jiggerpole

Cool!!!!! Some folks in this world are still just plain good.

When my son was smaller I would cut off tree limbs ( Off my Cedar) and lay them in the waters edge. Usually four or five. By the time he got all his fishing stuff together and down to the bank, (10 minutes) he would sneek up to the limbs and quickly jerk them out of the water one at a time and catch the bait fish and fill his bucket up to fish for bigger fish. I dont know for sure but I would assume that a Bass would know that the baitfish are in the newly placed brush piles. My 2 cents!

One time in extremely muddy water I used a spinnerbait with a colorado blade and flipped it in tight cover and did great.

Also in addition to the above, if you look on the bottom of a spots jaw it will have spots in a row and a Largemouth wont.

I like to use baits that allow me to fish the edges (Weed Line) or flip in the holes or work the top of the matts with a rat, frog or trick worm. Anything that I can get down to where I think the Bass are holding or will explode on. Yes it is sometimes a pain and you need more patience than I have but pulling up a 5 pounder with 10 pounds of weeds is worth it.

Bill Dance, KVD, Gerald Swindel, Luke Clausen, Hank Parker, Paul Elias, Mike Ike, Roland Martin, Denny or Chad, Rick Clun, David Frits, Doug Hannon, Bob Lusk, ect. ect. ect. anywhere, anytime. Call Me!!!!!

The answer is multiple. 1. Is Food ( lots of it) so a lake that has a good a PH and a good supply of nutrition good water quality the right amount of oxygen, cover or habitat ect. all have an effect on the growth rate of fish. 2. "Genetics" It is a known fact that the Florida strain gets big. If you cross the Florida with the Northern you get the best of both worlds. Big and agressive. I know guys here in Alabama that can grow a 10 pounder in 4 to 5 years flat. 3. Population Balance! Especially the small lakes and ponds need to be monitered closer. If I had to guess, most ponds and small lakes and even some bigger resorviors are out of whack and could be better if fishers were more educated in the methods fisheries biologist used. A lot of times you see slot limits and those are intended to protect the fish in that slot. The ones under the slot and above the slot need harvested. Most will release the smaller ones thinking they will get bigger when in fact harvesting them will increase the available food for others. Not that many people catch the big ones but keeping them sometimes may be a good thing. Too many small ones are a bad thing and too many big ones are a bad thing. I know your thinking there is no such thing as too many big ones but Balance is the key to a healthy lake. 4. Fishing pressure from people who dont care or understand about the outcome of their fishing habits. It would be nice if everyone could be on the same page and become self taught managers of their resoure. I think this place is a good place to start. Ive not been on this site long but I have seen some great info and some very knowlegable answers here and I hope it continues. I know some of the Biologist that vist this site may have a better answer and maybe an article could be written on what to look for and how to find it on a bigger scale from a fishers point of view. Most of what I know is self taught with the help of a good friend of mine Scott Cherones. If I can learn how to manage a lake anyone can. 5. The growth season is simply put, Bass are cold blooded and need the warmer waters to have the faster matabalism that makes them more active feeders on the more abundent forage that warmer waters can produce. More planton and microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain will create more food for bait fish which feeds the Bass. Hope this helps.

I'm with fishfordollars, Junebug is a great color. It might be hard to flip from a canoe but do your best to put your bait in the heavy weed cover and use heavy tackle. Also a deep diving firetiger crankbait is good. Get it down till it touches bottom and slow it up letting it just keep contact with the bottom.

Do a search on electric shock fishing. If you know an elecrician he could quickly rig you up a system. A generater hooked to two insulated poles (pvc pipe) run wire through to the ends and have it hooked to several weighted wires that dip into the water. One pole on the right and one pole to the left. The shock area is in between the two poles. One side is neg. and the other is pos. You must have a way to brake the current imediately. A switch that you can step onto with your foot to give current and then release is advisable. It will shock you if you touch the water without an insulated dip net. Also a 12 volt batt and an inverter will shock fish. Be Careful and good luck. P.S. if done right it will not kill the fish only stunn them. Look up Physics of electrofishing on Google. www.challenge.nm.org/Archive/01-02/FinalReports/093.pdf

You really should consult a fisheries biologist and see what he has to say about transporting fish to another impoundment. It could do more harm to a small lake than good. Maybe a fish fry?

Not all spotted bass have a tooth patch on the tounge, but if it has one it is a spot. If it does not have one then it usually has a darkened spot on the tounge where it should be. The dorsel fin mentioned above and the jaw not hinging behind the eye like the largemouth also mentioned is the best indicators that it's a spot. You may notice different colorations, eyes, ect. But those two are a dead giveaway.

I typed in WIND and did a search on it. I found out that most everyone thinks the wind is a problem and dont like fishing in it. Only a few talked about how to use the wind to find and catch fish. I dont like the wind blowing hard either, but if I have to fish in the wind then I try to figure out how I can use it to my advantage. Just like to hear what the wind has taught some of you. I like fishing in the back of shallow pockets that the wind has sturd up and made it a bit stained with a spinner and have caught some of my bigger fish this way. Wind blown points are good. I position my boat on the downwind side and cast beyond the point into the wind and pull it back across the point where the bass sometimes school waiting for baitfish to come across. Lets here from you.

To be honest the odds of you catching it would be astronomical. If released the odds of someone else cathcing it would be again astronomical. A fish that old has; from a biologist point of view, lived its life, so it would be your feelings for the fish that determines your choice. I would keep it alive if at all possible and after having it officially weighed donate it to Bass Pro Shop's aquarium and they will give you a replica of it. I believe Woods & Water will do this also.

I've had alot of luck in lilly pads with a trick worm. Zoom (marmalade), with a #2 offset shank hook. It seems to ride right over the pads good and you can let it sink right in front of their face.

A hundred dollar pair can be worth it though. I've been to the bottom twice now for mine and now I have a float on them.

Can some of you elaborate on wind for me. I here comments such as the wind was right today. It helps the bite! Positioning your boat according to the wind? The wind positions fish? Creates current? These lures are best used and why? I know these are alot of questions but I would like to here some of your thoughts on wind. Thanks.

I was night fishing with a worm and felt the tap - tap and set the hook on a Racoon. He was not too happy. I caught an Oscar in a pond yesterday. Had to do a search on the net to figure out what it was. And a duck!!!

Our baby ducks get eaten all the time. A friend of mine catches bass on hot dog winnies. ( Not sure what brand. )

Go with someone who does catch fish. Let them show you some things and pass it own.

I like the 3/8 ounce black & blue pro model jig with a zoom black & blue trailer and flip it. Or try flipping a spinner bait / white with gold blades. It works for me!

Try a feeder! Fertilizer! and possibly stock Tolopia to take away some of the pressure off your bream. In a small pond like that it can be a real balance act. It sounds like a good pond to fish in.

Heres an Ideal. Buy a couple of snap harness at a local hardware store and tie one to each end of a long enough rope to extend past your trailer. Hook one to your boat and one to your trailer back and let it off the trailer and you can very slowly ease forward enough to get to your rope and simply unsnap it and re-attach it to an pier, post, or whatever while you go park. Works great for me and it s cheap!

You know. I understand exactly what G-man is talking about when he said get in the zone. I can go to any deer woods around and find the best place to put a stand or blind or spot and stalk, and will be in perfect tune with my surroundings and nature and have learned to trust my gut completely. I have been so close to whitetail bucks that it would blow your mind. NOW IF I could only learn how to do that on the water when it comes to Bass Fishing!!!!!!!!!!! On the water I'm lost sometimes and lack the confidence. I can catch fish but I am no where close to where I would like to be.

Threadfin Shad spawn when the water temp gets right for them. About the same time bass spawn. They attach their eggs to just about anything. (Weeds, rip-rap, rocks, sticks, piers, and even leaves.) If the temperatures change drastically they may abort the spawn and even absorb thier eggs but will atempt it again. If the water quality is good and it is fertile then the shad will be in good health and should spawn in the spring and in the fall. They are not very tolerate to sudden changes in water temps and will have a die off in extreme cold water. I'm in Alabama and this is not a major problem but I have seen it.

Cast for kids is at Guntersville state park this weekend May 3rd. Who will be there? I'm going as a boater and I hope to get to meet some of you there.