Review of the Mesa Tackle baits

So true Bob. I hope Bob L doesn't take this the wrong way, but I think his
basic problem stems not so much from a lack of skills & knowledge of
catching bass, but from a possible lack of fish-finding ability. I think
he's keeping a closed mind in saying "the fish have to be in the backwaters
(or anywhere else)", and ignoring the "main lake", etc.

I find bass relatively easy to catch, finding them is the difficult part.

The fish you catch in the backwaters look different because they came out of
shallower water, not because of thier diet being different. Put those fish
in deep water for a day & they'll look like the rest of the deepwater fish.

Warren

"Bob Rickard" wrote in message
m...
Bob, you just gave a thorough description of what fishing is. Nothing is
ever for sure. The best tackle and baits can give you an advantage, but
not
always. There is always room to better your performance, and there is
always
more to be learned. That is why fishing, and the quest for fishing
knowledge, is so darn much fun.

--
Bob Rickard
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I agree with Warren. A tough day is only tough because I cannot find
what
the fish want or what is needed to make them strike (out of anger,
fear,
instinct). But I have found during these times that my odd ball lures
are
the ones that draw the strike. Like this worm somebody gave me that
has
a
jig head with what appears to be a Indiana blade sticking out of it.
I
never use it unless all else fails, because it just doesn't fit my
normal
style of fishing, but it does work in those tough conditions. I have
may
be
a half-dozen lures that I call odd-balls, and each has produced fish,
typically in tough conditions.

--
Craig Baugher

Living in The United States, and Loving It!
Practicing My Freedom of Speech, and Enjoying It!
Knowing how to Thank those that paid for it, by Honoring It!



Its funny you guys have said that. I have relied pretty heavily on the
early morning topwater bite (something that has never produced for me in
the
past), and then on soft plastics this year. I spent a couple outings
throwing nothing but spinner baits and caught a few fish, but nothing
spectacular. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it and I have
been
thinking about some different things to throw at these fish. Almost
everybody here goes to flipping jigs or worms when it gets tough. Thats
what I did too.

Now I was thinking if the bite was tough why not try some of my old
standby
stuff. When I was a kid I caught a lot of bass (mostly small ones) on
small
Kastmaster spoons ripped very fast through the water, and small inline
spinners run as slow as I could run them. I even figured out how to run
them over weeds without hanging up. There does have to be atleast a few
inches of clear water over the weeds though. I would use a light action
rig
7' or longer and hold the rod tip as high as I could to keep the lure in
a
pulled up direction and crank it just fast enough to keep it out of the
weeds. I have already decided to have a couple of those tiednon next
time
I
go out. I also ordered a few of the Mepps minnow inlines. I only ever
owned a couple of those when I was a kid. At three bucks a pop they
were
more than I could usually afford so I stuck with the cheaper Rooster
Tails
or even cheaper generic spinners.

I never fished the big stuff when I was a kid tromping through the brush
on
the Gila River. Crank baits were out of my price range, and I would
have
never dreamed of throwing topwater.

I've listened to all this throw anchor line with boat anchors directly
the
brush stuff. I've learned that topwaters do produce some nice fish.
Finesse worms do work for sight fishing when the fish are biting. I
don't
know about the jig and trailer being the big fish getter, but I have
certainly tried it.

Now its time for me to go back to my basics.

Its going to be tough with all the weed growth in the water, but I will
give
it a shot.

As to knowing the fish are there... I have seen them. I really can't
imagine a back water fish is going to thread his way out of a 8-10 foot
deep
back lake through a bunch of shallow channels to the main river and hunt
the
main curent on a slow day. Sure he may move back into heavy cover, or
he
may move into to deeper water, but the fish I catch in the back waters
look
different than those I catch in the current. They eat different stuff
and
they hunt different prey.

Blame the bait? No that wasn't my point at all. They didn't make the
difference. Sure they are good looking baits, but they did not give me
an
edge.

Further back in the brush? Thats what I do when I pitch. In fact when
the
regular pitching gear failed to produce for me I started throwing light
action stuff back into the brush. By noon or one I was throwing 12 lb
(6lb
dia) super mono into cover I would normally reserve for 50lb Power Pro.
On
the edge of the brush and then towards deeeper water. I just wasn't
throwing what they wanted.

I was amazed though by how easily I got the lighter stuff in and out of
the
heavy stuff. I figured if I hooked up with it I would have to run the
boat
right up into the trash to get my fish. That was something I figured
I'ld
worry about after I actually hooked one.

My other stand by when I started to be able to afford stuff was the
Storm
Thin Fin Silver Shad crank bait. It was a bait that would always get me
a
fish or two of I just kept thowing it out and cranking it in very slow.
It
is no longer made, and it catches every weed in the area. With the
heavy
weed growth its difficult for me to throw a lot of my real confidence
baits,
but I think I am going try them next time out. My little green Zoom
U-Tails
didn't even produce this last time out, and they have been my hard corp
bait
in recent years.

Its been a tough season fishing for me. Just about the time I think I
have
something I can build on it quits working. I'll find an area that
produces
a few fish and a way that catches them and I'll set myself a plan to hit
that then try soemthing else, and I wind up trying something else
because
that didn't produce at all. I sympathise with some of the guys who come
in
here ready to just give up.

I've tried to blame my skills, but I hook most fish that I feel or see
hit.
Sure I describe missing some, but I've found things I can rely on. The
Excalibur rotating hooks now decorate most of my topwaters baits. I use
the
Eagle Claw rotating hooks for most soft plastic applications except
light
lining jerk baits where they tend to twist line. I know I don't have
much
of a touch for feeling a bite with the heavy action stuff, but I'm
pretty
good at watching the line. As for finding fish. In this shallow river
and
lake system the fish finders are of minimal use. Too much weed and
brush
growth paired with a lot of shallow water. As Van Dam says I do try to
follw the bait. A couple weekends ago I found a school of shad pinned
up
near the dock in Squaw lake. I caught a mess of small keepers there.
Or
as
any of the trouters would say match the hatch. When I get in waters
where
I
see lots of 3-4 inch bass I throw baby bass pattern baits and catch some
fish (most of the time). I just can't seem to find any patterns that
will
produce consistantly for me on good days much less on a tough day.

I go out with 12 - 15 rods rigged with different stuff, and by the end
of
the day I have fished every one of them. Usually a half dozen other
things
as well.

I try hard points which most anglers here ignore unless they see a feed
actually going on. I fish lake mouths and back water mouths when the
water
is rising or falling. I fish standing under water trees in open water
when
I can. Another thing that a lot of anglers around here seem to ignore.

The things I see others here doing consistantly day in day out is
throwing
topwater first thing in the morning, and pitching the shore of the main
current during the day. Some will also pitch the refuge (when its open)
in
Martinez lake and the shore line in Ferguson Lake. I've spent whole
days
doing each of those things trying to figure out what works when.

I try and fish with others when ever possible and I try to be a good
fishing
partner. I'm always quick with the net when my partner has a fish on.
I
always bring extra sodas and munchies for my fishing partner. If I am
fishing out of someody else's boat I always give them extra money for
fuel.
If I damage something I always point it out and take care of fixing it
no
matter the cost. I try to keep my mouth shut and not whine if I'm not
doing
well, and not brag if I'm the one putting fish in the boat.
Unfortunately
I
have found that most of the guys around here in the clubs are either
younger
and have no interest in fishing with a guy my age who has mediocre
skills
or
are much older and feel the same. Mostly they are 50-70 in the clubs
and
those of us under 40 are the "young pups." Thats was one of the reasons
I
decided I wanted my own boat. Atleast I could get out when ever I had
the
time.

As to guys not members of the local clubs that is harder. Of those I
have
met and who wanted to fish most have few skills, which I actually don't
have
a problem with. I learned balloon rigging minnows from a guy who
couldn't
cast a spinning rod in open water. That is a fish catching technique
that
is unequaled. I taught him my lazy sidearm cast that can put a bait
under
over hanging brush on the far bank. I learned about slow dragging worms
on
sandy slopes from a ten year old kid with a broken down spincaster. He
also
showed me how to use a round head jig to fish a worm in rock piles and
riprap. When it works it really works. When I was ten I figured out a
trout
lake that everybody said was dead anytime after a heavy rain fall. It
turned out that with the correct presentation that was the best time to
fish. When I was about eight I figured out a technique for fishing
under
bridges in current from the bank. Everybody can contribute something if
they are really interested in fishing. I kind of got turned off of a
lot
of
casual fishing partners though when I realized that most casual
fishermen
just want an excuse to go out and drink. Quite a number only if I buy
the
beer, bring my boat, supply the gear, bring the food, pick them up, and
don't even offer if they screw up some of my gear. If I wanted to pay
somebody to fish with me I would hire a guide. In fact I would but the
only
local guide I know is laid up with a torn achilles tendon.

I'm trying to learn new stuff. I do change up my gear. I try different
tactics and different waters regularly. I fish with other people when I
get
the chance.

You can only say so much in a usenet post. I imagine most people
reading
this one got bored somewhere around the second paragraph.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
ADD YOUR WEB LINK TO THE LINK INDEX ON MY SITE

Hmmmm.... my last three trips out I focused on backwaters because I have
primarliy fished the main channel and the two big lakes Martinez and
Ferguson the last several times out with little success. My last two times
in the back waters I caught fish. This time was a total zero.



"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
So true Bob. I hope Bob L doesn't take this the wrong way, but I think
his
basic problem stems not so much from a lack of skills & knowledge of
catching bass, but from a possible lack of fish-finding ability. I think
he's keeping a closed mind in saying "the fish have to be in the
backwaters
(or anywhere else)", and ignoring the "main lake", etc.

I find bass relatively easy to catch, finding them is the difficult part.

The fish you catch in the backwaters look different because they came out
of
shallower water, not because of thier diet being different. Put those
fish
in deep water for a day & they'll look like the rest of the deepwater
fish.

Warren

"Bob Rickard" wrote in message
m...
Bob, you just gave a thorough description of what fishing is. Nothing is
ever for sure. The best tackle and baits can give you an advantage, but
not
always. There is always room to better your performance, and there is
always
more to be learned. That is why fishing, and the quest for fishing
knowledge, is so darn much fun.

--
Bob Rickard
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I agree with Warren. A tough day is only tough because I cannot
find
what
the fish want or what is needed to make them strike (out of anger,
fear,
instinct). But I have found during these times that my odd ball
lures
are
the ones that draw the strike. Like this worm somebody gave me that
has
a
jig head with what appears to be a Indiana blade sticking out of it.
I
never use it unless all else fails, because it just doesn't fit my
normal
style of fishing, but it does work in those tough conditions. I
have
may
be
a half-dozen lures that I call odd-balls, and each has produced
fish,
typically in tough conditions.

--
Craig Baugher

Living in The United States, and Loving It!
Practicing My Freedom of Speech, and Enjoying It!
Knowing how to Thank those that paid for it, by Honoring It!



Its funny you guys have said that. I have relied pretty heavily on
the
early morning topwater bite (something that has never produced for me
in
the
past), and then on soft plastics this year. I spent a couple outings
throwing nothing but spinner baits and caught a few fish, but nothing
spectacular. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it and I have
been
thinking about some different things to throw at these fish. Almost
everybody here goes to flipping jigs or worms when it gets tough.
Thats
what I did too.

Now I was thinking if the bite was tough why not try some of my old
standby
stuff. When I was a kid I caught a lot of bass (mostly small ones) on
small
Kastmaster spoons ripped very fast through the water, and small inline
spinners run as slow as I could run them. I even figured out how to
run
them over weeds without hanging up. There does have to be atleast a
few
inches of clear water over the weeds though. I would use a light
action
rig
7' or longer and hold the rod tip as high as I could to keep the lure
in
a
pulled up direction and crank it just fast enough to keep it out of
the
weeds. I have already decided to have a couple of those tiednon next
time
I
go out. I also ordered a few of the Mepps minnow inlines. I only
ever
owned a couple of those when I was a kid. At three bucks a pop they
were
more than I could usually afford so I stuck with the cheaper Rooster
Tails
or even cheaper generic spinners.

I never fished the big stuff when I was a kid tromping through the
brush
on
the Gila River. Crank baits were out of my price range, and I would
have
never dreamed of throwing topwater.

I've listened to all this throw anchor line with boat anchors directly
the
brush stuff. I've learned that topwaters do produce some nice fish.
Finesse worms do work for sight fishing when the fish are biting. I
don't
know about the jig and trailer being the big fish getter, but I have
certainly tried it.

Now its time for me to go back to my basics.

Its going to be tough with all the weed growth in the water, but I
will
give
it a shot.

As to knowing the fish are there... I have seen them. I really can't
imagine a back water fish is going to thread his way out of a 8-10
foot
deep
back lake through a bunch of shallow channels to the main river and
hunt
the
main curent on a slow day. Sure he may move back into heavy cover, or
he
may move into to deeper water, but the fish I catch in the back waters
look
different than those I catch in the current. They eat different stuff
and
they hunt different prey.

Blame the bait? No that wasn't my point at all. They didn't make the
difference. Sure they are good looking baits, but they did not give
me
an
edge.

Further back in the brush? Thats what I do when I pitch. In fact
when
the
regular pitching gear failed to produce for me I started throwing
light
action stuff back into the brush. By noon or one I was throwing 12 lb
(6lb
dia) super mono into cover I would normally reserve for 50lb Power
Pro.
On
the edge of the brush and then towards deeeper water. I just wasn't
throwing what they wanted.

I was amazed though by how easily I got the lighter stuff in and out
of
the
heavy stuff. I figured if I hooked up with it I would have to run the
boat
right up into the trash to get my fish. That was something I figured
I'ld
worry about after I actually hooked one.

My other stand by when I started to be able to afford stuff was the
Storm
Thin Fin Silver Shad crank bait. It was a bait that would always get
me
a
fish or two of I just kept thowing it out and cranking it in very
slow.
It
is no longer made, and it catches every weed in the area. With the
heavy
weed growth its difficult for me to throw a lot of my real confidence
baits,
but I think I am going try them next time out. My little green Zoom
U-Tails
didn't even produce this last time out, and they have been my hard
corp
bait
in recent years.

Its been a tough season fishing for me. Just about the time I think I
have
something I can build on it quits working. I'll find an area that
produces
a few fish and a way that catches them and I'll set myself a plan to
hit
that then try soemthing else, and I wind up trying something else
because
that didn't produce at all. I sympathise with some of the guys who
come
in
here ready to just give up.

I've tried to blame my skills, but I hook most fish that I feel or see
hit.
Sure I describe missing some, but I've found things I can rely on.
The
Excalibur rotating hooks now decorate most of my topwaters baits. I u
se
the
Eagle Claw rotating hooks for most soft plastic applications except
light
lining jerk baits where they tend to twist line. I know I don't have
much
of a touch for feeling a bite with the heavy action stuff, but I'm
pretty
good at watching the line. As for finding fish. In this shallow
river
and
lake system the fish finders are of minimal use. Too much weed and
brush
growth paired with a lot of shallow water. As Van Dam says I do try
to
follw the bait. A couple weekends ago I found a school of shad pinned
up
near the dock in Squaw lake. I caught a mess of small keepers there.
Or
as
any of the trouters would say match the hatch. When I get in waters
where
I
see lots of 3-4 inch bass I throw baby bass pattern baits and catch
some
fish (most of the time). I just can't seem to find any patterns that
will
produce consistantly for me on good days much less on a tough day.

I go out with 12 - 15 rods rigged with different stuff, and by the end
of
the day I have fished every one of them. Usually a half dozen other
things
as well.

I try hard points which most anglers here ignore unless they see a
feed
actually going on. I fish lake mouths and back water mouths when the
water
is rising or falling. I fish standing under water trees in open water
when
I can. Another thing that a lot of anglers around here seem to
ignore.

The things I see others here doing consistantly day in day out is
throwing
topwater first thing in the morning, and pitching the shore of the
main
current during the day. Some will also pitch the refuge (when its
open)
in
Martinez lake and the shore line in Ferguson Lake. I've spent whole
days
doing each of those things trying to figure out what works when.

I try and fish with others when ever possible and I try to be a good
fishing
partner. I'm always quick with the net when my partner has a fish on.
I
always bring extra sodas and munchies for my fishing partner. If I am
fishing out of someody else's boat I always give them extra money for
fuel.
If I damage something I always point it out and take care of fixing it
no
matter the cost. I try to keep my mouth shut and not whine if I'm not
doing
well, and not brag if I'm the one putting fish in the boat.
Unfortunately
I
have found that most of the guys around here in the clubs are either
younger
and have no interest in fishing with a guy my age who has mediocre
skills
or
are much older and feel the same. Mostly they are 50-70 in the clubs
and
those of us under 40 are the "young pups." Thats was one of the
reasons
I
decided I wanted my own boat. Atleast I could get out when ever I had
the
time.

As to guys not members of the local clubs that is harder. Of those I
have
met and who wanted to fish most have few skills, which I actually
don't
have
a problem with. I learned balloon rigging minnows from a guy who
couldn't
cast a spinning rod in open water. That is a fish catching technique
that
is unequaled. I taught him my lazy sidearm cast that can put a bait
under
over hanging brush on the far bank. I learned about slow dragging
worms
on
sandy slopes from a ten year old kid with a broken down spincaster.
He
also
showed me how to use a round head jig to fish a worm in rock piles and
riprap. When it works it really works. When I was ten I figured out a
trout
lake that everybody said was dead anytime after a heavy rain fall. It
turned out that with the correct presentation that was the best time
to
fish. When I was about eight I figured out a technique for fishing
under
bridges in current from the bank. Everybody can contribute something
if
they are really interested in fishing. I kind of got turned off of a
lot
of
casual fishing partners though when I realized that most casual
fishermen
just want an excuse to go out and drink. Quite a number only if I buy
the
beer, bring my boat, supply the gear, bring the food, pick them up,
and
don't even offer if they screw up some of my gear. If I wanted to pay
somebody to fish with me I would hire a guide. In fact I would but
the
only
local guide I know is laid up with a torn achilles tendon.

I'm trying to learn new stuff. I do change up my gear. I try
different
tactics and different waters regularly. I fish with other people when
I
get
the chance.

You can only say so much in a usenet post. I imagine most people
reading
this one got bored somewhere around the second paragraph.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
ADD YOUR WEB LINK TO THE LINK INDEX ON MY SITE

John wrote:
..rarely have I ever heard "It
ws me!" But when they "win", it's always "me!"

My favorite is "My fish just never turned on today."

What does that mean? Finding fish that won't bite does not make you any
better than finding no fish at all. Worse maybe. If you weren't smart
enough to take the hint and either do something different or start looking
elsewhere, that makes you a dummy. Bear in mind that I've been that dummy
more times than I care to admit. But at least I know it was my fault, not
the fish's.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

"RichZ" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
..rarely have I ever heard "It
ws me!" But when they "win", it's always "me!"

My favorite is "My fish just never turned on today."

What does that mean? Finding fish that won't bite does not make you any
better than finding no fish at all. Worse maybe. If you weren't smart
enough to take the hint and either do something different or start looking
elsewhere, that makes you a dummy. Bear in mind that I've been that dummy
more times than I care to admit. But at least I know it was my fault, not
the fish's.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing


I admit it. I could not find hungry fish. Now I still need to find out
where the hungry fish are and what they are eating.

"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I agree with Warren. A tough day is only tough because I cannot find what
the fish want or what is needed to make them strike (out of anger, fear,
instinct). But I have found during these times that my odd ball lures are
the ones that draw the strike. Like this worm somebody gave me that has a
jig head with what appears to be a Indiana blade sticking out of it.

That is called a beetle spin, and Ido have some in one of the boxes. I
really didn't think about trying them. I have been considering some of my
other small baits like Rooster Tails and Kastmasters. Or even a Mepps
Minnow or a small Timber Doodle.

Keep at it Bob, you find em & you'll catch em.

Warren
--
http://www.fishingworld.com/MesaTackleSupply/
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com http://www.secretweaponlures.com
http://warrenwolk.com/ http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com/

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
et...
Hmmmm.... my last three trips out I focused on backwaters because I have
primarliy fished the main channel and the two big lakes Martinez and
Ferguson the last several times out with little success. My last two
times
in the back waters I caught fish. This time was a total zero.



"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
So true Bob. I hope Bob L doesn't take this the wrong way, but I think
his
basic problem stems not so much from a lack of skills & knowledge of
catching bass, but from a possible lack of fish-finding ability. I
think
he's keeping a closed mind in saying "the fish have to be in the
backwaters
(or anywhere else)", and ignoring the "main lake", etc.

I find bass relatively easy to catch, finding them is the difficult
part.

The fish you catch in the backwaters look different because they came
out
of
shallower water, not because of thier diet being different. Put those
fish
in deep water for a day & they'll look like the rest of the deepwater
fish.

Warren

"Bob Rickard" wrote in message
m...
Bob, you just gave a thorough description of what fishing is. Nothing
is
ever for sure. The best tackle and baits can give you an advantage,
but
not
always. There is always room to better your performance, and there is
always
more to be learned. That is why fishing, and the quest for fishing
knowledge, is so darn much fun.

--
Bob Rickard
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I agree with Warren. A tough day is only tough because I cannot
find
what
the fish want or what is needed to make them strike (out of anger,
fear,
instinct). But I have found during these times that my odd ball
lures
are
the ones that draw the strike. Like this worm somebody gave me
that
has
a
jig head with what appears to be a Indiana blade sticking out of
it.
I
never use it unless all else fails, because it just doesn't fit my
normal
style of fishing, but it does work in those tough conditions. I
have
may
be
a half-dozen lures that I call odd-balls, and each has produced
fish,
typically in tough conditions.

--
Craig Baugher

Living in The United States, and Loving It!
Practicing My Freedom of Speech, and Enjoying It!
Knowing how to Thank those that paid for it, by Honoring It!



Its funny you guys have said that. I have relied pretty heavily on
the
early morning topwater bite (something that has never produced for
me
in
the
past), and then on soft plastics this year. I spent a couple
outings
throwing nothing but spinner baits and caught a few fish, but
nothing
spectacular. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it and I
have
been
thinking about some different things to throw at these fish. Almost
everybody here goes to flipping jigs or worms when it gets tough.
Thats
what I did too.

Now I was thinking if the bite was tough why not try some of my old
standby
stuff. When I was a kid I caught a lot of bass (mostly small ones)
on
small
Kastmaster spoons ripped very fast through the water, and small
inline
spinners run as slow as I could run them. I even figured out how to
run
them over weeds without hanging up. There does have to be atleast a
few
inches of clear water over the weeds though. I would use a light
action
rig
7' or longer and hold the rod tip as high as I could to keep the
lure
in
a
pulled up direction and crank it just fast enough to keep it out of
the
weeds. I have already decided to have a couple of those tiednon
next
time
I
go out. I also ordered a few of the Mepps minnow inlines. I only
ever
owned a couple of those when I was a kid. At three bucks a pop they
were
more than I could usually afford so I stuck with the cheaper Rooster
Tails
or even cheaper generic spinners.

I never fished the big stuff when I was a kid tromping through the
brush
on
the Gila River. Crank baits were out of my price range, and I would
have
never dreamed of throwing topwater.

I've listened to all this throw anchor line with boat anchors
directly
the
brush stuff. I've learned that topwaters do produce some nice fish.
Finesse worms do work for sight fishing when the fish are biting. I
don't
know about the jig and trailer being the big fish getter, but I have
certainly tried it.

Now its time for me to go back to my basics.

Its going to be tough with all the weed growth in the water, but I
will
give
it a shot.

As to knowing the fish are there... I have seen them. I really
can't
imagine a back water fish is going to thread his way out of a 8-10
foot
deep
back lake through a bunch of shallow channels to the main river and
hunt
the
main curent on a slow day. Sure he may move back into heavy cover,
or
he
may move into to deeper water, but the fish I catch in the back
waters
look
different than those I catch in the current. They eat different
stuff
and
they hunt different prey.

Blame the bait? No that wasn't my point at all. They didn't make
the
difference. Sure they are good looking baits, but they did not give
me
an
edge.

Further back in the brush? Thats what I do when I pitch. In fact
when
the
regular pitching gear failed to produce for me I started throwing
light
action stuff back into the brush. By noon or one I was throwing 12
lb
(6lb
dia) super mono into cover I would normally reserve for 50lb Power
Pro.
On
the edge of the brush and then towards deeeper water. I just wasn't
throwing what they wanted.

I was amazed though by how easily I got the lighter stuff in and out
of
the
heavy stuff. I figured if I hooked up with it I would have to run
the
boat
right up into the trash to get my fish. That was something I
figured
I'ld
worry about after I actually hooked one.

My other stand by when I started to be able to afford stuff was the
Storm
Thin Fin Silver Shad crank bait. It was a bait that would always
get
me
a
fish or two of I just kept thowing it out and cranking it in very
slow.
It
is no longer made, and it catches every weed in the area. With the
heavy
weed growth its difficult for me to throw a lot of my real
confidence
baits,
but I think I am going try them next time out. My little green Zoom
U-Tails
didn't even produce this last time out, and they have been my hard
corp
bait
in recent years.

Its been a tough season fishing for me. Just about the time I think
I
have
something I can build on it quits working. I'll find an area that
produces
a few fish and a way that catches them and I'll set myself a plan to
hit
that then try soemthing else, and I wind up trying something else
because
that didn't produce at all. I sympathise with some of the guys who
come
in
here ready to just give up.

I've tried to blame my skills, but I hook most fish that I feel or
see
hit.
Sure I describe missing some, but I've found things I can rely on.
The
Excalibur rotating hooks now decorate most of my topwaters baits. I
u
se
the
Eagle Claw rotating hooks for most soft plastic applications except
light
lining jerk baits where they tend to twist line. I know I don't
have
much
of a touch for feeling a bite with the heavy action stuff, but I'm
pretty
good at watching the line. As for finding fish. In this shallow
river
and
lake system the fish finders are of minimal use. Too much weed and
brush
growth paired with a lot of shallow water. As Van Dam says I do try
to
follw the bait. A couple weekends ago I found a school of shad
pinned
up
near the dock in Squaw lake. I caught a mess of small keepers
there.
Or
as
any of the trouters would say match the hatch. When I get in waters
where
I
see lots of 3-4 inch bass I throw baby bass pattern baits and catch
some
fish (most of the time). I just can't seem to find any patterns
that
will
produce consistantly for me on good days much less on a tough day.

I go out with 12 - 15 rods rigged with different stuff, and by the
end
of
the day I have fished every one of them. Usually a half dozen other
things
as well.

I try hard points which most anglers here ignore unless they see a
feed
actually going on. I fish lake mouths and back water mouths when
the
water
is rising or falling. I fish standing under water trees in open
water
when
I can. Another thing that a lot of anglers around here seem to
ignore.

The things I see others here doing consistantly day in day out is
throwing
topwater first thing in the morning, and pitching the shore of the
main
current during the day. Some will also pitch the refuge (when its
open)
in
Martinez lake and the shore line in Ferguson Lake. I've spent whole
days
doing each of those things trying to figure out what works when.

I try and fish with others when ever possible and I try to be a good
fishing
partner. I'm always quick with the net when my partner has a fish
on.
I
always bring extra sodas and munchies for my fishing partner. If I
am
fishing out of someody else's boat I always give them extra money
for
fuel.
If I damage something I always point it out and take care of fixing
it
no
matter the cost. I try to keep my mouth shut and not whine if I'm
not
doing
well, and not brag if I'm the one putting fish in the boat.
Unfortunately
I
have found that most of the guys around here in the clubs are either
younger
and have no interest in fishing with a guy my age who has mediocre
skills
or
are much older and feel the same. Mostly they are 50-70 in the
clubs
and
those of us under 40 are the "young pups." Thats was one of the
reasons
I
decided I wanted my own boat. Atleast I could get out when ever I
had
the
time.

As to guys not members of the local clubs that is harder. Of those
I
have
met and who wanted to fish most have few skills, which I actually
don't
have
a problem with. I learned balloon rigging minnows from a guy who
couldn't
cast a spinning rod in open water. That is a fish catching
technique
that
is unequaled. I taught him my lazy sidearm cast that can put a
bait
under
over hanging brush on the far bank. I learned about slow dragging
worms
on
sandy slopes from a ten year old kid with a broken down spincaster.
He
also
showed me how to use a round head jig to fish a worm in rock piles
and
riprap. When it works it really works. When I was ten I figured out
a
trout
lake that everybody said was dead anytime after a heavy rain fall.
It
turned out that with the correct presentation that was the best time
to
fish. When I was about eight I figured out a technique for fishing
under
bridges in current from the bank. Everybody can contribute
something
if
they are really interested in fishing. I kind of got turned off of
a
lot
of
casual fishing partners though when I realized that most casual
fishermen
just want an excuse to go out and drink. Quite a number only if I
buy
the
beer, bring my boat, supply the gear, bring the food, pick them up,
and
don't even offer if they screw up some of my gear. If I wanted to
pay
somebody to fish with me I would hire a guide. In fact I would but
the
only
local guide I know is laid up with a torn achilles tendon.

I'm trying to learn new stuff. I do change up my gear. I try
different
tactics and different waters regularly. I fish with other people
when
I
get
the chance.

You can only say so much in a usenet post. I imagine most people
reading
this one got bored somewhere around the second paragraph.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
ADD YOUR WEB LINK TO THE LINK INDEX ON MY SITE

That would be nice John, thanks for the kind words. I generally fish an
area until I tell myself "This isn't happening", then I move on without
hesitation. The aim should be to find a concentration of catchable fish,
not just an occasional fish here & there.

I had an offshore area on Lake Oneida that I could have easily gotten in the
money on. On Day 1 I never fished it because of treacherous weather - my
fault, no guts no glory...maybe or maybe not in this case (it was pretty
nasty out there). On Day 2 I fished it until I thought it was maxed-out in
terms of how big a limit it would give up. I left after about 2 hours & 30
keepers, I thought I had 13 pounds+ in the boat, but in reality I had only
12 in the well. My fault for a) leaving too soon & b) not having a digital
scale in the boat with which to cull. Normally I wouldn't blame myself for
leaving early in search of a kicker or two with 5 hours left to fish, only
at Oneida I had no biting fish to go to. I assumed I knew where the larger
largemouths lived, but I never got a big bite there in two days.

Lessons learned.

Warren

--
http://www.fishingworld.com/MesaTackleSupply/
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com http://www.secretweaponlures.com
http://warrenwolk.com/ http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com/

"John Kerr" wrote in message
...

Review of the Mesa Tackle baits

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Mon, Oct 13, 2003, 1:22am (CDT+1)
From: (go-bassn)

When I'm not catchin' em I tend to blame mysself, not my lures or the
fish.
Warren
--
Warren, that was great to hear! I often take contract jobs out at the
marina, and listen to the anglers when they come in..both the weekenders
and the pros. It's genneraly, the weather, the water, the fish, the
equiptment, or the "luck" that beat em....rarely have I ever heard "It
ws me!" But when they "win", it's always "me!" big grin! When we
question ourselves is the only time we really learn. That's why I know
you will be fishing on a lot of the "final" days soon.....
JK

There ya go Bob, you came out of the closet (or rod locker, as the case may
be)!

Now you're on the right track to recovery....

"I'm Bob, & I'm a bassaholic"

Warren


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
et...
"RichZ" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
..rarely have I ever heard "It
ws me!" But when they "win", it's always "me!"

My favorite is "My fish just never turned on today."

What does that mean? Finding fish that won't bite does not make you any
better than finding no fish at all. Worse maybe. If you weren't smart
enough to take the hint and either do something different or start
looking
elsewhere, that makes you a dummy. Bear in mind that I've been that
dummy
more times than I care to admit. But at least I know it was my fault,
not
the fish's.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing


I admit it. I could not find hungry fish. Now I still need to find out
where the hungry fish are and what they are eating.

I have to agree with Warren, when I'm not catching fish it's something I'm
doing wrong. That was not my opinion too long ago though. I went fishing and
saw bass busting all over on baitfish, yet they would not take anything I
had to throw, but I guarantee if I was dragging a live minnow over the top
of the water that thing would have been inhaled, seems thats all they wanted
that day
"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Curious Bob, you say the lures didn't draw the fish out of the brush. How
do you know there were fish in the brush you were fishing?

You can't rely on lures to draw fish out of brush when it's tough Bob, you
have to get your bait in there & bounce it off the fish's nose son!

When I'm not catchin' em I tend to blame mysself, not my lures or the
fish.

Warren
--
http://www.fishingworld.com/MesaTackleSupply/
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com http://www.secretweaponlures.com
http://warrenwolk.com/ http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com/

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Craig" wrote in message
news
Bob,

I am confused. Your title indicated a review of Mesa Tackle products.
What
I read was story of an outing you had where you use one of Mesa
Tackles
lures, for one cast, and caught a fish. Hell you didn't even credit
the
lure with the catch, indicating you felt any plastic lure would have
done
the trick. Go use those puppies on a few more outings where they are
your
primary lures, then come back and tell us what you liked and disliked
about
them. Tell me why I should or should not buy them. Score them on a
scale
of 1 to 10 on Quality, effectiveness, price, etc. I would love to
hear
an
unbiased opinion.

Craig Baugher


Well, it was the first time I used them, and you are probably right.
Any
jerk bait would probably have caught that fish. I guess my only comment
on
the whole thing was if anything the Mesa Tackle stuff did not catch fish
when nothing else would either.

They may be great plastics, but they didn't draw fish out of the brush
on
a
tough day. I threw craws, jig trailers, and worms by Mesa Tackle. One
of
the two fish I caught was on a Mesa Tackle plastic.

I didn't try the drop shot stuff though. I just have a hard time
throwing
a rig like that in weeds and grass.

As to what kind of review I "have to" give... nobody pays me for my
opinion
and I will always have my own bias. I did use the stick worm as my
primary
worm most of the day. I tried it wacky rigged. I tried it texas rigged
weighted and weightless. I spent eight hours on the water and switched
up
between topwater and stick worms most of the day. I only changed up my
approach to try and pull a big fish out of heavy cover after a fulld ay
of
pounding the water.

I was kind of happy that a follow up techinque produced a fish for me.
I
asked about follow up tactics here a while back, but didn't get much
feedback.

Yeah it wasn't much of a review. More of a rant about a day of pounding
the
water for little return.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
ADD YOUR WEB LINK TO THE LINK INDEX ON MY SITE

Had a day like that striper fishing this season. Came down to the fact that I
just forgot to bring the right stuff, and couldnt give them what they wanted. I
was on Martha's Vineyard fishing off of a bridge, and the stripers were tearing
apart a school of 3 inch silversides. Big fish in there too, some prolly
30-40lbs. If I had thought to bring some flukes, or some fin-s fish, I think I
could have got em, but they just totally ignored all the stuff I had..which
happened to be 8 inch rapalas, and 6 inch poppers...couldnt match the hatch so
to say.

The key is finding the fish, and then figuring out what they want. I found them,
and figured out what they wanted..just couldnt give it to them. Went back the
next day, and they were still tearing up the silversides. Woman at the local
bait shop told me this goes on all summer.

So next summer I'll be down there with my surf rod drifting 4 inch flukes. THe
other surf guys will think I'm silly, but I'll catch fish.

alwayfishking wrote:

I have to agree with Warren, when I'm not catching fish it's something I'm
doing wrong. That was not my opinion too long ago though. I went fishing and
saw bass busting all over on baitfish, yet they would not take anything I
had to throw, but I guarantee if I was dragging a live minnow over the top
of the water that thing would have been inhaled, seems thats all they wanted
that day
"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Curious Bob, you say the lures didn't draw the fish out of the brush. How
do you know there were fish in the brush you were fishing?

You can't rely on lures to draw fish out of brush when it's tough Bob, you
have to get your bait in there & bounce it off the fish's nose son!

When I'm not catchin' em I tend to blame mysself, not my lures or the
fish.

Warren
--
http://www.fishingworld.com/MesaTackleSupply/
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com http://www.secretweaponlures.com
http://warrenwolk.com/ http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com/

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Craig" wrote in message
news Bob,

I am confused. Your title indicated a review of Mesa Tackle products.
What
I read was story of an outing you had where you use one of Mesa
Tackles
lures, for one cast, and caught a fish. Hell you didn't even credit
the
lure with the catch, indicating you felt any plastic lure would have
done
the trick. Go use those puppies on a few more outings where they are
your
primary lures, then come back and tell us what you liked and disliked
about
them. Tell me why I should or should not buy them. Score them on a
scale
of 1 to 10 on Quality, effectiveness, price, etc. I would love to
hear
an
unbiased opinion.

Craig Baugher


Well, it was the first time I used them, and you are probably right.
Any
jerk bait would probably have caught that fish. I guess my only comment
on
the whole thing was if anything the Mesa Tackle stuff did not catch fish
when nothing else would either.

They may be great plastics, but they didn't draw fish out of the brush
on
a
tough day. I threw craws, jig trailers, and worms by Mesa Tackle. One
of
the two fish I caught was on a Mesa Tackle plastic.

I didn't try the drop shot stuff though. I just have a hard time
throwing
a rig like that in weeds and grass.

As to what kind of review I "have to" give... nobody pays me for my
opinion
and I will always have my own bias. I did use the stick worm as my
primary
worm most of the day. I tried it wacky rigged. I tried it texas rigged
weighted and weightless. I spent eight hours on the water and switched
up
between topwater and stick worms most of the day. I only changed up my
approach to try and pull a big fish out of heavy cover after a fulld ay
of
pounding the water.

I was kind of happy that a follow up techinque produced a fish for me.
I
asked about follow up tactics here a while back, but didn't get much
feedback.

Yeah it wasn't much of a review. More of a rant about a day of pounding
the
water for little return.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
ADD YOUR WEB LINK TO THE LINK INDEX ON MY SITE