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I fish nothing but braid and spinning with any lure of my choosing for anything that has fins. Finesse and power are cockandbull terms, put a lure on and work it the way it should be worked, nothing more to it.

I'm in the use what gets in front of the fish's face school.

Original rapala floating in either gold or silver.

So, being just a regular pondhopper, around Memphis, TN, I've never fished a tournament till yesterday. Before hand, I had some help from Kent(Roadwarrior) with about what to fish and some gear he let me use. I fished with a club called West Tennessee Elite (wtebc.com). I fished co-angler with an experienced fisherman that knew what was happening and he put us in the right place. It was an evening tournament so we fished 4 pm - 10pm. So, for about 5 of those 6 hours we fished a lillypad/weed line with chatterbaits. We ended up both catching 4! Both throwing a Z-Man Chatterbait in a few different colors. My biggest fish ended up weighing 4lbs 7oz and his biggest was 4lbs 15oz. He ended up winning 2nd in boaters and I won 1st in co-anglers. Well my bag was the biggest of the day out of everybody weighing 13lbs 10oz and the guy who won boaters was 11lbs 10oz. None of them actually really got on em or they we're having a bad day I'm assuming. But, all in all great experience and big thanks too Kent.

The best time to learn a new presentation is when the bite is good. Tom

I would have cranked it quickly a few times and killed it again, sounds like the movement caught it's attention in the first place then it lost interest when the bait stopped moving. A fluke or a senko would have been a good follow up bait in that situation.

Why limit yourself? If you have never fished an organized bass tournament, you should. Nothing teaches you faster than being humbled by not being competitive with presentations that are catching bass when you are not. I consider myself a decent bass jig angler and rarely flip or pitch a jig because where I fish in deep structured clear water lakes with little cover, flipping or pitching isn't productive. Making long casts with jigs, worms, crankbaits, swimbaits to deep isolated structure areas is productive. If the bass don't respond to the lures I prefer to use, then finesse presentations often save the day. My goal is catching the biggest bass in the lake, if that isn't working then I use whatever presentation will work to catch a few bass; drop shot, slip shot, structure spoons, top water, whatever it takes. Tom

if it has 4 strings, it's a bass

Chasing snakeheads, hooked up with one and lost em on the jump...

No need to get all bent out of shape over somebody else's opinion but your own. Calling somebody names because you don't agree with their POV doesn't do anyone any good, nor does it compel them to rethink their opinions. Just be happy the whole world doesn't see it like you do, and drive up demand, availability, and price on your favorite gear.

I'd say Senkos (or knockoffs) in 3", 4", 5" sizes.

I own a few smokes both 100's & 150's I have never had any of the problems people talk about and I rarely clean or oil/grease them. Some people must just get lemons. I use mine everyday pretty much too.

I have extra of everything hanging on my pegboards at home. While it would suck big time, I have back ups that would prevent me from having to go buy all new stuff

I think every experienced angler has strengths and weaknesses and prefers to fish his or her strengths. It's more fun and in the long run will be the best producers of fish. There are times, however, when they just don't produce. If you're okay with going fishless on occasion, you can stay in this school. I prefer to exhaust all possibilities on every outing and will go to finess presentation if it means putting fish in the boat and believe me when I tell you I suck at drop shotting and dead sticking.

Just showed my kids. The 6 year old was not smiling at the suggestion we do this with her next tooth.

I caught mine with a net. It was belly up and I just scooped him up. I think he would have givin me a pretty good fight if he would have been a live.

Next time I go fish and hook one I'm gonna say oooo this is a big ole sunfish, then when I get back to the ramp I'm gonna tell storys of the 5lb sunfish I caught and released haha

Are you really good at flipping, pitching and cranking, AND at locating fish that can be caught using those techniques? If so you are a very versatile fisherman IMO. Is there value in being competent using finesse techniques? Sure, but most of us have techniques that we only go to when the fish insist that we do. Go with your strengths!

Since I don't fish for a living or in tournaments, I fish what is fun for me.

As a multi-species angler, when utilizing many of the different techniques, fishing assorted habitats and angling locations, ones "strength" spectrum can't help but widen; there's a ton of cross over. There are techniques I enjoy more than others , but I'll pretty much do what ever I need to, to put fish in the net. Also fishing from a smaller vessel limits what one can bring each trip so I have to narrow down which presentations I believe (hope) will be productive. I've been wrong almost as many times as I've been right on what to bring; especially if I haven't been out in a week or so. The "just in case rods, reels & tackle box" seems to get bigger every season. Don't know if it's because I'm comfortably fishing several different techniques or if I'm just clueless . . . . .maybe both. A-Jay

I've been thinking the same way lately. Sometimes I don't know if Im trying to be versatile or just junk fishing. And with that I've just stuck with my strengths basically grind ing it out. It may not be the most suitable tactic but if I'm just fun fishing I will try new techniques and baits so I can learn but if I'm fishing a tournament I just can't convince myself to try something new. But at the same time I've been getting better at the things I love to do like frog fishing, flippin. So for me Im just trying to fish my strengths and improving on them. Lots of people have told me fish what you know now because the better you get you will recognize when to use it or not and will be easier to try something else. I've found it difficult going to some lakes and fishing what the locals say or what everyone else does so I try to fish what I feel would be best and at times it has paid off. So I guess for now or this year I have just been improving on my strengths, because I didn't feel they were good enough in the first place.

Without question a top choice for each of us at Strike King and RT is the Rage Menace. One of it's primary use criteria during the design phase was flipping and punching behind the SK Slither rig (skirted tungsten). Each of these two items were released at the same time ICAST 2012. The BUG is gaining a lot of steam as we speak.

Ok so when I reported this it was when I went from 17# FC to 50# braid. I think it's because I use lefty reels in right hand and at some point pulling the line it's either bumping the drag star or handle and forcing it up and over the t wing. It's not a every single pull of the line. It all depends on my wrist position and if I'm holding the rod high or low or out in front of me. So just a FYI of what I'm experiencing not bad mouthing the reel at all. I flipped today for about 5 hours straight with a handful of pitches every few dozen flips. The line does fall back in place no prob but when pulling line the line the feel of a snag is like a "wait what the" moment. Kind like feels like a guide is wrapped for a split second...

I remember the old days when you could buy a Curado for 120.00 dollars that would last you a lifetime. Shimano seems to have said goodbye to the average joe who could swing 120.00 but not today's price...Old school basser...

Smaller diameter line makes a bigger difference... oe

Those Stratos/Javelin Fish/Ski's ride really well. We've got a '93 Stratos 280SF with a 175 Evinrude Intruder and it can really move, also handles rough water very well. Looks like yours is a little longer than ours though. Really clean looking boat!!

I have to agree with you. The D's were great reels and built like tanks The Curado's retailed at $199, the highest of any Curado. Some people thought the 200's were too heavy but they were great reels. The G series is the only one I know of to really take a beating from the public and that wasn't really because of how the reel performed.

Get you a lock n haul. It will stabilize the motor without touching the trailer. I have been using one for several years.

Rapala DT10 demon color. Got all of the DTs in that color now. Got turned onto it after the bass master classic.

Didn't take long to answer that burning question. Next question please.

Is this a riddle? Lol

I've always done well with braid & copoly leaders. For the clear water quarries I fish the green mist fluorclear has always worked really well for me and its a lot cheaper then a quality flouro....

I've done my own testing with it and I don't need it, for anything at any time!

Uh...Have you seen the Curado I lately? I don't own one my self, but extremely positive feedback from many websites and communities. Chronach Ci4+ is also regarded as top quality for under 300 dollar range. If you want something under 300 dollars from Shimano, I would check those out.

Don't think I've ever wondered what makes a bass a bass, but have wondered what do I need to use to make these d@#m fish bite.

Sea beast. LOL What kind of swimbait were you using ? It sucks losing big fish. I feel you pain. Its happened to all of us.

Not on BP web site, but they were in my local store. If you need to order, go here: http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Rage-Tail-Structure-Bug-104.htm

Ok, so I spent about 12 hours and a decent chunk of money outfitting my Native Ultimate 12. When I bought it off CL, all it had was a seat and a paddle. After several trips to Jersey Paddler & Dicks, I brought it into my workshop and got down to business. First I installed the Anchor trolley. I bought the Hobie Pro Angler trolley because I liked the shock cord and 2 rings. Next was the ZigZag cleat, paddle clips on the side, and bungee kits in front and back. After that I installed two Scottie Ram Mounts & bought Scottie rod holders for them. I used a milkcrate with 3 rod holders attached for the back space. Inside the milkcrate, I keep a mesh bag with two 5lb anchors, two 30' lengths of paracord, and 50' of reflective cord for night fishing. I also keep whatever plano boxes I need inside the milkcrate. In the front of the Kayak I keep a soft cooler bag with soft plastics & at my feet I keep a sling pack with my "go to" lures, weights, hooks, leader line, swivels, etc. Behind the seat I keep a 2L camel pack. All that's left to install is a fish finder.

If it's not too heavy then it's never too much. I'm a bank guy that's the motto I fish by

Works on a siebert jig too, right Mike.

Someone caught 6 bass near the pads that night on another local pond

Hey the drought is over!!! Caught me a 2 pounder on a blue jig with a green craw trailer Was at 3 Oaks in Crystal Lake Felt great to finally catch one

I have a cheap Humminbird 561, and if I turn the sensitivity up to about 90% I can see the thermocline. Right now it's at about 25 feet where I fish. You won't find bass deeper than that, but you'll find a lot of bass right at or above it. If you find structure on a point at that depth, you'll have a good chance finding fish, but If you don't get bit after ten minutes, move around on the point and look for anything different on your depthfinder, a treetop, a ledge, a pile of rocks, anything and try again. Keep moving 'til you find the bass. I use the gps anchor on my trolling motor to hold my position. If I was in a kayak I would invest in marker buoys. I know a lot of fishermen don't like the Fish ID on their depthfinder, I'm not one of them. I not only turn on the Fish ID, I turn on the fish alarm as well. It's nice to hear that beep-beep when you're line watching, then you can glance at the depthfinder, see how deep the fish are marking and determine for yourself if they're bass or not. A final thought, don't be afraid to change tactics. Just because you think the bass should be deep on points, doesn't mean they always will be. If you ain't catching, try something different.

Yea mine is pretty light I just carry what I need and leave the rest in my trunk of my car, I have a mini tackle shop back there lol. I love this backpack though only wish it had a water bottle holder like my old academy tackle backpack had, but I just stick the water bottle on the cooler spot and it does it's job.

Welcome aboard, James!

Yes. If you want to hit it up some weekend, let me know.

I'm a fan of the Gamakatsu INLINE Circle hooks, size 1/0. I've caught everything on them. They work. However, if you are fishing in weeds, your best bet is to probably rig Texas style vs. wacky. It'll take just as many.

All caught on this Quantum KVD Reel. Seems to work OK for me. A-Jay