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We would have more fishing spots available to us if some fisherman didn't leave there empty coffee cups, lunch wrappers/bags and empty worm containers on the ground when they left. Why do they do this? This I'd why the "NO FISHING" signs are so popular. PLEASE PICK UP YOUR GARBAGE LEAVE THE PLACE BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT TOO BY PICKING UP SOME ELSE'S GARBAGE TOO. I LEAVE NO FOOT PRINT BEHIND. ITS LIKE I WAS NEVER THERE. NO TRASH NO CIGARETTE BUTTS NO LURE PACKAGES NO WORM CONTAINERS NO FOOD WRAPPERS No fishing line NADA, NOTHING LEFT BEHIND. We need to respect people's property and nature. It's not just about fishing. Leave with more garbage than you brought with you. You will be rewarded in someway with good karma.

Ice, ice go a way.

Today's latest craze is going to faster retrieve speed low profile bait casting reels. The Daiwa Tatula R-100XS is a good example and the reel that got my attention in late 2013. The R-100XS is rated 8.1 to 1 with recovery of 33.9* inches per handle rotation. My initial reaction was why does anyone need a 8 to 1 ratio bass reel? My bias was about loss of leverage when using this reel for crank baits or controlling a strong hard fighting bass. Curiosity during a local (BAT) tackle show I picked up the Tatula R100XS on Tatula jig/worm rod and test casts several times. This reel is very smooth and the retrieve speed didn't seem noticeably too fast. To my surprise I really liked this reel and bought one with a show discount offering 10% off. I am a jig fisherman and casting jigs long distance is normal. My retrieve technique is using the reel more than the rod, so the higher retrieve rate would impact this presentation. I also hook set by reeling quickly and rod sweeping, the faster retrieve rate may help. The past 4 months have proven I was wrong about the power of this reel, the 8.1 to 1 is just a powerful as my 6.3 to 1 reels. I was also wrong about the retrieve speed negatively affecting my presentation, simple adjustment to maintain retrieve pace cadence is natural. The hook set is improved with the higher ratio and the smoothness of this reel is exceptional. Controlling big hot fast bass is actually improved when first hooked and around the boat...win win. I know own 3**Tatula R-100XS reels and converted to high speeds. Tom * actual measured at 33" filled 1/16" below full spool. ** Valley Sports sells this reel at the lowest price.

Seriously! If I'm casting to structure in say 15' of water with a 1/4 oz T-rig I'll give it seconds to hit bottom & then let it sit for 30 seconds before I move it. Even with spinnerbaits & cranks I'm seldom burning em. My flipping, pitching, & punching is S-L-O-W & only using jigs, creature, or craws. Y'all fishing way to fast!

Fixed your pic for you

I go until the doubt enters my head. The second your fishing with one bait and thinking about another you'll never fish the one on your line to its potential so switch em out.

Fellas that looked like an incredible trip! Great fish and great friends...It don't get any better than that.

I don't know what possesses someone to leave their trash around. Do they go to their friends and leave their trash in their living room? Considering many people leave junk in their front yards I'm really not shocked.

My 7 year old using her baitcaster like a champ! These were on shallow cranks and jigs.

Justin Bieber. Use him as an anchor!

So water temp is 58* and fish are right on the bank and at the end of coves in 1' of water. I rigged up a 1/16 swimbait hook on a homemade 702 craw that I used to make. Worked great in the brush on the shore. Fell nice and slow (more horizontal) with the claws flapping. Basically fished it like a Senko. Fish were gobbling it and hookup % was very good. Any craw like a Rage, Paca, Chigger, etc will work well. Give it a try in real shallow water. They also skip great under docks.

It happens to the best of them. Kudos for Gerald Swindle for video taping it. This is the first solo-removal video I have seen.

After doing a little traveling last month both domestically & internationally, I'd like to go on record here to say that the TSA humans, specifically the checked luggage "inspection" folks, are most definitely not my favorite persons. Seems they got their terms a little mixed up and replaced inspection with destruction. Really frustrating. A-Jay

Hit the Nashua up for a little while today. first time out got skunked but it was good to be out, the water is really moving right now

Finally got my Curado I yesterday. Can't wait to find a new rod for it and get on the water!!

To do better than last year (the goal never changes, but the results do) Roger

WOW - great fish, great company, (and I'm assuming), great beverages in the evening! Sounds like Shangri-La !! Thanks for posting the pics!

I would not trust any lakes for a couple weeks even if you don't visibly see the ice. You might not see the ice but it could be sunken under a couple inches of water and smash your boat up good. At least my boat is out of hibernation

First off, welcome to fishing! I see you have started your own site logging your success, great idea. I'm going to offer a few suggestions that I wish I had done at your age instead of just fishing by my gut instincts. But first and foremost, don't let a rough day fishing get you down too much. Consider this, Byron Velvic who's won multiple tournaments only caught 2 keepers yesterday at Table Rock. That's a pro, fishing hard for 8 hours. So don't get discuraged. Start a fishing log. You kind of already did, but I'm going to make some suggestions on how to help make a log more effective for you. First, you want to find a format that works for you and stay consistent with it. The more information you enter, the more data you can pull from down the road. I would look online at different examles of what people log and find a mix that your willing to keep up with. Some basics I would suggest: Date - Location - Weather - Water Temp - Water Clarity - then keep track of what you caught, what lure, how you worked the lure, etc. An example may look like this: DATE: 4/4/14 LOCATION: Lake Wigglymo WEATHER: 65 degrees, cloudy, light wind. Rained last night and has been near 70 all week. WATER TEMP: 52 WATER CLARITY: Slightly Stained --------------------------------------- Caught 3 small bass on a white and chartruse spinnerbait slow rolling along the ledge in Possum Holler. Caught 2 large bass on a jerkbait off the pile of rocks at the mouth of Possom Holler. Tried: Hulla popper, texas rigged worm, and a buzzbait all with no hits. The more info you are willing to enter, the better off you are. What happens, over time, is you will begin to pick up on patterns. And that is a key to successful fishing, finding the pattern for that particular day on that particular piece of water. Each place is a bit different, but the more you have to draw from the easier it is to figure out where and with what to fish. You can learn tons by reading about what to fish where, but having your own real world data, of fish that YOU caught on YOUR water is the absolute best info you can get in my opinion. Good luck, and tight lines!

I always take some yard sized garbage bags with me and when I am done fishing put on some leather gloves and take about 15 to 20 minutes picking up trash that others leave behind. Every little bit that anybody does helps in the long run. A very good organization is Recycled Fish ( http://www.recycledfish.org/ ) the person in charge of it was selected one month last year as one of Field and Streams "Heroes of Consevation". They have partnered up a lot with Dick's Sporting Goods and B.A.S.S. On Facebook they are https://www.facebook.com/RecycledFish . I highly recommend visiting their website; very informative about fishing and the environment.

1st tourney 2mrw......wont be able to sleep. Hell I cant sit still now

Just like many of you I always bring a bag big enough for my trash and one to clean up around me. One of my favorite spots is always polluted with drinks, old line, empty worm containers, cans etc so I make sure its clean. That town spent extra money make sure the Northville lake/pond had new steps put in, a fishing chart so you can id fish, know legal sizes, and weights. Awesome for new fisherman and kids. Also gives history of fish and tips on how to catch them. So when people pollute these areas I get pretty mad. That's why towns go to crap and they stop putting money into making them better areas.

You may have just opened a big 'ol can of worms...lol. Hootie

Had wanted to drop the benji and just use Hootie, since that is how I sign anyhow. Well Hootie was already taken by someone who hasn't signed on since 2009. So "00 mod", Jeff suggested adding a character to make it usable, hence, *Hootie. Jeff has been helping me for a couple of days to try to work this out. And he did it. A big THANKS to Jeff. Hootie

First couple of days had really beautiful skies with serrated cirrus clouds. Here is a picture from early morning sunrise.

Um, Bill... 5-8 pounders spawn baby basses . Not exactly sure what the rest was about, either. If you think a world record bass is coming from Connecticut, you're trippin'.

My little puppy all sleepy with her fav toy!!

If I pack it in, I pack it out. Always, no exceptions. I hate all the effing slobs who leave their trash everywhere, not to mentions what looks like entire SPOOLS of line. Fools, the lot of them.

Lakes are still iced over, lol.

I recently spent $9,500 on a young registered Black Angus bull. I put him with the herd but he just ate grass and wouldn't even look at a cow. I was beginning to think I had paid more for that bull than he was worth. Anyhow, I had the Vet come and have a look at him. The Vet said the bull was very healthy, but possibly just a little young, so he gave me some pills to give him once a day. The bull started servicing the cows almost immediately, all the cows, twice a day! He even broke through the fence and screwed my neighbor's cows! He's like a machine!! I don't know what was in the pills the Vet gave him............ but they taste like peppermint.

I would love to find out where some of these people live,and throw the trash that I pick up,and throw in their yards.It's the same thing with crabbing.The empty beer or soda cans,empty chicken packages,that are left behind,is unreal.

Man all I can say is wow. I love my little bass raider 10e. If your trying to decide just buy it. You don't have to feed it and you can just about put it anywhere. Spring is here and I've been out on mine about six times already and just caught my first wall hanger yesterday. I love my boat.

For Members over 55 -- It's MEMORABILIA For Members under 55 -- It's a JOKE http://www.rolotechnologies.com/Avatars/Memorabilia.pdf

Nice deal man. I here they are good reels eventually I will break down and get one. Glad you didn't over pay for the energy.

Both of these lakes are "Right in my Back Yard" ~ But I'm hoping to be on Lake Erie for the Pre-spawn ~ It's just that good. A-Jay

That happened to mine a few years back. I bought a new machine and guess what? Problem solved.

Jitterbug, i fished maybe 60% out of my canoe last year, maybe 20% out of the kayak. only 10% out of the jon boat with the gas motor, and a little bit out of big boats that other people own. Most big bass don't care what you have for a boat, My big pickerel , canoe. my PB canoe. AND SOME NICE FISH FROM SHORE. grab the opportunities you have now and enjoy them. There will come a time for you , like many of us, when other things take on more importance. Such as -- a 33 yr old son /wife/grandson , 2 in college at the same time and a 15 yr old headed to college in 3 years. ... i consider myself very lucky , and cherish the time on the water. I fished very little , very very little from age 19 - 45. and now the the youngest is 15 i am fishing alone alot. i 1/2 wish the wife would fish too, but at the same time, it is so relaxing and quiet from 4:30 am till 9am a few mornings a week. enjoy your young years, and stay away from those high school girls,,, all they do is complicate things. AND DREAM BIG ... WITH BIG GOALS,

They probably edited out the big swig of makers mark bourbon he took before the hook extraction took place.

Is it too early to make nominations for "Most asinine post of 2014"?

Id imagine going out on a boat with an adult film star would be pretty interesting lol if my wife/girlfriend wouldn't find out lol jk

Generally if it says Strike King on the package, it's in my boat. I also like Storm, Manns, Bandit, and.......................yes Rapala stuff. I was mad at them for a while, but dang it, there junk catches fish, so I had to get over it.

My brother caught this 20 inch 6lb largemouth yesterday on a crappie magnet crappie fishing.

Not if you're fishing in a stump field Roger

I am just looking forward to the first meeting between the Eagles and Skins.....should be a good one for sure.

I always keep hand warmers with me if the weather is cool or rainy. Nothing ruins a day of fishing like being cold, or in your case frostbite. Congrats on getting your rod and reel back! That's funny.

I could not have said this better and could not agree more. One thing I have not noticed in these posts is changing hands after the cast. Most right handed people cast with their right arm then switch the rod to their left hand. My left arm is not near as strong or agile as my right, I'd much prefer to fight a large fish with my stronger arm on the rod, the hand that cranks the reel does not have to be strong. With spinning tackle I hold the rod on the foregrip with my stronger arm, as I've said many times I wouldn't own a rod without a foregrip, my hand is in perfect hook setting position and I've got a bit more leverage when fighting a fish too. My freshwater spinning reels have never needed service (maybe because I use Pflueger) or yearly maintenance. I don't worry about setting brakes or tension, my casting distance is always optimum. For the very few times a b/c may have advantage are in water conditions or using very heavy lures that have little interest for me. I will go out of my way to fish open water, I want to fight the fish and not have a tug of war with plant. Spinning wins for me100% of the time.

I prefer to work most lures with a casting reel but recently a reoccurring hand injury forced me to start using spinning exclusively. I learned I was missing something. fighting a fish on spinning gear is much more fluid and ergonomic. I was able to horse a fish with better control. The bigger drag washers make for a smoother drag. Comfort level is increased by not palming the reel and having to move my reel hand to the grip or foregrip to better fight big fish. My catch rate has sky rocketed because I have a bigger range of lures I can use with the one outfit I take on most trips. I'm not loosing as many fish because the spinning outfit for me controls fish better. I have noticed zero difference in accuracy. A spinners spool can be feathered with a finger just as a caster can thumb a spool. Enjoy what you've got, ignore posers.

#4 VMC