EGbassing

I tried a senko and it just sits on top of the weeds every time. Should I try punching through?

I would use this rig: ----(sliding sinker)(bead)(swivel)---1.5 feet----(circle hook) Good luck!

30 - 60 lb. Powerpro braid.

MH/F White Bird baitcast rod paired with an Abu Garcia black max reel, and 40LB. Powerpro.

They're the kind that you'd snag or break off if you threw a lure into them, but I could throw something along the edges.

I have been fishing the shoreline cover, but haven't been catching them. I guess they just aren't biting for some reason.

About 7 feet at the deepest, fairly stained, some weeds around the shoreline. Yeah, seems like that's what happened here. Hopefully it picks up again soon. A couple times. No bites.

I wouldn't really expect it to last for more than one fish, but a lot of times I feel a tick from a branch or something and set the hook to be sure it's not a fish and they come off. I've lost 5 so far and haven't caught one on them.

I just bought a pack. They have great action, but every time I set the hook, both claws immediately come off. I haven't had one last me for more than 45 minutes of fishing yet.

For months I was catching at least one bass every trip in the pond that I fish. Now I just can't get a bite. I've tried everything. It's been weeks since I've even gotten one bite. It's weird, because 3 weeks ago I was catching a ton, and now they either aren't in the places I'm fishing, or they aren't biting. I've been fishing shallow cover, but I'm wondering if they've all gone out to deeper water due to the heat. (It's been 95 degrees the past few days...) Any advice would be appreciated.

I'll try to answer those questions. First of all, for a good rod I would go with the Dobyns Fury: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Dobyns_Fury_Casting_Rods/descpage-DFC.html It's one of the best rods you can get for the money. If you order it within the next couple days you can get 15% off. As for lures, stick with spinnerbaits and texas rigs for a while. Trust me, don't buy ever kind of lure there is and try to learn how to fish all of them at once like I did when I started. If it's cloudy, fish a spinnerbait in open water. If it's sunny, fish a texas rig in cover. They will be in cover when it's hot and sunny. Watch as many videos and read as many articles about bass fishing as you can. (BassResource on Youtube makes some great tutorial videos) Another tip: use braid. It's very sensitive, you don't have to worry about breaking off if you tie a good knot, and it lasts longer on the reel. Hope that helps.

Yeah, I'm about to buy a ML Dobyns Fury for finesse fishing, so I probably won't get an UL yet, but I want to get one sometime. Imagine hooking a good sized bass on one of those things. ?

I held an ultra-light rod for the first time yesterday when I was in Cabela's. Dang, that thing is light. I really want to try fishing with one of those sometime. I've heard they make bluegill feel like tarpon. ?

Haha. Did it break off?

There actually are a ton of gizzard shad in that pond. I see them schooling out in the middle of the pond a lot. I know they're gizzard shad because I've seen dead ones around the banks in the winter.

Alright. Will the be all the way on the bottom in that deep water in my case, or somewhere else in the water column?

Yup. Didn't think of that. It's not the kind of pond you'd want to spend a lot of time in, but it should be fine for a couple minutes.

Alright. Thanks.

Thanks. Is there a way to find where the thermocline is without a fishfinder? I'm fishing from the bank, so...

Interesting. Would fishing shallow water be more effective, or fishing near the surface above deep water, or something else?

I've always heard that bass go deep in the summer, but I just watched a Hank Parker video where he was saying that oxygenated water rises to the surface in the summer, and because of that, so do the bass. He also said that bass stay above the thermocline in the summer. What does that mean? About 2 months ago, I started fishing a lot of shallow cover with jigs/t-rigs, and it's worked really well up until about a week ago. I've fished shallow cover every day for the past week now and gotten skunked every time. Are they in deeper water? It's a fairly large pond, with the deepest water being about 7 feet or so. Any advice would be appreciated.

Yup. Happened again today on a decent fish, but he never jumped. Hook just popped out.

Try to keep your rod tip near the water during the cast, and thumb the spool as the bait is about to hit the water. I practiced that for a while today, and even with 1/2 oz. jig, I was making some casts with almost no splash. Hope this helps.

Congrats! I think it's probably a state record based on the pictures and information you gave, but even if it isn't, it's still a really nice catch.

Thanks. Guess I'll probably go with the 702 then.