New techniques

[skeeterman190]

Im with LGMOUTH im going to work on cranking more. Also some other reaction baits. Yeah i know TCOOK "when pigs fly, he'll throw that senko till hes purple all year long." right?? haha- im so bored i could scream! cmon spring..-skeeterman-

[chrisvmo]

I am going to work on the behind the back through the legs jump cast! I heard its hard but pretty freaken sweet!

[skeeterman190]

  A comedian i love it. when u get the .. over the tree,under the pontoon into the 5lbers mouth. added onto your new found skill.. you'll be a pro! i think, aint that what that hartley guy was doing in the classic last year??-skeeterman-

[Lightningboy]

You guys talking about cranks got me thinking about the past; it's one of the techniques I set out to learn that really succeeded.

I used to be a die hard soft plastics guy, but getting my butt kicked by guys with cranks made me take a hard look.  So I bought a cranking rod, and a little spread of cranks I had researched, and made a promise to fish them hard.

I also talked with a couple of guys via e-mail who were hard core crankers.  I asked some questions, went fishing, and asked some more.  I gotta really thank Thad Rains from BFHP; he took some real time to explain crankbait movement.

One of the additional secrets I learned along the way was that slowing down when the bite got tough wasn't always the right plan.  Many times you need to speed up.  If that bait is moving fast enough, a bass needs to decide fast to try it or it's gone.  I was blown away by how many bites I had missed out on.

Now I have a hard time not cranking, especially rattlebaits.  Last July I lost out on some tough bites I could have saved with the drop shot because I though I new a hard bait bite was gonna happen.

That's why I'm choosing slower presentations to work on this season.  I want to get better at my on the water decisions, especially my abillity to recognize how & when to switch gears.

[skeeterman190]

 I think we all wanna learn that, on the water desicion making.. its got to be the hardest. when to stay when to go. Its all a matter of time spent out on the water and learning to adapt. then theres smallmouth ill leave that one alone!-skeeterman- good info on the crankbait retrieves.

[Durand Dan]

I am going to work on the behind the back through the legs jump cast! I heard its hard but pretty freaken sweet!

I hate to end up in the emergency room after one of those casts!

[Ryan]

then theres smallmouth ill leave that one alone!

Haha, that is exactly how I feel most of the time smallmouth fishing! I couldn't have said it better myself.

[chrisvmo]

I really agree with the decision makeing. I wasted alot of time this year fishing techniques and spots that are proven. Somtimes I can be a little stuburn.

[t-bone]

For 2008 it was dropshotting and cranks - I now have a lot of confidence in dropshot (who wouldn't) and I'm almost there with cranks.

For 2009 - I'm going to work on jerkbaits and jigs. I've thrown jerkbaits around but I must not have the cadence down or I must not be pausing long enough. I just don't tie on Jigs enough yet, so I'm going to spend some days with only a jig and start learning.

[dashaver63]

Jig fishing can be the most frustrating or rewarding techniques out there. The biggest thing I found is having a good assortment of weights to play with. The rate of the fall must always be considered. Some days a finesse jig with a slow fall is just what the fish wants, then just as you think you've patterned the fish, they quit biting it. I'll go to a heavier jig and make the fish react to it as it fly's to the bottom. Then there is the trailer, use one with a lot of action like a Paca Chunk, or one with sublte action like a Zoom chunk. Should I add rattles? Do I need to swim it? You can fish an entire season just throwing jigs and never have the same bite twice, I love jigs, they can be the most versatil weapon in your tackle box. 3/4 oz. football jigs through an old river bed in 20' of water, flipping 1/4 oz. in 3' of water or swimming them over a big weedy flat. Use your imagination with them and have some fun with them. Can you tell I love jigs?

[Fishmael]

For me, 2009 will be a good fishing year.  The biggest improvement to on-the-water decisions I have made is to change fishing partners...actually I will probably fish a lot of the one-on-one deals, unless I find another partner who is pretty good.  It is tiresome fishing with someone who thinks they either need to fish the spot they caught on 10" a week ago thursday, or he heard from "enter name of thinks he knows more than he really does person here" that fishing out from the dock with the red pontoon is a real hot spot.  Then at the end of a 3 hour tourney with only 3 fish in the box that I caught, I hear "hmm, don't really know why we didn't catch em tonight"....Glad I got my own boat now.

[t-bone]

That jig information is great - thanks. I'll have to experiment and I have a lot to learn. I do have a box full of them that have never seen water - so I'm ready to go.

I've seen the same thing from partners - some times people get consumed with a particular spot or information rather than adjusting to what is currently happening. Just because you think you saw a large fish on a rock an hour ago, don't leave an area that we are actively catching them in. Once we find a real pattern lets stick to it but be flexible to give it up once it drys up. I've fished with some stubborn guys.

I think it is always a great conversation at the end of the tournament to think about what you and your partner could have done differently - even if you caught em great or you didn't. It is always a good practice to talk about the decisions and try to learn from them.

[Got Fish??]

  Hey Bender, You can jig fish shallow. Just throw Your best skert and chunk soft plastic on plan hook fish it slow like your led jig. If you have confidence in your led jigs that you fish deep you will catch fish shallow. I myself am going to fish faster this year. Not taking so much time to fish one spot. I seem to beat up on one spot for to long. Good luck fellow anglers. Got Fish?