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Your wife is a shakey head? So is mine! She also gets crankbait sometimes but I always seem to worm my way out of it after I finess the situation. I just don't get her sometimes.

Haters gonna hate. I've fished unpressured ponds and lakes before. You can pull some big fish out when you get the opportunities. To say an ethical man and icon is basically cheating is a bold statement. Proove it or move along.

In California we have the advantage of having both northern strain and Florida strain LMB in the same lakes and can making side by side comparisons of the 2 strains. In addition the 2 separate strain inter grade and their off spring are different than the parents, creating a third variation of LMB, in the same lake. The most obvious is the size of the NLMB verses FLMB. Not so obvious is feeding preference; NLMB prefer dormasel or shoreline prey and smaller size baitfish, whereas FLMB tend to prefer pelagic or mid water column main lake larger size baitfish. Both species will feed on both types of prey, however there is a preference. The FLMB is more cautious selecting prey, where NLMB tend to be more aggressive in striking prey and lures. A bass is a bass is simply not true. First lession is bass are not bass at all, they are sunfish family. LMB are different than smallmouth bass and both are different than spotted bass in where they prefer to locate and what prey they prefer to eat. Tom

Mirrors? Gyms have mirrors? So much for my resolution. I couldn't stand the sight of looking at an old man with titz and realizing it was me.

No offense but would rather go with someone that fishes there often and not have to pay four hundred a day for a guide. Believe me I e been out with so called guides before

Oh, the beard will be in full effect. No doubt. I had to trim it up for a wedding at the begining of December, but it's not getting cut again for a while. LOL

I heard a knocking coming from the back of my truck the other day. Turns out a Fiat 500 was stuck in the wheel well.

Done some shallow swimmers. Hope the bass like them next weekend.

A buddy and I have gone to Florida in early March for the past few years to catch the college spring baseball tournaments. Of course we bring our fishing gear. The first time we were on the water he asked me this question: Why do you fish differently down here than you do back home, you always say a bass is a bass no matter where it lives? I attempted to explain to him that Florida bass are a different strain than their northern brothers and although they are both bass, the Florida bass' reactions to weather changes is more drastic and unlike the bass by us, they are at the top of the food chain down there and behave as such . So, in an effort to get to know other's bass, What differences do you notice in what you've heard, read, or experienced vs. what you experience on your home waters. Are they really differences or just the way the fish in your lake are really doing the same thing? I'll start off by saying that most of the information I read and gather over the internet is geared toward fishing impoundments (man made lakes) and I fish mostly natural lakes. We don't have creek channels or main lake and secondary points (to an extent), or some of the other structure that they have? Applying that information to the water I fish would seem like a wasted effort except I do live by what I always told my buddy; a bass is a bass etc. No shad here, but they still follow the bait. No creek arms to follow in their seasonal movements, but they still make those movements, No bluff walls or ridges, but they still use vertical structure in the same way.

I've got way more than I need, I try to use everything just to make sure my gear is in top notch condition. I don't need a darn thing, that doesn't mean I don't want something from time to time. If I get the whim I buy it, I don't spend my waking hours dreaming about new gear or cruising the net for deals. Fortunately I do not have to justify anything to my wife or myself. My wife is my main squeeze, if she wants a 100 pairs of shoes, let her have them. All I ever did was make money, she raised the kids and took care of the home, a much harder job. I'd go without if I had to just so she can have whatever she wants.

If I was you I'd get a BPS Pro Qualifier, 6.4:1 gear ratio, and a BPS Carbonlite, 7' MH/F. There is a combo that you can get for 160 online. That will leave you about 40 bucks for line and some other bait and tackle.

I went to 0rings.com and long story short, several phone calls later I found a commercial o ring distributor who was willing to sell me a minimum order. Ten bucks got me 1000 of them. I now have a lifetime supply of o-rings. For Senkos, the correct size is 3/8 OD ( outside diameter) and 1/4 ID (inside diameter). That size fits snug but not so tight that it is a pain to put them on the bait.

Went to Pickwick on Sunday and filmed my trip for the first time using my GoPro. First ever attempt at making a video as well. Check it out! Jeff

What? Y'all missed it??

Raider even as an old, formerly fat guy I can feel your pain. 11 months ago my Cardiologist told me to lose some weight or not make any long term plans. On Feb 23 I started going to the gym. Now 11 months later I am able to do more, and having to work around the knot-heads who have turned out in droves since the first of the year is frustrating. I still have an old guy looking back at me from the mirror, but he is a lot sexier than he once was! Hang in there. I'm told in a month or two all will be back to normal. FWIW I was one of the knot-heads that didn't have a clue about proper gym etiquette when I started. Now I can hang with the big boys... I'm just using about half the weight.

Sam, I believe the stocking that was done with expectations of the two strains reproducing would produce offspring with the best of both. Larger fish than the northern strain and more aggressive and less prone to 'lockjaw' than the Florida strain. Don't get me wrong, the bass up here react to cold fronts and such, but they don't seem to totaly shut down and will respond quickly to a change for the better. The perfect cross species, IMO, would be a smalmouth/northern largemouth/Florida largemouth. What a fish that'd be! I don't give up on bass fishing during cold fronts, which normally will have eastward winds. I do realize that the fish will be less aggressive and hold much tighter to cover and make adjustments. I also don't expect to load the boat in a few hours. I think I know my bass, but there's always more to learn.

Thatxguy - the fish in the top pic is a rock bass. Pretty common in northern waters but they are never very large.

It really depends on which KVD reels your talking about. BPS sells a KVD signature reel that costs $110, it is a BPS exclusive and probably a piece of junk. BPS, TW and other retailers sell KVD reels that cost $299 and are Quantum's top of the line reel. They are probably great reels, as far as Quantum goes.

Blocking the mirrors? Wait 'til you're my age. You'll consider the mirror blockers to be your friends. It's all in the perspective.

Buy your first casting setup as already mentioned. It took forever for me to cave in but man I'm glad I did. A nice entry level setup would be a BPS pro qualifier casting reel and a Berkley lightning rod. A 7' med/heavy would be great for what you want to fish on it plus more if you decide. That'll run you right around $200 with a spool of bps fluorocarbon and taxes. Also wait till the spring classic during the second week of Feb-March. Might be a better deal on the reel or even something better combo wise.

Hey do midgets pop out of the fenders and flash lights like on a runway to guide you in a parking space? That thing's huge looking

My experience with said bait is the visual inspection I gave to your 2 pictures. Nice camera work.

I believe it is a Woods Manufacturing spot tail minnow. If you look into it on the internet you should be able to find a matching photo. Good luck.

Me too.

easyyyyyyyyyyyyyy bro.

Very good then...good luck

So, any update? Did you catch any on these cranks?

Whos your daddy!

I can guarantee that!!! Jeff

A little blue birdie told me, a jay. I'll bet there will be some monster greenies before we get any big brownies.

if my wife read this site i would be dead too lol

Nothing but respect for the big fish hunters. I have a good friend who I fish with pretty regularly, and he always pulls out the big irons. While I typically do better in numbers, he has caught some of the biggest fish I have ever seen in his pursuits (including a 14lb. 3oz. Virginia bass.) On the other hand, I have caught some real dinks using large baits. I've caught plenty of bluegill on a XL Minus 1. While it's counter-intuitive, I have caught most of my biggest fish on small baits. I caught my largest bass of 2012 (7.5lbs.) on a 1/16oz. jighead tipped with a 1.5" grub while crappie fishing. Go figure.

If your wife read this you would be divorcing one of them as well..

Productive? As in getting bites from quality fish and not dinks....most of the time, a jig.

If we are talking what is the bait that prevents me from being skunked for a day then I would have to go with a fluke. They can be fished pretty much everywhere in the water column and flat out produce. Other than that, I change up so often I don't have a go to bait. This past fall I got into throwing crankbaits and this winter jigs and deep diving cranks have been the ticket.

I need to fish with you

Look up member Wayne P. His avatar might answer your question.

Extra lockable cabinet, unfortunately I lost all my ammo and guns in a tragic boating accident

Here's a bad pic of the tank.. (3 of the 4 bass and the bluegill... actually you can see the tail of the 4th on the left.) I am letting the fish have time to "walk" about 5 or 10 feet with it. My setup... until Saturday... is a 6'6" Berkley in Medium Fast and a Mitchell Avocet with 10lb line. Saturday it will be upgraded to a 7'6' in Medium Light or so. No Kiddin'!!! lol

If you want to catch bigger bass, there aren't many better places to start learning about trophy bass behavior. WRB is another great source.

I'll probably be turning my man card in on this one, but 34 rods, Yikes!! When my Fiance shakes her head, I just smile and say I love you. Shes bought 3 of mine. I make good money, but she makes 7 times what I do a month. I got some dishes I need to clean

Very nice HY!!! Thanx for sharing that, it was an awesome read and you did a great job with the format !!! We look forward to meeting you sometime, hopefully soon, I know the baby is due and I hope you are free enough to join us for the meet and greet, if not there will be more, but you know the family is welcome as well if it all works out.

To this point i've been using a cheap fix but need to find any improvement b/c i'm too cheap to pay .70c for a Boss punch hub. (cheap fix= 1/4" of coffee straw burned at both ends with a match. the ends curl down for a make shift hub to slide skirt collar around). my thoughts for improvement might help spark something for ya. 1-an hour-glass shaped plastic bead. 2-an hour-glass shaped metal bead. (hour glass beads seem to be a premium in the 'crafting world' but are still at steal at .05 or .10c). 3-a traditional .01-.02c oval bead. take a Dremel tool and cut a groove around the center to secure skirt collar/wire. 4-find a resin/play-doe like product that hardens when it sets or is baked. form my own hour-glass around a small paper clip/wire. I'd like to find #1 b/c no modifications are needed. And I can probably find it in glass for some nice additional lunch bell 'clicking'. Would probably be extra nice with tungsten banging against it.

Papa, you say " Florida bass are a different strain than their northern brothers and although they are both bass, the Florida bass' reactions to weather changes is more drastic and unlike the bass by us, they are at the top of the food chain down there and behave as such" which I find interesting. In Virginia the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDG&IF) along with a conservation group stocked the Chickahominy River with Florida strain bass about five years ago. The bass were expected to continue reproducting with our Northern Bass and VDG&IF has said the experiement has been a success and there will be other Florida strain bass stockings in the future. Do you think the Florida strain bass in Virginia also react to weather changes like they do in Florida and if so, do you think the mixed strains would do the same? The Chick shuts down when we have wind from the east. You may as well go home or fish for crappie, catfish and bluegills as the bass will get lockjaw. Now I am thinking that the Florida strain bass will react to weather changes to a higher degree than the northern bass which will have a negative effect on fishing. What do you think???? Thanks in advance for your and the other guys' input.

Them: Me:

If you have the luxury of being able to choose 4x4 or not, take the 4x4. Having 4x4 is kind of like having toilet paper with you on the boat, its pays for itself the first time that you really need it.

When drop shoting you do the following: Cast the rig and let it sit, with a tight line. Let the current move the bait. You can shake the rod tip now and then if you wish. Drop the line straight down. Let the current move the bait. You can shake the rod tip now and then if you wish. Yes, drop shoting is a slow presentation. You cast or drop the rig into the water and stand there, waiting for a bite. When you feel the bite you lift the rod. You do not clobber the fish with a hard hook set. Just raise your rod and start reeling in. Always keep a finger on the line coming off the spool to feel the hit. If the rig feels "different" raise the rod tip to set the hook. Use light line. 4 pound can work wonders but the bass' "teeth" can cut it. Use a 6 pound flourocarbon line. You want a light line and a medium with fast action tip. Read about the various drop shot rods on the manufacturer's web sites or via Tackle Warehouse. Aaron Martins likes the Megabass Hodgehog drop shot rod for $800. I think you can find a good drop shot rod for a bit less. Just remeber: Stand there scratching your b_____s waiting for something to feel different or a tap via yoru finger on the line. Then just lift the rod tip. Allow the current to move the worm, like a Robo worm or other worm of your choice. You can rig the worm Texas or Wacky.

Great post, chuck. To the OP, I can only stress this: GET SOME SEAT TIME IN! That will seriously help you in your decision.