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I think I'm going to buy a couple dozen just to make you guys giggle.

You've got the qualifications to become President. Learn how to play golf and borrow money to vacation in Hawaii.

Only about 2 hrs ago I hooked in to my biggest bass ever by nearly 2 pounds. It started as a very slow day with periods of showers. 1st bass came after about 2 hours of fishing and was thinking at that time to just call it a day. Well it cleared up just a bit and stayed at it. Got another small bass and then the thunder came and harder showers. The rain stopped again but sky was darkening even worse. I was making my way around the lake, walking the bank btw, I kept telling my self just one more cast just one more cast. I must have had 8-9 just one more casts. Well on the last just one more cast this one hit finally. Was caught with a Curado 50E 12# SniperFC on a Quantum Smoke 7' M/F rod. A 22" #6.21

How are bass affected by fishing pressure? My very presence is enough to send them into hiding Outboard & trolling motors; sound travels 4.3 times faster in water. Your boat poorly positioned on structure; you can be right over them. Bumping into cover with your boat Approaching cover from the wrong side That's five & I aint made a cast! Multiply that for each individual

A St Croix medium is equivalent to most other medium-heavy. If you get it for a good price, jump on it. You will like it. The Avid series is the place where St Croix start making really good rods. The rods below Avids are just OK. Avids and above are excellent tools of the trade.

Sounds like that doing all that **** is more work than actually going out and catching the fish lol

Pics? Report? Proof?

The bass that gets away is always much bigger. Tom

We tend to lump bass into 1 behavioral group when in fact they behave as individuals. Mike Lembeck's 3 year tracing study back in 1974 of 200 bass conclusively showed that bass behave as individuals.* A few adult size bass may never be caught on lures, others are caught multiple times. Tom *Bill Murphy, In Pursuit of Giant Bass.

Dobyns has long been known to be on the lighter side of their ratings. Their 4 power is more of a mh. There's no standard in the rod industry. Examples - Veritas 7' mh it fishes like a heavy. Falcon Bucoo 6'10 heavy fishes like a mh. I'd say it's more of an oversight on your part for not doing a little research beforehand. Dobyns has a softer tip than most rods. Might be why you feel it's 'slower than your 40 yard dash' I have the 705CB and it fishes just as I expected it to. I own 3 other Dobyns though. So I knew what I was getting when I bought it. Depending on your jig weights and how 'heavy' the cover. You might want to look at a 5 power if you're buying another Dobyns rod.

Why google it? Is this forum not for asking questions?

It is ridiculous with how hard these are to find locally. While I know I could get them from tackle warehouse, I currently don't have the funds to do a full order. All the shops I talked to don't carry them because to be honest they just see them as another senko knock off and they already carry plenty of them and other soft plastics. The new Cabela's store we have has been out since I bought the last pack and they don't know when they are getting more in. Is this a supply issue on Z mans part or in Cabela's case an issue where they aren't stocking their new store well. Also the Z man distributers could do a better job of differentiating there product, when I explained the difference with the Z man baits to one shop owner he sounded intrigued that it wasn't just another senko like bait.

The R2S bait weighs 7/8oz. The one ounce trap is $8.59...not a huge difference.

I'm gonna let that one slide cause your a kid and don't know any better.

I've been having the worst luck with the weather on the days I have been able to get out and fish. Today, finally, I hit the jackpot. A low pressure front was moving in, the pressure was dropping and the fish were chasing bait. Despite the calm, spinnerbaits and buzzers produced the majority of fish and I was able to see many of those fish dart out, or follow my presentations. Everyone should experience days like this a few times a season, just to have fresh memories to get them through the winter. Nine fish in just under three hours. The smallest was a chunky 15in. and the largest a 20in. that went a tad over 4lb. Did I ever mention that I absolutely love the summer season?

Did Swains today nothing to impress 6 bass including 2 smallmouth nothing over a pound but it looks like the lake had another spawn lots of fresh week old beds.

Well i got around to rigging up my brand new Helix 5 SI unit on the electronics pod on my ATAK. It is all contained in one nice easy to move unit. After doing some research aka messaging Wayne P. on here, I decided it would be best to make sure the transducer does not have any interference from the hull of my boat. It is still pretty protected but i will have to drop it in after launching and pull it out when beaching at the end of the day. I still need to silicone all the holes, used neoprene washers for now, but i wanted to make sure it all works before I finalize the installation. The battery and everything else is contained in the pod unit itself. The bracket is a galvanized corner support bracket used for cabinetry that i had to bend a little bit to make it level because the pod has a slight angle to it. Whoever came up with this pod idea should get a pat on the back because it is super slick and makes removal and installation a breeze. Anyways, looking forward to giving it a test tomorrow hopefully and then if all goes well, silicone all the holes and get it ready for my trip to the Outer Banks next week.

Relaxing and chiiling. That's what you do after you've reached some of your goals, made some money, own a house, get married, have money in the bank. Sounds like you're not quite there yet. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll get there. Get off the computer, and go. Get. A. Job.

Lucky Craft LC 500 is a $15+ lipless, you certainly don't want to waste your money on that lure! Tom

BassPatrol, what the guys are saying is that after a bass is caught and released they can take different amounts to time to forget what just happened to them. This time can be 30 minutes or longer. A bass can associate a noise with an unfortunate event. Uncle Homer Circle wrote about a large female retreating into her hiding place as the trolling motor approached. This behavior is associated with the trolling motor sound and the bass having a negative adventure the last few times it felt or heard the prop turning. This occurred in Florida when Uncle Homer and Glen Lau were filming their Big Bass series. A bass is an inquisitive animal and it will investigate sounds. There are a few stories about people hitting objects underwater and they turn around and a school of bass are watching them. The bass are not taught to do this; they just do it normally as did Pavlov's dogs in their tests with the bells. So can a bass become accustomed to one bait or technique? Maybe. But remember, a bass will feed out of 1) hunger, 2) aggression and 3) for an easy meal. So if you encounter a bass that is hungry or being aggressive, they can hit your baits and techniques many times. Or, you can just catch one if you throw where the bass is sitting and your bait becomes an easy meal. I have caught the same bass on the same lure and technique and know guys who have returned to specific spots and caught a bass that they missed a few hours earlier. It is instinct that causes the bass to react to your bait as it does. Good question. But don't try to figure out those little green monsters or you will end up in the funny farm.

This short piece references some of the work of Dr. Keith Jones ("Knowing Bass"). Add this book to your library if you don't already have it. Ponder this: Do bass remember your lures? http://www.outdoornews.com/February-2014/Ponder-this-Do-bass-remember-your-lures/ -T9

The S-Waver and Rover are stud lures man. I'm not big on $16 traps but to say they only produce gimmicky lures is a fallacy.

Glad everyone likes the TRDs and Finesse ShroomZ, but sorry to hear that folks are having a hard time getting ahold of them. Like anything new, it sometimes takes distributors and dealers a bit longer to catch onto something new than us fishermen! It can be a bit frustrating for us as a manufacturer too, but it's just part of the deal unfortunately. A lot of the national chains like Cabela's and Bass Pro place orders well in advance, so it can take them a little bit longer to respond when something gets hot. The distributors that service smaller dealers often refuse to stock products in their warehouses until dealers request it and only add new items on an annual basis in the fall or winter. And, most dealers are limited on space and funds sometimes too, so many don't bring in new items until customers are screaming for them and they know they can sell them! We have plenty of TRDs in stock, and if you're having trouble finding them elsewhere, you can always give us a call at (877) 797-242 and order from us directly. If you know any dealers that should be stocking these or are out, feel free to send us their name and contact info so we can send them a catalog, or have them call us directly. We have been a little bit backed up on the Finesse ShroomZ heads recently, but we just shipped large orders to Bass Pro, Cabela's, and Tackle Warehouse last week, and more are on the way. Again, you're welcome to give us a shout to see what we have in stock and when we might have more in. Thanks for the interest in the Ned Rig system, and nice to see that people are realizing the benefits of the TRD and how different these baits are! Please give us a shout if there's anything we can do for you!

I was at Wally World this morning and was thinking about storage and organization so I walked over to the plastic drawer bins instead of more plano boxes. I'm really liking this way of storing plastics still in there bags, later on I'm going to really organize it.

The title says it all.

Welcome to life. It hits you pretty hard when you're 17 or 18 and have never worked but suddenly, you're expected to. Sadly, I put a great deal of that blame on mom and dad for not encouraging you to get a job before you graduated. You say: LOL, yeah, they are. Last time I checked, "relaxing and chilling" is the textbook beginnings of full on laziness. If you're not out there, working to get better, you're getting passed by the people who are.

Trick worm.

Simply put....failures at the knot are just a case of a poorly tied knot. It has nothing to do with the line. Some lines are just harder to tie a good knot with but it isn't the fault of the line, its the fault of the person tying the knot. Have I had knot failure? You bet. Was it my fault? ABSOLUTELY!!!

I'm wondering how someone can go mock an individual in an extremely racist manner, yet still get support.

Picked a TD-Z 103ml yesterday. Ordered a handle, and gear set from Daiwa today. Picked up another Steez 100hla today. Now I'm a rod short. I see a Diablo Spec R is in the future.

Oddly, there are only two people out of a cast of 50,000+ who have their own, very unofficial, forums on this site. The leader is CATT, and that's because he's noted for his bass fishing expertise on Toledo Bend. The other is Raider, because, because, ...

I spend about $50 a month...

With minimal practice, the uni-uni, blood-knot, and Alberto all take about the same time/difficulty. Alberto will win a head to head every time against the other two, test it yourself at home. They all have their own critical step to which if not done correctly, may weaken or fail, so improper tying should not factor into the evaluatiion of the knot. A good leader knot should never come undone or break unless you cut the line with scissors, if it breaks even when you pull straight back trying to break your line, it makes leader use way less practical. With the Alberto, your leader will break near or at your lure if you intentionally break on a snag or whatever, never at the knot if tied properly. Now the aforementioned critical step to all of the knots is important, and for the Alberto, that is making sure your tag enters back through the loop the same way it entered. The major mix up here is that when making wraps its not uncommon for the loop to move or flip over while you are focusing on the wraps, which disorients the "correct" way for it to pass through the loop. There is an easy way to check if you passed through correctly before cinching but I will have to make a video to show/describe it properly, which I can probably do this weekend. With all that being said, the uni-uni is completely fine and works for many and did for me for some time, but the Alberto is just as easy, and stronger. Stay tuned, I'll make a video on the Alberto hopefully this weekend.

Buy the rod anyway and just find a use for it. Problem solved.

I heard that instead of calling this "The Redneck fishing Tournament" that they were going to rename it "The Raider Nation Open". There was a technical glitch though as to rename it there had to be a "quorum" of members present to vote on the name change. Once quorum was mentioned it seems as though all the members immediately headed to the local quarry and haven't been seen nor heard from since! ???

When Raider was selling his sister in-law. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/134109-huge-sale/

I make my jigs without a weed guard and buy jigs with a weed guard when needed. You buy GYCB football heads without a weed guard, with Gamakatsu or Owner hooks and add a CPS or Hitchhiker spring to the hook eye. I use a 2" length of a finesse worm, split the tail so the hook point insert into the split after screw onto the spring, works good!Tom

Ok. Wasn't sure if it was going to be secure in the truck bed with half the kayak sticking out, but if you guys do it! Why not lol.. I'll check out the spare hand cradles. Appreciate the help/advice everyone

Gold bars!

i just picked up a MB in the 8.3 ratio and so far its a sweet reel im having a hard time figuring out the difference fromk my TP's which cost more

Same weather here. I went out today, and they hit everything I cast. Wacky worm, shaky head, Menace and Flapping Hog. The shaky head had a 3/16th ounce head and everything else, including the wacky worm was rigged on 1/8th ounce jig head. Hook sizes were 1/0 on the wacky, 2/0 on the Menace and Flapping Hog, and 3/0 on the shaky head. Caught 'em deep, though that's a relative term when the deepest water is less than ten feet, caught 'em in as little as three feet. The action was non-stop. It was one of those days when they would have hit anything. Many of the bass were regurgitating yellow perch up to five inches long.

I used it this spring to throw 2.5's and it worked out great with those. I don't think it would have much of an issue loading up on a smaller bait but don't really know the weight differences between a 1.5 and 2.5. It also does throw mid range cranks like a bomber fat free shad just fine as well. I have had it for a couple years now but to be honest, a DD22 is on it 80% of the time quite frankly. I do throw 3/8th lipless on there, but of course that is in its range but feels like you could go a bit lighter than that as well.

Thank god for Rod Geeks.

Brighter than most anything else I've seen for this purpose. There's a reason it's standard equipment in many models' angler package.

A Red Dirt Bladed Swim jig has caught more fish for me this season than any other bait. I'm either fishing it with a Keitech 3.8 as a trailer or a Rage Craw.

The mouth of and the canals on Little lake Harris. There are shell bars on the north side of Horseshoe Island in Harris and at the mouth of Dora Canal in Eustis. The grass line between Buzzard Beach and Dead River in Eustis is a good place to flip the outside lines. There are several canals on the south side of Dead River that are good in the early morning. Haines Creek between Eustis and the Lock is usually a good bet. The Harris chain can be a beast to fish though. The weather will blow up quickly and the fish are finicky. Good luck. It took me years to learn it. Join the ABA and fish as a co angler for a year out of Buzzard Beach. There are some really good sticks that fish that trail. You will get a crash course in fishing Harris.

to be honest, and don't take this the wrong way, I'd spend more time learning how to properly tie an Alberto knot and less time looking for a new knot.

Alberto/Albright knot with the braid wrapped around the fluoro (more wraps for light line, less for heavier.) I'm guessing that the difference in diameter is negligible with 50lb braid to 10lb fluoro. It probably doesn't make much of a difference, but I usually tie my leaders about twice the length of the rod I'm using; this allows me to re-tie several times on the same leader. I'll replace it entirely when it gets to about 24" or so, and my knot usually holds up until that point. I remember that it took me several years before I truly mastered leader knots. Sometimes they were solid, other times they would fail almost instantly. Uni to uni was the first that I used, but it's too cumbersome to tie and less reliable than the Alberto. Whatever knot you choose, practice it until you understand how it works and can verify that you've tied it correctly. Check your line guides for any rough spots/nicks. Also, on some baitcast reels the level wind mechanism is an area that catches the knot. Check that too.

There are some people you just don't mess with. People that prepare your food and the ones that fix are your toilet are two at the top of the list.

My boy is 28 and his mother and I have been split for 18 years. All I remember is the last several years together I wanted to shoot myself in the head. A-Jay