Leaderboard

At 1:58AM on 12/16/13, my wife and I welcomed into the world our first son, Lake Baby and Momma are doing well and hopefully we'll be able to take him home on Wednesday. He's a big boy, 22" long and 8lbs 10ozs! Looking forward to hopefully having a new fishing buddy in a few years

Kit and I just got back from my doctors appointments. We were surprised when there came a knock on the examining room door. The doctor said , "come in". It was my oldest daughter and her hubby. They just had to come for moral support. They were there when the doc said that my CT scan was clear. This helps to make this Christmas a very special one. Thanks again , everyone for your good wishes and prayers. This proves to me that our God is merciful. Stitch

Plastic Jig Plastic Jig Plastic

Anger managment.

Since you are a new daddy you get to break a few rules now & then. Nice pair.

I know it says just smallmouth but since others have already broken the rules I don't feel so bad about it. I've got nothing on those Erie smallies but this is about as good as it gets in Kansas

I was hoping to head out to a special lake and get in some good fishing but these kids changed my mind ! Their is always next month God Bless and Hope you all have a Merry Christmas

I'll admit that there are times when the fish really prefer a very finesse type presentation which would seem to indicate that a leader might be counter productive. But considering fish will gobble up the baits off an A-Rig, with wires, and spinner blades hanging all over the place, I'd be less incline to concern myself with a short section of thin wire. A-Jay

Glad you mentioned catfish. I don't fish where a 5.x reel would be of use, but I do fish where decent size (for my area) catfish can be caught. I have an old Abu 5001C from around 30 years ago that I never learned how to use at the time. Now that I can use b/c reels with a modicum of success, I will have to mount it on a 7' Heavy (that had been advertised as MH ), and see if any fun can be had at my local river. They tell me 35 pounders have been caught there. Been close to 50 years since I went after catfish.

For purposes of fishing we are discussing lake stratification layers of water with at least 4 degree change in water temperature with a few feet of depth change. The top layer of water in the summer is warmer, as the water gets deeper it cools, if the water get colder quickly, with a few feet 3' to 5' for example, a noticeable change called a thermocline layer. The thermocline layer can lower the dissolved oxygen (DO) in lakes where the depth of light is poor and prevents green aquatic growth. Green weeds produce DO, decaying organic matter like dying weeds absorb DO. What this means is a lake can have clear water and a thermocline with weed growth below the thermocline depth and still have good levels of DO to support fish. Lakes with poor water clarity where the sun light cannot penetrate deeper than a thermocline layer may have poor levels of DO that doesn't support fish life. Fish can't breath oxygen (02) it must be dissolved (DO) in the water, DO is measured in ppm or mg/L, most game fish need 3 to 12 mg/L, lower or higher they can't survive. The water needs to be fairly stable with little current flow to stratify, otherwise it tends to mix preventing quick temperature changes. Most reserviors are built for water storage, flood control, navigation, power generation or a combination. Most dams discharge water from the bottom and this may not create enough current flow near the surface or near the thermocline layer, if one exists, to change water temperatures or disrupt the thermocline. In very clear water lakes with deep weed growth can have multiple thermocline layers. For example a thermocline can develop in the summer where the water temperature changes quickly at 15' to 18', lets say 80 degrees changes 75 to 72 degrees at 15' developing a thermocline and changes again at 35' to 40' from 65 to 60 degrees for a second thermocline. Bass can be at 40' or deeper if the DO levels support them. Tom

I'd like to be able to get stuff for free, with free shipping.................LMK when that happens LOL.

and if you mix it with a anything more than ice (I hear a splash of water is supposed to wake up the flavor) then don't waste your money on the good stuff. Beam is cheap and mixes well.

So in an effort to spend my Christmas gift cards, upgrade my current rods from my mojos and take advantage of St Croix's buy 2 get one rage rod free promotion in decmeber i picked up 2 rage rods. I figured with using the same blank, slightly cheaper components and about $50 less than an avid and i prefer a more split grip style so i figured they were worth a shot. Fit and finish on both rods is pretty good but i am not a huge fan of the color but who really cares abotu that anyways. The guides are interesting in that they don't have inserts per se and i thought they would be noisy with braid but so far i haven't noticed any extra noise. The first rod i picked up was the 6'8" MXF which i have paired up with a Shimano Sahara 2500 reel. I have owned this exact same rod in the mojo lineup so my comparisons will be to that rod. First impressions are that this rod is lighter, even though the specs say otherwise. It balances much better than the mojo and that "tip heavy" feeling of the mojo is not the same with this rod at all. The neoprene grip really hasn't made any difference but it does seem to have better grip when wet than the cork on the mojo series. I will be curious to see how this rod does in the heat of the summer though. Sensitivity seems better than the mojo when using weightless soft plastics. The power rating feels more in line with oher manufacturers rods i have used in the M power where the mojo seems to be about a half to full grade heavier than the rating. The micro guides haven't been a concern yet and i have used them with and without a leader. I have noticed that the guides do seems to squeegee off the line more than the larger guides but not so much as to be annoying. I also haven't noticed ay hinderance to the distance of casts. I have managed to catch two 14-15" bass on the set up and the backbone of hte rod seems solid and gives good hooksetting power. Overall i am pleased with the rod so far. The second rod i picked up was a casting 6'8" MHF that i was planning on using for texas rigs but i have only used it with 1/2 oz jigs. Tis rod will be replacing a 6'6" MHF Mojo series rod Much of the same applies as for the spinning rod as far as balance, weight etc so i won't bore you with repeating the same although i will say that in my hand this rod feels much more lightweight than the Mojo even with the slightly longer length. This rod is paired up with a Citica e series reel. Sensitivity on this rod is much better than the mojo IMO. I was able to keep better contact with the bottom without that dead feeling i had on the mojo. Not that the mojo is bad but i did notice the difference. This rod also has the backbone to be able to give hard hooksets without fear. I don't even notice the micro guides on this reel and casting distance is good but i have not tried this rod yet with a leader but i don't see it being a problem. I have caught 2 fish on this rod, one 22" and one 15" LM both on jigs. Overall i am happy with both of these rods and i definitely feel they are worth the extra money from the mojo series. I haven't fished an avid yet so i cannot compare to that series. I have my free rod coming soon hopefully which will be a 7'1" MF spinning rod and i am hoping it will perform as well as these two. All in all a good value and as long as the durbility is good i would not hesitate to recommend these rods to anyone not looking to spend in the $200 range but are stil llooking for a quality stick with good sensitivity. It also doesn't hurt that for basically only $150 out of my pocket i am getting three new upgraded rods.

Hey All, Just a heads up, Gander Mountain is doing a rebate on all St. Croix rods at different price intervals. I believe it lasts until Christmas Eve....

I've seen tons of posts referencing thermoclines, and while I know what they are, and how they affect my fishing, I'd like to see any information - including myths or misconceptions about them, or even turnover - included in the conversation. Even a simple FAQ link or wiki page will do! It's winter, so let's try and get a thread going that combines some science with experience. I'll make a small point to get started. A common misconception I hear is that there is no oxygen in the water below the thermocline. Not true. The proper statement would be there is very little oxygenation below the thermocline. If there is abundant O2 use below the thermocline, then it can become oxygen poor. However, in some lakes there is plenty of O2 to support fish. Think about lakes with trout and/or salmon. They stay below the thermocline in summer. The warm water will kill them, being cold water species. How does this relate to bass fishing? I catch smallmouth from very deep, as many northerners will also report. Below the thermocline? Maybe. I don't think the thermocline is the impassable barrier some make it out to be. In some lakes, maybe, but certainly not all. I think the main limiting factor may temperature, not O2. Another tidbit: The thermocline is not a simple line between the two layers - the warmer epilimnium on top, the colder hypolimnium below - but a thin band of transition water that can be as thin as a few feet, or as thick as 15 feet. So, it isn't always just a thin line on your graph. Last bit on turnover: Storms or current change can cause localized turnover, where the three layers mix. It doesn't mean the whole lake has turned over, but it can affect fishing. What do you have on the topic, or can add to what I posted?

Went to one of the power plant lakes for the first time this winter on Tuesday. Wasn't expecting much as the reports have been poor at best and when I saw no smoke coming from the stacks my hopes sank even lower, they were dragging behind the boat after I saw the main ramp was frozen in! Drove down to the little, shallow ramp straight across from the outlet and found it was open and just deep enough to float the boat so I launched and ran across to the outlet real quick. What little bit of hope I had pretty much disappeared when I saw the water temp was barely 50 degrees when it's normally close to 70 One of my first cast I caught about a 10" bass, at least I caught something is all I could think. Nothing else on a variety of baits after that so I switched to a big jigging spoon and started hopping it along the bottom through the washout. One of my first casts it got jacked right under the boat by this 15 1/2 pound flathead. Next drop it got popped again by a 4 pound wiper. After that all I could do was snag 8" shad every cast. I figured I'd try the jerkbait a bit more since it at least got me one bite. Turned around fired a cast at the point behind me and as soon as my bait left the slack water and hit the current it got slammed by a 5 pound wiper. After that it was about every cast I was at least getting a bite from a wiper or big white bass. No idea how many I caught but it was well over 50. I had to change the hooks on my jerkbait 3 times because they were getting so bent up and twisted, even my front hook hanger got twisted and bent. Most of them were in the 3-5 pound range but I got some bigger ones like this pair of 6 pounders. My biggest and one of my last fish of the day was a 7 pounder that about set my thumb on fire she was peeling drag so fast. I had a blast and had to leave them biting unfortunately by I'm not sure how much more my wrists could have taken after fighting all those big, hard pulling fish

It feels like I say this every year but I need to get away from the bank and start using my electronics. I have started making my own shaky head jigs and plan on using them a lot.

http://youtu.be/8DyRnpvXTdU

I know there's also a small neighborhood lake near my parents house, I used to fish as a kid. There was a road that went right between the two lakes and someone had tossed 2 bicycles in the water. I went over and tossed a worm into it, and immediately caught a 2 lber.

J-will

Traveler - Land Between the Lakes is between Kentucky And Barkley Lakes in western TN/KY. Nice area, but it's not very scenic. Go outside of Knoxville/Maryville TN. Cheap, beautiful country and you can fish for whatever freshwater you want. You could even fish while tailgating to watch the most wonderful college team in the country... Now you owe me a fishing trip... :-)

Could we start at the beginning for the thermocline idiots (me)? I do not really know much about it so I will be watching. Also maybe some pics of it on a fishfinder?

You're probably right, but right now we are a little short of the 42,832 I had in mind!

Buckeye Lures J-Will Swimbait Heads http://www.basspro.com/Buckeye-Lures-JWill-Swimbait-Head/product/1111190501002/#desc-tab

1 - Jig type (grass, football, brush etc.)2 - weights - what weights are available for that particular head. 3 - hook size - based on the weight and type you will have some hook options possibly. Default hook if no other options. 4 - colors - jighead 5 - Skirt I also agree with the suggestion about seeing the skirts from the same place I am selecting the jig. Felix77, That line up you posted is pretty much if not exactly how I have it set up currently except for the hook type. I'm pretty sure I'll be adding that also due to keep from having 3-4 brush heads in different hook models. I will also be adding a skirt chart to each jig page. That way like Dwight stated having to scroll through. I believe I will be adding eyes the same way on certain styles.

Their is one other thing that I forgot to mention. Sorry, that would number 4. It's all of you fishers of bass that tell all about all the fish you caught on a lure I don't have. You're all in cahoots with the bait monkey!

I use J-will heads.

You can normally use coupon code gmt5 to get free shipping and 5 off every 50 spent. I bought a few rods last time they offered this rebate

Wayne P. should pipe in. He spends a lot of time studying it and fishing the changing conditions.

Dwight, That is one thing I'm working on is to eliminate that hassle of switching back and forth.

J-Will heads or Big Hammer

Ive got 2 HLCs is you want to pry them from my cold dead hands...LOL

I say go for it considering they were a $100 reel when new 14 years or so ago. For $100 I picked up as a package deal 3 Abu 1600 round reels. Had wanted to try their smaller reels, but only wanted one. It turned out to be a very good investment. Maybe this will turn out as well for you.

I caught a 4-5 pounder out of the bucket of a bulldozer that a failed mining operation let slide into a quarry pond. When I was a kid, maybe 12 years old, I spent about 3 weeks at my grandpas house in the houston area one summer. I had never seen so much rain in my life. It must have rained an inch a day for the first two weeks. Well, needless to say, all of the ditches and culverts were full. So, I asked my grandpa if he cared if I dug a "pond" on his land. Glad to have me busy and not bothering him I think, he said sure. So I spent 3 days digging a 10x10x4 foot deep hole, and then connected it to one of the culverts. As it turns out, the culverts were getting their water from overflowing long abandoned rice canals that contained fish. Long story short, the day before I was supposed to leave my grandpa's house, I caught a fingerling bass on a bobber and piece of bacon in my pond. My buddy called me an buttocks hole once for trying to cast into his open livewell from 20 feet away. That would have been a pretty good place to catch one I think.

I like Maker's Mark, but I can afford Evan Williams.

I think we gave away our ages Roger.

Jack is not bourbon.

16* here now, and I wish it was colder.........Ice dosen't make it self.

We've been enjoying negative temps for the last 2 weeks. It'll be mid 30's on Monday, break out the shorts

Now why you gotta be like that?

Customized Citica 201E: Only posted the reel by itself since I don't yet have a rod to go with it. That reel began life as a Citica 201E before receiving the following upgrades: Chronarch E aluminum brake case Chronarch E 7:1 gears Chronarch E spool-tension knob Core 101MG drag star Hawgtech 102mm swept handle w/ Shimano Power Grip II knobs Daiwa drag spring washers Crankshaft bearing Carbontex drag The reel has also been super-tuned, painted by Calfish, and I drilled holes in the thumb rest to make it look a little different. Also drilled the crankshaft to shave off a little weight, but the savings is so small it's really not noticeable.

Tom, FWIT, I agree. Bass will hit most anything that they "think" will fit in their mouth.

I couldn't be happier with the CPR mount from green fish! http://www.greenfishmovement.com/shop/cpr-mount/

Strangest first post ever.

My guess is the new Duckett reels are more of the same OEM reels as are currently sold under the Abu Garcia, BPS, Browning, Lew's, and Pflueger brands. Spy shots: Certainly looks like a Revo.

There is a term for that...sport********

Do you consider golf a sport? Golf is similar to fishing, top level tournament touring golfers and bass fisherman perform the sport under all conditions, storms may halt some events, and must practice constantly. A pro golfer must walk the course, about 6 miles each round and most are in good physical condition to remain at the top of the game. Bass pros, and I am using that term to top level bass tournament anglers, are not in as good of physical condition as most of the top level golf pros. However some bass pros are in good condition and work out to keep in good physical condition. Both could drink a beer during their competition if the rules allowed. On the other hand you can bass fish relaxed sitting on a swivel chair if you choose, fish tournamnets and be in poor physical condition and call yourself a bass pro. You can't call those anglers athletes and that is the general population perception of a red neck bass angler. My hobby is bass fishing, not tournament fishing and I hate the difination of red neck bass angler, can't change what people think or how they perceive bass fishing. Tom

ESPN thinks Poker is a sport. Doesn't take much athletic ability to "play" that sport.

little late on the report. fishing was slow most of the day. i pulled in 4 total. three lmb ranging in size from 3-5 lbs. and one white bass that grabed my lure right as i was about to bring it out of the water. very short fight as i just raised my pole with about 4 ft of line out, all were released. as for the lake, it has tremendous potential for holding large bass. we explored the lake for part of the day. my friend forgot to pack his balls and was to scared to go into some areas of the lake for fear of damaging the boat, that and he refused to step away from lures he was comfortable with (spinners and spoons), and got skunked as a result. i will deffinatley go back with my boat in the spring. for those that don't know the lake, its a city lake, 3 bucks to fish per person 5 bucks for a boat pass, and can be bought from wal mart in pauls valley. the limits for bass are 3 over 22'' in length. the chances of pulling a large fish out of this lake are very good.

"Those people don't know what it is to be champions. Oklahoma invented it." ~ Barry Switzer