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We recently emerged from a killer drought in Texas. At the height of the drought back last Summer I caught a three pound catfish - but once I pulled all the ticks off him he only weighed about pound...

Thought I'd post about my weekend fishing since I have some time. Sat. afternoon I hit up a linganore creek back behind my Mom's house in Spring Ridge, Frederick with my bro. We did some wading and I don't have any hip waters so it was just shorts and old tennis shoes. It was freaking cold but worth it. There's a couple hot spots I know back there. I managed 2 Crappie both about 8 -10". I had no idea they were back in there because we never caught any of those last year. The best was when I managed to cast over a tree branch (Happens way to often) The lure was just dangling in the water as I tried to figure out how to get it back with having to go balls deep into the cold water. While I'm going over my options a big ol crappie decides hes hungry and hits my lure. So I have this d**n fish hooked and my line still stuck in the tree about 3' out to far. My bro comes up and lasso's my line with his, brings in the fish, saves my lure and no need to break my line. It was pure comedy gold. My bro got the only smallmouth at around 8". I also had 4 -5 bluegill. I fish ultra light with 4lb so any fish back there is fun to catch. I know there are some biggies back there because my bro caught one of the biggest smallmouth's I've ever seen last year. If I remember right, probably pushing 18 - 19" and fat. Sunday I went out to Pinecliff park and waded down past the the bridge with both my brothers. Again, shorts and tennis shoes. I really need to find some money for waders until it gets warmer out. I did decent. Only 1 smallmouth but he was about 12", a bunch of blue gill, and 1 baby carp. I did see about 5 or 6 big ass carp swimming around out there. Both my brothers managed 1 smallmouth so I get the claim the "fishing crown" in the family for the day for most fish. I plan on rolling up to the Potomac after work tomorrow and check out the river up there near Haper's Ferry. With no rain lately the river is pretty far down and I should be able to get to some of my good spots from last year without having to get too wet. I know most of you seem to target LMB, but there is just something I love about the fight of a smallie on my ultra light setup. Also the fact I rarely get skunked in the river vs going for those big boys at Black Hills. For me a rebel crawfish crankbait is money in the rivers. In the Monocacy they seem to prefer the bright green/yellows, but most of my fish this weekend came off of red/orange I have some pics of the Crappie but it's on my waterproof camera, or I should say, my wife's waterproof video camera that I bought for her at X-mas with alternative motives for myself. I'll get some pics posted with hopefully some Smallies from the Potomac tomorrow night.

Kayaking, it can be a religous experience

^Taken right out of the "Winner's Guide To Success!!!" Imagine how proud our forefathers, who fought and died for our freedom in this great land of oppertunity would be if they could read these words of inspiration. Raider, employees who have integrity usually come out ahead in the long run. Integrity has been defined as "What you do when no one is looking." If you work like the boss is always watching you, you'll probably be the boss one day. That might happen through promotion within your current company, or you'll get tired of being taken advantage of and take your talents and work ethic somewhere that they will be rewarded (even if you have to create it yourself by starting your own business).

Have a fun spring fishing season. I'll be sitting in my couch watching Phineas and Ferb with the children rehabbing my shoulder. Tight lines

Hello everyone, I have not posted here in a long time. The club im in needs members, boaters and non boaters. The club has a lot of good guys and I have been there 2 years now and love it, here is the website www.evergladesbassanglers.com we meet at Bass Pro in Davie every 2nd wednesday of the month at 7:30pm in the back. The website has more info. Hope some of you down here in S Fla can join us.

I feel that Mike from DVT deserved a public thank you from me. He went out of his way to fix a Diawa TDX for me that was acting up. Of course this could not have happened at a worse time because of the road trip. His quick turn around helped me out to be able to take my favorite cranking reel with me. DVT, Thank you!

You gotta read this... http://www.bassresource.com/fish-fishing/mosaic.html

Wow...just wow....I really don't know where to start with this post. I probably should just shut my mouth and go about my business but i believe this type of thinking sets a bad example for other people that may have similar situations. Raider the only thing that padding you pockets is gonna get you if your bosses find out is unemployed. How hard is it going to be with no income? And this may be a dumb question but have you tried asking your supervisors for more hours? Sometimes thats all it takes. And Red....the cost a company suffers ALWAYS goes back to the consumers. Would you be ok if you hired an electrician or plumber or tradesman to work on your house and they slowed there work down to pad their pockets and sent you a high invoice because they needed the money? No i don't think you would be to pleased with that and probably wouldn't use there services again. Also the company doesn't need to realize anything..If you don't like whats going on..... leave. Thats the great thing about America..we have a choice. We are not forced to work anywhere we don't want to. The only obligation the company has is to pay you for the hours you work...thats it..Companies don't survive by making no profit. if thats the goal the why bother to go through all the work to have one. And as far as letting one go? What if that someone is Raider? Is it a good idea then? I agree that all things being equal then the work should be split. But again its not your company, its there rules and you agreed to play by them when you took the job. If the rules have changed, or you think its unfair...leave. Its your choice. Lastly , If there are bosses that are covering up there on mess by making the employees suffer who do you think they are gonna keep around them? The ones that help them or the ones that call them out? Sooner or later their bosses will figure it out and you may just be the person they replace him with. Raider, you are obviously a intelligent individual and yes the situation you are in stinks. Trust me i know, I've been there. But i didn't get through it by working less. Actually, i had a pay decrease....yes decrease, 3 years ago because work got slow. And haven't seen a raise since. My hours have increased since then, but i don't justify working any less than my peak just because the company is struggling.. I have a choice. The one question you need to ask yourself when working for an individual or a company is "what will make me happy" More hours? A raise? A promotion? Then ask yourself , what is gonna get me those things? Do you think slowing your work output is gonna get you there? And if none of those things are gonna make you happy then it is certainly time for a change. I'm done ranting, and Raider i wish you the best of luck

Your best bet is finding old junk at garage sales.

Just get good insurance on your boat, gear, and everything else in the boat. If somebody really wants to steal your boat, they're gonna get it.

Thank you all. Got St.Croix 7' MH/Fast...and Revo STX.

I would use a minimum of 30# braid, with a heavy to medium heavy rod at least 6'6" long (7'6" is better), and a baitcasting reel with a fast retrieve (6.5:1 or better). The braid will cut thru weeds better than other line, the longer heavy rod is for leverage, and the high-speed reel will help get the fish out quickly.

As apposed to that, find a reputable rod builder in your area. This is a MINOR fix! Will be cheaper than sending it in. Jeff

Definitely too stiff of a rod for throwing light baits. I would also switch to 8lb mono if you can. I like a medium rod, with a moderate action for cranks.

I'd practice with a fluke rigged weedless and no bullet weight. I find it every bit as effective as a frog, easier to work and a much better hook up ratio, and will fit your present set up better.

Really great thing you did !!!!! I am so proud of you and fishing daddy for taking care of the people who have fought to protect our freedoms, it's beyond what simple words can express. Sorry mother nature did not cooperate, but at least you guys had a great time it sounds like, you even came away with a new nick name lol. Congrats on a job well done !!!!

I know that the lady combos come in two types, ultralight and mediums. For frogs it's better to have a heavier rod like a Med-Heavy or Heavy for getting that hook set and dragging them out of the slop. When I was looking around for a frog setup the most used lines were 50-65lb braid. There's a link on here that was useful when I was looking into frogging last year http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/frog_baits.html If you don't want to go the heavier route you can choose soft plastics with a texas rig, there's a lot of options for them

I don't understand these kinds of threads, if one has a good idea of the size of a fish, what's the need in asking and then disagree with some else's opinion. My opinion.......I'd would have appreciated the fish just as much in outings section titled "hey look what I caught".

There are LOTS of ways to work them! The saying "there is no wrong way to work a jig" is true. I'll break down for you what I normally do when I fish a jig all day. This doesnt mean this is the "best" way, just the way I have found gets me the best results. To me its all about the cover/structure Im fishin. - standing timber - I like to pitch or flip the jig to the timber (making sure to hit it) and let it slide down to the base. If it doesnt get hit on the drop I let it sit for a few seconds then lightly shake it. If nothing hits it then I'll move to the next one and work the same way. - Lay downs - I like to pitch it so it lands ON the tree and let it fall off or hop it off the side. If no immediate hits, I start off by hopping it (quick jerks of rod from 3 o'clock to 1 o'clock) down the lay down. Usually 2 hops then a pause. I will switch up my cadence (sometimes 2 hops, sometimes 1 hop, 3 hops, etc..) to see what they want that day. I the hopping doesnt work, I'll drag it a few inches at a time then pause. If I drag it into something (branch/rock) I give it a quick hop over it. A lot of hits come at this point. - brush piles - I start off by pitchin just past the brush and let it sit after the fall (if no bites on fall) then drag it a few inces at a time with some hops between drags. I do this repeatedly on all sides. If no hits, I pitch/flip it right in the middle of the brush and shake it once it hits bottom. You will get hung up some doing this but Its worth it. Ive caught some good bass in the middle of the thicket. Just make sure you have stout rod/line! - structure/no cover - I'll start with a "faster" retrieve then slow down as needed. I like to swim it a few feet at a time then pause to let it fall back down. Now keep in mind when Im "swimming" it I never have it more than a foot or so off the bottom. If the faster retrieves dont work I slow down the retrieve. Sometimes I slow all the way down to a drag if need be. - grass - . I like to start out by drag/hop them parallel to weedlines to get any hanging out at the edges of the grass. After that I pitch/flip to any open pockets or irregularities in the grass and fish it same way as standing timber. Like I said before, there is NO wrong way to fish them. These are just the ways I like to fish them. They are by far my favorite lures to fish because the are big bass catchers! Its even more fun to catch a hog on one that you made Just keep changing up the presentation until you find one that works then repeat it. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do! Good luck! Carlton

Got a 7+ last year, and could have sworn it was moss hung up on the wacky rig. Then it went to the left, just a little.

I went there to return hooks and came out with, hooks, worms, a jig, swim baits and a rod....doh

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're doing it wrong, then. Use more trunk and less arm and you'll find that you can paddle faster and longer with less fatigue. http://www.adventuresingoodcompany.com/Common_Misconceptions.pdf

The lightest bite you will ever feel will from the biggest bass you will ever catch!

Then a Rage rod and a Lew's Tournament pro reel is one of my favorite combos.

I have a sahara that I like as well. If you are in the market for a casting reel, take a look at the Lew's Tournament Pro. I have one and it is great! It's super light and smooth. I got mine for $154 new on ebay.

Lunker City Salad Spoon - Topwater, virtually weedless and fun to fish. Rage tail shad if you have trouble finding the salad spoon.

They tend to miss the frog a lot. Sometimes, I think they are just smacking it out of anger. I had a few good frog bite days a few weeks ago, and another member asked me what my strike to hook-up ratio was. It was at least 10 to 1. A lot of action, but not so many hook-ups per strike. usually, if I get one to take a swing, he will hit it again. Sometimes immediately, sometimes I need to move off for a few minutes, but eventually the fish will make solid contact. For me, it is the most exciting ways to fish. Many times you see the fish come after your lure from 20 feet away, only to have him blow it up 5 times before you get the frog back. Just try your best to wait until you get a solid tug before dropping the hammer. A good frog bite is a gift from God.

All excellent advise... The only thing I can add is look hard at the hooks and how they lay on the frog. On most that I use I open them a just little so the the point is just barely resting on the body. I do get hung up some if I'm pulling it through very thick pads and trying to hit small spaces between them, but overall it has helped. Also to me the pause is it.! When it hits the water on the initail cast don't move it right away. Let it sit till all the ripples settle, then just twitch enough to turn the nose. pause again then start your jerk, pause cadence. Mike

Watch your line,reel in the slack,set hook.

I thought that same thing to myself. Thats a great way to describe how they were acting. It looked like they just got nasty and are recouping. lol

Toads (stanley ribbits) to buzz along the top, or hollow body frog is what I would use.

They are resting after the honeymoon!

I fished from the back of the boat after my partner had a pot full of chili beans the night before...and he kept me downwind all day.

lol, I know this is a hard curve to learn, HA been there done that !! Line is your most important choice, next will be your rod, I like a beefy rod with a fast tip and I love braid when fishing frogs it has zero stretch, the thing you must remember is to keep a small amount of slack in the line when it gets hit, normally what happens is the bass will hit the frog to injure it and then take it while its stunned, pause for a second and watch your line, it will start to move one way or the other, this is where the slack you gave it comes into play, as you drop the rod tip and set the hook, the slack that you had in the line becomes extra leverage for a much faster hook set almost insuring the hooks penetrate into the roof of the mouth. As you set the hook always make sure the hook set is in the opposite direction of it's swimming, if it is swimming left, sweep your rod to the right in an upward motion, if it is coming straight at you go straight up, make sure your hook sets are really quick with the wrists when you do set. Hope this helps. Good luck and be safe !!!

I had a similar experience as Diggy's friend, returned it and bought a "name brand", not a wind knot since. Just about any of the name brand reels from 60-$100 are going to be just fine. Most 2500 or 2000 reels don't weigh too much to begin with and the rods are pretty light too, find one feels good on your rod and you should be all set.

Cut the tail (legs) down a bit to make it more compact. A lot of fish try to grab it from the legs which when you set up, yanks it from their mouths.

Hit Black Hills myself yesterday and can say some of the fish are spawning. Even though the water was stained from the rain I could still see beds in some of the coves. Caught maybe 20 with the biggest going about 5lbs? Allen

you pop the rod as if you were fishing a topwater plug. Pretty much that is what the frog is, a holoow weedless plug. Pop the rod tip a couple of quick pops, then let the frog sit a second. Then pop a couple times, then let it sit. Just remember, frogs in the wild dont swim fast in the water. They kind of scoot a bit then sit. Its when that frog sits, that bass is gonna nail it. Also they like to trap the prey, so keep it close to cover.

Get the frog at the edge of the grass and with a slow cadence, bring it through some lilly pads or whatever cover there is. When the fish strikes, you have to give it a second before you set the hook. Alot of the time the fish will miss the frog and it will just throw it. Its a pain to fish, but it takes patience.

Like with any topwater bait you want the rod to load up first, let the fish get a good hold on it and then set your hook. Top water frogs are a lot of fun, the two basic types are floating and swimming, the floating type are the ones you want to be able to learn how to make them walk, the other you want to reel back to you just fast enough to make their legs paddle the water and create a slapping sound as it's coming to you. A lot of people just reel them straight back, I like to make them change direction if the fish are looking and not striking. Around lilly pads I like the ones that float, so I can walk them around and through the pads, around grass lines I like the swimming type.

I have a carbonlite paired with the 6'6" M carbonate rod and I love it, can throw it all day. Strong for it's weight too. However it is the older model the gold one, not the newest model

Beaver tried to jump in my boat with me while hooking a 3lb bass....the other one trying to go through a bridge where there is not much space and seeing all the freakin spider screamin like I had seen a ghost.

If the kayak did not come with an anchor trolley get one. They are simple to install and, in my experience, priceless.

If they were bass, at least one would have had a seven inch swimbait stuck in it's mouth.

Dutch oven? Isn't that a fart under a blanket? Headed down to "G" in March and I can't afford 2 trips. Maybe next year.

I live in SE Missouri, but I fish a lot in southern Illinois. Cedar Lake in particular.