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sounds like the elusive spooted bass

Lefties aren't being discriminated against....it is the righties that are being discriminated against. Righties reel with left hand, lefties reel with right hand. Why would you want to control the rod with your non-dominate arm? Usually the dominate side is a bit stronger, plus a bit more coordinated. Don't believe me? Try wiping your butt with your non-dominate hand....or brushing your teeth. Just don't try both at the same time!

There are already comments of people saying LiveTarget stole this idea from so and so. Well if it is a stolen idea, why didn't the originator get it patented and licensed? It's the same locker room gossip every year. This new baitball is a neat concept, but nothing WOW's me about it. I love LiveTarget from cranks to frogs. I think they make amazing stuff. I'll be interested to see what else they have but this isn't a game changer in my eyes.

I dont understand why more people dont fish the left handed casters. What advantage do you have by casting with your right and then switching the rod to your left? I would think real left handers would find right handed baitcasters to be a better fit for them. This is how i feel reeling with my right hand

I do have one of these Xcalibur Wakebaits, it's a very good lure for sure. I always like what I see from Xcalibur, I have several of their lipless cranks, a couple jerkbaits, and my favorite which they also discontinued was the Jimmy walking lure, I've got about 20 of those.

It seems your spell check function might be in disrepair as well..

A boatload of strippers ? How cool would that be ? Geeez, you'd have to be like Chuck Norris LOL Fish

Your post is completely inaccurate. Being a business owner, I'm aware of lawyer fees and everything else associated with running a business. With that said, your "assumptions" have zero credibility considering you started your post with "I'm sure...". That means you don't know....so don't assume. Back to the topic, the Koppers bait is in a 3 dimensional mold. It's not painted. That is the major difference between the "original" designer and what Koppers has produced. They took it a step further than a paint job. Look at the isles at Bass Pro or wherever you shop. EVERYTHING is some sort of copy or rendition of something else already done whether it was last years innovation or 50 years ago. There are literally 1000's of the same type of bait with different labels, colors, scents to make them "original" or "unique". If you think you have a million dollar idea, you best get it patented and protected. Even if you don't have the funds to do it yourself, someone out there will BUY your idea.

actually you can't patent a paintjob on a lure... the name and design of the bait yes. but not the paint job in and of itself

Felix, thanks for posting the pics. They look to me that the crankbait has smaller crankbaits inside the shell and the crankbaits are not painted on the sides. Can not really tell by the pics so waiting for Glenn's information. I did think they were unique and had no idea this has alrady be tried. Thanks to all for posting and bringing us up to date. Should be interesting to see them in the stores.

It's very hard to tell if this is an ethical issue or not from where we stand. There was a ton of bashing of Skeet Reese and the Sick Fish for the longest time. It took the owner of the Trash Fish who actually came out and exposed that he sold the design to Berkley Havoc and Skeet to build the Sick Fish. Before that everyone thought it was flat out stolen from them.

Facebook is priceless for me. I run a private group for legal RI medical Cannabis growers to use as a resource page. It works like a union, we all have each others backs. Example: of the 74 growers involved, we've yet to lose a single plant thru 2 winter storms and 2 hurricanes. Lots of crops in the state were lost but my guys made sure each other were ok. They were running generators all over the state to each other as power came back online. We share genetics, nutrients, pesticides, etc but most of all we share knowledge I also help cancer and MS patients that are recommended to me from RI Hospital to get them set up and supplying meds for themselves. We get them into the group also so there is a plethora of quality growers immediately at their fingertips should an emergency occur and I am not reachable. VERY helpful for many folks. As for regular f/b use, if u use a fake name, you lose much of the purpose. I've found friends I forgot about from high school and many of those friendships have been renewed. I also used it to re-connect with many lost friends from my US skit team career and college as well.

Looking forward to Glenn's posts and videos on ICAST. I have seen a number of new items being introduced and a few are "strange" to say the least. Can't wait to hear or read what Glenn and everyone has to say about the new products.

Unless you are fishing heavy cover or structure, let the fish run! Where's it going to go? Usually deeper water because it feels safer. As long as you have a good hook set it doesn't matter. I run braid on 90% of my gear, and I know for a fact that when a big largie or smallie gets air born and starts shaking it's head like a violent maniac, you are in trouble! A big fish is gonna go where it wants to, and if that drag is buttoned down the hooks will rip right out of it's face. I've seen it to many times as my heart went into my throat. I keep my rod tip up and let the drag do it's work, always keeping tension on the line. I'm always watching my for my line to rise so I know when that fish is about to break the surface. This is the only time my rod tips drops, then back up, pressure on the fish, let the drag do it's job. I've tried it both ways, and landed way more fish utilizing my drag. Think about it like this. So you got the fish turned toward you coming your direction. When that fish gets close enough to the boat/bank and sees you, what happens? It makes a very sharp, quick turn and runs away. If that drag is to tight, when it turns and takes of - well, bye bye. It's also impossible to know for certain if you got a solid hook set, and if the hooks are buried or just skin hooked. I'd much rather take my chances playing and easing the fish my way using my drag than trying to drag it in. I'm pretty sure any salmon or steelhead angler will share these same thoughts.

$12 lures? I was just looking at TW's crank bait selection and I'm seeing $20+ baits! I'm sorry I can't see spending $20+ on any bait. I don't care who endorses it or designs it!

Am I the only one that doesn't get this MMA stuff? Classic boxing for me.

Forget about "spooted bass".... I'll take a "stripper" any day Fish

The difference is $7. Some days the fish want a specific action and/or color, it might be the $12 lure or it might be a $0.98 cent walmart lure.

Well guys, after reading all your advice, watching videos, and working an few things out, my hook up ratios have improved 10 fold. I cought about ten bass within an hour and a half with my frog. A few issues i fixed: Tightened drag more, Picked up slack line faster, SET HOOK HARDER. I can now confidently fish my frogs, thanks a lot guys! Heres one i caught today.

My 12 yo daughter has been fishing with a kiddie rig for two years now. Whenever I would bring up the idea of getting a new spinning rod and reel, she fought it tooth and nail. My Dad (her Grandpa) told her that he was going to buy her a new rig. Saturday he went out and got her an Abu spinning reel on a Berkley rod. She loves it. We are heading out tomorrow to try it out.

I'm exactly the opposite, if I only could fish senkos, I'd probably just stay home. They're just so boring to fish.

I figured out what its for when I went to the fireworks on the 4th. It is used I conjunction with a device called a cell phone to grab the attention of teenagers, especially those of the female persuasion, and prevent them from enjoying carnival rides and funnel cakes and live music and fireworks. It gives people the ability to show off small nuances in their pathetic lives to others lacking those nuances in their own pathetic lives. It allows adults to reconnect with people who didn't care about each other 20 years ago and confirm doubts they had about why they didn't keep in contact. Mix in a booty call or two and there you have it. My step daughter is one of those who has fallen for the spell. Drives me crazy how obsessed she is.

Really nice rig there. Like the other guys have said though take your time on it. It definitely will rip with a 150 on there and can get sketchy REALLY quick the second you stop paying attention. Enjoy it though, looks like the guy never used it. BTW, add a G-Force trolling motor rope onto your list of add ons. Normal ropes break constantly and youll never have the G-Force steel cable snap on you. Best add on Ive ever done from a functionality standpoint

I wonder if they got those spooted bass in Bacarac?

The spooted fights the hardest they are considered ghost fish nobody has been able to successfully land a spooted bass because they fight so hard

Try here. I don't know anything about those spooted bass. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/120706-whats-more-fun-to-catch-2-largemouth-bass-vs-smallmouth-bass/ http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/121210-vs-3-smallmouth-bass-vs-spotted-bass/

Past three fishing trips I came away with these beauties.... All caught on texas rigged rage craws, THANK YOU RAGE TAIL!!!! (They were caught in New Hampshire not New Hapshire lol) 4lbs 7oz 3lbs 0oz 2lbs 10 oz

Well, I caught my first bass on the rat wakebait I made in applied tech out of pine. I painted it with black acrylic paint. I just went to the pond at the end of my street to test it out. I chucked it right next to a stump and started waking it. Saw a decent splash so I set the hook and fish on! Only a little over a pound but it was a nice surprise that I did not expect. Don't be afraid to throw ugly lures, they work! The rat's body is 5" and the tail is 4".

Well guys, let me start by saying that being a beginner to kayak fishing is a somewhat "frustrating" experience. I primarily a bass boat fisherman, my angling skills have really been brought back into check on this little plastic boat. Being primarily a river fisherman in South Louisiana, my normal stomping grounds rarely gave up fish exceeding 3.5 lbs. This past winter, I decided to dedicate some time to fishing slow, putting a lot of time into suspending jerkbaits, shakey heads, as well as re-acquainting myself with the split shot rig. I managed to catch two PB's for myself almost back to back in February and March (4.2 and 4.8 lbs) and I was finally gaining some real consistency in my fishing. And then my girlfriend and I won a Perception Pescador 12. Learning to fish while managing a small craft was definitely a challenge. It felt like that small boat drained every bit of my (albeit low amount) fishing technique. Now that I am learning to manage the kayak and not fight it, I am beginning to enjoy it. But I digress... on to the story you actually came here for! The glorious tale of Jay Ell Gee in his first solo kayak fishing trip while landing his new personal best largemouth! After a buddy informed me that he was unfortunately not going to be able to make our trip this morning, I decided to grow a pair and go solo. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I am glad I went. I made it to the pond right as dawn began to break. The rules state that you cannot fish before safe light, so I was rushing to get my kayak and gear to the water to salvage what little topwater frog time I had. After a successful test run of my home built PVC kayak cart, I was on the water. I decided to bring only a small, versatile amount of tackle and three MH rods of various lengths and actions (as this pond is VERY overgrown with vegitation.) I quickly picked up two slashing hits on the new Ribbit Top Toad, throwing it clean out of the water. I had a watermelon/red flake Strike King Shim e Stick tied on as a throw-back lure, but multiple casts proved useless. Strike King Rage Toads, regular Ribbits, Zoom Horny Toads and then hollow body frogs were all tossed to no avail. I quickly ditched the frog and tied on a War Eagle spinnerbait as well as a paddle tail swimbait, hoping to cover water as quickly as I could. The spinnerbait proved useless in the heavy moss beds, so that rod was quickly placed back in the rod holder. I then fan cast the entirety of the pond and water column with a few different brands and colors of paddle tails, all to no avail. By then, it was almost 9 a.m. and the sun was out in full force. I decided to start slowing down and picking apart weed edges/cuts with my weightless/weedless rigged Shim e Stick, also to no avail. I finally gave in, swapping to an Owner weedness wacky hook. That was the ticket. I made my way to a small cut that held my first ever kayak bass, also with a wacky setup (flick shake) and on the third cast, my line ticked on the fall. As I was reeling up the slack to check for tension, my line began running to the right. I reeled down, set the hook, and my first sleigh ride began! After a solid half minute or so, the unseen mystery fish finally jumped. Or she tried. She couldn't really get her body completely out of the water. I immediately loosened my drag and grabbed my fold-up net from behind me. After another minute or so (and a few VERY scary jump attempts) I managed to net a bass that I knew would easily be my new PB. The hook was set in the corner of the mouth and came out with almost no pressure, having slightly torn the soft tissue in the corner of the mouth. I immediately put the fish grip on her bottom lip and attached it the kayak with a carabiner. I then put the fish back into the water and dug out my Rapala digital scale and iPhone to take some pictures. She measured a hair over 22 inches and leveled out at 6.54 lbs. I immediately text my buddy and he was as surprised as I was. I managed to get a few pictures, but because I was by myself, they aren't quite Hero shots. I am going to be investing in a RAM holder soon for the front of my kayak and a camera with a shutter delay so I can take pictures on solo outings. After releasing her, I cast back into the same area and immediately hooked into this on the first cast. I picked up a few more small fish, but nothing picture worthy. All in all, it was a great day on the water. I think I could get hooked on this kayak fishing thing! ***UPDATE!*** Finally got the release video set up on vimeo. In my opinion you can see it much better that way. This is the first bass that has ever cause me to grunt when lifting. Must need to start working out again! Haha.

I have had almost zero success with SK spinnerbaits, not sure why. If fish are aggressive it really doesn't matter. Try to take a Wally World spinnerbait to Table Rock and fish against someone chucking a War Eagle, let me know how that goes It's all in the details, a lot of them you may not even be able to see. They'll have better quality components, better paint, better hooks, move differently, a lot of higher end cranks will have tungsten BB's instead of steel to give them a little different sound. Are they always better? No. Sometimes they'll outfish the cheaper baits really badly though. Just another tool and it's up to you to figure out which one you need to get the job done that day

Nice fish man!

The swim jig provides better movement, kinda like a heavier spinner bait. The football jig is generally heavier and is meant to bounce off the bottom, you can fish a swim jig that way as well that's why I use them over football. As far as trailers go a lot of people like rage tail craws I like to use strike king KVD rodents. They provide more movement and action for the bass to key in on IMO. The way I like to fish it is pick a spot like Lilly pads or a tree and cast way past it. Then let it sit and slowly bounce it while reeling, like you would a football. Then I stop let it pause and then reel like a spinner bait jerking the rod every so often before I reach my point where I think the fish are posted. Then I let it sit and bounce it along the bottom close to that point and then reel it like a spinner past it. A lot of times that works but more often then not you will get one before you get to the spot you think they are. Sometimes fishing it slow is the way to go if you are not seeing a lot of action.

Got some nice fish there man good job. Where you using a weight? I'd imagine you were since you were in a boat

Generally speaking the more expensive lures will have better hardware (hooks, swivels, etc), a little better paint job, and be a little better designed. However, a hungry bass usually isn't that discriminating. I catch just as many bass on my $1.00 Wal-Mart spinner baits as I do the more expensive ones.

Chuck Norris doesn't catch the spooted bass, the spooted bass catches Chuck Norris.

Looks like you caught your bigger fish from almost the same spot I caught my 5 1/4 my first trip out there, wonder if it was the same fish? First cove on the east side by the dam next to a brushpile. Seems like they're either really small or solid fish out there. The amount of cover and fish in that lake makes it very enjoyable to fish. Missouri craw, Pb&J, with whatever kind of brown or GP trailer you prefer or black and blue with a blue trailer. Now is a better time of year for big worms in deeper water down there.

My first. 23.5" out of Butler. Caught on a t-rig worm.

I got a doe with my 99 ford ranger this am lol

Dear BR members - Here is a little reality check for you - Bass Resource IS A Fishing Friendly Version of Facebook - get over it. A-Jay

Raider you can post up some cool pics of you flexing in the mirror with your crossbow. Just don't go shooting any chipmunks or it could be used against you in the court of law.

a hat signed by Bluebasser86. better story for people on the street.

Went out to one of my after work spots this morning. Been seeing some big explosions the last couple times but figured they were just carp. First cast with the biggest size skitter walk saw some big white flashes under the bait and a couple boils 2 casts later it looked like someone dropped a brick in the water. No doubt what it was and a long fight with some drag burning runs confirmed what I thought. No scale or tape but guessing in the 6-7 pound range.

Aww shucks! You caught me. You crushed my dreams...

That's exactly what I have been doing. I don't have electronics either but tend to make educated guesses where I might find some drop offs, and when I start to find submerged weeds I fish the area thoroughly with a texas rigged rage craw, or any soft plastic you like... Doing this I caught these...

Well, I'm kinda shying away from the Fords, just did a little reading about the plugs on the 5.4 breaking due to them seizing cause of carbon build up. As much as I like the Tundras, kinda out of my price range. It won't be new, whatever I get. 5 years old or so. Did find a 07 Z71 4x4 with 55k. Nothing extravagant, looks like a solid truck. Wife likes the pics.

Front deck of my boat yesterday.... Core 50mg7/Cumara Chronarch 200e7/ 854 GLX Curado 50e/Avid Metanium XG/ 854 GLX

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

Well, my cousin and I hit three (Pleasanton, Critzer, and Mound City) different lakes on the 4th of July. Decided to stay at smaller impoundments to avoid the pleasure boaters. It was our first time at Pleasanton and GEEZ was it tough. We managed 8 largemouth bass but my first fish was the biggest of the day on a Booyah poppin frog. It was my first time there, but it seems like that lake has no type of structure to fish at all except those dang water willows. We did manage a few bass on deep diving cranks. 22 inches at 5.9 pounds. It was also my first time on Critzer. If you enjoy pitching, that is the lake to be at. If you hate navigating through thick brush and trees, thats not the lake to be at. We caught about 15 bass all on jig and pig on standing timber. Not much of a finesse type of lake at all. Bass ranged from 12-16 inches. Mound City was our last destination. We wanted to hit the topwater bite out there and we did alright on buzzbaits and poppers. Most of my catch was on a weightless texas rigged senko thrown close to grass beds and the banks in about 2-3 foot of water. Mound City is starting to become one of my favorite bass lakes. We caught about 20 or so bass there.

Never had a paranormal experience, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Tried it out on some melted green plastics - the first four were a major disappointment but I realized I didn't have them hot enough. Tried again and whammo! Beautiful green pumpkin senkos with a mutt-mix of flakes spread out perfectly. I'll post pics later but man they turned out great. Can't wait to put them in a fish's mouth.