Leaderboard

Well it's Valentine's Day so I thought I would share a picture of the gal I loved the most.This is Cypress Sally. It was love at first sight. She's the biggest woman I ever got to get into the boat with me. I fed her and we hooked up! She was so beautiful. She had luscious lips and one nice tail. But after holding her a short while I had to set her free. Happy V Day baby, wherever you are! I miss you!

First trip out with my new Curado 201i and G Loomis e6x 783c Mag Bass...

Here it is ~ The latest sighting . . . . A-Jay

I have kept detailed records for the past 50+ years, 44 of those years includes thousands of hours of night fishing. My observations show no advantage to any particular moon phase over another. The moon's gravitational pull causes a measurable "tidal" movement on every body of water from the mud puddle in your front yard to the oceans of the world. The only observable effect on fish that I've seen is it determines where on structure the fish will be positioned. That is if the "tidal" movement is strong enough & in most inland bodies of water the "tidal" movement simply is not strong enough. Catching big bass during pre-spawn...now that's shocking!

If you look at a solunar table and you decide it's a good day to get out on the water and fish, it worked for you. If you look and believe nothing will happen and stay home it didn't help. Catching fish has a lot to do with believing you can catch fish. The solunar tables are based on animal (fish) being part of the plantes ecosystem that are affected by events related to gravity and light. You either accept that theory or not. I can say that the vast majority of big bass that I have caught occurred during pre spawn around the 5 day cycle of the full moon. I also spent the majority of my fishing time during those days because I was confident they were good times to be fishing, Tom

Your friend is weak. Kick him in the shins and never speak to him again.

Arrived to my Florida house last night, and stepped outside to take a look at the pond. I saw bass busting all along the reeds on the shoreline, and saw lots of fry in the water. I went back inside, grabbed my rod, and proceeded to tie on a gambler big EZ with a 1/4oz 5/0 weighted hook. This big girl swirled twice on the bait before I finally got a good hook set. I had a 7'3 mag heavy rod and 50lb braid and I still struggled to haul this beast in. Unfortunately, I didn't have a scale and I am conservatively putting this fish at seven pounds. It looked like it was about to explode with eggs. Also, does anyone know if the marks on her body are a parasite? Or are they just wounds from the upcoming spawn? I will be buying a scale today!!

My dad and I fished champs yesterday too. I knew it was going to be a tough one for us as a lot of fish have moved shallow, but we went down swinging for the fence out deep. Caught a few fish, but never got on much size. I did break off a good one on a jig and dropped a 3 at the boat. Just wasn't my day lol.

It´s called witchcraft Catt. If the Solunar calendar says the fishing is going to be poor then it´s a good time to go fishing, if the Solunar table says the fishing is going to be good then it´s a good time to go fishing, if the fishing calendar says the fishing is going to be less than poor then it´s a good time to go fishing, if there´s full moon then you gotta go, if it´s new moon then it´s also a good time to go and we can go on and on until infinity and beyond, just like Buzz Lightyear says because you want to know something ? -----> ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME TO GO FISHING !!!

I don't know what the best one is. But out of the ones I have owned, and used.............SK KVD, Spro, Booyah, Snag Proof Bobby's perfect frog, and probably a few more I can't remember, the Booyah is my favorite. #1 It's the best bang for the buck #2 It walks easy and skips under cover super well #3 It has the "softest body" of any of the other frogs I have used, hook ups are a non-issue with this frog. I carry 4 colors with me Bullfrog Cricket Frog Shad Frog Dart Frog They cover my needs well.

I like the Phat Frog from Snag Proof but that is just me..Alot of of good frogs out there.But I am happy with the Phat Frog for me!

The Solunar tables indicate the most active times each day. Has ZERO to do with weather. If a particular day has lousy fishing/catching weather, the tables will still show the most active times for that day. The fishing/catching may be non-existent, but you will know which part of the day they will be the most active even a little bit. A fish may move it left fin twice instead of once during the active periods.

Best bass fishing trip so far was my first trip to KY Lake. It was the week of Easter 2008. This was our annual spring break trip with my dad and my son. The lake was at flood stage. We had nothing but a Hot Spots lake map and basic electronics. My son and I decide on a spot that was visually appealing. Dad had his heart set on crappies and my son was casting for bass. I was switching back and forth from minnows to bass baits. My son started catching some decent sized bass and my dad landed some crappie. I hadn't caught a fish yet after maybe an hour of fishing. They're both razzing me and I replied I'm going for quality, not quantity. Shortly thereafter I casted a crappie minnow about 2ft down off the bobber into some brush right on the shoreline. Bobber starts bouncing up and down like a bluegill. I set the hook and land my PB bass which was pushing 7lbs. That trip we caught more quality bass than any other trip we had taken in the past, and any trip since.

If they worked for you why does it matter what he thinks?

I already have it but not for the sake of owning it. I did not pay full price but I would. I might fight the purchase a little bit internally but I would have paid full price for a new one.

Depends. I have come full circle in my theory on cranking rods. I started with fast action...........it was never a problem, but like so many I thought a "cranking" specific moderate action rod would be better. For some it probably is, for me it is not. Why???? ...................Grass. It was absolutely frustrating fishing cranks in, around, and through grass, which is the predominate cover in my home lakes with a moderate action rod. Instead of getting clean rips and pops free of the grass, the moderate just loaded up and dug in deeper, cranking with braid helped little if at all. So I went back to fast action a few years ago, and my grass ripping woes are gone. I don't lose fish or pull hooks out, or pull the bait away or have any of the other issues some people do with fast action rods and cranks. I will say this though...............not every fast action rod is ideal for cranking. I look for ones with a little tip but don't load up very far down the blank. When I am cranking, it's probably 80% of the time in grass with a lipless, squarebill, or mid depth diving crank, 10 % of the time in shallow hard cover like wood, docks and rock, and the remaining 10% of the time deep cranking along outside grass line or over hard offshore cover like rock piles, and sunken debris. The times I deep crank with a standard cast and wind retrieve perhaps a traditional cranking rod would be the better choice, but since it's a limited part of my rotation, I make do with the rod/reel/line combo that I do the rest of my cranking with and get along pretty well with it...............especially since a lot of times I am deep cranking, I am long lining to get max depth, and max time in the strike zone. Trying to set the hook or turn a fish when you have 100+ yards of line out is undesirable to me with a moderate action rod.

The bathtub faucet has been dripping for sometime now and the shower diverter has not been redirecting all the water to the showerhead either...it dribbles a little bit out of the faucet while showering. So today I get the great idea to replace the washers. Pull out the stems and head to Lowes. They don't have the stems....and I don't find the required washers. I decide that the old faucet looked kind of crappy anyways so I buy a mid-range replacement and head back to the house. Got started replacing and of course it is not a direct replacement so I head to the hardware store......they don't have what I need so on over to Lowes. Grab some parts and back home to finish. Just about done....DOH!.....need Teflon tape for one more connection.....wife runs to hardware store. Almost 6 $@&!#*%#$&@ hours.....but I got 'er done! Now just 1 more trip back to Lowes to return unused parts! This is a plumbing record for me.....only 2 trips to the store for me.....and 1 for the wife. (I don't count the returns trip) thanks for for letting me vent!

A State Trooper pulled an 87 year old lady over for speeding. As he looked at her drivers license he was surprised to notice that attached to it was a conceal weapon permit. Taken aback, he couldn't help but ask if she had a gun in her possession. She replied in her crackly voice that she indeed did have a 45 automatic in her glove compartment. The trooper then asked if she had any other weapons to which she replied that she also had a 9mm Glock in her center console. The shocked trooper asked if that was all and the little old lady held up her purse and replied, "Well, I do keep a 38 special in my purse." Finally the astonished trooper asked, "What are you afraid of..?" And the little old lady smiled and replied, "Not a Freaking thing."

For some reason I am not allowed to like anyone's post anymore. What's going on? I see where others have "liked" a post but I cannot.

Sure do. You just never know what you'll learn, or who you'll meet. Whether it's something TO do or NOT to do, you can always learn something by talking to other anglers. Worst case, you meet cool people and swap 'it was THIS big' stories.

I use the 66 sinking and it was an absolute killer for clear water and pressured fish as they are basically a silent bait. When the bass are scattered during the early post spawn period, the Flatt Shad is what I use to cover water because I can reel it slow and it isn't intimidating to the fish, they just eat it. I have roughly 2 dozen so I know I'm good for awhile and because it was higher priced, they tend to show up periodically and I can get them cheap. The last 4 I got I paid $3.00 each and I would have bought more but that was all they had.

The Sebile Flatt Shad has been one of my favorite Lipless crankaits I have used especially in the 77 SU size as it suspends, swims nose down, and it can be altered by removing the split ring and tying a loop knot if you want it to slowly float, but the thin body, Owner Trebles, and glitter filled cavity give it the look as if it is wounded and has the "Scales falling off effect". Whenver I am flipping and pitching, or fishing an area with emergent grass, you can work this bait over almost anything and it will run true as the way it swims protects the trebles from weeds, and if you rip it or stop it, it stays perfectly still with a slight wobble..Most strikes I get come on the pause or when I just start it... They also make a Flatt Shad Snagless, and one that is extra heavy for longer casts and makes it easier to get the bait down deep under the weeds where most lipless cranks get get through. It is also smaller and only has a double hook which you can throw in the middle of a hydrilla field and get it through like a texas rigged swimbait only much better hook up percentage at times... I would say that if you are on a good trap bite, ripping it off grass etc, most guys will start out with a standard rattling bait like the Red Eye shad or XR50 Xcalibur rattle bait, and after the bite slows, they switch to a one knocker to get a few more strikes....The Flatt Shad is my go to lipless after the one knocker, or in areas where fish are spooked since they vibrate hard, but the rattling is very weak since it is mainly just hooks...Cordell and Bill Lewis also makes suspenders but the flatt shad 77 size is the perfect post spawn bluegill size...I love the chartruese silver, Baby Bass color, silver and gold...I also use the smaller sizes 54mm and 66mm I believe for pond fishing etc as they sink but just give off a different vibration than everything else. The New Sebile lipless cranks action series have 2 types, I have used the ones that have the weight on the bottom of the nose externally and do the vertical walk like the Spro Aruku shad does, and it is a good bait as well... Sorry for the ramble, but one of my favorite way to fish when i am not in the mood to pitch heavy soft baits into cover or fish endless mats and cover, is to use the Flatt Shad 77 SU as a pitching bait. I will pitch it into a pocket of weeds next to a branch and just let it sit for a good 10 seconds.Then just shake it and maybe let it dive a few inches and kill it...The strikes are viscious...This is one of the only lures I have used with other fisherman and they stop and ask me what I am using and ask to see one or borrow one...It is that good of a lure. I don't know why Pure Fishing discountinued all the Sebile Baits that Patrick Sebile really worked on to make them pefect and instead made the action series.....but you can find deals on the Sebile lures on Ebay still, and I would get a few Flatt Shad 77 SU the only suspending model they make before they vanish. You can find them for $10 on Ebay which is a good buy compared to other lures... Video of the Snagless Flatt Shad/Suspending-the 2 best imo....It truly is more weedless than any other lure including the Norman Scorpion, only bait similar is the Creme mad dad minnow which is a soft body, but you can modify you favorite lure to become snagless like the Aruku Shad as it needs a heavy hunting nose down action.

Fished bass champs yesterday. Went north trying to find some shallow fish and warmer water. Ended up with 2 keepers only. Went past converse on Louisiana side. Oh well, saw some new water. Heard the winners was a husband wife team fishing out of a party barge. Hoping to get back Tuesday and Wednesday. The bites we had was in the buttonwoods in the back of coves.

I have the Flatt Shad 77 SU weighs 1/2 oz and has an almost neutral buoyancy. It suspends about 2-3 feet under the surface. It really will not sink or dive much deeper than that. Just hangs on the stop - Always thought it would be good for fishing Very Early Season Super Shallow Shoreline cover. It Is. A-Jay

You will be fine with everything mentioned. Add frog for clear and delta

I feel Extremely Fortunate in that I've had some memorable days "Fishing". Some of them did include me catching a few. However, The Very Best ones weren't about me. A-Jay A-Jay

Do scissors count as a fancy tool? I cut braid with scissors. I always knew I was fancy. Abrasion resistance is a little overstated but pretty spot on. Braid is a tool, not a way of life. Use it where you see fit.

Pad crashers and Kopper's Live Target are probably my favorite entry level frogs. I find spros to have fewer hookups despite great action and fit/finishes.

It's worse than I thought it would be....the elusive yet deadly Carpalope.

Congrats on your new PB.

Alewyfe or Blueback?

My scientific method has been that I've been out on glass slick, bluebird sky, post front conditions when the moon scale was supposed to be jacked; and the bite was horrible. And I've been out on "poor moon days" in weather patterns that favor a good bite (cloudy, rainy or pre front) and had some of the best days of the year. So, my scientific method of collecting data tells me the weather on a given day has far more control over the bite than the moon does.

Always been tough for me to catch other peoples fish. Generally look at map or Lowrance (for hazards) and go fish my comfort zones or moods. It can be flipping, cranking, topwater...I be looking at the ol finder for deeper fish or surface activity for chasers. Love to explore and find fish.

Everyone has a opportunity to observe this years spawn cycle, it hasn't happened yet. Make you note when the bass moved up onto bed sites, if it's not during the 5 days around the full moon, I' am wrong, if it is than you will know if the full moon affects the spawn. Tom

Zoom Super Flukes 3/0 ewg or offset worm hook twitch twitch pause hold on.......

Still over priced compared to what you can get in a custom of the same price.

He'd be ahead of the game if he just bought the assets and launched his own brand. Starting from scratch is hard but not as hard as behind the eight ball. I wouldn't waste my time pushing yet another rebranded reel.

A few custom made Big M flat sided crankbaits.

This is pretty easy ~ First off - Do Not overload your boat. Read, Know & Understand what the safe limits of your vessel are. ALWAYS refer to the Capacity Plate mounted on your boat. The terms loading and capacity relate to the weight of people, fuel and gear that can be safely carried. The safe load of a boat in terms of people depends on a number of characteristics, including hull volume and dimension, the weight of the engine and, if an outboard, how is it mounted. The number of seats in a boat is not an indication of the number of people it can safely carry. Capacity plates can generally be found on the inside transom, or next to the helm station. Capacity plates should never be removed, altered, or tampered with. While it is not a Federal violation for a boat owner to exceed the listed capacities, many states do have statutes prohibiting the carriage of people and gear in excess of the stated capacity, or the installation of a motor that exceeds the recommended horse power limit. Also, you may void your insurance policy if you are found to have exceeded the limits stated on your capacity plate. Under the U.S. Coast Guard Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971, boats less than 20 feet powered with an inboard, outboard, or stern drive engine manufactured after November 1, 1972, must display a capacity plate defining the safe load limits. This plate must be mounted where you can see it when preparing to get underway. Sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatable boats are exempt from this standard. Now with that important information in mind ~ simply distribute the gear in your boat so that the vessel sits "balanced" at the dock. So in relationship to the waterline, once it's loaded, try to ensure that it's even side to side and bow to stern. Do not forget that you (and any passengers) play a role in this as well. If needed, you can use your gears position in the boat to "Counter balance" the load in relationship to who & where any passengers will be while under power. Then once underway only minor trim adjustments should be required to ensure a safe & economical ride. Improper storage that leads to a vessel that's listing wildly to one side or the other, or especially bow way up or down, is a dangerous situation; particularly at higher speeds and / or in challenging sea state. A-Jay

Eh, it's easier to ask the internet's opinion, than to get the facts straight from the source.

Haul 2 out of 3. Just waiting on 2 rods. Organizing most of this today, will be out on the water tomorrow!

For sure - kayaks are nifty watercraft and work for many anglers. For me, not so much. I looked at all watercraft from float tubes to bass boats, using specific selection criteria: I needed something car-topable without a special rack, modular, very light weight, with as much capability as possible. I wanted stability so I could stand and fish all day, lots of inboard storage, motorized, and little to no maintenance. I didn't want to have to buy a truck or other tow vehicle, I didn't want to consume a garage bay or driveway space with a boat and trailer, didn't want high expense and high maintenance, and didn't want to use gasoline power. Taking everything into account, I ended up with a canoe, trolling motor, and outriggers for stability. Now, some would say that a motorized kayak would meet the above criteria. BUT, in comparison to my final selection, kayaks are generally too heavy, don't have enough storage (especially "inboard" storage - meaning below the level of the gunwales where stuff can't fall out), and require specialized racks for transport. My bare hull weighs 34 pounds. My beam is 38 inches - lots of inboard room. Transportability? No special rack needed, no lifting aid needed - I just pick it up and put it on the roof of the vehicle. Now, I'm only 63 and someday when I get "old" I might have to get a special rack and a lifting aid - that will be a few years down the road hopefully. Room - especially standing room? I've got some: Ease of rigging electronics? It's horrible - sometimes it takes me as long as 30 seconds to get my sonar out of the car and rigged on the boat: Transportability? Throw it on the roof and strap it down - AND, enough clearance to drive into the garage and be ready to leave the next day: Storage? Along one sidewall of the garage and still have room for a vehicle in that bay: So, those are some of the reasons why I did not buy a jon boat or small bass boat. AND, another benefit of having a lot of inboard room is that you don't have to handle fish like this in your LAP... Some types of small watercraft (canoes, kayaks, bass raiders, float tubes, pontoons, inflatables, etc.) are perfect for some people. No one type of small watercraft is perfect for all people. Different "floats" for different folks... It's all good...

I don´t need to talk to locals, I´m Raul, if there is a bass I´ll catch it and if there ain´t bass but something else I will catch it too.

Used to live in Homestead and fished Lake O a lot. Everything is a delicate balance since man tried to "fix" the Everglades. You would think we would figure out by now that we don't know squat about Mother Nature. John Anderson sang about it well... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sh9P3X33w

Don't let the marketers fool you. Custom builders can access components every bit as good or better than any production Rod uses. If so inclined, building one yourself adds a level of satisfaction. If you don't want to invest the time and deal with the learning curve, you can always commission one.

I did a recent minor repair on an orochi. Nice Rod. The blank looked like Phoenix blanks I've built on but have no way to confirm. Not to sound self serving, but why would any one pick any over the counter Rod as their dream Rod instead of a full on custom?

90% off. monkey can't so no to that!!

Well boys do to some medical screening technicalities. I was given a discharge from the Navy. Huge let down, but I still have my full time job in construction looking to move to Merrimack in march. So I'll still be slaying some pigs with the 603 boys. Watch out Maine and Shane I'm out for that 10lber. Also thanks to my parents I'm taking a month trip to Florida near Daytona Beach for a week then to Boca Raton for the next 3 weeks to do some remodeling for a past customer of my dads. Hope to get on on some hogs as I will have my little V hull boat down there as well and looking to get some fishing in. Springs coming soon boys keep holding out tight lines brothas. I live in Merrimack, perhaps I will run into you on the water