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Just wanted to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Bass Resources for making my day today! I just received my 2 Okuma Cerros reels for winning the guess the weight contest. It is really great to have a forum like this filled with an endless supply of tips, tactics, advice,etc., and great members. Signing up for this site was one of the best investments I ever made, and all I had to do was supply my email address! I have gained so much being a member here. Please don't take all these benefits and wisdom, and contests for granted. Especially thank you to those who originated and moderate this site and make it possible for me to phish (pun) 24/7!!

A couple weeks back I was fishing one of my favorite smallmouth lakes, tossing a Ned rig on a 6' 10" ML/XF St. Croix LTB spinning rod when I set the hook on a fish and the hood on my foregrip popped loose and slid up the rod. I was pretty disappointed as it's one of my favorite rods as well as one I use a lot on this lake but it was done at that point. Not a big deal though because I knew I could get home and ship it to St. Croix and get it replaced. Got back and shipped the rod out with my check to replace it. A week later I got a letter in the mail from St. Croix to call them because there was an issue with my claim and I'd sent no contact information minus my address So I called and spoke with Vicky at customer service. Long story short, she went on to explain that they'd received my check and explanation of what the issue was, but the cap was missing off one end of the tube and there was no rod inside I'm not going to say I think that someone at FedEx stole my rod out of the tube, but I dropped it off at their store with both ends capped and duct taped shut with enough tape to keep a rabid honey badger from being able to get out, it didn't just fall out. So she gets my information she needs and says she'll talk to her manager and see what they're going to do and give me a call back. I was just sure I was going to get a call back to tell me that I'd have to pay the replacement fee like you do if you break a rod and want it replaced when it's your fault, something I just don't have the money to do right now. Much to my relief I received a call back 20 minutes later and was informed they'd be replacing the rod like I had originally intended for them to I knew they have great customer service, but I also understand they had no obligation to replace my rod at that point, doing so was going above in beyond in my book. Makes me really glad that most of the rods I own are St. Croix

Felix was in DFW on business today and met up with me and my son for a little pond fun. The bass were not too hard to come by on Senkos although a little on the small size. As always, glad I got to see you buddy!

Went out for a few hours yesterday. It's been tough fishing lately (for me at least). Walked around the lake and started throwing a spinner bait and lip less crankbait with nothing. Tried some plastics for a while. Still nothing. I tied on a DT6 in Bluegill pattern and second cast I hooked up. It felt pretty small but ran straight for a mass of weeds. I couldn't move it at all. I waited it out and it finally came out. I got it to the shore and landed it. It was hooked by one hook on the back treble. Pretty awesome. Anyway it's not huge but beat my previous pb by half and inch and seemed much fatter.

Yep, it has proven to repel bass at a laboratory at Berkley Fishing. I have proven it to myself that it does not repel wild bass in their natural habitat. I sprayed insect repellent with DEET on a Fluke and caught numerous bass until it was too torn up to use. Put on another Fluke sprayed that one and caught more. Did the same test with sunscreen also and several other "bass repellents".

I'm a Proud St Croix Fan Boy. A-Jay

Biggest of the year so far. Caught her a couple hours ago on a jig and Baby Rage Craw. 8lbs 1oz of fall feeding beauty. 23" x 20.5" They've been all over the moving baits lately, and tonight was no different. Swimming my jig was getting all my fish. Hope ya'll are getting in on some of this action. P-S Just realized how crappy the pics came out. Looks like my line might have messed up the focus. Oh well, you get the point! PP-S The line, by the way, is 17lb Vicious Pro Elite flouro. Awesome line for jigs, especially in the rocks.

Japan

Spinnerbait rods and jig rods are for the most part interchangeable.

A couple decent ones from earlier.

Black market.

Which is better screw drivers or Allen wrenches? Two different tools for different jobs. There's overlap and you can get by with all one or the other. I like spinning for light line and light lures 1/4oz< and casting for 1/2> line 10#>. Being proficient with all sorts of tackle adds to the experience too.

The ones they are biting on.... This is very general as this can depend on location, time of day, water clarity, temperature, etc. Also, just about any lure CAN and work regardless of its "ideal" time of year. That being said, I like to focus on shad imitation in the fall. It is my favorite time of the year for moving baits. Spinners, chatters, swimbaits, cranks, lipless cranks, spooks, buzzbaits, pretty much dang near anything but like to stick to shad colors unless the situation calls for something different. Don't overlook drop shot as a great baitfish/shad imitator. Just because certain lures seem to get a lot of attention this time of year, don't over look the staples: Jigs, tubes, shakey head, beavers/craws, etc will still produce effectively. Constantly be aware of the conditions and feedback the fish are giving you, then adapt! No rules are ever certain in fishing, heck, they often like to do the opposite at times. Go in with a game-plan based on expected fall behavior, but don't force it!

After about 4 months of use I wanted to post a review for anyone thinking about getting one of these. The electric steer takes some getting used to but after a few outings you have it down the footpedal buttons are kind of small but I have learned to adjust to that. Some people say they use the remote exclusively but I find using a combination of the foot pedal and remote works best for me. I have recorded tracks and played them back and it follows the track very well. The spot lock feature was the reason I got this trolling motor and it works very well. I have read the GPS accuracy is not that good and won't keep you tight to a spot. I always throw a marker on the spot I want to fish and set the spot lock up wind from it. If you face the boat into the wind and hit the spot lock as the boat stops its forward progress the spot lock works well. So after 4 months of use my initial thoughts are if it broke tomorrow I would go out and buy another one. This by far has been the most helpful piece of electronics I have bought for the boat. It has put more fish in the boat then anything else I have including side and down scan. Next review will be with the ilink to my hummingbird electronics. Hope this helps someone.

Because I use a 7/16 oz jig 90% of my time jig fishing, over 40 years with the same jig head design, the rate of fall change depends on line diameter and trailer shape, size and design. The other factor that is different than nearly everyone else is I prefer pork rind trailers over soft plastics. My custom pork trailers are all the same shape and 3" or 4" long and also use 2 1/2" craw pork trailer for faster fall than the 3" the 4" falls slower. Very simple choices. The only soft plastic that works for me where I fish is 3" & 4" Chigger craws and GYCB 4" & 5" hula grubs. Tried the Rage trailers and haven't caught much on them to date. Keep in mind I fish jigs year around from 1' to 40' of water. I do use heavier 5/8 & 3/4 oz jigs if it's too windy to control the 7/16 oz jig. Also not fishing heavy cover, mostly rocks and sparse cover and that makes it easier. Tom

I do not give my rods names, that way if I throw a spinner bait with my worm rod it doesn't get confused!

Had an hour to kill after school, the rain was dumping so the current was picked up in the river and fish were holding by runoff creeks. caught 8 on a chatterbait, these two were the biggest.

Hit up a local reservoir that I have never fished at before yesterday. Took some time traversing treacherous rocky reservoir terrain, but eventually keyed in on some killer structure within perfect casting distance. 1st fish landed with my siebert brush jig in okeechobee craw (riot baits pumpkin fuzzy beaver trailer), pushing 3lb is my guess. Hooked into one more within 10 minutes of my first one, lost him at the bank, I turned my rod to the right which left slack in the line = sayanara!!! felt bigger than my first one!!! Had to retie when my super cast met with the bush behind me. Knot must have been compromised some how, cuz the third one hit snapped off my precious jig!!! Must buy more! -Joshua

Braided line has made spinning reels much better. (than they were)

Back in my early years I caught a bass Carolina rigging a Bill Plummers Super Frog . I wanted the frog to look like it was trying to flee a predator and that was the best idea I could think of . I didnt even know what a carolina rig was .

15 St. Croix rods for me - great rods, great company...

While I am a Loomis fan boy, my Shimano Stradic is mounted on a St Croix spinning rod.....shhh!. Hootie

That's just one of the great things about St. Croix. It sucks when things go wrong, but they always do their best to make it right. I had an issue with one of their rods after the warranty expired. I called them up, because I was going to pay them to fix it and when I showed up to drop it off they told me they'd do it for free. Can't say enough about them.

Rate Of Fall is the key to Jigs & T-rigs

I have a Smoke rod, a 7'MH-F and it is 3.7oz on my postal scale and the rod is not only light but very sensitive and the power is freaky considering how light it is. For the price they are hard to beat and often over looked, my buddy hates Quantum and cusses at me to this day because he had to get one after using mine.

One of those things that I let the bass tell me. It's not all about action either. A regular chunk style trailer also allows the bait to fall faster while a Rage craws action slows down the fall of a jig. A lot of the time if I'm getting bites just dragging I'll go with the chunk because it gets to the bottom faster and stays there.

Here's the deal with that : It's not methiolate OR any other color you would recognize ... Big Bite sells these in packs of five which are basically mistakes , one off's , an odd-color run , or something they perhaps made up as an experiment they tried for some pro angler . DSG's sells the same thing - most colors are aweful but occasionally you will find a gem in the stack if you look .

That's why I use their rods...

It's true this forum is probably the only reason I learned how to fish. I'm glad I found it last year right after I caught my first bass. I had no idea bass fishing was so popular and so much fun. I love this place.

About five months ago, I was fishing Guntersville alone and ended up near the ramp I put in at. I had 10 minutes left to fish, so I fished around the ramp hoping for one laaaast bite (no luck). When it was time to go, I trolled over to the dock, tied off, got out, and put my trailer in the water. About this time, there were two boats waiting on me to launch and a couple other boats that had just pulled out. A crowd was watching. What did I do? I quickly got on the boat, started it up, and ran towards my trailer. About the time I normally feel the bump of hitting the bunks, I heard a loud bang with the screech of twisted metal. I forgot to pull the trolling motor up! Thankfully the mounting bolts gave way and snapped before major damage was done. I quickly ran to the front of the boat before the whole motor went in the drink, hit reverse, realigned, and trailered the boat. It sure seemed like twenty people were staring and laughing, but it was probably only five or six. Needless to say, every time I trailer the boat, I now triple check to make sure the trolling motor is pulled up! I also learned to not let other folks make me feel like I need to rush at the ramp. Too much bad stuff can happen there!

Wow! You're welcome! And thank you for the kind words. Enjoy your reels!!

Any factory swept Daiwa handle will work. Tatula handles are pretty cheap and easy to source. Regular Tatula for a 90mm handle and Tatula 200hd for a 100mm one. Plenty of aftermarket carbon ones will fit too.

Isn't this a winter/hard water kinda thread...? It's not winter here yet...

Yard sales

Online auction sites seem to offer the best deals. Check feedback and make sure it's 100% or very close to it.

Here she is after I got done knocking all the dust and spiders off her. Hopefully give it a test run in the morning after I get off work.

Hmmm. If there were only a master of Flukes that could help.

I had a nice view in my backyard.

I like to use them on a Jika Rig with a 3/8 weight and a 5/0 hook around rip rap and brush. I also like to throw them weightless or rage rigged after a frog blow up.

I love them. Like all rage products they have ridiculous action. Best as a Carolina rig bait. I've used them as a sort of topwater/just below surface bait as well. Then slow retrieves work great for them too.

I really enjoy frog fishing first thing in the morning. I have a couple of those yellow magics, sure will give them a workout too, thanks for the advice, Red! Good luck to you this weekend, you too Skeeter!

'Cuz of all your blabbin!

Who is holding then? I stink with spinning reels cause I don't know how to use one. Bait Casting, I can throw Wacky Rigged Trick Worms.

I bet you would like to meet his tailor.....

Most scientists agree that they are almost 100% sure Yellowstone will not erupt anytime soon....

Hey, I see that you are in Utah. Where where you at? I was down at Salem Pond this morning and caught my first bass, so I guess it is my PB too! Crappy picture, but I was shaking from the adrenaline!

Tentative plans are for October 6th & 7 th

I haven't seen that one but I can tell you a bit about my new 764 Mag. I weighed the rod, right out of the plastic. I remove the hang tag and hung it. 5.4oz.. Not bad for a 7'6" Magnum rod. It's balanced well for its length. The military green color is very cool and tough looking. Fugi guides are lined up perfectly with the spit K2 reel seat and the cork is very very nice... You can visually see the quality of the rod at a first look. So I went fishing with it today.. First thing I noticed and felt was the tip of the rod. It will work with you while remaining at ready. It's not a broom stick tip. The rod easily casts accurately because of it. Distance was very good with a toad great with a Ribbit frog. I caught my first bass about 30 minutes in. A 5 plus.. The rod was right on par with what Keith had told me, so excellent. I nailed the hook set and battled him through some heavy junk while reeling him in. The reel I had on it was a Lews Tourney Pro with carbonex drag washers and 65lb Power Pro. My only concern is the SK2 reel seat and the narrow cork grip.. Fatigue.

I stay cocked, locked, & ready to rock!