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Grammar is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

Welcome to the forum, Joseph J. Zajko. Your IP puts you in Philly, and your email is associated with ZBC Contracting. Rather than shill for yourself, why don't you post up some proof of your catches?

Well, it's only February so there is a lot of time left, but I'm betting this will stand as the silliest post of the year!

A pattern isn't necessarily a lure or it's action. Often several lures appeal to active feeding bass; the key Is active bass. For example during the Classic successful anglers determined the specific conditions that triggered the bass to become active , the depth those active bass preferred and the location those bass were feeding. Aaron Martens found active bass during pre fishing; the right depth and didn't determine why those bass were active, he assumed incorrectly slightly warmer and clearer water was then key. Aaron fished nearly all day trying to get bass he knew were there to react to the lures that worked in practice and never got a strike! Right lures, right depth wrong location under the environmental conditions during that time. Aaron gave up and only had time to catch 3 small bass before weigh in. Aaron figured it out too late, it was wind that triggered the bass activity; west wind on west faciing points with deep water. That was the winning pattern for the Classic, only Aaron missed the cut because of his mistake thinking clear and warmer water was the pattern on day 1. Cliff Pace was on the right pattern for 2 days, but on day 3 the wind died, then changed direction and his pattern disappeared and he almost lost the Classic. There is always more than 1 pattern the bass are using and the Classic runner up was on a different pattern and wind wasn't the key, green water with bait fish was the pattern. Nearly all the anglers figured the right depth and used lures that were effective at that depth and cold water temps. Tom

First off, You dont know what your missing. Second, the part about less bite bites bigger fish is NOT TRUE. Either yyou are "finding the fish",finding the right docks, or not finding the right areas, or fishing big enough baits. Let me break a myth for ya, big bass do live in shallow water. Big bass do hide under docks. You might hate to do it, i hated it at first, but so long as you have big shady docks, dock poles, boats, and possibly some vegetation under there, you have a recipe to catch some big fish. I would say, 2/3 of all my 5-8lb fish came from super shore line or boat docks. I caught more than 30 fish last year over 5lbs. You dont throw spinner baits because every body uses them? Duh that because they WORK! And buzz baits work just fine. And you dont like senkos because of NEWB CONNOTATIONS. Thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard. Senko style worms flat out produce, and ill use them and i dont care what people think. FISHING IS YOUR TIME, NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. Im not trying to be mean or critical. I just do not agree with you, its very important to keep an open mind. Closed minds do not grow.

That stupid jig with the bead chain dredlocks and anything made of elastec.

So last night i did some searching on google earth and found a real nice looking spot close to my house. Its behind the Mercedes dealer on 441 and sample. Within the first 3 casts i catch a decent one on a 7" purple worm. 30 minutes in and ive caught around 7 in the 1.5lb range and down. I decide to go for bigger bites and switch to a smoke colored paddle tail fluke. And as i hoped for, I catch two real nice ones on the first 2 casts! From there almost every other cast had atleast a bite. In a span of about 3 hours i caught over 20 fish, lost count after about 15. I was dipping everything in some garlic, they seemed to just not wanna let go. I even saw some peacock bass but all were pretty small. I lost 2 really good ones that were easily in the 4lb range, one spit the hook right at the shore line and the other snapped my swivel in half! The best of the day was a hair under 2.5lb. Enjoy the pictures!

I prefer the right tool for the job. LMAO at the "thrill of the fight" crowd. I am in the "thrill of the fish in the boat" crowd.

$20+ dollar crankbaits and jerkbaits. For the simple reason of................ things with teeth.

Little John is confusing the state record requirements with Pa fish & boat commission angler award program summary. Heck for all we know little john could be JZ. There are so many discrepancies in the angler award program summary that it is not worth the paper it is printed on. Anyone can say they caught whatever & it weighed & measured whatever. The really bogus ones have no clue what a given weight should correspond to length & girth measurements. Great program but without verification it is meaningless because of the dishonest people who submit bogus weights & measurements.

OK - but you'll never win any of the Major League fishing events with that attitude. A-Jay

Berkley Gulp.

cold water=longer pause no bites=pause longer still no bites=pause even longer

Went to Rodman most of the day today and then came back and hit my pond off Belfort for a bit. Caught 4 in an hour on the same bait I used at Rodman. Caught around 15 at Rodman. Got this big 6.6 and also had a 4 and a 3. I limited out by 11:00 a.m. but she bit at 2:30. Shad crankbait. Stop and Go retrievel.

Dude, sometimes thats the way they want it. You are supposed to find a way to catch fish with a plastic worm. Theres no rules...if buzzing it on the surface or fishing it like a spinnerbait works for you and puts fish in the boat...then so be it. But no single method will work everyday..just mix it up. The zoom u tail is in everbodys tackle box its a versitile lure.

The colder the water the longer the pause. I have caught fish after the bait sat for almost a minute and I know people who let them sit even longer.

PA's got DD's in it. I know I have seen one legit 10 swimming. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I'll settle for these though...

I fish topwater much more than any other technique. Generally it's in water up to 10' with varying amounts of weeds. Conventional wisdom says to use topwater during low light periods, like mornings, evenings, overcast days and at night. I'll fish them all day long because I've caught a lot of fish on them on sunny days.

The YUM Crawbug. You bet I have. I put the big ones on a Magnum Spot Remover and bed fish with them. They have been my go to bed fishing lure for years. The other thing you can do us put them on a large shaky head like the new YUM Pumpkin Ed jighead that has a 4/0 hook and drag it slowly.

i love fighting a big fish on light tackle, its just funner. ***waits for the "but youre stressing the fish longer and going to kill it crowd" to start crying...

BPS PQ/Carbonlite Combo. For 160 thats a great deal.

Perfect examples of this flawed reporting system: 2008 - Largest fish (caught by guess who) is 3/4" shorter length and 3/4" shorter girth and yet weighs almost a pound more than fish #2? Doubt it. 2009 - 10lb fish is #1 in the state. Length? 15 inches. I would love to see a 15" fish that weighed 10lbs. It would completely redefine the bass term "football".

I have been shying away from heavier # lines recently and have been looking at some light tackle/finesse outfits in casting and spinning for open areas to make bass fishing more exciting. I got slightly tired of horsing fish to shore and even when playing the fish a bit, it can be a bit too easy at times. I just watched a swimbait video and even with huge fish being caught which is expected on these lures, the bass were getting into the boat in about 10 seconds if that at times, almost effortless.

Congrats Teal!

that yum crawbug is a FANTASTIC small mouth lure.

Wow, people are really jumping the gun. I doubt if they have even begun to ship them out at the moment. TW says they won't even have any until mid to late March.

The man the myth the legend - welcome home Jim. Now if we could only get him out of La Jolla and the saltwater long enough to chase some bass on a consistent basis

I think an important distinction needs to be addressed here: alternative methods of propulsion are not for everyone. While the Native Mariner and Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks are not for everyone, they do offer unique and distinct advantages to the angler who prefers to move often, has long open water to cross or has a medical condition that precludes them from extended paddling sessions. I fall into the last two categories with the last reason being most prominent. I have tendonitis in one shoulder, and a damaged labrum in the other. While I use to paddle for periods of 5-6 hours at a time over the course of a day on big reservoirs, it was murder on my shoulders the next day. Often times I would even have trouble sleeping because of it. As flyfisher pointed out earlier with the movement differences on the drive systems between the Native and the Hobie, there are also disadvantages to both drive systems. While the Mirage Drive may create additional pressure on your lower back, that most often times is due to improper seat adjustment and Mirage Drive pedal distance adjustment. Most people sit too upright and have the pedals adjusted too close believing they need a long reach of their leg to move the kayak. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, movement of the pedals on a Mirage Drive kayak a mere 2-3" will propel the kayak, the Native still requires a full revolution to move the kayak. The movement required for the drive is on a lateral/horizontal plane and is less stressful/more natural movement on your knee and ankle joints over the course of the day on the water. As far as the Native in concerned, the challenge with that drive system is that it is a recumbant drive meaning that your knees, hips, legs and ankles are all utilized which for some individuals can be difficult over the course of the day and can actually place more strain on your knees over the course of time if not executed efficiently and properly, just like riding your bike. The are also three huge differences between the form and function of the drive systems when compared to one another. First and foremost, the drive system on the Native is a fixed mast system and has no flex, meaning that in shallow water situations where the mast can bottom out, the drive is not as useful, because it protrudes from the bottom of the kayak over 6". For the Mirage Drive, the fins can be opposed to one another and not require removal in water that is 12-16" deep, and the drivehousing only protrudes a little over 1" from the bottom of the hull. Second, in shallow water, the Mirage Drive fins can still be utilized by performing a fluttering action of your feet on the pedals that will still propel the kayak. The Native is not able to execute this maneuver due to the fixed mast. Third and most significantly, pedaling efficiency is not equivalent between the two drive systems. The Native has a fixed propeller size and does not increase your speed significantly with a fast pedaling action. In fact, you will tire out and risk injury to yourself in trying to do so. A rapid pedaling action in the Native also increases the noise resonance of the hull, because the drive system actually vibrates and creates a loud humming/grinding sound. The drive was never designed nor intended for that type of usage. The Mirage Drive system is easier on your lower body and more efficient as you increase the speed of your pedaling. The fins of the Mirage Drive are based upon the physics of penguin flippers and will flex as you increase your speed. I used my Elite 5 DSI this past summer and tracked my speed on my Revolution 13 and was able to maintain a speed of 5 mph for 35 minutes straight with a nice steady cadence in my pedaling action. I left a fellow kayaker using a Mariner in the dust, because the drive system could not rotate fast enough to keep up with me. Remember, the Native is a single gear, not like a 10 speed where you can change sprockets and gears to get more power. However, it important to understand this overlying principle here regarding these kayaks and shallow water. If you are in either of these types of kayaks, you can simple pull both drive systems and paddle the kayak just like a normal kayak. It all boils down to the types of water you want to fish and whether these types of kayaks are ones to consider. It should also be noted that while I am a member of the Hobie Fishing Team and support their brand, I am good friends with a couple Native reps in my area and have spent time in most of their models, including the Mariner. I can tell you from personal experience, the Mirage Drive system is more efficient and less stressful on your joints. In the end, seat time, physical limitations and your overall safety and comfort are the key factors in making the decision. Listen to your "body" and then go ask your spouse for the funds !

Is there a specific way thay you are interested in, because there are numerous ways to fish it...i dont think there is a wrong way. You just have to figure out how the fish want it. Ways that I have fished them -hopping (this can be done short hops, big hops, fast or slow) -dragging it on the bottom and over cover, fast or slow, or stop /start -Stroking (lift the rod tip sharply and letting it fall) -allow the bait to fall, hop it once or twice and the retrieve it and start again, i do this alot when im pitch/skipping under docks, alotnof time they will hit it on the fall -slow steady retrieve. Most of the time, ill either pitch and let it fall, hop it, or drag it. You can try all of these in the same cast until you figure out what they want... like i said, there is a wrong way..IMO

Yea - I did see that Darren, but I was hoping to kick it up a notch ~ A-Jay

Already welcomed him in the thread, but since this is "official": x2!

Love fishing with light tackle. So much that I got rid of my heavier stuff simply because I never used it. My primary rod is a 6'8 l/f river runner with a saros 1000. Spooled with 15 and 20# braid with a 6# cxx leader. I've landed some chunky bass on this rig and love the fight I get from it.

Beer monkey got me. saw some serria nevada ruthless rye had to try it. On bottle #2 so far....Great stuff. IPA with a little spice. C'mon, no more serious beer drinkers? yall spend too much $ on the bait monkey to enjoy the beer monkey. LOL

Wow, can't believe you don't have any success on those! I use some identical to them made by Storm and they are one of my best kept "secrets" here. I T-rig them or use them as a trailer on jigs for flippin & pitchin cover. Works really well in the cold fronts when fishing is slower.

Those are far from useless. I've had success dragging them with a football head jig, both weedless or exposed hook. I also texas rigged them.

Handed my wife my phone and watched her fall for it too lol. Needed that laugh.

Pretty much all of the Shimano line have the life time warranty.. Starting from the convergence all the way to the cumara. The only line that carries they're lower 1 year warranty is the Sellus & below. A easy way to tell is if the paper on the handle, Green= limited life time, Blue= one year.

I vote Hillsdale for the CHALLENGE!!!!!

Great catch,

there are alot of choice! but one of my favorites has got to be my Stradic Ci4/ Cumara drop shot rod combo. It's like they were made for eachother <3

First off you talk to a custom rod builder, and, he isn't a java run script on a website page. The process is a lot more personal than that. All you have learned there is what it could run you. As a retired custom rod builder I would have to measure the hands on a client, ask a 100 differant question about grips, guides seats, angling style, techniques the rod is to be used for, balance, etc.. Have the client handle some of my builds etc. So IMPO take a look in your phone book if you still have one, for the local small mom/pop tackle shop for a local custom builder. If you cannot find one in your local, here is the url for a directory of the builders in this country..... http://www.tackleworks.org/ Good Luck & Tight Lines

i'll bite. 1. sometimes i'll hold the line with my index finger of my free hand, but generally speaking i'm much more of a line watcher. IMO the line will give you more feedback anyway...at least in this context. 2. i don't own a boat so if i'm on board, i'm on the back getting sloppy seconds.

My core 51 came in today, i dont have much line in stock, i found a spool of 8lb transoptic and threw it on. All i can say is wow. Core/cumulus combo is amazing...

Im a finesse junky. At the moment all my rods are medium/medium light action. My 3 spinning combos are 1000 size reels with 10lb braid. My two baitcaster setups are 51e's with 8lb line. I do need to pick up something for frogs this year though...

You said funner ... ;-)

The shimano bait monkey bit me hard this month, a 6'5 medium cumulus, a 6'3 medium cumara, core 51e, chronarch 51e and curado 51 e... Core is going on the cumulus, now i gotta figure chronarch or curado on the cumara...

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I get around 2 yrs out of braid before it gets low on the spool from retying. I have never had an issue with braid breaking down yet. Every rod I use has braid.

No set period - it depends upon how much use any one particular reel has had. I'm not one to believe that nylon mono, copolymer, or flouro suddenly "goes bad" just being on the reel. Braid never "goes bad" either - it just gets worn out or used up. I trim back 6" to a foot of line at every retie (sometimes more if I feel abrasion on the line), and may retie multiple times a day. On the reels that I use the most (I fish every day), I might have trimmed-back 20 to 30 yards of line after a month or so and will have to add new line often. Otherwise, I'll only change line if I've had a backlash or other problems that makes the line suspect. I might change the line after I've caught a 40-50 pound carp or otherwise put stress on the line. I use backing on most reels so I'm usually only changing the top 70-80 yards of line. Now, if line has been on a reel for a couple years or more (I keep a written record of when the line was installed), I might change the line just for grins, or perhaps to avoid manageability problems related to coiling, but not because I think it's suddenly "gone bad." I should mention too that all my reels are stored in the garage, or inside the house. If reels are kept in the rod locker of the boat forever, with lots of heat, then perhaps line is going to degrade at a faster rate... Here's some earlier responses to the same question: How Often Do You Change Line

I change my line "as needed" or once a year. I don't think Yo-Zuri, fluorocarbon or braid break down like monofilament lines.