Steve S.

Regarding color, I have a lot of success with a Clown colored (chartreuese with blue top) Risto-Rap or DT series crankbait. This is when I'm mostly fishing cranks in the deepest, swiftest water I can find. Throw the same bait across a clear, shallower stretch of river and I have seen the bass go running. There are always exceptions, of course. Husky jerks have always been a favorite of mine as well.

LOL! A 19-3/4" is just as good as a 20" in my book. That's a great catch!

Mike I would say that using the larger baits turns the odds in your favor of getting that 20"+ bass. I consistently catch larger bass on larger baits. I have caught them on 1/16 oz. jigs as well, but not as often. If you aren't keeping a big spinnerbait in your pack, you could be "missing the boat." I would say that a tandem white spinnerbait has caught more 18" plus bass for me than any other lure. A big topwater, buzzbait or crankbait works well too. When I work a finesse approach, lately I have been throwing 4" tubes or bigger. Being in big fish "habitat" is also a plus. To me, this usually means the right combination of structure and depth. The deeper water seems to be the key. There is a stretch of the WI River I have been fishing for close to 15 years (?). It sees a lot of fishermen and the big girls are not so easily fooled. Getting off the beaten path helps the odds in this case. But, knowing the fish are there, but wary, keeps me interested enough to keep plugging away. I'm not a live bait guy, but a live craw in this situation has helped saved the day many times when a mile downriver, they will more eagerly hit an artificial. I also like fishing the rivers when they are up a bit and a little off color. I think the stronger current really shakes them up and gets them on the feed for awhile. How are you guys measuring fish to the 1/4"? Isn't that an automatic roundup to the next whole inch? That's the way the USPS does it! From the butt of my rod to the first wrap is an even 18". That's as close as I ever measure. I tack on the inches as I see fit. I am an estimator by trade after all! Don, that is a sweet bass!

I signed

When I saw the fly, it reminded me of a plastic worm for largemouths. Blue-black is a popular/productive color scheme. Don't know much about flies and patterns, other than to say I would think a "match the hatch" typically would be natural colors. Looks like thinking outside the lines here is paying off. I've been trudging through some tall grass the past few weeks and besides being itchy, I've remained tick-free. I hate those things!!!! The K3 has been there forever, but the little guy is only little for so long. I'd be making the same choices as you.

I wonder if that fly would look better with two big blades churning above it??? LOL

Hey Mark Good to see you posting. Where have you been hiding? Any pics of the 'gills? That's a nice solid smallie and must have been a blast catching it on the flyrod. Maybe, someday I'll get back into flyfishing. How was the weather? It was pretty hot here. Thanks for the post!

Tom I'm not far from there, but have never fished there. My Dad has and has caught bass. I have not waded the Dupe at all because of the restrictions. However, I know others do, and I've seen a few go by the past few weeks. I may throw on some hip boots just to give me some more flexibility. The shores are growing pretty thick with cover! However, I also like fishing from shore and not having waders on in the hot weather. I'm not a wet wader, but that may change too.

5 minutes from the K3 huh? Sounds like a plan to me! I live across the street from the DuPage. It's great just to stand on the banks and cast, let alone catch bass. Really something to treasure.

12 minutes from home? That's gotta be priceless! I've worked no closer than 45 minutes drive (at 5:15 am) most of my life. Add working 12 hours to that to miss rush hour, which I hate driving in. That adds up to a lot of hours. Luckily, I like my job and I get paid well, on time and with good checks. Been there before, and with my oldest going to college, don't need to go there again!

Thomas Congrats on the new position! I've been out of work before, and I know how much that sucks! Gary - that's good perspective. I don't think anyone's job is safe anymore, but still a lot of us spend money like there's no tomorrow. Make sure you put some away too!

Randy Had to refine my flippin' / pitchin' technique on a recent trip to FL. I learned a lot from my brother - he was a real "master". It made all the difference when fishing isolated pockets for bass in the thick grass. It also came into play on the St. John's River, when we fished the pads. I don't know if you've ever snagged a lily pad, but it almost always ended up in a mangled worm that had to be re-rigged or changed, if not lost. Precise placement of our presentations resulted in a greater percentage of bass. I plan on using it on the rivers. In fact I already have when trying to cast while standing under some heavy tree growth. It defintely takes some practice!