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Ain't no woman in the world worth destroying your life over

First day of the year I'll be very lucky to catch a bigger one this year. 2oz from a p.b.

August 12th I was in a car accident, all of my poles were stolen from my car while I was taken to the hospital via ER. After monthsof physical therapy finally this year I'll be able to fish so I'm excited to share my good news with you all. It's time for me to get back on the water and buy some things for myself. Cheap stuff for now, but once my settlement is finished hopefully I can get my gear back

C&G, I was about your age when my GF of 5.5 years left me out of the blue. I was on a 9 day fishing trip at a buddies place on Lake Minnetonka when she called me on day 2 and told me something was wrong but wouldn't tell me what. I packed it in and drove 9 hours home for her to tell me it was over. The next few weeks were spent trying to drink away my pain, but all it did was replace one hurt with another. I didn't fish hardly at all or spend any time with my friends. After about a month I let a buddy talk me into going to a country bar to catch up a little. As soon as we walked in I saw the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. It's been over 7 years since that night and I still thank my ex for what she did because I would have never met my wife if she hadn't.

I've been blessed with the opportunity of raising one of my grandsons Aiden (Bayou Boy) Savant. After trying baseball, footbalk, basketball, he was bitten with the bass fishing bug in 2014. 2015 was a continuation of his education in the beloved sport of ours. In April he caught his personal best flipping a dock with a jig-n-craw. Sadly I wasn't able to weigh it or get its measurements. In July during his first night trip he increased the size of his personal best on a t-rig, again no weight. Goal for 2016: Since Christmas we are working on the fine art of bait casting & while the distance aint great he aint back lashing (much). As for PawPaw, it don't get no better!

You will feel that way again..and better..when you find the one thats true to you. Work...work..fish..keep busy and lay off the sauce for now.

I think you were lucky....she left before you tied the knot. Then it would have been real messy. Everyday is a new day. Try to maybe do some physical exercise several days a week to help burn off some of that #@!$. Like they say above .... stay away from the juice, take a deep breath and start fresh.

Hit the gym instead and workout the depression instead of consuming a beverage that makes you more depressed. You'll feel much better about yourself and in the end will look better. In time you'll upgrade from the one who quit on you.

Get off your ***, grow up and stop your whining. That's life. It isn't going to get better by doing nothing.

Love hurts. A lot of us have gone thru break ups & worse yet..divorce with children involved. Deak gives good advice in saying lay off the sauce for awhile. It's going to sting for a bit, but it can develop character & make you stronger. Hang tough.

Sucks quite a bit. Life is xxxx, and then we die! Bro, I can tell you it happens, everyone goes through it. Don't let a female drag you down there are over a billion women in the world. You will find the right one. Don't be self destructive because you are hurt. Be proactive about it. Go lif the weights at the gym. Exercise. Get off your butt and stop feeling sorry for yourself. That's some of the best advice I have been given. Don't let someone else control your life like that. You know something, I spent 11 years with the wrong woman. I found the one I wanna spend my life with in 2014. I thought I knew what love was until she came along. I would sell my soul if it would keep her safe forever. Cause without her, I can't be. Drinking and drugs couldn't possibly feel the void. What I'm trying to say is you will know when you find the right one. As for being broke. I have worked sporadically the last 2 months. I got married and have worked 4 of the last 9 weeks. I have wiped out all three savings accounts. I am 2 months behind on all my bills. I need to make over 4000 dollars in the next month just to get everything caught back up so that it will only be 10 to 20 days behind. That's just how life goes. Things will get better. They always do. Go listen to, Ain't no fun, by Snoop Dogg. I think it will sum up some of what I'm trying to tell you.

Thought this topic could generate some interesting replies. The "I" is anyone posting a reply, the blank is any specific lure/presentation you feel is something you are good at. Why I am a better casting jig angler than you are! Casting jig is a skill set that I feel very confident in using because of the time spent doing this started in 1955 over 60 years now. My first jig was a Doll fly 3/8 oz black hair jig without a trailer and didn't have a clue how to fish it other than what was offered on the card it came with. Cast it out and hop it along the bottom. I soon learned a jig caught bass and snagged easily, Doll flies didn't have a weed gaurd. Soft plastics were unknown to me at this time, the Cream worm hadn't made it's way out west until 1957. My source of bass fishing knowledge came from Jason Lucas outdoor fishing editor of Spirts Afield, Jay suggested using a pork rind bass strip for a trailer and a small denture rubber band hooked between the jig eye and hook barb, this worked great and would influence my casting jig fishing forever. Back in those days my reel was a Langley Lure Cast bait caster with Dacron braid, the a rod a 5 1/2' tubular fiber glass Conolin bait casting rod. This outfit could cast a 3/8 oz oz jig 50 yards, all the line the reel held. Being a bank angler back then a long cast allowed more distance to retrieve the lure, not necessarily a good idea because you missed most strikes. With the old knuckle buster reel you had to keep your hand on the reel handle all the time when retrieving or hopping the jig along the bottom,this also required holding the rod by the fore grip, line running over the index finger and under the thumb to feel strikes and help prevent the handle from spinning backwards during a hook set. This out fit also had a lasting impact on how I would develop casting jig fishing skills, strike detection, hook setting and controlling bass during the fight, you had to play the bass or lose it! Today I still hold the rod the same way, make long casts, feel the line to detect strikes and use both the reel and rod to get a good "reel" set with rod sweep technique developed over decades of jig fishing. I also rarely use a fiber or wire weed guard preferring a piece of soft plastic worm attached via a spring between the hook eye and hook point that replaced my original small rubber band. I also still prefer hair jigs with pork trailers. Why do I use this old school jig presentation of making long casts and use out dated hair jigs with pork trailers? The answer is in the number of bass caught over 10 lbs, hundreds. My 5 top jig bass caught between 1982-1994 are: 17.4, 17.4, 17.6, 18.6 and 19.3 lbs. Tom

I disagree. If people get into as much detail as WRB, some of us might actually learn something

On your feet soldier !

My service fee for members here is <$20 ($22-10%) shipping about $6 each way and parts $10 +/-. Email or pm me and I'll see if I can help you correct it yourself.

Last year, I tried to fish new techniques. I knocked quite a few baits off my list, but there were three that I couldn't get bit on. They were: chatterbaits, spook-style baits, and frogs. I threw them and threw them and threw them but I couldn't get bit. I didn't throw them in the trash, I kept fishing them out of frustration and desperation more then anything else. And, you know what happened? Fishing lots of different baits has really helped me become a better and more versatile fisherman. Go out there and gain some confidence in new techniques guys! It'll pay off.

Lure size and presentation tend to be much more important to me than color most of the time. The closer your bait comes to mimicking forage or (when appropriate) just p*ssing them off, the closer you are to being consistent, I believe. Matching things like sound and color to conditions is also important, but only if presentation is on point first. As for for mimicking shad/alewifes in lakes full of them... Unlike when tossing flies for trout, I don't typically want my lure to look just like all of the forage around it. I want a jerkbait that looks injured/dieing/struggling in current or cold temperatures. I want a crank bait that's fleeing a predator and swimming confused/clumsily and making a racket. I want my jig bumping into cover and kicking up dirt like a terrified crayfish. Yes, there are some incredibly realistic looking lures out there, but most of them are out performed by a spinnerbait (essentially a jig head built on a safety pin with metal blades). If I ever see a live spinnerbait just swimming in a lake, I'm checking myself into rehab.

I'm just a dumb Cajun but this is what I read on sell and buy another. You will be going from a boat that aint equipped the way you like it to a boat that aint equipped the way you like it and ya gaining a note? Before I up graded anything I'd put that 50 hp in the shop! One thing I will not put up with is a motor the don't run right peroid!

2015 Size was up, numbers down. I caught more 4lb+ bass on my home water than in years past. Caught more 5lb+ bass collectively on all the water I fished this year than any year in the past. Don't think I caught any legal walleye this year. Caught a crap-ton of pike although none as big as the one A Jay caught 2016 Going to depend on the outcome of my shoulder surgery.

2015, from a multi-species standpoint (which I focus my efforts on more and more as I get older), was my best ever. Over 3,000 fish landed this year (1500+ were bass) Got much better with several different presentation/techniques Got a new boat, which I love Got much better with my mapping and interpretations For 2016, just like last year, I'm not setting any goals or expectations. Sometime during the year I'll find something specific to focus on, I always do, but as I get older, I've learned to not saddle myself with any preordained fishing targets. Life is short - I now just fish when I want, where I want, and how I want. I did enough of the commitment thing with bass tourneys when I was much younger. -T9

Happy Birthday Glenn.

It's after a season or two of hard use that that low end reels show their true colors. For casual use they can fit the bill though.

This is not the place to seek Real Help - if you believe you need it - Seek the consult of a Medical Professional right away. If you're just blowing off a little smoke then I'll tell you that Personal relationships are one part of every mans life; sometimes there are more challenges than other times. What if you had all the mental ability and capacity to do anything & everything you wanted to do but physically you were completely crippled ? That would be really tough. Fortunately that's not the case here - the only one stopping you from doing whatever it is that you want to do it's that knucklehead that's looking back at you in the mirror. Might be time to move on to whatever the next chapter in your life is - btw - this is the only one you get. Might want to do something with it before it over. Happens pretty fast. A-Jay

Welcome aboard, Jerry! I motorized my Native Ultimate 12 with a simple MinnKota C2 30. I patterned it after the BassYaks and other products on the market. Was a DIY and still works great. I've got pix in my gallery. Most parts I bought from Home Depot, and a local Tru Value. I do recommend using Stainless Steel bolts, etc. I used zinc plated and had some rusting issues after a while.

2015 was interesting...was getting back my health and was impatient in a lot of ways even though I fished quite a bit. This year am going to try to smell the roses and enjoy what the good Lord has given me. (more time on earth) Hopefully continue to fish the Tues and Thurs nighters along with some other tourneys. Every day is a gift for sure.

Hang in there C&G. It hurts now, but it will get better. As C22 said, time heals all. You have a bright future, focus on that, focus on being a good man, a generous man, a kind man, and live your life. Don't be in a rush to find love as love can sting. I know love's keen sting, but I did find my wife and those old loves are nothing anymore - though they hurt a lot at the time -- and I couldn't even conceive of anyone better. Even so, I found someone better, and I'm still married to her.

Preach on brother.

Not questions like yours. Sorry if my response offended you. But after 20 years of running this site and seeing this same question posted several times a day without saying a word.... then one comes along to the tune of "What's the best car? I don't want to spend much. Go!", I lost it. The question is way too broad to even attempt to answer. So I gave it a funny response. LOL! 1st time in 20 years.

Here's my two cents worth. Electronics are more important than the boat for locating fish, and the types of bottom that hold fish. Getting into a larger boat, with the same electronics, will not do much to improve your catch other than being able to fish in a bit harder weather. I'd rather be in a "marginal boat" with good/great electronics, than a luxury liner with inferior electronics.

Do you need more boat or do you want more boat? A byproduct of having more storage will be filling it up and the new boat will feel small. It's inevitable you will fill up all the storage lockers. Were I to upgrade, and stick with Tracker, the 195 would be my choice. It's a much larger boat with a bigger fishing platform and wider beam. I went from a 17ft boat with a 90hp to a 20ft boat with a 225hp. Both aluminum. The 17ft boat was easier to load/unload alone and I fish alone most of the time. I went with a bigger boat with safety being the number one factor for the change. Second was storage and layout. I fished tourneys for 9 years out of the 17footer and grew out of it. The 20footer is a lot of boat. It's not as easy to maneuver in between docks. I have no complaints other than that, Fuel and oil consumption is similar, but the new motor is fuel injected rather than carbureted.

2015 was exactly what I made of it and it was good. The only "bad" year will be the one I'm not a part of. There's not enough of them left to waste. My one & only goal for 2016 (fishing wise) is pictured below everything else will take care of itself. A-Jay

14 and 15 were the worst years for me. All I did was work and maybe got out fishing 20 times in the 2 years. 2016, I'm playing for keeps, I'm fishing more, working on my health and making sure I have time for my kids. I'm not selling out like I did. It's not worth that kind of sacrifice.

Got into the trout today. Chilly but fun nonetheless! 11 Browns and 11 rainbows for me, a mix of stocked and wild fish. My dad took the cake with a 17" wild brown. All wild fish were returned to the creek, a few stocked fish were invited to dinner.

I get irritated with this kind of question too. To me it's sheer laziness on the part of the person asking the question. (I'm not speaking to the OP specifically.) You have this wonderful, massive resource with more information than you could possibly ever read and you're not willing to read through a few pages to try to find an answer? Who knows what other information you might learn along the way. The lack of a willingness to do a little research is astonishing to me.

Time heals all,give it a chance.

Well done SL. That little guy who the the frog was hungry!

I had mine out last weekend slinging a spoon an easy 80 yards with a half effort cast. I forgot how fun this reel is. This reel is easily worth $400 imo. But its currently around $240. Buy one ASAP. Look at what else is available for $240.. I don't see anything that I would buy before the Exsence DC. Super long caster, super smooth, and very solid.

I just purchased one from Digitaka, which has the lowest prices, excellent customer service, and fast shipping from Japan. It's a smooth and flawlessly engineered piece of equipment. I'll be pairing mine with a Megabass Levante Perfect Pitch for frogging and flipping, since Exsense was especially designed for use with braid. The Tackle Tour review is right on, you won't regret pulling the trigger on this beast. Admittedly, I wanted it for the same reasons you mentioned, and I'm so glad I chose a unique DC reel. It's just flat out cool. I own a Ci4+ and the Exsense has obviously more weight to it, which is one of the main complaints from most people. The other being the single gear ratio. Neither of these "drawbacks" deterred me; I like a reel with a little extra weight as long as the rod/reel combo is balanced. The Exsense doesn't feel like a toy reel. All of my reels are extra fast, since I don't do any deep cranking, and high speed is an advantage in every area for me. I had to reply to your post; if I would have sought advice on Bass Resourse before pulling the trigger on mine, I would have posted the exact same thing as you. If you get it, or should I say, when you get it (after reading these replies), let us know what you think. JC

They're sorta different animals. The Veracity is a 7' medium-moderate cranking rod and the Premier is a 7' medium-fast (and like many St. Croixs fishes heavier than it's rating). Both rods have good build quality but otherwise aren't comparable. One factor that lead to selection of the Veracity was that it's an Abu, and the color complements the burgundy colored 2500C...

The Boomerang Snip model I have has 5 very small Phillip's head screws on one side. Once removed the back of the tool opens up & can be removed. This access will allow for the removal of the "Snip" assembly. This makes sharpening it more effective. There's a small spring clip to remove as well. Note that (at least my model) there is one serrated blade that will not ever need sharpening & one straight edge blade that does. Unless that edge has been totally abused, a few solid strokes with the small honing tool of your choice should put a fine cutting edged right back on it. Then it's only a matter of reassembly. A-Jay

Yes....i think good forums such as this should think of all of those things....its great you can use this forum for searching out different topics that have been posted in the past but at the same time, there is the social aspect that anglers like when they get a real response that might lead to new friendships and just shooting the breeze.....If there are not those kinds of conversations then this only becomes a database that eventually gets to be boring.....I like the people who take the time to answer questions or pose different views.....that's what makes things interesting.....

This may sound stupid, but I'm not trying to fill any specific need with the Exsence. I like that it's different as I'm looking forward to trying something new. I just wanted it for fun, yeah, but at the same time, I'm admittedly an elitist when it comes to performance, and even if it's different, I don't want to be disappointed. For that reason, when I got comfortable with the Chronarch Ci4's and the Curado I's (and a 13 Met XG), I sold most of the other reels I had because they just didn't perform as well and weren't as much fun to use. The only reels I kept were a 50e Curado and a Revo MGX because they're freaking fun to use. I just want something fun and a top notch performer if I'm going to justify to myself spending top dollar, and there's not as much feedback on this reel so I thought I'd ask. Side note on the 13Met and the Chronarch Ci4... do it! They're both fantastic reels. I can't decide which I like better. Honestly, they are near identical in my hands. I know you didn't mention the Chronarch, but since more people own it, it seems to be for sale on the flea market quite a bit. I've seen them go for under $190 recently new, and that's a heck of a deal in my opinion. The Curado I's are nearly equals from a performance standpoint and often I find myself liking the more solid, slightly heavier feel of them. I have no doubt the new 70's are going to be fun. That's actually the other reel I was considering along with the Exsence.

I simplified a lot in 2015 .Basic Texas rigged worms caught a bunch of fish for me . Over the years Ive been throwing a lot of Lizards , craws , creatures .... but the old straight tail 6 inch worm " Manns Jelly worm " put the numbers in the boat . Lots of fish on med to deep diving crankbaits . Fished a few times at night under different moon phases . The full moon night was by far the best night . Maybe in clearer water the new moon is better but where I fish the full moon is best .Two best bass of the year came on a full moon night , off of a red craw Rapala shallow diving Crankin Rap .

Very informative. Thank you.

You can have some more....LOL...I'm done! My life is done for a while. My 15 y/o daughter is having her friends over for the New Year and I'm banging on the computer talking about fishing...how bad is that!

I have no regrets or cons for 2015. I lost some big bass, but I caught even more and I learned a ton. My highlights included: -Catching two 5 pounders and a 7.12. -Fishing jigs and texas rigs nonstop -Learning to target big bass -Learning to slow down and fish an area thoroughly -Fishing the Ned Rig 2016 Goals: -Jerkbaits -Crankbaits -Spinnerbaits -Chatterbaits -Big bass I wrote this a year ago: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/why-we-fish.html . Never would have imagined the things I was able to knock off my list in 2015. Here's to 2016!!

Smithwick Rogue Rapala Husky Jerk Allen

I agree with a lot of the advice given above. When I fish a tournament from the back (which is always for now), I bring the basics for the lake I'm fishing. I never leave without jigs, worms, spinner baits, a few reliable crank baits, all in proven colors for my area (green pumpkins, black/blues and a few others). if he's burning a spinner bait or crank bait, I always have a senko tied on incase he misses a fish I can mop up. if he's fishing the upper water column, I'll start bumping the bottom. Usually a pattern will establish after awhile and you can go from there. Buuuut, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes nothing is working and I go back to the basics and try to keep my head in the game. I feel that is the most important, keep your head in the game! I know it gets tough, but I feel the back of the boat has forced me to strengthen my weaknesses and learn to "shut up and fish!" Your first year is tough, good luck, you'll figure it out just by doing.

First, you can't fish his way. You're going to have to find fish he's passing or missing. May be a different angle on the weed line. It happens. Don't throw the same bait, throw a variation of something either bigger, or slighty smaller. I've fished behind someone throwing a chatterbait and a spinnerbait and while he was struggling I was killing it on a rat-l-trap. But fishing behind someone and out of the back of the boat will make you a better fisherman simply because you have to be and make you fish out of the box and comfort zone and become more successful with other presentations. Now if you start catching fish and he positions the boat to cut you off or mess up what you're doing then that's another story. I'll still fish tournaments from the back, but prefer to fish a team format where two people can work off each others strenghts and weaknesses. Don't let yourself loose the mental game or you're going to take yourself out of the tournament before you ever start.