Lets talk game plans/strategies

[nhornback]

You make it sound as if there's something wrong with asking questions?

 Hope I'm not offending people by asking questions/wanting to absorb knowledge from those who have been around fishing much longer than I have.

 

 

[Flysmallie]

3 minutes ago, nhornback said:

You make it sound as if there's something wrong with asking questions?

 Hope I'm not offending people by asking questions/wanting to absorb knowledge from those who have been around fishing much longer than I have.

 

 

You ask as many as you want. Everyone learns something when questions are asked. That's what this place is about, people helping people. Some people are above that obviously but they are still here learning aren't they.

[Bass Enforcer]

Something else I have started doing which I'm sure many others are as well is using hi-vis line with a fluorocarbon leader especially when it's a "line watching" type of bite. You will see the smallest tick in your line so much easier. Its really improve my ability to see the smallest of line ticks. Good luck!

[dtrs5kprs]

Think prevailing wisdom is that clouds and wind tend to make them feed up, and high skies with flat calm water makes them feed down.

It's not that cut and dried. For one, what happens when those conditions split singly or rearrange? Wind generally makes them more prone to chase, but not necessarily up. Sun tends to glue them to the bottom, but it will also make them suspend around docks, deep trees, etc. Clouds and rain by themselves, no wind, can be super challenging. Fish can be anywhere behaving anyway with those conditions.

Just have to spend enough stick time to get a feel for what they are doing, or may do, based on conditions, and area of the lake. Never mind the fact that all 3 species will sometimes react differently to the same weather. This is one place where a guide or more experienced friend could be very helpful, both in terms of info, and observation.

[abkeenan]

13 minutes ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Think prevailing wisdom is that clouds and wind tend to make them feed up, and high skies with flat calm water makes them feed down.

It's not that cut and dried. For one, what happens when those conditions split singly or rearrange? Wind generally makes them more prone to chase, but not necessarily up. Sun tends to glue them to the bottom, but it will also make them suspend around docks, deep trees, etc. Clouds and rain by themselves, no wind, can be super challenging. Fish can be anywhere behaving anyway with those conditions.

Just have to spend enough stick time to get a feel for what they are doing, or may do, based on conditions, and area of the lake. Never mind the fact that all 3 species will sometimes react differently to the same weather. This is one place where a guide or more experienced friend could be very helpful, both in terms of info, and observation.

I don't know who Dave is kidding, he only has 5 rods on the deck now all rigged with that same "little fella" these days. He is a one trick pony and I am just waiting for all his Pre-Raps in his Bass Mafia boxes to appear on the Swap/Sell boards so I can make him an insulting lowball offer on them.

[holleybob]

1. Paying a guide is a good suggestions. Lots to be learned from the back of a boat. 

2. Fish as an amateur in a pro/am circuit. Lots to be learned from the back of those boats too. Make sure to fish the tournaments held in the worst conditions. you will learn the most on those days especially if paired with a really good Pro.

3.  There is no substitute for time on the water. Lots of good advice from very good fishermen here.  Take what they give and go spend some time on the water applying methods. 

4. Find your own way. Denny Brauer and Kevin Van Dam are very different fishermen yet they are both very good fishermen. 

Good luck and have fun! 

 

Jeff

 

[dtrs5kprs]

17 minutes ago, abkeenan said:

I don't know who Dave is kidding, he only has 5 rods on the deck now all rigged with that same "little fella" these days. He is a one trick pony and I am just waiting for all his Pre-Raps in his Bass Mafia boxes to appear on the Swap/Sell boards so I can make him an insulting lowball offer on them.

Now, now. I just had a tussle with the swimbait monkey. I might be fishing for one bite all day this year. Well...maybe not.

The little guy is a good example of an all condition bait though. Flat calm you can deadstick it, wind and clouds you can deadstick it, Sun and wind you can deadstick it .

It really is adaptable to conditions. Swimming it will work if they are feeding up (as when swimming it over beds). Dragging it along a little faster works if bright sun and wind have them on the bottom, but more actively feeding, or if boat control becomes an issue. Same for wet and windy. 

Brown fish can be very different. Sometimes "stupid smallmouth weather" will make them feed up, sometimes not, sometimes both. Little rig, boot tail swimmer, and grub days. Same kind of days the green ones might be all over a stickbait or a blade, feeding up.

[abkeenan]

33 minutes ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Now, now. I just had a tussle with the swimbait monkey. I might be fishing for one bite all day this year. Well...maybe not.

The little guy is a good example of an all condition bait though. Flat calm you can deadstick it, wind and clouds you can deadstick it, Sun and wind you can deadstick it .

It really is adaptable to conditions. Swimming it will work if they are feeding up (as when swimming it over beds). Dragging it along a little faster works if bright sun and wind have them on the bottom, but more actively feeding, or if boat control becomes an issue. Same for wet and windy. 

Brown fish can be very different. Sometimes "stupid smallmouth weather" will make them feed up, sometimes not, sometimes both. Little rig, boot tail swimmer, and grub days. Same kind of days the green ones might be all over a stickbait or a blade, feeding up.

I just got a BD Shad last week and probably gonna pick up a R2S S Waver in the 200. I realize these aren't much $ in the swimbait game but the monkey is turning into a gorilla lately with these dang glidebaits and whatnot. What did you pick up? 

[dtrs5kprs]

Couple of Morone swimbaits fom eBay. Not glide baits but looks like they run decently in their videos. One of each size of the Savage Gear 3d glide in gizzard shad. Those are a lot smaller than I expected. Big item was a 6th Sense Flow Glider in gizzard shad. Have a few S-wavers and Spro swimmers already.

Planning to build a few swimmers, probably not until summer when I can easily take a 10 minute drive to test them. Wanted to have a variety of baits to see what makes the good ones good, and vice versa. Not so much looking to copy baits, as combine positive features. Also spent a bunch of time watching the Roman Made construction videos and picking through the autopsy article on those.

I know it will be a fun finesse year, but if we have water in the bushes and over the tops of normally exposed trees it could be a fun swimbait year too. 

[dtrs5kprs]

That BD shad looks like a pretty straight up copy of the Buill Shad. Curious about how it will run. Every time I get the notion to buy a Bull Shad they are either out, or I can't decide on which version to buy.