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Lol, BPS never has a good fishing sale

Holidays are nice......but I really LOVE my Siebert Outdoors Days! I try to have these days as often as I can throughout the year.......GREAT stuff. WOOHOO!

I have been doing the renting different ones to see what works best for me the last couple months. Start with taking a class or two, the range I have been shooting at offers a beginners course. Good to see the basics, and the particular rules of the range. After my trials I have decided to go with a 9mm Sig P226, just have to finish the required license class which I am taking this sunday.

Keep in mind the biggest bag weighed in our KC Area tourneys this year was caught out of a fish n ski. And mostly off the smaller back deck

First off, those are cool boats! Secondly, the best way I have found to save money is to ask for gift cards for holidays, birthdays, etc. It really makes a difference when you are buying a $200 reel and only need to spend $30 in cash.

I could tell what I'd do, but I'll admit, my credibility is a little questionable. Instead, I'll offer the advice of B A S S Elite Series Professional Todd Faircloth. Unlocking Bass: 3 keys to a kicker Once you have your limit, it's time to upgrade! "Someone recently told me that I've caught more daily big bass than any other angler in the Bassmaster Elite Series. I was surprised to hear it, but it's a nice confirmation of some of my tournament philosophies. Then they asked me if I'd share some of those ideas with you here, and I agreed. I think it's important to share that kind of stuff. I've benefitted from things that other anglers have shared with me, and I like to give back when I can. It makes us all better. I hope these tips will help you catch bigger bass in competition. They've worked for me over the years. 1. Find your comfort zone For every tournament I fish, I do a lot of research. Not only do I want to figure out the best locations, baits and patterns, but I want to develop an idea of what it's going to take to do well and earn a check. Sometimes you'll hear a tournament fisherman say something like, "I just go out there and fish hard all day and bring my best five to the scales." Well, that's fine, but without any way to measure performance throughout the day, you're fishing blind and can't make the kind of adjustments that are necessary to be successful. You can't afford to wait until you get to the scales to find out if you had a good day or not. I always have a weight in mind before I launch my boat each day. That number might be big (Falcon Lake in March) or it might be small (the Ohio River in July), but it's important. It's the number I have to reach to be competitive and to get paid. And while some people will tell you that they only fish to win or that they never fish for a check, the reality is that checks and tournament points are important. They pay the bills and get you to the championship. If you ignore them, you'll have problems. For the sake of this article, let's say my target number is 12 pounds for a five bass limit. I have confidence that 12 pounds a day will get me in the money and keep me competitive. Hopefully, in practice I've found the bass to do that, and I can catch them pretty quickly. Time is critical in a bass tournament. We're all fishing under the gun, and the guys who manage their time best tend to cash the most checks. Once I reach that target weight, my comfort level goes up and I'm ready to explore and try something different. Until then, I'm doing all I can just to catch the quality fish I need to get there. I want lots of bites from respectable bass until I reach that target. My tournament mindset has always been to go for a limit first and to upgrade later. If I know where I can go and catch lots of 2 1/2 pounders quickly, I'll do that rather than go to another spot where the bass are bigger but the bites are fewer and farther between. Of course, that plan has to be flexible, too, and there are times when I'll go after big fish first and then work on a limit. An obvious time to do this is in the spring, when you've spotted a giant female or two on beds and you have to go to them right away before someone else does. Ordinarily, though, I'm focused on a limit first. When I have what I believe to be a respectable limit, I'm ready for the second step. 2. Explore Changing things up and getting away from my primary pattern is more than just changing locations; it's also about changing my mindset. Instead of wanting and needing lots of bites to fill my limit, now I'm thinking about getting a couple of bites from the kind of bass that will really help my bottom line. I'm not looking to cull up an ounce or two, but by several pounds. Over the years I've caught most of my best bass from isolated cover, and that's usually where I'll go after I have a solid limit. The cover doesn't have to be big, but it does need to be away from other similar cover. I like to target isolated logs, boat docks, brush piles, mats of vegetation or anything else that might hold a big fish. The isolated cover is a big fish magnet because it's the only holding area around and other anglers will often overlook it, preferring to fish bigger spots that might hold more bass but which take a lot longer to fish and generally don't hold the biggest bass in the area. Once I have a solid limit I may also consider making a long run to get to an out of the way spot or making another change that's otherwise too time-consuming or risky. Having a solid limit is freedom — you can do other things that have the potential for a big payoff. A lot of guys will make those kinds of moves after they've had a bad first day or two in the tournament, but then it's almost always too late. You need to make those moves when you're in a position of strength and have the right mindset, not when you're in a position of weakness and pressing too hard. 3. Ounce wise, pound foolish Over the years, I've seen a lot of tournament fishermen really milk a spot. Maybe they're catching a bunch of two pounders on a main lake point and they have 10 or 11 pounds in the livewell. Instead of leaving those fish and going to look for a kicker that will really help them, they stay on the spot and continue to work it over, adding an ounce here and there but basically adding very little weight to their bag. I think that's a mistake for two reasons. First, that time could be used to make a real change in their catch. If they gamble just a little and try targeting some better fish, they could go from merely making a check to winning the tournament. You don't often do that by playing it safe with average fish. Second, they might need those fish tomorrow. By catching too many today, they could be wrecking that spot or school for the rest of the tournament. They should be saving those bass. By culling all day with more average fish they think they're gaining ounces but they're really losing pounds from their catch over the next day or two. I'll be the first to admit that my method of upgrading a tournament catch doesn't always work, but neither does anything else. What I can tell you is that it's worked for me a lot more often than not, and that I'll be using it until I find something better. Of course, a little luck helps, too! "Hero or zero" is a popular phrase for the guys who gamble with their tournament strategy. It doesn't have to be that way. I much prefer "hero or still-in-the-money." Give it a try." A-Jay

NOPE ~ Not a Penny More. That's on the seller. And there can't be negative feedback to you since you're not the one who Jacked up the transaction. I'd offer to pay what was agreed and if that's not good, get my $$ back. In fact I don't know what the site rules are but attempting to renegotiate an agreed on price after the fact - can't be a routine practice. Instead of paying more, perhaps you should respond by in fact offering less since you're obviously back in the negotiation stage of the process ? Might want to report this transaction to the site administrator(s). A-Jay

MLF is the MOST informative fishing show on Television. No sales pitches, no scripts. You learn a lot from MLF if you can read between the lines.

If you are a smallmouth fisherman you need to know all you can learn about Billy Westmoreland. I read his book Them Ol' Brown Fish. The book really fills in the history of his life and what made him who he was. A true legend in our sport.

If you squint it looks kinda like a really slimy bass with a moustache.

In an earlier comment I mentioned that I now use a particular yamamoto lure because I hate messing around with skirts. So I found a one-piece molded rubber bait that works just as well in most circumstances and saves me a lot of time and trouble while out fishing. With this lure I do not have to buy jigs, skirts, and trailers. I just buy this one lure, rig it weedless with or without weight and go to town with it. I use it a lot for flipping, pitching, and punching through vegetation and I do not have to mess with it no where near as much as I have with jigs with skirts and trailers. So I got a couple of PM's asking which bait it is and here it is- the Yamamoto Hula grub double tail. I absolutely love this thing! I guess Gary Yamamoto hates messing with skirts as much as I do! Thanks Gary! Wish there were more like this one on the market!

I've owned two different fish and skis over the years and fished in many other bass boats. Micah, Drew, KSadler and Cole covered the pros and cons really well. I wanted to echo that the windshield is really nice in cold weather and the lack of storage (rod storage particularly) really sucks. The only difference I have is that rear deck space has not been a problem in either of my boats. You can find models with a decent rear deck if that's important to you.

Why I am a better teaching angler than you are. (I don't really believe I am the best teacher, but I'll play. ) Finding fish on structure is not a complex differential equation that requires a high degree of intelligence to comprehend. Structure and cover are very simple concepts that, once defined, should be easy for most anyone to understand. Often left unsaid is the fact that learning structure on a large lake takes a lot of work and time, and typically the rewards from this process come later rather than sooner. The process of learning the structure of a lake is not difficult to understand. It is just difficult to execute due to the time involved. Back in the days of Buck Perry, the way to learn structure was to drag lures across the bottom in successive parallel paths, each one deeper than the last, so that the angler could feel and locate points, humps, drains, creek channels, etc. When a nice point or other type of potential bass holding structure was located, a series of paths perpendicular, parallel, and across the structure would be taken to determine its layout. Eventually, this process led to enough knowledge of the bottom to map out the bottom of the lake. Anyone can see that this method took a lot of time and even then, spots on spots could easily be missed. But . . . . it did work and Perry was dubbed the "Father of Structure Fishing." Once depth sounders/fish finders came into vogue, this process was made slightly easier, though the angler could still only see what was under the boat. If you still use one of these depth finders, then you will need to spend a lot of time following a process similar to the old "Buck Perry" process if you truly want to learn your lake. Once you learn quite a bit, you will be able to find and catch fish much faster. If you use side imaging and down imaging, then you have obviously shortened the process of learning the structure on your lake. One can now see out to the side of the boat and get a quicker view of structure. Anything that appears to be a potential spot to hold fish can then be further investigated with down imaging, 2D sonar, or lures. Additionally, an angler can and absolutely should peruse maps and online data about lakes and weather to narrow down probable lake areas for investigation. He or she can then concentrate the investigation process in the areas already chosen, thus decreasing the time needed to find fish. Keep in mind though, that if one chooses the wrong areas for investigation in your pre-trip searches, you may find yourself struggling on the water. Always check the conditions, water, etc when you arrive at the lake so that you can hopefully alter your plan if necessary. As one can surmise, small lakes can be learned pretty quickly. Learning a very large lake is where a lot of time is involved. It is imperative that you do your research on a large lake to narrow your search areas if you want to achieve success in a shorter time period. Keep in mind that knowing the structure of your lake is useless if you are not familiar with how a bass typically uses that structure throughout the seasons. In summary, it doesn't take an intellectually superior human being to be a good angler. It just takes one with a desire to learn, persistence, and the time necessary to apply these ideas on the water. I am not among the best anglers in the world, or anywhere else for that matter. But I can teach you and I believe you will be more likely to absorb what I teach because you will never feel that what I teach requires a special gift or superior intelligence. If you struggle with finding fish, don't be discouraged. You can do this.

Sometimes my bass fishing feels a lot like a chess game that I just can't win. A-Jay fishes shallow ~ bass go deep. A-Jay fishes deep ~ Bass go shallow. A-Jay throws topwater ~ Bass are eating Crawdads. A-Jay throws a jig ~ bass are eating frogs. Some days I swear I can even hear them whispering "Checkmate ~ Doofus". A-Jay

I am going thru serious bass fishing withdrawals!

Nice! My favorite line, nothing agaist YZH I use that too. I think you'll like it. It's surprisingly limp, I use 15lb for jigs and 12lb (20+ and 17+ break strength) for traps and spinnerbaits. Good deal for how much line you get too!

Went out fishing in SE Florida with a guide I had previously used and who is the best in the business, and needless to say the results were amazing. A combination of shiners, frogs, spoons, worms, and lipless crank baits caught us over 70 bass. These were the best pictures of the day, but we caught a lot more. Best LMB went 5.93 pounds on the last cast of the day and the biggest pea went 6.03lbs. Countless 4-5lbers were caught as well. These peas put up quite the fight on a medium action spinning rod! By far, the best fishing day I have ever had.

Okay guys, I'm going with your recommendations for Izorline xxx. Just ordered some from TW, along with some jigs, plastics, oil and other items to get over the $50.00 hump for free shipping. It better be all you say it is....lol. Hootie

I grew up fishing pistol grips. Loved the accuracy of them, but hated the lack of power you had while fighting a fish. Bass weren't usually that bad, but if you hooked into a big northern you felt like you were holding on for dear life! haha That being said, I retired my last one a few years ago.

When I'm throwing squarebill crankbaits around things like docks, grass and heavy wood, basically things that I can break off around... I use 15lb Maxima Ultragreen (mono or copoly) OR Sunline Sniper 16lb fluorocarbon. I use baits down to 3/8 oz regularly (KVD 1.5). This line casts without worry and is very strong/abrasion resistant. If I'm throwing a deep diver or mid depth bait in basically open water, I will use 12lb or 10lb fluorocarbon Sunline Sniper... I would say it depends what kind of crankbait and how you'd like it to run, as well as what type of cover you're fishing around. I hope this makes sense, please let me know if you need any clarification.

There are a few considerations, casting weight, cover and depth plus the vauge subjective way rods are labeled. Id start by looking at the lure weight range and pick something where the lure weight falls near the mid range. Probably a medium in most lineups. A graphite mod fast action is good for working through and around cover. If the cover is heavy I step up a power but it's still important for the Rod to load and cast appropriately.

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

speaking of... see yall on tuesday nights Chris look! Ice cream!

The bass in any body of water have been successful at finding prey there, whatever that food source maybe. Don't get locked into colors, experiment. Tom

I don't play online. But I have friends and acquaintances who play, and I get a few in person games in per month on average. I like to think I'm pretty good. But there is something about the perspective of how you see the board and pieces on a computer screen that seems to throw me off. It's like I can visualize and plan better when I'm looking at the board in person.

If it is your first bait caster - don't go cheap. Remember that you get what you pay for. Go to Paul's or one of the other quality tackle shops in the St Louis area and ask them what they think. I'd recommend a mid-range Curado or Chronarch. If you are starting out brand new, I'd recommend learning how to pitch first. Again, take a tour of the tackle shops in your region, tell them your situation, see what they recommend.

I don't know about being a better fisherman but I am a better learner. I love observing others and picking their brain from that I can take what I learn, add to it, and I now have something that's my own that I try to teach others. What a fun process. I wish I had more opportunities to be around great fisherman and that I was a little better taking in subtle things in the environment while trying something new. This is what I am trying to get better at and its pretty fun too.

I like playing chess. I make Bobby Fischer look like a amature.

Izorline XXX, or premium I like premium for leader material for braid, more than a overall line. XXX i like for an overall line. I don't use line conditioner

I had a 20.5' fish/ski that neither fished or skied very well. it was slow, had a small casting deck and sat deep in the water. The ski locker held rods fine and it had plenty of storage but it was no bass boat IMHO.

yah... but can you catch 100 10 ounce bass??? #doco4life!!

http://www.bassmaster.com/node/104260 BASSography: Billy Westmoreland Just as Michael Jordan was a natural at basketball and Babe Ruth was seemingly created to hit a baseball, Billy Westmoreland was born to catch smallmouth bass. By Ken Duke MAR 30, 2010 Just as Michael Jordan was a natural at basketball and Babe Ruth was seemingly created to hit a baseball, Billy Westmoreland was born to catch smallmouth bass. In the eyes of many, he was the greatest smallmouth angler who ever lived. He is also almost certainly the only man to catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass that exceeded 10 pounds. Westmoreland was born in Tennessee on June 30, 1937, just a few years before construction began on the dam that would create Dale Hollow Lake. As a boy, he fished and boated all over the 27,700 acres that formed the legendary trophy smallmouth fishery. His knowledge of the lake's underwater terrain was unequalled. So, too, was his fishing success there. He began his professional guiding career on Dale Hollow at the age of 13, often skipping school to take clients out on the water. Initially, Westmoreland took the leftover clients, those who showed up too late to get a more experienced guide. Soon enough, though, those same anglers were requesting the youngster with a penchant for catching lots of smallmouth. As a youth, Westmoreland's love of fishing split time with his passion for football. He was a star on his high school team, and the game was his ticket to college at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. While there, he injured his knee and began to focus even more of his time on bass fishing. Westmoreland was known not only for catching smallmouth bass but especially for catching big smallmouth bass. The largest he ever hooked was also the biggest he said he ever saw. On Christmas Day in 1970, Westmoreland tied into a brown bass he estimated at between 12 and 14 pounds — larger than the world record. "I know how big it was because I had a couple of 7- or 8-pounders in the livewell at the time," he later said. He was fishing a Pedigo Spinrite on a cold, windy day when the giant struck. After a long initial run, Westmoreland was starting to gain line on the bass when it surfaced and wallowed on top. "I can't describe how I felt except I got very nervous, which I seldom ever do. It was because I really knew what I had. I couldn't believe how big it was." He got the bass to within just a few feet of his boat before she sounded and got 15 or 20 feet down. Then disaster struck. The lure popped out of her mouth. "Losing that one disturbed me because something I've dreamed of all my life was catching the biggest smallmouth anyone had ever caught," Westmoreland said. "But it bothered me so much and to the point that, over the next 16 to 18 months, lots of times I'd be home watching television at night and I'd start thinking about that fish. Then I'd think that maybe this was the night. The fish might be back on that point. I'd convince myself while I was in the chair watchin' TV that the fish was on that point waitin'. Out the door I'd go, and I'd hook on to the boat, slap that boat in the water and go fish for a couple of hours." Westmoreland was so haunted by the big bass that he'd often chase after her at 3 or 4 in the morning in all sorts of weather. Though he never hooked or saw her again, he caught plenty of other big smallmouth, including one that weighed 10-1. In the decades after losing that fish of a lifetime, Westmoreland told numerous friends and acquaintances just where he hooked the giant. Unfortunately for them, he told each a different location. It was an example not only of his sense of humor, but also his competitiveness. In the end, he took the location of the giant bass to the grave with him. Westmoreland came to national attention in the 1970s while competing professionally on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. In his seven-year career, Westmoreland qualified for six Bassmaster Classics, finished in the top 10 in the 35 professional tournaments he fished and won three national events — the 1974 and 1975 Florida Invitationals (both on the St. Johns River) and the 1977 Arkansas Invitational (on Greers Ferry Reservoir). In 1973 at the BASS Arkansas Invitational on Beaver Lake, a tornado went through the area, and the boat containing Johnny Morris (founder and owner of Bass Pro Shops) and Robert Craddock filled with water and sank. The cold was numbing and the two anglers realized they could survive but a short time in the water before hypothermia would set in. Their situation was so desperate that they were scratching a message to their loved ones on an old gas can when their prayers were answered. Westmoreland had seen the gas can from the launch area and decided to go pick it up. He was concerned that another boat might not see it and that it might cause an explosion. As Morris described it, Westmoreland's big hand came out of the sky to save them. In 1976, Westmoreland and South Carolina outdoor writer Larry Mayer published what stands as the seminal work on smallmouth bass fishing, Billy Westmorland on Smallmouths: Them Ol' Brown Fish. Three years later they followed it up with Largemouths and Tournaments … Good or Bad? Westmoreland's homespun ways and charm shine through in Them Ol' Brown Fish. In Larry Mayer's introduction, he noted that the book was "written in the fishing language instead of the English language." In addition to the trophies, books and tournament success, Westmoreland owned an interest in Horse Creek Resort on Dale Hollow Lake and designed several successful bass lures. One of the most notable baits he helped to design was the Silver Buddy, a blade bait manufactured by his friend Buddy Banks. Westmoreland called it the greatest lure ever devised for catching smallmouth. Throughout his tournament career and with both of his books, Westmoreland spelled his surname without the second "e" — Westmorland. It was an affectation that perplexed even those who knew him well. He explained it by saying that the second "e" was difficult to write when signing autographs. For the rest of his life, he was "Westmorland" publicly and "Westmoreland" in all other cases. In the 1980s, after having retired from professional tournament fishing, Westmoreland went into television with Billy Westmoreland's Fishing Diary. The theme song for the program, "I Like Catching Smallmouth Best of All," co-written by Westmoreland, says a lot about his love of the outdoors and smallmouth bass fishing. Everyone I know loves fishin', and leavin' cares behind, The feelin' of a big one on the line. I like freshness of the springtime and colors of the fall, But I like catchin' smallmouth best of all. Sure do like the easy feel of a lazy summer's day The sun on my back, wind across my face. But I start feelin' warmer come the first snowfall, Cause I like catchin' smallmouth best of all. In his final years, Westmoreland was affectionately known around Dale Hollow as "the Legend of the Lake." No one did more for the area's reputation or more to put its smallmouth fishing on the map. He died on Sept. 29, 2002, following a seizure in his home overlooking his beloved lake. He was 65 years old. His headstone bears his likeness fishing from a bass boat and fighting a big smallmouth. In 2004, he became the first person to be posthumously inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.

Back in the day thats all we had cabelas,gander,bps, kinda weird how something so important 30 yrs ago is bein made fun of now.i love them i used to save them to have something to look at i think i had 1984 thru 1995 cabelas,bps,gander .the memories of abu round reels for 39.99 to the morrums for 199.99. Curados for 109.99 calcuttas for 139.99. I think back then the most exspensive rods were fenwicks about $80 lightning rods were $50. Rapalas 2$ 4 pages of lures thats all we needed.all made in usa.same with line.

I officially hate Kansas! I had an 8 hour continuing education class today. The other guy in the class flew up from Dallas just for the class. It turns out he was a bass guy and said Lake Fork was one of his favorite lakes. He proceeded to tell me about a night that him and one of his guide buddies caught 3 that went over 15#!!!

I do not use DI for fishing at all. Only for instructional screenshots. I use SI for most all sonar functions and use 2D occasionally for FishID to determine fish size. I add mapping when needed. The SI view shows the water column, the bottom, and stuff in the water column, that pretty much covers all the info I need. I use 360 also, but that is just a version of SI.

I don't know about where you live, but every time I go to my favorite lake it cost's me $20 to launch. I can buy a lot of gear for $20. I contacted the city hall and was told I could buy an annual pass for $120. I average probably 30 launches a year there so the math even makes sense to me.

@chriwkbrd can tell you that i almost fell out of my kayak on sunday trying to rescue a baby torpedo i saw dangling from a tree and it was about 30 degrees out.......

TW order came in today

whichever one is on sale.... it's splitting frog hairs to me.

Bait Monkey found my Bass Pro gift cards and bought these.

Wow! Wish I fished enough to burn through that many plastics!

The new lucky craft $7 squarebills are the best deal in your price range. Aside from those, some of my favorites are: Bagley b2 Storm Arashi Mann's 1- Strike king KVD 1.5 & 2.5 Edit - Forgot the Rapala Fats and Spro little Johns

Check out the new mojo bass rods with sclll graphite. Same material as the avid blanks but they aren't made in the USA and are 80 bucks cheaper.

Money saving tip #1: Block BR, 'that auction site' and all international storefronts from your browser haha Really though, elaztechs whenever possible and mend-it for all the other soft baits. Plastics are often overlooked in terms of expense, but the longer they last the less they cost. One would be wise to squeeze every cast possible out of a bait before you retire it. I throw all my broken plastics in a ziploc bag and go through them when I get home to see if anything is salvageable, there always is. In terms of hard goods like rods and reels I enjoy having nice things so I patiently watch and wait until I can find a really good deal on something. I'm honestly not willing to skimp on any link in the rod-reel-line Holy Trinity so I have to make up ground elsewhere, be it a reel that needs repair or one that has a bit of age, etc. I am pretty much maxed out for rod slots right now too, so I have to sell something to get something and rolling the sale money into the purchase of the next item helps take some out-of-pocket sting out. Also I've recently developed a way to help my passion pay for itself. I originally got a cheap aluminum boat for the simple fact that I couldn't afford a bigger better one. I've been a custom metal fabrication guy pretty much my whole life, so it obviously ended up turning into a project that spiraled into an actual long-term plan after I experienced nonstop positive feedback everywhere I brought it. Long story short, in the past year I've started plucking cheap but solid aluminum boats off CL and stockpiling them over the winter. Come spring I will have a couple fully rebuilt like the one I made for myself (shown below) so I can sell them, reinvesting the cash threefold: a ~5hp or less gas motor for my boat shown below (I want to Quabbin seal it this year), a new kayak and at least one more project boat to rehab and flip to keep the work/gear/cash/fish/rinse/repeat flow alive. See, I may not *have* the money for much of what I want, but with hard work and some determination I know I can work my way into where I want to be over time and that's important to remember. Having a side gig does help compartmentalize the cost of fishing though too. My PayPal is almost like my ghetto fishing/business account lol. I mean, who wouldn't want one of these little guys? Full custom configuration too, imagination and money are the only limiting factors for a buyer. So yeah, it's all about examining your strengths and developing a plan to get where you want to be. There's always a way, even if it requires a lot of effort, time, research and planning. Anything worth having is worth earning though IMO. I don't mind spending dough because I like nice things, but I do need to feel like I got a good value before I will spend my hard earned cash, that much I will say for sure.

Fitzgerald Rods showed up yesterday. 2 Stunner HDs and a Bryan Thrift Signature Series. I'm done for awhile. D:

I think one thing, that I am better than most at, is smallmouth fishing on rivers. I grew up on the Susquehanna and still know miles of it like familiar highway. These are are some notes that I have: -bass fisherman can learn a lot from trout fishermen about how to read a river. Paying attention to things like inside/outside bends, changes in current, converging currents, and current breaks are huge. If you learn basic seasonal patterns and can read the river, you can eliminate a lot of dead water. I've even watched guides on local/regional outdoors shows waste a ton of time fishing dead water. If you have an outboard or especially a jet boat, you can be very, very efficient in the summer and fall. - as kind of a follow up, in rivers, depth is all relative. Often, fish aren't going to be able to drop down to 20-30' of water after a spawn the way they might in a lake. A 3' drop, with access to current might be equivalent to a 10-15' drop along a point or bluff wall in a lake. Remember, moving water provides food, current breaks provide resting/stacking points, and in moving water, depth doesn't always provide the temperature changes it does in ponds or lakes. Also, remember, in current fish need to eat more frequently and be closer to a consistent food source. A 20' hole or deep bend may look promising on a graph, but unless it offers close shallow water access with current and/or a hard bottom with current breaks, it's likely dead water. If you are marking fish, they're certainly worth a few casts, but they also aren't likely the most active fish. - in many rivers during the summer, helgramites and madtoms/stone cats are king. Tragically, there aren't a whole lot of great soft plastics out there that represent them well. Outside of using live bait, some of the best imitations I've found are fishing worms with small appendages near shorelines (ideally with some depth) with either a very light nail weight or drop shot (especially with the dropshot, you want the weight light enough for your bait to still drift in current) between riffles and rocky shorelines (helgramites) and fishing fat grubs or small paddle tails like Confidence Baits' Bird or some goby imitations on small, weighted worm hooks in current make a decent culpin/madtom imitation. In all cases, bottom contact is huge. Another cool strategy to emulate helgramites is drifting black/brown/olive bead head wooly buggers on a 4-6 weight fly rod. -here in the north, big smallmouth love perch (and why not? They're delicious). If you can find a school of perch, it's pretty likely that you'll find smallmouth nearby. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits with or without Keitech trailers can be a great way to pick up a kicker fish. - smallmouth do not require small baits! They will crush full sized spooks, 3/4oz spinnerbaits w/trailers, and even big crank baits fished aggressively when conditions call for them. - when in doubt, be simple. The reason you can still see small spinners, grubs, and tubes everywhere is because they catch fish almost anywhere. Spinners aren't typically my go to for size, but they're a great way to locate fish when you can't seem to buy a bite. Also, with the grubs and tubes, the size and weights used are typically much more important than the colors. - smallmouth are super competitive in almost any body of water. You'll often get fish following right to the boat. I will almost always keep a light or ultra light rod rigged with light mono and a grub on an 1/8oz ball head to flip to following fish or short hits. it's almost unbelievable sometimes how many fish you can boat following something like a rattle trap with a finesse grub. I hope this is helpful to some of you guys, at least in terms of getting more efficient on a river, and getting a better picture of what's going on down there.

BPS Master Catalog, man's best friend and finest literature you could find to make you company while going to where the king goes by himself, so many purchases were decided in that holy place.

i think his ramblings could be the side effects of concussion Bigbill sustained from bigfoot putting his head into the headboard….

This thread is coming along, some insight and sharing of skill sets that can hopefully help every angler without putting down each other. We have a good mix of angler skills that very with age and time on the water. Why I am a better bass angler than you are brings out how competitive most anglers really are. Some say they are only interested in being outdoors in natures wonderland , some like to catch numbers of any size bass, some are tournament bass anglers and a few focus on being big bass anglers, we all share the joy of catching bass. We haven't heard from the sonar experts, Catt did add he is a top notch tournament bass angler and has the aptitude to translate 2 dimensional images into a 3 dimensional structure, being engineers we have that ability common. My guess is Catt also has a very good memory to recall details of isolated structure elements where he caught bass. This leads us to reading sonar and understanding why bass prefer to locate where they are at the time you metered them. The bass are on that structure for a reason, prey is there. Knowing the bass are where you are fishing is a big help. Knowing what the bass are feeding on helps you to select what type of lure to use, how to present that lure effectively, what depth to target saving a lot of time to catch those bass. Understanding bass behavior starts by observation and education. There is lots of stuff to read to educate yourself but only you can put in the observation time on the water to apply what you have learned. Why I am a better structure angler than you are...reading flashers, paper graphs, black & white and color sonar units for decades and having the knowledge to understand why the bass are where I found them. Tom