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Scored a pretty fair deal on eBay recently. I got about $265 worth of tuning parts for $222: Avail deep spool ZPI 4bb handle w/Daiwa-style knobs 2bb cog wheel 1bb level wind kit Ceramic spool bearings Carbontex drag washers Ceramic pawl So, you're thinking, that's not THAT great a deal - $265 value for $222. Not THAT much of a savings................ . . . . . . . . . ................did I forget to mention that the deal included a relatively rare, mint condition (as in practically new) Abu Ambassadeur 2600C for FREE... I hadn't planned on buying anything but was cruising through eBay looking at the usual suspects. I came across a mint 2600C already tricked out with all the usual tuning parts, and including the original box, papers, and all original parts. WOW! I place a relatively low bid, thinking I'll get outbid in the last few minutes of the auction. There was only ONE counterbid, that bumped the price $10, and the auction closed at $222 - quite a bit less than just the REEL would usually go for. Happy Camper me ! Not too many of these around: Holy Thumb Bar Batman ! I have some muscle memory for these small Ambassadeurs and several times I caught myself reaching across the reel with my off-side thumb to push the clutch button like you would on a 1500 or 2500. I guess the PO couldn't figure out how to use a nut retainer with the stock Abu nut on the ZPI handle: Line on the reel, ready to go: Original box, papers, parts: The reel was WAY overbraked as I received it (the light Avail spool doesn't need a lot of braking). Opened the reel and found out that it already had the short/light brake blocks. I didn't have any lighter blocks in my modest collection so I just removed one of the blocks. Casts GREAT... I haven't caught a fish with it yet so I can't give it Goose's official seal of approval...but I did have it on the water today so I get partial credit... This type of reel might not be your cup of tea....but it floats my boat !!

Don't let overpaying dampen your enthusiasm for treating yourself . In the future check in here prior to purchase and you'll get pointed in the right direction for deals on good stuff. Enjoy!

It can be done, but braid is a much better tool for the job.

Found this beauty today.

please tell me where you paid that much money for that gear, I need to make sure I never visit that site. I just found that combo for $485 and it took me 3 minutes.

Got about 3" of rain the other day, so the bite was _on_ way up in the creek today. Largest spot from the day - caught basically washing a Booyah white/chartreuse spinner with large gold willow and small silver willow + chartreuse Zoom twin tail grub in fairly rapid water.

Well if I could fish with anyone for a day it would have to be my dad, he has been gone 13 months. The man taught me everything I know about fishing he was a boat Mechanic for 35 years and at one point t in time worked for Rowland Martin at his marina. He was 2 tourneys away fromantic the classic. Man what I wouldn't give just to fish with him one more time..

Sneak this color in the lineup

Found the pic of the arrowana... Everyone likes pictures... some other exotics..

Well, I'm taking the leap. I've decided to take the job I applied for. Base salary works out to better than what I currently make at work. The benefits and working structure are pushing my base pay beyond anything I ever thought was possible for me to make. I tried my damndest to find every conceivable reason not to take the job. I guess just to keep the status quo of my chaotic life. Well something had to give. I just can't bring myself not to try something, because I'm afraid of failing at it. Or for the reason that if I leave what I am doing, it is truly good bye and I can't go back to the organization I have been working for. So unless something changes between now and tomorrow... I am taking the leap and praying it all works out the way I think it will.

I would say Bill Dance, watched him on TV forever. To me he is just a down home type of guy.

Yep, i had all daiwa zillion, rods and reels, and lexa spinning, now i gotta slum it at walmart, lol

When I started punching Hydrilla in the 70s I used whatever I could find. Egg sinkers were replaced by bass casting sinkers that I cut the wire tie off.

I fished Housen today from 9-5 and caught 15. I fished the front 1/3 of cove. All fish caught on TR and CR with baby brush hogs and senkos. Again adjacent to creek channels in 8-12 fow. Best five was 21-22 lbs with a 8# kicker.

I do. But then, I know how to use the rod and the reels drag to fight a fish. I see a lot of people who have no idea how to do that.

Ticks and Leeches http://youtu.be/2NJbRF4CgAA One of the few times Maynard actually screams in a song.

When I die, this is what I want the path the the pearly gates to look like... beautiful picture

I should have included a picture. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what the Pads look like.

[ February 03, 2016 ] (Day 1) I've been wanting to try some early season fishing ever since I learned that the lake was currently in "Ice-Out" status from the previous day I logged. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse with freezing temperatures, and snowing up to a 1/2 inch. I was hoping to get a day of fishing in before the coming new moon on the 8th, so I kept an eye on the weather. I saw today as a possible window for fishing as a cold front will be moving through tomorrow... It was far from ideal conditions, as I was hoping for pretty much the polar opposite of what was received the past few days. Looking at the forecast I could see if I didn't go today the earliest I might go again would be around the 10th, so at noon today I loaded up all my gear and began my trip out to the lake... I was in high spirits as I came prepared due to a project I had worked on for my 2016 log. The idea was to design a day box (ahead of time) specific for the next day of fishing with baits tailored to the current season, conditions, and bass habits. This would give me hopefully a good selection of "high probability" baits to focus on that day. When I arrived at the lake and started putting my said "Day Box" together... I was approached by one of the marina employees with information I did not want to hear - "The lake froze over again yesterday..." to which I replied "There is some open water now, isn't there?" Luckily his answer was yes, so I finished with the day box and headed down to the docks... Looking at the conditions could I see the lake was open, but every part of the marina that had calm water was now covered by a tin layer of ice. The lake had come up a bit, the water had dirtied from 3ft clarity down to about 2ft clarity, and the water temperature had dropped from 36F down to 34F. Oh and I'm also limited to fishing the marina as the boat is not in the water yet. Yeah... time to get to work. So I brought two combos with me, a baitcaster rigged up with a Blade Bait, and a spinning rigged up with a Tube. When I saw that the water was 34F, I decided to start with the Blade Bait. I fished with it for about an hour in depths anywhere between 5-40ft with various retrieves and only landed some green slime and about a 4ft long stick, before eventually getting it hung and breaking it off. (It was missing a piece of the lead weight on one side anyway.) I then decided to try the tube for a while, jigging it next to deep pilings and fishing it around deeper areas that I usually catch bass... An hour or so later... nada. It was time to break out the day box... It consisted of some baits good in cold stained water, as well as baits I've been successful with in the past during the early season. Seeing that the water was 34F with ice around, my best bet is probably vertical jigging a spoon or bucktail jig out in deep water... however I already kind of did that with the previous two baits, so I opted to try "ol faithful" Lipless Crankbait which is the bait I caught my first bass of the past two years on. I decided to commit to both the Lipless and the Tube and fish from one side of the marina to the other. With all the ice I found myself a bit limited on where I could fish, having to skip a few locations along the way that I would have liked to try... When I reached the other side of the marina things looked pretty bleak, I hadn't even got a nibble all day, and I was starting to get cold from the wind coming out of the south. I made my last cast with the Lipless and decided to call it a day. I grabbed my camera and headed out the last dock to take the remaining pictures for my log, when passing one of the boat slips something caught my eye... I could see a Yellow Perch floating near some debris in the slip. It was also... Alive. Looked like a pre-spawn female full of eggs and turned out to be 7 & 1/2" long, and weighed 04oz. It was sort of in the middle of no where, so it's unknown if it was from around the marina or floated in from somewhere else. Nevertheless, it at least shows some indication on bait size... I released the perch back where I found it, but it was too lethargic from the cold to really swim away... Now that my fingers were completely numb from the cold water and wind, it was time to leave. I can say even though I didn't catch anything or get a bite, it was a highlight just to see a living fish (let alone hold one) in these conditions and was unexpected. I knew going into this day that my chances were extremely low and it was more about gathering information and logging the current lake conditions. I still had fun getting a few baits wet, and also getting back into the rhythm of things (casting & retrieves), which is always nice after a cold winter. All in all, it was a good experience (minus the feeling of my hands). I headed home to await the coming storm which is already here now as I type this, with a 1/2 inch of snow already on the ground. Looks like it's going to take some time and a good warming trend to improve the conditions before I try again, so it might be a while until my next trip - which is fine... it is only February. WolfyBrandon

hey Guys, My name is Dave and ive grown up saltwater fishing with my grandfather since i was little. eventually i started freshwater fishing with my dad in maryland on the potiomac river the last couple of years and have just fallen in love. I play football for Florida state and im just now getting my weekends off with the season over so i was looking forward to spending those weekends fishing. im not an expert by any means but i look forward to learning more and sharing the knowledge that i have. thank you

LOL $7.12 out the door. Still overpaid?

When fishing in an environment known to have Big Largemouth Bass, some of the most impressive fish I've taken have come on a 3/8 oz Scrounger / long bill version crawled slowly along the bottom. Best trailers have been Zoom Super & Magnum Fluke, Zoom Mag Trick worm, 6 inch Slug-go. I'd post pictures of a few but with all the snow we have here, it might make me cry . . . . . A-Jay

I've been throwing a scrounger more and more lately in the same areas I use a spinnerbait and doing pretty well with it. Don't know if it is the bait itself with its tight action or just the right thing at the right time in the right place. The most success I've had is when I use a Sluggo with it. Mike

Going to Wolf? I need a break from ol' Coffey. Clinton is open so I'll probably do the Crappie thing for a while. Maybe go see what Lone Star is looking like.

I ordered from MW Marine, they are a couple miles from my house (which proved to be dangerous). As of right now I'm at $43,000 with all the extras. 200 verado, smartcraft rigging, 2 10' talons, 2 helix SI , 112 fortrex, 360 imaging, deluxe trailer, cover, extra bike seat, second console, AGM start battery, 4 bank charger.

My fishing tattoo is the yin yang symbol, one side is a largemouth the other a smallmouth. Nice reminder to keep balance in life.

The Slider Jig heads have that glide which the Mushroom head does not offer and I kind of like that action sometimes. I use the Slider heads for the "Ned Rig" and they work fine, have not noticed much difference compared to the mushroom style, I tend to find that 1/16 is usually best if not windy and the key is often making sure the hook is not too heavy or big which kills the action. I have been experimenting with making a weedless TRD rig to fish in areas I would throw a jig or texas rig and I have been able to float a 3" Zinker when salt is gone on a 1/16 boxer jig. (I just cut 2 pieces and never even) with a finesse style worm hook #1 or #2, and then just crimp a 1/32 or 1/16 oz bull shot right on the nose so it is the same as a pegged weight. It stands perfectly, if you want a ball head just texas rig with light wire hook, and crimp a round split shot and it stands it straight up once the salt is gone... I have been having so much fun experimenting with this rig and it actually works really well on a weedless worm hook if you keep the "Principles and concepts" in play. I saw a video of a midwest angler who was doing a tutorial for Z-man and he was using 10lb copolymer line tied to braid, so that is not a light finesse rig imo..This is bass fishing...10lb copoly can land fish in most situations if you have a place to steer them or go grab em...#10 is usually more like #15 so I guess my point is this super light weight finesse style whether Ned or Brewer, can be altered to fish any style. Its the Elaztach that does something different and I have watched fish in the ponds by my place react to a zinker vs. a regular worm and it is usually different. The material on the ZMAN baits after worn in get's spongy and it looks like it is breathing, I get bit if I just let it soak and barely move it...I have not used the Hula stick..I just take a Razor and cut the end of a Zinker into a tube...Works good on a big senko as well for added action...I stole the idea from somebody else.....

Very nice collection, I got my 1st Rebel (Super Teeny Wee R) in a discount bin some years back and it out-fishes cranks that cost over twice as much. I give the same praise to the Rebel Minnow. Those two lures definitely gave me a lot of confidence in the Rebel name. I'm not a collector but I can definitely appreciate what you have here, especially when it seems like most guys around my age are always looking for the latest and greatest. I think a lot of them forget these type of lures were catching fish since before some of us were even born.

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Feb. 4, 2016 Florida Fish Busters’ Bulletin February 2016 Suggested Tweet: Black #Bass Management in #Florida yields benefits for anglers! http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/1346e7e #TrophyCatch #Fishing Photos available on FWC’s Flickr site: https://flic.kr/s/aHsktKrPYM Black Bass Management Plan yields angler benefits By Bob Wattendorf Progress has been made in all four major areas targeted in the Florida Black Bass Management Plan: new opportunities, habitat management, fish management and human dimensions. The Florida Black Bass Management Plan (see bit.ly/FL-BBMP) was approved almost five years ago by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), after fisheries biologists gathered and weighed input from anglers, businesses, university researchers and other conservation professionals. New opportunities: Fellsmere Water Management Area is on its way to becoming a 10,000-acre bass-fishing hotspot. Now that the FWC has overseen construction of boat launching facilities, planting of desirable aquatic plants and bottom sculpting to create drop offs, islands and other fish and wildlife habitat, the St. Johns River Water Management District is allowing the reservoir to fill. As an added bonus, more than a million fingerling-sized bass will have been stocked by the time it fills. In the near future, these modifications will allow Fellsmere to become one of the best bass fisheries in the country. Fellsmere is adjacent to the world-renowned Farm 13/Stick Marsh bass fishery, making the area a desireable destination for anglers. Habitat management: Another key element of the plan is a new Hydrilla Position Statement. Matt Phillips, from the Invasive Plant Management Section, said, “This new policy allows hydrilla to be managed on a waterbody-specific basis, using a risk-based approach rather than the previous mandate to reduce hydrilla to the lowest level possible.” Want to see what’s happening on your favorite lake? Visit the “What’s Happening on Your Lake” webpage (see bit.ly/FWC-plants), to find detailed aquatic plant management schedules. Habitat work also continues statewide, using grants to implement a variety of Aquatic Resource Habitat Enhancement projects, including drawdowns and dredging to remove muck, and other strategies. In addition, FWC staff and partners are adding popular fish attractors or gravel spawning beds to enhance recreational fishing. Fish management: Fish stocking, along with ongoing research to increase survival of fish stocked into the wild, is a prime example of this aspect of the Plan. The Florida Bass Conservation Center in Sumter County and Blackwater Fish Hatchery in Santa Rosa County continue to produce quality fish for stocking public waters. Over the last five seasons nearly 19 million fish have been stocked into more than 250 public water bodies. All were recreational species, including bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass and sunshine bass. Research is also being completed to evaluate whether angling for spawning bass (aka bed fishing) has a negative impact on natural reproduction. So far, results suggest that catching bass off their spawning beds poses little risk to a lake’s bass population in Florida. Human dimensions: Combining fish management efforts, growing knowledge about bass biology and impacts from angler harvest with public engagement led to a complete review of current black bass regulations. This exemplifies how applying the science of human dimensions to the Black Bass Management Plan benefits anglers and fisheries. It all comes back to you. A two-year process of integrating public attitudes and desires with fish population studies resulted in a new approach to simplify statewide regulations while managing harvest to produce more trophy-sized bass. FWC Commissioners will consider this proposal at their February Commission meeting outside of Tallahassee (see bit.ly/FWC-Havana). The plan’s signature new program ̶ TrophyCatch ̶ completed its third year and is providing fisheries managers and researchers with valuable information. TrophyCatch is a citizen-science approach to encourage catching, documenting and releasing largemouth bass over 8 pounds. By providing anglers with sponsored incentives, a website gallery of catches and information on proper handling of these prized fish, TrophyCatch has documented release of more than 3,000 trophy bass back into Florida waters. The program is helping to conserve these valuable fish and to promote Florida as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World.” Research at the Florida Bass Conservation Center is comparing handling approaches for big bass to see how different methods affect them. Whether held vertically by the jaw, or cradled in two hands horizontally, there were no notable problems with dislocated jaws or reduced survival. Attaining more genetic samples from TrophyCatch bass, along with a tagging study, will help document future recapture of individual fish to prove survival. An angler this year provided an interesting video of catching a trophy bass on a shiner, weighing it by the jaw, taking a fin clip and releasing it – and then coming back 15 minutes later and catching it again (seebit.ly/TrophyCatch_Double-Take). By going to TrophyCatchFlorida.com anglers can register, submit fish and examine trophy catches from around the state. The FWC will continue to evaluate methods for handling, documenting and conserving bass to ensure the best survival possible and that increased pressure on trophy bass does not adversely impact the numbers or size of future trophy populations in Florida. Instant licenses are available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting to Tip@MyFWC.com. Visit MyFWC.com/ and select “News,” then “Monthly Columns,” or bit.ly/FishBusters for more Fish Busters’ Bulletins. To subscribe to FWC columns or to receive news releases, visit MyFWC.com/Contact.

Dropping the gauntlet tomorrow. Time to get on the board for 2016!

I predict coldplay will be the worst halftime show in recent memory.

I saw a lot of this on another forum, but I haven't seen an all-encompassing post on this site for it. 2016 looks to be a huge year for Shimano, and a handful of Hagane styled reels will be coming out. Here's a list with pictures. -Shimano Curado 70 -Shimano Scorpion 70 -Shimano Aldebaran BFS -Shimano Stille 100 -Shimano Casitas 100 -Shimano Metanium MGL -Shimano Caenan 150 -Shimano Antares DC -Shimano Bantam Rods

One of the swimbait setups.

with the alarm lock. Then at least I'll hear when someone is trying to do something that they aren't supposed to not to mention anyone else around with a 100 decible alarm going off when they move the Loc-R-Bar.

I understand where you are coming from. The miscommunication, I am having with you, is the fact of what a good report entails. I good report provides general location,not specifying exact location. For example, I went to Amelia today and caught a 5lb fish. By a grass line. I didn't say, I caught a 5lbr by the 1st set of soccer fields on the west side of the lake. Also the pic will not show the lake in the backround showing the ski boat. However, a pic of a bass with a little tree in the backround is not giving you away. As far as baits are concerned saying you used a soft plastic is pretty general. I am/was not asking for your "spots" I know this park like the back of hand, I don't need your spots. I will applaud your efforts on keeping the meat hunters away however.

Reviving this thread. Anyone brave the cold or the 60 degree days? I went on Canandaigua lake in the kayak and caught one smallmouth in a channel by the city pier guessing 9 feet deep. It was 55 degrees and sunny!

I completely blanked on what this thread is about because this picture is absolutely gorgeous!!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that MAYBE the OP was asking for opinions on: topshelftackle.com plastics

South Florida is fishing paradise!There are few places in the world where you can catch as much variety of freshwater fish like we do down here.We also have awesome saltwater fishing which makes the fishing even better for us.

You can find somewhat locations that may have a ditch with any contour mapping. You have to check potential areas with your sonar. As you move along you will see the depth change -shallower to deeper and then shallower again. A ditch would have a fast changing depth in a short amount of travel. On a topo map an area that looks like this would have the ditch potential: This is a small creek channel that was crossed diagonal to its flow and basically close to what a ditch would look like recorded:

Megabass. Destroyer. Phase. 3. Elseil. Happy Birthday to me!

Flipping and pitching are just casting techniques. You should be able to do both with any rod and reel you own, including spinning. Flipping doesn't involve free spool casting, so spool performance matters little. Just find a reel with a good drag that's comfortable in your hand. For pitching, I like loose spool, and simple centrifugal brakes or an induction hub system, like Daiwa Mag-X/Z. If you're looking to fish heavy cover, a strong metal frame and a powerful, yet smooth drag will be important. I'll say this, I pitch cast probably 10x as much as I flip. In fact, a flip usually happens at the end of a pitch, when I see something close, but my bait isn't quite in the spot. Use a flip to put it there.

While this is a very common practice, or at least theory among anglers, the problem is trying to find any scientific basis for the action, to which I haven't really been able to find any. The most commonly suggested reason as to why this supposedly works is due to the citric acid component of soft drinks, but that theory has two problems associated with it; Citric acid is actually an anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting, and Cola drinks, when compared to most other similar beverages actually have a very low citric acid component to them. Most every other citrus type drink including orange juice, lemon juice/lemonade or pineapple juice have from 2X to as much as 7X's the citric acid. If that's the primary reason, why not recommend one of those other drinks instead? Other reasons I've seen speculated relate to the coldness of the drink acting as a vasoconstrictor, but if that was the case why not just use or recommend ice-water. Another theory is that it's the carbonation in the drink (CO2), but again that doesn't make any sense as blood normally carries carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonic acid as part of normal kidney/waste fuunction and regulation, trying to eliminate it from tissue. Too much of any of these in the blood actually leads to a serious medical condition. A more likely scenario going on when you pour your drink on the fish is probably a stress reaction to some form of shock, very possibly related to the pH levels of the cola. Most common soft drinks we carry around with us have a range of pH values between 2.4 and 3.7. Mountain Dew and 7-Up both run around 3.2, while Coke, Cherry Coke and Pepsi are down around 2.5. It is very possible that the acid is either triggering a response due to the pH shock, as literature suggests that a common fish reaction to such a sudden change in pH is often excess mucosal production of the gills to try and protect itself, or even a chemical burn or weak cauterization of the delicate gill tissues and structures due to the acid influx, neither of which may be beneficial to the long term health of the fish. Actually, there is probably a much better way to handle this situation should you ever encounter it without having to use the cola treatment, and that is to simply get your fish into the water, either released back in the lake or into a treated livewell, as soon as possible. In the case of the former, it has been found that fish blood clots about 35% faster in water than in air. You may have actually experienced this and not realised it. You have a fish with fresh blood running down its side from a wound, yet as soon as you release it in the water you notice little strings of the blood floating around in the water, almost like little strands of gelatin, and not some stream of red like food coloring. This is the blood gelling and coagulating upon contact with the water, most likely from a water-erythrocyte reaction. In the case of the latter, most livewell treatment formulations have chemicals that act as stress relievers, sedatives, and/or antifungal/antibacterials that will all benefit the fish as soon as he is exposed to them, not to mention the immediate water immersion to speed up blood clotting. Bass are pretty tough and resilient creatures, and the above tactic may not actually harm the fish. But until we better understand the mechanism for why it seems to work, for most normal hooking instances where a fish is bleeding, a quick release into the lake, or a few minutes of recovery in a properly treated livewell would be my first choice of action. -T9

Yo-Zuri will punch Strens lights out then steal his girlfriend. Yo-Zuri is way stronger than rating, it is very abrasion resistant, and fairly limp in the smaller diameters. Brian.

Bobby Murray.

You see the name Larry Nixon and it leaves you in awe, I see a guy I grew in the sport with.

All this snow is giving me withdrawals so bad that sometimes I just need to get them out to look at. Hit the Chicagoland Expo last weekend and looking forward to the show in Madison at the end of the month.

9.2 Finally got last summers pic up...

This one is easy Florida is the best, and Indiana is the worst. OK, so it's not quite that easy, and obviously this is a pretty subjective subject, as every state has its share of good waters and bad. However, I did run an analysis a couple years back where I tried to determine this exact thing. It's not perfect, but it at least puts some factual numbers out there for discussion. What I did was use the FLW Outdoors BFL divisions from across the country to help eliminate variability and be able to compare "apples to apples" as best I could. One organization with 24 tournament divisions all being run under the same set of rules. I used the full field from each of the first 4 events (excluded the Super Tournament since it was a 2-day event with a cut that eliminated much of the field of anglers), and then calculated the percent of each field that weighed in a 5-fish limit for that event. Did that for all 4 events, then average across those events to get a ranking of the overall "best" fishing waters (by state), and the worst. Here is how they all shook out when done. Just for kicks, I even went so far as to compare the percentage of the field in the Elite Series events (same year) over the first two days (previous to any cuts). I figured if they were Elites, they should have better percentages overall than the lower BFL divisions. Sure enough, they topped all BFL divisions pretty easily. You could argue that they should though, because they intentionally try and put them on the best waters at the best times. Again, not a perfect way to compare, but a fun set of numbers to play with and argue over - LOL. -T9

VA has great variety for bass fishing, while we may not have the biggest or the most, we do have a little bit of everything. We have big rivers with smallies like the James, New, and Shenandoah, countless stocked trout reservoirs/lakes (If super smart trout-eating bass are your thing), many of which are in the mountains, big impoundments like Anna, Gaston, SML, tidal water like the Potomac, James, Chickahominy, tons of smaller reservoirs and lakes, and even Briery Creek with florida strain LMB. I think I would get bored having to fish similar locations all the time, nice to have plenty of options.