Hi all, I've been fishing for years but only recently got a small boat and had the lake opened up to me. Before that it was mainly small pond fishing with friends. I'd like to get pretty serious, but I'm having a hard time finding good resources to answer all of my questions. So I thought I'd ask a few of them here and then hopefully someone can refer me to a text that will give me a broad overview of the sport and how to approach it.

First, how many rods do you guys generally carry on your boat at a time? Do you keep enough lures on to attack any part of the water column at any given time, or do you change the selection out as the day progresses?

Speaking of lures, do you generally go out with a set color scheme that you apply to all of your lures based upon some seasonal or daily-weather based theme? Or do you start out with a variety of colors and then switch to just one when you find something that works?

Here's one that I think is probably lake specific, so I'll pose it in the context of the lake I'm closest to : Grapevine. Can anyone tell me the seasonal migratory patterns of bass in Grapevine?

Also lake specific, what are the main food sources and what are their migratory patterns?

I'm also new to fishfinders, and I'm having a hard time finding their appropriate use. A lot of the time I cast to the bank or to structure very close to it, and my fishfinder won't be able to show me if there is anything holding to those areas. When do you use fishfinders to actually show you fish vs. just using them to show you depth, bottom composition, etc.?

Along those lines, when you find a structure that produces a fish, how do you determine whether or not to keep working it for additional fish or to move on thinking that there was only one fish there?

I know it's a lot of info that I'm asking for, but if people only answered one or even referred me to a place where I can find the answer, I'd really appreciate it. I want to get fairly involved in this, but I want to make sure I'm starting with a good strategy and not just guessing without any good reason.

Thanks.

I own about 10-12 rod/reel combos, but I normally only take about 6 combos on a normal fishing trip.

In general, I try to go out with a game plan and stick to it regarding lure/color. I rig up the combos before I go out and keep a list of things I might want to try if my first techniques don't produce results.

I try to pay attention to what goes on throughout the day to get clues to whether or not I should change my game plan.

Time on the water can't be substituted. Try to keep a methodical mindset as to what is happening.

Take notes.

just read everything on here thats alot to ask at one time

I hear KVD's book has alot of great info in it. Maybe start there.

the info on here is helpful don't over think it grab a rod and throw a confidence bait think of the lake as a bunch of small ponds

I carry about 10 rods with me. I do try to cover a couple different depths to find what water column they are in. I will also not hesitate to change my lure selection through out the day.

As far as lures. You will eventually find a couple of different lures that you have confidence in. Color just depends on what I think they are feeding on, For example shad, craws, bluegill etc. Also depends on water clarity. Rule of thumb there is: Dirty water = dark lures, Clear water = (what I call subtle colors) Greens, Whites etc.

With sessional patterns a general rule to follow is Feb - April: Spawn, the fish will be shallow. April - May: Post spawn 5- 10 ft of water, May - Aug.: Summer, Deep water 12 - 40 ft. Sept - Oct.: I look for fish to follow the shad toward the backs of creeks. Nov - Jan.: I tend to find more fish deep. However they can be caught in all areas of the lake all year long.

When it comes to fishfinders, There are a lot more people on here that are better with those than I am. I will let them guide you to what you need to be doing there.

As far as if there are more than one fish on a particular piece of structure. I will always give it a couple more casts.

This is only my opinion on these matters. You will prolly get a lot of different answers on these questions. The main thing is to take bits of info and form your own way of fishing. Our answers are not "The Answers".

Here is a long list of articles on how to fish for bass, tournament thinking, etc.. It's over on WesternBass.com

http://westernbass.com/dotcom/library/

Here is a link to the Video department there, a least 11 pags of links, by subject, title, date, etc..

http://westernbass.com/dotcom/tv/archive.html?by=title

It's a lot to review, will take you a year if you put in a lot of effort, I'm far from done myself.

I love fishing from my boats, but still enjoy shore fishing too (more cost savings in a lot of cases, I don't have an unlimited budget- yet!).

Just head on over to the off topic...no don't do that. I can't answer a lot of those questions. Trial and error.

I carry about a dozen rods if I am fishing in my boat, half that many if fishing in anothers boat, but you can easily get buy with 2 rods if you choose the right 2 which for me would be a 6'8" Med and a 7' MH, you can add to these as you build up your arsenal.

I usually have a plan but you have to be willing to adjust, it is amazing how quickly the fish can change so it is important not to try to make them bite on what has been working if they don't want to. Lots of the time they don't leave the area just back off a little or slow down a little.

Fishfinders are something that you just have to use/practice with and you will get more comfortable. They are key during some parts of the year (mid winter and summer) and less important other times but an important tool for me every trip out.

Talk to the people who are in your area and find out what bass club is the best and join it. You will probably be donating at first but you will learn a lot about the local lakes and meet some like minded guys. Most of the clubs around here have a membership fee of less than $50 per year and entry fees are also less than $50 per tournament. Once you have that down you might fish a couple larger tournaments as a non boater.

Good luck!
Jason

Start out simple, 3 rods - a medium spinning rod, a med casting and a heavy casting, keep your cranks simple, 4 depth, 2-3 colors, super shallow, 6 ft, 12 ft, 18 ft, shad pattern, chartruse, and craw. Plastics, 6-8 inch worms or creature style, dark (black/june bug), watermelon and green pumkin for ultra clear. 4-0 hooks and an assortment of terminal tackle for t-rigs and c-rigs. Next join a local club and/ or start fishing bfl as a co-angler. Pretty cheap venture and a world of education awaits.

Read, apply, adapt, execute......time on the water is key.. ..no substitute..

You are getting some good info here.It may seem basic but you need to keep a bait in the water.One person I fish with spends most of their time on the water tying on different baits,trying different rigs,etc.,and complains when they get out fished.Do not overlook the obvious.
Good fishing.

the above is all sound advice. just dont get overwhelmed. bass fisherman tend to complicate things in the process of trying to simplify it(im worse than most lol). use what you know and have confidence in. the rest comes with time on the water. like said above,no substitute for time on the water.

TFF is a great source of info. Just read all the post to all topics concerning lure specific techniques. As for local clubs, they are a good resource for what works on perticulars waters, but take their recommendations on technique with a gran of salt.

As for rods and reels, I carry five. One with mono for topwater baits, one with braid, the rest with flouro. I like to flip & pitch, but as a nonboater I have to taylor my fishing toward what the guy in front wants to do. I keep one rod setup with a dropshot and one with a C-rig.

Your questions are many and thats ok, but you will get better quality answers if you title you topics to specific Qs. Put as many topics out there as you want, just keep track of them.

Time on the water is your greatest teacher, but you can shorten the learning curve right here at TFF.

i will tell u the best thing anyone can tell u don't throw any lure in any color size or shape unless u have confidence in it.