farmpond1

IMHO, it makes no sense to be switching hands at the most critical time (immediately after the cast)-particularly with topwater baits and soft plastics. When I was considerably younger, I bought a "right-handed" baitcasting reel (I'm right handed) because that's the audience the reel claimed it was for. But after many years, I finally decided to buck the system and have switched to a "left-handed" reel. I don't regret it one bit either. It's much easier to keep a buzzbait on the surface if you don't have to fumble around with switching hands. While it is true that if you want to palm a baitcaster properly, there is some adjustment required but that can happen after the most critical moment(s). Also, why would you want to hold the rod in your less dominant hand? During a hook set, you want power and coordination. It doesn't take that much coordination to turn a handle and your non-dominant hand can do that easily enough. But for those who feel differently, I say "different strokes for different folks."

You know you're addicted to bass fishing if you: Add several steps to the recovery process just so you can addicted to the sport longer. (p.s., After reading many/most of the replies, I realize I am a mere boy scout. You've all got me beat hands down)!!!! ;D

Does the river have a strong current? If so, take care so the current doesn't sweep you down at a dangerous rate. Also, if you do go downriver, you'll need to ensure you'll be able to make it back upriver. A lot of rivers have steep bluffs and not all of them have trails to follow. Unless you can kick at a superhuman rate, you probably won't be able to use the float tube to navigate back upriver. These are really safety issues but without safety hundreds (or even thousands) of fish won't seem worth it. Also, watch out for them german u-boats.

I've pretty much given up on deep crankbaits. It's difficult to find one that goes deep enough without having to cast it a mile and a half away first. So unless the fish seem to be suspending, I usually don't even try. Question: Will deep bass that are holding on cover chase a bait from some distance or do you have to put your bait right on top (or right in the midst) of them?

I agree with mobydick. I hate fallfish. I was going to say I hate carp but carp seldom harass my bass baits. Fallfish, on the other hand, too regularly jump on my lure, leading me to think I've hooked a smallmouth. I've never caught an eel so I can't really say. But I don't think I'd care to catch one of those, either.

Am I alone out there or are there others like me who have little or no success fishing deep? Once in a blue moon I'll catch a bass while trolling with a deep diver but that's about the extent of it. I'll study the map (if I have one), I watch my fish finder. I look for humps and other structure and, of course, marked fish but it's always the same: zero, zippo, zilch. I think I need to form a support group for folks who try fishing deep for bass but always, by the end of the day, wind up beating the banks.

Those bass can be ambitious/greedy fellas. On my first trip to Lake of the Woods in Canada the smallmouth only wanted big baits. I caught nary a bass on a "normal" sized bass bait but my group caught numbers on super shad raps. The smallest bait they showed any interest at all in was a 5 1/4 inch Rapala. And these bass weren't wall hangers either.

I agree that all clevis style spinners have inherent flaws in their design. But my rooster tails usually work "ok" right out of the package and then, as if they've decided they've simply had enough, just stop spinning. I don't know if the blade gets misshapen or not but that's my hypothesis. Every now and again I can get them to start turning again but not always. Maybe I'll write the company.

A simple, inspiring story. What do you want to bet he has two big boxes stuffed full of lures now? Oh wait, that would be me.

I know this is a relatively "old" post and it looks like all kinds of great advice has already been offered but I wanted to write anyway. It's already been said but braided line has almost zero stretch and a stiff, fast-action rod offers no flexing qualities. The combination of the two is a bit like pulling a bow string really tight. If a fish rushes and grabs at a lure without getting it back deep in its mouth (which happens a lot, especially in a fast current), the "spring loaded" line will invariably yank the bait right back out of the fishes mouth. Or the hook set will only catch the edge of their lip and it will pull out easily. Technique can mediate the problem some but we mere mortals often can't react fast enough to compensate. I recommend switching either to a (stretchable) monofilament or to a medium action rod. Glad to hear your hookups are improving!

What are you talking about?! They look great too me! Keep it up!

The little fish are relatively easy for me to catch. It's the big fish that ignore my bait.

And maybe if you knew my friend and his wife, you'd see my side of the story as well.

We will just have to agree to disagree.

Up north, you have to find birds who can drill through the ice.

To me, it isn't so much whether your wife or partner wants to go fishing with you as it is their ability to "let" you go fishing. In other words, does your partner give you freedom to pursue what you love or does she expect you to do her bidding 24/7? I have a friend who is "whipped" and although he has a boat, he only gets to use it a few times a year. Mostly he's vacuuming the house or painting a fence, or whatever. The list goes on and on. Don't get me wrong! We all have responsibilities and one of those is to give our partner the time/affection/energy they respectfully deserve but as with all things, there needs to be a balance. I haven't addressed children but that''s a different issue. I'm far too selfish to have kids. :

Judging from the responses, the answer is as varied as the people who respond. Inline spinners are a great choice much of the time but color depends upon the location, water conditions, time of day, and the mood of the bass. I like bright colors in murky water and natural colors in really clear water. In the waters where I fish, a gold or brass finish on the blade seems to work better than silver. But don't rule out anything. Let the fish dictate things. Obviously that implies you'll have to have an assortment of body/blade colors but the good news is that spinners are a little cheaper (usually) than many baits. If you fish alone, you'll have to just change baits now and again until you establish a pattern but if you fish with someone else, a good technique is to try diffierent colors than your partner until one of you establishes a pattern. It saves a lot of time.

My girlfriend likes to go with me but she hasn't developed an addiction. But if she always wanted to go, when would we have separate time to ourselves or with your buddies? Who wants to be with their partner all the time?. Not me. Also, how will I ever get a sense of "superiority" if she out fished me, too. She already kicks my butt in scrabble.

Gang, I do a lot of fishing for smallmouths using Panther Martin's and Rooster tails. The in-line Panther Martins seldom gives me any trouble (hence why I prefer them) but invariably, the blades on my Rooster tails will stop spinning. It's enough to give me fits. I think it's the shape (convexness?) of the blade which gets out of whack (the metal is pretty soft) but I can't figure out the best way of bending them to their proper dimensions. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Even a small smallmouth can easily make up for it's diminutive size with it's sheer fighting ability. Most of my smallies are fairly small so their first run doesn't usually have a lot of "torque" but they always fight hard all the way up to to my waders. I've never met a smallmouth I didn't like.

First, let me say I am anything but a pro so take what I say with a grain of salt. And my apologies to anyone who likes Shelbyville. But my advice is this: Reschedule the tournament for someplace else! I don't like this lake. When I hear people say they have done well on Shelbyville, they must be either locals who fish it hard and often, were exceedingly lucky, or they're pathological liars. Okay, that's kind of harsh but you get my sentiment. From what I understand, the Corp of Engineers raises it up and down so often and so much that bass have limited abilities to successfully spawn. Whatever the reason, I've never done any good and I've fished it to a froth on numerous occassions. It's too bad because it's actually within reasonable driving distance from my house. East Central Illinois is not exactly a fishing oasis.

I took my boat to Sangchris Lake in Illinois two weeks ago and they had entire areas marked off with buoys stating "No boats." It's a powerplant lake so I guess areas were restricted due to warm discharge into the lake making areas "too fishable" or, more accurately, "too catchable." If that's the case, I understand and I'll have to live with it regardless, but can anyone tell me exactly why they've restricted the lake so much?

Anytime I can see the fish clearly and it is clear that they can (and do) see me, I rarely have much luck. This may be a defeatist attitude but it's just my observation. The only suggestions I have are to creep in slowly and quietly, change the angle or distance in which you position yourself from the fish and go with smaller, natural, or more realistic baits. You can't get much more natural than a real crawdad but maybe the bass want a baitfish. Who knows! If the fish are only present only at certain times of the day, and you can't get them to bite, it's possible they they go there simply to rest. There may be a nearby location in which they do their active feeding at other times. You may try to seek that out. Rots 'o ruck to ya!

I have a couple of ideas/suggestions: First, what you feel biting might be small fish such as bluegill. or creek chubs. You can eliminate them by going with larger baits. If they are bass, then you might want to add a trailer hook. You can't do that to some lures such as crankbaits but when you can, it can add a few fish to the tally. Lastly, if they are small bass, you may want to down size to smaller baits such as spinners (rooster tails, panther martins, or mepps) or beetle spins. The river I fish has mostly small smallmouths and if I used a large bait, I'd rarely hook or catch a bass. Don't be discouraged. Keep at it!