Leaderboard

Who ever thought they'd put my ugly mug on a mag cover? No joke man, you're crazy to not sign up for this thing.

An added bonus is you'll find every brush pile in the lake!

Got the call today. Insurance approved my shoulder surgery. This will be the 3rd one since 2010. Scheduled for next Wednesday the 18th. Doc is going to drill a bunch of holes in my shoulder blade and sew back on the trapezius and/or rhomboid muscles that are torn off. 4-6 weeks off work and 6-8 months of PT should have me at 70-80% range of motion and hopefully pain free. With any luck I'll be back on the water just in time for all the recreational boaters . If this one doesn't work, I'm done and just going to deal with it until I drop dead in another 40 years or so. Anyway, I welcome a few prayers that the doctors don't kill me. If they do, it's been a slice and I'll see you guys on the other side.

Stroking! Let the Trap settle to the bottom then snap it up off the bottom with your rod, let it flutter back down, repeat, & hold on with two hands!

https://www.facebook.com/billdance/videos/926920440713538/ The #1 reason for losing the quality of bass on small waters is lack of harvesting. Not harvesting = not managing.

Sometimes less is more. A very short lift & drop back on a tight line produces for me with surprising regularity. A-Jay

Absolutely! Yes, you need - no MUST - harvest in a small pond. Otherwise you'll get a ton of stunted, small bass. You also need to balance the forage as well. We have a ton of information on this here: http://www.bassresource.com/lake-management/ Read up!

Here in Florida the game commission is FINALLY going to change the minimum size for harvest to 12 inches. Personally I think thats long over due. That , combined with max size limits for harvesting should improve the overall quality of fishing. Too many bass = small bass.

I have read all the replies and i'm shocked! Come on you guys, the OP asked if you could. I have seen posts where a lot of you have given some great information on different techniques and doled out some superior fishing wisdom. I do believe Catt could bet him on Toledo Bend. i also think SpeedBead (sp) could get some pigs with his swimbait prowess and I know AJ and Hootie have caught some huge fish over the last couple years. Tom seems like he has the SoCal area locked down tight and he has caught lots of DD fish. Heck even some of the newer fisherman on the forum could do it. I know he's a pro but so what. On any given day...... In my humble opinion, i think that there are anglers out there that pursue this crazy hobby with passion but don't care about tournaments and making money doing it. I hope that several of you could and would do it. I would watch and I wouldn't root for KVD or any other pro against one of the non-pro BassResource members.

After winning the tourney with our 29.95lbs bag a week and a half ago, I headed out the other morning with a good buddy. We're both new dads, so planning trips isnt easy. If I have time, I usually dont know until that morning. I'm incredibly lucky to have a wife who understands my passion. We had about 4 hours that we could scoot out for. High sun, 10-15 kmh winds we knew it wasnt going to be a stellar day, but we should be able to drag some up. We didnt mark near the number of fish around that we have been, but enough to keep our interest. Our first pass over the school and I hit a 5 pounder. Good starter fish, but still not the reason we fish Simcoe in the fall. Next pass, I load up on a fish that doesnt feel like anything special. Fought nearly the same as the other 4-5 pounders. As soon as it got near the boat, it "tried" to jump. Thats when I knew she was a toad. I've caught a number of 7 pounders and I knew this one was my biggest yet. Unfortunately no scale on the boat, but I imagine she went somewhere between 7.5 - 8lbs. A truly giant smallie that photos will not give justice too. Now time to go get my 9.

There's a few lakes around here that have that issue. It's not even just the really small lakes, bass can overpopulate many bodies of water if not properly managed. Catch and release is a great thing, but keeping some small ones for dinner isn't as bad as many make it out to be here.

It's no different than managing deer populations. People just see it differently because they can drive by and see the deer in the field vs not being able to see what is in the pond.

Thanks man! When the fish came up and I saw how big it was I never would've forgiven myself if I lost it lol. It looked barely hooked but Luckily it wasn't as it seemed and it was hooked with 2 points on the top of the mouth. She was pegged and not coming off. Those owner st-41s do their job!

There is this planet on the Pacific, it´s called Californy ( my wife is from there ), they have some of the strangest regulations, some are even ridiculous, who knows, maybe you can poison yourself just by looking at that treble hook ( because the sodering material may contain infinitesimal amounts of lead ) on the other hand you may get lung emphysema from inhaling all those exhaust fumes while you get trapped at a LA freeway during rush hour but that win´t that dangerous according to them.

Craziest part about the whole thing... Is that a little smile snuck in there! Congrats, that's awesome.

I started playing with her about 13yrs ago and she still gives me goosebumps from time to time. Ha.

Your new avatar for sure! Wayne you earned this title, enjoy every moment. Tom

have you ever heard of california? evidently everything there causes cancer and as such, companies have to put ridiculous labels on them. i would feel that having gone through customs to get here they wouldn't blatantly put toxic materials in there (other than lead as mentioned). wouldn't concern me in the least bit.

special secret ninja technique, you weren't supposed to receive that manual .....

I fish lipless bait about 3 different ways. My #1 method is what I like to call the "reel and sweep"....I cast it out, let sink to the bottom, and start winding it in at a moderate speed, every couple turns of the reel handle I "sweep" the rod .....but not vertically, more of a sweep to the side, this gets the bait vibrating aggressively, and the then it shimmies back to the bottom as I catch up to the slack, but I am always reeling. #2 is the "yo-yo" ....let it sink, lift it up...drop it,much like you would hop a jig or worm across the bottom, the speed of the lift varies, but I don't move it "up" much, I don't want it coming way up off the bottom. And #3 is the "grass rip"...cast it into a grassy area, I use a steady retrieve to keep it in contact with the grass, changing the way I hold the rod to maintain that contact, and when it hangs....give it a sharp "rip" out of the grass.

If you are at the $100 budget then a Pflueger Supreme is the ticket! The 30 size reel will hold 130 yards of 8lb line so it will probably hold around 100 yards of 12lb and it weighs in at 7.5oz. I have the MGX model which is basically the same model, that reel has been excellent for me.

If KVD reads this it may give him the confidence to overcome this "slump" he is in. I actually think you guys give him too much credit, I think I would have a good chance of beating him 1 on 1 in a one day tournament. Now a year long aoy race is a different story at this point in my fishing career given his vast knowledge of fishing and competition.

Lots of support to pull all bass under 15" when a pond is producing stunted fish.

You've got to clear yearling to ensure the larger fish have food. Over population is never good. You'll have some very skinny fish that are long with big heads and no belly lol

Good luck..so it doesnt cause hairy palms..it causes shoulder problems.

Just a sample: Got a lot more than that

Landing a fish that big with a crankbait in it's mouth is like 100 extra Fish God points. Great fish and a great job.

Yo-Yoing is quiet easy. Make a long cast and turn your reel handle few times (5-6 times), then pause for 2-3 seconds. Just repeat it again and again...

My new baby arrived today, earlier than expected, which is quite welcome. 6'3" MLXF LTWS I put my new Stradic 1000FJ on it and the balance is right at the hook keeper. A little higher than I was expecting, but by no means bad. Given the way I hold a spinning reel, it is comfortable and balances well. Here's the thing. I tied an identical hook/worm on to test the sensitivity against my Carbonlites. Wow. This rod is CRISP. That's the word that hits me. Dragging the Zoom finesse worm across the rocks on my driveway and it is sooooo crisp. Every bump felt distinctly transmitted to my fingers on the blank. I feel *most* bumps with the Carbonlite and a 1000 FI, but it's a more muted feel. Very interesting to feel the difference between a high-end rod and a mid range rod. I can't wait to get it out on the water soon. With no reels mounted, and balancing each rod on the first (big) guide, the LT feels lighter, but is heavier at the tip. I LOVE the shorter handle, which is probably why the balance is a little higher than on the CL when a reel is attached. So far I'm quite happy, quite stoked to fish it. I'm liking the ML action in initial casting. Good stuff. Need some weight from a scaled hog on the other end. Only weight I got was our cat attacking the worm while I was reeling it in.

Whatever it is , I would see if it would hit a jelly worm .

I wish you could buy rage craws in bulk!

BASSIN AT LOPEZ LAKE CA-

Little impromptu playing recording last night. We don't do this often but we enjoy it. Hope you enjoy. Here is a link to a previous thread. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/159974-music-with-my-wife-part-3/?fromsearch=1

Good luck. Hope for a quick recovery so you can be out casting!

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers. Hope you have a speedy and healthy recovery.

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers man. I hope all goes well for you and the outcome is what you want. Do keep us posted as things progress; we'd love some updates.

Prayers sent for you Paul

Here's to a very successful surgery and speedy recovery.

Ragnar Lothbrooks sunken vessel.

Nice job, Congrats

I​'m going out on a limb and saying it's NOT Nessie, but a rocking horse someone threw in there a long time ago.

1/2 oz black jig + Zoom Brush Hog Castaic Choice has caught me more 10+ pounders than all my other baits put together. Baby Brush hogs ain´t bad, unfortunately they are somewhat small.

For me - If a knot is failing I always feel it's on me. Either I tied a poor one, the tackle was incorrect for the task or I choose a substandard product; but either way there are always actions that can & will be taken to correct it. Two days ago I hooked fought & landed a 25 pound plus pike on 10lb braid & a 10 mono leader. Fight lasted almost 20 minutes. Clearly this was by-catch and there's always a margin of good fortune involved but that tackle was stressed close to but not past what it could do; including the Uni-knots used to connect the braid/mono. btw - I had to stop using fluoro for leader material - knot strength is problematic - at least for me. A-Jay

I fail to understand why you didn't try to poke it or something. That would have told you a lot right there lol.

Shad don't change color just because the water is dirty.

Stick.

Terribly sad. It's always the good guys that leave us too soon. Not sure what his personal situation was, but if the family is in any form of need I suggest we start a collective here for the family if that fits in BR guidelines. Perhaps there may already be one online for him. Will have him in my thoughts and prayers.

Same junk. Different badge. Get yourself a Shimano and quit worrying about it. That is all.