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Without going into to much detail : Bed fishing does not have a significant impact on bass populations. For every fish you see on a bed there is one or two behind you in deeper water that you cant see. More fish spawn in deeper water then we as anglers would like to think. We assume that the fish we can see on beds shallow are the only fish on beds and represent the entire fish population. Bass spawn will spawn in deeper water then most people target, in an excess of 15 feet at times. Bed fishing in water this deep is difficult, the water could be muddy, it could be windy, beds aren't as pronounced. The deeper bedded fish are seldom targeted. In many states bass can not be kept during the spawn. In some states, New Hampshire for example, it is illegal to target fish on beds. You can get a ticket for making repetitive casts to a fish on a bed. The amount of time a bass is off a bed is pivotal to egg survival. The longer the fish is out of the water and off the bed the more time other fish have to raid the bed. Harvesting of more smaller fish will lead to more larger fish and a larger average size. By specifically targeting the smaller size fish you are reducing the competition in that year class. Less fish in a year class leads to faster growth rates and a much healthy condition factor. Removal of larger fish does harm to the overall fish population. The larger fish grew to that size for a reason. In there genetic makeup they have faster growth rates, longer life spans, greater survival instincts, etc, then the fish that were not able to become adults and attain larger trophy class size. Look at the success and results of the Texas share a lunker program.

That could eat this gizzard shad. Caught this while trout fishing in a lake that is stocked with trout in the winter. I wasn't able to get it certified by the Missouri Dept of Conservation until the next day, but it weighed in at 1.92 lbs on a certified scale. Assuming the submission is approved, it will be a new Missouri line and pole record for Gizzard Shad.

I like darker shirts and coats because its still chilly here and the darker colors absorb more sunlight and keep me warmer.

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 skied in the 80's and if I looked like that I'm jumping in the hot tub time machine and goin back to B____ Slap myself.

I know where they come from. There's no bluegills in my bathtub. Hootie

Its amazing how much cheaper and faster the shipping from Japan is than BPS. I ordered from another JDM site and got the reel in two days for $11 shipping with no customs fees either. Beware, the rare Japanese Bait Monkey is even deadlier than the American version..

Sven and Ole worked together in a Mineesoota factory.....and both were laid off. So...dey went to the Unemployment Office togedder. Asked his occupation, Ole said, "Panty Stitcher. I sew da elastic onto da ladies cotton panties." The clerk looked up Panty Stitcher. Finding it classified as unskilled labor, she gave Ole $300 a week in unemployment compensation. Sven, when asked his occupation replied, "Diesel Fitter". The clerk looked up Diesel Fitter...and it was classified as a skilled job. So, the clerk gave Sven $600 a week in unemployment compensation. When Ole found this out, he was furious! He stormed back into the office to find out why his friend and co-worker was collecting double his benefits. The clerk explained,"Panty Stitchers are unskilled labor and Diesel Fitters are skilled labor." "Vat skill? yelled Ole. "I sew da elastic on da panties. Sven puts dem over his head and says, "Yah, ------------- DIESEL FITTER".

I've only been bass fishing intensively for about a year, but I seem for some very strange reason to have accumulated many boxes full of plastic creatures, swimbaits, senkos, ribbon tail worms, frogs, toads, flukes, crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, spooks, poppers, and propellered torpedos. I use the senkos and soft swimbaits mostly; the other stuff patiently waits its turn. I have enough rods: M, MH, H, in both casting and spinning setups, braid on some, fluoro on others, mono on one of the spinning reels. I keep telling my wife, don't worry, I finally have enough stuff. No more boxes from TW on the doorstep. But, you know, I certainly MUST learn to use a JIG better: "...the most versatile big bass bait. No tackle box should be without a selection of jigs." So, I ordered a dozen assorted jigs with bags of matching trailers and got 'em in just last night. Today I tossed two different craw-trailored brown and green jigs fifty times with no bites. I wanted so badly to tie on a T-rigged senko or cast a swimbait. I started to sweat, to shake, but I persevered, resisted the urge. Kept with the jigs. Changed colors, changed trailors, but kept with the jigs. Finally skipped one under a low bridge and nailed a powerful 5-6 pounder that unfortunately popped off just before I could grab her. Okay, jigs probably could work pretty well. Though the first batch of them cost me over $60 bucks. (Naturally you have to order $50 or more for free shipping, but then you'll surely want to pay extra for second-day shipping). Now I'm thinking about a dedicated jig rod, heavy/fast, about 7'3" and superbly sensitive and paired with a nice, fast, strong, light baitcaster reel spooled with #15 fluoro. I know my wife will be ticked off, we can't afford this stuff. But you GUYS understand, right! I NEED a jig rod, right? Whoa! Whoa, what was that? A determined little sharp toothed monkey just zipped across my bedroom! The monkey's going to bite me hard, again -- soon; I just know it! Hmmm, you know, just maybe I have a problem...

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

Instead of coming up with an outlandish question to ask during these hard times, I went out and caught this little one to bug you guys with. Hit a 1/4oz redeye shad. Guides were iced up BAD...I'm fed up with winter and there's still quite a bit of it left!

The 7'6" would be perfect, the shorter one would work also but my personal preference is to longer rods. I do use the same rod for both, a 7'6" HXF...

Oh how I want a air conditioner built into the front deck that blows cold air right up my shorts and cools of all the vitals, during those unbearable summers in Florida. It would not get any better then that!!!!!!

Aaaaand the JDMonkey just convinced me to buy a Shimano Poison Ultima...

Crankbaits that swim back to my boat after i lose them...

Why not if you want to. I'm both pro and con. When I'm offshore I always have 3 rods, a trolling set up, drift set up and casting and jig set up. I do change lures, leaders, etc, don't find re tying to be any kind of issue. On the jettie I usually have 2 with me, 1 for casting lures (retie again is no issue) and my barracuda combo. When fishing off the beach or bass fishing I'm on foot. I may have a couple of set ups with me, 1 stays in the car and I fish with the other. I like to travel light taking just a few lures with me, I find no effort in tying on a different lure. I'm there to relax and enjoy myself. I put no pressure on myself to be more efficient with my time or to compete. Being retired I've got nothing but time. I can go out for 30 minutes or be gone for 6 hours, just being out there is more rewarding than the fish itself.

For $100 your hard to beat the Abu Garcia Veritas 6'9" ML. Otherwise, I'd save my money and get a St. Croix Legend Tournament 6'10" ML for $260. For something that requires sensitivity (jigs, worms, ect) I'm more willing to spend extra. But like I said, I used a Veritas and its a good rod for the money that I still use on a regular basis.

Ice Fishing just doesn't do it. I already have all my rods (somewhere around 16) relined and ready to go. All my tackle organized with the exception of my cranks, next I am inspecting hooks/sharpening/replacing. I have never been so ready to go.

Thank you! Everyone else on this thread has either called me spoiled or made fun of me for having a lot of gear. This is not all the gear that I currently have, but all of the gear that I have EVER had for frog fishing. I probably own 5-8 of those setups now, and they are not used JUST for frog fishing. I fish Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits - lots of other stuff. Frogs are just my preferred lure of choice. Most of the rods on here are sold already. And, does it seem likely that I would've bought every one on there? Most of those have either been with gift cards, or for my birthday/Christmas. Thank you, BassinLou, for actually taking interest in this thread, rather than using it to make fun of me. Yes, I do understand that the thread was long and somewhat pointless, but I wanted to give my 2 cents on good gear for frog fishing.

I will say that I already applaud you for have the spunk to post on here after all the "hazing". A lot of people would have been long gone! By the way... Something tells me you like fishing frogs??? welcome aboard buddy.

The main rod locker on my boat had more spots than I had set ups. No sense in wasting the space, so I bought more rods to fill the boat. And then more outfits... And then a new boat with more storage...

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.

Stay local if you can. It's not the worth $$ sending it to St. Croix.

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,

Enigma (n) - a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.

I think this is the way to go. A number of guys are going to get skunked targeting a single winner. If just one hour, I'd better get something in the boat and for me, this would be the way to do it. I'd probably start with a senko and I'd also throw something on a keel weighted hook alternating with that trig. Get something in the live well and then worry about culling

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.

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

Stopped off at the little fishin' hole right off tombigbee river, it was cold and very windy yesterday. But, that's ok, figured a few casts, and make my way home. Throwing a purple charlie's worm, a few small bites, and about 50 yards out, I thought I saw a beaver, so I stand there and watch, two river otters playing and having a good ole time. I watched for what seems like 15 minutes. Then I got back to fishin'...Got a good strike, lost it, and my worm... So, rigging up a cutr worm, and see something flash in the water to my left by the drain and a pile of branches and junk the wind has blown in...then a head out of the branches, haha one of those little otters came over to check me out. He swam around the drain pipe for 5 or 10 minutes just checking me out. Then the other comes, he's out about 20' in front of me just going back and forth with his head up on a swivel, checking me out. I have never seen an otter in the wild before. They swam around, one of them was fishin' too he came up with a fish in his mouth. I ended up losing the cutr and put on a small craw, and landed a nice sized bowfin, I catch a lot of bowfin there, but occasionally when the water is higher and the weeds are alive I will catch a bass. Weeds are gone and water was REALLY low, after that, I headed home. Wish I had kept my phone in my pocket, fun story to tell the kids when I got home last night.

X2 on all these suggestions.

LOL - just saved me a lot of typing Thanks! I think that concept might have a little "wiggle room" these days, and yes, it's all depth-speed control. Buck viewed jump baits as the slower speed control lures. Actually, 'live bait' and 'dead bait' fell below the jump lure category. How fast or how slow depended upon how far or fast you "jumped" the lure. Shorter jumps = slower speeds. Pauses between jumps were considered "zero speed" control. Therefore, with a single retrieve, you could cover multiple speed options on the cast. Again though, based on weight and bulk of your jig or worm or spoon, if you moved it too fast (as in swimming perhaps), it would likely rise too far above bottom, and therefore you would lose your depth control component. "Jumping" always allowed for your bait to return back to bottom, whatever depth you were in. From what I can tell though, Buck never "dragged" to my knowledge, at least that I've been able to find. Haven't heard an exact explanation as to why. Theoretically you can "drag" any jig or worm without the need for a football head. Might have to dig a little deeper into the library and see if I can find a better answer for that one. -T9

Nice! I just told my buddy today I'm going to go nuts if I can't get out there and make a cast soon! I don't think I can get my gear any more organized.

nice vid kid! that really was done quite well!

Wait, wasn't Raider visiting Florida?

I normally do it with 3. I start with one at 30, leave the next guide out, then the next one at 160. I string it up with line and put it under load and move the middle guide around until it keeps the line the farthest off the blank. Then just continue spacing as normal.

I'm always happy when a bass sees my line, then I know for sure it sees my lure. Roger

You should be able to find some older generation Batson blanks on clearance now that they're introducing the new lines. St Croix SCII are priced nice. Bingham Enterprises Bing SHX blanks are good for the money. Dont have much experience with Mudhole MHX, but many seem to like them. Mudhole also has their CRB series which are inexpensive.

Why are there so many tools in an ordinary toolbox?

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...

i personally enjoy box car grafitti, those rods on the other hand..... not for me.

That may be because you have never been fishing with me. And that is not an invite. A-Jay

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

Grass carp will tug your line a bit...

Those fish Look Mexican?

found on a cached page on tackle direct... they were trying to hide it from us http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:CoQt6n8-0TQJ:www.tackledirect.com/rapala-sdr11-shadow-rap-lure.html+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us found it.. its a jerkbait ... :/ disappointing

I've fished most of their hardbaits, their frogs, EWG hooks, tungsten, reels, and their rods, zero complaints with any of it.

H20 makes some quality stuff. Their hard baits and frogs are great. Their ethos fishing rods are pretty dang good too... Especially since they go on sale for $39 all the time.