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Sorry guys but I completely disagree with most of the post here. There is much more to this story then some may believe. Moosehead lake is the largest lake in the entire US with a completely native Brook Trout population. Smallmouth bass are an illegally introduced species that directly competes with Brook Trout. I wonder how many people here commented here have actually ever been to Moosehead Lake ? My family has had a camp on Moosehead for the past 20 years. I also worked for Maine Fish and Wildlife as a Fish Biologist Assistant out of the Greenville office which is located on Moosehead Lake. This isn't a tournament aimed at killing bass for the sake of killing bass. This is an effort to preserve a very unique and famous native fish population. There aren't any big lakes in this country where an angler can catch large native brook trout. If there was an invasive species degrading the fishing in your local lake wouldn't you want something to be done about it. Lets say an invasive South American fish was devastating Lake Fork. Wouldn't you want something done about it ? I think it is pretty selfish of some individuals to not only stock bass in Moosehead but to then have such hatred towards other anglers because they don't like the fact that some bucket biologist decided to put bass in a prestine, remote, world famous native brook trout lake. Lets ignore the fact that this lake is the best native brook trout fishing in the entire country just so we can catch bass. Its pretty ridiculous guys. Smallmouth have been have been degrading the native Brook Trout population. This tourney wasn't just some trout anglers idea. As it stands right now the State of Maine allows for the harvesting of all bass caught by special regulation. Moosehead Lake isn't just some random lake in Maine. Do some research into the subject guys.

Well after close to 10 trips on my Stella and landing some nice size fish I can definitely say the Stella FI is one amazing reel. Tested it against a buddies Stella FE and the FI is smoother. Fished it side by side with my ci4+ and I once thought my ci4+ was buttery smooth but now it seems semi rough when picking up the Stella right after. Is it worth it? My honest opinion is a fresh water spinning reel should never be sold over $500 unless made of platinum and diamonds. I just can't see enough benefits to the techs added in a spinning reel unlike a baitcaster. I got mine for a really good deal but it was still over $500. Even with my opinions, my Stella is definitely worth it to me lol. Why is it worth it, well it puts a smile to my face every time I use it knowing it performs just as good as it looks. It does not make fish jump in the boat but it makes me enjoy fishing even more knowing I'm focusing on the fish, lure, and my gears. Well this post keeps getting off track with color coordinating but I guess I can contribute with a picture of my setup. Hey it even color matches!

I went out this past Sunday 7th, 2.5 weeks after having my tricep re-attached to my elbow. My wife said I'm crazy but I felt ok. It was some of the most fun I've had fishing recently to be honest. A little uncomfortable but it was just nice to get out. We caught the bejeeses outta them too.....one armed.

This one has all the qualities I like in a pic, big fish in an awesome environment. This one is my PB pic, got a good shot on my own that day somehow. I still think this may be the best big fish pic I've ever seen though...

Shaky head in shallow water and in the grass lines when the fishing gets tough or you just want to give it a shot. Texas rigged worm all the time in all conditions and depths.

This is the best looking bass I have ever seen, caught by grantman here in wilmington nc. Is this a spotted bass?

They need to put some snakeheads in there to eat the bass!

I keep a few Stellas in the toolbox in the truck, in case I need to change a tire. You have to chock the wheels with something! They're just the right shape.

Seeing something like that in a trash can is upsetting. And this is my final post on the matter but I just went to the Moosehead Lake Fisheries Coalition's facebook page. It has 58 likes - my wife's dog page has 475 - it's all about perspective. A-Jay

Fair enough - but the lake is 40 miles long by 10 miles wide. The effects of Hook & line eradication seem minimal at best. A-Jay

To answer your question a Stella is worth every penny it costs and then some provided you own one. Now that does not mean everyone has to agree about owning a Stella it just says they are one sweet reel and you will appreciate it more and more as they stand the test of time as well. Just like a Conquest 50 they are built like tanks and can be handed down to your Grandchildren if you so choose. I for one enjoy my gear to the fullest and feel there is something to be said about enjoying yourself while out on the water. So my advice to you is buy what you can and enjoy it to the fullest because is not that what it is all about, but only you can be the judge as to what works for you.......

Punching is one technique where your ratio of cast to bites will test your patience! You may work 70 yds or 700 yds to locate fish but when you do hang on! The mistake many angler make is once they catch a fish they move on never making a repeat cast. Once you get bite quickly kick or toss a buoy marker over board, fish in grass flats tend to school up so when you catch one there is usually more. Circle the buoy increasing the distance working the area slowly, I once caught nine 6 lb + bass from a area the size of your living room.

Without getting into whatever politics is involved here, and after reading a little about the Moosehead Lake Fisheries Coalition, I'll admit this definitely rubs me the wrong way. But I'm not a big trout & salmon angler so perhaps I'm missing something. What I do find interesting is here we have a situation where trout anglers want to kill bass (smallmouth in this case) in order to reduce the competition / number of mouths to feed, so the trout & salmon can thrive. And not too long ago a different state became very famous in the bass fishing world by using trout to Feed bass, again to help them thrive. A-Jay

Only one way to get back at the them...Stock Muskies

Pepper spray for bears, Amazon Tom

Good luck with your nursing degree! My wife is an RN, been doing it for almost 20 years now. As for hooks, I recommend highly, Gamakatsu brand. They are strong, sharp and stay sharp. I'm a wacky rig guy, like it more than most other rigs, so I'll recommend either the Gamakatsu Splitshot/Dropshot hook in 1 or 1/0, or the same brand hook in Wide Gap Finesse, same sizes. Bait colors - things like watermelon magic, or something that imitates a crawfish in your waters. Another is Bass Pro's Hot Pepper Frog, a watermelon green/orange laminate. I have a lot of success on it.

The Okuma Guide Selects are well-regarded

Please try that trick you posted on FB. I wanna see a good video of Manuel pummeling you

Yeah, I am pretty much limited to the same feelings since fishing locally sucks so bad. But even when visiting my B-I-L my reels bring a lot of joy to the fishing experience. OP: We've been through this question many times. I still can't pick just one. I gave up trying to decide long ago. Decided to take about 15 of them with me when I die.

I don't have a Fishing Problem ~ The Problem comes when I have to do Anything Else . . . . A-Jay

Not a pb but a blemish free fatty.

I'm in, hook, line and sinker

Welcome to The Darkside! Be warned, once you go there, there is no coming back! LOL

You generally can't undo it what is already done. It's had bass in it for over 100 years. If they actually think that a derby will help, have at it, but the notion of killing in the name of conservation is not popular. You should see what we have gone through with our "pretty" mute swans. It should be open season year round on them, but they're pretty and people like them. Good luck with your crusade. It isn't going to go over well on a bass forum, right or wrong.

You can't keep an angler down. Nice pix.

The way I fish a spinnerbaits is I usually do a roll cast (that usually prevents helicoptering) past my target. It also allows the spinnerbaits to enter the water a lot quieter.

The trolley is key....really helps you position the craft properly.

I doubt if Marlon Brando would think Stella was worth that much money. You young guys won't even understand that comment....lol. Hootie

The key is to keep your forward momentum going, when you shift from forward to reverse & back to forward you must stop first. I simply kill the throttle, lift the engine while still in gear, the spinning props slings the pads off; I then drop the engine back down & accelerate never dropping off plan. Since your engine has a lock that locks it in the up position it is not possible to perform this maneuver. As for the push pole you will not find a better "head" than the duck bill. You will find the Minn Kota big two bladed prop is better than the Ninja.

You win Bluebasser . Forced me dig out the Sammy .

Yeah, I don't see many people showing up for an event like that anyways. The Facebook page thing seriously cracked me up.

I hope I don't get beat up but I'm going to say something and some will get mad. Rod defects show up quickly, if a rod tip snapped after using it for 2 years, it wasn't a defect, it was user error. What kind of problems do you see occur with age? About the only thing you will get is guide rings popping out or a reel seat or butt cap coming loose but blank defects will happen within the first outing or two. Every brand will have issues, some of the rods may get damaged in shipping or if they were on a display rack someone might have put a stress crack or nick in the blank or maybe you dropped it on the deck of the boat or on the ground and the blank was nicked, No matter what happens to the blank, it will break in short order, so saying the warranty ran out and the rods snapped just means you are doing something wrong and it took that long for it to break. High sticking is something that almost everyone has done, the thing is how much you do it and if you are aware you are doing it, normally if you are aware of that habit, and it does become a habit, you won't do it much and you may get away with high sticking a few times. If you aren't aware of it, you too will get away with it once, or maybe ten times but eventually you will do it one to many times and a post will get made on a web site about brand X being horrible as the rod snapped after using it for 2 seasons. I don't mean this to be bad or scolding anyone as we all make mistakes and we are all free to form an opinion but if your rod broke by snapping near the tip and it took two years, you , or someone you let use the rod recently, either nicked the blank by accident or you were high sticking one too many times and it is ok, we all do it. There is a Flukemaster video in which he is guilty of high sticking, see if you can find it, if you know what high sticking looks like you will find it quick and a hint on where to look, experienced anglers usussally high stick by accident while landing a fish, those who don't have a ton of experience, or don't know will also do it by landing fish but they do it a lot when they get snagged. To summarize, if you snapped a rod after using it for more than a year, it is more than likely you did something to cause it to break and it could have been a simple nick that happened as you put the rod away or perhaps you dropped it on the deck and the black hit the side of the boat hard enough to cause a nick. I just think we need to understand that rods don't break from defect very much, it does happen but when it does it happens within the first few outings, not 2 years down the road.

Gamakatsu 2/0, 3/0 or 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hook. GYCB Senko, Fat Ika and Kut Tail; Rage Tail Cut-R, Structure Bug and Craw; MegaStrike ShakE2, MegaTube Craw and MegaBug. "Just Getting Started" Guaranteed To Catch Bass I just cant catch bass Learning to fish on your own

Table Rock spots are always such good looking fish to me. Tattoo'd smallies are tough to beat. Big, fat, and healthy always looks good on a bass.

Caught my first Slammer fish of the year Monday, everything I'd hoped for

How about a sincere thanks. We take so much for granted throughout our lives and in our relationships and we don't realize the effort other put into making our life what it is. So, my vote goes to a hand written thank you card thanking her for the way she has raised the boys, and the impact she has had on your lives. Maybe include a picture of the first day of kindergarten and the recent grad picture. Then a candle light dinner with Raider in the jerky aisle at the Stop N Shop, and she will realize how good she has it.

I like to think so too.

I was taught there are only two kinds of snakes. A rattlesnake and a chicken snake. If it ain't got a chicken in its mouth it's a rattle snake and you shoot it. Personally, I don't mind snakes. My fiance apparently used to have pythons and boas. One of which was 15 feet long when her ex made her get rid of it. I believe it now resides in the Memphis zoo. She stopped the car, in the rain none the less, to shoe a 4 foot copperhead out of the road the other day so as it wouldn't get run over. I mean stopped traffic to kick him out of the dang road. I dare say I was speechless from that one.

i still think Deli looks like he belongs on a lucky charms box or in a church league basketball game, not the NBA finals but i think GS would say otherwise lol

That would be "Deli", Dwight. Mike & Mike inside joke...

I have not caught one smallmouth bass this year, they do not like Florida Roger

Great but don't over do.

Smithwick rogue DD jerkbait. As I remember it went 3.5lbs.

It's like holding "kitty cat" in the palm of your hands. For enthusiasts only.

Whatever you did with that artificial intelligence arm to catch that bass constitutes as cheating... Kidding of course. I'd say get better but by the looks of it you already are, nice fish.

Sunline FC Sniper is my go to line for anything besides topwater and crankbaits/jerkbaits. Shooter is good but I do not recomend it if you have never used a fluorocarbon because it is very stiff and harder to manage than Sniper

I prefer Sunline. Specifically Shooter and Sniper

I was having a pretty uneventful few hours of fishing after work yesterday and I decided to make one last cast, thinking I would go home skunked. I literally said to myself, "Ok, one more cast and that's it", and then this fish came out of nowhere. Totally not a flattering picture of me, but there's a fish in the photo!

Curado I for me. Mike

Sorry fluorocarbon...stupid phone