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My son has decided he is ready to make his appearance. Wife's water broke at 2135hrs. Now we wait until labor progresses. We ain't leaving this hospital til the little fella gets here. I will keep y'all updated.

THAT'S CRADLE THE BABY, HOMIE, NOT LADLE IT!...Oh never mind....Good luck Bud!

Actually the video is for a new underwater camera, but the lure action & fish behavior is an eye opener. Enjoy!

Top from last year. All caught in Maine. 9 lbs 1 oz. My personal best. 8 lbs 5 oz 8 lbs 3 oz Biggest fish I ever caught. Not in Maine.

There's a deeper question here - Wayne probably knows what I'm gearing to, he has a pro photog in the family. It boils down to photographic ethics and whether a photograph is a document of the truth, or or the moment, and all the emotion that accompanies that moment. I could go on and on, and I might later when I have a moment. I'm of the opinion that a picture's purpose is capture the joy of the catch, and to celebrate both the angler and the fish. Nothing else. Publicly, I've softened on my opinion of outlandish claims. Privately, it still chaps my rear just a little.

Wouldn't it be funny if Glenn had to lock his own thread?

Big O is ok. Not so sure about that Dwight character though.

Interesting query. Just how many casts does anyone make to any one target? I would think "not enough." Woo Daves told me to throw into the living room; then the dining room; hit the kitchen; throw to their bedroom; check out the bath; lob into the den; and hit all the places the bass live not once, but five or six times for each. Other pros have told me that they landed "that monster bass" by continuing to throw at one target over 15 times before she hit their baits. This was especially true for crankbaits and topwaters. As for plastics, if you have the patience you can flip and pitch to a target from different angles many times. Use the "fan pattern" as your guide and continue to throw to the target from various places as you move from left to right and then back from right to left. No guarantee you will get a hit but at least you gave it your all. Remember, if you can see into the water the bass can see you. If the bass can see you it does not matter how many times you flip and pitch to a target they are not going to hit it. Wear dark clothing and try to walk 50-feet from the bank when changing positions. Try to have your baits hit the water as quietly as possible at first, and then with some noise if you don't get any bites the first time around. I have seen largemouths turn to look at what made the noise and then rush over and hit the bait. So fish quietly and with some noise, too. Wish I could give you a specific number of casts that guarantee a strike but I can't do that for myself - needless to say for others. Have fun and let us know what you catch.

[Had a great time , made drifts in 7-12 fow. Fished with dropshot jerk baits tubes and spinners but could get very many burning it like last yeAr. w around 70 smallys and 30 other species and a cool full if walleye it's hard to say anything bad about such a place.. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff452/tytay89/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/F6C76798-C680-4E2F-9722-26023DE8FD44_zps1jxyvcez.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff452/tytay89/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/3FBB9EFC-5A84-4D3F-83E0-85FDB99EE213_zpsvlohx9ag.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff452/tytay89/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/EB447BD6-1824-414B-B056-11E733C441C1_zpsqtx5cdar.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff452/tytay89/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/DAAD34FF-0F9C-495A-9552-D212BA19CDBF_zpstfnhjx5z.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff452/tytay89/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/D1111A5E-595A-4BB6-9F46-5B047A78A5C2_zpsrkgierxq.jpg

BRAVES!!!! But nice fishing, OP..... definitely think you'll see improved hook sets and catch rates with a big ol' A on the hat!!

Just go with 100 lb and a 10/0 hook, that way when you get hung you can just drag whatever it is up to the surface for a looksie

Your pulling on the bottom of it Speed, we all know that fish is only pushing 4.5 pounds... Maybe Are people seriously questioning that your fish isn't 8.64lbs... Sometimes you just gotta shake your head and laugh

Gonna name him Slonezp? Has a nice ring to it. Congrats and hope everything comes out well Homie

Decided to give Jacomo a try today. I've never had much luck there, but Blues post had me hopeful. Caught a decent 2-3lb fish on my first cast after I put in. Next fish was definitely my best of the year and probably pretty close to my PB. Caught almost all of my fish on a shaky head of various flavors. Didn't catch a ton of fish, but the majority of what I caught were pretty decent. Just an awesome day to be out with the lack of wind and it not being 100.

First you should define what a giant worm is. I use Owner 5103, 5/0 straight shank hooks for worms up to 9" to 10" Owner 5132 CPS 6/0 hook for fatter nose worms 10" to 16" Can't see any reason to flip or pitch giant worms inti heavy cover, too long to work well, unless you are talking about brush or trees. The 5132 eliminates issues with the worm filling the hook gap. Tom

Obviously a statement from someone that hasn't used many reels over the price point. Shimano has 3-4 reels that are better, that doesn't even include the better Daiwa, Abu, etc. Curado is a really good sub-$200 reel, and competes favorably with all the reels in that tier, nothing more.

When I'm fishing I spend a lot of time thinking. And this is what I think: Most fish don't think in terms of spots. The idea of a fishing spot is applying human reasoning to a creature that doesn't have the capability to reason. We mostly move from spot to spot because it makes us feel productive, or because it tickles the part of our brain that gets satisfaction from exploring or seeing what is ahead. Fish are like nomadic man. We didn't move for the fun of it, we moved because we were chasing resources. Fish are like that. Always chasing resources that have moved or replacing ones that have been killed off or depleted. Just because a fish is or isn't there at any given moment doesn't mean it wasn't there the moment before or won't be there the moment after. So basically, have fun, stick with a spot as long as you can take it, and move when you feel like it. That's the best way to have a fun (and productive) day of fishing.

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

Florida fish don't get any bigger.

Ya you need a hook for sure. I go to some of these and see the staff sitting in a lawn chair looking at a magazine or B.S.ing with other vendors with little or no regard for the visitors, makes me shake my head and wonder "why bother?"

My biggest largemouth was 10lbs 2ozs from Lake Commendero, Mexico I've hit the 5 pound mark 3 times for smallmouth the most recent was this one. My biggest fish as the title says was one of these 2, both bottomed out a 50 pound scale so not sure which was bigger. Caught on the same day fishing by myself on the Kansas River.

About 25 LMB on the pad crasher frog this last trip. Black with yellow trim and they were swollowing it deep. Must have been the right frog for the time. Nothing like topwater action had a great time.

Took a trip to Cabela's in E. Hartford Thursday and found Rapala's DT series on sale (along with a number of other items I don't absolutely need). I don't often throw cranks, but the DTs in bluegill were too pretty to pass up. At 7:30 a.m. I was anchored in about 15' on my favorite pile of rocks. I thought the DT-10 would balance well with my St. Croix Avid medium power rod and Shimano Curado which was filled with 10 lb. Silver thread AN40. On the first cast I cranked the bait to depth, then a few more feet then I'm not superstitious about bass on first casts. I thoroughly fan cast the area but no more takers. I'm getting superstitious. There have to be more bass around this choice spot at this time of the day at this stage of the season (post spawn), so I go to a wacky rig. This set up is golden most any time and I particularly like it for "clean up." Here's one wacked out smallie: And another: A third picked up the Senko shortly thereafter but the take had been imperceptible. Had her on for only a few seconds, just long enough to determine she had "authority," if you know what I mean. I'm hardly the first fisherman to state that it's the biggest that get away. Alright then. Might there be another bass that would like a sale priced, bluegill pattern, deep diving crankbait? Yes! It's about 9:00 now on a bright morning. I thought I'd waste half an hour drifting a large sand flat while throwing a Duo Realis Spin Bait 80. This expensive little Japanese wonder produced very well for me earlier in the season. Not today though, and I think only because the fish were not on these flats. Next I spend five hours dragging bottom with soft plastics at 15' to maybe 25' depths. I'm moseying a creature through sandgrass and bumping it into rocks and the occasional 75 year old stump you find in the Quabbin. Wish I had brought an alarm clock - could have caught up on needed sleep instead. 3:00 now. I'm positioned a long cast away from the Bass Magnet, a short, narrow, rocky rise surrounded by deep water on one side and shallow muck on the other. Water temp. here is 70º and I expect a smallie to smash the DT-4 when I strafe the high point. It took 6 - 8 casts before a spirited 2 lber. slammed it - so spirited in fact, it jumped a foot away from the boat and threw the crank . . . . Why I love smallies in 25 words or fewer . . . The Senko will tell me if there are any more around. Uh-huh: The scale said 3.9 lbs., the best of the day by a few ounces. Correction: Make that 4.1 lbs. I figured the fish would be off the top of a football-field-length ridge so I set up in approximately 20'. I was dragging a football swing jig w/Biffle Bug through scattered rocks when almost back to the boat it got "thunked." The 7' medium power casting rod was adequate (obviously) for the hookset of the standard wire hook I used - I had had some question beforehand about this. It's close to 6:00 now and I'm thinking that 11+ hours in the sun and breeze should be enough for this graybeard. Just a few more casts at the opposite end of the ridge . . . where a 2 lber. was waiting for a bluegill pattern DT-4 to come along. Tight lines, all. WW

I decided to do a simple diamond pattern for a butt wrap. It accomplished two things in that doing so gives him a more unique gift and it gives me the satisfaction of knowing I didn't just throw a rod together. Besides, I can always use the practice in layout and design for future builds. If he abuses the rod, that's his doing and I can be happy knowing the rod is truely a special gift from me. The first coat of Flex Coat is on already. Pics to follow

I reckon that's the difference between good EVA and cheap EVA.

Can't ever go wrong with another Chronarch.

The Max line of Abu reels are pretty good for the price no question. The only downside is that they have a graphite frame and have mag brakes. Mag braking systems tend to be much more difficult for beginners than a centrifugal system found on the Revo S and other reels.

Too bad your budget isn't a little higher. The Abu Garcia Revo S and Veritas combo is VERY nice. $129 for the reel unless you find it on sale, and the Veritas is $99. I'd suggest the micro guide version of that rod if you do pony up the extra cash for this combo. Try AmericanLegacyFishing, as they used to give you a $25 off code if you sign up for their emails.

The 744 or 745 will work fine. I choose based on what size bait I'm throwing. 5/8 or under, 744. Over 1/2, 745. Good luck, you're gonna have fun.

[ name=ClackerBuzz" post="154" timestamp="1402522199]I bet all the beer in my fridge Mike would accommodate requests

I'm probably alone or in a very small minority, but I use a 4.7:1 for my lipless cranks. Granted I'm young and can crank it real quick and do most of the time, but that forces my impatient self to slow it down when I need to. It works for me, and thats what's really important. Whatever works for you.

Thanks for the tips. I'm in Portugal and the spawn in this specific area happened somewhere in March/April. We usually fish a farm pond about 5 miles away and went there a few times during that time to watch it (it's forbidden to fish during the spawn here - as long as it falls between March 16th and May 15th). BigBlock496 I actually did that - when eventually I started getting frustrated - and they just... Stood there. Hit him right in the face with a wacky rigged worm and got no reaction whatsoever. PS.: Here's the one that was right beside them. Not bad, but nowhere near as big as that one.

I hosted an expo in Southern Kentucky and worked on a few others. I had my own hunting and fishing gear website at one point as well. Take these tips for what they're worth: 1. Sell something different- you don't want to be the guy selling turkey calls at the NWTF convention. It's a race to the bottom. It's all about who's cheapest when you're competing with 50 other guys selling turkey calls. 2. Have a show special- come ready to move some volume. There's a reason infomercials are so successful. 3. Have a demonstration or video of your product- people like to see things in action 4. Think about trends in the market- think about what's hot, and then sell something complimentary to it. Some ideas 1) unique go pro mounts and go pro accessories, 2) iPad holders or other items that are trending in GPS technology for boaters and save big $$$ over $2000 units, 3) search the internet for some unique lure companies like Siebert Jigs and ask to represent their products. Put packages or "show specials" together. This way the people in attendance aren't pricing you against the guy next door or Bass Pro in their minds. Shows are about impulse buys and trends. Bargain bins full of trick worms may get you some sales, but will be hard to make that booth rent back. The most successful booth I've ever seen was the Can Cooker that is now at Cabelas. It appealed to men and women and was totally different from anything at those shows. They killed it for a while!

Jeep Guy, you may want to fill out your profile information so people know where you are located. Then people more local to you can tell you what is working for them in that area at a given time. They can probably also tell you if youre fishing dead water or not. One thing in bass fishing is true for sure, if there are no bass in the water youre fishing then youre not going to catch bass. Just hang in there and keep trying. Fishing requires patience in many instances. also remember, it is called fishing and not catching. seems youve been pretty patient, trying for over a year and not catching anything. you came to the right place for help and to gain knowledge, but you have to put it to use. also, dont let all the new information youve gained here overwhelm or confuse you, because sometimes it can and you start overthinking things. have you literally not caught a single fish? or just a few far and in between?

usually order from alley tungsten but mike's prices are basically the same so i'm going to go with him next time (as long as he has inserts). i'm only buying weights w/ inserts now b/c tungsten cuts ur line so easily (never had strike king so don't know if they have them but i'm sure someone else can comment). http://www.alleystungsten.com/Tungsten_Bullet_Worm_Flipping_Weights.html

Not sure you would save any weight with the starboard stuff. Did mine last year with aluminum, like slo said, it is a little noisier but I like how mine turned out just fine. Top speed 27mph! That's pretty fast for the res!!

Some guys prefer to reel with their weak hand, but most prefer their strong one. Traditionally right-handed fishermen have baitcasting reels with the handle on the right. For spinning tackle the handle is on the left. Here is a post from George Welcome, a well known guiide from Stick Marsh/ Farm 13, Florida: Let's get technical, as there are in fact reasons, not just some lame holdover from days past that put the handles where they are. What will move the fish during retrieval is placed to the strong hand! A baitcast is designed to be used as a winch, so it is the reel that retrieves the fish. Hence if you are right handed the handle is in your right hand. A spinning reel is designed to pick up unloaded or loose line, not retrieve the fish. Hence it is the rod that does the retrieval, so it is the rod that is in your strong hand. If you are right handed then the pole goes to the right hand.

I cast right and use a right handed baitcasrer. However, I cast right and use a left handed spinning reel.

Trip from this past week up to northern wisconsin. We caught a ton of fish and were conscious of taking pictures and releasing the fish quickly. Every fish on or near a bed was netted with an ego pro slider with rubber mesh and released in under a minute. The reason you dont see a 5 fish stringer of 25lb is because they are protected during the spawn and we didnt want to keep them out of the water more than necessary. I have more pictures but they are too big for the uploader to process.

Beefier baits need wider gap hooks. When a fish strikes and you set the hook the worm slides up balling up and choking the gap of the hook so it can´t penetrate with all that plastic.

Be sure to compare IPT (Inches Per Turn of the handle) as some higher ratios do not increase IPT as one would be led to believe. The most meaningful reel ratio/IPT application is a lower one for deep cranks and other high resistance lures. Burner reels are more a preference over standard (6.x:1) gear ratios. Personally, I like high speed reels for taking up slack quickly should a fish pick up a jig etc. and swim toward me.

Despite what you may have heard bass do not morph into a new creature when the sun sets! I fish the exact same locations and the exact same lures I do during daylight hours. The only exception; night lighted areas, lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, and camps with lights near the water.

Did you know that ford is making a new design in there truck. A heated tailgate so you can keep your hands worm while pushing it down the road in the snow.

Same lures I use during the day

Try the same baits that you use in the day. Allen

Biggest tip I can give you for flea markets and expos, is to bring your dog. EVERYONE wants to come in and pet your dog, and half the battle is getting them into your booth! Jeff

Cumulus, bfs xg, and a balsa bull. Topwater Bliss...

Slow Down. A-Jay

My personal best is a joke that haunts me. It came at night on a cool spring evening with my plastic worm 6 inches from shore, while talking to a friend. There was no fight, I just had to lean over and pick it up. So yeah, they bite then. And yeah, I can't believe I'm still chasing the most accidental fish I ever caught.