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Out fishing today, and about an hour after I get there this guy comes to a spot about 20 feet from me with a cooler and some tackle boxes. Obviously, he's here to keep fish and get dinner. We start chatting from about 20 feet away from each other and then nothing. About a half hour later I see him hook into a bass, and it's small. He takes it and throws it in his cooler. Me: "That bass looked small man, you know they gotta be 14 inches to keep them" him: "yea, oh well" Me: "put it back man, that's not cool." Him: "i've been doing it all year, i can't hook into the big ones so i keep whatever I can catch" Me: "That's really irresponsible of you" Him: "oh well" So I think about it, and I decide I should probably contact the DNR. I go off into the forest like im taking a tick and contact the local PD, who puts me through to the DNR. 15 minutes later the DNR arrives and confinscates this guys' fish, tackle, rod and reel, and everything related to fishing. After the guy leaves after being fined the Officer comes over, tells me the guy didn't even have a license, and thanks me for calling them. He also gets my information because I may have to testify in court against this guy. Would you do the same thing I did? I feel that as fisherman we have responsibilites to uphold, this being one of them. Taking undersized fish is the scumiest thing you can do.

Words of wisdom ^ Fishing is my escape from the frustrations of work and everyday life. When it becomes a source of frustration, then it's time to rethink the whole thing. Tmo

50/50 chance. Give it a shot.

Take some braided lie or light wire and tie the skirt on.

What do they build, Casting couches?

X-calibur xr50

Ok folks, the next RoadTrip will be May 1-6, 2013, on Lake Pickwick! Mark it on your calendar now! Everyone is invited!

GL himself in an infomercial for the "Work Sharp", an electronic knife sharpener... I'm not sure how I should feel right now... It's kinda like seeing Bill Dance selling Morning After pills.....

As a scientific angler- I had a very hhmmmm might have gotten crazy -discussion about them at ICAST with a very well known writer about these. My main question to him was. Do you really think that predatory fish can see that concept under certain water clarities and light conditions??? MAAAAAAAAAYBEEEEEE in ultra clear water but on anything low light=stained /deep or muddy I just didnt see it.. Yes quite possibly on the jerkbait in clearer water but i dont know about the deeper dirtier water. they chase /attack movement/vibration /silouettes and profiles.Yes smell and flavor too--PLUG LOL same thing with baits that great paint jobs --The other is frogs- It was pointed out to me at last two years ICAST- They said look at this lifelike frog-looks real -I told them -well your usually throwing it in heavy weeds or slop- the bass see movement and the silouette -how does the bass see the top of the frog from below the surface. Some of the best crankbaits I have had the most production with were beat to hell with half the finish gone. HMMMMM now no one take that idea and win next year LOL... congrats to Koppers though -they are great guys.

I think Jimmy was too tired to say anything. Cool video.

I believe the question is about summer high pressure, not low pressure or cold front. Summer high pressure is normal weather, hot and dry with mld to high winds depending on high pressure dome. Bass are totally conditioned to this type of weather, so it doesn't affect them. Summer bass fishing ; lots of food sources available and places the bass can choose to be. This seasonal period is more about your ability to locate the bass, then figure out what they will respond to. Location varies from hour to hour, so plan to be versitle in lieu of force feeding the bass a lure they don't want. Also try to fish during low light periods or at night when summer bass tend to be more active. Tom

IMO graphite frames have no place in baitcast reels, not even for bass. They just aren't rigid enough. In your case this is doubly true. Between the Pro Qualifier and the Silver Max, I'd go with the BPS reel eleven times out of ten.

never use a leader.last night I outfished my buddy who uses a flouro leader 7 to 1.put your bait in front of a biting fish.also select the bait they want.

I feel like line with a little stretch is a better choice for crankbaits or any bait that uses a treble hook. Without the stretch you risk tearing a hole that makes the bait much easier to throw. If I were going to use braid, I would set the drag much looser than normal and let it help with the lack of stretch.

i was recently in the same boat as the OP, having switched to baitcasting just one week ago.. the reel i have is a round baitcaster, but its smaller in size, so handles closer to a low profile and i can safely say i dont find myself going back to spinning anytime soon, i prefer baitcasters now.. casting has become second nature to me and in the last few days i went fishing the only time i got a backlash was when i completely shanked a cast, throwing my lure into the mud in front of me (i was casting off-handed).. other than that theyre smoother, more comfortable, i feel i have more control over the entire rod/reel/lure and they even look cooler unfortunately, i purchased this locally where all they had in stock was right hand retrieve models.. i dont know about you, but this seems incredibly counter intuitive to right handed people, we cast with our right hands, it seems like a waste of time to swap hands just to reel, especially if youre lure fishing and doing a lot of cast, retrieve, cast, etc... when i fish shallow areas with a crankbait or a spoon my lure ends up in the mud or weeds in the short period of time it takes me to switch hands. many, if not most of us coming from spinning have the crank on the left side for this reason, so if youre coming from this setup, trust me you will have a harder time getting used to swapping hands and reeling than you will getting used to casting and handling the reel... but just about everyone makes left side retrieve model baitcasters now anyway, and if this is how you reel, dont settle for buying local if you can only get a right side model

Lol isn't there always a 50/50 chance the fish will be active or not

some people use a scale to pull against. most of the time you can do it by feel after you get the hang of where the drag should be. it's very easy to tell after a few fish.

First, I commend you on your actions to put away a poacher. It's much better to let the authorities handle it than taking matters into your own hands. Depending on the circumstances, things could get dangerous. Secondly, bass tastes good. Yes, bluegill tastes better, but there is nothing wrong with a legally caught deep fried 14" bass filet with a vegetable and a side of french fries. It's pretty good on the grill as well.

This is quite true, but bear in mind saltwater anglers do not deal with heavy cover nearly as often. I say this only to lend to some credence for using b/c, I personally would never consider using one. I recently received a PM from a BR member catching a ray off a pier with 3000 spinning reel, IMO a notable feat. Was it the reel or the rod that made the catch possible? Probably the rod, as the reel held the needed 150 yds of 20# braid and the drag was ample enough to tire the fish out. I'm going to opt for a spinning set up, I haven't had a 10 pounder that ran 50 yds and have taken more than 60 seconds to pull in. B/C are popular because they are lighter and some think they can fish all day with them, I won't argue that. A spinning set up with the reel on the bottom I find to be quite comfortable. If spinning is one's choice there is set up to handle just about anything you may ever run into.

The Chronarch's drag locks down around 10#—there's nothing wrong with your reel. The Chronarch is incapable of providing more drag pressure than that without modification. The most powerful drag on bass fishing baitcast reels is around 25#. There are no reels that lock down completely.

As seen on T.V... Soon seen in garbage can.

Omg just choked on my trail mix

ROFLMFAO!!! I just sprayed beer across the room!!!

when you feel the first tap, don't set the hook, just keep cranking. I had the same problem, then I would just keep reeling and wait for them to load the rod.

There's nothing wrong with mono, each line type has its pros and cons for various situations. Plus it has the advantage of being easier to untangle if you get a birds nest. A lot of people have and still do catch many fish on mono. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're referring to fishing soft plastics, t-rig and c-rig. To answer your question about detecting bites; I think you'll be fine. Watch your line, and pay attention to how a fish feels vs brush/rocks/grass.

It always is find it ironic that the mentions of rudeness & negativity are usually mentioned by people who have the most rude & negative posts in a given thread.

I don't get skunked.

Rick Clunn is pushing 70

I always say, A bad day fishing is way better than a good day at work!

Different strokes for different folks, but I never paint a rod blank. I've taken plenty OFF to lighten the blank but to add weight to a blank when I don't have to just seems wrong if you care about performance and not just "looking good". I certainly wouldn't go to all the trouble required to do it right just to get a different color. JMHO

Heck of a first jig fish. Congrats.

d**n electricians sons and their math skills.....lol

If it keeps raining like this we can launch from my house near Manassas! Jay

Coming to a clearance isle around summer 2014...

I fish because it's relaxing and therapeutic. I get away from the stress of work and life in general to enjoy some peace and quiet on the water or on the shore. I think if ever starts to frustrate me I will need to step back and reevaluate what I'm doing.

I am the opposite actually. By myself I usually am big bait/big fish fishing and can go without a fish. When I have someone with me and somehow we get skunked I am mad as I was supposed to put them on fish.

when i get skunked, i do get a little irritated because i start to question what im doing wrong. IMO the fish are always biting just not what im throwing. Before i joined this forum it was extremely rare if i caught anything, i never got frustrated because i went home empty more days than not.

It depends if I am by myself or fishing with someone else. If I am by myself and I get skunked I get mad/frustrated but if I am fishing with someone and I get skunked and they are catching fish I am cool with that. But to me I'd rather go out and not get a single bite than go out and see a bunch of fish and have a bunch of missed hook sets and not land a single fish

I really can't imagine what is going on for you. I have never had the issue and don't do anything special or different. This is my only thought: Maybe the Swing Impact Fat is simply too big forthe hook, I use the trailer some with a 3/8 jig without issues. Are you rigging 1/4 oz? Try using a Menace and see if size matters.

I also like the KVD 1.0 and 1.5. I use the 1.0 more than the 1.5. Top 3 colors in my opinion are: - Sexy Shad - Bluegill - Chartreuse/Black back

First off, this time of the year, you will find "cold fronts" coming through at various times. Your weather forecast will key you in on these. Usually during a predicted heavy rain/thunder shower. In such an approaching cold front, the barometric pressure drops considerably, thereby affording fish an opportunity to move about (and feed) more freely. Less pressure on their air bladders. Post cold front condition (i.e.: sunny, with blue bird skies, no clouds and sometimes a stiff breeze) the barometric pressure is rising. Until it stablizes (usually a couple of days after the front) the fish will most likely position themselves very tightly to cover, or a bit deeper than they would normally be found. They will not be roaming much. Some folks don't bother fishing post frontal fish. However, in most situations, you can always find some fish to respond. You just have to slow down a bit and employ more a finesse strategy, vs. power fishing.

^Yep^.......... 3 rd.......It's also much easier to untangle a leader from treble hooks than braid.

I use a leader for two reasons. 1. Easier to break off. 2 easier to re-tie.

He failed to mention that all the shootings as of late are in the ghettos and gang related. These are the last people to consider ccw however they may think twice now about sticking a gun in someones face. Those shootings will never stop so it doesn't matter. What matters is that responsible gun owner's can protect themselves and possibly prevent murderous crimes from these same thugs. Its about d**n time.

I agree with your line brand choices. However, a palomar knot is not the best choice for fluorocarbon. The line crosses back on itself when tying this knot and it weakens the line. There are many good alternatives, I prefer using the pitzen knot. We almost should have a tagged thread about berkley vanish. This thread is almost identical to the one posted not that long ago.

Ohhhh Good tip! Didn't even think about that. That was about the only problem last night was I couldn't see my line very well. Im a line watcher so it made it a bit difficult! I will defiantly have to look into that type of line!

Not to make this a peein' match, but I do know one thing. I bet bluebasser could outfish you up and down. Just sayin' You're barking up a tree you don't wanna bark up man.

All your posts were read, and what I took away from them is that you feel you are the authority on fish scales, fish weight, fishing in kansas, northern strain largemouth, etc....

Legally or not, the bad guys will always have guns. Just like drugs, there will always be a black market for bad things in this world. Let the honest, law abiding citizens at least have a chance to protect themselves when you can't rely on a cop of every street corner. Most of the murders in Chicago are gang related shootings. Those gang bangers won't bother signing up for CCW I promise you that. But, it may give them a second thought about jacking a mans briefcase or lady's handbag or robbing a convenience store etc..... or perhaps not. Other places have proven its helpful to have that lingering thought of "are they carrying?".

Fishing, my Penn Conquer 7000 reel, best I've ever had the pleasure of using. Non fishing, my diet and eating right. Cholesterol 125, BP 130/60, sugar on aver about 105 and I'm a diabetic.......not bad for 66 years old.