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Question from Iris:
My son loves fishing and my husband and i would like to put him in a fishing club or a sponcered program. where in miami, florida or even some of the florida keys could i sign him up or even get him started in a program that he can enjoy. (he literaly eats, beathes and talks about fishing all the time and he even fishes from my grandmothers balcany with fake fish and sometimes even toys. he is only six but he loves it.
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: You can contact your local news paper sports writer and ask him/her if any of the local fishing clubs have kids fishing programs and/or fish tournaments for children. The fishing clubs may have a take a child fishing day. However, they may have an age requirement. BASS or FLW tournaments have events for children on the last 2 days of their tournaments. These 2 tournament trails will have tournaments in Southern Florida. Check their tournament schedules for dates, times and locations.
Question from Tanner: Why do Gary Yamamoto custom plastics work so well? and also how do you use Gary's hula grubs?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: Gary Yamamato’s baits are good due to the design, texture and salt content in the baits. The hula grub can be fished on a texas rig, on a Carolina rig or on a grub head or rollerball jig head.
Question from Tyler: I am a serious fisher and I want to know some more tips on catching monster Smallmouths.
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: Tyler, I do not know what part of the country you live. Therefore, I will answer your question based southern lakes (these methods do work on north lakes too). The lakes in the south (Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama) are known for really big Smallmouth bass. In the spring, a jerkbait, a grub, a tube and/or a crankbait are all very productive ways of catching big Smallmouth bass. Berkley Lures makes all of these baits in various colors (jerkbait: Frenzy Firestick Minnow, grub: Power Minnow grub, tube: Power Tube and crankbait: Frenzy Diver). In the south, clear water colors or natural shad colors tend to work best unless the water is stained or muddy at which time chartreuse color schemes work. In the late fall/winter, a method called floating a fly is extremely effective for catch big Smallmouth as well as numbers of bass. Jim Duckworth has a great video on this method and it is sold at Bass Pro Shops. In the summer, big Smallmouth bass are caught mostly at night on jigs and spinnerbaits. However, Smallmouth can be caught on topwater lures, soft plastic baits ( weightless soft plastic jerkbaits and/or texas rigged or Carolina rigged plastic worms/lizards/tubes) or live bait in day time hours. In the late summer/fall, Smallmouth can be caught on all the above methods but the most exciting way to catch big Smallmouth bass is on topwater baits.
Question from Shawn:
I am thinking of joining a BASS fishing club here in Oregon and I have heard that the non-boaters catch up to 40% less fish than the boater and I want to know that as a non-boater should the boater treat his non-boater as his/her partner or just as a guest on his/her boat and the non-boater is only there to learn from the boater, and should the boater while fishing fish only part of the water so that the non-boater has a chance to fish fresh water also.
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: Shawn, joining a bass club is a great way to learn and get started bass fishing. However, you may have good boater partner one tournament and a not so good boater partners the next. It is better to fish and learn than not to fish. If your boater is not giving you any fresh water then throw different baits than him/her (plastics-like a texas rigged tube, straight or ribbon tail worm, flukes or a jig). I would not go into a draw tournament or any tournament thinking I was only going to catch a less than 100% of the fish that hit my baits. You must stay positive and focus only on the positive events. I have had several non-boater partners and I am told of several non-boater partner at very tournament I fish that caught more weight and/or more bass than their boater partner did on that competition day
Question from Mike: How do you use a spinnerbait for bass?
Answer:
Brian Schulz retired Spinner bait MFG/tournament fisherman: A spinner bait is probably one of the most versatile lures known to bass fisherman. Spinner baits can be used to cover a lot of water while your fishing. They can be fished fast or slow depending on what the bass want. Spinner baits are very valuable tools when fishing in the wind because they are easy to cast and you can still maintain the feel of the lures vibrations as you retrieve it. That makes it easy to tell when you get a hit. Wind is only a part of there value though. My three favorite ways to fish a spinner bait are Chunk n Wind. Which is just basically casting your lure into or near cover and using a moderate retrieve to reel it back to you. If there are bass in the area they are very likely to grab your lure as you retrieve it. Next would be Slow Rolling. To slow roll again you cast into cover but this time you want to follow the cover slowly letting the lure come in contact with tree limbs or what ever cover your fishing. An example would be a fallen tree (lay down) that’s lying partially or totally in the water. You cast along side the lay down and make your spinner bait follow the path of the lay down into the deeper water letting it hit the sides of the lay down and the limbs protruding from it. Another method that works very well for me is what we refer to as Bulging or Waking. This is usually done with a single Colorado blade but can be done with others depending mostly on the reel speed ratio you use. You reel the spinner bait just fast enough that you can see the wake of the blade protruding on the top of the water. This method works very well over shallow flats and/or around cover such as stumps. I love to do this around stumps. I will cast beyond the stump several feet then Wake/Bulge the lure just to the near side of the stump then pause it for a split second. If the bass didn’t grab the lure as it approached the stump it will surely grab it as you make that split second pause before you resume reeling your lure back to the boat. I recommend casting to each stump a minimum of twice one on each side at least. Normally the shady side will be the best side but not always. Just remember there are also many types of spinner bait blades that help do different jobs when spinner bait fishing. Single Colorado, Double Colorado, Indiana, Willow leaf, Tandem (willow on the back and small Colorado on the front) and Turtleback to name a few of the more popular ones. Also painted blades. Generally a Colorado blade is used in murky water because it creates a lot of vibration and since the water is murky the bass can’t see lures as well and use their lateral lines to help them locate food or in this case the spinner bait. A Willow leaf blade is used in clearer water because it creates more flash and can be fished faster. Those are basic rules but all rules are made to be broken so there are many other things to determine which blade to use where. One other thing to think about when fishing spinner baits is color. The general rule is light colors for clear water and dark or bright colors for murky water. Some of my favorite colors are white and chartreuse in clear water and purple for murky water. Another thing to consider is the speed ratio of your reel. I use bait casting reels exclusively on spinner baits. In the spring and winter I use a 5.1:1 retrieve reel and in the summer I use either that for slow rolling or a 6.1:1 retrieve for a faster presentation. There are many more ways to fish spinner baits but let’s start here and if you have more questions you can ask again. I’d be more than happy to help you anyway I can. Mike I hope this answers some of your questions about when, where and how to use a spinner bait. Thank you for asking,
Question from Justin: Why do fish go after lures?
Answer:
Brian Schulz Retired spinner bait MFG/Tournament fisherman: Justin the main reason bass go after lures is because a bass is a predator. We know the meaning of predator right? (One that preys, destroys, or devours) By being a predator a bass does not hunt its food per say, but generally lies in wait and attacks its prey and devours it as it swims by. Needless to say a bass will not stay in one place long if there is no food available. So it could be said it is also a hunter in that respect. A bass does it’s hunting from ambush points most of the time rather than attacking live bait in open water. Very contradicting right? For sure bass will follow and prey on schools of shad in open water but mostly a bass is known for lying in wait in ambush spots where it can grab and easy meal as it swims by. A bass prefers live food and this is why presenting your lure in the proper manner at the proper place and time is so important. There are several schools of thought on why bass go after lures. First since a bass is a predator it does not like other predators invading its space. This is especially true during and shortly after the spawn. Bass have been known to attack much larger fish etc to keep them away from their spawning beds/eggs and freshly hatched fry. Also there is the thought that the lure mimics food and since this is what the bass is looking for he hits the lure to eat. A bass’s life depends on eating and to keep from being eaten by other predators larger than itself. Knowing this you can also see another thought process here as to why bass go after lures. It’s a reaction thing with them. Picture in your mind this wily ole bass lying in wait for its next meal to come swimming by. When something invades their space and they strike it to do one of two things. Eat it or destroy it. All three schools of thought boil down to the same thing. Protecting themselves and eating. I hope this answers your question Justin. Thanks for asking.
Question from Austin: I'm trying to catch A 20 pound Large mouth bass and I am wondering if
shad or minnows work better.
Answer:
Brian Schulz retired Spinner bait MFG/tournament fisherman: Austin I don’t know what part of the country you are from but 20 pound Large Mouth Bass are very rare. I hope you catch yours. In fact I hope you catch one larger than the existing World Record Bass caught
by George Perry from Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932. It was 22 pounds 4 ounces but you probably already knew that *smile.
As for your question here is my best answer. In the southern part of the US it seems the Golden Shiner is the live bait of choice for catching big bass. However shad and large minnows will also work. Other live baits that work for Bass and other species as well would be: Night Crawlers, Frogs, crayfish, and leeches, to name but a few..
Included are a couple of web sites you might want to look at for bait handling and rigging techniques.
http://www.cyberangler.com/articles/live_bait_bass.html
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/freshwater/article/0,13199,637254,00.html
Thank you for the question Austin and good luck to you.
Question from Brock: What is the best possible lure to use in the spring time?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best spring time bass bait on most days is a lipless crankbait (example: Rattle Trap or Berkley Frenzy Rattl'r). If the water is muddy or stained then fish a firetiger or bright chartreuse colors and if the water is clear then fish a chrome or natural shad colors, these are general colors to start your fishing day. You may find exceptions to the rule: like bright chartreuse and orange works one day in crystal clear water or solid chrome colored bait works in heavy stained water.
Question from Cameron: hi i live in TN and do you know a good bait for carp in a pond THANK BYE
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best bait for carp is dough balls made from white loaf bread. Take a slice of bread and tear off about ¼ of the slice and roll it up into a ball. You may have to slightly wet it with some water, but just a little bit of water. Then roll the bread together until it is in a tight ball and place it on a heavy 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Fish the dough ball off the bottom using a float or tie your hook 6 to 10 inches above the weight. I hope you have Berkley Trilene XT line on your rod and reel since a carp is a strong fighting fish and you will need a strong, tough line to land one.
Question from Michelle: Why do people use artificial worms or real worms dyed with color?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The reason I dye or dip the tail of my worms or soft plastic baits is to give it extra color and smell. The extra color is an attractor to the bait making fish bite the bait or helping to get more bites in a day of fishing than if the extra color was not used. Chartreuse is probably the #1 dipping color but other colors are used and work extremely well (example: red or orange is a very good dipping color, if the crawfish in the body of water being fished have red or orange shells or pincher at that time of year then red or orange dipping dye should help).
Question from Alex: I just bought a minnow trap and was wondering what bait to put in it to attract minnows such as shiners, small sunfish and bluegill .
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best bait to use in a minnow trap that I know of is dry dog food. The dried dog will float so you will need a mesh material to hold the dog food in the minnow trap. The holes in the mesh material only need to be small enough to hold the dog food in place. Most hardware stores have screen mesh material for sell. My second choice to bait a minnow trap is canned dog food or hot dogs. Canned dog food is better but very messy.
Question from Cess: When the fishing is tough and the fish are shallow what would your tactics be. Thank you for your time.
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: Several baits will work in shallow water under tough conditions but I think one of the best baits under those conditions is a plastic stick bait or senko type bait like the Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow. It is fished weightless and hooked weedless texas style or whackly style (hooked once threw the middle of the plastic stick bait ). Cast the bait in or around shallow cover and allow it to sink to the bottom and let it set totally still for 15 to 30 seconds then move the bait several feet with your rod and allow the bait to sink and set again. The fish will bite very lightly most time and usually you will feel the fish swimming off with the bait. A second choice in under tough conditions in shallow water if water is not stained heavy or muddy is a fluke fished over, in and around cover.
Question from Alex: What is the best bait for bluegill and what is best for crappie?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: I like to fish for bluegill with cricks and crappie with minnows and/or shiners. You can also catch bluegills and crappie on small artificial grubs, minnows and tubes like a Berkley 1 inch micro Sparkle Tube.
Question from Garrett: What color of jig do you use in dirty water?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best jig color in muddy water is brown and orange with a pumpkin Berkley Power chunk dipped in orange or chartreuse dipping dye. My second color would be black and purple with black/blue Berkley Power chunk dipped in chartreuse dipping dye.
Question from Dre: What color of rubber worm is a good all year round bait?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best color for plastic baits year round is green pumpkin. If I could only have one color of plastic baits (example: worms, lizards, tubes and /or stick baits) then I would select green pumpkin. It is effective in stained or clear water and is effective year round.
Question from Alex: How should I catch my shiners? I would rather catch them with something than buy them. How can I do this?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: The best way to catch shiners is to dip them with a dip net or to use a cast net to catch them. You can call your local state biologist and ask where you can catch some shiners. Your local game warden may be able to tell you where you can catch some shiners or he/she can give you the phone number to a state biologist.
Question from Matt: Could you please tell me when bass fishing starts?
Answer:
Edward Guice Triton/ Berkley Trilene Pro Staff: Bass fishing for me is year round. I divide the year into seasons and fish for bass based on the season, water color, water temperature, wind, weather and water current on the lake or river I am fishing.
Question from Michael: Do fish sleep?
Answer:
Brian Schulz Retired Spinner bait MFG/Tournament fisherman: Michael since fish don’t have eyelids like you and I its really very hard to tell if they are sleeping or not. However fish do rest and become more or less motionless with little movement except for their gills or fins while resting. Some fish in northern climates go into a period of hibernation so to speak during the winter when the waters very cold or has ice on it.. The hibernation of these fish is not like mammals such a bear would hibernate in total sleep but they become very immobile and eat very little, spending there time mostly in deeper water near the bottom. If you have and aquarium or have a friend that has one check it out some night when you turn off the lights. The fish in it will go into an almost dormant state for a period of time until they adjust to the low light conditions. It’s likely that fish do sleep in some way, whether it is by just slowing down or coming to a complete stop. Or if it’s hiding or doing it right in the open. But when they sleep the slightest movement in the water will disturb them. They still in their own way rest just as we do. Michael I hope this answers your question. I thank you very much for asking.
Question from Anthony: How many bass tournament orginzations are there in the United States???
Answer:
ProBass Staff:  That is a tough question to answer Anthony. I am really not sure if anyone has actually gotten a true number. The reason I say that is because the number keeps changing. Many tournament trails start out strong, but end up disolving after a year or two.
Question from Drew:
How big do smallmouth bass get????????Why is night fishing smallmouths with topwater so effective??????
Answer:
Chuck Billhimer: The smallmouth bass do not get as large as the Largemouth but pound for pound the Smallmouth will out fight a Largemouth every day. The world record Smallmouth was caught way back in 1955 at Dale Hollow Lake in Tn. Since then there has been many smallies caught close to the record of 11 pounds and 15 ozs. Since the Smallmouth preferred water is clear, and deep, fishing in the daytime is not the best time to catch the next world record. After sun down the smallies move up and start to feed looking for crawfish, minnows, or whatever else might be swimming around. A topwater noisy bait of some kind like a buzzbait or a chugger type bait sure will get your string stretched. Cloudy rainy days are another time to be sure to be on the lake because smallies will come up and feed during that time too.
Good luck in your fishing Drew
Question from Alex: What is the difference between crayfish and crawfish?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Alex, there is no difference. Here is what the Encyclopædia Britannica has to say; CRAYFISH, also called Crawfish, or Crawdad, any of numerous crustaceans (order Decapoda) constituting the families Astacidae (Northern Hemisphere), Parastacidae, and Austroastracidae (Southern Hemisphere). They are closely related to the lobster. Over half of the more than 500 species occur in North America. Nearly all live in fresh water, a few in brackish water or salt water.
Question from Stevo: I am going ice fishing this year and i was wondering what the best bait was for northern pike? 
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Not being a ice fisherman, I went searching on the net. Here is what I found. Northern Pike are aggressive predators. They will take almost anything you offer them. Most seemed to suggest spoons and, as pike are very toothy creatures, they also recommended using steel leaders. A trick with using large spoons is letting the spoon flutter down when you stop retrieving. A quick jerk and continue with a moderately slow retrieve. The fluttering and jerking mimics an injured bait fish and larger northern pikes love to take advantage of that.
Question from Chris:
I live in Lebanon, TN and I like to fish old hickery lake. I been fishing from the bank for about 6 months now and I've never cot anything. Have any tips. PS... there is no dock and have you ever been to TN before.
Answer:
Jeremiah T. Bagwell - Tournament Angler / Outdoors Writer: Chris, try casting near any shoreline cover (trees, etc). Use small soft plastic baits. Old Hickory is a tough lake for most people. And Yes, I have been to TN.

Question from Rohan:

What is the distribution of Largemouth bass in Canada?

Answer:

ProBass Staff: Sorry Rohan, we were unable to find out any information or statistics specific to largemouth bass in Canada. You might want to write the Canadian Journal of Fisheries to see if they have any information. Good Luck.

Question from Bryan:

I have two questions, is it good to fish in Winter if so what type of fish are out? My second one is that when I fish at this place called Quarry Lakes in Fremont CA, What type of bait should I use? They stock their fish and the water isn't to deep, I don't know how deep. They have rainbow trout, sm bass, lm bass and channel cat fish.

Answer:

ProBass Staff: Plastics or small reaction baits should work well for the bass, both large and smallmouth varieties. As for the catfish, well....the smellier the better. Doughballs would probably work well for them. There are some good receipes on this page: Catfish

Question from Eric:
My name is Eric. I love To fish. I have all of these catfish baits (catfish nugets, catfish dynamite, powerbait, etc.) I was woundering what is the best to use in a river for big catfish?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: You are going to need to switch to live bait such as bluegill, or large minnows.
Question from Matt: What is the best way to cast, and where should I shop for my gear.
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Matt, there is not just one way to cast. You need to learn a variety of different styles depending on the conditions you are in and the target your are casting at. Here are three different casting methods that you should learn: cast, pitch and flip. As for your gear, most of the large discount chains have a varity of tackle at reasonable prices. Walmart. Kmart, Target, etc.
Question from Rion: Kevin Vandam is my favorite pro. I want to be a pro. I'm in the nineth grade
and I was wondering how to get to the pros and I was wondering if I can get a autograph picture of kevin he is my hero email me back. please!!!!!!!!
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Here is Kevin's website: http://www.kevinvandam.com/ Drop him a line. If there are any tournaments that Kevin is fishing near where you live, GO! You can definetly get his autograph. All the Pros that are fishing these events are easily reached and are happy to sign autographs.
Question from Jon:
How do you submit a state record? I'm 12 and I live in TN. The Tennessee record for a creek chub is only 3oz and I could probably catch one that big if I haven't already. Chub are easy and fun to catch with nightcrawler chunks in the deep pools of creeks you could jump over. Some get big and if I get one 3oz or heavier I'd like to know how to submit it.
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Jon, I went on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the have a program called The Tennessee Angler Recognition Program (TARP). It allows anglers to have their trophy fish recognized by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Here is a link to the program so you can read more about it. It is for all ages. http://www.state.tn.us/twra/fish/tarp/tarp.html
Question from Calvin:
I went to a small pond that has never been stocked and I caught a 5lb 6ounces off a beetle spin. How come the fish ate the beetle spin. I thought they only ate worms and chicken liver.
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Fish will consume anything that looks like prey or in the case of bass, sometimes they will take a lure just because it is annoying. Catfish for instance have been caught many times on artifical lures.
Question from Katie:
I'm 8 and I live in NC now. Can you tell me a good book to get to help me learn about fishing, especially about casting?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: There is a book out called Kids' Book of Fishing and Tackle Box by Michael J. Rosen. It's a beginner's guide to fishing that discusses fish varieties, basic techniques, and equipment, with an emphasis on freshwater catch-and-release fishing. Packaged with each book are thirty feet of line, hooks, sinkers, and related equipment. Ask mom or dad to take to to the local book store to see of they have it. If not, you can order the book from Amazon.com. ISBN: 0894808664.
Question from Barbara:
I am a novice fisherwoman. Soon, this Friday, I will be taking my niece fishing for the first time. I bought her a fishing rod/reel combo. Unfortuantely, it is one of those kiddie ones, and I don't know how to pull out the line. I have a spinning reel and this one is different. Is there a site online that shows the different reels and how to set them up?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Barbara, you can check on the internet to see if the manufacturer of the reel you bought has any suggestions or instructions. In the mean time, fill a spincast reel (kiddie reel) the same way you do a spinning reel. Don't forget to thread the line through the hole in the reel face before you tie it to the spool. Spincasting reels don't hold very much line as a rule, so make sure to open it up and check it frequently.
Question from Kyle:
I go fishing at a little pond, in this pond their are a lot of Huge large mouth bass, Carp, and Catfish, usually I try to just catch the Bass, and now I wanted to get some catfish and carp, the problem is in the whole middle of the pond, there is very thick algae or grass, so I don't know where to cast and what to use... I also had a question on Bluegill, whats the best bait to use for them???? Thank you. PS - what are some good fishing supply stores in north carolina the charlotte area?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Kyle, for the catfish, try some of the receipes that are on this page: Catfish and Carp There are some really good ones that should work really well. There is some fishing tips for you that should also be able to help you out. You will most likey need to buy some bobbers. For the Bluegill, go to this page: Panfish As for the fishing supplies, you have Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World at 8181 Concord Mills Blvd. Concord, NC 28027
Question from Mike:
I fish a small pond, (only about 1/2 to 3/4 acres in size) that has some big bass in it. During the summer months, the bass are near the edge of the pond and usually visible. in the middle of April (right now) the fish seem to be turned off from biting, and I haven't caught anything yet. Any tips for what kind of good lures to use, and what size? There's lots of fish, but they are all small, except for the catfish and carp which are huge. I fish mostly with small rooster tails, and night crawlers, and I catch lots of fish, but no big ones. My question is: how do I catch the carp and 'cats without catching any of the smaller fish?
Answer:
ProBass Staff: Mike, keeping the little fish off the hook could be as easy as changing your hook size to something larger that the smaller fish are less likely to take. You will also need to switch over to a natural, or scented bait that will attract the cats faster. The little fish will nibble, but hopefully it will be tantalizing enough that the catfish will just inhale it. There are some good suggestions for baits on this page: Catfish and Carp Fishing

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