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I find being awake is usually what makes me want to buy fishing gear but I do sometimes get the urge while I'm sleeping as well.

The new Aldebaran has landed..

Re-posted because I think it applies & it's Funny After compiling & tabulating years & years of fish weighing data, the following “How Much Does This Weigh?” Scale has finally been completed. This most accurate unit of measure is particularly effective for those who have never owned a scale, refuse to purchase one and or have never weighed more than 3 fish in their entire life. And best of all it is being offered right here & now for the first time, totally Free of charge. See Below ~ If you (as the angler who landed said bass) believe the fish in question to be . . . . Between 3-5 pounds – the actual weight is at least 1 pound less than you think it is. Between 5-7 pounds – the actual weight is at least 2 pounds less than you think it is. Between 8-10 pounds – the actual weight is at least 3 pounds less than you think it is. Over 10 pounds – at this point our scale varies so widely that we cannot publish the results at this time. For those anglers who may have a question regarding the accuracy of these findings – get a scale. And see for yourself. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. A-Jay

People who don't weigh bass tend to catch a ton of 5-6 lbers and even a few 8's. People who weigh fish tend to catch more 3-5 lbers with a couple 5-6's thrown in.

Once one begins accurately weighing fish, it doesn't take long to realize just how big a true five pound bass actually is. A-Jay

This past year was an exceptional year for me. It would have to be an A. I did not get a personal best nor did I catch very many over 7 lbs. The consistency was difficult to beat. For the season I landed 56 largemouth over 5lbs mostly form Maine. I also landed just shy of 1400 largemouth. Didn't land any big smallmouth nor did I land an exceptional amount only 182 but I don't target them. My heaviest 5 fish bag for the year was exceptional for New England in my opinion weighing 5 fish for 30 lbs 6 oz. I would give this past season an A because of the incredible consistency. The season started off very well and the fishing never seemed to slow down. I did well in my club tournaments finishing 3rd, 1st, 1st, and 1st to win angler of the year as a non-boater beating all the boaters as well, 43 members in my club. Finished well in the other 4 tournaments I fished 4th, 5th, 3rd, 4th. I would give 2013 an A as well, landing an incredible amount over 7 lbs out of Maine and Vermont, 13 over 7, 3 over 8 and 1 over 9, including my personal best at 9 lbs 1 oz. The past two seasons have been exceptional and hopefully this will be a great year as well.

Hey Noobie I'm Mike Prine , Talk To Your Mom and Dad , Tell Them I'd Like To Send You Some Tackle , No Charge. Need For You To Get There Permission. If They Need My Phone Number To Touch Base That's Fine. Once That's Done , Send Me Your Address And I'll Get Some Tackle To You. Hope I Didn't Break Any Site Rules , If I Did (Sorry). Mike P.

My early fishing on Lake Erie for 2014 was a disappointment. Delayed ice out with a stubborn warm up produced my second worst year overall for quality smallies. Summer & fall were off as well. My only salvation was a new PB largemouth in Florida this last December.

Yamamoto grub on a darter head

yesterday!!!

There are some reasons for weighing bass other than competitive reasons. After you weigh a few bigger fish, you have at least some idea of what a big fish really is in your area. That way you will know when you have a big fish on, rather than being like some who call a 3 lb fish a 5 lb'er. After weighing a few, you know which ones deserve to be weighed and which ones can be release immediately for the most part. Of course those that are on the cusp of being large get weighed so that you know for sure. Weighing fish also allows you to gauge your improvement. If you are one whose goal is to catch bigger fish, you need some empirical evidence so that you know if you are reaching your goal or not. For someone like me, it is also about competing with myself and sharing the experience. I don't get on the water enough every year to be as good as some of the sticks on this forum; and even if I did, who's to say I could ever be that good. The numbers of big fish I catch are far less than someone who puts 100 - 150 days a year on the water. Anglers with that experience know what they are doing and it would be quite hubristic of me to try to compete with them. However, when I catch a decent fish I will post it and share it with everyone. We all enjoy pictures of nice fish no matter who catches it and it is enjoyable to give each other a pat on the back for nice fish. It is difficult to pat someone on the back when the fish looks to be 4 lbs and the poster states that it weighs 7, though most of us do without saying a word. Using a scale allows us to avoid these situations.

By the time ya get your cell out! I've weighed it already

I'd be interested in pretty much any Lucky Craft at that price, except the Live Pointers.

Silver Buddy

Looking back at 2014, I'd say every thing happened like most seasons on my local waters. it just happen faster or earlier. My spring bite came late & ended quickly. My summer bite started and ended a little sooner than I expected. And my fall bite started the first week of August and was done by the second week of September. I had what seemed like a late fall / winter type bite in October that was mostly a blade bait deal. During mid summer historically speaking, most of my smallmouth come from deep water on a drop shot. The largemouth can be targeted with jigs on shallow and mid depth cover. This season, even during the summer both big smallies and largemouth stayed shallow and I caught more good fish on shallow crank baits this year than most recent years. Can't really account for it but I did enjoy it. Square bills and lipless baits worked all year, jigs not so much. As this winter eventually turns into spring, I'll be watching the dates of this transition closely. Last year was dramatically different (late) from most anything I've seen. But now I have a guide, so if this spring is similar, I'll have a baseline and something to work with - So I'm looking forward to it all even more. Additionally, I was extremely fortunate to travel a little and fish a couple of world class fisheries with good friends. One place yielded a couple of Double digit largemouth and the other a couple of PB Walleye. But the important thing to remember here is; Regardless of the catches, if you get to do it, Every Fishing Season Is a total success ! To look at it any other way is a failure. A-Jay

What I Learned From the Classic: All about Rage Tails from Steve Parks; Mark Menendez is coming back to the Elite series next year; Tony Chachere is going back to the Opens next year; Luke Clausen is a great guy and will talk to you; don't try to drive into the parking lot - have wife drop you off at gas station about half mile away and walk to the Convention Center; Glenn may is a great guy; Bobby from MegaStrike continues to be swamped at these shows; the St. Croix guys were outstanding and helped me pick my next rod; talked to the lithium battery guy and those batteries are amazing; got to meet Pete Gluszek, one of my favorites; there is one original bass boat from the first Classic still around in pristine condition; Mercury engine guys were very helpful about what additives to add to your gasoline; the Berkley scientists explained so much about Berkley products and their research; Berkley mechanical engineer in charge of developing their rods shared a lot of information with me about what he does and rod construction; and so much more that I can't think of anything more to add. So What I Learned From the Classic? A lot. And I mean A LOT!!!

Why bother with a picture? Why bother even lifting the fish out of the water? Why not just dispense with hooks altogether? Better yet, I can stay home and play video games, and make up fish stories. The point is, who's business is it of yours if someone enjoys the competitive nature of fishing, whether it's a tournament or not? You never see the guys that weigh fish ask why you don't, unless you start making claims - which is pretty funny. So why are you concerned with the guy that does weigh them?

If you use a boga grip as part of the unhooking process reading the scale takes no time at all. I don't weigh every fish just the nicer ones. But my right to weigh a fish is just as important as your right not to. Everybodys different.

Tournament fishing was an A...............fished 14 tournaments, finished in the money in 8. One win and 7 second place finishes. Fun fishing was a B+...my home lake was slower this year in the summer than usual, I "only" caught two fish over 6lbs this year. Everything else was an A+..............boat didn't sink, nothing expensive broke, I didn't drown, I had a good time with my buddies and got to take my kids fishing several times.

Good deal but who actually uses Live Pointers?

Screw the bait monkey, the accountant told me to do it this time!

It's 2015 and most people shop online for the best deal they can get on a particular product. I'd say 8/10 people don't buy at retail prices.

11.2 lb Spotted bass was caught at Bullards Bar reservior in CA this weekend. Tom

Easy. Theme to Jaws.

It's not the clubs. Back when I had hair and it was dark, I could bomb them out there with the best of them and carried a 2 handicap. As the years passed, I tried harder and harder to keep up with the youngsters off the tees, and refused to adjust my club selection when it came to approach shots. All I did was make myself over swing and accuracy went down the drain. Handicap ballooned to double digits. I finally got back down to a 5 when I did the following. My advice is to swallow your pride, and be happy with the distance you can get off the tees. Then when you are standing in the fairway looking at the green, add at least one club to your approach shot and take a nice easy swing. Spend more time on the range with nothing but a 7-Iron to Wedge. Learn to bump and run more, and look for the big backspin less. I use my putter stroke and an 8-Iron on many shots around the fringe. Work on your putting skills with the same philosophy. Shake out the kinks, use a gentle grip, and keep your head still. You can save way more strokes with a good short game than you can by winning your leagues long drive pot every week.

Mike asked Ted what he did for his wife for Valentine's Day. Ted said I got her a belt and a bag. Mike responded, my that was thoughtful of you. To which Ted replied, maybe now she will quit complaining about her vacuum being broke.

If you aren't buying some of your tackle on Ebay, you're probably paying too much.

Pay it forward badass. Helping the younger generation is where our sport rules.

RETIRED HUSBAND After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men; I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target: Dear Mrs. XXXXX: Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion, in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Harris, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras: 1. June 15: He took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking. 2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals. 3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom. 4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money. We don't have a Code 3. 5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway. 6. August 14: Moved a, 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area. 7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged. 8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called. 9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose. 10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were. 11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while, loudly humming the, 'Mission Impossible' theme. 12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his, 'Madonna Look' using different sizes of funnels. 13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!' 14. October 22: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed: 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!' 15. October 23: Took a box of condoms to the checkout clerk and asked where is the fitting room? And last, but not least: 16. October 24: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile; then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out. Sincerely Yours, XXXXXXXX XXXXXX Store Manager, Target #1233 My wife now thinks that I should spend my time - Fishing more often.

Does anyone know if he gave out the same bait he used to anyone else or kept them to himself?

"Voodoo Chile" by either Jimi or SRV

I think Matthew is right. Minimum post content should be appropriate, say 4500 on up .

Catt my home lake, Cedar, here in southern Illinois is no Lake Fork, but it is one of the best bass lakes in the state for the same reason. Slot limits and selective harvest work. The same arguments are used to make a case against hunting. There are currently more whitetail deer in Illinois than ever because of hunters. I don't care if someone is opposed to eating bass or venison. It's all good. Making emotional statements condemning those of us who do-not so much

The few times I ever did ice fish,I could never hit the hole when I cast,so I gave it up.

Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spots are the only species allowed in pretty much all tournaments

Silver Flash, Dark Sculpin & Pro Staff Special in clear water

TW is my homepage

I wired the compartment lights to the acc. switch so I could turn on and off as needed. And I wired the the gunnel lights to a waterproof micro switch at the dash so they could be turned off while running. The led lights are very bright and I could not see past them during low light or night time conditions. Its also helpful at the center storage compartment to install the light onto the lid instead of inside the compartment. This will help when rigging up in the dark. Also BPS has a new kit including 4 lights for around $60.

Sales

I have been throwing braid for years, and I have had 0 problems on my rods and/or guides.

I've got two boxes full and have had no issues. Some have sat in that box for over a year. My biggest issue is trying to pull one out of the middle and the skirts get hung up or pinched by the bait next to it. But still stores them nicely.

Newest toy

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar on Me

I watched every minute of the live broadcast. I honestly learned a lot BUT it's all over the place ... Casey - Home field advantage and a lot of prep work goes a long way. He fished within the rules and his preparation was rewarded with a Classic title. Tak - Fished way outside his comfort zone and kept with it regardless how much he "hates drop shotting". His commitment to something which was outside of his comfort zone is impressive. Ike - Had a solid plan ... worked it to death. Just didn't get the big ones to take him to the title. Howell - Stuck to what he was confident in and again died doing it. Maybe he should have changed up but his dedication to his confidence lure also almost got him a 2nd title. So long story short .... There are numerous ways to catch them on any given day ... it's the ability to adapt and make decisions at the right time which separates one from another.

So, if I planted brush piles on my home lake and then 5 years later become an elite series pro, am I then supposed to not be allowed to fish any events on that lake?

Yep...id eat that!

By the way, a stripper is a woman who takes off her clothes for money. A Striper is a fish.

So if he wins the classic, will BPS have a special sale on the lures he used, or just on bundles of tree branches? I've got to agree. So if he wins, do you think BPS will be running a sale on the lures he used, or just on bundles of tree branches?

I live by the golden rule: Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself. Now, I know the reproduction process is a bit different for fish, but I wouldn't want someone yanking me off my bed by the mouth while I'm "spawning".