Leaderboard

Its Called a woodchopper

If this situation is truly affecting your quality of life - my advice is to seek professional help right away. On the other hand, if you're simply just a little shy and wished you had a more confidence in yourself especially around women, you're probably not alone. To remedy that last paragraph, try this. Grit your teeth, curl your little toes up in your shoes & Man up for crying out loud. Life will bring you a whole lot more in the way of challenges than saying "Hi" to a college girl. Get a hold of your self Bud. A-Jay

Spooks are designed to "walk the dog". Use sharp, downward twitches of your rod to make the bait glide side to side on the retrieve. It takes a little practice but the original spook is probably the easiest bait there is to walk. You can mess with speed of the twitch and length of the glide, pause versus no pause also. They're a great bait for covering lots of water quickly and seem to excel in stained to clear water.

Last November while fishing south of the border with a couple of good friends, I had 3 days of bass fishing that until that week I could only dream of. The back of most ever cove we fished was completely loaded up with bait. The big bass were there too and they were on the feed. Lipless rattle baits worked under the shad were getting destroyed. I caught more 7 pound plus bass during these 3 days, than I had my entire life combined. The capper came on the next to last afternoon, right at sunset. Working a "nothing looking" steep bank with a little brush, I got a huge strike. The kind that makes your heart race, your palms sweat and you get a little weak in the knees. The fish fought hard and after what always seems like a circus act, the huge bass was in the net. As the net came over the side and was placed on the deck, the bait just fell out of it's face. I got goose bumps just typing that. The big girl went 11-11. Beat my PB by a full pound. With my heart still pounding out of my chest and after the picture session that followed, she was released. And just to give you an idea what I mean when I say I had a couple of very special days, I hooked, fought & landed a 9 1/2 pound bass On The Very Next Cast ~ ! Good Times. A-Jay

I wouldn't consider a Crucial cheap, I think they are great rods! I was talking about rods in the <$100 range.

I used to fish a pond identical to what ur describing. used to drive me crazy. Like Oregon and Sam mentioned the fish are spooking b/c ur lure is casting a bald eagle like shadow. And these bass are most likely in very shallow water compared to the rest of the pond (the 'coves' are more shallow and harder to fish). Even the shadow of a weightless finesse worm would spook my fish. The best lure I found was a Mepps spinner or rooster tail but I had to up size the treble hook b/c the bass in the pond were chunkers. The shiny blade not only didn't bother them but some days they seemed mesmerized by it. The bass weren't near as skittish in the deep sections so def try to find the deepest water possible. I could easily cast senkos, jigs, frogs, swimbaits etc in the deep water. I'd also use the lily pads to my advantage (to hide behind, casting to their shady sides, cast 10" worms at points, land lures on top of...wait 1 min and slowly drag off into water). I'd also use Sam's suggestion of letting a lure settle before retrieving. I'd cast a 10" worm, spook the fish off but wait a few mins for them to return. The ones that fled to deep water will work their way shallow again. And the ones that bolted left or right will slowly fill the gap again. Use an ultra slow, bottom contact drag retrieve and they will quickly take interest. Standing 10 ft back from shore works at all my lakes but not this pond. The pond was part of a private nature preserve so the shore line was crowded with some of the most brilliant colored sunfish I've ever seen. Casting within the first 10 ft of shore only landed you bluegills. I'd use spinning gear and accept break offs in the shallow areas. Or use a casting rod and patiently wait for spooked fish to return to a weightless worm.

Use mono when fishing a Spook as you will need the extra stretch when setting the hook and let the soft rod tip help fight the fish. No slack in the line after you hook the bass. Remember your physics as a Spook and a Sammy can be thrown by a bass if you give them any slack and they can throw the bait while thrashing around and moving their head back and forth. ALWAS HAVE NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS WITH YOU TO REMOVE TREBLE HOOKS SAFELY. How about introducing yourself in the Introductions Section so you can tell us about your fishing experiences, your sports, how you like to fish, etc.

The super spook and super spook jr. don't need a loop knot as they are equipped with a split ring which allows the lure a free range of motion. The super spook isn't the original but it is an upgraded version and walks fine, as already mentioned it take practice to get the cadence down but once you do it becomes second nature. Remember to have a little slack in your line while twitching, it is called "controlled slack" because you reel as you twitch not to eliminate the slack but to keep the same amount. It sounds hard than it actually is but you'll notice that when you leave a little slack the lure will glide to the side easily, if you twitch on a tight line all you will do is pull the lure forward. Take your time and go slow and you'll get it and you may also get a big fish as they will often come up on a spook that is worked slow.

I have used every kind of rod, from $29. Ugly Stiks, $35. BPS graphite series, to now G loomis rods. I am now an avid Loomis fan. Ironically, the only rod I have ever broken was a loomis imx. ANY rod can break and ANYONE can have it happen. Hootie

I have muskie rods but it really isn't big enough to warrant using one. I do have a St. Croix Classic Cat composite glass rod that I seriously considered fishing it on, but it's a very heavy rod to use very long. I fished the 8.0 for a little while today. I was on a local lake with very few big fish so wasn't expecting any bites and they didn't let me down. Bait cast very easy and cranks easier than I was thinking it might. Bounces through rocks and cover just like it's smaller relatives and it does have a little slower roll than the smaller baits, which is to be expected. It looks good in the water and it really wasn't much larger than the shad I was finding schooled up either. Excited to give it a true test on a big bass lake later this month.

chuckled on that one. But Skeet uses them so they have to be good rods right??

I have always caught more fish when I was on the water. They were all caught at various depths, and with various lures, depending upon the conditions at that time

I have been catching smallmouth in the Deleware at the Yardley ramp on swimbaits. I have a 12 foot Jon with a 3 hp I run there. It's a nice change of pace.

Need a place to rest my beer

It's all part of the sport. You're doing what you can to avoid it but it's gonna happen now and then.

not smart enough to read his post. he de-barbs all his hooks. he was asking beyond that, what measures can be taken to promote the health of the fish.

Plano 3700 spinnerbait box.

I just want to know what kind of guide doesn't take payment before the trip starts? All that should have been worked out before leaving the ramp. If you don't want him fishing then express that before you get on the water. If he doesn't fish and you can't catch them.....don't blame the man either because you told him not to fish....YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Then bad mouth him because you couldn't catch anything. I would have gratefully returned to the ramp as requested, dropped him off, put my boat on the trailer, wished him a safe drive home, but sorry, if there had been a contract and you are going to be bitter like that, you're not getting anything back because you are bitter and just wasted a day of my time. I want the guide to fish, I want to see what he is doing on his waters, he is out there everyday making a living, who better to see what's working then the guy that "fishes" for a living. I fished, but then I also handed most of my fish off to customers once they were hooked if conditions were tough, or just to prove a point if they weren't listening to my professional advice on how to get bit...can't catch them unless you get a bite....so to blow up right off the bat like your friend did, honestly I would have taken him back myself and given him his money before hand and since I was already there......gone fishing.

I hate it when people act like idiots in front of kids...

First let me say that location, location, location, is so over used and over rated especially on this site. That's right I said it and I'll own it. I have seen many post where a guy asks for lure suggestions and at least one person chimes in with location. He didn't ask you about that did he? No and that simple answer does not help him in any way. Big bass do not live in some magical mysterious secret hole where all you have to do is find them and they will instantly turn stupid and eat what ever you throw at them. Anybody who has ever bass fished know this is absurd. Right place at the right time only gives you an opportunity. Its only a fraction of the varialbles. The entire process is extremely important. This includes, your approach, your presentation and hugely important, your lure or bait. You have to do a bunch of other things right weather you realize it or not. Catching big bass consistently is different then catching one ocasionaly. Targeting big bass is different then catching a bunch of small ones with a good one ever once in a while. Catching big bass consistently is about percentages and odds. You want to do everything you can to stack the odds. First, yes location. obviously and I emphasize OBVIOUSLY if your looking to catch the biggest bass you can, then your odds go up when you choose to fish lakes that hold more big bass. Learn the habits of big bass in your lakes and they will be easy to find. Does this mean they will also be easy to catch? Of course not! I live in possibly the most pressured fishing area in the US. I have no problem finding big bass. That's easy. Now catching them is adifferent story. Learn to stack the odds in your favor. Learn to recognize the percentages. Example. Barney catches 100 bass on Senkos. 95 are under 2lbs. 4 are between 2 and 4 lbs and 1 is an 6lber his new personal best. Now somebody posts a question asking about big baits for big bass. Well guess what Barney says? "Big baits don't wprk any better because I caught my PB on a Senko so I recommend that for big bass" WHAT?????? did he somehow forget about the 99 other bass that were not big? That senko produced 1 out of a 100. 1 percent and now he thinks that's a great big bass bait. That is absurd!!!. When I am targeting big bass I would estimate that 40% of my bites are big. You know why? because I am throwing baits with high percentages of catching big bass. Do big baits catch bigger bass?..... YES! period! They up your odds. Anybody who tells you differently does not have enough experience or they are unable to process all the info they have taken in. In other words they are "Barney" who caught the one big fish and forgot about the 99 small ones. It means nothing that a tiny percentage of big bass are caught on small fish baits. There are allways exceptions especially when they are millions of guys fishing for small bass. If you catch enough small bass, chances are you will luck into a bigger one. This is not targeting big bass. This is not upping your odds. Most guys who have caught big bass have caught them just like Barney. They look back over decades of fishing and remember the handful of big bass they have caught and then they recycle the same old bad advise on how to catch them. If you catch a small percentage of big bass then you are not doing it right. You also should not be telling others how to catch them. Its the blind leading the blind. Example. Think of the guys that consistently catch big bass. Butch Brown, Matt Allen, Oliver Ngy, Matt Peters. You can see these guys videos all over youtube. They aren't using small bass baits. They are using baits with a high percentage for catching big bass. Do you think they catch 1 big bass out of 100 dinks? You bet they don't!!! I am sure they catch a very high percentage of big bass. They do a whole lot more then just "location" and they use big baits. There small bass are Barneys good bass. My whole point to this post is help guys sift through the bad info posted on forums about how to catch big bass. If the answer is coming from a Barney then pay no attention. If the answer is simply "location" then that is so obvious it isn't helpful either. Now let me say of course location is important. There has to be big bass there to catch them ( thanks captain obvious) Figure out where they like to live in your bodies of water. You want to find them? Throw a big swimbait all day and they will reveal themselves to you. You might catch some or you just might get some followers. Pay attention to where they came from and what type of structure, cover, depth etc and find similar conditions and there is a high percentage that similar spots will also hold big bass. Trust me. it is a whole lot easier to find a big bass then it is to catch them. This is why I made this post when guys start posting the location response it takes away from all the other important factors. Don't believe me? again pay attention to what consistant big bass guys are using and how they approach a spot. Remember if a guy has caught thousands of small bass with a handful of big ones. He is not consistently catching big bass He might be a great bass fisherman but he is not a great big bass fisherman.

Maybe try getting on your knee's and doing a sidearm cast....also maybe a smaller bait so that it doesn't cast as big a shadow. Good luck

Very nice. The Core is just one those special reels that does not excel at one particular thing. It just does everything you ask of it better than most other reels. I hope I am as lucky as you and my wife treats me one day. I would love to have another Core.

Nice. Those are solid fish for around here.

About beating a dead horse, the rods are a joke, I have seen hoards of these rods returned and it's pathetic I mean pathetic, 2 things.... Boyd & carrot stix.... Boyd & the White Carrot stix.... So what's really different.... Nothing but color... They are junk. It's a shame too, so many people seem to revel in them.... But the breakage, poor rod build, and cork falling off.... Did I say pathetic ? What a rip off rod co.

That's the way to do it!

d**n, that's bad. I haven't seen guides that out of line since the last time I looked at a Skeet Reese rod.

Years ago, I purchased an expensive saltwater center-console. In order to defray the cost (and placate my conscience) I thought seriously about professional guiding. It's questions like this however that make me happy I never took the plunge. Would you be okay knowing that your daily wages are hanging in the balance, based on a cold-front or other circumstance beyond your control? Have you ever had an unproductive day at work? Is your pay docked every time you have a bad day at work? Anyone's who's done any amount of angling knows that there are no guarantees in fishing, and even KVD can't guarantee you a fish. I've never hired a fishing guide in my life, but that's only because 'locating' fish is my very favorite part of fishing. It would be foolish for me to pay someone to take away my favorite part of fishing (anybody can wind a fish to the gunnel). In any case, if I ever did hire a guide and he put in the time and the effort, I could never bring myself to accept a freebie or half-price fare. Roger

Most my fish are caught fishing 3-5' below the surface. Probably 75% have been caught on some kind of glide bait or big top water. The rest is random hudds or orther soft baits slowly along the bottom. Although I have caught tons only fishing about 1' or almost at a wake. Most places are shallow and run about 10'-12' as being the deeper water. If you were to try and fish deep like 20' or something it would only be a tiny little spot of the whole place that reaches that. There are exception like a lake that was 2 quarries that were flooded to join and gets like 50' but only in a small area. That place is also mostly about 10' but tons of shore that is 2'-3' and that extends in pretty good cause it is such a gentle slope.

It is one awesome reel. I wouldn't be afraid to try one, actually I have, and it is sweet, and can be had a LOT cheaper than the chronarch ci4, but maybe $30 more than the tatula, but I guarantee it would last longer that that plastic daiwa will

Very Nice, great catches on your new gear!

Do you always photograph your bait? Just kidding of course... Couple of great catches there, I'd happily take a day 5-6 of those. Looks like a great way to break in an awesome new reel. Think I might need to take a day off to get out on the water now...

In south Florida it has been a hot humid spring and summer. Water temps are 90+ and have been for some time. I have had to fish deep and slow often, and adjacent to ledges. I have caught more big fish from the bank in the afternoon, then in the boat in the everglades. From the bank it is easier to fish slow because you don't have the movement of the boat. Many of the bigger fish have been adjacent to drop off hugging the bottom. From the bank, even on a windy day you can fish as slow as you want and just shake the bait rather then move it. In the early morning and late afternoon bass are more likely to chase a moving bait in the hot water. When the water temps get this high the bass are not as willing to come out and play.

Maybe an odd question, but have you considered shipping them to wherever you're going? Probably safer.

Kudos for smashing the barbs. That goes a long way. Braid is great for sensitivity, however if there is slack in the line the bite doesn't always transfer well. The softness of braid will bow under the water if a fish swims toward you before it will actually move above water. Maybe this is some of the cause of excessive swallowed baits. Mono and FC on the other hand will jump on a hit or react to movement faster. Try and keep a tighter line if the presentation allows. Best solution for swallowed hooks is determine right from the start if it can be removed without a lot of effort. If it looks to deep or difficult, cut the line and leave the hook in place without do more damage wiggle and pulling on the hook at different angles and keeping the fish out of water for extended periods of time. I have caught healthy fish with old hooks in them and I have even had fish regurgitate a hook that I left in a fish during a tournament in the livewell prior to weigh in. The least amount of damage you do the better chance the fish has.

That's a work horse of a reel you can pass along to yet a next generation if it's cared for at all.

I fish for relaxation. There is nothing better then an early morning on the lake, with a good friend, and a tug on the line. I fish at least 5 days a week. Sometimes from the bank, and some days from the boat. Being a high school administrator, two hours in the afternoon, and any tension is completely gone. It is a form of therapy.

Ok, I can share a story of a recent personal best (of sorts). I have only been FW fishing regularly for just under 2 months now. I used to fish SW frequently with my family as a young child, and other than a couple unsuccessful trips out to try FW in my early teens it was not something I hadn't really done. After a recent vacation to the beach that included lots of SW fishing in the canals behind the house we rented I remembered how much I used to love fishing. Upon my return I hooked up with an old friend that I knew was really into FW fishing and asked for some tips. He arranged for me to borrow one of his fishing buddies kayaks and we hit a local lake. I caught my first bass as an adult (see my profile pic), and the addiction set in. I immediately started looking for kayaks, and with one exception I have been on the water every weekend trying my best, but not doing so great. I went back to that same lake several times, but after that first trip the best I did was one small bass and one small bluegill. The other trips to that lake... almost nothing. During this time I also started trying to fish a local pond, that is just up the street from my house. This pond is part of a chain. Two small ponds, and a small lake connected by creeks with a couple dams thrown in there. The pond had lots of bait fish, water birds, turtles. It seems like it would be a great bass pond. Initially I attempted to fish from the bank while I searched for a kayak. I never even got a bite. After I bought my kayak I continued to go, but still nothing. Not even a nibble, at least that I could detect. I was starting to get frustrated with fishing. Up to this point I had only caught 3 bass, all from that first lake. Even that lake I struggled with (average 5-6 hours on the water with essentially nothing to show for it). All of this changed last week. You see Being new I didn't really think any of the baits I received would do me much good with the current fishing conditions, but I love buying lures so it was a lot of fun. Buried in the bottom of the box was a sample pack of these funky little worms. The color was pumpkin with black and green flake. Now based on what I had been taught these worms seemed too light colored for the waters I had been fishing. At least that is what I thought. Still, I kept thinking about them, wondering how I could use them. Finally I decided I should try them on a drop shot rig once I found the water they would work in. I realized last week that I was going to have to take a couple weeks off from any extended fishing trips so I vowed to get out as much as I could. So one day I head over to the local pond at lunch to get in 30-40 minutes of fishing. Now I knew that given the limited time I wasn't likely to catch anything, but I really just wanted to play with some of the different baits I had collected. Again, I started with what I had been shown (Senko style baits). After that I tried a few new ones for a couple casts each (yes I know not a really good try, but I was more curious about technique than anything else). Still nothing. Even though I wasn't really trying very hard I was starting to get frustrated and was about to head home. As I was packing stuff up I saw those worms again. I decided that even though I thought the color was wrong I could spend a couple more minutes seeing how a drop shot rig worked. I rigged it up, and prepared for my first cast. I cast my line out, and let it settle for a couple seconds. Once I was sure it was on the bottom, I gave it a bit of shake and BAM fish on! I quickly reeled it in to see that sure enough there were bass in that pond. It was a little 10-12" bass, but it was enough. I tried again for a while, and actually took too long for lunch, but I just had to try to catch another one. No luck. I just assumed that it was as I thought and the colors were wrong for the water. It must have been a reaction strike from me essentially dropping the worm on the fish's head. Anyway after confirming for myself that there are bass in the pond, I headed back out that following weekend for what will be my last real trip for a couple weeks with high hopes. These hopes were dashed when I got there. For reasons unknown to me at the time the water level was extremely low. I later learned beavers had put up a dam on the creek and almost no water was getting through. I thought for sure that given how little water was in the pond that the temperature would be too high and the fish just wouldn't be biting. Almost all of the grassy/weedy areas around the edge were now bone dry and some areas I couldn't get the kayak through without bottoming out. I thought for sure the day would be a bust, and I was getting depressed. To add to my frustration there were already 4 people on the pond fishing (one in a another kayak, and 3 in a small boat). I could already smell the skunk. I started out with a top water popper, and a jerk bait. A friend recently told me that he had killed it on that pond using a similar jerk bait so I wanted to try my hand. After wandering around trying to find a place that was "deep" enough to try the jerk bait without getting tangled in the heavily matted grass that apparently covers most of the bottom I settled in roughly the center of the pond. I figured it was the deepest area (only around 4-5' deep). I was definitely getting skunked and I knew it now. After about 2 hours I still hadn't caught anything and was about to leave. As I was putting stuff up, again I saw those worms. I quickly tied up the drop shot rig and threw it out. First cast, another bass. Again, it was a tiny little thing about the same size as last time. However, now I knew it was more than just random luck that I caught that first one, or so I thought. I spent another couple hours paddling around trying to repeat my luck with no success. I was on the last little leg of my trip around the pond when I got tangled in some trees. This was it, I was done. After about 5 minutes I managed to get my line free. I was frustrated and angry, but decided that I rather than storm off the pond I would give it a few more casts. You know the whole falling off the horse thing. Well after just 2-3 casts I nailed another one. This one had to have been the smallest I have seen to date. Still, this now tied my personal best of two fish in one trip, except this time it was two bass. Of course, now it was a challenge could I pull off a third one. I decided to stick where I was and kept casting towards the bank under a small outcrop of trees that provided some decent shade both for the fish, and for me. It was less than 15 minutes later I pulled out my third bass of the trip. This one was a fighter. It ran, it jumped, and it was a blast. Finally after getting it into the kayak I could see that it was a bit bigger than the other. This one was closer to 14". A real fun fish to catch. So there it is, two personal bests (of a sort) in one day. Not only did I not get skunked I beat my record catch for fish in one day and all of them were bass. To add to the confidence boost I had done it my way. I used a rig that I learned about on my own, using a bait that although I didn't directly purchase it I did pick it myself that day. This may prove to be the most valuable lesson for me. I need to trust my instincts a bit better, and be more willing to try new things. Sticking to a bait just because I was told it would catch fish where I am at even when the bite just isn't there isn't the best way to catch fish. If it isn't working, try something else is my new motto. I realize that catching 3 small bass in about 4 hours is probably nothing to many of the experienced anglers on this site, but it was a huge first for me. I proved to myself that it wasn't that I got lucky, I learned that I can catch fish, and I don't always need someone to tell me what to use or how to use it. Of course I am not saying that I don't want advice, or won't ask for it again. I just realized that I need to learn to fish for myself. I have to find what works for me, and what I can catch fish on. I also realize that just because this worked one day it doesn't mean it will work on all future trips, but it did give me the confidence I needed and helped me grow a bit. I apologize for writing a book, but I just had to share my story. If you made it this far thanks for reading. Good luck, and may the bite be with you.

Dale gribble**!!

honestly sounds like you're doing everything you can and in fact more than most do to keep the fish healthy. not sure i have anything that would help you any further. BUT i have to say i love the avatar!! although i prefer the pseudonym "Rusty Shackleford" ...

Cjam, please have a professional clean your reel. You may be proficient with other reels but this is a new one to you and it is an expensive one so please have a professional clean it. if you can't send it to DVT then consider finding a local guy who cleans reels and ask if you can watch him take it apart, clean it, and put it back together. You can ask him questions about the reel's gears, etc. and he will probably love sharing his knowledge with you. I take my reels to a guy in Powhatan, Virginia and he is a blast to visit. We talk politics, dogs, hunting, fishing, other guys we know who bring their stuff to him for repairs, coyotes, and play with his new dog, Lilly. She is a beautiful pointer and loves to sit in your lap. I have learned a lot about which reels are good and bad and also not to attempt to clean a reel myself unless it is an old one that I will not mind messing up. And if you do view the reel cleaning you may be surprised at all of the dirt and grime that can get into a secure reel. It is amazing to see what the guys can clean out of a perfectly good reel.

You can't beat the pro qualifier from bass pro shops for $100 reel that is sometimes on sale for $70. It performs better than many reels up to $150 dollars or more (though not all). It's not as good as a Curado or Chronarch but for the money it's better than anything else.

Since you say you want something you can go hard on (a workhorse reel), I would look at the Tatula or the Curado I. My boat is full of Shimanos, but I've used the Tatula and for the price you can get it you will be hard pressed to find a better budget option. I love the Curado I, but I'm not gonna lie, the Chronarch CI4+ is something special. Being a tournament angler and being bit by the tackle monkey, I have 15 set ups and I can't afford to put Cores or Metaniums on all of my setups. While I have had a couple Cores and a Metanium, I go with the Curado and Chronarch to fill out my setups. The Cores and Metaniums are AWESOME, but the Curado I and Chronarch do the job just as well as the Core and Metanium, and I am able to save a few bucks in the process. Hope this helps!

Pure fishing is like that. I've sent $150 reels in for a basic cleaning and have gotten new reels back. Doesn't make me wonder how much these reels really cost to make, not near what one might think. I was involved with a manufacturing co, $10 msrp item cost about 50 cents to make.

I fished with a very respected guide for three days musky fishing. We were skunked for all three days . The guide offered us a free day the following year which we accepted & I caught a nice 47" 15 minutes from the dock at daybreak . As long as the guide is professional & competent he should still get paid & tipped. It is his choice what concessions he might offer to his customers when the fishing sucks. Some concession will usually be satisfactory to the experienced client.

Its only trespassing if they don't want you fishing there... in other words, it never hurts to ask first.

ALWAYS get permission to fish on private property.

Sweet Jesus, that's red! Do they make lefties?

Got this in the mail today. Tatula Type R 100XS Special Edition