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.

Im going to try to help you the best I can as it seems these responses you are getting are very vague. There are a couple things you need to adjust to get a good cast from a baitcaster. You should start with adjusting the brake control. This can be found on the side of your reel that does not have the handle. Brakes can either be a knob that you turn or some you have to open the side of the reel to access the brake system. This control will either slow the spool down during the lures flight or it will allow the lure to really fly. If you are using a light lure or casting in to the wind you should have this set pretty high. Reason being is if you cast a light lure the lure will start very fast as soon as you throw it, but as the wind grabs it during flight the lure slows down but the spool will continue at that initial speed and a backlash will occur. This happens because the lure is no longer taking enough line with it but the spool is still spinning fast and the line has nowhere to go. Its always best to start with your brake set high and loosen it a click at a time before each cast until you are happy with the distance you are getting. The heavier the lure the looser the brake can be because a heavy lure will keep a lot of speed through out the cast and will take the line with it. The other control is the spool brake. This is the little round knob right next to your cranking handle. This is meant to slow down or speed up the initial start up speed of the spool when you make a cast. This adjustment is important but not as critical as the brake system. A good rule of thumb for adjusting this is to start with the brake tight, hold your rod parallel to the ground with your lure tied on. release the spool bye pushing the cast button, and start to loosen the brake until the lure starts to fall to the ground. It should not fall fast. it should be a controlled fall and the line should stop unwinding once the lure touches the ground. Thats all there is to it really. Might help having your reel in hand as you read this so you can get a visual. Good luck and tight lines!

It is very informative but I agree with the others. I think in order for it to be professional it needs to be much shorter and to the point. The person you give this to is not going to want to read all of this. Maybe make it short and sweet and to the point, then ask to meet with them in person to share the rest of the stuff in this letter. Meeting in person to share this is so much more intimate and touches them more on a personal level.

Oh and the weight was 7 lbs. 13 oz.

hahahahah yes i know my shirt resembles something in the Tina Turner era. I wade in the water and I was tryin to keep my shirt dry. I had a hot date later that night and didnt want to have to change for it. The "nutra grain bar" is actually my soft plastics so i dont have to keep walkin 60 feet back and forth to shore everytime i ruin one.

caught this beast around mid june in a quarry just off the edge of the flat where the equip would drive in. caught many more like this on a daily basis all through june and beginning of july. this was one of the only times i had someone with me to take a picture.