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#2 was an ugly, skinny 5 lber i caught in the pouring rain so i won't post that one. #3 was pretty special though. my lil' niece came over for some fishin' and we had a blast. of course i don't fish much when i'm with one of the young 'uns. those trips are all about having fun and making memories. it's just so cool to experience a fishin' trip through the eyes of a child. Putting the "magic" sunglasses on them for the first time and then watching their jaw drop when suddenly they can see right through the water and look at all the cool stuff underneath is priceless all by itself. then there's catching the bait which seems so fun to a child that they would be happy to forgo everything else and just catch minnows all day. then there's the complete pandemonium that breaks loose when a bassin' rookie hooks into a good fish and wins a hard fought battle. and finally there's the high fives, the pics, the bragging, naming the fish, and watching her swim off upon release knowing you might just be lucky enough to hold her again another day. it's a shame that sometimes we get so caught up in how big or how many and we forget the simple pleasures that addicted us to the sport in the first place. after catchin' several fat little fish on my favorite numbers lure, i asked her if she wanted to go after a big one. of course, who says no to that? so i started showing her how to catch little bluegill, explaining that we'd use those for bait. i really thought i'd lost her there because she momentarily decided that catching tiny fish was the coolest thing ever. but she got back on track and we went on the hunt for a biggun. i spied a nice one cruising, urged her to be still, and cast a little bluegill close. she took it from there. this fish was nice and healthy, somewhere between 5 and 6 lbs. i intentionally did not weigh the fish because i do not want it to be about that for her. she said it was huge and that's all that matters. great day.

Caught this girl today on a pop max in 4 fow. Wind 15-25 mph, 60 degrees, 63 degree water temp, overcast

I don't like your (l)attitude...

I tried this rig for the first time today and wow am I surprised at its effectiveness. I caught a new personal best in a relative's pond (I was fishing alone so the picture isn't great). They always seem to hit it as the lure is falling. Needless to say, I am very pleased. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!

I went to my gdaughters t- ball game and got there late for the first game.First thing I asked is What's the score.? The person I asked looked ate funny and said They don't keep score.I looked at her funny and said What's the point of playing the game then?.And she said The kids are just having fun.I thought dang, I had fun when we kept score when I was a kid.No wonder most of the kids look bored.One kid struck out and they gave him a fourth strike and he struck out again.Moral of the story is that most growth in life takes place from hardships and dissapointments.

perhaps you should have read 4 more lines down before crying wolf.. "In the event of a needed restroom break or refueling situation at a marina gas pump, partners are allowed to leave the boat; however, in that event, all fishing must cease until partners are back together in the boat "

Well was able to get out in between deployment prep and working. We got 2 days off so i am taking advantage yesterday and monday. Caught 33 total. Alot of small fish but did manage a 17.8lb 5 fish limit. This is a different area than i been fishing. We just skip our spros or live target sunfidh as far under the brush in the pictures as you can and BOOM explosions. Alot of post spawn fish. Here are our best 5 and even had a double up.

In a perfect wouldn't it wouldn't happen but upon the tens of thousands of these baits that are produced each year, no matter what company, there will be some defects. It's inevitable. Sucks you got one of the few but SPRO will almost certainly take care of you.

Haven't been out since December since life has been in the way. Had two hours to kill yesterday and decided to go to a pond since I haven't gone pond hopping in years. Brought my 7' MH St Croix Legend Elite with a Shimano Metanium Hg and 16lb Sunline FC Sniper. First fish of the year caught on a black and blue Siebert Outdoor Brush Jig with a Netbait paca chunk in black and blue with the tips dyed chart. Weighed in at #5.04

Check out ' How to read a topo map' on YouTube There are a few that show the structure and what it looks like on a topo map.

I'm all in on this learning how to drop shot thing now. My new Okuma RTX 25 showed up Wednesday. Paired with a 7' 3" ML/F Ethos Micro and spooled up with 10lb braid. Took it out Friday and caught over 20 fish with it. Honestly more drop shot fish in a single day than I normally catch in a season. Reel felt really nice.

Picked up a feel free lure 11.5 today what an amazing boat.

As far as this topic goes, just remember that each lake is slightly different. I live in an area in between two major lake systems and they are very similar. However the bite changes dramatically with the weather on these lakes. And both of them on most days go in different directions. So like Sam said be attentive to whats going on where you are fishing. Try different techniques, different depths, lure profiles, colors, scents, and more. But take this next piece of advice and it will change your performance on the water dramatically. Stay on top of the fish, have you ever fished a spot and just smoked them one day? then you come back a few days later, fish that same spot but dont get a bite? maybe the weather is a little different, cooler or warmer, sunny or overcast. The thing is the weather probably didnt shut them down completely it just staged them in a different area of the water column, learn to find those fish that you know are already there. Then write down where they were and where they moved to and document the weather changes along with those bites. after building a journal like that, and studying it you will be able to adjust to the weather by knowledge of how those fish act. It will become second nature. Good Fishing and God Bless.

Fished 3 days n southern Indiana , this weather really has them in a funk . Caught all my fish on jigs and Ned rigs on wood cover in about 2-8 fow . Was looking forward to some crankbait fishing but the cold fronts really shut them down . Best bass went 3 lbs , caught some monster gills on the Ned rig however , a few pushed the 2 lb range . Pics soon . It was nice to get my wife and son out for some fishing , can't beat family time on the water, even if the fishing could be better .

I hate those leagues where everybody gets a participation trophy and nobody keeps score to "boost the kids self esteem, because everybody's a winner!" garbage. I really like the commercial where the soccer dad takes the sticker on the participation award trophy off.

Fished in for about two hours this afternoon, but hardly caught anything. Last nights april snow cooled the water temperature down to 47 degrees. Started out fishing a jerkbait on deep points thinking that the clear water might turn the jerkbait bite on, but didn't get anything on it. Switched to the ned rig and caught three dinks and about a decent two pounder, unfortuanately I had to just deadstick it for as long as I could stand it before dragging it a few inches. The few fish I caught were on steep shorelines in eight to fifteen feet of water. Hopefully tomorrows warm rain will bring the bass up shallower to feed.

Holdover purchase until my next outing, which should be....tomorrow!

My nephew started playing football last year when he was 9 years old. He is a big kid that can move. They had him at inside linebacker. I told him before the game that I wanted to shoot the gap and nail the QB. Well he did and then the little **** ran to the sideline and gave me the thumbs up. The other kid is laying motionless. He knocked him out. All of the parents are looking at me like he is a monster.

We still have snow on the ground

Found some footage from last summer that I forgot about. Most of the fish came on home made jig pitched around wood cover. Ended up with a few solid MN largies. Watch in HD.

Haven't hit the freshwater in a couple weeks, been playing in the salt.. But I started to miss my new little green friends and decided to do some on foot pond hopping and leave the kayak up on the truck for a change.. Got a few, nothing to write home about except this dude was pretty decent.. No scale so not sure of the weight, I was guessing maybe 4-5lb.. It actually pulled some drag though so hey I'll take it haha.. He hit an 8" MrWiffelure Plubber Worm in junebug rigged weightless and burned across the top casting parallel to shorelines.. Still have yet to get a lunker.. Just gonna keep putting in my time and hopefully one day it'll happen..

Mt. Saint Francis lake , electric only lake maybe 10 acres , tons of wood cover

Had a good afternoon today, 2 fatty's just over 4 pounds & 3 under 4 pounds. Uncle Ned with a Hula StickZ.

Make sure you put it on straight. If you put the jig head too far left or right with cause the bait to spiral. Most swimbaits have a line on the back where the mold comes together. Try having the hook pop out on that line for the best action and for it to run true. Hope this helps you.

I went with the exceler and Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0 7'6" MH as I don't have an abundance of thick salad in Northern Michigan. Got them at Gander Mountain for a total of $110 when they were doing their first cast promotion. Haven't gotten to use it seriously yet this season but it feels great so far. I'm not sure what my point is, other than I like what I bought...

Thats the way I always done it . learned with the old fiberglass Lews Speed sticks . If its windy , keep tyhe tip closer to the water not allowing as much bow in your line , use a heavier weight and run the line through the fingers . Lift and drop , weigh the line , if the line feels heavy , set the hook .

As you learn about structure and there will be many valuable posts to this thread I feel, there is no better visual than a rig you choose to feel what's on the bottom, it transmits the continuation of what you see above the water level, while you are learning about structure I think it's important to note what you are able to see above the water line as well, the angle of the ground as it enters the water, the placement of assorted rock and the size, the ground itself, sandy, pebble, clay and so on, clues to possiblly aid in finding key elements that will attract fish when you search and explore primary structure. These will be clues that can offer valuable information in addition to what you will see on maps.

I fished Housen 1-10pm Friday. Water temp was 68-69. I didn't go near the bank. I was fishing post spawners 8 to 15 fow. 6 fish caught on 5XD CB and TR worms. Best five were 9, 7.5, 6.2, 6, and 4 lbs. My biggest fish came at 8:45 on TR junebug worm. I fished points and secondary with creek channels adjacent to them. There was also isolated grass and stumps. If you didn't hit either you didn't get a bit. They were chocking the 5XD. I didn't caught many but all quality fish. Good luck and hope this helps. I want be on the lake for 3 to 4 weeks due to baseball. Quick picture and all released.

I used to palm the reel until I read about the hold that Gary Klein uses; which is to hold the rod just above the reel and have the line run over the top of your index finger. This has made a big difference for me fishing jigs and worms. I feel the bite better and have a better hookset with it too; you have a little better leverage with your hand just an inch or two higher than it is at the reel and being able to feel the line is a great bonus. It's an odd feel at first but once you get used to it, palming the reel on a worm or jig just doesn't feel right now.

got quite what? Wind is a way of life in the Midwest. I'll still catch my line jumping even in a stiff crosswind sometimes, but like Catt said, there's a fine balance where a good jig fisherman keeps his line where it's tight enough, but not too tight. I try to watch my line, but that's just a bonus if one hits it hard enough for the line to jump or grabs it and runs. A vast majority of my jig fish are caught because something just felt a little different.

Water really changed overnight, didn't it? Fished 3-5:30 and managed 15 or 16. I had 49 degrees down on the lower end where I stayed. Jerkbait was best, but also caught a few on Ned and a blade bait. Many were pulled back well offshore. The rest were either hunkered down in shade or sitting in windblown pockets. Best fish went about 2-1/4 with several others pound and a half to pound and three quarters. About half were dinks. -T9

I don't buy concerns about line visibility for bass in most situations. When I use leaders with braid, it's not for transparency. Like scott and darren say above, I use braid for line management and low stretch, in addition to strength. Around vegetation, I don't use a leader even in clear water. unless as darren says, I will be retying often and want to save line. Otherwise, I find straight braid is simply unbeatable in grass. Around rocks or rip rap, I use a leader for better abrasion resistance. In snaggy rivers, I use a leader so breaking off is easier if I get irretrievably hung, as d-camarena above says.

Yes. I fish them like a Fluke in the summer with that size internal head for smallies.

Transparency is not an issue for me. I use braid (no leader) because it doesn't stretch.

Line management. In my experience, it is far better than using straight fluoro, mono, etc.

In my opinion, yes, but not necessarily why you think. Braid is expensive and I prefer to not keep cutting down on it retying hooks and such during an outing. So a leader allows you to save braid. That said, two knots are really all you need: uni-to-uni, and the Albright Special/Alberto. There are YouTube tutorials that make tying really easy with practice. I am 100% confident in my leader knots.

Says between 55 and 60 degrees next Saturday I will be there fishing

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Frisbee.

It's redicioulus I swear the people who started that crap are the ones who have issues handling life. My daughter's FP softball was some of the last year's of score. Competition was awesome the kids learn both sides. Victory and defeat have many lessons.

we're getting 3-5 tomorrow - someone shoot me A-Jay

7lb. 0oz. 34 inches 53.5 inches Those are about the only PB's I keep track of. I have yet to catch a Largemouth I would consider worth tracking as a PB (biggest so far is only 5 pounds).

There are days when a straight retrieve works better than traditional jerk bait retrieve absolutely.

I night fish a lot so I aint much of a line watcher! Maintain contact with your jig at all times, allow the jig to free-fall unrestricted, but without letting slack form in the line; follow your jig down with your rod tip. Once on the bottom feeling a jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but to the experienced jig fishermen it makes total sense.

Some days the bite is in the morning Some days the bite is at midday Some days the bite is in the evening Some days the bite is at night The timing of the bite has to do with many factors, water temperature is only one!

They don't care about your opinion apparently

Kids..... too young to know what a troll doll is.

You're absolutely correct, it isn't right. If that rod didn't break on the first couple trips, then there isn't anything wrong with it and any break after that is operator error. I wish all the companies would do away with the unconditional, no fault lifetime replacement BS. It lets people abuse their rods with no consequences. But this is a whole other topic. I have no problem selling my customs for what I paid for them.

when you figure it out. give me the answer