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Aside from the possible benefits of capitalizing on the translation skills of @Nitrofreak ~ The rest of your family is pretty bummed out you didn't take them south with you . . . . A-Jay

Been filling in the jig box for my first trips to Quabbin Reservoir next week where I expect the water temps to be in the high 40ºs. I'll be using vibrating blade baits, suspending jerkbaits and rubber skirted jigs with low-action trailers, but what I really get a kick from is a smallie slurping up an 1/8 oz. hair jig crawling along the bottom. Let's have a look at the bench set up to make them: Last year they sure liked an 1/8 oz ball jig with a couple lengths of grizzly hackle on top. I treated myself to a saddle of Metz #2 Microbarb Grizzly when on a steelhead trip years ago in New York. No reason a smallie shouldn't have a taste of this select stuff. Three scissors? Yeah. The fine point black handled Skeeter II is used only for thread and stays sharp. Above it is a Fiskars which has titanium coated blades, very good for bucktail. The elegant, gold plated Dr. Slick's have dulled over the years and become my "beater" scissors which I use after I've adjusted a clump of hair just right and find a few wayward strands over the ball. (Yes, I agree - that's up for an OCD award.) UTC 140 denier is used for 1/8 oz. jigs; 210 for heavier. The scraps of paper towel on the lamp base are not in case of a nosebleed . . . Let's go to the next photo. Instead of traditional penetrating head cement (Wapsi, Orvis) I've been using readily available super glue (cyanoacrylate). And I like it better because it takes less time to apply and is at least as secure. You can apply a drop as you wrap and continue or simply saturate the collar after you tie off. You want a scrap of paper towel handy if you have a heavy thumb on the tube or, simply to sop up any excess on the finished collar. This adhesive is formulated for tight-fitting parts; it's not a top coat. Pulling on the bucktail, I'd still get a few hairs loose but fewer than with traditional cement. All the jigs above have been pull tested and I have no doubt the bass will pull on them too. Here's another view of the hair and hackle bucktail: Want to try slow rolling a Herring Head underspin by my northern smallies, see how they respond. Like CJ, I see bucktail dressing the product of Do-it's mold. I had difficulty closing the swivel loop by squeezing with needle nose pliers. Then I figured out an easier way: Grip the fitting firmly and then rotate your wrist to close the loop. Here are a few 1/8 oz. bucktails in the color that Henry Ford always fished: I'm thinking now that fewer strands of Wapsi Black/Red Grizzly Accent would have been better. I pulled out a small drawer that I had labeled "hair" some time ago and found a piece of what I'm fairly certain is bear hair. (Munkin, what say ye?) It would be nice to own a fancy rosewood handled comb to pull out bear's underfur, but this no-frills plastic comb that came with my beard trimmer works just fine. I'm thinking that this thick hair will make for a slow drop on these little jigs . . . Float like a butterfly, sting like a Mustad 32746 BLN 2/0. Oh my. I'm up past my bedtime. Look for a Quabbin report next week.

Water temp dropped from mid 50's to high 40's. But we were able to figure out those finicky big mouths. Rat l trap on the wind side of steep points and banks. First tourney win of the season and 30 deg temp and 12-18 mph winds all day. Toot toot lol Tight lines

Decided to try a gold handle instead of the carbon fiber one on my Conquest. The stock handle was WAY too short. When I got it I had a spare 95mm DIY carbon handle I threw on there with the factory knobs. I decided I wanted to see how the gold looked. I ordered an Avail 100mm handle and RCS cork knobs. I think I like it better? Which one do you guys think looks better? Before: After:

Mean o habla... Me no hobo... Me no umbrella... I can't make heads nor tails of it either... But I think bait monkey is saying that he kidnapped Big-O and he is holding him for ransom...

#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.

Catfish are one of the most prolific and widely distributed fish in the world. If there's fish living in a body of water, there's a good chance there's some catfish in there. I always opt for either live bait, or fresh cut bait. Prepared baits and store bought baits are primarily targeting small, channel cats or bullheads while I prefer to target the largest channel cats, flatheads, and blues. While there may be some in the deepest portion of the lakes, those are generally your inactive to neutral fish that are going to be much harder to catch (which is why a lot of folks have to wait so long for a bite while catfishing). Find an area where smaller fish, crawdads, whatever a catfish might like to feed on are holding and place a bait near that area. Around here, that's usually about 5-10 feet from the bank right against the edge of the water willows in 1-5 feet of water. I prefer an appropriate sized Kahle or beak hook (usually 1/0 up to 8/0 depending on the size bait I'm using). With cut bait, I'll rarely use a sinker, occasionally a bobber, but I prefer to go with just the weight of the bait and a barrel swivel to avoid line twist. I do what I call "bass fishing for catfish", where I basically cast a chunk of cut bait at the weeds and do a very slow retrieve like I'm fishing a T rig for bass. Strikes are violent and unmistakable. For the live bait, a simple C rig with enough weight to anchor the bait to the bottom is sufficient for most situations. I like to keep my leader pretty short to prevent the bait from being able to swim into snags. The equipment I use varies widely depending on the body of water I'm fishing, the bait I'm using, and the size fish I'm targeting. It goes from MH spinning gear with 20lb braid with 30 size Okuma bait feeders for channels in lakes, to 7' XXH custom built fiberglass/graphite blend rods with a Penn 309 and 130lb braid for flatheads, to 8-12 foot H surf rods with 65-90 sized Okuma baitfeeders with 65-80lb braid for blues on the rivers.

Being able to use both lets you buy more stuff.

Here she is! This is the boat I'll be fishing the Bassmaster Opens out of next season.

you're alright by me old timer!! if you're not having a little fun while living, you're not living...

Buzzed bait, I'm glad you could see that I was joking. I just hope everybody knows that...lol. P.S. that was uphill both ways, in the snow, with no shoes. Hootie

you old guys are just tough as nails Hootie! walked uphill, in the snow both ways, etc.!!! My girlish hands require a nice comfy girlish fit! Besides, i don't want to mess up my manicure!

Only if I can get it for 75% off. Couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a rod. I'd be too afraid to use it.

"Reel" men buy NRX. Is that helping?

Stopped at a spot on my way home from class and nailed 3 fish, two nice chunks then then this THICK fish.. No scale but definitely my biggest of the year so far. Both came on crawling a keel weighted soft swimbait..

I tie my own but I prefer the finesse style jigs or football jigs for spots. Usually going to be dragging a pretty heavy one in the middle of summer.

I've become a Lew's disciple because of the way they feel in my hand. They are pretty solid reels too!

Used my LTB lure I received this month for the first time today, first cast slammed it. Made me happy, roughly 3 pounds, didn't weight this one.

The only one I throw is the war eagle heavy finesse jig. I keep one tied on at all times. You can find them around $5 for two

So after everyone replying and me not catching anything that strange you will not believe what I pulled out of the local skunk river yesterday. Someone has to be upset they lost this.

No. Go with the original formula it is much better.

I pick up all that I see! and they get melted down into jigs. They can absolutely be melted down and reused. Don't toss them in the trash, being in cali I bet scrap lead goes for a pretty penny.

I have to be able to test drive a boat, and have a mechanical inspection done before paying a single penny to the seller.

The one dude that has caught the most 10+ lbers in this crowd ( numbers you can only dream about ) Fish Chris, fishes exclusively with spinning gear. This guy:

I just cut up the first thing I catch on a crappie jig when I get to the lake. Never have used food or stink baits, just a hassle and the big fish like fresh bait anyways!

You are currently involved in the sport of fishing. This involves one outfit and catching fish. Most of us started where you are now. The question you pose suggest that you are considering entry into the world of tackle buying. You will never again find the enjoyment you now have if you take the plunge into the world of finding a better rod and reel than what you now have. It becomes never ending and all-consuming. Eventually you wind up with a room full of tackle while spending endless hours on the internet looking for a great deal on a better rod and reel. If you're lucky, occasionally you will find time to fish and evaluate your purchases, but the pure love of fishing will have been replaced by the love of buying better tackle. Embrace the rod and reel that you can't see yourself abandoning, and spend as much time as you can on the water catching fish.

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

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.

keitech, zoom fat albert, are all I use

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.

My nephew is nearly 4 now and loves to fish like his "Unc" (that's me, the uncle) and loves to hunt like his dad! last week they had youth week in NC where kids under 16 were allowed to turkey hunt 1 week before the season opened for everyone else. My dad and I got the little man a lifetime hunt & fish license for his 1st birthday and he's already making it count! My brother and his buddy took the little guy to a honey hole where they hoped he'd get to see and hear a gobbler. They've had a blind set up there all winter so the turkey were used to it. My brother's buddy has a huge farm and doesn't hunt nor let adults hunt there, but he'll some youngsters come deer and turkey hunt there. My nephew was practicing all day Friday with my brother on the single shot .410 and some paper targets. My brother was holding the butt of the gun and little man would aim and pull the trigger. he was surprisingly good at hitting the paper at about 30 yards! Saturday morning came and he woke me up about 5AM to tell me he was going and to wish him luck! about 7:30 the little devil calls me and said he had something to show me and to meet them at mcdonalds. he bagged him a nice gobbler with a 10" beard from about 20 yards! my brother's buddy got a video of it and his excitement after the shot was priceless! he high fived my brother about 3 or 4 times and was busting at the seems! i think you can tell from the photo, my brother was one happy camper, so proud of his big boy! my nephew told everyone he saw last saturday that he got him a turkey and that he was going to grill it!! yesterday my brother had it on the smoker the whole day and little man was so proud that everybody got to taste "his turkey"! absolutely priceless, had to share it!

Just picked these up for an upcoming trip. Really excited to try them out on the smallies.

Little stuff like that is easy to ask for if you want them that way. Could even get crazy and get a red head to match the blood spots You're on a good part of the lake as long as the water isn't still really muddy up there. Most of the reports I've been hearing lately have been jigs, swing heads, Neds, and spinnerbaits. Fish should be starting to move into those spawning pockets so I'd start by fishing a few of them from the front to back and see where you start to run into the fish at. Once you figure out how far back you need to go you should be able to hop around from pocket to pocket and pick up fish. Swimbaits are always in style at Table Rock. You're going to get snagged a lot but anywhere off the dam and then the state park cove by dam is another area I'd focus on. If you fish the east side of that cove along where the campsite is the snags shouldn't be as bad and I've caught a ton of fish along there. The cove on the other side of the swimming beach in the state park can be really good too.

With the fishing season just around the corner, now is the time when I meticulously dismantle my reels completely and soak/clean them. Most of them are Curados of the D, E, and G generations. Probably 15 in all. The G's are wearing out a bit, disappointingly but not surprisingly, even though they're the newest of the three. They feel cheap, fish cheap, and wear cheap. But the E's and D's appear to be of similar quality, and the difference comes down to feel. When broken down, even 6-10 years after purchase, they (D/E) still look brand new on the inside, aside from some scratches from screwdrivers and pliers. Im excited to try out the new Curados this summer. They'll replace the G-series Curados. I hope they last as long as the D/E series, because I like to get 5+ years out of a reel. That said, I would never spend $200 on a used, 6-year-old reel that many people bought for $100-125. That's crazy.

Well, I'm about to find out what I do and do not like a baitcaster for. I bought 4 new casting setups this winter with the idea that I would make a good-faith effort to find out what the big deal is. Until this year I used spinning for everything. It never occurred to me I would ever want or need to get a caster until recently. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, texas rigs, even frogs, I am able to fish effectively, intuitively on spinning gear. I grew up fishing for other species (catfish, panfish, pike, walleye) with spinning tackle, it's what I learned, what I've always used, with no problems. It's what everybody I knew had always used, for everything. Still very few of the people I ever see fishing for anything around here, including bass, use casters (occasionally, but rarely). Granted, I don't do tournaments, so my taste in gear has virtually no influence from tournament folks. I've also never followed the pros that closely (a little bit) until recently, so it never registered that I should use casters because they do. So when I hear people discuss whether spinning is "necessary," it sounds like a communication from an alternate universe: In my experience, it is baitcasters that are of questionable necessity! Spinning has its problems -- working moving bait with heavier spinning gear can be awkward unless you're just doing a straight retrieve. Line twist is always an annoyance unless you're using braid. But there are no backlashes, and I have zero problems with accuracy... I often hear that that casters are "more accurate" -- again with the alternate universe: spinning rods lack accuracy? I cannot comprehend this; surely, this assertion is just an effect of experience. In any case, we'll see how it goes with the new casters. So far, pitching to targets in the backyard is almost as easy as it is with my spinning rods...

I also do not agree with the "pampering" of our children. Life is filled with lessons at every turn. One of which being..falling on your fricken ass. The lesson learned in picking yourself up, and learning what put you there, is invaluable. Being defeated, losing, not getting a trophy, etc... are all lessons toward succeeding. As for baseball, nope, I can't watch it anymore. Don't worry, basketball is worse (NBA anyways).

Sinkers, jigs, bullets and a bunch of other things can be made by melting down that lead. I pick up lead everywhere I see it. Tire weights on parking lots are good too. Outside the local Walmart by the tire shop door is where I get most of mine.

there is something awkwardly satisfying about watching something turned like that. reminds me of having fun on the wood lathe in my dad's cabinet shop. turning that square chunk into something with form is just too cool.

In case you were wondering, this is how it goes from square to round.

Soon as the weather breaks im at that pond or at my dock which is on the river in a smallmouth hot spot. When it calms down im on the boat searching for them. Smallmouth fishing is by far my favorite. Monster carp, largemouth, smallmouth and sheepheads..... my back yard is one of my favorite spots

You all did alot better then us we caught 4 but only one made it to the scale 2.8lbs

ask her where she has it, and then tell her you have a relative nearby that is willing to go and check it out or even pick it up, that would be best for her as shw wouldnt have to pay shipping charges... most probably she will reply that is not possible and give some excuse....

Everyone gets a trophy because their parents never did.

Not sure what the water temp is where you're at, but given the time of year that plays a critical role in where the bass will be located. If they're starting to move up to spawn and you're beating the bank, you're most likely catching the little males. They move up first to prepare the beds while the bigger females usually are hanging out near the first drop still feeding up. After the spawn the males stay to guard the eggs as the females slip back out to recover. Knowing the seasonal habits of the fish you're trying to catch plays a very large part in what fish you're putting in the boat.

Had a pretty solid weekend. First Lone Star guide trip of the year on Saturday. Didn't get into any big females due to the extreme cold temps we had the few nights prior (and 33 degrees launching at 6:30 that morning), but did get the guys on quite a few fish to keep them busy. Had them both throwing Wobblers for their first time (Ivy and Sexy Momma). They caught fish on Wobblers, spinnerbaits, and a jerkbait. Always love when clients ask where and how they can their hands on some BHWs. Sunday, my EKB tournament was cancelled due to wind (LOL what wind), so I had the day off. First one since the beginning of Feb. Decided to get out with my old man. We started at Clinton and got warmed up with Wipers and Whites for a few hours, then bounced over to Lone Star around 5. We were into fish almost immediately. I had my dad throwing a black and blue Wobbler to start (his first time throwing it as well), and I was throwing an Ivy. He hooked the first and biggest fish of the evening, his biggest LMB in a very long time. He was super stoked and needless to say, I was too. In our first and only pass on the docks, we probably had close to 15 lbs. for our best five. It was an absolute blast. Decided to end the night on a good note, and then my dad proceeded to lock my keys in my truck at the ramp. Still worth it. Dropped the boat off this morning to have the transom rebuilt and a quick once over on the motor before the Bash next week, can't freaking wait!!

there are a few ways to fish a chatterbait slow and steady is always good i like to add some twitches in for some erratic action. stop and go also has it's place though it works better in clear water since fish can see a little better. i have had plenty of fish hit it on the initial drop especially with a subtle trailer like the strike king blade minnow.

just as slow and steady as i can go with the blade still vibrating seems to work the best for me. don't forget about on the fall though, much like a jig, they'll take the bait on the initial drop too.

6" Kalin Mogambo grub.