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I once took a black sharpie and wrote "NO PIKE" on each side of a 6xd.....................it didn't work.

I took this picture on Lake St Clair. Its one of my all time favorites. None of this has been Photoshopped.

There used to be a time many many years ago when I cared how many I caught, it seemed to be important, later it was not only how many I caught, but how big and now, well I don't measure my success by how many or how big, the interesting thing now is that the less I care I catch more and bigger.

Give it to your wife an it might be

I hope thats what he meant.

Ah, the good old days . . . . . . . . A-Jay

If fishing is slow, why complain about the fight that fish has given you. Unless you plan on keeping that carp you gaff, then it wouldn't be a good idea. I don't believe in just killing a fish just because it happens to be the wrong kind, ugly, or some think it's useless, not to mention if you buy a commercial gaff, odds are it's not gonna be as good as you would like. Having made many a gaff while working on sportfishing boats in S.Cal, those gaffs are crap, the hook is normally too big, and depending on your state fishing regulations, IE, Cal, it's illegal to gaff ANY freshwater fish. Get a net and release your opponent safely and be thankful for the fight it gave you. It maybe annoying when you hook them, but it's still fun to pull on something that pulls so hard without giving up.

...to put a hurting on those well rested 6+ pound Lake Erie Smallmouth! I fish all year for different species of fish, but my absolute favorite time and species is Pre-Spawn Smallmouth. There is just nothing like a sex-crazed starving Smallmouth on a kamikaze mission for your jerkbait. Just one of the best things (if not the best) in all of fishing. I even put in a leave request to take off from Mid-April through Mid-June. Unfortunately, it was denied. My employer obviously doesn't understand my physical need to be out on the water fishing for these Smallmouth. As a side note, there is no real purpose to this post except to just express my extreme excitement for the upcoming 6 weeks (it has been a long long winter!)

Needham has caught more fish slowing down this year than he ever has. I am proud of him, but he still has to get his foot off that trolling motor. All he knows is nothing or 10!!!! HAHAHA! Jeff

IM DONE WITH SNOW.

Hey guys. Sorry that I've been kinda quiet lately. I've been fishing all winter, but also have had a lot of other stuff going on so I've been away from posting on forums for a bit. This post is about a trip that I took last weekend that had tough fishing, but still was fun. Good company, good scenery, and a few nice fish away from the beaten path is what it's all about for me any more. My buddy Howard hit a small lake a couple hours from home that is one of our favorite day trips. Expectations were high considering our success here the past few years, as we proceeded to launch the S.S. Fat Boy. It was nice getting the boat in the water after having it sit in my carport until I had the money to fix the trailer. Another buddy, Rodger wanted to fish with us that day too, so he brought his scanoe and fished solo. We’d cross paths throughout the day, mostly to make sure that he was OK and also to see if he was into fish or not. We had the option of fishing three out of my boat if things weren’t working out for him. Other than learning to control his scanoe on a windy day, he did pretty well, including catching chain pickerel for the first time. I think this was his second chainside. A fish pic, with Rodg having a death grip on the slime rocket! And for good reason too…these things have teeth, so of course, we told him not to lip them. He took the advice. I wish that I had paid more attention to my own advice. One nice sized chain pickerel that I tried to measure (and didn’t get a length) flipped over the boat and raked his teeth across my hand during his escape: This pickerel cooperated for a measurement later in the day and went 23 ½” long. The toothy critter wasn't very long, but was fat and had a big head! Howard tied into the pickerel too, landing the longest one that measured 24”: Conditions were tough during the day, but we did manage to catch a few bass in the process. Here’s Howard with a decent one. Most of the bass were on the small side on this trip. Howard caught a couple slab crappie on a plastic worm, giving him the multi-species award for the day. I had one hooked and lost it at the boat on a Rat-L-Trap earlier. Howard with another nice pickerel: Wanna play kiss the pickerel? Here’s the business end of ol’ chainsides: What a great day out there. The fishing was on the tough side, but the company and scenery were fantastic. When I want my mind to drift, here is where it goes: It’s another world altogether with those beautiful cypress trees: Howard battling a pickerel in the upper end of the lake in some really skinny water. The bigger bass boats don’t venture up this far. I finished with thirteen bass and seven chain pickerel. Howard had similar numbers. The crankbait bite was hot early, then completely died. After that, plastic worms were the ticket. I had seven bite offs to annoy me! Howard picked up some fish on a chatterbait too. It was a fun trip, but we were pretty beat at the end of the day. Even though it was a Friday, there were more boats on the lake than I can ever recall. Still, I can’t wait to get back there.

Me neither. I don't want to be his Co-Angler when he decides he is going to stroke the Texas rig.

Hag's Tornado worm floats for a long time. It's also the best shaky head worm I've used. TW has them.

interesting topic, something else I seem to recall from school is that instincts can not be overridden. They can not be turned on and off, so a bass striking at a lure will most likely continue to do so regardless the outcome, unless the outcome is a frying pan.

Yeah it is a daunting task but if you want something you gotta just go for it and figure it out as you go sometimes.

for something to be considered instinctive, it must be performed without prior experience. Your more in the realm of conditioned response, and a bass in the wild is very unlikely to exhibit this.

Plenty of open water out my way. Powder Mill Pond is fully open, including the launch area. Otter Lake is open. I think Stumpfield might be close to open on the parts by the road/bridge, but the main lake was pretty frozen over on Monday afternoon. The road was also closed as of Monday, and this rain will not help. I was also considering Pawtuckaway on Friday, so a water level report would be great if anyone has checked. I was also curious if Spofford Lake was open if anyone is out that way. I would not mind catching some Pike early on. Let's go get 'um!

Even better, is I saw some iced out places today, and tomorrow, the brown truck brings me a new reel! Love those days!

Generally I uses straight fluoro for T-rigs.

Last Saturday was my first ever tourney. Also from fishing out of the back of a bass boat. The #1 thing that I learned was to go with my instincts. I had a feeling that the bass were deeper. Started off early throwing up to the bank and reeling back but the water was so clear that it was easy to see there wasn't any real action up there. Maybe the lone stragler 12 incher but nothing of any real size. I did start throwing a red eye shad out a little deeper but with no real bites I soon started beating the bank again. I pulled in two on a drop shot and sure enough they were out deeper about 12-15' of water. My instincts were telling me to either throw a t rigged worm/creature or a jig. I did end up throwing a baby brush hog with no bites but I know what I did wrong and the weight was not enough. I threw everything...spinner, crank up shallow. It's a little tougher from the back. I shoulda trolled a t rigged pit boss or something deeper coming off an angle. So at the end of the day, we all gather round and talk about what worked and where and what they caught the bigger ones. Sure enough, t rigged baits or jigs about 15-20' of water were where the big ones were biting. Some on spinners and cranks but those were really barely keepers. The DS did well to get bit but it was the t rig or jig that produced the ones that won it. Had a lot of Fun no doubt and didn't really expect too much from myself being the first tourney. Sure did learn a lot though.

Oh good,idea i think delaware tackle lives really close. That could be an option. I just checked walmart, lowes, hone deopt nada

oh, and TW also sells them. And Keitech's Live Impact floats if you want another dropshot idea. They look awesome in the water and are my new go to dropshot bait.

“ Fluorocarbon line looks a lot like mono. But it’s a different material, and transmits vibrations much better. A lot of fishermen believe that fluorocarbon is more sensitive because it has less stretch than mono, but according to the good folks at Stren, that isn’t the case. My good friend Eric Naig at Berkley says that all nylon monofilament contains 18 to 35 percent stretch, while most fluorocarbon contains 28 to 38 percent. And stretch in braided line is in the 2 to 7 percent range. The difference is that nylon has a stretch recovery, or rubber band effect. Fluorocarbon may elongate, but differently. Actually the density of the line is what makes it more sensitive." -Bill Dance "Now, Bill confirms the density aspect of fluorocarbon, and its applicability to creating a better feel. However, he is righting a wrong here by telling aspiring anglers that in the marketing of this line there has been a misconception. I applaud Bill’s integrity here, and expect nothing less from this indisputable fishing icon. While fluorocarbon may be marketed as being low in stretch, it actually stretches more than monofilament." -John Warren The above was taken from this blog article. Very interesting read. http://fishingwithconfidence.net/fluorocarbon.html

Roboworms are hand poured. float very well.

There is a population of bass in every lake or pond that never strike lures and a population of bass so aggressive they never learn to avoid lures. The over aggressive bass in high pressured lakes end up in a frying pan or swallow soft plastics and starve to death or become so mutilated from hooks ripping their mouth apart or hooks in the gullet they no longer can feed on live prey and starve. Bass are a lower animal than mammals, smaller brain and unable to perceive live prey isn't the same as lure. Some bass can determine that a lure isn't live prey and avoid it and they do! Tom

as stated you'll love it. I have about a dozen of them. The Lew's TP is quickly becoming the Glock 19 of the reel world...... well maybe not that good but they are sweet reels.

If Fishing Fluorocarbon line gives you more confidence when on the water, then I would suggest going with Fluorocarbon. Confidence is key when it comes fishing and regardless if it is "Invisible" or has more stretch etc... If you believe that it will help you get more strikes, then it will. I know several guys who use fluoro for finesse fishing and cranking and they would never use anything else even with the troubles they have had with certain lines. I remember the days when braids were very tough to fish and it was almost like casting yarn, but now the line manufactures have been able to improve braids drastically each year, and I am very confident that Fluoro will be very good across the board for the most part in a few years. I can remember when the original Vanish hit the market and other fluorocarbons and they were super stiff, brittle and just a nightmare. I can tell the difference in the quality of Stren Fluorocast since I have tried it a few times over the years and each spool seems to be better, and that is also true for Berkley and others. As Much as I dislike using Fluoro, I almost always use it as a leader for dropshotting in clear water or when fishing in phosphate pits which have alot of bottom structure that will cause braid to fray, and a leader is something I believe helps me get more strikes, and lose less fish due to all the sharp objects in the water. I have a tournament this weekend and I plan on using alot of finesse tactics, and I will be using mostly fluoro leaders simply because 1% of my mind tells me that it is the right move, and even though I will rant about it not being any less visible etc....I still use it just in case it truly does help with stealth even if it gets me just one extra strike.....If I take my time with tying knots, and I use a Flurocarbon Leader material, not just line, I find the knots to be really good. I have no idea if leader material is any different, but an old timer who has 50 years under his belt tells me it is absolutely necessary, so why risk it? Seagaur & Triple fish leader are ready to go....

I don't keep a running total of numbers but I would guess around 250-350 for this year biggest just at 9 lbs. These were all from FL & Mexico. No brown bass yet but will probably try on Easter Sunday.

No, but I can suggest if you have any specialty fishing shops in your area, any rod builders, etc., they might have, or be able to get it for you. I bought it from a local fishing shop here in VA.

Got me one of those fancy Lew's BB1-Pro's comin'. Had to wait a couple weeks for T.W.to ship it, due to being backordered, but she'll be here tomorrow! I grabbed some of that Seaguar Smackdown braid (50lb) for it, and she's gonna nestle up on a beautiful 7'4" heavy action Cumara, to be used as my topwater and Carolina rig setup.

Will need help unloading the smoker Wed or Thursday evening. That way I can load it up for the meal Friday evening. PLans are to smoke boston Butts for pulled pork, along with some chicken for the ones that don't like Pork. Baked Beans and slaw, Still thinking on the desert? Also thinking about doing some Jalapeno Poppers. Pepper stuffed with Hot pork sausage and cream cheese and wrapped with bacon. Then smoked and man they're good. Been doing these for 15 or so years there always a big hit and for some reason they go fast. Pete

Mayor Dana Outlaw (apparently the man's actual name) may have a somewhat difficult time getting re-elected. He may also want to seriously consider Kevlar under garments. A-Jay

WHAT?! there's gotta be more to that. that's ridiculous

Haha so depressing. I think ill drink a 40 now

The boat ramp entrance has a good bit of shoreline and some docks. That's really the only place I know of.

i like to use straight fluoro for T-rigs also

I would go to at least 20 lb floro for the leader... I personally like to t-rig mainly on floro, or mono, for abrasion resistance, visibility, and slack line sensitivity... but a lot of people like the braid with floro leader option... Mitch

Someone usually finds a post I made years ago and reposts it. It goes sort of like this... Go to your local football field and stand at the goal line. Make your best cast. I think you'll be surprised that what you thought was a mile, well, it's not quite as far as you thought it was...

I do it like this: Swim jig: clear water Spinnerbait: stained water, or when its' really really windy/choppy clear water Chatterbait: when my buddy is out-fishing me with one LOL.

I've pretty much made my mind up to give it a try. I figure if I don't like it I can sell it off on here for what I have in it. Thanks guys. Now. Anyone know anything about the TFO rods?

Experience is the best teacher!

Psh i can cast 100yds easy...in three casts lol

I throw them at the most beautiful bush that I know is loaded with big largemouth...and hang it deep n the first cast. It a love hate thing.

The reel alone retails for $200. If it's in good condition it's a steal at the price it's listed at. The TFO rods are supposed to be good too. I've never used one but I think Gary Loomis' name is attached to it. I think he designed them. What are you doing up here this far away from the Off Topic area?

A quality spinnerbait can be yoyo'd or drug on bottom and maintain some blade action. It will also flutter when you kill it after hitting cover. Bladed jig only vibrates with tension on line

I purchased three of his Big O Brush jigs a couple weeks back and could not be happier - they are beautiful. I finally got out to test them last Saturday and loved them. He does not skimp on material at all, a long FULL weedguard, fantastic hook and the skirt was very long, all allowing for customization. After cutting the weedguard and skirt down like I like, I was ready to go. That right there is the devil craw with sapphire blue head. Long story short, my wallet is going to be a lot lighter next week. Thanks Mike!

JB Weld Marine Edition

Ive always just drilled holes and screwed it in but my cousin showed me a great way to mount his. he screwed it to a piece of fiberglass. just alil bigger than than the actual charger. than he used liquid nails or some sort of fiberglass adhesive and glued it to the inside wall of the boats transom. he did the same when he mounted his transducer and structure scan module

The basics like wrapping a guide or assembling a handle are easy to learn and can be done with almost no "equipment" but it takes expertise to select a blank and to space guides so they work correctly on the finished rod. If you're working with minimal equipment, wrapping and epoxying the guides gets sorta tedious, at least it does to me. Bottom line, I also think it wouldn't pay to do it for just one or two. Building a rod yourself makes the most economic sense if you're talking about high end blanks and guides, where the mark-up on commercial rods gets really steep. You can buy components for a high end rod for about 60% of the cost of a factory rod. But If you're talking rods in the low to moderate price range, it's about as cheap to buy a finished rod as it is to buy the parts and build it yourself. And if you're talking about high priced components, do you really want to be a beginner when you build a rod from them? To me, it only makes sense if you're considering rod building as a long-term hobby.