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Well the kids played their hearts out tonight and beat the best and undefeated team in the league. What a bunch of happy kids at the end of the game!

Before this past weekend, I had only caught one smallmouth in my life. I have a 2 hour drive north to find the Tennessee River for the nearest smallmouth. Well I fished a tournament in TN this past weekend and landed big bass in the tournament with this 21.25 inch smallmouth. It was between 5 & 6 lbs. Caught it in a few feet of water on a Rage Craw.

At breakfast, the husband says to his wife, “What would you do if I won the Lotto?” “I’d take half and leave you,” she says. “Great” he says. “Here $6. I won $12 yesterday! Stay in touch.”

Was out on Northwood all weekend. Had the biggest bass of my life get pf just near the boat he was easily 6lb+ and of course Shane he was on your famous Rage Craw!!!! Haha. Anyways we ended up strangely getting on a school of Black Crappies or Calico Bass as my Uncle calls them. This happened to be the biggest one he caught it on a Rapala Jerkbait.

Been getting a lot of request from local guys for this bait. Took a lot of looking around to find a way to do the blade that I liked but this one turned out great I think. The new Code Black That bait was cast against the the rocks and concrete slabs for 10-15 minutes just to test how well the finish would last, you can tell it held up great. I even managed to catch 6 bass and this guy in the process

Caught my personal best last week. Scale said 6lbs 13oz. I caught her on a Booyah Poppin' Pad Crasher which made it even more sweet since froggin' is my favorite way to bass fish.

My fiancé Kelsie caught this 23-inch, 7 pound pig tonight at Sanborn Lake near Stillwater, OK!! It is her new PB by about 6 lbs!! My current PB is only 6 lbs 6 oz!! She is just learning to bass fish and earlier in the night I helped her practice setting the hook since we were using Zoom Horny Toads in the thick stuff and she is mostly used to buzzbaits, cranks, and spinnerbaits..... boy did she set the hook!!! She caught this on only a pink breast-cancer awareness edition Shakespeare Medium action spinning combo. She usually has 6 lb Trilene on the rod, but thankfully due to our frogging trip today I put 30 lb Power Pro on it for her!!! WOW I am just so proud of her!! Needless to say she is hooked!! And this is good for my fishing habit !!!

I just returned today from a family vacation to assatigue island MD and we stayed in a little gated community. There were 3 ponds on the property that I was able to fish without a MD license. I only took one setup with me, a 7' MH Fast with a 6.4:1 revo s as I figured the jig/plastics bite would be good and the rod would double as a good spinner bait and frog setup for a do it all. Wednesday I got a day all to myself to fish as my wife and Father in law took my children shopping for the day. I was hammering them all day fishing a grass jig 3/8 oz along the shore line of all 3 ponds. By 4 pm I had 19 bass, most between 1 and 2 pounds (I never even put any of these on the scale as they were nothing of great size) and I was just about to call it a day after fishing nearly 10 hours. On the walk back to our house, I decided to stop at the smallest of the 3 ponds for a few more casts. This pond is maybe 3/4 of an acre if that. I walked to the far end and decided to tie on a swim jig and fish the deeper section of the pond despite the fact that most bass were bedded up shallow. First cast, I let the jig sit for a few seconds, pop her up and start to swim it back to me when all of a sudden BAM....FISH ON. By the feeling of the strike, I thought I hooked a big bullhead. My rod was bent right in half and my drag was screaming. I was thumbing the spool to slow her down when all of a sudden she jumped and I got the first look at the biggest bass iv ever seen in person (northern guy here where a 6pounder is a blessing). About 20 more seconds and I had her in my hands. I couldnt believe it, I was shaking so bad I could barely stand up. My previous PB was 6lbs 5oz that I caught years ago. I instantly knew this fish was bigger.....and by alot. I rushed to get my berkley scale and get the fish weighed, pictures, and back in the water. By this time I had 5 guys come out of their houses to look at the fish. One guy claiming he has been fishing this pond for 15 years and has never seen one half that size come out of it. In the end the fish was out of the water for only a minute and man I wish I could have held her all day hahaha Stats: 9lbs 3oz 25 1/4 in long I will post pictures when I can get to my home computer and pull the pictures off of my cell phone

Never used a wacky rig before today, but they were killing it. Caught on a 7' MF Abu Garcia Veritas 2-piece spinning rod with a Shimano Sienna 2500 reel spooled with Suffix 832 braid: http://i.imgur.com/fjSiZWR.jpg Used a YUM Dinger F2 wacky rigged with o-rings and a 2/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook. Temps were 68-70F with high winds (you can see the foam on one fish from the chop), everything was blowing towards the shore we fished, so all you had to do was toss out the wacky rig and bounce/let it drift back, they were all pressed up in deep pockets against the shore waiting for baitfish and food. Got a few smaller ones also peppered in. I believe these were mostly males, the big females are still holding on beds. Weather rolled in and got bad quite so we had to call it quits and head back. Wished I had checked the barometric pressure around that time and recorded it. Saw a hawk kill a bird in mid-air, that's what he was pointing at.

Well, I guess I'm in the middle here. I used to think catching a fish on spinning gear was "funner", but since I began using lighter casting setups (Chronarch 50e's on two MF rods), I've been enjoying them almost more than spinning. In fact today was the first day in a couple months I even took a spinning rod with me. And the only reason was really to cast tiny baits. Caught a 4.1 pound sow off a downed tree today on my Chronarch 50e worm setup and man did she strip line! It was awesome, just as fun as on spinning gear.

I was the only one on the lake this morning. I only caught one but it was my new P.B. It was a nice fat one, 5.44 lbs. I was fishing submerged grass with a 3/8 oz. Dredge Brush Jig in about 9 feet of water. What I used: Dobyns DX744c Shimano CI4+ Suffix 832 braid - 30 lbs. with 10 lbs leader. Siebert Outdoors - 3/8 oz. Dredge Brush Jig - Blue Craw Zoom - Baby Bush Hog - Watermelon Seed Jackson Cuda 12 Werner Carbon Camano 240 cm paddle Gopro Hero 3+ Black Here is a Gopro video of me catching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opCvv7pubhs

Very good looking fish. Good job!

I prefer a reel with centrifugal brakes and think they are easier to learn on. I'm not sure what exact reel is on that combo though. Spool it up with some soft 12# mono like Trilene XL. Fill the spool to just below the bevel on the spool rim. Peel off about 125' of line put a strip of electrical tape around the spool. This will limit how deep any inevitable backlash will get. Read the articles about reel setup and the "thumb trick" for removing backlashes. Practice with a weight in the upper 1/2 of the rods lure weight range and do nice easy casts. The distance will come but you want to be smooth and accurate first and foremost.

X2, or a little super glue on the hook's shank before you slide the bait up or place a drop behind the bait at the offset.

Just whatever works and gives you the most control of it. Most people just use the pad of their thumb, but some use the tip.

we did well fishing for smalies, caught 20+. I dont like putting fish on the ground but i forgot a scale/ bump board.

You should be able to find a Lews TP for under 160 if you shop around. IMO, easily the best bang for your buck when you find them at that price

Did Arrowhead today for the first time. Over 50 LM, biggest just under 4# mostly on windblown wood and stumps with spinnerbaits. water temps low 60s.

WTG ~ They just needed someone to believe in them. You did that. And you guys didn't beat the best team in the league - you're coaching them. Congrats. A-Jay

Parasite clips, nuff said. parasiteweights.com

Movie was good

I went back and cleaned them out 52 packs lol

I was shallow, so I used a 1/2 weight in teardrop shape just to feel bottom as it was getting windy, but I was in heavy weeds and a long 2' tag end worked well to keep bait moving right above and skimming weeds. Hook prefered is an Owner Downshot hook, which is thin wire but strong..Key is not setting the hook to hard....I also use the VMC drop shot hooks and simply rig with smaller hook #1 or 1/0 and just hook it like I was using a split shot hook, or circle hook but that is when in open water, or I will sometimes just use a hook with weedguard (works better than I thought it would for all applications). The Lobster is thick, but has a hook slot, so the Hook that worked best was a regular 4/0? or maye it was 3/0 EWG probably Bass Pro, or Owner, Vmc..I buy whats on sale, and carry so much terminal tackle its tough to know whats what any more....I do like to use braid on a drop shot here in Florida as weeds are super heavy and I am in love with the Invisiswivels that are made of strong Fluorocarbon to eliminate line twist, and I trust knots more with swivels anyhow. I use a 14lb Fluoro leader, sometimes 17, but try to use 10-12 if sparse weeds......In open water,Iuse a spinning rod by okuma for drop shotting and I use 8lb hybrid or any copoly that is light green, or camo colored and up to 12lb mono or fluoro, and with the vmc, you just tie to swivels already made..All companies make some type of drop shot rig now, and vmc also makes a hook that I like that is long...Forget the Name...I learned how to tie any hook to a drop shot by watching videos on you tube,and I grew up fishing for Fluke up north and that is nothing more than a Downshot rig drifted on the bottom, and your bait gets a 12-24" leader....I love to experiment, and the dropshot is good for casting as well.......I only tried the bigger lobster since I read it was good on this site....I also bubba rig shakey heads all the time, but I have too much mud for that in most lakes right now....hope that helps, the smaller the hook, the better the flapping action.....

I use Owner twistlock w/cps 3/0 to 5/0

I like to flip my fat butt right onto the couch and wait for the water to clear. If that's not an option, a big black and blue jig, with lots of rattles, and a bulky trailer that moves water.

If I fish alone I can lie

Today, I start my 46th year of marriage to the finest woman I know. She definitely deserves a medal.

Went out to one of the reservoirs on Saturday with the family. Went to the office to get the special permit, and who do I see plastered over the wall... Mitch G holding up pigs, and I was like I found his secret spot. ;-) But I digress. So it was uneventful, left for lunch, and after hit a nice pond/lake. I noticed both ends of the water Lily pads and I'm thinking frogs. Tie on a bullfrog Zoom Horney Toad, and obviously so did this other guy that was there he had a Booyah Pad Crasher set up. No sooner the frogs hit the water blow ups every where I had three blow ups but they spit the hook, I think I have to work on setting hook I think, but anyway the other guy freaking pulls in a 5lb pig while I was walking past him trying to get to another patch of pads. I had to help him remove the lure because he was shaking, and had her stuck good. He asked me to take a picture with his phone so he could get a good pic with size comparison. He was a real nice guy....anyway all I had was 2 pickeral to show for the rest of the day, but I didn't get skunked. Next time I'm bringing my heavy/fast rod to fight these pads.

This subject always cracks me up. You guys don't really waste time worrying about such a trivial matter, do you? Who gives a hoot! There's this other popular sport we have in this country called baseball. Some are right, some left, some can switch. It doesn't matter as long as you can play the game. When I played, I could switch hit and throw almost as good with my left as my right. Glove stayed on my left hand but sometimes I'd switch hit just to throw a guy off. In the end it didn't matter as long as I got my intended results. As close to ambidextrous as I am/was, I don't like reeling my baitcasters with my left nor do I like reeling my spinning rigs with my right. That's how I do it, it works for me and I do as well as the next guy. How or why somebody else handles their rods/reels the way they do never factors into my day.

HA HA............ I see your's came in. just something special about that DX742c I tell ya!

Lol, I knew Brian would be all over this. I have a Lews TP on mine with 30# braid and I like it a lot. I'm sure any of those reels you mentioned will be excellent. The 742c is quickly becoming one of my favorite rods I've ever used

I prefer the baby brush hog over the full size.. Bit thats just my humble opinion.. Not to say yours is the same. The baby's Ill throw on a texas rig, and occasionally on a 3/8 oz skirtless jig.

The only thing I use for weightless Senkos.

No one's suggesting anyone not go fishing -except maybe the phone app.

Yeah we did pretty well learned alot from ww2farmer... only complaint about the trip is I feel I big TW order coming lol

Dont worry about the purple, you won't be looking at the rod when you're fishing. Great rods, search and there are good deals out there on Endurances. I've got the 723C 6103S Killer 4" weightless senko/smallmouth rod/finesse presentaitions 755C 775C Great rods, a ton of backbone! I almost feel sorry for the bass when I set the hook on them. Endurance > Max Teal & Rippin-lips seem to be the Powell rod champions on this board, I bring up the rear. Good luck, pull the trigger and pretty soon you will be seeing more bass green, than purple.

I spent a lot of time a couple summers ago researching sunglasses. Ended up buying Costa 580G (glass), Brine model, I believe. Amber lens. Very happy with them, although on some days I wish they were a tad lighter color-wise (like on dark cloudy days). But I couldn't be happier with the quality and zero scratches I've had on them since I took the plunge. And I don't baby them. Use the adjustable Cablz for hanging around my neck.

Picked this idea up off of you tube. It works perfectly but isnt the most cool looking way to fish. HAT CAMERA: Things you need: 1. Hat 2. Washers 2count 3. Nut 4. Bolt 5. Knife 6. Cheap camera This is how I did it. Went to goodwill found a hat with a double thick brim. Went to homedepot with the camera. Found a small screw that would screw into the bottom of the camera. Found two matching size washers and a nut. Find the center of the hats brim and poke a hole closest to the head as possible. Placed the wash on the bolt. Put the bolt through the hole. Placed another washer then the nut and tightened it all down. Camera can now screw on and off and you have a hat camera. I chose nylon screws nuts and washers also used poly urethane washers against the hat brim to help keep everything from spinning. After the cost of the camera. It came to a whopping total of $3.23 Ill have to upload videos and a pic later.

Both Costa and Oakley make great glasses. I have two pair of Costas and one set of Oaks that I play ball in.. Best advice...get a big frame that won't let light in. Get amber lenses. Amber is the probably the BEST for most water and bottom sediment colors. Go to a store and try them on....even of they dont have amber...just see which frames you like ans fit you face. I always go to store to try them on, then I find them cheaper online. Alot of dudes really like WileyX, Strike King S11,.and the Calcutta glasses. I would go for a premium brand if you can

I'm confused...are most non-Americans left handed?

Make that a third person for GoPro. The video quality it is capable of is RIDICULOUS for the price, and they have the best mounting systems to attach your camera to pretty much whatever you want! On a Kayak you could use the adhesive mount to stick somewhere on the boat, you could use the vice grip mount with the bendable neck, or the chest or head mount for a first person POV. The possibilities are endless.

My 2 cents I own a WS Ride 115 and my buddy has the WS Tarpon 120. Both Great yaks, ride is more stable and the tarpon is a little faster. Both are awesom and a SOT is by far the way to go. Honestly if you are not hung up on buying new then look for a good used one. Well worth the time and money to get a quality used over a cheaper new one. I did months of research before I bought mine and have been happy ever since.

Everytime I look at your new avatar, I can't help but think you're flaming..... Bring back the troll

Headed up to the Wisconsin River and Lake Wisconsin. Conditions sucked with heavy winds and crazy fast current. Worked hard and sorted thru a number of shorts to scrounge up some yummy delicious walleye and sauger. 55* water fishing 14-16fow. Big fish of the weekend was lost at the boat. Was a nice slot sauger. Second big fish was 19.5 sauger and third was 18.5 walleye. The other keepers were at 15". We also ran into some small smallies, drum, and a flathead. Jig and minnow, Jig and Gulp 4" minnows and jig and crawlers in 14-16fow

Bass of all sizes love the 10" Strike King Rage Anaconda here in Northern IL, even the ones barely bigger then the worm.

Pics say it all http://stuffhappens.us/photos-of-dogs-taken-after-leaving-the-shelter-and-getting-in-the-car-20-pics-11615/#

Caffeine Shad

If every shad in the lake were able to be eaten, and your lure looked enough like a shad, your lure would be eaten too. There are a couple things wrong with this in reality: -Every shad is not eaten. Bass work hard to catch their prey and many starve trying. There are times and places where bass find an advantage over their prey, and they exploit those. If those conditions aren't met satisfactorily than bass won't bother. They hold their precious energy in reserve for when hunting success is most likely. Some years are tougher on them than others. -Your lure (any lure) only "looks like a shad" to bass in certain (and often rare) circumstances. It's really not just a chuck-n-wind game, unless occasionally getting lucky is good enough. It's more about recognizing and finding opportunities and cashing in. There is no small amount of luck involved there too. But the more you know, the more experience you have, the more luck you'll recognize and find. If it's all new to you, then a lot is going to slip by. Keep at it. The quickest road is an education that includes knowledge and experience.

Being active is what allows one to be able to do it. I've said this many times that I don't get tired, simply because I fish everyday and my muscles are in shape for this activity. Not only being 68 but only 5'4 and 135#, I'm no longer very strong. Doesn't mean I don't get sore sometimes but I don't allow that to keep me away from fishing. I'm on a decent roll have a caught only one fish under about 20# (saltwater fish)in the last couple weeks, that was yesterday, today another 39" barracuda. I don't care how big a fish is, if my gear can handle it so can can I.