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We fished hard for just 5 dinks, but there was also this one...... 8.05 lbs on a Siebert Outdoors jig and rage craw

A tackle room is an angler's refuge. It's a place to shut out the clamor and clutter of everyday life and turn thoughts to fishing tackle. Join me on a tour of my Fortress of Solitude. I designed and built this bench and shelf unit for R/C model construction. It now accommodates a miscellany of articles of interest to the lure builder/fisherman. The tackle boxes, used for storage now, give you an idea how long I've been wetting line. The Old Pal on the floor was purchased circa 1965. It was my second tackle box. Couldn't pass up this steel locker at a tag sale. Face shield, goggles and 3M respirator with organic vapor cartridges are on the top shelf. The middle shelf holds Do-It molds with hangers detached and I.D. labels on the end of the handles. Non lead alloys are boxed on the bottom along with the Lee Production Pot IV. This solid oak rod rack, sold by Cabela's, is better finished than most of my furniture. There are more than a few feathers in the cabinets on the top shelf. The Sterilite shoe boxes await filling with the packages of soft plastics on the floor to the right. I'm sure you're familiar with the footprint of 3700 boxes, but maybe not with the big plastic box below. I bought it from a big office supply company which had it mislabeled, "sliding letter/legal file box." How could they not have noticed that it holds six Plano 3700s perfectly? It's my office afloat! The utility carrier (see sunscreen and MegaStrike sticking out) also fits in the 14' aluminum rental boat that takes me to where the smallies swim. A fan blocked in by a double layer of 1" insulation foam is essential if you're using vinyl paint. Use it when you're molding jigs or spraying mold release. All fumes including super glue and flatulence will go out the window. How about this slide-on stainless steel bench top? Friend and bassmaster, Fred, a fine craftsman of many materials, fabricated this from a hood that once hung over a commercial oven. Here's where everything comes together. Good lighting is a great friend to the craftsman. Not shown is the full spectrum desk lamp that I use when tying flies and jigs. Magnetic strips work well for tight-packing tools. Before I stack any more Sterilite 3 drawer components cabinets, I'd better check my town's building codes for a height limit. I'll leave you with a photo of some of the products - (Aargh! I forgot to sprinkle some steelhead flies into the picture!) - that leave this room and find their way into a fish's jaw.

Third trip this year, and the first time out with warm weather. I fished a pond from the shore and after about an hour I caught this 4-01lber on a 1/2 ounce chrome w/ blue back rat-l-trap. It was bright and sunny, but the water only had about 1' of visibility.

B Buddy caught a giant bass out in the land of the giants. Throwing a texas rig in open water. They eat good out here!

NEVER TURN LEFT!!! In a crossing situation the boat to your right almost always has the right away and is a stand on vessel and the other is the give way vessel. Always try and meet port to port in nautical terms or for those who don't know keep the other boat on your left.. These kind of stories are why EVERYONE should take a boating class and know the RULES OF THE ROAD!!! Or even if you don't know what the other boat is going to do, slow down and wait and see, or stop. Very sad.

Gardner was good today. Worked hard for 8 fish. Berkley Pit Boss on a Biffle head. Fish were hitting on the fall popping the bait away from the bottom/bank. A few on a jerk bait. Water temp was 42-44 degrees. Best fish was around 4lbs 8oz and about 19" long

The 11lb10 oz beast bettered the old record by exactly one pound. The old record10=10 bass from 2012 was caught and released back into the same water that todays catch came from. Same fish 4yrs later? The new record bass was certified, photographed and released back into the same pond again which is public. Kudos to the angler.The beast took a white spinnerbait. C22

This is where my first jig or tube is going to land. Three weeks to opening...... Hootie

Last couple days warmed up here in central VA so this morning decided to go out from 7:30 - 10:30 on local pond to try out some new lures and hopefully catch a fish. Haven't caught one in local ponds since 12/31/15, been out about 7-8 times and cold & fish skunked me. This morning caught first fish of year a 8" rock bass on a 1/8 oz lipless crank bait. After trying everything in next 1 1/2 hours decided to tie on green pumpkin senko, t-rigged. After 20-25 minutes caught this nice 19" 2.95 lb LMB fishing bottom very slow. This is actually a bigger fish for me since most LMB in my ponds are 1 1/4 - 2 lbs.

One of my best friends growing up had a lake house on what I'm pretty sure is the same lake you are talking about. We were there for the weekend during the summer back in the early 90's and at about 5am we hear a young child screaming bloody murder from down the shoreline. We all roll out of bed like fireman and ran towards the screaming. We get there and it was a little boy with about a 5lb bass laying on their dock. He caught it on a little Zebco push button setup with a piece of hotdog. He was pretty excited to say the least.

Did not get a measurement. Just a quick weight and back in the water she went. Caught in about 20 Fow. The lake is only 6-7 years old. Huge potential! Lake record was set last year at 9lb 14oz. My intentions are to shoot for that record this year! Jeff

Yesterday we fished from 6:30 to 6:30 in Indian creek and buck creek caught 12, 5 keepers 2 of them over 3 and a half. Missed a few also. Most of them were caught on points on plastics

SB setup is now complete! The first XP 867 that I know of in existence, super happy that they are now running Fuji's.

Hello all, I am Bassresource newbie and came here in search of exactly what this thread delivers. A bunch of fishermen talking about fishing around the area in which I live. What a great thread! So great that I felt compelled to join. My two cents probably won't be worth a penny on this thread but I will try to chime in from time to time. I fish from a small plastic boat(Old Town Predator 13) and paddle my way around local lakes and rivers. I have been fishing for as long as I can remember but mostly as a pastime. Over the past few years I have come to enjoy it more and more, and I would say that now it's becoming more of a passion than a pastime. My "home lake" is Spring Hill City Lake, it's not a great place to fish but there are some big ones in there, I play most of my golf on the adjacent links so it's a convenient place for me to fish. My favorite place to fish is the Niangua River(not during booze cruise season), I love current, smallmouth bass, beer cans, and clear water, the Niangua has an abundance of all four. Happy fishing! Tom

Thanks Guidroz. It's not really as on as thought it would be. Imagine that lol. So far, Friday I fished from 10 to 5 at 1215 and caught 12. Today fished 11 to 5 and caught 6 in Carrice. The water temps are up to 65 in some places! I think the fish are as confused as I am. Tomorrow? I might just think of something and do the opposite lol

Looks fantastic. I have mine underway as well. Thats what northern winters will do to you. Not as complete or nice as yours. Planning to get an airbrush kit and start doing some painting when funds are available. I have to get an outlet in the ceilng for my shop light yet. My rods are all on a rack in same room just not pictured. Its coming along nicely. My little man cave and my boys love to be in there.

Probably because we're paying for it with our own money. Not Mommy and Daddy's money....lol. Hootie

Hello, My name is John, and I am a new member here. Making my own fishing lures has been a hobby and passion of mine for 8 or so years now. I began making my own casting and jigging spoons out of metal tubing and lead, and now make my own crankbaits out of wood. (Mainly cedar) Lately I've been building these square bill rattle cranks and mid diving walleye baits. Below are some samples of my work in metal and wood.

Just got home from a great morning at my local conservation area lake. Knew the wind would pick up so I just beat the banks and the fishing dock. Been wanting to get better at working a wacky rig so I just took my finesse set up and my Senko box. Had a couple of strikes until I put on a bubblegum. Holy cow!! Caught 4 pigs and had tons of hits. They weren't just trying to eat it...they were trying to destroy it. Just made a WR believer outta me. First WR fish and first fish of 2016. A beautiful morning here in NOWEMO.

I find myself being drawn to the vise at least once or twice a day. I played around with some color today and I thought I would introduce y'all to a model I've kept to myself for the most part. It's a jointed version that features a trailer hook. It has more action and a bigger profile. I also included a pic of a wet jig to show what form these jigs take once wet.

...what the gender of our baby due July 11th is going to be. So without much further adieu.....here ya go. I guess these gender reveal parties are the new thing to do. I was the only one to know prior to the party because I did not want to find out at the same time as everyone else so I was given the job of box filler https://www.facebook.com/jason.roberts.773/videos/10205303743968319/?l=8304864795091694473

Basic Navigational Knowledge ~ ~ During any Meeting, Crossing or Passing Situation ~ If the Range (distance between vessels) Decreases and the Bearing (Heading) between the vessels Remains the Same - Collision is Imminent. When Required, Always make course changes in these situations EARLY & OBVIUOS ! ! ! Small adjustment in course & speed are often difficult to detect and only cause confusion - this is Bad. A-Jay

You can't choose a quality reel by specs alone. The real determining factors are intangible like tolerances, QC and machining. Bearing count is meaningless. Good quality bearings in 3-4 key spots will make a better reel than one with cheap bearings added to handle knobs etc. for under $100 the PQ on sale is about as good as you'll get and easily up to the task of your application .

Wow this rod guys is legit. Sensitive wise on par with my tatula. Well balanced with a Lews tournament mb. Great tip on it great backbone was able to set the hook and control the fish no issue. The handle took a minute to get used to as everything I have is split grip. The cork handle is long, about 16 inches but I love it

Wow, that is what I would look like if I was a fish.

Don't always trust the TW reviews. A lot of manufacturers make their sponsored anglers post positive reviews on there to help sell the product.

I can just see that fish dragging along the bottom as it swims.

Was thing even able to fight? Did you have to cut the wall out of its house to transport it to the boat? Did it have a half eaten Twinkle in its mouth?

Pig!!!!! Awesome man. That is a long fish.

http://www.delaware-surf-fishing.com/andrew-klein-bests-the-delaware-state-largemouth-bass-record/

Congratulations on your little bundle of joy. Babies are such a blessing. As you welcome your new baby girl, it is my wish and hope that all of the troubles of the world will disappear every time she smiles at you. Congratulations ~ A-Jay

Congrats! For a second I thought my bud Clayton was popping out another, lol.

well that sucks...it says it is the link so that anyone can see the video but i guess they are wrong....

Caught 3 bass today on my new Aldebaran and finesse jigs. I never imagined I would be fishing at this time of the year in Boston

New frog reel arrived today. Daiwa T31016 with red HH Studios parts. Reels has been cleaned and supertuned and is ready to fish. Gave it a backyard cast workout today and it feels very impressive. Paired with a Dobyns 735 Savvy, it is ready for some frogging!

i own 6 and love em all, you can get the reel on a carbon lite rod now for 100$

Judging by the recent resurgence in popularity, if the Rage Line had been offered at the going rate all along, St Croix may not have made a ton of dough but then again they probably wouldn't have much in the way of inventory either . . . After recently receiving the RC76MHMF ~ Just ordered a second. When will it all end . ?. ?. ?. ?. .? . A-Jay

Some soil compositions can be "hard" & not be rock, sand, or clay. Since you are in central Texas here's a tip for ya! Hard bottoms with a high sandy content will form an inside grass line. This is a "bald" area a few feet in width between bank shallow & where the grass starts growing. Bream like hanging out on the edge, bass like eating bream. If one looks close enough they can find "bald" spots away from the bank. Firm bottoms in shallows are where you'll find nest during the spawn.

I like to palm Ambassadeurs. Their stock handles get replaced by those with wide rubber ribbed knobs as are found on Johnny Morris reels, among others. Josh

lol jk I know it is one of the biggest dumps on earth.

Sweet. You now know the potential buddy.

I have a pair of Corbinas 580G, no spring hinges on those. They sit perfectly on a flat surface. They only say 580 On the lens.. If they are from a reputable seller I'm sure authenticity is not a problem. Like others have said though for $260 you should be 100% satisfied. Swap them with a pair you are content with.

Beautiful chunky spots!!! Way to go!

I have a lot of old arkie jigs.I also use all terrain rattling jigs and Seibert brush jigs. Hootie It's a corp of engineers flood control lake. 155 acres, lots and I mean LOTS of laydowns. Lots of points and coves. Deepest part of the lake is 13 ft. It has a fifty foot diameter island near the dam. Shallow sloping on one side, drops off quickly on the other side. I have caught lots of 3 and 4 pound bass on the steep side. Hootie

I would rather be ordering lures when it is that cold, but one lure that I have used since a kid and still do here in Florida, is the Crappie Sized Blakemore Roadrunner in 1/16,1/8,1/4, or 1/32...BPS has a cheap model called the stump jumper which comes with some cool looking soft baits on the back that only BPS sells, and I often buy just the pack of 10 heads and blades, and then add a small 1-2" soft bait. I would imagine the Ned Rig would be my first choice now or a Slider Worm or a Gitzit Tube on a Slider Head as it glides to the bottom like a dead shad....Small Jigs like the BItsy Bug, little craws like the small Zoom Critter craw.....I have been with guys who also kill them on a suspending Jerkbait on light line 6-8lb test clear line, and will let the lure soak for long pauses...I am still learning that technique, but it seems to produce bigger fish, the Rogue & Suspending Bomber Long A are popular, as are the Megabass 110's, but I think they are only worth the money if you have a passion for Jerkbait fishing.I am not good enough to know the difference from the Knock offs, but I have been outfished by them before.... This may sound crazy, as this brand is not very popular, but a Creme Mad Dad Minnow is like the Shad Rap of lipless baits, and it comes in a small version that casts easily, falls slowly, and it is soft so it can go through cover or any weed growth left, and only cost $2 each. Its a good bait, but I would also try waking them up if you have a hard bottom and they are hugging it in a neutral move with a Spro Aruku shad hopped on the bottom like a jig...I have had it work after cold fronts in places I am familar with where I know hold fish, you just need to be ready to lose a few....

Ice out for me means 3 different baits, the jerkbait, shad rap or balsa shad, and the hair jig. The order in which I use them depends on conditions. If the ice melts due to a quick warming trend, it could easily hit 40 to 45 degrees within short order and that is when I'll begin with a shad rap or as it was last yearm, the balsa shad. The fish will get surprisingly aggressive when that happens and that lure will find them fast and active fish will get on it. If it is a cold spring and the ice slowly leaves, temps can be in the mid to upper 30s for a long time, I'll almost always go right to the jerkbait and give it a go first and see how the fish respond. Of course, those are the two baits I'm hoping get bit, but if they fail then I have the perfect back up, the hair jig, and it will be either buck tail, rabbit, or marabou depending on the fish.

thats the most ridiculous thing ive heard. well at least in a few days.

Welcome to the forums! WPS! Jeff

Never owned one, and never will. But my guess is............lots of quality (breakage) issues coupled with poor customer service, and honoring ........or lack the of, the "warranty". That's what I gathered from the guys around here that had them and no longer do. Also for a time............the "fan boys" were just obnoxious...Now I can't say this for a fact, and it's purely IMHO, but I think a lot of tackle companies put there "pro-staff" up to flapping their gums on forums like this, and to me, back when these rods were first popular, it seemed kind of obvious that this was going on.

I fish a few ponds that have banks that are high up and it allows me to pitch heavier jigs and texas rigs/punch rigs without spooking the fish since most bank anglers walk right along the bank. I have found standing back and pitching as if in a boat with raised seats is often really effective. I would say that I use a 3/8-1/2 jig most of the time when the weed growth gets thick, and often the steep banks are the best shorelines to fish, if you pitch your jig right at the bank, standing back 10 feet or more, you will get the fish that take off way before most people even get close..Big fish in ponds or lakes that people fish from shore learn the sounds of people, and will take off if you fish to close to the bank many times... I also figure that most big bass in ponds have not seen a heavy fast falling jig or creature before, so you can still have success...I agree with the deep diving cranks for the most part since I am not good at using them anywhere, but I have seen people using them in the deeper strip pits with success, especially the deeper running shad raps...They seem to work anywhere and are nice and subtle.. I believe Pond fishing makes me a better fisherman since the bigger bass in small ponds are really tough to catch, especially when they get pounded by angler's...I have had success over the years using colors and baits that are not "Popular sellers" at local retailers as I believe that fish get conditioned to the same lures and presentations...I also like the fact I can usually go much lighter with line in ponds.... Some of my favorite ponds/lakes in Florida are the one's that are public that have docks and get stocked, for some reason people never fish many of these places assuming they get too much pressure, but those docks attract fish since guys spend all day using live bait for panfish, catfish etc..At night Docks on bigger lakes can be awesome....You don't need a boat to have a great day of fishing, and it is nice to be able to leave without having to pack up a boat....A cheap kayak is never a bad idea either... I also like to use the ramp for fishing on weekends after guys launch their boats...Everytime they start up the outboard it blows a hole in the sand, and stirs up the bottom which gets a chum slick going and you can have success dragging a soft bait right down the middle where you can see a few ditches created by the engines...It works during busy days as the fish get conditioned to the sound of the motors and know that crawfish and small baitfish will be moving in soon....I read that in an article years ago and it truly works, I believe Dock's do the same with lights as well, and with all the guys who dump out their bait before they leave... Nice fish in the picture above...Makes me want to go fishing right now...