Leaderboard

If I wanted to practice tying knots I'd join the Boy Scouts, on the water, I'm there to fish. Brian.

We all make decisions as we travel through life. Some are good and some are bad. I grew up with alcohol and great times in New Orleans, the French Quarter and at LSU. I swore off the booze when I crawled from the Officers Club to my BOQ at Fort Meade back in the 60's before I went to Viet Nam. Colin Moore was a 20-year student at Virginia Tech. His father is a VMI graduate who was our American Legion Post commander. His father is straight as an arrow and has a very good career at Philip Morris. Colin was on his high school's two time state championship volleyball team; was active in the Boy Scouts; loved the outdoors; and was an all around great kid. This weekend Colin drank too much, passed out, and asphyxiated on his vomit. He will be 20-years old forever. The funeral is this Saturday. I know how to have a fun time. I have had many "good times" in my life. And I want all of you guys, young and old, to have many "good times." But please be careful. Drinking too much makes you look like a fool. And dying at a young age is unacceptable. So when you take that second, third or fourth beer; try hard liquor; or some sort of illegal drug, please remember Colin. You screw up and we will be hearing about your funeral. And that is the last thing we want to read about.

The sport of fishing is like any other hobby, you have the ones who have two rods and reel with a few packs of hooks and they sit on the bank tossing chicken livers for cats or dunking worms for whatever bites. Then you have the bass or walleye specialists who have 50K boats, enough tackle to last 10 years without ever buying another bait, and a plethora of rods that cost as much as a college tuition. It depends on what the individual likes and how they treat the hobby, some treat is as a simple pass time while others live to hone their skills and techniques to become great at it. This goes on in a lot of other hobbys as well, look at golf, if you say golf is a sport and not a hobby, well so is fishing, they are in the same category and they even end up the same when it comes to equipment. You have the once in a while golfer who maybe has a cheap set of clubs or rents them at the course when he goes 3 or 4 times a year, and then you have the guy who have at least 3 full sets of clubs plus special drivers and putters along with a ton of ball markers and personalized tees. What gets me is nobody ever questions why golfers have to have so many clubs but it always comes up in fishing as why we have so many rods. In the end I can honestly say that we have so many set ups because we want them, plain and simple, sure, I can go in depth and tell you why I need a medium heavy cranking rod and a medium light finesse cranking rod but the simple truth is because I want it, otherwise I'd make use of a spinning rod or something else but I like fishing and tackle so I have a lot of set ups.

To bad the name "Ugly Stik" is already taken. Hootie

Just upping my post count with this one.

Seriously y'all need to read the research, every problem y'all are bringing up is shot down. If y'all don't like it that's fine but it is attached to nothing but feelings not fact.

Well i said i would have pictures up so here they are. Had an awesome 2 days out frog fishing in JANUARY. Definitely can't do that in my home state of michgian. Shoot even some of the arizona guys were freaking out and didnt believe me until i showed them proof. Ended up with 54 bass over two days. What a riot. First picture is a picture of the area i was fishing. It was a super long section of the river that splits off from the main river then comes together again with the main about a 2 mile section. The fish were up in the dead brush you can see on the shore line but the frogs had to be throw about 3ft out from the brush and they would come out and inhale it but if it was on the brush nothing. Most of the fish came off areas where there were indents in the brush or the brush came to a small point or something different like a stickup in there or where the land came to a point. You could catch 3-4 fish in those areas. Lost a few giants but biggest fish was 4-1 with quite a few 3s in there.

Oldie but Goodie! THE HILLBILLY VASECTOMY After their 11th child, a Kentucky couple decided that was enough, as they could not afford a larger bed. So the husband went to his veterinarian and told him that he and his cousin didn't want to have any more children. The doctor told him that there was a procedure called a vasectomy that could fix the problem but that it was expensive. 'A less costly alternative,' said the doctor, 'is to go home, get a cherry bomb, (fireworks are legal in Kentucky) light it, put it in a beer can, then hold the can up to your ear and count to 10. The Kentuckian said to the doctor, 'I may not be the smartest tool in the shed, but I don't see how putting a cherry bomb in a beer can next to my ear is going to help me. ''Trust me,' said the doctor. So the man went home, lit a cherry bomb and put it in a beer can. He held the can up to his ear and began to count! "1" "2" "3" “4" "5" At which point he paused, placed the beer can between his legs and continued counting on his other hand. This procedure also works in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Parts of Georgia, Missouri and West Virginia,

Yes that is what I meant, why I specifically quoted Hootie's post. Sorry for any confusion. I would never say they were the "same" as GL2s. I own GLXs and would kick myself if they were expensive GL2s. I own one GL2, not horrible rod but not worth the "price". Should be a 100 or less rod.

Interesting....I'm speechless. Thought it was good to help others and that no question was a stupid one. This would not be a site as good as it is if we all were just lookers. Life is a repetitive too in many ways....I'm glad for it....the other option I'm not a fan of.

That may be true of some, but for most It really is matter of having the right tool for the job and the convenience it provides. I grow tired of those who continue to tell us how foolish we are for wanting the best we can afford to pursue our target. 0119 you are not at all reluctant to tell us how elitist bass fishermen are, and there are some who fit that stereotype. There are also are some who think that because bass fishermen put more emphasis on gear than they do they are somehow not worthy of respect. That may not be elitism, but there's an element of condescension that is just as offensive.

Smart Man + Smart Woman = ROMANCE Smart Man + Dumb Woman = AFFAIR Dumb Man + Dumb Woman = PREGNANCY Dumb Man + Smart Woman = MARRIAGE --------------------------------------------------------------- > A woman worries about the future, until she has a husband > A man never worries about the future, until he has a wife > A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend > A successful woman is one who finds that man ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs > A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item she doesn't need -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger

A remote control that disables jet skis at 50 yards.

Thanks for posting. I've never tried drugs or alcohol and don't forsee me doing so. One small thing can lead to another.

Divide & conquer! Take a section, learn it complety, then move to the next section!

One thing that has not been talked about is over population. Catch and realease didnt allow George Perry to catch a 22Lber in Georgia calmost 90 years ago. People netted, trapped, Gaffed for food and didnt care about letting their dinner swim away. Lakes 75 years ago probably experieced NO CATCH AND RELEASE.And they did with out a stocking program that most lakes have today. I feel like almost every lake fished is over populated. I think that they lakes are being stocked at a rate that exceeds that lakes ability to maintain quality fish. After reading biology reports for local lakes it seems like numbers increase and size declines over the years. I think bass over 15 Inchs should be harvested to the bag limit to promote an ecosystem that is not overcrowed. I think that why large lakes do so well is they have an extremly high harvest rate due to the higher pressure. with the exceptions of larger waters greater than say approx 2500 acres most lakes show signs of overrpopulation. Rarely do i seem to find the football 4 pounders like you will in huge ecosystems like say guntersville or clarkshill in these smaller waters. http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/overpopulated-bass.html Here is a chart to determine if a fish is underwight for its length. and looking back through my fishing records most fish I have caught in resevoirs and lakes 750-5000 Acres are underweight. Fish i have caught in large ECOSYSTEMS seem to be a bit better. All the research I have done shows that harvesting fish is better for the enviroment that it hurts. so... CALL ME A BASS KILLER. NOT ONLY DO I SIGHT FISH BEDDING BASS I HARVEST THEM IN THE 15-20" RANGE . AND ANY 10LB PLUS IS GOING ON ICE TO SOON BE HUNG ON MY DRYWALL

I agree the nature of the OP's post left many of us scratching our heads. Yes, his list of frogging equipment is rather extensive. But many of you do understand you are poking fun at a 14 yr old kid right? What ever happen to giving sound advice? He hasn't been disrespectful as far as I can see to anyone. I just see an enthusiastic kid who really loves to frog fish that has a lot of gear. Who are we to question how and where he got all that equipment? If we can't be constructive to a young adult then this is perfect example of closing a thread.

I would recommend to anyone starting out to choose some conservative components for the first few builds. Even if you love it at first as you go through the learning curve one day you'll look back and think to yourself, wow what was I doing? lol

One heck of a win. They made the plays needed to win that game. That 4th quarter performance by Brady was one for the ages. Greatest quarterback of all time. Seattle couldn't make the plays on offense or defense during crunch time. I am sick of hearing about all the conspiracies and crap from all the Patriot haters. I want to sink there boats.

Life's too short to fish with an ugly rod. I know beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, but it would take many beers for me to hold one of those.

How bout them Patriots!!!

I vary my retrieve throughout the cast. Fast/slow/stop, until I get a reaction. I'll try to duplicate that part of the retrieve on subsequent casts.

Just recieved my 10 custom painted baits. Edgewood lures painted a lot i sent. 3 Original Warts, 2 bandit 200, 2 Bandit 300, 2 DT6, and a Little John...

Coming soon from the magician Matt. 10 inches, and 6 ozs. Enjoy.

Looks like graffiti on a box car to me... I vote no

Not in my house.

If any of your equipment uses fuses, make sure to have extra fuses. I agree with Green Trout about the Boomerang. It is a great little tool. Ibuprofen is one that I overlooked for a while. Those bright sunny days can wreak havoc on your eyes causing headaches which are not fun to fish with. ESPECIALLY if the wife has one. Some noise making device-whether it be an air horn, whistle, etc. Just something to get others' attention if something were to go badly.

Do most salt water fisherman chase a single species, year round? Or do they take what's available where they can fish, within their means? Elitism? I don't disagree. The beauty and attraction of bass fishing is that it is well within most peoples' means to specialize and persue throughout the seasons. Try that with trout and salmon. How about reds and specks? Tuna? Marlin and other billfish? Tarpon? There is a DIY ethic in bass fishing that isn't there in many other forage. If there is, it takes a significant amount of money. So if you want to call it elitism, go ahead. The common man rarely gets to be considered elite. Thanks for the compliment!

Did someone say pie? I like pie...

A top water Alabama rig .

They have a lot of different models, which one are you looking at? Is this to build yourself? There are lots of good blanks to choose from. Don't be too eager to be sold on one brand. Give an idea about what the rod will be for and the budget and it's easier to make good recommendations. Check your PM. If this is in regard to a MH casting blank that we discussed, the fast action is fast and crisp. The ones I've worked with had a nice loading tip but not what I would describe as "soft".

It's what feels more comfortable to me. I can cast, switch hands while my bait is in the air and maintaining the spool, and be ready to start my retrieve before the bait ever hits the water, and I do it all without even thinking about it. I'd rather fish with a right handed retrieve Zebco 33 than a left handed baitcaster, it just doesn't work for me no matter how much I try.

Because thats what magazine writers, "pro's" and internet experts tell them they need

Best answer so far. I don't get to fish as often as I'd like. Retying is not a favorite past time when I'm on the water. It isn't about how few rods you can get away with. I used one rod for a good many years and caught a lot more fish than I do now. Of course, I lived in an area where fishing was umpteen times better than where I currently reside. Only reason I have as many rods as I do is to have some place to put my reels.

I think one reason is because we can, my and my wife's lockers can hold a lot of rods so we do But really why not, there's a right tool for the right job and I like to have my bases covered.

I force myself to stop at 5 setups, do some calculating and you should be good having a rod to cover all styles that come into play. As for tackle, it's just so shiney

Its being prepared. Why not maximize your options. And the tackle monkey!!!

I love em..have some vendetta, veritas, and will be ordering a veracity this week. But I use them cause I love abu reels so I just stay with house brand. I think they are just as good as any other rods in the respective price ranges. I find them light and sensitive. It comes down to your personal preference. Me personally I try to remind myself when ordering rods that I'm not doing this professionally, I have no need for $300+ rods and the bass on the other end of the line sure doesn't care if it's cheap or expensive. So to answer, yes they are great and you can definitely get by on them. Are there better brands out there, sure...but the question is do you need them.

I have 2 Vendettas and 2 Veritas rods. I love the Veritas, havent fished the vendettas enough to comment too much. The Veritas are very light, but very sensitive and very stiff. A lot of people had them break, I havent had an issue with that yet. Served me 2 seasons so far and have been work horses. They are very very stiff.

The female does not stay on the nest long before she moves to another nest, & then post spawn. The male stays on the nest through out the spawn

I don't dispute bass guys rather I dispute those who think their experience catching bass makes them more of a fisherman than those sitting on a bucket. Bass fisherman as a whole seem to harbor an elitist attitude. The industry propagates that with techno bling gear, gangsta basswear and foolish "pro" adoration. One day all types of fishing will be serious threatened. Our unwillingness to stick together as anglers in general will not help our cause.

At dawn the telephone rings, "Hello, Senor Rod? This is Ernesto, the caretaker at your country house." "Ah yes, Ernesto. What can I do for you? Is there a problem?" "Um, I am just calling to advise you, Senor Rod, that your parrot, he is dead." "My parrot? Dead? The one that won the International competition?" "Si', Senor, that's the one." "Oh My! That's a pity! I spent a small fortune on that bird. What did he die from?" "From eating the rotten meat, Senor Rod." "Rotten meat? Who the heck fed him rotten meat?" "Nobody, Senor. He ate the meat of the dead horse." "Dead horse??? What dead horse?" "The thoroughbred, Senor Rod." "My prize thoroughbred is dead?" "Si', Senor Rod, he died from all that work pulling the water cart." "Are you insane? What water cart?" "The one we used to put out the fire, Senor." "Good Lord!!! What fire are you talking about, man?" "The one at your house, Senor! A candle fell and the curtains caught on fire." "What the frack? Are you saying that my mansion is destroyed because of a candle?!" "Si', Senor Rod." "But there's electricity at the house! What was the candle for?" "For the funeral, Senor Rod." "WHAT BLOODY FUNERAL??!!" "Your wife's, Senor Rod." She showed up very late one night and I thought she was a thief, so I shot her with your new Kreighoff Limited Edition Custom Gold Engraved Trap Special with the custom Wenig Exhibition Grade Stock. SILENCE ... LONG SILENCE ... VERY LONG SILENCE. "Ernesto, if you scratched that shotgun, you're in deep s#$%."

I personally owned a canoe and could not stand it. Tippy and very clumsy to move around. I got the Ride 115x last year and loved it!

The answer lies in the intimate relationship between depth and speed. Buck made them 'controls' (as opposed to aids) because the two are so intertwined. He stated; Using your swimbait fishing as an example. You stated, "In general, I find "slow" is a good speed to fish my baits." You also said, "fish it very slow subsurface, a couple feet down in the column. Real trouts seem to do that a lot." So now you have established preferred depth at which your big bass are holding or feeding at, which we all agree is most important. This is a key depth range that you would want to maintain. Let's say that 'subsurface' is 6' down in this instance. You can throw any of your Hudds you want, but to be successful at that 6' depth, you are also going to have to maintain a slow speed (most times) as you stated. It is this depth and speed combination that will ultimately be the primary key to your success. If you throw the ROF16 and try to maintain it at 6', your retrieve speed is going to be too fast, and you likely won't get bit. If you throw the floater/wake bait, you can fish it as slow as you need to, but your depth is going to be off and those fish might not rise to the surface to eat it. It takes a COMBINATION of depth and speed for successful fishing, at least a lot of the time - the two are inseparable. This is why they are both controls. You cannot sacrifice one to achieve the other. Once you can achieve that depth/speed combination, then you are free to play with color, size and action all you want -T9

Get off my lawn.

Ironic this topic comes up about the same time every year.

We have many young guys and gals plus those new to bass fishing joining the Forum every day. We must continue to answer their queries even if they have been asked previously. Your thread reminds me of a story about Cal Ripkin. He was playing in a game after the playoff contenders were announced and he was playing hard in a game that did not matter in the standings. When asked why he was playing so hard in a meaningless game, Cal replied "In the stands there are people that came to see me play for the first time and I want them to see me play my best." So when we get a repeat question just remember that there are those new to our sport that are looking for an answer so they can learn and grow from the best guys in bass fishing on the Internet.

http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#@46.000000,12.000000,3z Here's a website gives you any contour map you want I haven't figured out how to print them but at least you get an idea. If you click the bottom left hand symbol it will give you more detailed contours of the lake you want. Hope this helps

A Soft Plastic material that has the durability of Pork yet retains the action of todays baits. For Stick baits, Craws & swim baits in particular. A-Jay