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Finally got my mount of my PB 10lb14oz bass caught at Lake Baccarac in Mexico. It is truly a work of art. Jeff

My job is to design and make swimbaits. My job is to help people catch big bass. I do that wether they are using swimbaits or not. My job may also be to sell swimbaits but I am not a salesman. I do not go to any trade shows,.I have no decals on my boat or truck. I do not call or visit stores for orders. They call me and I fill orders. I am almost never able to accumulate stock as I sell what I make as its made. I also do not need to convince anybody that swimbaits are #1. the results speak for them selves. All you have to do is look at all the pictures and videos from the last 8 years and you will see that swimbaits have produced more huge bass then any other bait. And consider that only a small percentage of guys are using them. I am on these boards because I like contributing and helping guys catch big bass. I rarely if ever even mention my baits on here and I often recommend other brands and other baits.

It looks awesome Jeff. I can't wait to get mine back now! You should have put a tilapia in front of it though LOL!

Haven't posted on here in a while. Here are some fish from the summer, enjoy.

So I stopped at a Walmart I never go to because I had to grab a couple quick things. Any ways I decided to check out what they had in the fishing section. Of course that was going to happen. Well I found one of those Falcon Bucco casting rods they carry and most of them said something like $129 but marked down to $99. Any ways I found one that was marked down to like $20 and after I rang it up it came to $21. It was a 6'6" MH 1/4-3/4 oz I think. I mean for $21 I had to buy it.

Good list , you can add aurora gold too.

1001. I picked up a curado 51e recently and now I'm obsessed.

Best prices and fast shipping. That place has made me poor....

I would argue that if its not yours and you don't know it's public, you should assume it's private. Don't see what's screwed up about that at all.

I've weaned myself off of flipping fish into the boat - it's not good for them and (for myself) it doesn't show the fish the respect they deserve.

Catt I don't think that selling swimbaits is Matt's primary concern in this thread. He has dedicated himself to catching big bass and has come to the conclusion that swimbaits increase the odds. Sure he is going to advocate for their use. Big O has come to believe, as you do, that the right plastic in the right presentation can be just as effective. Is selling Rage products his primary motivation? I don't think so, but one could cynically draw that conclusion. I have said for a while now that I target bigger fish. My average size caught supports this claim. Could I improve my percentages by throwing quality swimbaits? I don't know because I haven't made the commitment to do so. I think Matt and others make a compelling case that I could. Catt could I improve my percentages by spending more time with a jig learning to better understand structure? Based on my history I know the answer to that is yes. I think this is a fascinating and informative discussion with some really good big bass guys offering their honest views. Success, confidence and ego are all part of the ingredients here. Good job guys! Thanks for the thread Matt.

If you can´t fish without your favorite lure ----> learn to play golf.

I've been out three times this week and each time Mother Nature and the weather forecast have really tested my good natured approach to fishing. So it was no surprise when I awoke before sun up to fid a clear, star studded sky rather than the cloudy one forecast. It was also no surprise when my preconceived patterns (always a big mistake, but I do it anyway) only produced a few dinks by noon. Over a cup of cold coffee the sledge hammer finally cracked my hard head and I tied on a half ounce jig and RageTail Craw and started flipping and pitching to whatever cover I could find in the shoreline shade. There wasn't much of either, but I boated six beautiful largemouth in the next 90min. I think God is trying to tell me something.........hope he has a really big sledgehammer, 'cause I'm clueless.

Thanks for the advice everyone, got a few new approaches. I put down my carolina rig that was producing a little when they started coming up. I tend to outthink myself sometimes.

Hey guys so I caught my personal best yesterday! I have only been fishing for about two years now, and a lot of what I have learned came from this forum and all yall on here, so I wanted to post and say thank you! Until this year I had never had any luck with texas rigging so I have been spending a lot of time each outing trying to get better with it. It has for sure led to some larger catches for me over the past few months. Anyways my dad and I were fishing a laydown that we hit almost every trip out. We had been on it for a pretty good while when I pitched a 7in powerworm into the middle of the tree. I felt the tap and started to get my slack up when I see my line swimming back into the laydown. After setting the hook he tried to wrap me up on a number of different limbs, but finally I was able to work him out of the tree. My dad netted him for me and we threw him on the scale. He came out to 6lb 6oz. Haha he bent out my hook some and I couldnt tie another hook on for a few minutes because my hands were shaking so badly! Anyways thanks again for all the advice and all of the help you guys offer on this forum!

Rage Toad and Cavitron. Retrieve both fast enough to keep them on top.

Actually how do it go? Big fish?

Good time tonight guys! Congrats to Chris and partner (sorry, terrible with names).

Gabriel I do agree with one thing in your post: "This is terrible advise." You may be be joking or just trolling, either way this attitude and behavior costs honest fishermen. After being asked for forgiveness a time or two land owners often have little trust of sportsmen in general. It is easier to just say no. Some folks feel very strongly about their "sweet honey holes" and the law might be the least of your worries. FWIW I don't find find any part of your post funny.

Yes. You will probably use a weight from 3/8 to 3/4 to get your perch rig down. You will probably be in 45-60 fow.

It is a good rod for that but i actually preferred their 6'6" version for jigs and mainly t-rigs. The 7' does make a nice frog and paddle tail swim bait rod though.

From the OP. How many of you realize that 'Barney' (according to the OP) is everywhere in this thread? Or that you might be the 'Barney' he's talking about. His entire point is that on a public, online forum you will get responses from people who mean well...But likely don't have anywhere near the experience they might convey or think they have. To me, that's just obvious and just the nature of on online forum. It started off with the bit about 'Location' since that's the specific thing that tripped him up on the topic. At least that's my take....The whole thing is pretty silly now. You've got guys agreeing and disagreeing, both saying "In my experience blah blah..." and it begs the question; Just what is your experience?

I think the guy in the back has the advantage. He doesn't have the boat payment, he doesn't have to worry about the repairs or maintenance, parking pass, cleaning the boat/ tow vehicle...

Grass/Weeds can make some crazy. It did with me until I read to use a heavier weight. Now I look forward to fishing these spots where I used to hate. 3/4 tungsten flipping weight and some bobber stoppers with any softbodied creatrure you prefer. Punching through the grass can be very productive. May give that presentation a try.

All the above comments are dead on. Quality bearings supporting the spool are obviously important, as is a good AR roller clutch bearing. Additional bearings can be prioritized: The only way to be sure where bearings are is to look at a schematic in these spots, crank shaft base Pinion gear support (frame mounted) Crank shaft support (side plate) pinion gear support (side plate, ala Daiwa & Shimano new Xwrap) level wind worm gear ends handle grips

My opening sentence was to bring attention to the other variables. In a bunch of other threads guys would ask questions about which baits to use and a couple guys would simply post "location" as their answer. Many times their post was condescending with no explaination. Just "location". Basicaly telling the OP that their question was irrelevant and they shouldnt even ask about baits because location is all that matters. But if you read my whole post you would see that I say location is obviously important. It is only over rated when guys use it as the only important variable.

Ran across this site while looking for a discontinued color jerkbait. Turns out they had 18 of them in stock & A-Jay and I got all of them. Might be worth checking out if you can't find what you're looking for. http://www.vimageoutdoors.com/servlet/StoreFront

You can have a 10 bearing reel and 4 of them are in the handle knobs. 2 of them in the level wind and that leaves 4 in the actual reel. Yes, bearings in the knobs are a nice feature but not necessary. Same with the level wind. I don't notice any of my reels being much smoother that I've done this too. ^^^ he's faster at typing than me.

Here yar! Meisselbach Takapart No. 480,....early 1900's Ambassadeur 5000c.... 1970 2 Ambassadeur 5000's..1 5000c.... 1969 & 1970 Pflueger Summit 1993L

^^^ I bought a bunch on clearance at Walmart. Replaced a lot of baits with them. Those things don't come out.

I ordered the 6'6" medium action, and the 7'3" medium heavy. They arrived yesterday. I got to throw them for about 15 minutes. They are miles ahead of the trash I was using. I cant wait to catch a fish on one. I will report back when that happens.

The key up there is to communicate. Say hello, ask how the guys are doing, and if they don't mind you slipping into a gap. Shoulder to shoulder is probably an exaggeration, though the well known holes get crowded, even during the later brown run. Watch how the guys around you are drifting, and follow the cadence. For the most part, there's fish for everyone, and when you hook up, everyone gets excited. Just don't be the guy with the UL and 4# line chasing a fish up and down the river to keep it from spooling you, lol. Everyone hates that guy. Have fun man, it's a blast.

veritas I love these rods.

My wife has as many fishing rods as I do, and just as much tackle. She rigs what she wants, lands her own fish, and can drive the boat. Suffice to say, I don't mess with her gear. Otherwise I'll "disorganize" it. LOL!

You lucky devil, I was married 5 years when you were born. You bet I'm jealous Roger

I own many and use to fish them a lot, but got tired of retrieving the bill without the bait. DT's are to fragile for my fishing.

Top water frogs. She loves to watch the blow ups.

ALWAYS get permission to fish on private property.

If there isn't a sign posted, I'm fishing it

I like to target big smallies with jerkbaits. They will hit a pointer 128 which weighs an ounce and measures 5.5" long. If you want to try soft swimbaits 4-5" baits will work. This link will help you with jerkbaits. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/108594-jerkbait-help-advice/

Navionics has a product called Mobile App for smartphones and tablets. The coverage probably will not be available for small ponds though. You can view the maps on their web site to see if your waters of interest are included. It is their Web App.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I am seriously interested in knowing if English is your first language? Your post read almost like someone typed something in their native language and let Google translate it. No offense meant, just interested. I do own a few antique/vintage reels, I will see if I can dig up some pictures.

I have Megabass F6-72X4, and you can use it for jerkbait, crankbait, topwater, jigs, flipping and pitching, big worms, and swimbaits between the range of 3/8th to 3 and 1/4th of oz. If you are considering getting two 200 dollar rods, I would just get the X4.

This is the one I got from Cabelas. It usually goes on sale for $39. It's usually $54. I love it. Won't have a boat without this seat. I like it because I can sit on it no matter which way it is facing and it's comfortable being sat on any way. That would be a problem if you had one of the ones that had a V-shape to it.

I purchased my first one four years ago. Loved it, upgraded it two years ago and just this past weekend purchased another one for the rear deck. I personally can not or will not bass fish with out it, I can not sit down fishing unless we are out for crappie or perch.

I have g. Loomis mbr783 glx. It is the most versatile rod I have ever used. It can handle just about anything. It is a 6'6" mh fast rod. This is the rod that started me down a road of no return when it comes to higher end rods.

I feel the same way, if you enter their food chain you take your chances. They shoot Moutain Lions in CA because they attack people in "Wilderness areas" riding game trails......hmmm, was it the lion's fault you entered his frigde...nope he didn't come to your house and attack you. If that was the case then yes. But if they are in their envoirment we should be the ones that respect them and read signs that should be posted...."Now entering a wilderness area, you are now part of the food chain. Please pay attention or you may become part of it. And enjoy your stay and pick up any trash you leave. Thank you"

First thing you need to figure out is your FF. I'm assuming you have a decent quality graph and that it is set-up correctly. If not, then that is step one. This time of the year, the only thing you must figure out is where the bait fish are. Targeting large schools of bait - on your graph - will get you a lot closer to the smallmouths in your ecosystem. They will be deep (usually 15' - 40' depending on the body of water). They will be relating to structures such as humps, points, drop offs and/or deep water channels. They will be following the bait fish. Don't go looking for bass. Look for bait. You'll find the bass. Then the ball is in your court.

HILLARIOUS!!!! Hootie

I would like to discuss sliding compound miter saws....lol. Hootie