00 in two days. Many farmers will have to sell cattle this fall simply because they can't afford to feed them.Of course this affects fishing as well. Dropping water levels usually mean deeper fishing which is harder for many anglers.We need rain BADLY here. At this point, we'll take whatever we can get. In the meantime we'll push on, and do the best we can.

Suspended fish can be some of the hardest to catch for most guys. I've had hit or miss days on them. What might surprise some, is a smaller plastic worm reeled slowly through these fish sometimes can work as well as any hard baits. Count it down to depth.

Thankfully, I've never had this done, but have a friend who did 2 yrs ago. In the 10 yrs time since his last one, they have improved all these procedures quite a bit. Hope all goes well for him, and tell him to follow the docs orders for his recovery

In my state of Missouri, we have good bass fishing through much of the state. The Ozark lakes are well known for this. Maybe not always the largest fish like FL, CA, and TX but still good

How many folks envision what your baits are doing, and what they look like after your cast? I told a friend that I do this and he couldn't grasp this concept. After a cast, flip, or pitch a, I automatically envision my plastic or jig sinking through the water column, and to a waiting bass below. I play out the whole scenario of cast, bait hitting the water, and my jig or worm ticking off of weeds or brush, to be engulfed by a fish. I don't remember when I started this, but I've realized I've done it a long time. I think many good fisherman probably do this too. Of course, we can't see under water. We can only imagine through feel and bait type how it looks to a bass.Does anyone else turn on an underwater screen once your lure enters the water? I'm curious about this.I imagine most of the better anglers do this, many without even realizing it. If nothing else, it keeps you on the ready for those light strikes, which are often the biggest fish. Using your mind as much as your tackle to hook more bass.

Very true! All the reels that were mentioned will catch a lot of bass.Dont get too hung up on brand. They all have many of the same features. Maintain them the best you can, and they will all work well. One of my favorites- ABU 4600C. 22 yrs old and still works great

Same for me s Mik L and J Franco. After so many years of casting its automatic. Don't even think about it

I would also add hat I've been a big fan of the Texas fisherman. Tommy Martin and Larry Nixon. Two of the all time best

Good point J Franco. Now I see a difference.

Lead is still legal and available all over in my area. As Catt says , not a huge difference in size so that's what I use. I've been flipping lately- lead is no problem

It looks like both would work

I've said this on another thread before. 25yrs ago, I was snickered at for putting on sunscreen working outside in bright sun and heat, on construction sites. Many guys didn't do this , preferring to get a super dark tann. I wonder how they are doing now? I'm sure many have skin problems. I would use good quality sunscreen, and take it a step further with some of the newer UV rated shirts and pants. Always wear a hat or cap too. And, reapply as you need it.

I don't have to have the latest, best gear. I have some newer stuff, but also run some older round ABU reels that I still love to fish. Buy the best you can afford, and try to maintain it well. And I agree. You won't catch any fish if you're in the wrong areas, regardless of what gear your using

Catt, that's the way it was for us too. What my mom cooked was what we ate that night. We didn't have another choice. Luckily, my mom was a good cook

I have a 5 year old grandson Dylan. His favorite thing to do is run. Everything has to be about a race, and who will win. He played t ball this summer, and of course he could care less if he got a hit, or fielded a ball, but give him a chance to run the bases, and he's in heaven. He'll burn around the bases 3 times if he's allowed too. His favorite food- spaghetti. I don't think he ever gets tired of it. He's a great kid

Plastic worms various sizes styles and colors are my fave and most successful lures. I try to be versatile but plastic worms have caught me more fish than any other lures

Glad your OK, and that's great about finding your tools

Catt, you are right. I think when flipping, more bass are spooked by noisey boat handling then by the jigs or plastics landing on the water. I learned this the hard way in an aluminum flat john boat! Also , I think a lot of guys think flipping and pitching are the same, but I disagree. Some of the best " flippers" work in close sometimes 10 ft away. But, they move in quietly.Do you agree

Rock bass. Lots of them in the Missouri Ozarks

For me, it's Mann's jelly worms and Berkley power worms in the larger sizes.

Yes, I meant to say pitching. At the time, I didn't have an actual flipping stick. I was using a stiff 6'6 long handle casting rod. Trying to learn an accurate close in delivery. Now, when I fish bigger waters, I don't see as many guys actually flipping, but see more pitching baits, from further away. I'm sure there are people still flipping with the original setup- it's a great way to fish very thick cover.The only other thing I may add is to look for those spots that are slightly different from the rest of a shoreline. Anything different in the form of cover along a bank that looks the same can hold fish. Like Catt says" give it to em". It works