Halftime!!

[Cecil]

OK, I'm calling this halftime for the bass season. And like any good football team, you need recap the first half, and need to make adjustments for the second half.

Sooo

1. What did you learn in the first half.

2. What adjustments, if any, will you be making for the second half?

-If no adjustments, what are you looking forward to coming up?

Go Vikes

[thatoneguy]

My goal for this year was to force myself to do more jig fishing, and less topwater/slop stuff. It's been a big success so far, and I've gained a lot of confidence with jigs in different types of cover.

The second half of the year, I'm going to try to fish as much new water as possible, both lakes I haven't fished before, and areas on my home lake that I haven't explored yet.

[cj_kartoon]

Good call on the halftime, I finally moved back up to MN after being transplanted to NE for 5 yrs. What a difference in lakes! My goal this year was to gain more deep water structure fishing for the big pigs and I can happily say I have done just that! Have spent hours and hours slowly working deeper water 19+ FOW with a plethora of baits and have come to the conclusion that I can not only fish slop/shallow, but Im getting pretty darn good at deep water. Which I hope will help me next year when I once again attempt the Ft. Frances Canadian Bass Championships.

[Meat-Run]

my "second half" is to use more spinning equipment because pitching a jig is killing my right elbow. I've gotten more patient with frog because I was a serious slop/jawbreaker fisherman but with frogs I can slow down and include my boys even more with a frog stationary.

mr

[EBass]

Quote:

my "second half" is to use more spinning equipment because pitching a jig is killing my right elbow

I have that going on with my left forearm/elbow.

I am learning more about slipper springs and leaf springs than I even wanted to know

[Hester]

I had a leaf spring on my trailer snap in 2 last year while I was driving down the road. That will wake you up in a hurry.

[RK]

I'm more of a hockey guy, so I divide the season into thirds, but...

So far my main theme has been new water. Fished a lot of new lakes this year, and kind of the mindset you get into doing that has helped me change how I fish some of my old favorites. I tend to get into habits of doing the same stuff on the same spots sometimes, but approaching it like I'd approach new water - fishing fast, looking for biters, then narrowing down a pattern - has helped me on some lakes I know really well. Mainly, it's helped me make adjustments faster based on what I'm seeing.

I've also been really paying attention to what the fish I do catch are telling me in terms of activity level based on what they hit and how they hit it. Really learning that the strike tells you a lot. Example: this past weekend I fished a deep diving crank through a spot (a weed point) and caught a couple, but missed a couple bites, and the fish I did have were hooked outside the mouth rather than eating it. Felt like there were more fish there, so went back to where I'd caught one and missed one on back to back casts. If the fish weren't really eating a crankbait but I still missed one and caught one in a small area, figured there were some fish concentrated there. Started with a jig and pig, and caught two that both hit it on the drop, but caught nothing on the bottom. So switched again and fished a light jigworm. Ended up catching a dozen without moving the boat, in a stretch of weedline maybe 20 yards long. Fished the rest of the point and caught maybe 2-3 more is all. Every fish hit it on the drop.

Meat-run...with me it's my right shoulder. Killing me right now. Several years ago I had terrible tendonitis in my left elbow, and it was unbelievable painful. Went to a chiropractor and a massage therapist, and it sorted right out. Well worth it. Joint problems are a bad deal if you're a fisherman. I know a muskie guide who gets a bursitis sack the size of a tennis ball on his elbow every year. It's gross as all get out, but he just fishes through it...

Ebass - I had a near calamity this year. Crawled under my trailer to pick weeds off my bunk, happened to roll in the right direction getting out from under it, and had a broken u-bolt staring me right in the eye. Could have been exciting if the stack of springs had gone their separate ways at 70 mph...

Anyhow...looking forward to the third period

[thatoneguy]

+1 for chiropractic care...I could hardly function without it, given my wacky spine.

[Juan Grande]

My first half has taught me that adding a one year old to the brood definitely cuts down on fishing time. I keep telling myself that I'm cultivating a future fishing buddy

[Meat-Run]

Tennis elbow/golfers elbow what ever it really is called has made me rethink my form and choice of equipement. This has led me to almost quit muskie fishing and pick up the lighter tackle (bass) and enjoying myself and more trips with my up and coming fishing supper stars....my two boys. My neighbor is a physical therapist and gave me some stretching exercises but its not helping. I'm heading to ML tonight for the muskies and hope I can make it 6 hours without crying like a kid it hurts that bad.

To stay on topic, I try to not push my injurys, taking up bass and bobber fishing for sunfish, gone old school sure is fun...bobber down.

mr

[AwesomZZ]

I'm learning that I can't keep up with the me from last year. So far this year, i have yet to catch a 4lber. I came close, but not quite there.

[mww24]

I've learned that I love tournament fishing after fishing a couple of the thorne bros mystery tourneys. I like juan grande have also learned that a 7 month old severely cuts down fishing time. And when I do have time to fish I'm usually to tired. I have been just enjoying time on the boat with my family more than anything and not even picking up a rod and reel. Come fall though I'm going to hit smallies hard on mille lacs.

[thatoneguy]

I, too, am hooked on tournament fishing after dipping my toes in the water this year for the first time. The clincher was getting a check for the Big Bass pot at the Excel tourney on Leech on Sunday. Now I'm officially addicted

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fun post.. Im not smart enough to learn anything..

Ok.. truth.. Trust my gut.. Set the hook, even if not sure.. Dont and I repeat>> DONT let the fish jump... I hate hot.. TOO DARN HOT... a fantastic bite is precious.

and on a selfish note-- making the mr.twister catalog for a 4th time... Priceless!!!!(2013 to come, page 6 fold out..., ok, its not a centerfold fold out.. its just a small 2" pict.. but its me..... AND- two lures I have helped work on will finally hit shelves this fall.)

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I feel Im getting a lot better at fishing deep water. I was decent before but tournaments have really pushed me that extra bit to find and catch deep fish. Ive never caught so many back-to-back fish as I have this year. Six fish on six casts is my best so far, its crazy how easy it can be sometimes when you really stay in the zone and pay attention to what you and the fish are doing.

Tournaments have also forced me to fish lots of new waters and I feel Im getting better at map reading, electronics usage and dissecting new lakes and finding the fish.

[Nick Kuhn]

That it needs to cool off so I can put down the bass rods and pick the muskie sticks back up. Not that bass fishing has been all that poor, just that I'd like a bigger challenge.

[RK]

Dont and I repeat>> DONT let the fish jump...

Bah... Let 'em jump. That's half the fun. Sometimes if getting a lure airmailed back to you is the price you pay for seeing one really launch, it's worth it.

Of course, that's a non-tournament point of view for sure.

Cool on the catalog. When Cortland was making muskie rods I was in their catalog on the muskie rod page with a really cool profile shot a friend took of me totally leaning back into a fish, with the rod doubled over...and a 25# carp on the other end of the line. Photos don't tell the whole story sometimes

TUTF - Running into schools is part of what's so addicting about fishing deep. I had a 5 fish in 7 casts deal this year, with two 20s and a 19...haven't caught a fish there since.

[Shorelunch]

First full season of bass fishing (walleye guy). Have had ok (a couple bass an outing) success this year fishing 1-6 feet. My boys (8, 12) throw spinnerbaits, cranks and now the occasional jungle jig with crayfish, top water frog and a wacky worm. I usually fish rip rap shores with weeds, generally on the outside of the weedline. I have a couple of questions:

* how shallow is too shallow this time of year

* are there bass shallow all year

* what are your top couple of lure choices for 9-15 feet?

Thanks.

[thatoneguy]

First full season of bass fishing (walleye guy). Have had ok (a couple bass an outing) success this year fishing 1-6 feet. My boys (8, 12) throw spinnerbaits, cranks and now the occasional jungle jig with crayfish, top water frog and a wacky worm. I usually fish rip rap shores with weeds, generally on the outside of the weedline. I have a couple of questions:

* how shallow is too shallow this time of year

* are there bass shallow all year

* what are your top couple of lure choices for 9-15 feet?

Thanks.

* There is no such thing as "too shallow" for bass, as long as they have enough water to cover their body and enough cover to keep out of the sun/ambush prey. In a tournament I fished on Sunday, I caught my biggest fish in about 2.5 feet of water.

* Yes, there will be some fish that stay shallow all year. Some lakes, like Leech, have nearly all the bass shallow. Others will have more of a mix. But wherever there's shade and forage up shallow, you'll find some bass.

* Depending on the type of water you're fishing, a skirted jig with a worm/craw trailer; a crankbait that matches the forage in that area; a jigworm...lots different options. I've only been fishing bass for a few years, and I can tell you that half the fun is experimenting and finding out what works!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Quote:

* how shallow is too shallow this time of year

* are there bass shallow all year

* what are your top couple of lure choices for 9-15 feet?

1) like stated above me, lo long as they have water on em, they can be there..

2)early in the spring right after ice out may be the only time there are not shallow fish.

3)for me personally 1-DropShot, 2-Jig Worm, 3-jig pig/texas rig, 4-Roller jig, 5-CrankBait

[Bobby Bass]

I am still looking to get in the game this season, after a wrist injury has kept me on shore for most of the first half I am looking forward to some cooler waters come fall. With the big rain storm we had here in June most area lakes have a surplus of water and shallow water takes on a different description. Add the heat and I don't think I missed much the first half. I am looking forward to some live frog fishing, I have a feeling that will be a good bite with water so far back into the bulrushes and old shore lines now summerged. That and the fact that my wrist is almost pain free now.

[RumRiverRat]

Been an EPIC year for me.

Started in the Backwaters of Pool 4 on March 18th with a bunch of Largemouth on the chew.

Continued through April and early May on Pool 2 and 4.

Have spent June and July and most of August abusing the Largemouth on a small dirty water, weed infested lake with topwater frogs and the last couple weeks have really gotten after them with an Ugly Otter on a Football head dragged over a small rock pile on the same lake.

I will log over a hundred days on the water this year, 125 to 130 if I quit working 70 hours a week at work. Have worked a pile of OT in the last 2 weeks and it really has cut into my fishing time, need to remedy that situation ASAP.