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Good to hear that you found a good Shimano baitcaster for you but I have to warn you though. Those thing are like Gremlins once you get used to it and got them wet. They starts multiplying.

A PQ over a Curado? Lol.

I believe Sanchez may be more inclined to pursue Manti Teo. LOL

**** Trip Log **** Tuesday 11 June / Fished 6:30am – 3pm / Air temp low 70's / Water Temp 64 / Winds NW Light and Variable / Barometer 1013 & steady. A typically gorgeous morning on the water in the north woods. Sunrise was obscured by an Eden-like foggy mist without much wind to speak of. I anchored up in the same area I left off with last trip. After thinking about a couple of the recent discussions a few posts back regarding depth and still looking for the magic, I switched it up by anchoring shallow and fishing deep to shallow. Additionally, I change my stitching weight from a 1/8 tungsten which I'd used most every trip so far, to a 1/16 lead weight. Though it was very calm, it still took a good while for the rig to initially settle on the bottom. To have any contact at all with the bait, I really had to just barely inch it along very slowly. I went with a 6.5 inch Zoom trick worm and then a Berkley Powerbait 7" Power Shaky Worm in black and green pumpkin. No bites by 10am, so I moved to the other side of the drop off and reversed the whole deal to set up deep and worked shallow to deep. No Biters again. By noon the sun was beaming and it was time to make a move, A move to what, I didn't exactly know. With the water temp now squarely in the "hey lets spawn" zone, I took a spin through areas that you'd expect to see beds. Oh, there were beds all right and small bass every where I looked. It was encouraging to see. Most were little guys, a few were in the 2.5 - 3.5 lb class and I spied 2 or 3 little fat girls that could have gone 5lb. It's hard to tell and so often those 5lb free swimmers end up shrinking down to 4's once they're hanging on a scale. Either way, there was plenty of life in 10ft of water and most of it was around wood or weed cover. Forecast is calling for some stability this week so we'll see how that plays out. On a final note regarding the repeated lowering and hauling up of the double anchors over and over, Ron Burgundy has got nothing on me; for I am The Anchor Man ~ Stay Classy BR ~ A-Jay

If he is going to be successful as a QB, his best shot is in NE where at least he will know which defensive plays will be run without having to read them himself.

X2 Always, ALWAYS tie directly to the lure. Eventually you will get really good tying knots. I do a palomar in like 10 seconds. Lol

As I understand it, diffuse light hits the water from all directions but it is largely re-aligned when it is reflected off the water and transformed (from our viewpoint) into a largely horizontal band - glare. Polarization uses a vertical filter to reduce that horizontal band of light while allowing the vertical band of light through to our eyes. How effective is one lens compared to another, is there a rating? an industry standard? This link explains how Land invented it and how his company made, and makes it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_(polarizer) How do I know whether brand X offers better glare reduction than brand Y? Are there preferred materials or methods of manufacture? Glass vs plastic? If the polarization, brand to brand, is consistent, then it's all about the lenses themselves, curvature and thickness, subtle distortions, light gathering . . . are there industry standards here? Sunglasses cause our pupils to dilate more. Is there, then, a harmful effect when stray light enters our eyes by getting in from the sides or reflecting up from under? I notice diminished perception, light blinding sort of, when glare reflects in the side. Ever notice how folks tilt their head and look askance so the glasses can catch the glare that if they were looking straight ahead would be coming in the side? Bottom line - I'll pay for the best but I can't tell high class junk from yeoman value.

I've been wanting one of these since I saw one 4 years ago. Now if you find one new, in box it costs as much as a Zillion Type R. I bought it at its original price. Just need a pair of black Reel Grips and it will be perfect. Had to go and fish the Zillion and caught and landed a bass on the Zillion 50th anniversary! I think I'll be catching more bass on this beautiful reel.

Haha awesome thread man....i think the same way too. Should i change my lure, should i change the color etc. I just get impatient and think something else would work better. At times I feel that i should I bring less lures so i have less things to choose from. I struggled for a month but now I finally found something that works in the ponds i fish (KVD 1.0), Im sticking to it but just varying the colors.

I changed to a 1/16 oz split shot 12" up from the worm, just enough to keep bottom contact. Anyways, back to your reports, sorry for the temporary hijack.

I also find I have more control over the fish when it's on a short leash as well. There's less "shock absorber" and more "backbone" to put a green fish in the net. More like wrestling than playing or fighting a fish, if you get my meaning.

Hoping everything went well

You will/should enjoy this vid if you havent seen it

So apparently the Academy h20 reels are the same as the daiwa lexa and can be had for outstanding price right now. Just bought two. I also LOVE my PQ and recently really began digging my lews bb1. The knobs on the lews are the most comfortable I've used yet.

Here's a picture of the differences between the stock SK Rocket Shad and the ones I have had altered.

I used to buy colored frogs but now if theyre not all black I dont want em.

Appropriate management of small water is extremely important. There just physically cannot be the carrying capacity to have limitless fish so if there is a finite number of resources and you either remove them all or severly reduce their numbers then you will absolutly affect the population. That's just common sense. I have seen this occur twice. 1.) My In-Laws had a great pond full of bass that they had trained to come up to the shore when you walked up and they threw bread to the them. There were a ton of fish in this pond and a few really big ones. They allowed their granddaughters boyfriend to fish the pond with the caveat that no fish could be removed. However; we found out later he was taking all the fish he caught home with him as we were trying to determine why there were less and less fish coming up to the shore when we took scraps to them. Eventually there were so few fish left that I think the opportunities for succesful spawning just became nill and the few fish left have either been removed or died. Nobody has caught a bass out of this pond for several years and we are now talking about stocking it. 2.) Greatest body of water I have ever fished is a pond in my neighborhood that the original developer has by his house that nobody was allowed to fish. When I moved in I became close with the owner and his wife and they allowed me and one other owner in our neighborhood to fish the pond. It was common to catch 50 bass with a few 3-4-5 lb's thrown in in a couple hours. Unfortunatly; the owners wife passed away and the stipulation of no fishing in the pond was lifted by the owner. There were a ton of people that didn't even live in our neighborhood that were allowed in and they were all taking fish out. Now, when I go to that pond I am lucky to catch one or two small ones. All the large fish that we caught on a regular basis just simply disapeared and we started to hear about some bragging size fish hanging on the walls of some of the guys allowed in. Yes, small water can be absolutly ruined.....and quickly....by idiots.

We have a local catch and release pond that they use for kids fishing expos and rodeos. When I was growing up, you could catch a bluegill on a plane gold Aberdeen hook. It was a great place to take little kids to teach them how to fish and keep them interested. About 3 years ago, you were lucky to catch 2 fish in a day. My buddy went out there to night fish after work and saw the banks full of bucket fishermen, all with there buckets full of bass, catfish and bluegills. He called the local authorities and most were ticketed and some arrested because they had warrants or weren't a legal resident of the US. Once the arrests happened the lake started to come back slowly to its old form. Its a small pond, 5 acres. So it couldn't handle that kind of pressure like a big reservoir could.

95 percent of the time im using 1/8.. I just recently bought tungsten and man there's a difference that I really like

Also, if you are getting a lot "hits" on a particular type of top water, but no hook-ups, try downsizing the offering. Sometimes it works.

I didn't say they were bad or good by my own experience. Maybe it's inexperienced fishermen using them. All I know is between the rods and reels there are far too many complaints in yhis community. I wasn't turning this into the shimano vs everything. Simply offering an alternative that rarely ever has any negative reviews.

Hey cp, please do join the party but in your own thread. This was started by Andy to chronicle his journey so let him have this spotlight. But at the same time we will follow yours! Jeff

Yeah I don't recall the 83 series except for my neighbor had 2 kittens and they got named Eddie Murray and Rick Dempsey. The one lived next door til I was 10 or 12. Reminded me every time I saw that cat of the O's Looks like cole threw another gem but only to lose 2-1. It has to wear on you that you do everything you can and your team can't put up 3 runs for you over and over again. Shoot he should have 8 or 9 wins by now if they could score.

Check out the www.thesmlshow.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesmlshow. Lot of updates on what is happening at and around the lake and a June Fishing Report.

if youre in shallow water and can spot underwater stumps around you, fish them. ive never fished near the state park, but i hear there is lots of stumps in the area from people who have bank fished for cats there. also, fish the docks. dock fishing is one of the most popular methods on the lake. ive caught them under and around docks on a variety of lures. flukes, baby rage craws, senkos, jitterbugs, lizards, shakey heads and more. any downed timber along the banks are good too. to me the best fishing has been when they are pumping water back into smith mountain lake from leesville lake. do a google search for the smith mountain eagle newspapers website, travis patsel does a weekly fishing report for them. ive seen him post here and other fishing forums by the name of cats n' stripers. he runs a guide service for stripers and cats on the lake. he knows the lake very well. the lake is known for heavy boat traffic and lots of jet skis, so be careful and dont venture too far out on those kayaks. i would also recommend some night fishing from the bank with live bait for catfish and whatever else wants to bite, just for the fun of it. nightcrawlers, chicken livers, and cut bait will provide a fun night. ive caught a couple nice stripers doing this as well(liver and cutbait on the bottom). also the bass in my avatar was caught at SML while night fishing a drop shot with a night crawler next to an underwater tree stump that ive pulled bass from before... most importantly have fun, i love that lake, im hoping to get down there for 4th of july, dissappointed i didnt get to take my yearly memorial day trip there this year because work was too busy...

it could be possible the fish short striked and barely got hooked in the lip and it eventually ripped out. i never change out factory crankbait hooks just to change them. they work fine for me

Mind if I join the party? I won't be stitching every time I go out, maybe once or twice a week for a few hours at a time. (Keep in mind that I am fishing small ponds and the larger bass don't have far to go.) Setup: 7'6" MH Abu Garcia Veritas Daiwa Takara 17lb XPS fluoro 1/4 oz tungsten bullet weight(too heavy I know but its all I have on hand.) 5/0 gama EWG PTL 10" Ribbon Hinge Worm

I use the same hooks on my 1.0's

Nope. The bass are concentrated on ledges.

Just keep a light colored wacky rigged senko or nose hooked super fluke rigged and ready to cast. That usually seals the deal. They are slapping at the bait in an attempt to injure it. Throw some plastic that resembles an injured bait fish and you'll get them.

It's the same way with any boss, you play by the man's rules as long as he pays you.

When I lose a fish I come down with a bad case of profane torrets, or throw a senko in on another pole where it missed, or both.

I vote for the 6'6" MH. It's what I started with before adding to my collection.

All purpose to me means it needs to fit in a lot of places. Creeks, under trees, jon boats, canoes. Those tip heavy 7 footers are great on the deck of a fancy bass boat with plenty of highboard. But its hard to work your favorite lures with them when you sitting inches from the surface.

Don't know what the pats were thinking. Tebow is a backup QB at best, and not a very good one either. smells like desperation. Good luck with the media circus!

Another vote for the siebert compact spinnerbait.

Siebert Outdoors makes a compact series that looks pretty sweet in a 3/8oz, only $5.50 too.

i am able to walk the dog pretty well , but could probably use some more practice. the thing thats bugging me though is as it gets pretty close i start losing that nice action. Is there no way around this or to be expected? maybe im worry too much much.

Great little reels, would be nice if I ran into more 51's though

Cut off you lure, tie a large loop in the end of the line, place the loop over the rod handle and tighten the line with the reel, then wrap the line around the rod eyes one time. P.S. There are no dumb questions here, just some dumb answers at times.

.... not usually very much. If their were a list of the top 10 variables which affected my odds of putting fish in the boat, color would likely be no better than an 8. IMPO, bass anglers tend to get too caught up in color, when their are so many more important aspects to consider. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've talked, in the past, about this little thing called the "Purple worm" phenomenon. Basically a guy goes out with an assortment of worms. He starts out with a red one.... but doesn't realize he is fishing "fishless" water. So he moves... and switches to a green worm. Of course he doesn't know that the angler right before him has already stuck all the "easy biters" in that area. {maybe while using a green worm ! Ha ! } Finally, he stumbles into a fresh, hotspot, with lots of fish willing to play. He rigs up a purple worm, and whacks the $#%$ out of them ! Whoo Hoo ! So, the guy thinks, it must be all because of that purple worm ! So from then on, the guy ALWAYS at least starts with a purple worm.... and he always starts in that new "hotspot" of his too. And so now, not surprisingly, the guy catches nearly all of his fish on purple worms ! A year later, the guy has gotten so sucked up, believing that that "purple" worm has everything to do with his success, that its all he ever fishes with. And so guess what ? Now, It really does have everything to do with his angling success ! > Because that's the only color the guy fishes with anymore LOL Color.... How do I type a big, loud, fart sound ? LOL Tell you what, just let me find a bunch of big, hungry bass...... then you can pick out your "worst" color.... and I'll stick some of those fish on it Peace, Fish

You might find a gently used CTE200GT in your price range.

I've been fishing one for most of this year and I feel like I've figured out a lot about this cool little rig. When you are fishing it like a Texas Rig it is better to use a bell type sinker over a long skinny sinker. The bait stays up off the bottom better and can wiggle it more. The bite feels different. Almost like a dropshot or a tube bait. The fish just loads up on it. You don't feel the bottom as well as rigs that are tied directly to the weight, but that is to be expected. It is very difficult to get the Jika Rig hung up. It comes through just about everything. It works with any soft plastic. It is awesome drug along to bottom with a fluke on the hook. A 30 degree jig hook is the best hook I've found for it. I just need to find them in light wire.

I will continue to recommend the H2O Mettle. It is an incredible reel for $50.

I love my Academy H2O Mettle. I can cast a hollow body frog about as far with it as my Team Lews or Supertuned Curado E. In fact, I can outcast my PQ by about ten feet using heavier line. The mettle is a solid simple reel that works flawless with braid, but can be a little difficult using smaller diameter lines.

H2o xpress ethos rod 59.99 and h2o mettle reel 49.99 from academy and you will not be disappointed.

there is a small lake in wellington florida that holds lots of 2lb bluegills (you can get to the lake on flying cow road its near the gate for the wildlife preserve) and that are that deep purple/blue color also and they hit skitterwalks/spooks haha

The Snake is awesome. Small top water poppers right at daybreak, lipless crankbaits throughout the evening. Daytime try this in the current. Peg a 3/16 to 5/16 ounce bullet weight 18 to 24 inches above a 2/0 worm hook. Get some 3.5 inch tubes and slip some ear plugs inside them before rigging them. Toss it out and let it sit while the tube suspends in the water. Green and orange are good.

hank parker, living. if we could include dead , harold ensley, the fishermans freind

Aaron Martens.