Thanks to all who "guided" me this week

[splashhopper]

here is a BIG THANK YOU to all who replied and shared their Experience and Knowledge with me on the topic I started called " top water lures- (what , when, why)"

 

I went back out yesterday with my buddy and his canoe and was rewarded with this 23" smallie >

( click the pic to make it larger... you can then see where its tail was )

 

( note to self... set the camera to flash all the time... not much time to find my OFC 2009 sign/take the pic/ and get the fish back in the water )

 

 

The help on that particular thread guided me to do the following in regards to the top-water fishing for bass ( in no particular order):

 

1) wait, wait, wait ... and then set the hook( like that was "easy"-- NOT )

 

2) cast the lure out.... let it sit till the ripples stopped... retrieve with some erratic twitches ... let it sit again...

 

3) re-line my reel to 30lb Power Pro to cut through the weeds better

 

4) use a medium to medium/heavy 6-7ft rod to be able to pull the fish out of those damned weeds

 

5) Tie the line directly to the lure for better action ( got a little frustrated with the afternoon fishing and had a swivel on one of my lines though)

 

6) fish the edges of the weed beds where they end and the open water starts ( couldn't do this much with a canoe though, but this has opened up a whole new area for me to fish wherever I go now without a canoe )

 

 

In summary... the OFC site has been a real blessing for me, and my daughter botbot, in sharing all your experience and knowledge with this novice fisherman.

 

I hope to post more of my summer fishing experiences with this form of fishing...

 

(maybe even catch something bigger than this from yesterday too...... it hit the top water frog I was using >>>

 

 

Thanks again.

 

Splashhopper and botbot

 

PS.. I checked our team entries and we don't have a bass on there yet... so hey, for now at least, I have finally contributed to adding some inches to the team.

Edited July 5, 2009 by splashhopper

[Radnine]

Isn't it funny how territorial frogs are? I have had lots of them attack scum frogs.

Cool pictures and congrats on that smallie!

Jim

[Greencoachdog]

You did good!!!

 

What did you catch the bass on?... the frog lure as well?

[splashhopper]

Those frogs are very territorial.... two of them came at my top water frog at the same time a few minutes later.... I started tossing the frog about a yard shorter, in the hopes that all their "natural commotion" might bring attention to another bass or two..

 

no such luck

 

splashhopper