Oftentimes, it's the little things that make all the difference, and if someone in the know offers a tip, take our advice and listen to what they say. It could be something as simple as a color change, or as major going to a completely new presentation.

We've learned one of the best sources of information is from members, hardcore anglers who fish more than five times the national average in terms of time on the water.

If you have a great fishing tip you'd like to share, please drop us an email at mike@chicagobassbusters.com. In the meantime, take a look at these fish-catching, and time-and money-saving ideas from your fellow members.

Easy Trailer Hooks

Adding a trailer hook to a spinnerbait can make all the difference when bass are striking short. You can slip a small piece of surgical tubing over the trailer hook’s eye, but I find the process time consuming. Instead I apply a coat of thick shoe repair adhesive to the eye, let it dry and apply a second coat. It creates a fixed rubber cover that keeps the trailer in the correct position on the spinnerbait hook

Too High For Trout?

Water ripping, discolored, too high to fish early trout? Fish a No. 2 or 3 French spinner tight to the bank. Take your time, cast quartering downstream a short distance and allow the spinner to sweep up against the bank below you. You’re fishing about an 18-inch zone from the bank out. Allow the spinner to hold in the zone with the blade turning in the current. If you don’t get a bite, drop the lure back and hold it there. If necessary, move downstream and try another spot. Pay particular attention to pockets and slack water.

Multi-Task Plastic Worms

When my plastic worms get too torn and tattered to be fished on a Texas-rig, I cut off the heads and use the tails as spinnerbait or jig trailers. If the worm is a straight-tail, I split it in half to get more action.

Casting For Distance

To achieve smooth, long-distance casts with my spinning reel, I do a little maintenance on the spools at least twice a year. After clearing all the line off the spool, I use a buffing wheel and either aluminum or plastic buffing compound to smooth the lip of the spool. You can feel the difference by touch, and see it in improved casting performance.