Leaderboard

I'm not sure I agree. This is a new $150 reel from Daiwa, something they haven't had in years, and they've hyped it very effectively with the sneak peaks and the videos flying around. They've made it clear that this reel is a purpose-built mainstream contender, not a watered-down version of one of their more expensive offerings. I think the Tatula will do just fine. Really? The Tatula is much wider, much darker, and has a more open front. The Chronarch Ci4+ is also more angular than the Tatula.

Casting or spinning? I'd like it for surf or pier use, would not like it for a boat rod.

Three and a half years without a warning point.

You're welcome. I do my best to make myself available for questions. Please don't hesitate to call or email if I'm not logged on to the forum.

The thing I have noticed is the harder I cast the more backlashes I get which will mean that your smaller finesse lures will backlash quite a bit more backlashes. I feel like the larger lures I dont feel I am throwing as hard which results in a smoother feel of the cast and fewer backlashes. That may just be me though. When I throw something finesse, like 1/4 and under, I will typically use a spinning rod/reel.

I'm on the board with a dink

It's been an eventful few weeks, to say the least. I'm not sure Andrew and Ryan will both fit in my 16 ft jonboat so I may need to convince my wife to let me upgrade (PS - they will fit but don't tell my wife ) In any event, I've tripled the number of kids I have so there's been an "adjustment period"... Hehe...

I just saw the new Picasso Bait Ball Extreme that has 7 wires and 16 baits. This seems like a little much to me. I know I would never use something like that.

The level of quality that works for me is Pro Qualifier baitcast reels, and President spinning reels. Some will tell you that these reels are junk. They are not. Others will say they they are just as good as any. They are not. I have used many high and low end reels, and have been around long enough to know the difference. The reels I use meet my needs at a price I am comfortable with. If my disposable income was higher I would probably have a couple of high-end combos; not that I need them, they are just fun to use! I would rather have 10 of my combos than a couple of high-end ones. That decision comes from on-the-water experience, and it is right for me. How anyone else spends their hard earned dollars is their own bidness!

I pull with a Toyota Tundra 4x4. That being said, unless you launch from gravel or dirt ramps or fish a ton in below freeing temps, a 4x2 should be fine. But that one time you need the 4x4, it pays for itself! Jeff

Went to the potomac river today in Hancock and waded for about 1 mile. Fished today, caught a lot of smaller ones but did catch a half dozen 1-2 lb ones.

I tried punching it soon afterwards, but my largest tungsten weight on me was 1 oz, and I needed more! It was thick. Next time I will have more weight for sure! Jeff

Fish the same way you would as if it wasn't raining, but wear a rain coat.

Sorry for the double post but I wanted to update with what I ended up getting. I picked up a Pflueger President and I was going to buy the Fenwick Smallmouth rod (still am actually) but i went to dicks and they had the Abu Garcia veritas line on sale for $20 off so I ended up getting one of those instead. However, a miracle has happened and the Fiance has given the go ahead, without me actually asking for it, to purchase a fenwick small mouth rod and a quantum smoke spinning reel so I'll be purchasing the fenwick rod and putting the pflueger on it and when I get it putting the smoke on the veritas.

Wheelwright pond Xmas colored wacky rig got 10 bass 2 pickerels and a lot of sun

This was the outcome for me and my girl today. Are over all weight was 6.89 and are lunker was 2.25. Winning weight was 6.99 so close but that's fishing. Winning lunker was 2.89. Long hot day of fishing but at the end of the day we have smiles on are faces.

I've gone "Combat Fishing" for Silvers in Ship Creek which runs through downtown Anchorage...what a blast! !!

Operation "Father of the Decade" is progressing well. Then again it's only been two weeks...

Welcome!

Not to go off topic a little, when your contacting companies it seems your giving them business advice, I was saying contact them to replace a broken product. If you contact Mcdonalds about a poor happy meal, I would bet you get a replacement. If you contact Burger king because you feel the kings crown is to small, you might not get a reply.

FishChris, I am still waiting to catch my breath. That is beyond awesome!!

of course a boat is a huge investement but im only talking a bout a little pond small lake hopper I can get almost everywhere I want to go with it and yes I have got out to hit spots on land before but usually I cant access those spots from land by walking (which means there not pressured a lot). I think it also depend if your a fairweather fisherman and you like to drive up to your spot and fish or your willing to beat the bushes to get those hard to reach spots. also here in Kansas most lakes are surrounded by a good portion of heavy woods which makes it impossible to get to except by boat. now when can I get invited to Cali to catch some of those monsters FISH CHRIS boat or no boat. wish we had that size out here.

is your date set??? a friend and i am going, but on the weeked of Septembet 14-15. we cant move the date because Monday 16 is a Mexican holiday (we live in mexico), so, i take a day off work and have a total of 4 days off. we are driving and taking our boat.

Alright, I was a bank beater for many years, and caught a lot of fish that way. WAY better than sitting at home because you don't have a boat One thing I have not seen reading over all of these posts > Is the often GREAT advantage a shore fisherman has at getting a big fish to eat in the first place ! People don't seem to realize how acutely aware a big bass is of its surroundings and any "intruders" which have come into there territory. MANY times I have used the boat, only to get me to an area of the lake that I could not get to by land, only to beach the boat, and get out and shore fish {how often would you see a glitter rocket beached up on the gravel, while the angler fished from shore ?} Here's a couple good ones I caught from the shore... Saw this 14.4 from my boat, but could not get it to come into the boat. I'm sure it felt trapped between my boat and the shoreline. So I went down about 75 feet, beached the boat, came back and stuck it on the first cast This 15.8 was hanging out right about where "most" fishermen would have pulled up and parked their boats Which was good for me

Boomer Sooners...

hey eddie! i live in knoxville & fish fort loudon all the time. you're gonna love this site!

Welcome Eddie, I live in sevierville so were not too far. This might be better suited for the introduction part of the forums but welcome anyway.

They have been great you have to look at them daily to hit the deals just right I have bought the multi pack sales a couple times.

This! I get a lot more bites when I fish a 1/4 and 3/8oz jig. I've also caught many more fish when they subtly pick it up off the bottom. I feel like that happens 80% - 90% of the time for me. Rarely to I get smashed on the fall with a jig.

I'd hate to catch 7 20# stripers at the same time on it, but I have caught 1 140# fish on spinning tackle.

I am going to attempt to post pictures of my bass tracker 190tx 8' power pole pro. I had bass pro mount the mounts. I have 2 mounts and 1 power pole. I had them mount both mount because you have to take the motor off. I only had the money for one but plan on adding another in the future and I will be able to mount it my self now in the future. I hope this helps,

Any time you feel any type of bite, set the hook. Be a line watcher, you see any tick or the line start going sideways, set the hook. You do not always feel a good bite with jigs, was out yesterday, biggest jig fish was a 5.25lb LM. No bite or line movement, just felt different when starting to move the bait.

I throw jigs to target areas, even football jigs go into target areas. When I say "target area" I mean like a transition bank where you will see rocky terrain turn into clay, if it that way on the ban the it is more than likely it is like that underwater also. The only jigs I fish deeper than 10' are football jigs, and the occasional flipping jig if I'm stroking but that is a whole other discussion. Keep it simple, find isolated stumps or stickups and dead falls and make short casts or pitches to these spots and start with a small hopping retrieve then drag it and change it up until you find what the fish want but the best way to do it is to fish in areas that you know could hold at least one fish and that is an area with cover or some sort of structure like a drop off or hump.

47 kill streak in call of duty lol

Just celebrated out 40th. We do have different hobbies though. She loves to chase that lil white ball and I fish. Tight Lines

Nice fish! Now you see why so many of us rank the smallmouth bass as No. 1.

Jig fishing can be slow. You can use a jig for the big ones, too, which is also slow fishing. Fish the jig like you do a Texas or Carolina rig. Simple presentations like flipping and pitching to close cover; casting out across points; hitting the rocks; skipping under docks and piers; swimming a jig; and on and on. Each pro has their own technique and color/size suggestions. From Charlie Hartley to Alton Jones to Aaron Martens to Greg Hackney and Mark Zona all will tell you different things about jig fishing. As for colors, anything goes depending on the forage and time of year. Remember, a jig can mimic a crawfish or a bluegill. Check out the Northstar and Siebert jig colors. They are too beautiful to fish. You need to frame them and hang them on the wall in your living room. But you can see the colors and styles and you can decide which ones match your fishing best. Then get a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela's catalog and read their information about the jigs they are selling with the understanding that they are selling them so take what they say with a grain of salt. The jig hooks and heads are the most important part of the jig. You want a very strong hook and a jig head to handle the specific technique. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Too many bass for the pond to support. If you can harvest some of the smaller ones it will allow the remaining ones to grow larger. Please have permission to fish the pond and to take the smaller bass to dispose of properly and not throw on the bank or in the woods. You may want to double check with your New Jersey fish and game commission about the smaller bass and how to help the pond become a better fishing location.

It's clear that you guys know a thing or two about bass fishing!

Nice fish...congrats!

My advice is simple, the bumps are strikes you have missed! Unlike a T-rigged worm, bass will not strike and hold onto a jig very often. Go to a lighter weight jig; 1/4 to 3/8 oz and slow down your retrieve. The next time something doesn't feel right, a little heavy or light or tic, crank you reel handle fast and set the hook. Bass don't have hands and jigs have a lead head molded onto the hook, not a natural feeling creature to the bass, when they engulf the jig.....set the hook as soon as possible. Tom

I'd love to have 5 of those in about any tournament around here!

still a nice fish... and a lot of fish that size fight like a 4 lber

They started out as Michaels, an improved version of the Zel Roland Pop-R. Don Iovino offered the Splash-It long before Yellow Magic knocked off the design.It's all about about price, instead of a $12.00 lure you buy the $4.00 Chinese knock and then complain that the original went out of business, Tom PS, RI not R2sea is correct, getting old! If you get the impression I am against Chinese counterfeit products, you are correct'

I just got done sealing up some scumfrogs today. Yep, I said scumfrog! OLD SCHOOL Just have to use waterproof silicone sealer and lightly spread it over the openings with your finger being careful not to put on too much. Then two holes poked in the top with a hot paper clip bent straight. Since they were scumfrogs I also put a couple pieces of lead shot in the silicone as I applied it. It helps them land bottom down and cast a little further. Don't need to do it with most.

Me too. Me too. But history has indicated that at least during the heat of summer, I have always been considerably more successful at night. Generally at night, I'm not fishing as deep as the techniques in the book recommend. So it remains to be seen if I'll stumble into what I'm looking for not. A-Jay

I'll put another vote in for a Pflueger President. Solid, well built and very smooth.

my 2 cents on kayaks. I just sold my 10 foot sit in kayak. was just a basic one. at first it was great , but after using it for 1/2 a year i decided to move to a sit on top. My basic info. I am 5 ft 5 160lb and almost 50 yrs old. the kayak i had was about 40 lbs , the weight was great, after a while i felt confined in the sit in. i felt a could not see the top of the water enough to fish weeds and see weeds / pads on top. fishing rod butt ends need to be shorter or i felt i was constantly having to hold the rod up high so the end would not hit. not enough room to store things including a small anchor and small tackle bag without having to fight to get at it behind me. couldnt move around easy enough, now with the sit on top all of the above except for rod butt ends needing to be shorter are solved. i can move and get at everything even behind me so much easier. i dont feel confined and can even hang my feet over the edge and sit sideways and kneeling when the back needs to be stretched is easy. even seeing the weeds is much better. it is a little heavier and a little bigger but i am ok wth that. i use a regular paddle from a canoe not a double ended kayak paddle when i fish. plenty of room for an anchor as well as a basic portable depth finder / water temp and my tackle bag as i can move around very easy. i bring 2 and sometimes 3 rods with me. ....very happy

I know a LOT of guys who catch a lot of fish who don't own a power boat and seldom bank fish. We are lucky enough to live near several rivers that are shallow enough to wade and contain smallmouth. They also use canoes and kayaks which can be bought without a lot of money. Any rivers near where you live?

Get some Sonny's Super Sticky and some Team Catfish EZ load dipbait worms or Furry Thangs and you're good to go, forget about all that headache. Better yet, catch some shad or bluegills and chunk them up into cutbait and forget all the stinky stuff, you'll catch more big cats with the real thing.