Bankfisher

id fish that whole flat area that goes from 10-20 ft. Myabe try a deep diving crank bait fished really slow.

when its still this cold you probably need live bait. Doubt the bass are going to eagerly chase a lure yet. or just fish really really really slow. Im sure they are still out too deep to get em from shore anyway. ;D

Howdy. What part of Illinios?

;DSo I started an account here a while back to post a big bass I caught but have not used it until the last few days. I have really become addicted to this site over the last few days as it has a lot of great people sharing best practices and support. I want to thank the people who are responsible for creating this. I am a bass fishing ADDICT. Its all I do in my time off and cant get enough. Im always looking for new and exciting things to try and this place is the place to find em. I mainly fish central to northern Illinois and occasionally make a trip to the north woods for a get-a-way. I fish almost exclusively largemouth but love to take the light tackle to the small rivers and pull those smallies out as well. I look forward to sharing tips and learning new things.

That would depend on a few things. If you are fishing heavy cover or current or if the fish are really turned on, i would probably go with a 1/2 oz. If its shallow or the bite is slow i would want a slower fall to the bottom to keep it in the strike zone longer so i would go with a 3/8 or even a 1/4

I am a big fan of football head jigs for rocks and cover. I use a st. croix 6' 6" mh casting rod with 14lb flouro. i like a heavier stiffer rod so i can really feel what the jig is doing.

I have had very good luck with chatterbaits. I usually just jig them on the bottom like i would a regular skirted jig. However i have not been using them very much anymore because they get snagged on EVERYTHING and it gets very expensive to lose 5 or 6 of those in a day. If your not fishing around brush, stumps, and rocks, then it should be fine, but those are the areas you usually want to fish.

i agree. The only reason i could see that happening is that there was not enough tension when spooling up.

I would go bright and obnoxious. A rattle-trap or spinnerbait might be your best bet. Like what was mentioned earlier a jerkbait is more of a sight lure and if its really stained then you need something to "call" the fish in or burn something loud, fast, and bright enough to get a reaction.

I seem to have good luck burning a lipless crankbait or rattle-trap around points close to deep water.

mid june. On a flat close to deep water. Berkley Texas rigged 5" sinking minnow. crawling it on the bottom. 26 incher. just shy of 8lbs.

for me i think the biggest thing is when im having a good day i will make a mental note of what the weather has been like, what it is like on that day, water clarity, time of year, and how im fishing. I compare this data to what it supposed to work for these types of conditions I am experiencing that day and for the season that i am in. It helps tremendously to know what the fish are supposed to be doing at that time of year and at the water temps that you are experiencing. the weather on a givin day can play a huge role as well. Taking some time to read about seasonal patterns can really help bring a lot of big fish into your boat. Other than that, practice practice practice. it is crucial to know how to present the lure that you are fishing. It could be the difference between getting bites and getting skunked. being comfortable with your gear is paramount. Your gear can make or break your day on the water.

The best thing you can do is understand what forage is present in the body of water that your fishing and try to replicate that a closely as possible. In case you dont know what forage is its just the food that the predatory fish feed on. fathead minnows, shad, sunfish, crayfish etc etc. Try to throw something that resembles whatever is present in the lake and that what you think they are feeding on depending on the time of year. Of course if the water is clear you should throw more natural colors and go with brighter colors if the water is stained. I really really like the new rapalas that are comming out. great colors and action. Have not fished with the brand thats mentioned. They look nice though

If your lure is still flying way left I would assume your lure is either too light, or your holding the spool too long. One other thing about casting a baitcaster is you have to use a slightly different casting technique than what you would use for a spinning pole. On a spinning pole you use kind of a wooshing, half circle type cast. With a baitcaster, you have to make your cast more of a snap. When you throw a lure you should use more wrist in the cast to snap the lure out there and really commit to the cast. If its a light wooshing cast like with a spinning pole the baitcaster wont respond the same. You really need to let the rod tip load up bye starting the cast and then just before you throw it use your wrist and "fling" your lure out there. Kind of hard to explain but you could get on youtube and watch people casting to get a good idea of what im talking about.

No, thats not totally correct. The cast control knob controls the amount of start up inertia. You cant have too much or you will backlash right away instead of during the cast.