AlabamaSpothunter

This video is the one that blew my mind and made me realize that FFS trumps everything including decades of time on water. Dude was fishing from a 14ft Jon fish just a few years ago like me, now he's the king of the big Bass universe. Ben Milliken's videos really bring this point home. It's not cheating, it's not traditional Bass fishing, it's something entirely new. I'm slowly shifting my opinion on FFS even though I'm currently saving for it. I think if we could go back in time, we might not invent it. Randy is right in many regards about FFS. It certainly is taking the magic away from Bass fishing. It's certainly hurting the spectator aspect of pro Bass fishing. Randy is also right about allowing these fish to have a "sanctuary" where they can live unmolested. Everybody always knew big fish roamed deep, but now FFS has taken the last hiding place from these fish away. Some people say well you never were gonna catch those fish anyway, to that I say exactly. Again I say all this as somebody who is DYING to get a scope. Go watch some Ben Milliken videos, he's savant level good on it, and he doesn't hide how he's using it. It's crazy how he teases fish into biting. 100% video game fishing when you get good on that level it seems.

If only he could have stretched it out a little further to the camera, I might have thought it was a 4lber.? Why do that on trophy caliber fish, it ruins the pics.

Love it Katie, and you are earning PHD, not an Associate's degree ? There is a special place for poachers and trespassers. A Bald Eagle was recently killed and eaten and made major news....sickening. Our Nation's symbol poached and eaten, ironic, sad, frustrating, infuriating. I like my membership I'll end it there. One of the things that attracts me most to the big Swimbaits is that I know nobody is really taking the time, money, etc. to chunk and wind them on my lake and hopefully they fool big fish. Ben Milliken thinks some big fish will only eat a big swimbait. I'd believe it based on how well he's at reading fish behavior on the scope.

Thanks Katie! We share a very similar fishing mentality I believe having re joined this amazing pursuit of green fish around the same time, and we both seem to be mentor-less sans spending as much time as possible on the water, and the internet, places like here and youtube. Once you can, you'll be fishing like a demon possessed, I believe that was one of my first comments after seeing several posts of yours ? You've been studying for a PHD over the winter, you're dedicating serious time, and effort into this thing even when not on the water. Your results coming soon will be spectacular, that PB in your avatar will be changing! That goes for many other of the regular posters up north, not fishing but still staying in the game and preparing and learning is the mark of a real fisherman. I caught that nice fish 100% because of Ben Milliken video I watched of his last night. Went to bed and said I'm going to the Dam and throwing a Big Swimbait. Honestly the last place I thought to go. Miss a fish, then caught that fish on the 3rd cast once at the Dam, I was like wow, the internet is realz ?

Caught 4 fish today, but one was a 5lb class fish. 3 fish on the Shimano big swimbait, and the ole' Berkeley Slobberknocker is off the board. This Shimano bait is really something else, 3 fish total might not sound like much, but on a day when everything including a Roboworm can't catch a fish, this bait gets three quality fish, and I had at least half of dozen strikes or follows. My budget for a lure is about $40-50 at this time, this is the most expensive bait I own. All the tech, the action, and ultimately the results seem to merit the cost imho. I have high hopes for this bait, it's just a big fish looking bait.

I accidentally hooked/caught a 10.2 Channel on 8lb/spinning gear.....took about 8mins, absolutely epic fight I accidentally hooked/caught a 9lb+ Channel on a big swimbait/rod/reel/line....took about 30 secs To discount the romantic and noble qualities with spinning tackle gives it a great disservice. Beyond applications, it provides both the fish a greater change at throwing/breaking off, and angler with a greater sensation of fight. Lastly the newer high end spinning reels are incredible, oddly worth the money. Way more refined than the nicest baitcaster imho. I have a new Certate that is a marvel in fuction and form. How could you live without one or two nice spinning combos, life is too short!

Beautiful fish, and I'd LOVE to catch a 6lb Rainbow. Do the big ones still taste as good as the stocker sized ones?

Awesome fish guys! I see a pattern here.....Quality over Quantity. I'll always take one toad over a bunch of little ones, finding the discipline for that is another story. Dang nice Spots! Bet that was fun ?

Thanks Bob!

Fantastic stuff except seeing the super G that many time ? Sublime, the ultimate happy place No problems exist in that small universe for the brief periods of time we are blessed to be a witness to it.

Like the black buzzer, I hope to mimic your success on one next winter. This winter was the only time in 20yrs of Bass fishing I thought I had them figured out for periods of time. I had the confidence to throw new baits which paid off. Summer night fishing was the only other time I was ever confident on the water. Fall is just so much fun even though it can be frustrating. You have epic days mixed with days of pure frustration. With Spring I just need more time on the water, I need to keep reading here more, watching more TB videos, etc. Just sucks going from understanding a little bit about these critters to feeling lost again. Such is Bass fishing for 95% of us. Yes, while the Fall can be tough for days or even a week, the Jerkbait days and Buzzbait days, and EXCEPTIONAL beauty all around you make up for it. Nothing like fishing a beautiful Fall day, wow that just took me their briefly. This was from Nov 5th, the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen

Man those two baits accounted for close to 200 fish this winter, big fish, little fish. I had a jigging spoon in my TW Tactical Bassin "winter baits" cart back in the Fall and decided to hold off as I had so many other new baits to try. Hope to try it next year though even though we don't have a huge Shad die off down here. I've read starting in the mid 40s Threadfins start struggling and dying as the water gets colder from there. We didn't see much if any temps like that this winter. To me instead of dying shad, those two baits just represented perfectly the size bait the fish were keying in on from Dec. to the first week into Feb. I found. Little sucker caught about 125 fish over a week this winter right before the pre spawn movement part started. I discovered it too late; I'm already stoked for winter again.

Nice, I'm finally at the "I don't give a blank how I look" hat phase, digging that one ? What a pretty fish, zero sympthy to you though for being foolish enough to throw a fidget spinner ? It's the "rosettes" on SMs, and especially Spots that I love. The top half has an almost snake like patterning. So cool. Some SMs don't have as pronounced ones, but I imagine they come back in a livewell.

Very interesting on trolling the whopper plopper, gonna have to give that a try, thanks!

Yeah screw all that, that's crazy.

I'm going with a Shad color Buzzer, but after this summer I hope to update that to a black one and also update my PB ? Buzzbaits have to count, 100% prop bait. @ol'crickety Can we get the Whopper Plopper Queen to the courtesy phone ?

Burned all my likes for the day, but thanks for the replies! 3 members from latitudes equal or below mine replied.....Mexico but can't fish winter, S Cali and enjoys winter fishing, and LA who didn't pick winter. Everyone else who replied is above me, and those replies are overwhelmingly for winter.

These are Bass beds correct? Caught about 20 sub 2lb fish earlier, all on the flashback mini. I can find bait of all sizes, I can find small fish to catch every day out, I simply can't consistently or even really at all catch 3lb+ fish. Still lots of fun to catch small fiesty Spotted Bass on a spinning reel, way better than doing the chores and grown up stuff I need to do ?

Come home from fishing for about three hours and got to read a bunch of great replies. Thanks for the replies! Interesting data starting to form, albeit not surprising given the number of members north of the Mason Dixon line. My guess is that my winters in central Alabama don't get cold enough to ever really shut the bite down, thinking back I can't recall seeing temps below 45-48 and that's after we had three straight days way below zero at Xmas. Caught my second biggest winter fish 3 days after that huge freeze/front moved through. edit: LOL....26 members voted, I'm the only Spring hater. That should tell me something, or better that I'm doing something wrong.

So which season do you find you struggle the most during, or which season to just dislike the most to fish during? I need to wait until the end of Spring to really answer my own question, but since starting back I've now fished the Summer, Fall, and Winter hard. Winter was easily my favorite, and very eye opening. It won easily in terms of numbers, and big fish. Spring has been Hades on Earth.....between me not finding quality fish, the extreme increase in human activity, and the weather is oddly less comfortable to fish in, it's already 81 here today. Any other Spring haters ?

I knew it was gonna be a kitty before the thread opened ?

No, but they really are excellent baits. Similar price yet totally different level of refinement and QC.

I catch 90% of my fish away from cover. I catch 90% of my big fish over 7lbs directly on cover. I lack the discipline to only fish cover methodically, I'm positive if I just fished the first several feet before and after cover with either moving baits or bottom contact stuff I'd have amassed a way bigger big Bass body count. I blame the Shad ?

Fantastic! 4lb Spots are always memorable.

Maybe damaged, but from the factory a 110 should sit nose down 45 degrees with just the tip of the tail poking from the water. Shimano's WM suspends horizontally, along with a Jackall Rerange/Squidminnow. They sell the actual outbarb replacement hooks, and someone will be along to give the proper splitring size. IIrc they are #2s. I found one just like that, cleaned it up but haven't replaced the hardware yet. Check for cracks because that's the only way the bait should have a sinking tail I'd imagine.