The larger bass have just begun to frequent the intermediate depths near their typical spawning locations. The weather has been so erratic this year in S.C., the fish are a few weeks behind schedule compared to previous years. The pond is holding an extra 8"-10" of water from the weekly downpours, and with the 30 degree nights, the water temps arent where they typically are. Normally I'm fishing beds this time of year but I havent even seen one yet.

I caught these fish on the 13th at 3:30pm in about 6' of water that transitions to a shallow plateau of about 2'. Its my go-to spot for catching big hungry females before they hit the bed. These are the first decent ones this year...

Nice! Great targeting work!

Good job Colby - those girls are beautiful. Hey, any updates on those deadbeat neighbors of yours? Did you whip them into shape and make them clean up their act?

Yep Teeh, I finally got em' straight...

It took some time to come to terms with it, but they eventually learned to respect me and my property. It took some rather aggressive posturing on my part, to say the least. Did I mention I ended up revoking their pond rights for 6 months and placed no-trespassing signs at the high water mark (15 ft into their backyard). Took a lawyer and a sheriff's deputy to follow me into their yard so that he could witness and file a trespass notice into record. I told them that I will be pressing charges if they care to test my resolve and cross the line. One of our neighbors told me how embarrassed they were when everyone around the pond found out. A slap in the face is the best medicine for those suffering from an inflated sense of one's ownself. I had to show them that it was indeed my pond, not their's. I just took the signs down in January and they have been as polite and respectful as I could have possibly hoped for... and no trash in my pond since!

Colby - that's admirable work, and way to follow through and use legal means instead of losing your cool, which would have been easy to do. I personally feel your experience is worthy of a pond boss magazine article. It's a unique story, and has a happy ending. I'm sure there are others with similar situations that would benefit from your success. Way to go, amigo.

Oh, and what did the girls hammer? Jigs? Flukes?

Rattle traps, stick baits?

TJ, We LOVE flukes. That's our go to bait the majority of the year. Open hooked, skin hooked, weighted, non-weighted, 3" to 6", they just flat out catch fish. Very underrated pond bait.

Working a fluke in the top of the water column so you can see it is as close to topwater action you can get. I have as much fun watching it as I do catching fish.

Flukes, flukes, and more flukes! Big 5" ones in pearl!

Colby, you may like these. New bait, LFT Boot Tail in 5" pearl. You jerk them up, and they come right to the top like a wake bait. Or, you can can just use them like any fluke type bait.

I'll have a better feel about them when the water warms up, but I got these off the injection mold. If the profile turns out to be too big, I'll just trim the tails.

O.K. Maybe a stupid question here. What's the difference between a fluke, a swimbait and a paddletail bait?

Or is that like asking what's the difference between a perch, a bream, a brim and a bluegill?

To me Scott, the fluke is more erratic, has a smaller profile, and can be just reeled in, jerked, dropped, etc. It has a lot more options than a true swim bait. Swim baits and paddle tails are more a throw and retrieve bait, and usually have bigger profiles. Also, flukes tend to be a whole lot cheaper, so I throw them in the nastiest places I can find, and don't worry about losing them.

I try to get baits that have the potential to be used several ways, so that's why I like this lure. I usually buy regular worms in 8" to 10" sizes, then just trim them to whatever size I want. It saves tackle box room.

Not a stupid question at all, I feel the same way here most of the time. The things you guys know just amaze me. I didn't have a clue what a wiper was until CJB posted the explanation.

O.K. then, question number 2. How do you rig them?

Let me rig a couple, and I'll post some pics. Easier to show than explain.

I'd be curious if anybody uses them for SMB. They just mimic bait fish, so that might be doable.

Excuse the rigging, but here they are.

Top 2 are true flukes. One with a shaker head open hooked, and the 2nd one's skin hooked rigged weightless. 2nd one's the standard fluke rig.

3rd pic is a paddle bait or boat tail. It moved moves more water, and usually needs a weighted hook. I buy the little screw on bait keeper with any standard EWG hook. Or, you can buy ready made hooks.

4 & 5 are swim baits. One soft and one hard. I only fish these in open water because if they hang up, I'm going in after them. Some of the California made swim baits can run a $100 a piece, and be the size of a trout.

Thanks. Now I understand.

I wish someone would make a 4" or so BG swimbait that wouldn't sink like a rock so it could be fished in shallower ponds - 3'-6' deep.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Koppers_L...ge-KOPSQRC.html

Here's a 3". I have some of the Bagley Small Frys, but they're only 2".

I think they'd sell like crazy at 4-5 inches.

I've got those, and they work really well. I caught a couple of Golden Trout a few days ago on them, and have caught 10" BG and LMB.

I said 5", but in fact they are 6". Heres a link to my favorite company. The best ive been able to find. I order 50 of these and 50 of the 3.75" ones every spring. Their stickbaits are also top-notch.

http://alluringbaits.com/duperfluke6

I like the greenish color, that would work well in my pond. Are they erratic like a fluke? That seems to be the key for me. Also, Ive been dead sticking the flukes after a few twitches in my retrieve to compensate for slower moving fish in this cooler weather. Are you making these yourself to sell? Might like to try them.

Nope, they're more of a swim bait that I just trim the tail off if I need less bulk. These would probably sink to fast to dead stick, but they come in various sizes, so I might try that with them. Regular old flukes are just tough to beat.

They're made by Lake Fork Tackle (LFT) in Emory TX. Good folks.