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Spoke with DVT today and told him a story of what happened to me in a club tourney, he said I have to post it! Lol but first I'll share something that happened a few weeks back during practice for a separate club tourney. So I was on Cobbeesecanti (spell check) in Maine. My secondary clubs tourney week. Beating a bank with a Megabass knuckle squarebill and wham! Pike eats it. A swing him in the boat, grab him by the back of the neck like I always do with pike. Grab my pliers and as I try taking out the front treble he thrashed enough for him to slip right out of my hand. Unfortunately the rear treble drove straight into the top of my hand with the pliers. Fish still hooked flipping violently I drop him down kneel on him get the hook out, throw him over and tend to my hand. Surprisingly just missed the vein but it was all the way in. My boater rushed me to shore and at some point I blacked out so being in Maine not knowing too much about the area he called a Ambulance. They came said my insurance won't cover them as a private company and due to it not being life threatening we skipped on the ride. He brings me to ER in Augusta and they didn't have a tool strong enough to cut the ring on the bait, the o ring or the hook. 5 shots of novacaine tetanus shot in arm antibiotic shot in leg all from a smoking hot nurse and a hour plus on waiting for someone to bring in bolt cutters. First they tried cutting loop on bait but couldn't get a angle on it. (Hope it doesn't fail I put new hooks on it lol) they finally cut the hook. Where it went in there's 2 ligaments it went past barb in first one and poked the second so they ended up pushing it back up and out making a second hole. Picked up script and got rest and was back on water next morning for additional practice before tourney. Definitely sucked, story would be better if I won tourney the 2 days after or lunker. Ended up in like 7th or 8th with a 4, 2 3s a 2 and a dink. Lol I would post the pic of it but I'm not sure on This sites policy on wether or not it may be too graphic. If a mod requests it for whatever reason I'll post it lol... Ok so that out of the way now for my personal best story lmao Last Sunday I was on Bantam Lake here in CT for a club tourney. I'm drop shoting in about 8ft right at a drop off to 17. I feel a little machine gun bite so I raise the rod tip feel the weight and start reeling. It felt like a dink so I went to tighten drag and bam fish ran Cumara and Stradic Ci4 go over board. Mind you grip in my hand has been kinda off since the hook incident. I scream like $,&!(@:$ ME!!!! My boater is like what happened I'm like I just threw $500 in the lake. He's like quick throw the marker buoy. I grab it toss it over. He said calm down and tie on a crank bait. So we circle the marker buoy for a hour or so and no luck. I tell him I appreciate the help but we don't have to try to get it back I'll come back tonight with my friend who is also in the club. He caught a 6+ on his second cast so he said screw it. He's confident he got lunker so we can keep trying to get it back. Now here I am blessed to have a boater that is willing to do this for me but feel like a ass for killing the tourney for him. All of a sudden a fish jumps 100 ft south of us so we drift a bit cranking 20 mins later a fish jumped again now 200 ft north of us. So we go up there and crank as we drift again. He said chuck the anchor he's done working the trolling motor. So I toss the anchor and tie up a C Rig but instead of a hook I put a snap with 3 shakey heads on it. I'm fanning the area for another 20 mins or so and as I cast towards the back of the boat a d**n canoe rear ends us. The boater flips out on the guy, me as well, I'm like stop!!!!! At the top of my lungs because the marker buoy was wrapped on his oar. The guy has no clue what he's doing I had no idea he was even in the area. He came out of nowhere. I was so focused on casting in hopes to snag my rod. That's when just to the right of the canoe I feel weight. I'm like I think I got it!!!!! I reel in as slow as I possibly could and sure enough the but of the rod pops up on the surface!!! Yay!!!! I hooked the stem of the reel. I reach over grab it and there's like maybe 2 turns of the handle worth of line on it. So I start reeling up all this slack line in all my glory I got my favorite combo back. As soon as the line starts to tighten drag starts peeling. FISH STILL ON!!! I tighten the drag up a bit and play the fish out. Got him to the side of the boat and cradled him and pulled him in. 4.7lb smallie! My little size 1 mustad drop shot hook was right in the roof in front of his throat. Popped the hook out culled him. In the live well he went. 7lb Sniper if anyone is wondering. A little over 2 hrs this whole ordeal took me. Never got my 5th but still had a decent bag with 4. Someone else had a 5 so I was in 3rd for lunker. This is the story I'm gonna have to tell my grand kids. Hope you all enjoyed it! Edit: as requested WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW ----------------

Very sorry to hear about this but I can relate! I've broken many a rod over the years, all due to "operator error". I am now very careful with my gear and do my best to watch out for any potential danger zones. That said, I've learned to not become so attached to my gear because material things can be replaced. Chalk it up to one of life's many learning experiences. You can try to see what Abu will do for a replacement but if you are an honest person you'll own up to the fact the rod was broken from inadvertent abuse/neglect (don't mean to sound harsh but them's the best terms I could think of). Buy one of the rod sleeves and lure wraps and use the hook keepers when possible. Small price to pay for avoiding future snags. GL

I do not buy any of that BS! Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain! If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake! Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!

The weight of the canoe broke it. Looks like it exploded, which means it was realy stressed. I would not expect a replacement from Abu. It was user error. Having your reel drag set correctly might have saved it. Companies replacing rods, no questions asked, is one reason original costs are so high.

You could just man up and say hey, I screwed up and it's totally my fault and not expect Abu to replace it.

The best time, is when you have enough money to buy it, and no other pressing bills.

Some spool candy arrived for my Zonda today.

I like big fish water.

I use the Garmin Virb Elite for my videos. Super easy to setup, lots of accessories out there, and like A-jay said it's pretty much idiot proof. I'm pretty technologically challenged and I figured it out really quickly.

Sounds like you just messed up. You weren't paying attention, and you probably just high- sticked it. No big deal dude, man up, take the 50$ loss, and buy a more durable rod from a reputable dealer.

That was the point of this thread. I build a lot of rods on your RX6 blanks which is one of the better values in blanks out there. It's not the latest and greatest in technology but it is better than most fishermen have in their rod locker even though they may have paid $200 for their factory rods.

Any time after payday is the best time to buy.

Broke in 2 places, sounds like you need a better story! Tom

Garmin Virb - http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Action-Camera-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00EOHUVV8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1439847723&sr=1-1&keywords=garmin+virb Very easy to use - and if I'm saying it, you know it's got to be practically stupid-proof. A-Jay

Best time to buy ? ... When your wife leaves for a few days to go stay with her mother !

I like huge lakes. I like small lakes. I like everything in between as long as a body of water has a balanced population of bass. I tend to stay away from lakes where I know there isn't a chance of connecting to large bass. Huge Lakes: Pros Big lakes with good balanced bass populations tend to have a greater number of large bass. While bigger lakes can be busy, especially those that are near large human populations, you can still find some secluded areas though you may have to travel farther in your boat to get to them. Huge lakes present a pleasant challenge to locate and find bass. To me, more thought is needed to determine bass location in a large lake. Huge lakes contain more scenery and more places to investigate. Cons In a big lake, bass can be more difficult to locate than in a small lake. If the bass are located on main lake points, main lake humps or any other structure related to the main lake you will have to deal with boat and recreational water vehicle traffic. Seclusion is not as easy to find. If huge boats are allowed on said lake, the rollers created from those boats can present a very rough ride that can, at times, be dangerous if one doesn't take precautions. Small Lakes: Pros One doesn't have to deal with recreational boaters and jet skis. Traffic can be less if the lake is off the beaten path. Bass are easier to locate because there is less water to cover. Some lakes are small enough that much of them can be covered in a day of fishing. If lake is off the beaten path, bass are easier to catch due to less pressure. There is no danger from large boats and careless pleasure seekers on recreational craft. Cons Less water acreage means fewer big bass compared to a huge lake. It is easier for a small body of water to become out of balance with too few forage fish for bass to eat, resulting in "skinny" bass with big heads. Small lakes that are not off the beaten path can be just as crowded as a large lake. On a small lake, once it is crowded there is no place to go to get away, if desired; whereas, on a very large lake, if you want to get away from everyone you can always find a place. However, the location of the fish may require you to be in the most crowded places on the lake. That's fishing.

Not really a Frankenbait, but a new idea Ive been tinkering with. I wanted to put together a swim jig, that was configured in a way that would allow me the slowest possible retrieve of any other bait, and still have good action. After several different tryouts, what I arrived at was this.... > 1/8oz long shank jig head (or even 1/16oz > Short cut skirt > 5" Kalins grub trailer. This set up allows the bait to fall slowly, and have excellent action during a fall-asleep-retrieve speed. At least one fish thought it was a good idea so far.

Lol, heck of a disguise that "small mouth" is wearing! lol

Bass Pro is a very successful operation because of their ability to meet the needs of the customer at a decent price. Their customer service is second to none IMO. They are not always the cheapest and they don't always have what I want, but they are one of my go-to suppliers. Because they are a big chain that depends on volume, they are constantly changing inventory. There are countless baits that worked have worked for me in the past that are no longer available. Tackle comes and goes. Get over it. Bashing a company on this site because they don't meet your needs in content or price is silly as far as I am concerned, and is contrary to Glenn's policy.

Bass have no ability to logically process information. Physically, the brain of the bass is missing a lobe that would function for logical thinking. I. Other words, they are a fairly stupid fish. Watch this video. Bob Lusk. Biologist. Some interesting facts. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

The biggest difference you're going to run into between most of your large ocean gamefish and the flathead catfish the OP is targeting is the cover the fish inhabits. Flatheads like to live in nasty places, the bigger and nastier the snag, the bigger and meaner the fish typically. Flatheads are brutes, I've seen 20-30 pounders flat whip guys much bigger than me. You have to move them quickly or they're gone whereas you can take your time and play out a big fish in open water. Even a little 10 pounder will give you a pretty stout run for cover the initial run and if you let him get there you're going to have a heck of a time getting him back out. I'm not saying you can't handle them on lighter gear, but if you're going to take the time to target them (1-6 bites a night is pretty typical for flatheads), I'd suggest having the right gear to get them out of their hiding places. I've landed 20+ pound fish on 4lb test when I hooked them in open water, then again I've had little guys give me all I could handle in bad places. I had to work really hard to get this scrappy little guy back out of a nasty root wad, even with an 8' H rod and 65lb braid By comparison, I had no problems handling this 40+ pound fish with 14lb fluoro and a 7' MH jig rod, because it was in open water off the edge of a rocky ledge. So take into consideration what kind of cover you'll mainly be fishing as well as the size of the fish and select your gear accordingly.

If this were true we would never catch a single bass ever! Tom Mann was once asked why he made so many lures in so many colors? His answer, " To catch the fisherman, bass have never spent a penny on my ures" Yes bass fishing is a billion dollar industry but not cause of the bass! I've around this sport long enough to know a huge part of sales is pure hype! I'm still catching bass off the same structure I fished 50 years ago with worms, jigs, spinner baits, cranks, & topwaters.

Lets see, $300 for boat motor and trailer, I would expect a boat almost as old as me, been patched a few times and still leaks, a 60's Sears Game Fisher 9.9 motor that needs work, and homemade trailer built on an on straight front axle from an old car. If that' does not describe what you got, you got a good deal,

The Plueger President reel is the best bang for the buck on the market.

Think about it like this....when you see something new most of the time you touch it to help your brain associate it to something. It helps you interpret what you are seeing and class it with other things. Fish can only bite and smell something to interpret and class it as food. Visually it got attention but the only way they can be sure is give it a chomp. Far as line goes with this if they can see it, they have no way to class it. Not saying that they are not aware of it, but more so they cannot make the hardline decision that it is a threat enough to pass up food. I think the less of that visual signature the better but that is as much for my brain as it is hiding it from theirs. On the other side of that coin when you are walking a path and catch the last glimpse of the super thin spider web right as it wraps around your face and you become a ninja trying to get it off you, you d**n sure dont walk through there again without making sure there is no web there.

Just spitballin here, and maybe this is not the greatest idea, but what about gluing a strip magnet somewhere. It would only work for the metal objects though. You could also do something like a plastic jar, with a lid, and velcro it to something, or make it fit into a cup holder or some place easily accessible.

I fish with hi vis yellow and neon green braid, direct to the lure. Fish don't seem to mind.

Not trying to be rude but rods dont break like that under are normal and even most bad situations. In my opinion what ever happened to that rod was done under extreme pressure. I have seen 1 other break like that and the driver was passing a dock with the tip poking out of the bow. The tip hit dead center of the piling and the butt was tight to the console. The rod was not allowed to bend at all and it exploded basically due to the compound pressure. Most have been in that bad situation where you go in to free a bait and tide or wind does not work with you and you end up snapping a tip section off but blowing it up like that takes a real bad situation.

Because you don't make visual contact with other fish species or crawdads doesn't eliminate them from being there. Do you see the bass swimming around? Take some oat meal and broadcast it out on the water and watch for baitfish. Set a crawdads trap over night with bacon and check it for a few days. Tom

You guys are killing me posting pics of those smallmouth at Melvern! I haven't been able to get there yet. And on topwater and cranks! Two things that I have been painting and not able to use yet! C'mon!

First thing to keep in mind is that Facebook doesn't have the reach it used to. Even though somebody has 10,000 followers, or "friends", only a very small fraction ever really see your posts. So the total number is essentially meaningless, and most marketers know that. That doesn't mean you shouldn't build up a following; just don't make Facebook the centerpiece of your efforts. That said, a few key things to keep in mind: Never post anything about your political or regilious views....ever. There's nothing more polarizing than those two topics. No matter what you say about them, somebody's going to get upset, regardless of how benign the comment may be. Just steer way clear of the subjects. Never post when you're upset, have a bone to pick with someone, or want to tell the world how bad such-and-such company is. Potential sponsors and employers want to see an upbeat, positive person. Don't give them any reason to think otherwise. Never post about upcoming trips, or about trips/vacations while you're there. Criminals love Facebook for this very reason. Post pics and stories after you've returned home. If you don't like doing videos, don't do them. Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera. If writing is your skill, then showcase that. Don't try to "follow the herd" and do things just because everyone else seems to be doing it. Above all, showcase your own talents and personality. Hope that helps!

No offense, but if you keep buying multiple cheap reels (sub $50), you'll end up spending as much as or more, than just spending $100-200 for one good reel. You're going to get what you pay for when it comes to baitcasting reels. With that, Shimano, Daiwa, Abu, and Lews all make a decent reel in the $100-200 range.

Well that really added value to the thread. Reminds me of that old saying about "if you don't have anything nice to say......"

Got my Steez LTD SV ordered last night. Ordered the kids shoes too so hopefully that will soften the blow I'm about to get. Especially after getting two new reels in a week!!

Rainshadow Rx8 XMB843

Although a native to the swamps and bayous of Louisiana (hence the name), I have been in and around Georgia, particularly Atlanta, for quite some time, and for my own personal reference as well as that of others in the Bass Fishing community, would like to compile a list of some pretty decent fishing spots IN and around the Atlanta area. There are a few spots in the Atlanta area, and a lot of small lakes and pond south of Atlanta in the Fairburn and Fayetteville areas. Here are a few spots I have been able to either fish in personally, or know of from other fisherman that have pretty decent Bass fishing. Feel free to share any information on any places in Atlanta you may know about. 1) Clarence - Duncan Park (Fairburn, GA) I used to play tennis at this park in the late 90's, and did not associate it with fishing until recently. A trusted source and fellow fisherman shared with me that park restocked the pond a few years back and now has a decent Largemouth population. It IS a small area, and is certainly more suited for off the bank fishing, and nothing extensive, although from what I understand it is actually much deeper than it appears. 2) 3 Hole Golf Course (Tyrone, GA) I have not had the chance to fish this Lake personally, but again it is recommended by a trusted source and respected fisherman. Supposedly this Lake holds Bass, Bream, Sacalait (Crappie) and Smallmouth as well. 3) "Hidden Lake" (East Point area) Due to some pending circumstances I can reveal the 'actual' name of this Lake as it not technically open to the public, but neither fully private. (if you are interested in fishing it contact me for details) This Lake is currently my favorite place to go because it is relatively secluded and holds Largemouth, Smallmouth, Crappie, Bluegill, Redear, Catfish and some HUGE Carp! Due to the 'undefined' zoning of this Lake I feel it may only be a matter of time before it is shut down completely and sold to some one who probably wouldn't know a Zara Spook if it hooked them in the nose. But for the meantime, it is a great place to catch some Bass. The average size I catch are between 3 - 6lbs but I have seen others pull a few 8 - 12lbs out too. If anyone is interested in fishing this hidden gem in the South West Atlanta area, just message me privately and I will be glad to fill you in on the particulars. 4) Twin Lakes (Fulton County) Nice from what I have heard, never been. Probably worth a try though as nearly ALL the small Lakes and pond in this area contain a decent Bass population, unless they lack a healthy prey fish population. 5) Twin Bridges (Lawrenceville, GA) Cost $10 to fish, but supposedly does have a few Bass and Catfish. Looks like more of a 'family fishing' spot, and not a real avid angler type of a spot. But hey...where there is water.... ...... more will be posted as I acquire more 'hands on' information on them. Thanks, enjoy.

If the rod was pointing toward the front of the canoe, most likely broke from "high sticking." Like any hi mod rod would do. If it were pointing toward the back of the canoe, it would be impossible to break it. No rod will break when pointed at the source of the resistance.

I used to hunt for tackle on a daily basis and many times I scored big time, when another site was clearancing their LPT formula YUM baits I got a huge bunch of baits for a few dollars a bag so to answer to your question, when it´s the best time ? ------> anytime is a best time.

Handle length has an obvious impact on the feel of the finished rod but there are other factors. Followed strictly, this theory would give like create an awkwardly long grip on a 7'6" or 8' flippin' stick for example. There is no right or wrong, build what feels good to you.

Fishing off of the Kenai peninsula in alaska back in 2013, caught over 30 rockfish in 45 minutes jigging big spoons. After catching a limit on those we moved out to the deeper water in search of halibut and ling cod. In 6 hours between 4 guys we caught 48 halibut, 12 ling cod, and 10 more rockfish. Biggest halibut went 128lbs and the ling cod went 49lbs

One morning, 83 fish, most over 4lbs, including 2 over 10. Got to the point where you would raise your rod over your head and try to make the fish jump. If it wasn't over 7lbs, you gave it slack to try and get free. Never again have I had anything close to this, but man do I hope it happens again. All on crankbaits! the stats- 2 over 10, 1 over 9, 1 over 8, 4 over 7, 10 over 6 and 10 over 5. 2 biggest were 10lbs 9 oz and 10lbs 2 oz. Jeff

I fish alone all the time. That way I can start when I like, quit when I want to, fish the way I want to, don't have to worry about maneuvering the boat a certain way, etc.

I've personally had two issues with the Curado, and luckily they were embarrassingly simple to fix. The vibration you have is similar to what I had up until last week. It felt almost like a buzzing, a slightly geary noise on retrieve and it drove me nuts. I completely disassembled, degreased, and re-lubed the entire reel. Still the issue persisted. Turns out, the little blurb in the user manual about lightly lubing where the brakes rub inside the cover did the trick. The guy in this video shows where to do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7OY2_Ukt5Y I know that this has fixed both reel noises I've had, and they've both been drastically different noises, so this might (hopefully) fix yours too. Let us know how it goes.

This is the topwater rod that I have been eyeing. This 6' beauty is the Gan Craft Killers Slaughter.

Where can I find a small pond near Atlanta with large mouth bass?

I know quite a few small lakes that are pretty good fishin around the kennesaw area if anyone wants details feel free to pm me

Another Louisiana transplant here... Lived in ATL (Midtown) for a number of years... Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park has some lunkers in it. You wouldn't think so by looking at the lake and the foot traffic around it (Sometimes there is a lot of garbage floating in the lake, but nothing major), but that lake has a ton of fish in it. It is a managed lake (Georgia Fish and Game Department). http://goo.gl/maps/FzFe1 When I lived a few blocks away from that lake, it had very little fishing pressure as no one really thought to fish it. I guess sometimes the best kept 'secret' fishing spots are the ones staring you in the face! I caught 6 and 7 pounders out of it, and knew a guy that showed me photos of him catching many 10~12 pounders out of that lake (Usually under the dock, throwing big jig/trailer combos). If you see a dude on a 10 speed, bike shorts, no shirt, and a single rod riding around that area, it is the same dude I met a few years back. He's a very nice gent and he'll fill you in on how to catch lunkers out of that lake.

Probable tooooooo far, but I was at Stone Mountain for the Thks-Giving w-end and you guys have a great " big" lake around that park. I din't try my luck but looks great.

Have you tried Lake Varner?( bout 25 miles east of Atlanta). A friend who fishes there all the time has caught 10 fish that went 10 lbs. or better, including one that went 13-4. It is a watershed lake, so electric motor only, no gas motors allowed at all, even if you don't use it.

The flint river is not too far from there. There is great smallmouth and shoal bass fishing there.