spiritgide

Definitely lots of good advice, but I will add my 2-cents worth. Without question, baitcasting reqiuires much more skill than other reel types, and in turn offers numerous benefits. It's worth the effort. I've been using mostly Garcia ambassadeur reels for 40 years, but have tried several others too. My observations- The balanced setup is essential- reel, line type, rod capacity, lure weight. If these aren't in synch, things get difficult fast. I have completely different rigs for different levels of fishing. Each reel type has it's own peculiaities. Once you find the type you like- stay with it. Learn the reel- and how to adjust it. There are numerous mentions giving you the proper adjusting technique above. When you get it right, indeed the thumb will be both the controller and the sensor. Between changing the way you thumb the reel and the reel adjustments, you can fish a reasonable range of lure weights and conditions with each rig. Nothing substitutes for practice. As you practice, eventually add challenge by making casts at angles or into wind. Like shooting, windage and elevation techniques are aspects of casting that require an ability to assess the situation and compensate. If you can cast well in a variety of wind conditions, you have one of the most valuable skills.

Most of us are sort of at a disadvantage, as we don't live where bass do. I started bass fishing in 1958, when my folks bought a marina. 17 years later I was teaching scuba diving, and spending a lot of time underwater at beaver lake arkansas... And I made it a point to learn all I could about the habits of bass; things I couldn't learn from the surface. Some of that applies to how I fish now. Location is first, of course- as your sonar tells you, 95% of the lake has perhaps 2% of the fish... the rest are gathered at the current choice of cover. If you aren't where they are at, you're not fishing, you're on a boat ride. By the way, I found that two locations that seem equal with similar cover, positioning and depth can have widely different appeal to bass as a hang-out. Never figured that one out. I learned that some such spots are always hot, and some are not. Depth- At any place in the lake, the bass are found within a range that typically covers only about 5 feet or so. How deep depends on the time of year and time of day. Due to this, I agree that depth matters a lot; I don't think bass are inclined to leave this comfort zone. Why are they there? Temperature appears to be the biggest reason; I think oxygen content in the water is the next. I didn't have high quality equipment to test O2 levels, but it appeared to make a difference. I also noticed that a given temperature didn't always occur at the same depth point is a lake- inflow could make a creek cove a bit warmer or cooler, and fish moved accordingly. Lure speed has a lot to do with it, and is definitely related to temperature. Seems logical; cold-blooded systems work slower when cold. In colder water, you need to slow down to a rate they are willing to pursue. I also think that bait size is an issue; colder fish prefer smaller baits. You can find cover and fish with the sonar. You can approximate the lure speed and experiment up or down until you get action. These require some knowledge, but not high skills. Aside from those, I think that the ability of the angler to chose the right bait for the situation and present his bait in the most realistic way is the biggest variable, and a critical one. That's the skill issue; each angler will be different. I think you are better off with a lure that's not ideal but you really know how to use well, than one that is technically right but you aren't skilled with. The tougher the bite- the more critical the presentation. The more baits you are really skilled with, the better the odds of success.

I went with a Hummingbird Matrix 97 last summer, and added the side-scan. The unit was only about $700, and I have no complaints at all. Really good performance and picture, accurate boat speed, full GPS goodies, easy to understand. Put in Hot-maps, with lots of detail. Total for all- just over $950. I thought I might want a bit larger screen, but after using it I don't have any problems with it. I have it mounted on the driver console front with a swivel base; I can see it from either seat when fishing. This is the primary sonar for the boat, but you cannot show both the down and side transducer pictures at once- you have to flip a selector switch. Side scan is really nice, but being able to direct it is important- and mounted on your troller, it's a bit impractical. Got an answer for that. I converted the Garmon sonar I had before to a targeting side-scanner, mounted separately. This outfit clamps to any of 4 boat cleats and fits over the side. The mount holds the display head, so everything is in one spot. There's a handle on top of the drop tube; it tilts the transducer at the bottom. Tilt the handle up to see anywhere from vertical to horizontal, or rotate 360 to look sideways all around the boat- at any angle. The tubular handle always points exactly where the transducer is looking. Now we have the Hummingbird being monitored by the front man, the garmin side-pointer at the rear. Everybody's happy!

If you are familiar with that problem, you are going to want to read this. You drop the throttle... then you have to hit it again to keep the following wave from flooding over your transom. Why? Nearly every bass boat sits low in the stern and is configured to keep weight to the rear- for a smaller wetted surface in plane and more speed. I picked up a damaged 17' Javelin/140 Hp Johnson rig last year, and completely rebuilt it. The boat had a 5" set-back jackplate with a 3" lift. Everything was fine- except that the transom had only about 3" of free-board sitting still. Water was in the rear tray when you hit the throttle, slowing acceleration, raising the nose. The jack-plate also worked like a scoop, shooting water up and into the transom well. It took about 7-8 seconds to hit full plane. Then, on every quick throttle cut, you risked swamping the boat because the tail end dropped in the hole. I'm here to say I found a product that really solves that problem, actually several others at the same time. Late last summer I started looking at trim tabs, and wound up installing a new automatic one called Mobster Tabs, made specifically for bass boats. In researching what it should do- I decided The jack-plate was part of the problem, and scrapped it. I replaced it with a custom lift plate that provides a 1" backset and a 1-3" adjustable rise for the motor. I tried it out again before installing the tabs. The plate change helped a little by shifting motor weight closer, but didn't solve the problem. It did lose a couple MPH on top end. Then, I installed the trim tabs. These are loaded to the down position by pre-charged gas cylinders. When you hit the throttle, they are down; and they immediatly lift the rear end- putting this boat on plane in 2 seconds flat. As you gain speed, they are pushed up to the flat position and the boat trims automatically. Now at speed- they work wonders to stabilize the boat in 50 MPH turns, and chine walking just went away. Cut the throttle, and as usual the boat wants to squat, but just a bit before that creates a problem with the stern wave, the tabs drop again, and whaddyaknow... the tail end of that boat just climbs up and eliminates the problem. It also eliminated the need to trim the motor for initial acceleration and flatten it again when building speed. One terrific product, very well made and very well designed. I'm really looking forward to a fun season with this rig. If you're tired of problems like this, check this item out. NO- I don't work for them, and they aren't in any way compensating me for making a recommendation. I'm just a customer who paid full price for the product. But it's rare I buy something that not only works as advertised, but exceeds my expectations so well, and that deserves support. Their website page is: http://www.nauticusinc.com/mobster_tabs.htm

Think of the rod as a part of the system. The system consists of everything from the hook to you; inclusive. The rod isn't adjustable, and each one (in the same make model) is identical. However, the person handling the rod is highly adjustable, and no two people interact in exactly the same way with their equipment. What you really want to know, is what rod works best for the way you cast and work your baits. Rated power and actions are good general starting points, but it really comes down to getting it in your hand and throwing a lure or two. While I own ten different rigs, I find that changing rigs means re-calibrating me to match; that seems to take a while. If the change I want to make isn't a huge one, it's easier for me to just adjust or tune the way I handle the rig to make it practical for alternate baits or methods. I usually carry only two rigs (occasionally three) in the boat. I pick these based on what I expect conditions to be on the trip, and let my style compensate for not having the perfect rod. With the exception of 2 brute force rigs I have for spring stripers, all my rods but one have fast action tips. This is because for me, it provide the best lure control, and seems to cast with less effort and greater accuracy than stiff tips. The rest of the rod (power) is selected to match the lure weight, line weight, reel type and expected fishing conditions. Brands matter some in terms of construction quality, but you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good one. Most important is that the rig works for your style of fishing. If you can, borrow rigs from friends and try a variety under actual conditions. If you are part of a bass club, that can be easy, and you can see the technique differences demonstrated by someone already familiar with alternate combinations.

It's a little hard to know how bass see colors, but they certainly respond to differences in color- so however they perceive it, color shades do make a difference. And... they may be nearsighted, but I've had them spot a lure coming in the air, clear water and catch that lure before it hit the surface on many occasions. That takes pretty good vision, not to mention fast reactions, targeting accurately while looking through the surface plane of the water and excellent timing. By the way- water also serves as a color filter, taking out warm colors first. By 30 ft. there is NO red left in the available light spectrum at all, regardless of water clarity.

Most fishermen understands the frustration and the problem. The why is easy to understand if you think about it. The last few inches of line takes a lot of abuse, dragging over fish jaws, rock edges, snags, the tip guide and so on. Each such contact wears the line a little, and things that grab the line momentarily (like wrapping around a branch) puts extra strain on the knot as well. The knot is the weakest point anyway. I usually cut back and re-tie after a catch, or after any unusual snag that might hurt the line. I occasionally slide my fingers down that last foot of line, too- and if I feel any roughness or evidence of damage, I cut back and re-tie. Whenever you re-tie, remove at least a few inches of line, more if damage is evident or probable.

Bass men! Need your experience to help me design a new lure. You have probably all found crawdads in the stomachs of bass you cleaned, or seen them in the throat of ones you caught and released. What I'm looking for is the direction the crawdad was swallowed. The question- Would you say that most of the crawdads you found this way were swallowed tail first, (the claws visible down the throat) or head first? Your help appreciated! NEW ADDITION.... Lots of good support, thank you very much! I'm hoping to work with the guy with the 300 gallon tank, and see what we can learn from video feeding. Looks like we all agree that we see them in the craw as tail first, which of course makes sense. More questions- (1) Do they take the crawdads in only by the tail, or do you think they can take it from the front, then manipulate it in the mouth to turn it around for swallowing? I'm inclined to think that the tail approach would be normal because the bass is a lot faster than the crawfish and could probably choose his angle of attack. However, I've never personally seen a bass hit a crawdad. What do you think happens? (2) What would be the ideal size and growth state for the crawdad lure to match? We are thinking 3-4" overall tail to claw tip, and an appearance that would indicate a recent molt or softer shell. I don't recall seeing many of those big gnarly, nasty craws in bass bellies. Other opinions? Why does this matter? Obviously, the lure has to be towed from the tail, because thats the natural travel for the crawfish. If the bass prefers to hit from the tail, the line interferes with the strike as well as how well the lure can hook the fish. If that is the consistent attack path, then the lure has to be able to compensate. We think we can make it work either way (front or rear hit) but not both at once. Objective- Create a lure that will catch bass all day.... Big'uns. Sort of like a Hog Whistle!