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Guys like you Dwight, keep the young guys like me in check. Talk about inspiration.

In fishing, there were two targets I have always dreamed of achieving. One was to catch a 7 Pound Smallmouth Bass, (which I was fortunate enough to do earlier this year). http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/117855-quest-for-the-7-pound-smallmouth-part-ii/?hl=+quest%20+for The second target that I dreamed of was catching a 50 inch Musky. I even had a custom made rod built to cast lures up to 36 ounces in order to pursue this goal (they say big lures catch big fish, right?). http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/108302-now-scott-aka-shfishinsticks-is-just-showing-off/?hl=%2Bscott+%2Bdoes#entry1181044 In February of this year, my Uncle booked a trip with musky guide Mike Hulbert to fish Lake St. Clair for two days (October 28th and October 29th). My Uncle asked me if I wanted to join him on this trip (since the rates cover up to two fishermen). I am not a big fan of guides, because I think part of the joy of fishing is figuring out where the fish are on your own. Though, I have always wanted to fish Lake St. Clair and the first time on a waterway like this, it would be nice to have a guy who owned a boat that could handle the waves and knew where on earth he was going. So needless to say, I agreed to go. The trip finally arrived and we met Mike at the launch the morning of day 1. The start to this day was beautiful. The sun was just poking up over the horizon and there was nice crisp cold chill in the air. After launching, we hit several areas of the lake and spent the next 10 hours casting 15+ ounce lures (I was casting pounders and 2 pounders for almost the whole day). I had one fish follow the lure to the boat just to turn away disinterested and my Uncle had a musky literally jump out of the water to bite the lure that he was pulling up for the next cast. Unfortunately, the fish only grabbed the back end of the lure and missed the hooks. That was it for day 1. When we returned to the hotel after that first day on the water, I spent the next hour in the shower with just the hot water running on my back (I never thought a hotel would run out of hot water, but apparently they can). My back and shoulders were so sore from casting those huge lures all day (casting that 2 Pounder really did me in). When you fish for musky, you need to check your skirt at the door (which I forgot to do on this day). The start to day 2 was a little worse than day 1. No beautiful sunrise and Mike told us that we had a 40 minute run across that lake into Canada. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a bad ride, but there were 3 to 4 foot waves rolling across the lake and I thought the ride was rough. We hit a wave so hard that my Uncle was knocked out of his seat into the bottom of the boat and almost hit his head on the back deck. That ride did nothing for my back either (Mike didn’t think the ride was all that rough, but he is used to those kind of boat rides. I take my 14 foot Crestliner off Lake Erie when there is anything larger than 3’s out there so this kind of ride was new to me). After the boat ride out, we started casting our anvils. An hour into this day, I had a fish hit my lure hard away from the boat. It nearly jolted the rod from my grip (when these fish hit, sometimes they hit HARD). About an hour after that, I had a big fish follow my lure to the boat. While performing my figure-8 the musky swiped at the lure and missed. He then slinked back down into the depths. Another hour had past with no action at all. That's when it happened. Mike had a big fish follow his lure to the boat fast. He was making a wide turn with his rod on the first pass of his Figure 8 when the fish lunged at his lure only to miss. The fish then started to race away under the boat. It just so happened that I had just finished retrieving my lure at this time and I was also starting my figure-8 maneuver (I was fishing from the middle of the boat by Mike, who was in the back). Before the fish completely disappeared under the boat, she made an 180 degree turn and just inhaled my lure (and when I say inhaled, I mean my lure literally disappeared entirely in her mouth). I set the hook hard and this fish went berserk. She started violently thrashing her head back and forth like a shark trying to rip apart a seal. After the thrashing was unsuccessful in dislodging the lure, she made a power run under the boat to the other side. I had to swing my rod around to the other side to avoid her from wrapping me up. Fortunately, this 10+ ft. rod Scott made me really gave me some reach and I was able to keep the line clear of the motor as I swung the rod around from the middle of the boat. She would then make a huge power surge and I would have to work her back. After about three or four of these power runs, I was able to finally get her close enough for Mike to net. At that point, we all started to scream and high five all over the place. At that moment, all my back and shoulder pain was gone and I was just shaking with shock. It was just an incredible sequence of events. Here is a picture of the fish (excuse the goofy grin. I was pumped) She measured 53.5 inches long and had a 23.5 inch girth. The whole event took only about 2 minutes, but those two minutes took a trip that could have really been tough and made it a into moment that I will never forget. I guess this is why we fish. I would like to thank Mike (he was one hell of a guide) and my Uncle for making a dream come true. It just amazes me that I caught the two fish (that SM and this Musky) I have been after for so long in the same year. I guess it has been quite a lucky year for me. Maybe I should quit fishing while I am ahead…or maybe I can shoot for a 15 pound Steelhead…hmmmmm.

Today was the annual bass seminar at Angler's Marine. This is our hallmark event where basing fishing pro,s around the country come together and get together in an informal setting, plus seminars sponsored by top tackle manufactures to show what is new. The hot item was Butch Brown's DEP side swimmer, they sold out in minutes, stampede is all you could say. What got my attention this year was the number of rat swimbaits being offered, rats in all sizes were everywhere. Did get a chance to cast Daiwa's Tatula R, very impressed! Impressive line up of pros this years, great event that continues tomorrow on Sunday. Tom

Caught these two nice ones earlier in the week, I didn't weigh them but I'd say the bigger one was pushing 6lbs...

Yeah in this case he gets a brand new rod for free. Not too bad, especially since this rod dominates any rod out there for sensitivity.

Some of the highlites of this years event was the guest speakers like Aaron Nartens. I have known Aaron for several years and never had the oportunity to sit through one of his seminars before and he did a good presentation. Aaron followed Jason Christy and I had problems hearing Christy and following his presentation and thought Aaron would have a difficult time and he worked his way through very well. One point Aaron was making to this western audience was how difficult it was for him fishing B.A.S.S. tournaments in the east until he realized that deep water was about 20 feet, out west 20 feet was average depth. With the deception of the Great Lakes, he rarely fishes deeper than 20 on the Elite trails. The other big change was dropping 20 presentations to 6 and focusing on fewer lures, instead of trying everything new. Angler of the year title proves his strategy worked! Gerald Swindle was cheating with everyone, very friendly and easy to talk to. Brent Elers is a little serious and detailed in his presentations. Overall it was good toget tougher with friends that you only see during these events. Tom

We just got back from five amazing days of bass fishing on Lake Baccarac. Once again fishing with my good friends and BR members Dwight Hottle and 00 mod (Jeff) was a blast; both very good sticks and a ton of laughs. This second trip seemed especially sweet as it was a make-up job for one we had planned back in September. Unfortunately Hurricane Manual put an end to that one. Living up to their reputation of excellence the lodge accommodations were top notch. Great food & drink, a friendly attentive staff and the best bass fishing guides in Mexico make these trips ones to be treasured. We were blessed with favorable weather conditions on our four travel days and plenty of warm sub-tropical sunshine on all but one of our fishing days. The last day we fished in a stiff mountain wind and some rain. After catching the first few bass we were reminded of just how well-fed these fish are and when pinned to the end of your line they seemed supercharged. Virtually every bass we caught was fat & healthy and pulled like a fish twice their actual size. Total numbers of bass caught each day were not kept, there were just too many. As we were mostly interested in the “grande” bass Lake Baccarac is famous for, we decided instead to only track, weigh and photo the fish at and over 7 pounds. So how’d we do? Fishing each day from 6am to 6pm with a 90 minute break for lunch, we spent the first day and a half fishing several different baits at various depths attempting to locate the bigger bass while hoping to put together a pattern. By the afternoon of the second day’s fishing, the stable warming weather seemed to help position the big gals on main lake and secondary points in 10-20 feet of water. Spinner baits, Rattle baits and a Scrounger / Fluke Combo were drawing the strikes we were hoping for. By the third morning and straight on through the fourth day, it was on like Donkey Kong; the Big Bass were biting and we were hanging on for dear life. Man, these big fish pull hard. As a group, our best 5 fish bag went 50 lbs 5 ounces ! That is by far my favorite stat of the trip. I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate my friend Dwight on his first Double Digit Bass. A 10lb 2.5 ounce beauty of a Personal Best Beast that crushed a 3/4 ounce SK Redeye Shad off a main lake point in 20 feet of water. You fished long and hard for that big girl and definitely earned it, nice job. As usual Jeff was making it happen as well, landing several in the Big Fish category topped off with a 10lb 1 ounce Toad of his own. Though not a PB for 00 mod his string of Double Digit Bass on every trip remains intact; impressive. The capper of the trip for me came on the third day late in the afternoon. While fishing a ¾ ounce SK Redeye Shad (Sexy Shad) in front of some bushes on a “nothing” bank, I hooked what eventually turned out to be a new PB. The fish hit like a freight train and immediately ran for the bushes, I managed to turn her. Next she went way under the boat attempting to get free, I managed to foil that one. Then in a last ditch effort she went straight for the trolling motor, but my man Dwight had my back. With cat like reflexes and lightning speed, he snatched that baby up and out of the water leaving this now less inspired Trophy bass nowhere to go but in the net. Once our guide Manual placed the net bag onto the deck, with my heart just about pounding right out of my chest, the bait fell from the fish’s mouth. Wow, lucky for sure and quite a rush. This fish weighed 11lbs 11 ounces was caught on Nov 11th (11-11) ~ now that's going to be a hard one to forget. After getting a weight, photos and successful release, I had to take several minutes to collect myself – I had a bit of the shaky hands thing going on. It was cool. By now the sun had just about set and once I could no longer feel my pulse in my face, I went back to fishing. The magic continued on my very next cast. An 8lb 14.25 ounce bass sucked down that redeye shad and the fight was on. To tell you the truth, I don’t really even remember the fight. I was still numb from the previous events. Somehow the fish ended up in the net, there was a weight and some pictures taken in the dark and then she was released. That’s 20+ lbs in two casts. It was like dream – the good kind. It’s only been a couple of days and I’ll admit that the discussions on the trip home did mainly revolve around our next trip in March, but looking back that was one heck of a bass fishing adventure. The pictures & videos from our trip are still in the collection and editing process but will be posted ASAP. Additionally, I’ll be adding a brief video narrative to this thread discussing the rods, baits, line and terminal tackle; what worked and what didn’t. A-Jay

A-Jay, you've given an excellent account of a remarkable trip. Thanks so much. And congratulations to all you bassmasters!

I was wondering if TW might have a surprise sale the day of,I mean 20% was nice so I don't really see it getting any better. Just seemed different to do it week early

60% is way to steep unless the items show signs of heavy usage or seem to be slightly damaged. A good example would be a shimano chronarch 50e. Retail is $200. They often sell between $140-$160 on most forums in good to excellent condition. That would be about 20-30% off full retail price. I personally have never seen one ever go for under $100 unless there is something significantly wrong. Plus you have shipping costs, and for rods you can generally count on an extra $20-30 depending upon weight and legnth as well as destination distance. To be honest check around on eBay to see what the items you have are going for. Figure the best price people will usually get on any new items is 20-30% off during holiday sales, though closeouts, and store specials could be discounted more like a display model. You will need to price your item at least at this level to draw interest IMO. Lastly evaluate the cosmetic appeal of the item you are selling as well as the functional or mechanical condition as well. Are the guides straight and in good shape, is there damage to the blank or epoxy? Have the reels been cleaned or serviced recently and if not are there any issues with the performance of such item that the buyer would need to know about. When it is all said and done it will really depend upon condition, perceived value of any items, sellers history, and to an extent rarity. If it were me you can probably start a reel that retails for $100 at anywhere between $60-70 off it is in good condition. Then maybe do a price drop if needed. There really is no set pricing structure so don't be unreasonable but at the same time don't sell it below a level you are uncomfortable with if you don't have to. Describe the items as best you can and either post pictures of the items or offer to send pictures to an interested parties email. This is the general philosophy I live buy when buying and selling online.

#6 for me too. The hook hangers are very close together and bigger hooks seem to tangle too often for me.

From the research I have done spybaiting was developed as a presentation to use on pressured fish, in very clear water, when they are still somewhat aggressive, and generally somewhat warmer waters (not ice out or pre ice up). The disadvantage of spybaiting is that it has to be constantly retrieved to maintain action and depth. Jerkbaits are similar but the key difference is their ability to stay in the strike zone longer, can be paused for any legnth of time, and seem to trigger inactive fish easier and work better in colder water. Experiment a bit with both to see what's best for your waters based on time of year, water clarity, water temp, and overall fish activity level.

They normally don't fizz in the fryer, no? :eyebrows: Jeff

I put size 6 KVD's on mine.

We saw an old guy there fishing for bream, he didn't catch anything but watched us catch em lol At that spot Czar was using a shad rap and I was using a KVD 1.5 in bream or a shad rap i forget i had a few blow ups on the frog but either they didn't fully take it or I missed the hook set. We went to a few spots in OP and landed 1 on a frog missed a bunch and the rest came on shad raps or KVD. I went to SJGC around 3 and caught 6 on frogs and had a bunch of misses and 3 small ones on shad rap. Biggest was 21" going back out in the morning on our side of town so I will do my write up tomorrow before Peyton vs Brady (can't wait for that game).

Best flouro I ever used. I have only used it in 12-17lb test, though.

Yea but you are really young. It will happen. Just need to fish a big system that has plenty of big girls. Thanks. On Erie the 7 lbers are as rare as hen teeth.

That's ok, I'm 44 know how many small jaws over 4lbs I've caught? Exactly 1.

Wow! I think you might have just made up my mind!

Sounds good! For those interested, I am extending the "Black Friday" special to start now for bearings. If interested, just send me an email at support@hawgtech.com. Ask for the Bass Resource 20% off "Early Black Friday" deal on bearings. I will need to wait until Thursday on offering the handles for 20% off...as we need time to prepare inventory. Thanks! Mike Hawg Tech, LLC

biggest discovery for me this year was creating custom jigs, I caught some really quality fish on my custom jigs. Mitch

well i spent 9 hours out fishing today, 6:30 to 3:30, trying to get another 20" or more, but no luck today only got 5 and the biggest was 17", so no culling caught my 1st fish on a spook (bone) at first light, 17 inch the 2nd on a white fluke w/red hook weightless around 8:30, 16 inch 3rd on kvd crankbait 1.0 sexy shad, 12 inch, missed 2 or 3 on this 4th on 1/4 oz rattle trap, silver and blue, worked slow near bottom, 25 ft, 16 inch, last fish around 1:30 used a spro frog, green, missed 2 more, but this one was the most fun today, 16 inch most of the guys i talk to today had a very slow day, some were skunked. lou, i'm in for next month

You get what you pay for. OOPS!!!

I am going to order some more Wiley X glasses next week. The P-17 is coming out in gunmetal color and they look cool. They still have the same great stuff as all of the other Wiley X glasses, (polarization, 100% UV filter and impact resistant frames/lenses) so I know I am getting quality but I am getting these because they look good and fit great.

FROGS never fished them before this year and have not put them down since May

Hand poured worms are usually soft and Roboworms are a robotic hand pour, so it's soft yet consistant in coloration like an injection molded high production worm. The choice between catching bass consistantly verses saving worms that are more durable and less expensive is always a choice to make. My vote is to catch bass and Roboworms do that consistantly. Tom

I see you were using the new wacky rigged crankbait technique.

Who is doing Giblets and Gravy tomorrow? I went up Thursday, trying some new water. Didn't find much. I feel pretty good about the stuff we have, but we're gonna need a few of those big ones to bite, tomorrow. If you see me out there give a holler. We're boat #2.

We lost posts for a day or two, including PMs. Repost the topic, what was lost cannot be recovered.

Yeah they could have had an outfield of Pence, Victorino and Dom Brown without spending much more than they already have and they would still be relatively young. Amaro has single handedly destroyed this team by focusing on nothing really other than cliff lee. I am huge Ryan Howard fan but the extension of that contract before the current one expired was just dumb.

Is this a spy pic of the new super secret Japanese rigging technique?

I got 3, Big O got 7, including the 12 and 13 I posted above. We only fished jigs/Craw or Lobster, and Tx rigged Lobsters and Recons. Plenty of 6-8 pounders, and a few 9's as well.

This topic is beaten like a dead horse. Seeing that you're new, try the search function up top and you'll find most questions have been answered at least once if not more. 7' M/Fast or 7' MH/Fast are great all around choices.

I just ordered a pair of Fisch 580 Turk/green mirror. I have a pair of wileys that are getting beat up so I decided to try the costa's based completely on this thread.

I have yet to get bit on a jig since the spawn. I am convinced that the area I fish is no longer holding fish. Its about a twenty yard stretch that is riff raff as far as you can cast. On top of this I didn't see any bait fish or bass yesterday. And I tried as many different retrieves as I could think of. I watched my line on the fall and all the way back nothing. They may have moved to deeper water idk, but I will continue to try until I get bit I am determined to get it down

Always good to hear the opinion of one that has actually used both rods.

I have a Jadewood and an ***, while I like both, I like the *** better. It's more sensitive, and has a better balance in my hands. I have both of them paired with Scorpions, 1000s.