ww2farmer

Welcome....................and if you want to get off the bank, and drive a little to the south,I have a long standing policy that all WNY Bass Resource members are invited on my boat to either fish Silver or Conesus.............at least once LOL...............except for clayton86

My first post on this forum was an apology for all the things I was going to say the next 10+ years.

These "match the hatch" guys are the same people who will painstakingly try to buy the most realistic swimbaits to festoon their A-rigs with.................never mind all those wires and hooks. Super duper realistic crankbait paint jobs catch fisherman............you can catch a bass on a corn cob if you put it in his face.

I like trailers that can pull double duty.............I.E. be fished alone as a t-rig bait. Chigger Craws, Pit Bosses, and a few other select baits get the bulk of the trailer work for me.

SK S11's for me in the amber color. The pair I have is from when these glasses first came out 4-5 years ago, and I have worn them EVERY DAY, and are still fine. Not bad for $40

Are you sure it was me? LOL

The list is endless.....................However, i don't get too mad at the jet skiers, and pleasure boaters, it's there water too, and most of them are not idiots on purpose, they just don't know any better. It's other fisherman that drive me over the edge. A few things over the years that stick in my mind. #1...........I was fishing a row of docks that were close together, and had another bass angler set his boat down off plane and start fishing 1............ONE!!!! dock in front of me, the direction I was heading. I came unglued............he left. The jist of my hollering and scene causing was this: First.............there's 30 docks on this shore line, you want to fish them too........fine, but don't start one dock ahead of me, at a distance where I could have flipped my bait into your back pocket. #2.......I was fishing an off shore weed bed in front of a stretch of bank that had no homes/dock on it, another guy was fishing the docks leading into this area. Instead of going out and around me and the weed bed I was fishing to reach the next stretch of docks, he puts the TM on high and makes a beeline right into the middle of the area I was fishing. I picked up my punching rod and launched a 1oz punch rig so close to his head it hit the brim of his hat, and gave him the look. I have never seen a bass boat go in reverse under TM power faster in my life. Funny thing is, this guy and I have become friends after this incident, but it has never been spoken of. #3...... Two wrong don't make a right, and I am the idiot in this tale. Often on my home lake other clubs have tournaments that I have no idea are going on until I get to the ramp that day to fish. Sometimes, I turn around and go to Conesus to give them room, but often I go out and try and stay out of the way of any of the guys in the tournament. On 2 different times, the same guy, from the same club, would follow me around fishing the "bent rod" pattern, and then cut me off in areas I was fishing. So...............time #3 I get to the ramp, see this club is there, and see this guy's trailer in the parking lot. I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine if I come across him................BUT..............it never got to that point. I started crushing fish left and right well away from crowd that day, and had a 20+ lb limit for my best 5. With all the fish in the box, I drove around looking for this guy. I found him, and started making small talk and being "nice". He tells me he is having a rough day, hasn't got a limit yet, has lost a few good ones, and the ones he has are small. I then said..............."well a-hole, you should have followed me around again today, and cut me off like the last two times you were here". Then I pulled each fish out of the livewell one at a time, calling out the weights, and tossing them in right into the area he was casting. I was mighty amused with myself for a few minutes after this, but then I started felling kinda bad, and know I acted like a jerk. To make matters worse, my buddy Tim who is in this club, told me later that guy got all spun out over this and went home early. I approached the guy a year or two later on the water while they were fishing another tournament, and we both buried the hatchet over each others dumb moves, and we have never had a problem since.

The last two years have been a return to "old school" for me, I find myself flipping tubes and using power worms in the places where everyone else is fishing the latest and greatest beaver, craw, and worm style baits..............and I am catching a lot of fish on them.

There is no more valuable lesson than spending time on the water and learning for yourself what works for you. That being said, some of the people whom I have learned a great deal from over the years have been: #1 My grandpa, he taught me the basics when I was a kid that has led to a lifelong enjoyment of fishing #2 bass resource member, and friend wnybassman. I was very very "green" in tournament bass fishing when he and I first met, and just by fishing with him both for fun, and in a lot of tournaments over the years, I have learned on an expidited curve the past 10+ years several things that might have taken me ages to figure out. Especially when chasing smallmouth, and tournament fishing. #3 almost every other single person I have fished with.............too many to list. Your never too old to learn. #4 this place............the wealth of knowledge, and the good people willing to share it here is nothing short of amazing.

If you can't afford a high end reel, and/or you don't want to spend the money on one...............Go straight to the Pflueger President. It's a high end reel in durability, and performance, with a poor man's price tag.

I have caught more smallmouth on SK KVD 1.5's and 5xd's than all my other crankbaits combined. The 3xd has always struck me as a perfect smallmouth crank in my home lake, but oddly they prefer the 5xd, even when I fish both baits in the same depths. Which is usually 8-12 feet. Both baits hit bottom with ease on long casts at these depths with my line choice, but the 5xd get's there quicker, and stays there for a longer duration of the cast, and "digs" the bottom better..........Some people will tell you a deep crank "plowing" the bottom is not optimal,and you want one that just "ticks" off the bottom, but I am telling you, where I fish, plowing that bait on the bottom gets more bites.

I am with several of the other posters in this thread. Blade baits work very very well for me in high 30-low 50 degree water, but get put away out side of this temp. range. Lipless cranks are another bait I do really well on in 40-60 degree water, but struggle to get bit with in late spring - early fall, a handful of fish here and there outside that, but I always seem to try and make them work with little success in the summer. Suspending jerkbaits are best for me in 40-60 degree water as well, Frogs/other top water don't see much use until the water hits the mid 50 degree range in the spring, and get put away in the fall when the temps dip below that. Deep cranking is very season specific on my home lake, they seem to haul water until mid-late summer when the water is at it's warmest point that it will reach all year, and will continue to work well until early fall..........or the first big drop in water temp. To counter the baits/presentations that seem to work in seasonally specific conditions, I have found these baits/presentations to work across the board, no matter the season or water temps, provided you are using them in the right locations. Square bill cranks.......40 degree water to 80 degree water, if fish are in areas where a square bill shines, they get bit. Chatterbaits and swim jigs........same as above Jigs...........dragging football jigs, flipping jigs into cover, etc....get bit year round Drop shotting.............one of two rigs/presentations I have ties on year round, the other is: Wacky jigs............either with a worm or stick bait, there are very very few times I don't throw it for at least a little every single time I am on the water, and even fewer times, not matter the time of year, in which a few fish don't make it to the boat on a wacky jig, no matter the season or water temps. Carolina rigs.........I have caught fish on carolina rigs with my guides iced up, or when it's so hot out it's almost unpleasant to be on the water and last but not least....the good old Texas rig............baits used, and sinker weights may vary during the year, but it works all the time.

punching or using a weight greater than 3/4 oz. I like a 5/0 straight shank VMC flipping hook pitching and flipping with less than 3/4 oz. I like a 4/0 EWG VMC super line hook

Several reasons: #1 I like it.............bass fishing that is, I really am not a fan of other types of angling. I occasionally ice fish in the winter, or break out the panfish rods in the open water season, and I don't mind catching pike or other fish while I am bass fishing, but 99.9% of the time if I am fishing, it's for bass. #2 I am good at it, and I enjoy proving it via tournament fishing. I could care less if money was ever exchanged. #3 It's fun...........I might be a little grumpy after a slow day, or a poor showing in a tournament, but in the grand scheme of things, there was almost 100% nothing else I would have rather been doing on those tough days. #4 I am a solitary person, I like spending hours alone on the water.........I really do. I fish with other people often, but I really enjoy being by myself more often than not. #5 There are a lot worse things I could be doing. #6 After not doing much but tinkering with guns, plinking around and reloading ammo all winter, it's a nice thing to be outside all the time in the fresh air, without a care in the world...............if my biggest problems in life are the irritating sounds and wakes from jet skiers, life is good. And last but not least, and maybe the most important reason to me: #7 It's in my blood..............I was born and raised a stones throw from my home lake, my grandpa taught me to fish on this lake, I spent countless hours with him during my childhood, and later by myself in my late teens in rented boats from the local bait shop bass fishing on this lake, I returned the favor and took him with me many times when I bought a boat of my own before he became unable to safely fish anymore, my entire family (mom, sister, grandma, grandpa, and my uncle who was like a brother to me) that is no longer with us in body, is with me in spirit when I am on this lake, as they are all laid to rest over looking me on this lake...............this lake is...............home.

Since last report.................won another tournament this past Sunday, and have been on fire this week fun fishing. These freaking bass..............slow in the morning and at night when it's semi-cool out, but have been jumping in the boat in the middle of these 90 degree days. Oh well. I got sunscreen and a big water jug. The late afternoon thunderstorms are nice, they have been keeping me cool and turning on the cranking bite for as long as they last......... Very distinct thermocline has now formed in my home lake at around 12 feet. And other than seeing it on the graph, I have found the other tell tale sign that happens every summer once one sets up..................Smallmouth in the weeds on hot days.

The small Booyah pad crasher. Cheap, durable, and effective. I skip them under docks/overhanging cover on M spinning gear with 20lb braid when they are slapping at the regular sized frog and not taking it. I have caught multiple 5+ lb fish over the years by "finesse frogging" It's not my favorite thing to do, but I do what I have to, to get bites on any given day. BTW............I can NOT recommend the small Spro Popping frog. They are made of tissue paper, and cost twice as much as the booyah. I bought a bunch of them when they first came out a few years ago, and none of them lasted more than 2-3 fish before the weight fell out of the belly, or they just plain ripped up too bad to use.

Yeah...............let me know when you want to go LOL

I have multiple Silver Max 2 and Black Max 2 reels that have seen hard use, almost every day from April-November, for the last three years............frogging, cranking, flipping, and everything else. They have held up just fine. At this point in their life, they are smoother, quieter, cast better,look better, and all around perform better than several higher priced, metal framed reels from other companies that were also bought new at the same time and put through the same duty as the Max reels. Other than an occasional drop of oil on the spool bearings, and worm gear, and off season tear down for cleaning/relube ( I had one Black Max that the anti-reverse was working "iffy" on towards the end of last season, that was fixed by a simple cleaning and re-oiling of the AR bearing this winter) I am impressed. They have hauled more 5-6lb bass out of nasty thick cover on frogs and while flipping/punching over the last 3 years that I can count, have spent countless hours pulling deep cranks trough weeds and over other assorted offshore cover. They cast light weight baits as good as any sub $200 reel I have ever owned, and I can skip docks with them effortlessly. The graphite frame is nothing to run away scared from, I have had ZERO of the issues people claim I would have had by not having a metal frame. These reels have held up to some pretty large Pike.............which I promise you can wreck gear, and lb for lb put bass to shame. They have had braid on them the entire time too, no grooving of the level wind eye, or any other issues. I don't fish as much as some people here, but I do fish more than most. And if they have lasted this long for me, they are good to go IMHO. They are all I am buying from now on. Even if one of the old ones give up on me tomorrow, I am out $50-$60.............. I have had several reels of various makes over the years that cost as much as 3 times as what these Max reels cost not live as long, and cost more than what a replacement Max reel costs for repairs. The bonus is..............if a Max reel does die, Abu sells parts, or I toss it in the junk drawer, buy a new one, and have a cheap source of parts for the other reels.

I have kinda given up on my reports...........but I have been fishing............a lot. And catching fish.

Fallen way way behind in my reports since grandpa passed...........so much so that I don't remember a few things. The high lights of the last few weeks are: I have fished 3 tournaments since my last report, 2 with wnybassman, and one with RIck............and we have WON all 3!!! The best fish I have caught fun fishing since the last report was a 6-1 largemouth.

I have been doing this for years.............keep playing with it, it works.

Yum Warning shot, kill shot, or sharp shooter or the 3" Yum Dinger...............$2.99 a bag. The 4" sharpshooters come 20 to a bag, and catch the fire out of them. That's a lot of bang for the buck. Almost ALL my plastics are $2.99 Yum and $2.99 Berkley Havoc baits, with the exception of a few things like chigger craws, and power worms............which I buy from Walmart, who still charge less than $4 a bag for them, where they are $4.50+ every where else.

Thanks for the thoughts and well wishes everyone. I am oddly more at peace with this than I would have thought, because I know his struggle is over. I got over the biggest hurdle, which was telling my kids that great grandpa was no longer with us in body. But it is of great comfort knowing that every day for the rest of my life, a part of him will be with me, especially when I go fishing on Silver Lake..............which is "home"

My grandpa, who was 86, passed away last night in the hospital, after a long 4-5 year struggle following a stroke, a battle with alzheimers, and parkinsons. It's been a long couple years for all of us after he had a stroke 4-5 years ago. My aunt's, and mother (while she was still alive) took care of the inside the house stuff........like the cooking for him, cleaning, making sure he had his meds. and got to his doctors appts., while my uncles and I took care of the outside stuff like mowing the yard, snow removal, yard/house maint..........and other chores keeping the place as he would want it to be kept if he was still able. This was the man who was my "father"............as my father was never a part of my life. Taught me to fish, shoot, drive, shave, etc....took me in and raised me when my own parents were not willing or capable of doing so. Was at all my baseball, football games and school functions when I was a kid. Made sure I never went without. He, and my grandmother, who died almost 12 years ago to the day, went above and beyond their whole lives to do anything for me and to this day I keep my boat in his garage as he wanted me to have it there because it was close to the lake and made it less of a hassle for me do the thing I love to do. I am glad he got to see and know my own kids, his great-grandchildren, I wish my grandmother would have been around for that. Not a day goes by, that I don't, for at least a moment, think about all those people in my life that are now gone. My sister, my mother, my uncle, my grandma, and now my grandpa. The are all buried in the cemetery overlooking Silver Lake, and I take great comfort knowing, every time I go fishing, they are nearby. Like I said..........it's been a hard past few years dealing with his condition, and part of me is glad his struggle is over....but we would have gladly kept up the fight..........forever, if it meant avoiding this. R.I.P. Grandpa, you are loved and will be missed.

I try to offend as many people as possible.............and it somehow has worked out pretty good for me. If it didn't I was going to just start posting pictures of naked women................that's always a good move.