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In an effort to be I the water more I'm taking up other fish to target besides bass. I have a good buddy who exclusively targets trout and travels all over chasing them with a fly rod or center pin. Linked up with him this evening to learn how to target trout better then my accidental hook up when they smash a spinner bait or rattle trap when I'm fishing for smallies. He gave me one of his hand tied 1/32 oz maribu jigs and a float I tied it onto my drop shotting set up and tried it out. Lost my first one that hit but got the second one on the infamous last cast and I'm going home cast. Needless to say I'm hooked I'm getting a trout set up or two and going back Sunday and Monday.

Some guy named Dean rojas...

But at 48 cents you can't not buy them.

Megabass IP79 reel and a Megabass Destroyer X7 rod.

From the post-spawn through summer into early fall (in Florida: Apr thru Sep). Topwaters are especially good during a mild ripple, during twilight (dawn & dusk) and at night Roger

Picked up these two this morning, MBR 843 & 844. Hoping to fish them Sunday.

You should have gotten a tandem, she paddles, you fish!

My own little slice of heaven has been good to me. Got out on Friday evening and had quite a time. Fished nothing but a jerkbait the whole time. I caught a few small ones, and a 2.89 that was pretty fun. I decided to fish the arm adjacent to the arm with homes. I haven't put much time into it at all, but knew it had a steep break and deep water access. Within 4 casts, I'm hooked up with something big. After the first few seconds, I knew it was not a giant Bass, but rather a giant Wiper. After an incredible fight, no net, and a face full of jerkbait treble hooks, I managed to get her on the scales. 9.14 LBS. 27 INCHES. Unbelievable. Biggest Wiper I've seen in person, what a fish. It was an awesome way to end the evening. Water temps were 48-51. My dad came out this morning to see if I could put him on some Crappie at Clinton. It was extremely windy and choppy, and a lot cooler than we anticipated. We bailed on it and went to plan B. I didn't think the weekend could get much better after Friday's trip, but it did. Again, fished nothing but the same jerkbait the whole time. I taught my dad how to properly fish it, and he was on fish in no time. I was so proud. Between us we probably put 20 in the boat, including my 4.23 pounder, which was an amazing bite on a jerkbait. Soon after that fish, I snagged a giant Carp in the tail. Fought it for probably 10 minutes and chased it around with the trolling motor, only to have it shake the jerkbait boatside. I'm not too upset, but it was probably pushing 20 pounds haha. I should have checked my knot afterwards, because shortly after I snagged on deep brush, and lost my Pro Blue. Other than that, it was another great day.

Id get the *** with that budget.

Following recommendations from the forum my new tournament pro paired with a fenwick elite tech bass...I think it looks sweet, just waiting for ice out!

I've been using Vanish for many years in most of the pound test ratings, despite all the negative press it gets. I've mainly used it as leader material though, with braid as my mainlines. I've used 2#, 4#, 6#, 8#, 10# and 17# tests. Have never experienced a problem. I join this material to my braid using the Alberto knot and rarely (I can't remember the last time) that I've broken off. I do change my leaders several times during the season. Never used it for my main line however, as I believe braid functions better as such. Remember, just because a line costs less, doesn't necessarily mean that it is of less quality. Same with rods and reels. And I've had quite a few in my day. You just cannot buy success.

As they say...."a day on the water beats work"...get out ... enjoy what our good Lord has created ... tomorrow is an unknown.

Big fan of Power Team Lures Swingin Hammer, got best results out of it on the back of a chatter bait. I really like it on a chatter bait when I take the skirt off...

In that 30 minutes you could of Googled your question and had all the answers you would need. Yes it will be just fine. I fish #16 fluoro all the time. From weightless senkos to 1/2oz jigs

I just bought over 30 bags of YUM baits I didn't need from Academy because they were $.48, it happens to everyone.

In the morning during the summer

The same baits I use when its not raining.

Going to Florida monday. Gonna be fishing the Everglades out by alligator alley and highway 27 mostly than gonna shoot up to Okeechobee for a day for a guided trip. Hopefully gonna get on some slobs!!! Can't wait to bust out the jigs at the glades.

So, if any of you saw or read my thread on the best bang for your buck spinning reel, Jon, otherwise known as bassin is addicting, sent ME a near perfect Pfleuger President 6730, for NO CHARGE. He shipped it last week on 2-day but it was delayed and I received it on Tuesday the 11th. When I opened the box and unwrapped the paper, I nearly peed myself. Not only did he send me the reel, at least over $100 in tackle or more was sitting in the box. This package included, a TON of Soft plastics, crankbaits, Jigs, shakey heads, hooks, topwater frogs, a spinnerbait, split shots, sinkers. Most of them were pre rigged too. Not to mention, he messaged me updating me on order status as if i was ordering from cabela's or bass pro. He is risking not having an extra rigged reel for a tournament hes is fishing this weekend, to send ME, a 14 year old he doesn't know at all, a FREE Spinnning reel And tackle. I would like to say once again to Jon, I thank you very much for this. You have helped me out a lot, saved me a BOATLOAD, and i use capitals for emphasis, a BOATLOAD of money that i do not necessarily have a lot of to be spending. You are a great guy to do this, I hope the good lord will return you good doing 10-fold. If any one else is seeing this definetly leave a props to this guy in the comments or a good note in the flea market section section for him. Very much deserved for a selfless act. I can't thank you enough Jon!!!!!!!

everytime i check my powerball numbers i have the same feeling.....

Went fishing yesterday in my father in laws private lake where I usually only fish with my sons and had to beg my wife to come ... I tied her on a red eye shad on my sons sahara 3000 with 15lb braid and a 8lb Fluro leader ... Three casts later I was having weird sexual attraction to this woman who'd just caught a nice pre spawn fish lol

Ok guys Lake Verret is part of the Atchafalaya Swamp! 1. Crackerhead canals 2. Canals & bayous near Pierre Part Look for water coming out of the swamp Lake Verret, fish cyprees trees

Another recommendation for BFGoodrich All Terrains. The only tire I'll ever buy again. I had a set of 305s with 15k miles on them I paid $800 for with aftermarket 18" runs. After another 60k miles and a valve stem failure at 75mph, all four still had at least a quarter tread left. Sold them for $600 and now I'm running 285s. 30k miles and no measurable tread depth loss.

Effects on other life forms don’t necessarily stretch across all life forms. We all love such an idea, as a unifying theory simplifies things. There are unifying things but they are difficult to get at, and we are easily fooled. Every scientist who has gotten in deep –put in the work– has come up against their own biases. What is “known” about moon effects on freshwater fish comes from fisherman’s theories, angler catch records, and scientists research. Angler theories are rarely, if ever, really appropriately tested and when taken collectively include the entire month! They can’t all be right. Angler catch records some say show some statistical evidence for lunar effects. None have held up to rigorous statistical evaluation however. Scientific research looking at lunar effects on bass have not shown any solid effects. I attempted to tackle the question myself and did not find any smoking guns that could not be explained by other means. I am not terribly enamored by moon theories anymore, however I will keep an open mind. It is still possible that even a minor effect (such as moon influence) could be unmasked from the shadow of more important (and likely more local) effectors in certain circumstances. I’m not closed to that. But I’m highly skeptical, esp where sufficient rigor has not been applied. It’s human nature to jump at answers. The sun coming up every day, through the year, and even beyond, is the most reliable thing known. I think what Roger’s referring to is the fact that there are events that affect reproduction that, if recognized, make reasonably good predictors. In that case he’s talking recruitment: water level being an important –even critical– factor in year class success. He’s right. Doesn’t mean it’ll pan out exactly as planned, but the pattern of high water during the spawn tends to result in good YOY (young-of-the-year) survivorship. That’s the start for a strong year class. It's a good prediction.

I always dip my baits in the garage and put into bags right before a fishing trip. I don't have to worry about spills that way.

Really any time you see fish coming up to bust shad or other baitfish is a good time which happens a lot in the fall. Clear water is where this bait seems to shine the most and can have some serious drawing power. In clear ponds, I've caught some big bass at dusk with a super spook.

Fall seems to be the best for me.

I keep my dog's collar fastened around the steering wheel base of my boat. She was a constant companion whenever I'd go out and would drive us nuts until she was in the truck when she knew where I was going. If I forget to rub that collar, or at the very least acknowledge its presence, I'll have an extremely poor outing.

Cousins Tackle is in Huntington Beach CA, custom rod builder who recently merged with another company and offering off the shelf rods. Go online Cousinstackle.com They had a big display at the Fred Hall show, rods look and feel very good. Tom

jealous of both the fish AND the short sleeves. good goin' RoLo and Lois!

Good news. And everybody thinks teaching is easy.

I think the bait monkey will be away until next year, unless I end up losing these...? (Fingers crossed) really looking forward to trying all these baits, surprising the duo spinbait caught me a 10 lb steelhead! (Savage Gear 6 inch trout sink and floater.) (Duo Realis spinbait 80) (luckycraft pointers) (deps buzzbait jr w custom bass color) (Duo realis g87 deep cranks) (Black Dog Shellcracker) (Megabass S-Cranks) Finally took the plunge to find out if thsee expensive brands live up to the hype...? Good luck fellas!

3/8 Arkie head.

you can use Styrofoam and cut a round hole to size inside a piece of Tupperware/plastic

I'd never put it past a smallmouth to pull out a switchblade. : )

Lake smallies vs river smallies are night and day to me. River smallies are beasts, but I feel like any river fish is going to "outperform" a lake fish. Never caught a spot but they sound fun. But my bias vote is river smallmouth

If a barb is stopping me from making a good hookset, I need to turn in my man-card. For catching average sized fish, I could understand crushing barbs. I don't do it, but wouldn't be concerned if I was forced to. However, when I am fortunate enough to hook into a much larger than average fish, I want as many advantages as possible. Crazy things happen with big fish that don't happen with average sized fish, especially close to the boat. A barbed hook is just a small insurance policy for keeping Big Mama buttoned on. As far as being better for the fish, that only applies only if you are a newbie & don't know how to quickly remove a barbed hook. If hooking yourself more than the one time (where you learn your lesson) is an issue, then you need to just admit that you are pigheaded. 35 years ago, I fired a snagged crankbait out of a bush into my arm past the barb. That taught me not to do things like that & I haven't since.

Link: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/f7af64 Credit: FWC

Having a great day so far. He has opened up a lot. Seems his dad committed suicide when he was a teenager... Had no clue. He said his wife doesn't even know. I feel terrible for him. On the bright side, he made an apt with his doctor and is going to talk to him about anxiety and depression. I'm very proud of him for that. Apt is Tuesday, and his wife is taking him. I think he has just bottled everything up since he was young and it's finally running over. I'll update after the appointment. Thanks for all the advice and prayers for him.

I like this, and agree

I like the Owner Hyper Welded Quick Snaps. Expensive but very durable.

Looks great, can't even tell where the weights are on the picture.

I caught my new PB 11lbs 2oz on Sunday. I was fishing a Strike King Redeye Shad and I casted parallel to the bank about 15-20ft off shore. She slammed my Redeye and my retrieve just stopped thought I was hung up til she took off. I fought her for a long time til she tired out and my buddy grabbed her. Funny I caught a 9lb 5oz on the same lure. Both fish are Florida FWC Trophy Catch certified and are swimming around to be caught again. It has been crazy here in Jacksonville, when I get time I will grab a bunch of pics of my buddies and I fish from 2015 and we are just a 1/4 way through the year. 9lbs 5oz Can't desribe the feeling of catching one of these BUT the better feeling is knowing that they are swimming around to, breed, and hopefully be caught again

As far as sheer pulling power, I feel it goes to the spot. But if they got drunk one night and took it outside, I'd say smallie.

Nice ones Paul. Both of those girls have black marked tails.

My misses is feeding a large herd of deer, mainly pregnant does, there two year old fawns and there one year old fawns. There here every night all night long. We have the good corn that's coated with molasses. Now the daddy to all these babies is almost 275lbs with a 16pt rack. He came through my field one day while we were repairing a tractor. He had 8 does with him. I hope he lives a few more years yet to spread those genes. We need to get out and look for sheds soon. I have the granddaddy of all bucks at my camp in vt. He's well over 300lbs and a rack that looks like 20pts. He stays out of range. There's a ridge that faces the north and gets the cold air from Canada all the time. He has a separate run above the does run. I use a bdc (bullet drop compisation) scope that has a adjustable turret that adjusts from 100yds out to 500yds with no error. Hoping a get a shot someday is why I still go hunting.

I like fishing the thickest nastiest cover I can find. The kind of places that other fisherman wont cast to for fear of getting stuck. I would prefer it to be unobvious, sunken and way off shore. I guess I would call myself a jig fisherman above all else. I do fish onshore but again I want it to be the thickest nastiest kind of cover. I would cast directly into the center of this:

I agree that everything possible should be done to protect the resources we have available to us. I won't dispute that as it seems like a pretty common sense approach to maintaining the fish we love. I'll still steadfastly hold to the notion that a true vertical hold on green fish does nothing to harm them. Please see the example here: That's 11lb 1oz of goodness. Why do I post this pic? Because the guy holding it was commissioned to autopsy the most famous US bass ever caught. His name is Steve Pagliughi. He is actually a biologist living in California, sticking GIANT fish on the regular. He will also state that a TRUE vertical hold, as you see in this example, does nothing to harm a fish's jaw. I applaud the message in the OP. Fish care is important. I cringe when I see the "Jimmy Houston hold" pics with the jaw getting jacked and the fish sticking out parrallel to the ground. That is bad. I actually take photos both ways of big fish in an effort to get the best portrayal of a fish's size. I believe keeping fish out of the water too long for pics does much more harm than a true vertical hold. Just my opinion. Good topic for discussion.

Here ya go ~ A-Jay

Go to TireRack.com http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT and read the reviews & surveys regarding the tires you're interested in - very good info there. I'm running BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO's very happy with them - Snow & off road here is a way of Life. They've Never let me down - big confidence booster out in the middle of No-Where. A-Jay