Mobasser

I give soft Plastics a shot of Baitmate bass attractant. I like the slick shiny look it gives the baits. I'm not 100 percent sure if it helps much or not. But, like pork baits, it might make a fish hang on a little longer. I plan on trying some Mega strike this season. I've heard good things about it.

One thing folks might not be aware of, is how far you pull your bait forward with a seven foot rod as opposed to a 5'6 or 6' rod.

I like shorter rods for bank fishing, and if someone else is in the canoe with me. No problem with casting distance, and easier to move around.

Catt, Aiden and I fished together for a long time. We still do sometimes also. I agree getting out there and fishing is the best teacher. The things Aiden reads about are structure, weather patterns, seasonal movements etc. It's the more in depth stuff he's interested in learning, and there's a huge amount of it out there. But, as we know, not all of it is correct or good. He's smart enough to not believe everything he reads. He'll read things, then come and ask me about it. I try to help him the way I learned, and, am still learning.

My grandson Aiden is a junior in high school. He's a typical high school kid. He likes music, movies, football, girls, and bass fishing. When I compare the way Aiden fishes at his age, compared to how I was fishing at his age in the early 1970s, it's obvious he's so much better than I was at that age. He's grown up in an age where fishing info is at his fingertips. If he has a question about something fishing related, he can get several answers in seconds through the internet.It's amazing to me how quickly a youngster can learn now. He still has to get out and fish as much as possible of course, but, he's learned things about fishing that I wouldn't have had a clue in the early 1970s. He's only one of thousands of young men across the country who have taken full advantage of modern technology and have become very good fishermen in the process. Its a good thing for him, and I'm happy he's learned so much so far. The learning curve has been shortened by a large amount. Anyone care to comment? Do you know a youngster like my grandson Aiden?

Ol Crickety, this is a good post. I still miss fishing farm ponds with my older brother. He was my teacher, and a good fisherman for his age. We used surface baits borrowed from my dad's and grandfather's tackle. My favourite at the time was a small black Hula Popper. My brother loved a frog colored ( wooden) Bass O Reno. He taught me a lot about bass fishing. Mainly, slow down. Slow down and you'll catch more bass. This was in the mid to later 1960s, but I can still picture it very clearly. I was fortunate to have that learning experience.

Started out as a young kid fishing with my older brother on farm ponds at our grandfather's farm in Missouri. I fished the ponds through my teen years. When I got married in 1981 my wife and I moved to North central Mo. I began fishing a clear spring fed lake near home, and now, fish two different lakes near my home. Both are smaller and have clear water. I'm not really a very well traveled angler. I've fished in four other states. As for what I do best? I use both casting and spinning gear and just try to put together something that works to catch fish. Most days, in the clear lakes, it's some type of soft plastic bait, worked slowly along the bottom.

I emulate my dad. He was, and always will be my hero

Enjoy your retirement sir.

When I was a kid, my dad made a cast near some pads with a Bass O Reno and put the rod under his arm to light his cigar. When he got it lit, he stuck his lighter in his pocket, and, no sooner did he get his rod in position a 5lb bass smashed the popper. He landed it. It was probably 100 degrees, with the sun beating down. Nobody else was catching anything. My dad was the lucky one that day...

Even though I don't have a lot to contribute, I do have Rebel baits in my collection. Always interested in any historical bass fishing topic.

This will be the first season I'll be using any bait dyes. I've been curious about them for a while, but just never used any. I'm interested in coloring plastic worm tails, craw pinchers etc, and see how it works out in my home lake. I've also heard that these dyes can be a big mess if your not careful. What's your fave brand of bait dye, and how do you apply it to your baits?

I think there are patterns on some days, but they can be hard to predict, or not last very long. A lot of guys have done poorly in tournaments, then, come back and say" my pattern fell apart". Enter the plastic worm, and fishing slowly. Make your own pattern happen.

This may not be really different, but I only Tennessee handle spinning rods. I got my first one years ago, and now have a few of them. I don't see or know anyone else in my area that uses them.

I bank and boat fish. I bank fish a couple of evening trips per week, on the same lake I boat fish. I like it. Minimal gear, one rod, and keep things simple. Bank fishing can be very productive and seems more challenging due to a lack of mobility on the water.

Chiefs - Ravens should be a good game. I'm a KC fan, but I worry about Lamar Jackson. He's a force of one. Fast, tough, hard to tackle, and not the least bit afraid to take off burning down the field when he needs to.

I'd hate to be in his shoes....

Rock Bass probably feels like he's 1" tall right now.

For me in clear water, I've done best on overcast days, light chop on the water. I make long cast with the Mepps Black Fury over weeds that grow within a couple of feet of the surface, trying to get as close to the weed tops as I can. I clip off one of the hooks on the treble which helps a little bit. In the right scenario, the in lines can be deadly.

I don't fish rivers but use in lines in lakes.Mepps Aglia and Black Fury size 3 and 4. A #4 Black Fury/ yellow dot pattern was especially good last fall.

My fishing style in as few words as possible? Small clear lake. Beautiful place. Canoe. Two rods. Small tackle box. Plastic worm- mostly. Alone in a quiet laid back place. Yes, I love it.

A friend that I fish with occasionally thinks that because of the way a spinning rod is made, with the guides and reel below the rod, that he has a better feel for strike detection with a spinning rod. According to his theory, baitcasting, with reel and guides above the rod is a little less sensitive. There are other factors as well. Line size/ type, overall weight of rod/ reel etc. I told him I think strike detection is all about a fisherman's skill level, regardless of what rod type is used. Some folks are just better at it. In your own fishing, do you think you detect light strikes better with a spinning rod or a baitcasting rod? Do you think that the type of rod makes a difference as far as feeling light strikes?

Awesome Tom! Thank you for sharing this.

I've broken a couple of rods. I say I'd get a good quality reel first, then match it up with a nice rod. If you take care of a good reel, they'll last many years.

Like many of us, north central Missouri is frozen. Right now temp is -7. Snow yesterday added to what we had already. Dangerous wind chills also. I'm tired of it already...