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I was flipping the RAGE Smokin' Rooster in Blue Craw color... and it was just a bit more than she could resist! A Pretty Gal for sure!! She came in the boat for a quick photo then went right back into the lake.

Got here Tuesday.......

a 3/8oz spinnerbait and a rod to handle 1 1/2oz A-rigs are 2 different rods for me.

Well I got up to Lake Champlain on the long weekend. I managed to up my pb Northern Pike by 2lbs with this guy he went 10lbs 2oz. My Swaver 200 perch swimbait has seen better days.

Seems like it's rained every day for the last 2 weeks here. I was going either way Tuesday but thankfully it stayed clear enough for me to use my Garmin Virb Elite and get some of my fish on camera.

I basically don't fish treble hooks or crankbaits at all anymore because of that very problem. It really takes the fun out of fishing when you have to seriously injure a fish for sport. Plus it's not fun to have trebles stuck in the end of your finger.

Worry about your own ethics You cant control other people's standards, morals or values

If so, this is the first one I've ever caught! Coolest thing that happened to me in a long, long time. (Yes, I get excited over little things.) 1/4 oz Cavitron.

Putting a hook in a fishes eye is an accident by the angler but holding a fish improperly is ignorance. You can educate ignorance but you can't really stop accidents.

Like others here I've caught a surprising amount of fish with an eye missing, so it doesn't necessarily mean death for the fish. However I'm not crazy about multi-treble hooked lures. I always bend down the barbs and sometimes I'll just replace the trebles with doubles or singles. No need for an entire lure to be covered with hook points. Most of my inline spinners now sport a single hook in place of a treble after a rather gruesome (and bloody) incident when a Crappie engulfed a spinner.

Hootie, it sounds like the bass in your area are really keeping an eye on your lures.

The first one was on a guided trip on Fork caught on a 10XD. The other ones are my first jig fish using a Sieberts/Vile Craw throwing around boat docks.

I'd like to think that validates my purchase of a baby bass swimbait....thanks!

Got to spend some time last week down below the Ft Meyers area. Both out and sea and on the beach. Truly amazing. Went out to the clear water in the boat (bout 18 miles) and got cobia, cuda, snapper...it was non stop action...amazing. And walking the beach caught snook and several other species I've never caught but seen on TV. There's one little fish called a skipjack I believe that finned me and dannnnng...stung like a bee for a couple hours!! Saw lots of fish and other stuff cruising the beach too. Would like to do it again. Tight Lines

I have probably caught between 75-100 smallies that were blind in one eye. The loss of one eye does not keep them from eating.

If a human lost his/her eye in an accident would you exterminate them?

Actually bass with damaged eyes are an evolutionary god-send as they are the ones who most willingly spawn with the ugly bass. oe

Well they did not last long at JLS, but one is on the way.......

If you fish very long or very much you will injure fish. A fish with a damaged eye may live long and prosper. One kept and eaten, no chance. I agree that care should be taken when releasing fish, but I am not going to remove hooks in an attempt to eliminate injury. Fishing is a blood sport...

Unfortunately harm and sometimes death may occur to fish when its caught. As far as an eye of a fish being hooked, it is close to impossible to remove a hook that has penetrated right through the middle of the jelly, without losing the eye. Again, unfortunate, however the fish will survive and possibly live a full life. I have caught very nice bass where one of their eyes have been missing for quite some time.

It happens and if it went right into the fish's eye, would careful hook removing prevent any problems? I am guessing it wouldn't. As far as keeping fish goes, i have caught plenty of fish with one eye over the years so to release it at least gives it a chance to survive.

All those big girls are giving your rotator cuff a workout.

Numbers bait? Easy - 5" single tail grub. Can be rigged many ways and occasionally can catch size as well as numbers. I've caught 2907 fish on 5" grubs in the last 5 1/2 seasons. Honorable mention goes to 3" and 4" stick worms - 1503 fish on them in the same period. 5" grub fish...

Alright Smartypants, I do love my Rod Wraps, but, as Scott has mentioned, I have not (and will not) wrap my Sage Custom out of respect of Scott's insane talent and workmanship. Putting Rod Wrap on one of his ornate grips is like putting a veil on the Mona Lisa. You just can't cover up art like that and if the grip on this 11 wt is anything like that Sage or the handle in this thread, that will become the second rod I will own wothout a wrap.

Best just to leave them in the package IMO.

I don't need five, I can make do with two. A 7' M power spinning rod, and a 7'MH power casting rod. Duct tape and super glue of bass fishing.

I am man enough to say that that brought a tear to my eye, made me miss the ones who have come before, and I went and gave my two 4 legged boys a hug and kiss. Everyone should be so lucky to have some 4 legged best friends in their lives! Jeff

The fleet hanging out on the floor

If an oversize flapping claw type bait is what your looking for, check out the semi-newish, but available at Wal-mart and TW, Yum Christie Craw. I have been impressed with them, and the best part is they are $2.99 for an 8 ct. bag at both places. The Havoc Pit Boss in all three sizes is my go-to flipping, pitching, jig trailer "craw-esq" style bait. But sometimes I want a bait that moves a little more. I have tried many of the following baits over the years, and my thoughts on each..............keep in mind I am reviewing these simply from a claw action standpoint, they all catch fish, but when I want to use a bait whose close are supposed to move, they better dang well move..........on to the "review": Berkley chigger craw: Not a fan, claws don't flap unless you peg a heavy sinker to it, and make it fall fast. Berkley Havoc craw fatty: Pretty much the same as the chigger craw. Netbait Paca craw: way more claw action than both of the Berkley offerings, and was my "go-to" craw of this style for years. Yum Craw Papi: Same as the Berkley's, yet, even at higher speeds and faster fall rates, flapping performance was poor at best. Strike King Rage Craws: Equal to if not better than the Paca Craw, only downsided...........price per bait is more than I care to spend. Big Bite Baits Swimmig Craw: Better than the Berkley's, but still not quite as good as the Paca and/or Rage craws. Plus they just are not available locally. I like most of my stuff to be had from the local places within short driving distance....making TW orders every time I just need a pack or two of something gets expensive real fast, because I always spend the $50 to get the free shipping, and rarely stop at the $50 mark either LOL. Yum Christie Craw: Finally a cost effective "action claw" type of craw bait that actually performs at slow speeds. I have been using them a lot this year, and so far, I like them. Plus they are at the walmart 3 mins. away, are cheap, and have been productive. Is this my new favorite? Who knows, but it's my new favorite for right now.

Once I feel a fish on, I give the rod a decent but not violent sweep. Use a medium power rod with a med to slow tip. As for playing a fish, dinks get reeled in rather quickly, while bigger fish I take my time with and never horse them in. I don't play them to the point of exhaustion, just try to not put a ton of pressure on a big fish. Never though do I surf a fish in, kind of takes the fun out of it lol.

Give your dog a hug today. http://www.robynarouty.com/i-died-today/

If I lived every day like it was my last, the body count would be astonishing.

Bass are a renewable resource, keeping a serverly injured bass isn't going to harm the fishery. I can count on 1 hand the number of 1 eyed fish I have caught over my lifetime, very few. Yes, they can survive if desease doesn't get to them or some other predator. It would have been better PR to edite that video! Catch & release has become a cult with some anglers, it's good to practice within reason. Tom

Welcome to the smallmouth fraternity deep.

Missouri allows open containers on boats as long as they aren't the huge multi-gallon containers used for beer bongs. Any reasonable person should be against boating while intoxicated or boating while under the influence. However, to state that anyone on a lake with beer is a loser, an idiot, etc indicates a lack of consideration for nuance. Here's a perfect example. My wife and I take lunch on the boat and we will park in the back of a deserted cove to eat said lunch. On occasion, though not often, we will each have one beer with our lunch. One 5 percent beer is .6 of an ounce of alcohol and the body disposes of that amount within an hour or so. We drink lighter beers on the water which are less than 5 percent, and thus, take less time to wear off. We spend more than an hour in that cove after we finish those beers. When we finish lunch we fish our way out of the cove with the trolling motor. Abide by the laws of your state. Be disciplined enough to drink responsibly and avoid driving your boat under the influence. If you do not have that discipline, then you shouldn't take alcohol on the water with you.

It just occurred to me that I was using a BPS LazerEye spinnerbait. Maybe I didn't take the eye thing seriously enough....lol. Hootie

Another topic gone from informative to stupid. Hootie

I'll put this on the FB page too but just so you guys can see, fish weren't hard to get at Lone Star on Tuesday. Lots of fish that were left out of the video and I only fished less than 1/2 of the lake and had a limited amount of time to do it.

That's all you had to say. Throw some Mustad KVD short shanks on your cranks and I think your landing rate will go up. Also, whenever I hook a fish on a crankbait I kneel down and dip my rod in the water as far as I can to discourage the fish from jumping. Hope this helps.

My most productive technique is a T Rig for numbers and size... Mike

Just cuaght this carp 30mins ago:

Open container law in my state. Automatic DUI and they confiscate your boat; plus you'll probably lose your job too, not to mention your insurance goes through the roof. Not worth a beer. It can wait.

Here's one of the pictures I promised. Got a bit lucky on this one.

Chuck the perch, fry the grubs

My 4 horsemen now that the spinning rig is up and running *** Black 7'3" HXF & BB1 Pro w/55# FX2 Dobyns 705cb glass & Curado I w/12# Tatsu NRX 852c & Ito Ai w/15# Smackdown *** Black 7'1" MLXF & Supreme XT w/8# Yo-Zuri Hybrid Stoked to head out tomorrow.

Once the little one gets a little bigger and we get a couple things paid off I will get down there. Hopefully that will be while the fishing is still hot down there.

A few from the last week or so. 17.5'' 17.5'' A few smallies showed up. I even got a handful of browns saturday morning.

This was the only Hawg I caught this past Saturday.... I know sad. Caught on a Siebert's Sunfish swim jig with a green pumpkin Rage Tail Menace. Did have a few short strikes, and hooked a Pickeral luckily that came off by it self at the bank.

Theres a beer in this photo. I like beer . If I feel like having a beer , I have one and dont think anything of it .