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All this fishing talk made me step out for a bit, and get the line wet at the park. LOL.... Wind was blowing from the East at 15-20 cloudy skies. I took my Lews MG on 30lb braid and 3 ft of 15lb yozuri leader on my Avid 7ft MH rod and starting throwing out the spinnerbait, right below the surface under the wind driven waves. Results: Caught 6, missed 5. My last fish would have been fish number 7, she went for about 3+ lbs but she became miss number 5. Oh well... They aren't pigs, but on a subsurface spinnerbait bite, they are strong violent hits.

For the last 6 days the day time highs have been in the mud-70s with over night lows in the mid-60s, overcast skies, & fog til noon. This weather pattern will continue for the next several days. Attention: I'm having a hard time focusing on anything but BASS! Deficit: None, total number bass caught? Unreal! Hyperactivity: I've fished 7 different bodies of water in 6 days! Disorder: I can barely show up for PE by 2 pm! How's Y'alls Season Going?

It's a gold mine for sales on Dobyns rods. Worth the long shipment for the savings alone.

I know you just lost your best K9 buddy, but you don't have to rush to get a new one...especially of the raider variety. I think I would rather hear the huskies than the howling of a knuckle dragging electrician.

Poor baby. 24" of ice

Back in the 80's out in the oil fields in the Bakersfield area all the companies used CB radios to communicate........everyone on the same channel. Some guy declared himself 'Wolfman'......and every morning, at the end of everyday and at different times of day would key his mike and release a long howl and then make some kind of statement. " aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooo. The wolfman says, it's time to go home!" On a Friday afternoon. Or "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo. The wolfman says it's time to eat." At lunch time on a Tuesday. Always in secret and nobody seemed to know who it was. There was one particular foreman for Branch oilfield construction that absolutely hated this guy and his howling. His name was Whitey and he was in his 40s or so. He would jump on the radio and holler at wolfman that he was breaking radio protocol and if he ever caught him......he would make sure this wolfman never worked on that oil lease again! This went on for a year or so. Then very early one morning Whitey was at home and was awakened by the wolfman. Aaaaaaahhhhhhooooooo.......the wolfman says get your ass up! Whitey half alarmed and half homicidal.......ran outside to find his wolfman. It was his own son! Needless to say Whitey learned to chill out a little and have some fun at work! And it did not matter that everyone now knew who the wolfman was.........it was still as enjoyable as ever when the wolfman howled and announced his thoughts!

Translation: My very good friend Wildman and I have lost contact with each other. Tool buddy also means work partner or however you wanna say it. He (wildman) has been known to read (even though he at one time claimed to be illiterate) these forums as a mysterious guest. IE. He is not a member. I have lost the numbers for two of my very close working friends. (Little Beard and Premadona Brother) those are nicknames. Wildman honestly knows nobodies real name. Everyone has or had a nickname. Middle part. Self explanatory. Last part. Dorkel Dillard, Also Known As Wild man. This is Gorilla Skinhead (me), Also Known As Collard Green Gorilla (again me). Hit up (get in contact with) Little Beard (previously explained) and get in touch with me. I have found something even your crippled (because he is) butt can do down here.(Also Known As a job down here.) Gorilla Skinhead and Collard Green Gorilla are the two nicknames he gave to me. Because I was freaking jacked at that time (gorilla). I was bigger than most everyone else on the job site (collard green). I'm bald and shave my head (skinhead). Does this help any?

"Bassy Looking" is combination of cover and structure. Cover is not limited to just weeds, and structure isn't just off shore. Cover referes to anything in or directly over the waterline, besides the bottom or the water. Structure is simply the bottom - you would use terms to describe that structure, such as point, ledge, depression, flat, creek channel, etc.. You are looking for spots where several elements intersect. For instance, a cove off a main point with a strong secondary point that has creek channel, a shallow weed flat, docks, and some deeper water nearby would be a really "bassy looking" spot. All those terms describe both structure and cover.

a buddy and i went to a lake with some open water for some cold water kayak bass fishing. check out this vid of us catching some toads on crankbaits and plastics with 12" of snow on the ground!

slow and easy pee You know that relaxing feeling you get when you got to go bad. You step up to the urinal, take a deep breath and let it out nice and slonezp. Nothing more relieving or relaxing in the world than that.

For years I raced anything with an engine. The very first racing go kart my father bought me had the number 00 on it. We raced that weekend and did well for a beginner. The next week we tried to change the number but everyone already knew me as " that new guy. 00 Jeff." So it stuck. Then when I moved up to modified cars, 00 mod was born. I have been that same handle on probably a dozen forums now. And all this time you thought it was OO and not 00(zero zero) Jeff

CYP Crap Your Pants Long story about how my mother took my daughter on a little weekend vacation. My mother was on steroids at the time for some condition and crapped her pants. Whoops. My daughter who was about 7 at the time called to tell me and ever since then I have used CYP for everything.

I agree using braid on the B/c. You can detect bites a lot easier and your hooksets will be solid. Also agree 100% on using leaders in certain situations. You can have the best of both worlds. Fluro will provide the invisibility factor, and braid will provide the enhanced detection and backbone on hooksets. All you have to do now is find the right knot that works for you in joining the 2 lines. I prefer the alberto knot. It has never failed me when done correctly. Also Rick, I will also recommend a MH/F spinning rod. H is just to stiff and heavier.

I was able to snag a st croix premier 6'6 mf for $46. Thanks for the suggestions!!!!!!!

They never have what i want in stock

It's sick people like you that give all of us a bad name

I like the r2s personally i own both but find the s waver tied on way more. the glide swimmer is a little less restricted movement and sinks faster. both have there time an place.

Now that's a nice store! Beautifully stocked with a great selection of everything. Staff is pretty awesome, too. I was lucky enough to run into many of my friends there tonight, including quite a few from here. It was nice to see everyone, and nice talking to you guys! Boy, am I glad Spring's right around the corner! See you all on the water!

Stood in line for the new Bass Pro Shops today for about an hour and ended up being one of the first 100 or so people in. It was interesting to see how enthusiastic every employee was haha. My only complaint was that the staff wasn't super knowledgeable which was to be expected. I don't think the application for working behind the reel counter required much in the way of fishing knowledge but the employees helped to the best of their ability regardless! I walked out with a new Mojo 7'4" cranking rod that Shane helped me pick out and a Diawa Exceller 4.9:1 ratio baitcaster. It's going to be nice having a BPS so close by, now we wait for ice out..

This is Chicago, not Jersey

alright guys well I appreciate all the input. I went to dicks today and took back my righty just to try the lefty figuring if I didn't like it I could just return it and get the righty back. Well I went to the pond w the lefty and I love it. It feels so natural having the rod back in my right hand and reeling w the left. And I like not losing any time switching hands. Even a half second could be the difference if a fish is hitting the lure on the fall or as soon as it lands. So I am really happy with the lefty. Obviously itll take me some time to get the hang of it but I spent about 2 hours and definitely left better than I started. My toughest part is im so concerned w feathering line out w my thumb and not birdsnesting that I tend to keep my thumb pressure a little to high on the cast so my casts go a bit short and to my left. I got few good ones here and there so with time ill get used to it. As far as the fish go nothing biting today, was mainly using a popr just bc its a bit heavier and a little easier to learn to cast on. Saw a ton of topwater action at the pond but they didn't want the popr or frog.

When bass are active the line size and color mean little, when active feeding they are not line shy most of the time. However.......when bass are not active and more neutral in behavior line color and size can be the difference of catching and fishing. A good freind of mine uses high visibility yellow braid and jokes the bass can follow it to his lure and he catches bass. I use low visibility FC line the smallest diameter practical and usually catch bigger bass. Take your pick, only the bass know for sure. Tom

People act differently when money is involved. Don't be intimidated. Dock talk is very cliquish. You'll eventually figure out where you fit in. Check the condition of the fish in the livewell periodically. Keeping your catch alive is most important. Make sure your livewells are clean and pumps are working before you hit the lake. I net every fish. I'd hate to lose a keeper swinging one in. My son and I have a system and we fish well together. Hopefully you and your bud can develop a system that works for you. We can predict each others moves and actions. Most importantly, have fun.

ok, yeah, I might have one or two...

The smoke was a decent reel compared to the others I've used. All aluminum and a strong drag. Only issues where the cast control was iffy and the side plate is d**n near impossible to take off

Hi all, We are proud to announce that we, the Illini Bass Fishing Club, will be hosting our 3rd Annual High School Open April 6th on Clinton Lake. This tournament is open to all high school anglers even if their school does not have a club established. Last year we had over 300 people at the weigh in along with 68 boats and 136 competing anglers. We also gave away over $2000 worth of prizes to the anglers that placed 1st-10th as well as Big Bass. If you have any questions feel free to message me or call the numbers listed on the flyers below. Also check out our article on Bass Master! http://www.fightingillinibassclub.com/uploads/6/5/1/8/6518616/third_annual_ibfc_open_1.pdf http://www.bassmaster.com/news/college-team-hosts-high-school-tournament

DA BEARS!

Welcome aboard!

Easy piecey. Depending on your preference, find one or more of the following residents; an elderly couple with a wheat field for a lawn, an unemployed stoner, a guy with an unreliable car, or a lonely divorced cougar.

Time to become un-retired. How else do you plan to support your Ci4+ addiction?

The original swim jig is still the best design; Scrounger. My favorite is a 1/2 or 3/4 oz with 6" Sluggo in trout colors. Cast, let sink to whatever depth you want and retrieve. This combination goes through nearly anything as long as you continue the retrieve. Tom

Captain Shane is on em' good. I can testify with my own personal eyewitness account. George is right, now is a great time to bring the kids out there. First cast Sunday, my son caught two on his little jerkbait. Caught a couple hundred with the kids both days. I got a couple 5lbers, flipping around some of the bedding areas.

If anyone is interested in getting together for dinner in Birmingham Saturday night, PM me.

whatever jig is tied onto my jig rod, at the time I decide swimming a jig would be more effective. I swim jigs all the time, but I don't own a "swimjig" as some define.

I'm a fan and believer of back reeling. Of course, that's because I'm just a tad short of 70 years young too! I use to use nothing but back-reeling in my younger years. Up until I started to get into my late 50's actually. Back then it matter to me whether or not I landed a fish. These days it doesn't matter so much. Besides, I enjoy listening to the drag being stripped out, more these days. Spices up my life a bit! And if I loose a fish because of that, so what? I do believe that back-reeling does offer more control while fighting any fish, regardless of which brand of spinning reel you use. Most renowned smallmouth anglers believe that as well, so I'm in pretty good company. I do believe spinning reel drags have much improved over the last couple of decades. But back-reeling still works just fine. The hard part of back-reeling is believing that it will work, the first time you try it! Sort of like pulling the drain plug on your boat, when you become swamped and driving the water out, instead of panicking! A lot of present day anglers don't even know what that's all about!

Hello FL and welcome to BR ~ A-Jay

Welcome to BR

Welcome to the forums! Jeff

I use an inflatable (a Hobie-branded knockoff of the Mustangs). I like the freedom of motion, the way it keeps me cool, and I fish mainly flatwater. I'm also a Big, Beautiful Angler (BBA) and so I like as little as possible around my girth.

The hunter from Bambi

Awesome reel got mine for sub $100 and its my favorite spinning reel

If your budget can stretch the Stradic FJ in my opinion would be the best bang for your buck. If you become interested in Daiwas then I'd suggest you check out the Cabelas Verano spinning reel that's made by Daiwa - has all the same features as the Ballistic but cheaper. I've not used or held one but looks good on paper. But you can't get it at BPS.

Take a look at the Daiwa Lexa spinning reel too. I haven't fished mine yet but it feels really solid, has an aluminum frame.

Any interest in getting together one evening for dinner?

I just bought the team lews gold carbon spinning reel.. hope to use it next weekend.. and will post a report/review..

No. If fishing has to go it has to go. If I have to change a few things I will. If she has has to change things then I would address it. You do whatever you have to do. Except for a couple of serious marital issues that you did not mention aboive, MARRIAGE IS FOR LIFE. I WLL SAY IT AGAIN FOR YOU GUYS, MARRIAGE IS FOR LIFE. God designed marriage to be for a life time. Not for a long as times were good. Marriage is not high school where u are with someone until you find out she's lame, then your on to the next one. Society has watered down marriage, to the point that people are seriously asking if you would divorce your wife and baby mama, because she is a nag and doesnt like you leaving her long enough to catch a fish. ...the answer is Hell NO. My life, my marriage, my wife, my walk with God is a heck of alot more important than what ever satisfaction j get out of fishing. Your friend obviously has some issues, or maybe to him they are non issues. Who knows. But u got one side of the story.

I would a been gone. As for the vacation. Woulda said yes dear have fun. Me and your sister will play, I mean watch the house. While y'all are gone.

Nope. Doesn't work. Mike's just blowing smoke to sell jigheads. Pay no attention to that theory at all. Nothing to see here. Move along.

The kid has been banned after numerous derogatory remarks posted on the forums and sent to me via PM. The kid has no respect for anyone, their property, nor laws. I don't have time for that.