Leaderboard

One of the things that makes fishing such a great hobby/sport is that anyone who wants to enjoy spending some time on the water can find the level of equipment that fits their budget and needs. Some start out as casual weekend and holiday Zebco 33 fisherman and progress through the ranks and end up true enthusiast and own some of the nicest gear available. Others are very content with using good solid blue collar class equipment that just goes out and gets the job done well. Some are enthusiast and enjoy the ever changing technology and are constantly searching for the latest and greatest equipment so they can test the limits. Anyway you look at it, it is a fantastic hobby/sport and we all enjoy it on our own level and for our own reasons. I always say, "Get in where you fit in" if you are not having fun fishing, then you're doing it wrong.

If someone prices themselves out of fishing, they are fishing for the wrong reasons, or are so insecure that they feel they have to keep up with Joneses. That's their problem, not fishing's. I would love to have a new bass boat, new truck and a rod locker full of $800 combos but I can't afford that. It doesn't keep me from enjoying fishing. Like Tony said, get in where you fit in.

Fixed it. You're welcome.

This one. 1959. I still take it out about once a year. It reels in dinks now just as well as it did 55 years ago...

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside him and said quietly, "Good morning, Alex." "Good morning, Pastor," replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. "Pastor McGhee, what is this?" Alex asked. "Well, son, it's a memorial to all the men and women who have died in the service." Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Alex's voice was barely audible when he finally managed to ask, "Which one, the 9:00 or 10:30 service?

You guys crack me up... But sadly I can see Irene coming in the near future. I don't have a dog in this fight, so... How about them chiefs? Lol. Only team to beat both Super Bowl competitors...

I don't buy $100,000 boats, $400 combos, or $20 crankbaits. I fish from the bank, so no need for a boat. I snag deals on combos; right now I'm fishing a $190 combo that cost me $80 new, and another combo somebody gave me. I get my baits from trees and bargain bins . You can bass fish on a budget, but (admittedly) it is hard.

So today was the second trip of the year that we have launched the boat. At the VA Dead Sea known as Lake Anna. It was a chilly 36 degrees when we launched this morning with 5-7 mph winds. We fished for about three hours and then moved to a flat where the wind was pushing the bait up against the sea wall. We fish for a few minutes with blade baits getting snagged a couple times on various things from trees to massive rocks. The next cast resulted in a solid thump after letting the bait flutter back to the bottom. The result was a nice three pounder on the dot which was the first lake bass of the year (ponds don't count for me this time of year). The next first was after making another run all the way down lake to the d**n. We were fishing a ledge which went from 6 FOW to 50+ in a foot and a half. After getting snagged on various things from big trolling A-rigs to old fishing line, we decided to idle over to the rip rap and look for some bait to try and get another fish in the boat. We didn't see much bait so we decided to fish anyway and as we work our way down the rip rap in the ultra clear water my friend Everythingthatswims on this site says they're is a bass following my jerkbait. He pauses and the fish turns off and returns to wherever it was. At that moment I drop my blade bait over the side and thump I hook up. 30 seconds later my first striper comes over the side at a whopping 21 inches just big enough to keep haha. All in all it was a really good day and enjoyed being on the water with friends

I think we can all agree that this is ridiculous.

Picked up an SV spool to try out. So far I'm very impressed with it. It even kinda ties the combo together with the orange on the rod.

It is tough to just recommend baits without knowing what kind of waters you're fishing, like shallow rivers or deep impoundments and the same goes for forage species. If I were you I'd Google the waters that I was going to fish and see what kind of forage is in them and see if I could find some kind of local fishing report and look to find out what has been working and go from there. There are some basics that you should have no matter where you are or what kind of water you fish, and that is lipless cranks and square bills for the hard bait side and Senkos and Sweet Beavers on the soft plastic side. When you find out forage along with water clarity of the places you fish and even the species, that information will help you pick colors and patterns for the baits you are going to buy, for example if I was fishing clear or lightly stained water with only largemouth then I know I wouldn't include really loud colors except for a fire tiger pattern crank but in the same water clarity with smallmouth present, well then I'll have clown pattern baits and chartreuse models. If the water gets dirty a lot then chartreuse/black back is excellent for all species but it has been my experience that smallmouth react to bright colors more often than their green cousins, so do some research and see what you come up with, I find those types of searches very rewarding and informative.

DD22's and 6XD's would be my two picks

for years I fished with cheaper rods and reels. Maybe $200 a combo. Caught fish. Upgraded to nicer combos, still catch fish. Am I going to go up to $400-500 combos with $300 rods. No, I can catch just as many fish on a $100 rod as a $300 one. It's the person holding the rod that catches the fish. But if someone has the money and wants to fish them that's their priority. Would I love to have a $100,000 bass boat, oh yeah, but for now I'll keep saving till I find the one I want for the right price and catch just as many fish out of that one as that $100,000 one. Just might not get there as fast.

RW - Your CTE-200GT is the functional equivalent of a Conquest 200 (last generation - aka CQ00). The differences are: CQ has a forged handle / TE-GT has a stamped handle CQ has a forged drag star / TE-GT has a stamped star CQ has clicking spool tension knob and drag / TE-GT has no clicks CQ has a ported palm-side sideplate / TE-GT is plain/unported I have both CTE-GTs and CQ00s and they perform and feel the same to me. These photos show the external differences (using 100-size reels): Now - the Conquest being discussed in this thread is the Conquest 14. CQ14 has all the latest gadgets/features: SVS Infinity Braking, X-Ship, Micro-Module Gears, etc. The CQ 14 has a smaller sideplate and palms noticeably smaller than the equivalent size CQ00, it MIGHT (or might not) cast a bit farther due to the braking system, and will probably feel smoother to most folks due to the micro-module gears and X-ship. All in all, just a nicer reel than the earlier generation. Is CQ14 enough better than a CQ00 (or a CTE-GT) to warrant buying a new reel? That's up to each person to decide..

In the water Tight lines Andrew

Not sure if he's that smart to do it intentionally

I'd be going with braid to try and make up for some of the rods moderate action. Mono has a fair amount of stretch and that with a moderate action will require a darn good hookset to really drive the hook home. Especially if it's a thicker hook and most are in the 5/0 size. Braid has no stretch and all the power from your hookset will go to the hook. Instead of mono stretching and taking away from some of that power. You can always tie on a leader for fishing other techniques were some stretch can be beneficial.

Nope...........I do just fine with an aluminum bass boat, $100 rods and reels, $6 cranks, and $3 bags of soft plastics.

I had to stop eating PEPPERONI PIZZA after midnight because of night mares. I never dreamed about fishing. Probably because being retired since 2002 I been living it.

Yelp! Fast, easy, & cheap! We call them throw down poles, cause you simply throw em down! If you want a mini power pole just buy a rod 6-8' long, insert it through your handle on the back of you boat.

I'm interested to see how I will like my rod spiral wrapped. I can clearly see the benefits in it because you aren't fighting the rod and I also find it aesthetically pleasing.

Stop shimano, im poor !! http://fishing.shimano.co.jp/product/reel/3828

When in doubt...get both.

So what attracts bass to our baits? 1. They see it. 2. They feel it. 3. They hear it. Sometimes rattles work and at other times they don't enhance your presentation. Trial and error will let you know what they want at that specific hour on that specific day.

And on the same bait

It's the cheapskate answer but it's one of those things that you have to let the conditions dictate. I've fished docks with 8lb fluoro, and I've flipped them with 65lb braid, all depends on the situation. A majority of the time I'm fishing 15-20 pound fluoro though so I'd say you're right in the ballpark.

Try a San Diego Jam instead of Palomar with flouro.

Get a yak vise a boat and you can fish on the savings for the rest of your life

Welcome to the forum, you are sure to get a lot of replies to your question. If it were me looking to get back into fishing I believe that I would do it just slightly different. While the Ugly Stick is a good rod in its own right, it does not excel at bass fishing. There are many other options available to you that will serve you well and probably fish a little better than the Ugly Stick. One that I might recommend is to find a Pflueger President combo, good solid equipment that wont break the bank, can probably find the combo for around 80 dollars. The 30 size reel would meet most of your needs well and the combo will save you some money for plastics and other essentials. I think it's great that your Daughter and You are spending time on the water together. Good Luck

RSM789 - Just to be clear; the intention of my posts here are for fun. Though I am a Boston Sports fan, I'm a happy one and it will always be that way. I hold no ill will toward you or your believes regarding the mind set of the of New England sports fan population, you're entitled to it. However, the back & forth here is heading somewhere I am not willing to go. I'm done with this one and we're on to Seattle. Enjoy your evening. A-Jay

another megabass 110 junior, gotta love the unexpected $10 scorecard thing from DSG. makes buying a megabass lure a little easier to swallow.

Huh! I guess I need to stop fishing Rage Tail Cut-R, Recon, Lizards, & Lobsters!

SK 6XD Norman DD22 Spro Little John DD LC Flat D20 6th Sense 300 DD Rapala DT 16 & 20 Bomber Fat Free Shad

Bill Norman

Had the game been won by a single passing play during the heaviest rain of the night, there might be a valid argument. The final score was - er - 45 to 7. Even if B & B did it, what matter would it have made.... I'm gonna go with the majority and agree it's just someone just stirring up crap. Let's try to focus on the Superbowl, which might turn out to be one for the history books. The two BEST teams in football, both playing great ball.... no matter who wins, it's gonna be one heck of a game....

I did fish from McFarland today. I threw grubs and jigs. I managed one keeper bass and a small striper of about four pounds. As usual with the way I fish, I caught several healthy drum. Disclaimer- My lack of ability to put quality fish in the boat is in no way an indication of fishing conditions on Pickwick lake.

It is possible that there are separate groups of bass. We constantly mark fish in the deepest basin in this lake during the winter. They can be maddeningly difficult to catch down there but we do get them with blade baits occasionally. We mark virtually no fish on those 15 foot deep flats adjacent to the creek channel but that is the area you want to drag a football jig in the winter. We are catching the largest bass of the season on those deep flats.

From the uw video I've seen, it's pretty apparent that bass are often active under the ice. And it's pretty obvious that they feed under the ice. Outside of the spawn, activity and feeding tend to be lock-step. In northern natural lakes bass use deep weed edges. But in ponds they've been known to cruise shallow weedlines looking for all the world like hunting bass anytime of year, only slowed down. Every lake is its own. Your fish could be up feeding -maybe bc the weeds are still alive up there and prey is still there. Or the bass could have been pushed out of the depths by oxygen deficits below. How far they can move vertically in how much time is an open question. My guess is that air bladder issues would be heightened in the winter. Is it possible that you are finding two separate groups of bass?.

Its the cazyness plus another reason. The other reason is knowing my buddy once was all up in it also. In a way its kind of like having it with him.

Round is a shape

Um, yeah. I live here. Thanks for that fun fact, though.

Hmm... All this speculation and not a bit of proof? On the other hand, God must be a Seattle Seahawks fan. Divine intervention is the only explanation for that win!

Just to clear a couple things up, and lay some truth down..The "spygate" rule was enacted in the offseason after the 2005 season, just prior to 2006.The league sent a memo to every NFL team during that offseason, letting them know of the rule change..so that means that prior to 2006, what they did was legal, and many coaches have come out and said it was commonplace and they did it, Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher to name a couple. So during the early part of the 2006 season, the Patriots are caught still taping, and punished for breaking a rule..they then win 18 games in a row, and lose the super bowl because they didnt tape the Giants??or perhaps a receiver for the giants had a prayer of a pass stick to his helmet..he drops that ball, Pats win..then in 2010 the Pats lose another super bowl, because they couldnt tape the opposition, or perhaps it was because Welker dropped a ball that would have sealed the game.Whatever. Meanwhile they have been in almost every conference championship game since 2001, but I'm sure it's because of taped practices and deflated balls.. Before you start spewing your hate, you really should check some real world facts.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12194931/vince-wilfork-helps-trapped-motorist-new-england-patriots-afc-championship-game-victory FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was driving home from Sunday night's rousing victory against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game when he noticed a Jeep Wrangler rolled onto its side on Route 1 not far from Gillette Stadium. There's an unconfirmed report initiated by the Indianapolis Colts organization that the tires on this vehicle may have been underinflated and they have requested a full investigation. A-Jay

Despite the thread title, the OP wasn't really asking whether size was relevant or irrelevant, he was concerned that the specific one he got would be too big for his waters. The answer to that question is no, the full size bait will generally catch all sizes of fish. Whether or not that full size one will be the most productive on any given day is a different question . I agree that size can be important.

Nice, we have SI/DI, how to use it? I still have no earthly idea.

I don't like the Pats, but a deflated ball didn't account for that 45-7 beat down last night.

I've built two spinning rods recently, using Rainshadow Immortal blanks. Very impressed with this product, and will certainly build more rods on these blanks. Getbitoutdoors has them, along with top shelf customer service.

This is what's keeping me occupied all winter, in fact I almost just landed a pb

It's called "respect", and it goes both ways. I was a non-boater for 12 years before I got my own boat. During that time, not only did I offer to pay for 1/2 the gas costs (including towing), but also made myself useful in other ways, such as backing the rig down the ramp (boy did I ever learn how to back up dozens of different setups!), operating the trolling motor while the boater re-rigged in wind, etc.. I also made sure I didn't bring too much with me, cleaned up after myself, treated the boat as if it were my own, and brought my own lunch/water, etc. In essence, I was self-sufficient and therefore, less "bother" for the boater. And if the opportunity presented itself, I'd buy him breakfast or lunch. The only complaint I received is that I talk too much! LOL! I also became a member of an "inner circle" of non-boaters in my club where we exchanged notes about boaters. It didn't take long before everyone knew who were the stand-up guys, and who to avoid - you know, the ones who felt they were doing you a favor, who felt you were "beneath" them, and that you owed them for the privilege. You also found out about the guys who would "front seat" you, and limit your chances of catching fish. Now, as a boater, I treat all my non-boaters with the same courtesy and respect i had as a non-boater. No, I don't expect them to pay anything, although I graciously accept when offered (some people are insulted when you don't accept). I try to leave areas untouched for them to fish (and sometimes even point them out if they miss too many), and in general, try to make their day enjoyable. But really what it boils down to is communication. Setting up expectations ahead of time goes a long ways folks. I'm not a guide and tell people that. It's just a couple of buddies going fishing, having a good time. If it's a tournament, I want to hear their thoughts and put together a game plan we both feel will work. Most of all, I let them know how much space they have for their gear, what items to bring (such as a life jacket), and when/where to meet me. And if it's a fun fishing trip, I get a feel for when they want to be off the water. Hope that helps!