Bass_Akwards

I've looked at the Uni Knot in a couple videos and it seems like it's kind of a pain in the arse. Maybe "knot" but does anyone know of a simpler, less time consuming knot to tie my backing to my main line?

Unreal! I got home last night all psyched to watch day 3 of the classic and my adorable wife erased it from the DVR by accident. I know it's on again in a week on ESPN2 but I dnt want to wait a week. Anyone know where I can watch it online? Thanks!

Ice has been off for several weeks BUT the water is still really cold. Havent taken temps but Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Today is the first day over 50 in forever and I'm going fishing! A few questions... 1. I'll be downsizing for sure and slowing down to a crawl but I wont catch 'em if I'm not on 'em. At about what water temps are the bass going to move to shallower cover with deep water access? 2. Should I assume the bass are deep right now since the water is so cold still? 3. Is it possible to get a reaction strike from a bass in water with temps in the 50's when finesse baits arent working? (using a rattle trap or the like?) Please give us your best winter and cold water bass fishing tips. Times of day (i like to let the water warm up a little) most successful places you fish in cold water (windy points, deep structure, etc) Thanks!

Greetings all, So here's the deal, I'm going to Costa Rica with the wifey in April. We're JUST starting to research the trip, pick dates and places etc. I'm wondering if anyone has bass fished in Costa Rica and where I can go for a day trip by myself to catch some bass. Are there largemouth down there or mostly peacocks? What lake can I go to that is kind of near a great vacation spot for my wife and I? Thanks!

Catt, #1 I've thought the same thing before but it surely can't be true right? I mean when you keep saying "the bass" you can't mean ALL the bass right? Doesn't the "bite" have to be on for different bass at different times? #2 My biggest weakness as an angler is not being able to determine if I should move from a piece of structure or cover(s) or switch baits. I usually sit it out and stay stubborn, sticking to the cover for what I believe is to long. I feel like I should be switching baits perhaps fishing a different level of the water column, but I don't. I stay stubborn and keep throwing a confidence bait. I hate it. #3 Let's say you go out at noon and fish a structure you killed them on with a crank bait the last couple times you went out. You fish for 3 hours with your crank bait and catch one dink or even nothing. How do you as an angler determine if 1. You're not getting bites due to bait choice, bait color, or bait presentation, 2. You're not getting on bites because plain and simply you're not "on fish." OR 3. You're not getting bites because it WILL BE an "evening bite or WAS a "morning bite, and you missed the bite?" Thanks bro!

Yep, not even thinking about FLMB, impossible here once November rolls around. Sometimes over the past 5 years, I wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, chanting 11.6, 11.6 11.6 over and over again. I know that number like I know my own birthday. I just found a photo of a 13 pound bass caught in a private pond here on the front range. 13 pounds!!!!!! I know many people believe catching a 13 pound bass in a private pond doesnt equal doing it in a natural lake or pond, but frankly I couldn't care less. Pulling in a 10+ ANYWHERE in Colorado would be an incredible experience. When a 10+ NLMB is on my line and we're fighting each other like mad, I'm not gunna be thinking "Well shoot, this is lame because I'm on a private lake" I probably wouldn't take it in to get the State Record either but that's neither here nor there. LOOK AT THIS COLORADO PIG! Like me, he won't even bring it in to be looked at for a state record.

Let me preface this by saying I'm a HUGE believer that "being ON big bass is how you catch big bass" as opposed to the bait choice you use etc. BUT, I only believe that to a point. In any case, I've heard you say "it's really just the time and place" a lot Chris. Do you REALLY believe that? If so, it's very interesting to me. Personally I think you're selling yourself a little short, or just being modest. I might not say that if I didn't know you've caught the number of huge bass you have, but you have, and therefore it can't JUST be time and place can it? Even in the "personal best" thread you mention "but if you had been in that spot, at that time, and casting that lure, "YOU would have been the one to catch THAT fish" Really? I'm not so sure. To me "time and place" is the real talent but that's beside the point. I feel that if you put a large percentage of anglers in that spot you caught your lake record, with the same bait, at the same time, odds are, they wouldn't have hooked that bass much less fought it correctly, and then landed it. Just an opinion, I could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time.

I'd love to chat with either one of them or both, but figured they'd be way to busy to want to deal with lil ole me. Bob and Todd, if you read this and don't mind a PM from me, please let me know. Turning a good fishery into a relative "world class" fishery would be a dream come true for me.

Okay so I have a friend here in Colorado who I met last year. He owns a nice little 50 acre pond that's been stocked with Largemouth, Smallmouth, Walleye, Wiper, Bluegill, Croppy, and Perch. He said he's stocked it a bunch of times over the years but not for a few years. He said he's caught fish in there the past few years ranging from 6 inches up to 22 inches so that's good for the year classes I think. Assuming the lake is healthy, What's the best way to stock it the next few years in terms of the ratio of bait fish to game fish? Should he stock largemouth this year, and bait fish next year? Both in the same year? Only bass for 3 years and bait fish the 4th year? What's best? I want to turn his pond into an amazing place to land LUNKERS. I'll always continue to fish public waters in search of a state record, but it sure would be nice to be able to hit his pond in a few years and catch a few 8 pounders.

Anyone else jealous that one of Chris' biggest problems in fishing is the 48oz difference between the gargantuan 6+ pound toadmonsters he catches on a regular basis, and the 9+ pound dream fish that he's probably gunna catch in the next year? (I have faith brother!)

I was curious if anyone has made an inexpensive, creative, good working anchor for their boat that they're really proud of. I'm thinking about buying a little 12' aluminum boat and if I do, what's the best way to build a great anchor for it? Coffee can, cement, nails? Or is there a better way? Thanks!

Baits don't catch big bass, being on big bass catches big bass. The bait is secondary. Trust me, if you're on big bass, you can throw several baits and catch them most of the time. Locate them first by understanding where the big girls hang out during this particular time of year, THEN worry about bait choice. Traditional big bass baits are spinnerbaits, swimbaits, 10 inch worms, bigger jig and pigs and live bait. That's not to say you can't catch a 9 pound bass on a 5'' worm or crankbait either but when you locate giant bass, I'd first go with some of the above baits and see what works.

What craw do you guys have the most confidence in when texas rigging? I have had a little luck T-Rigging the Berkely 4'' Chigger Craw, but I'm looking for something different and potentially "better." Anyway, what craw have you guys traditionally crushed the big mamas on?

Just like shooting free throws at the end of a big basketball game, it takes calm nerves to land big, hard fighting bass. When you lose one, you just have to think of how many are lost each year on the rods of KVD and the rest of those studs and it tends to make you feel a little better. Losing them happens, so it's fine to let it bother you, but don't take it to hard. You can be a great bass angler and still lose some toads. Secondly, a lot of NOT losing big bass one day, is remembering how you DID lose a big bass on another day. In other words, after losing a big bass, take the time to try and figure out what went wrong. Theres usually a list of things that could have potentially gone wrong on any particular cast, so look at the clues, learn, and try to remember for next time. Things such as being to lazy to check your line for abrasions after catching a few 3 pounders, not keeping the fish in front of you, or "horsing" a big bass are just a few of the mistakes that can be made when your personal best is on the line. Many people can fight a fish but when they actually SEE the giant for the first time, they start freaking out. It's human nature to set the hook, fight the fish for 7 seconds, and then SEE your personal best jump out of the water and mentally lose focus. If this happens, you're doomed. You need to stay super calm, act like you've been there before, and use your sense of feel to understand what the bass is doing so you can act accordingly. Almost every big bass I've ever caught on a boat will make a big move when they get a good look or a good sense of the boat your fishing from. It happens almost every single time so you need to be prepared for it. People sometimes fight the big bass all the way to the boat, feel like the fight is over, and WHAM, the fish makes a big breaking dive and you're done. Don't let it happen to you. Lastly, my uncle who was a tourney pro taught me when I was 13 or so about back reeling. I've seen a couple pro's who use this method with bigger fish on spinning gear. If you fish spinning gear, just take the anti reverse off when you land a big one and when she pulls hard, you can let the reel spin the opposite way to let out some line and play the fish as you see fit. Takes practice but it works wonders.

Again, I've asked this before, but I wonder if some people have changed their minds, and what new members of the board think? Obviously there's no one here who doesn't love all four of these things, BUT What's your favorite part of catching a largemouth bass? The bite? The hook set? The fight? Or is it finally pulling that fish out of the water and into the boat or shore to hold it? Tough call but there's just something about that hook set and buttoning a fish that I just can't help but to absolutely love more than anything. LOVE to feel that rod loaded up on a nice big mama. "Hook Set" is my choice!

I've asked this before, but it's been a long time. Deep down, are you a "NUMBERS angler" or are you a "SIZE angler?" I know your answer might change depending on the situation. For example, if you're fishing with your 6 year old son you're obviously going to answer "NUMBERS" because you want your kid to be on bass for 8 hours straight. This however is NOT what I'm talking about. I'm talking about deep down, when you think about getting out there on your favorite body of water, what is it you really want? Would you rather go out there and catch 75 "average sized" bass in 8 hours? Or would you rather have an 8 hour day where you catch ONE personal best bass that's considered large for that particular body of water? Would it make a difference WHEN in the outing you caught the huge bass? For example, what if you caught the monster bass on your first cast of the day and then didn't catch anything else for 8 straight hours? Is that better than catching an average sized bass every 5-10 minutes for 8 hours? I say YES! How about you?

First off. 1:40 = bass porn. THAT is what I live for! Secondly - 2:42 is awesome. Is that a Yamamoto Quack bait?

I'd be absolutely shocked if photoperiod isn't the answer.

I'd say, since you're a newb, instead of concentrating on catching the bigger fish in the pond, you should concentrate on just plain and simply catching bass. If you do that, the big fish will come. You can catch a 4-5 pound bass on the same bait you catch a 2 pound bass. If you want to catch bass of all sizes, and you're just startiing out, I'd try this. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

I find this to be accurate... Lighter fluoro in general is real pain to pick out regardless and kinks are the kiss of death. Roll casting, handle up are all good points. If you need to overhand cast for whatever reason, make sure the handle goes to you shoulder and its a smooth, fluid motion. If you want to use the thumb trick as DVT pointed out, your drag must be tightened down. Well d**n that sucks! I'll always be using flouro on my baitcasting reels.

Never would have guessed that Chris. That's awesome that you slay the monsters on spinning gear.

Was just reading some stuff from Steve Kennedy. He was saying "It really depends on the fishery but there's always one thing that resonates no matter where you are in the country, from Alabama to California." And that's how the fish funnel up and into a tributary to their final stop at the spawning areas, he believes. "The last deep bank in a given tributary is where you'll find the biggest concentrations of big bass," Kennedy notes. "They want that deep water and after they are committed to the spawn they will look for any breaks they can find in the backend of a creek." "From there, the fish will scatter out onto the spawning flats," he adds. "But if you can find that one, last deep spot in a tributary you normally find the biggest concentration of big bass." Gerald Swindle, a fellow Alabama Elite Series pro who finished 4th at the Golden State Shootout, believes that warm nights are a catalyst. His final day was capped by a 10-6 largemouth, one of several double-digit bass caught during the competition. "I'm not a biologist by any means, but we see this time and time again," he observes. "And what we see are these big bass showing up in shallow water early in the morning, making it obvious they are nocturnal, moving up at night. It was just amazing at Clear Lake." According to Swindle, the fish make their textbook migrations in early prespawn from deep water to mainlake points, and then move on to the secondary points within a tributary. "They go point to point, just like following a route on the interstate," he says. "The points are like rest areas where they can rest and feed." He continues, "thermal warmth during daytime is a given. It's the nighttime consistency the fish need to keep them moving inward." "If there is a cold night where the temperature takes a big dip then it slows the movement," he adds. "A lot of anglers don't think about the nighttime movement and activity of prespawn bass, but I believe it's a key to their migration." With the fish constantly on the move, another question requires an answer. And that is, where can an angler intercept these nomadic fish as they make sometimes unpredictable moves into the shallows? Swindle and his peers key on points all the way to the headwaters of a tributary. Additionally, the fish will funnel into ditches, cuts and channels as the tributary narrows in size and depth becomes more defined. "The good thing is the fish become more concentrated as they move shallower, making the strike zone smaller and easier to find," says Swindle. "Watching the daytime weather forecast is a give for anglers and especially during springtime when the weather changes all the time," he says. "But it's equally as important to follow the nighttime lows, when the fish are making their final move to the spawning flats." Good luck.

so basicly theres no difference between spooling a baitcasting reel and a spinning reel?

To put line on my Curado 200e7 do I simply go through the holes in the reel? I just read those holes are sharp and cut up line. I'm lost. Help?

Don't even get me started Chris. I've been whining about the wind for years and frankly, my fishing buddies are sick of it I think. I can't help it though. I mean I get it. Wind can position fish blah blah blah, but to me, the wind just ruins everything. I hate it on so many levels and for pretty much every sport, especially fishing. It's already kept me off the water this year and it's driving me mad. I haven't been out yet, and every time the weatherman says it should be a nice day to fish, it's cloudy and windy instead. The clouds are fine but the wind keeps me in. Here's a funny, artsy, super clever video on the subject to cheer you up though. Good stuff and I hope a lot of people watch it. Next time you fish and it's blowing outside, think of this video and maybe you'll have sympathy for the wind. lol.