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Awhile back a member posted here from Italy explaining that he dreamed of coming to American and fishing Okeechobee and Toho. This sparked my interest and I was curious as how much bass fishing goes on in Italy. I offered him a spot on my boat if he makes it over here and low and behold I found out he was serious. I have a good friend that retired and lives off Lake Toho in Kissimmee and I live off of Okeechobee so I told him where to travel to and where to stay and picked him up for 2 days on Toho, then I brought him to Okeechobee where he stayed at my place and we fished Okeechobee for 4 days. He spoke limited English and I less Italian, but we communicated fine. I learned more Italian and him English. His fishing skills and mechanics were very impressive and heres the results. While I couldnt find him his trophy he did lose a 5 to 6 on Toho and caught a few 5s on Okeechobee. And we caught tons of nice keeper fish in the 3 to 4lb range. Im the old fart, couldnt give him all the glory. Thanks BR!!!

Every Father's Day, I remember my dad who passed away 32 years ago, but introduced me to smallmouth fishing when I was only 10. My dad did not take many vacations when we were kids, but he did take a few days off in early summer to go fishing and a few days in the fall to duck hunt. Dad grew up in the Thousand Islands area of upstate New York and he never missed opening day of bass fishing which was always Father's Day weekend. In 1965, when I was 10, he took me with him for my first fishing trip. We drove all night from Northwest Indiana, through Canada and back into the US at Alexandria Bay NY. I remember the morning when we arrived just after daybreak. The skies were clear, and the sun was bright when I had my first boat ride from the dock in Chippewa Bay out to Oak Island where my Uncle Bill was the caretaker of an estate on the island. Right after we pulled up to the dock, uncle Bill gave me my first rod, a Zebco 202 and a short time later, I caught my first smallie. Dad wasn't a great fisherman, but he knew the spots around the islands where we could find em'. As I recall, about the only artificial lures we used were Abu Reflex spinners. Dad also had a fiberglass fly rod with an automatic fly reel he used to throw poppers with. The upper half of that rod weighed more than an entire graphite rod weighs today. He taught me to row the jon boat my uncle loaned us to keep him in position while he cast the popper along the rocky shorelines. On Sunday at lunch time, we pulled up onto a small island where dad would cook up a shore lunch of smallmouth fried in bacon grease, a can of beans and new potatoes. While he got the fire going, cleaned the fish and cooked, I cast that Abu from shore to add to our catch. I joined dad for several Father's Day opening days after that until my job kept me from getting the time off. Right around the time I was able to get vacation days, dad got sick and passed away. Those 4 or 5 days back in 1965 have had more influence on my life than any other in my 59 years. I fell in love with the water, the woods, road trips and smallmouth bass during that short trip. Today, I spend a lot of time working for the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance, my home is decorated with items that remind me of the St Lawrence River and the Northwoods, and I am always planning my next smallmouth fishing road trip. I will never as long as I live forget that trip. Thanks for the memories dad, I miss you.

1. Wear dark clothing. Nothing white. 2. Remember, if you can see them they can see you. 3. Walk about 50 feet form the bank when moving around. 4. Be stealth. Bass has some fantastic senses and I have read that the bass can actually "feel" you walking close to the bank. 5. Bring needle nose pliers with you for fast hook removal. 6. Always watch your line and keep a finger on your line at all times. 7. Learn the spots you are fishing. Are there stumps, rocks, gravel, etc.. on the bottom? 8. Fan cast. From left to right and then back from right to left at every place you stop go fish. 9. If you can throw to any wood in the water try to throw to the end and then bring bait back to you along the wood. 10. Throw at least 10 to 15 times at each target and from different angles. 11. Don't fall in the water. 12. Keep the place clean. No trash or line left behind. 13. Look for critters as you walk. You will be surprised at the number of other critters that will be watching you and surprises along a bank are not fun. 14. Flipping and Pitching on a spinning rig are your friends. Master these two techniques. 15. When you go to cast be cognizant of your surroundings. It is embarrassing to snag a tree branch or high grass behind or to the side of you when you cast, causing the backlash of the century. 16. Don't dilly dally with the fish. Take a photo and release them as fast as possible. 17. Bring an extra baitcaster and spinning reel ready to go jus tin case your first reel gets messed up. You can change reels fast. 18. Check your line for nicks, cuts, scrapes, etc. Cut out damaged line. 19. Just like in your boat, retie your hook knot after two or three fish. Now go out and start fishing!!!

There are obvious differences between magnetic and centrifugal braking. There are also some less obvious, it is important to understand how magnetic braking effects the spool of your reel during the cast compared to centrifugal braking. Centrifugal braking has the most effect on spool speed during the beginning of the cast. Centrifugal braking relies on the high RPM of the spool to force the brake tabs outward and against the brake hub. This provides for more control during the start of the cast. As the spool speed slows the tabs do not have as much centrifugal force to deploy and the braking is reduced. This is where your thumb helps to finish off a perfect cast. Magnetic braking is very different, it applies a constant steady force to the spool throughout the entire casting sequence. During the beginning of the cast when the spool speed is the highest, the magnetic brakes have their least effect on the cast. When the spool speed is high it can overcome the magnetic force that is being applied to the spool and cause some nasty problems at the beginning of the cast. When the speed of the spool begins to slow the magnetic braking has the most effect on the spool and provides a more controlled spool speed. Many anglers prefer centrifugal braking for casting distance where you are throwing baits that benefit from long distance casts, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and rattle traps come to mind. Spool speed is high and the centrifugal brakes help control the spool speed. Magnetic brakes work well with pitching and flipping, where spool speeds are not as high, and the magnetic force has good control over the spool. These speeds may be too low for the centrifugal brakes to have much effect. Obviously these braking systems will work for either type of casting, you only need to understand where you will need to use your thumb more to help control the cast. Centrifugal at the end of the cast and magnetic at the beginning of the cast. One thing that will aid in being successful at casting long distances without backlash using magnetic brakes is a smooth casting action, don't snap your wrist as hard during the beginning of the cast and generate that very fast spool speed, steady smooth cast will get you a very good distance with magnetic brakes without backlash. IMHO the best of both worlds is dual braking, you have some control over how much braking you would like at the beginning of the cast and also at the end. Hope this helps, good luck with your transition as you call it.

Stand on bank. Cast into water. If no bite, cast to your right. If still no bite, walk down the bank. Repeat process. If still no bite, rob a liquor store or sell a kidney to generate enough cash flow to fix troll motor. Always remember.....the BEST fishing spots will get you a trespassing ticket and a summons to appear if caught.

With hydrilla you have 3 options! Fish over it Fish edges Fish mat If you want to effectively fish the mat you'll have to dedicate plenty of time! Fishing hydrilla mats can be time consuming, it's not uncommon to spend 3-4 hours with out a bite & limit out in next hour. The other guys will give you plenty tips on tackle & techniques. It's Bubba Bass Fishing

Dude - that's a Carolina rig

If you looked at the website, you would have seen it's $11.95. The times I have had to send my glasses in, all I did was send the $11.95, and the postal fee. Couple of weeks later I have good as new glasses with $0 additional costs for repair. I have been very happy with Costa's service so far.

If you're going to use a snap, at least use a good snap. Those swivel snaps are junk and you don't need the swivel anyway. Get some decent duo-lock snaps and you will be good to go.

I've gone almost completely away from Zoom Trick Worms because the prices on the Tmacs are so much better and I like the flat nose for putting on a shakyhead a lot better. Hopefully their prices and baits don't change.

Cloudy-black sunny-black rainy-black windy-black dirty water-black clear water-black You get the idea I don't get to frog fish very often though so I might not know what I'm talking about.

Sometimes being bass-ackwards is beneficial

The OP was asking about true bass boats, not a comparison between aluminum and fiberglass bass boats. True bass boats are made from both. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the advantage that both have is the shallow draft, the casting deck, and to a lesser extent, the storage. Unless you are a tournament fisherman, or just enjoy bugs in your teeth, speed is of no importance. A true bass boat is any flotation device from which you catch bass. It is simply a platform that will enable you to get off the bank. It just depends on how much you want to spend for your platform.

I am opposite I use white in bright light and black when it is cloudy or dark.

I think we should do it that way also I still think I will lose but it is more fun

Huh? First off, adding weight means you're no longer throwing weightless lures. Weighted plastics catch fish, but they're no longer weightless. Secondly, why exactly do you think big fish are not caught on weightless plastics?

Sounds like tough conditions. Yeah you need to give the jig a good strong hookset.

Its good to ask questions like these, because there's always someone like me, lurking in the background and reading the responses...

I never understood if everyone is so worried about pitch count then why not train them to pitch more innings? Also anyone else find it interesting that the statistics show innings pitched but not pitches thrown when a guy like Halladay may throw 12 pitches in an inning as oppose to old school Jamie Moyer who lived off the foul ball would routinely throw 20 yet the "innings limit" could be reached by both with a drastically different number of pitches. It's all crap really and players need to play and I would not be upset one bit if they got rid of guaranteed contracts in baseball or any sport really like they do in football....what a novel concept you actually have to play and play well to keep your contract...

Taught myself how to be a fisherman. Now I teach my 7 year old daughter. She started when she was 4. Being a dad rocks! We are fishing tomorrow. :-)

Check out Sieberts Zenith and Extreme Shakey heads. Like everything else Mike sells, these are the highest quality from the hook to the finish.

Are you 100% sure on the weight? Did they use a certified Boga grip?

Powell 725. It doesn't meet your specs to the letter, but it is a beast of a rod ans can be had for 150. Love this rod for big topwaters, frogs, lunker plunkers, and jigs too. One of Powell's Strongest rods. One of my fav rods If not, go for the Dobyns Champ

Spro will be releasing a new rat swimbait.

Great story, great memories. I am fortunate enough to still be fishing with my Son. He just turned fifty last month. Just so happens we're going fishing tomorrow. Making memories. Hootie

Hey everyone, I live about an hour from Toronto and though bass are my passion, our season doesnt open until the end of June, so I always look forward to pike to fill the void from May-June. I've had a tough, but rewarding season so far, landing many fish over the 40 inch mark, including my new PB at 47 inches. Hot baits this year for me have been the Imperium Ace worked quickly through the shallow bays, a jerkbait in the deeper, more open water and a big swimbait on the deeper shorelines. Here's a bunch of my better fish so far this season. Enjoy.

Okay so its not a PIG but its a 100% keeper 2lbs The place I fish has been mowed in the last few weeks and all the cut grass had formed a nice mat on one wind blown corner. So I broke out my Duckett White Ice Byron Velvick 7'1 H/XF rod and went to punchin it with my 3/4 blue gill jig It was probably only the 2nd or 3rd punch when I hooked up! I just watched the flippin/pitchin jig video that BR posted to its facebook and was using that technique of flip settle pop pop and also some rise and fall action, it was the rise and fall that triggered it! BOOM! I knew I was hooked! I can def see why punchin is so addictive and affective!

First Modern Medicene really works. 1. My prostate cancer is in remission (radiation) 2. My sharp lightening pains going down my legs is under control. (Injections in my lower spine) My spinal stenosis is under control. 3. I have knots across my lower back with severe pain. I'm going through PT now. This cute little gal is putting me through the ropes with exercise. Overall my not giving up is paying off. After one day of exercise I can almost stand up now. I'm almost standing straight up. I'm making a comeback. With the right people showing me what to do I'm doing it. I was to the point I couldn't stand up or sit at the kitchen table. Last spring I weighed 390# by radiation time in July I weighed 345# after radiation I weighed 332#. Today I'm at 318#. I can do this. After having everything wrong with me losing more weight is easy. Here's how. Breakfast. One cup of coffee, one eggo waffle, fresh fruit. Lunch, One plain burger in the microwave. Fold it in half, cut the bun in half. One whole burger on a half bun. Tomato & lettuce. Bottled water. OR. Salami, pepperoni, half slice of cheese. One half slice of bread. A little mayo mixed with lots of mustard. Tomato and lettuce. OR Lettuce with a mix of red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano,basil, pepper, dash of salt, garlic. Salad. Supper, One country bbq rib. Rice, salad optional. I try to make my lunch bigger than my supper or supper smaller than my lunch. No snacks after supper. It becomes so easy to do. My goal is 300# by the fall and 250# by the bass spawn. By being more active I'll be bass fishing more. I'm getting closer to that new state record.

[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

Heritage has a nice paved sidewalk along the entire dam that you would be able to fish from. I pulled in a 3-4lb fish from the bank the one time I fished out there 4 or so years ago.

Brian is right, to get to the girls you're gonna have to go where they live. A 1-2 oz weight will get you there. If you dont have any that heavy, swing the rod high and crash through useing a higher arc. Also try useing a compact craw type plastic instead of brush hogs and big 10" worms. You want the bait to come through as unabated as it can. The appendage's of the brush hog and a 1/3 of that worm can get hung up and ruin your presentation. Mike Also, before you pull it out to make another pitch, bring it up to the underside of the mat and bang a few times then drop it again.

Ya I saw that video and tried it And it worked pretty well!

if it is thick then you are going to have to go at least 1.5oz in the mat and 3/4 or 1 oz in the holes.... some guys will go 2oz. I got friends that fish Guntersville and never go below 1.5oz...... punching aint my style, its boring to me.. my approach to most things is go as big a you can get away with THEN see if you HAVE to scale back.... check out some punch rigs from siebert outdoors..... Mike can probably make you some as big as you need. Check him out.

Cottonwood. The only way to avoid it is not to fish. The timing of the air blown fluffs is always during the smallmouth spawn on Lake Erie and the fishing for smallies suck. Just my observation.

I can't give any frogging tips because I'm not very good at it myself but if you really wanna get the big girls out try punching through the hydrilla with big 12" worms, Just make sure you are using some tough worms or they won't last long.

My thoughts exactly. Why else would finesse tactics be so popular today; and seem to be gaining popularity more each day.

I do, I have two of this exact model. I use one for Frog's and the other for Jig's. I also own 12 other Duckett White Ice. I have a 7'8" XX-Heavy I use for punching but back to the 7'3" Heavy. It is one of the best rod's I've ever used.The tip of this rod is extremely sensitive and it will load up perfect for throwing or pitching your bait and has the strength to pull the bass out of thick cover. I simply can not say enough good things about this rod. Great balance, light weight and strong, it is a very sensitive rod and you are able to feel even the lightest of bite's. I have some pictures of it in my photos and I can take any pictures or answer any questions you may have about this rod.

My paternal father taught me to fish and my step father taught me how to hunt. I feel very blessed. I will never forget the great times in the field and streams with either of them. Happy father's day bass resource.

Went out on honeoye today 7-5 caught over thirty fish on white spinnerbaits, spooks, and fishing holes in the weeds. Biggest was 3lbs, tons of 1-2 lbsers. Noticed the bigger end held the outside wrecking at about 9-12 feet deep, even caught a walleye on a senko

Pics or it didn't happen!!

I don't know what BASS, FLW, or anyone else does, but in the local tournaments I run, or someone else runs that I fish in, a dead fish becomes property of the angler who caught it. He may do with it what he wishes...... EXCEPT.... toss it back in the lake, or dispose of it at the tournament site. I have weighed a few dead ones in over the years, I have a buddy who takes mine to bait traps with.

The right rod with just about any reel is better than a screaming reel and the wrong rod, for chucking cranks.

Don't lip him either..

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 must not be a serious fishermen then, I don't carry a scale for any kind of fishing. I do fish everyday, make my own lures for some of my target species, fish inshore salt and offshore ocean, then do bass fishing in the afternoons. Am I curious sometimes, you bet and if a scale happens to be around I may have a fish weighed, it sure won't be a 25" fish. I've posted my fair share of pictures, in reality it's a small fraction of what I catch. Many of my fish are caught early morning with no one around to snap a photo, in the case of a 40" tarpon for example it's illegal to take them out of the water even for a photo op. Just because I don't carry a scale, tripod for a camera, log every 15" fish I catch doesn't diminish my seriousness in catching fish. It's a matter of personal priorities not level of seriousness, I don't care if a fish weighed 9.9 or 10.001, it's just a number. Milestones and PB mean very little to me, all that matters to me is the thrill at that moment, and I'm serious about that.

Couldn't agree more I went from a 16ft multi species aluminum to a 18ft glass boat and there couldn't be more of a difference. I drag a lot of tubes and with the aluminum I was getting blown all over the place. The glass boat sticks a lot better and drifts parallel with the wind.

I use spinnerbaits during the summer at night with a big thumper blade. My lakes get a lot of fishing and pleasure boaters and almost everyone is throwing spinnerbaits or cranks. I try to fish mostly at night during the summer but if i do throw one during the day ive caught some really good stringers fishing 1 ounce plus spinnerbaits on deep structure where everyone else throws cranks or carolina rigs

Because they look cool.

No one on here will be able to say with certainty... I wouldn't lose faith on the place though! We all know the difference in fishing and catching, one of the differences is that catching requires some homework to be done on and off the water.