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I was on the water Friday, Saturday and Sunday and got to spend some quality time with my dad and brother, cannot beat that! My "little" bro (6'5") and i floated the river at his house Friday night in the kayaks just for fun and had a blast. Saturday i went to my favorite lake in the world where i'd caught my previous PB. It was drained last year and since then i've only caught dinks in the 1lb-2lb range. Caught a few of those on Saturday morning on buzzbait, jig, senko and frog. Then was cruising on around and pitched the jig (with a homemade hand tied skirt black and carolina blue) at the end of a log in about 8ft of water. Was using the NRX 853c and 30lb hi viz power pro braid. the 1/4 oz jig had a missile baby d bomb for the trailer. Well i didn't really have a bite so to speak, but the line was peeling off to the side so i set the hook and to my surprise there was quite a bit of weight on the other end!! short fight ensued and had her in the yak. was a full 4 ounces fatter than my previous PB and was a solid 5lb10oz beauty that was 22.5" long!!! I was so excited about the catch, i dropped my scales over the side of the kayak. reached down to grab them and fell out of my seat, head first into the lake. good news, no items were lost and my onyx PFD worked as expected. bad news, my pride was shattered. shared the aftermath photo below for everyone's enjoyment! ended up catching 8 altogether, none too big and lost 3 or 4 more throughout the day. Sunday was a blast as my dad, brother and i all hit the little tennessee river or a nice long float and fish. they weren't biting as well as i had hoped, but they did bite! between my dad and I, we caught 10 smallies and a bunch of panfish. i caught all mine on a 1/8oz beetle spin with the white plastic bait. was throwing it with my 51e with the shallow BFS spool and the phenix recon 2 683c which was a perfect setup for it. best smallie of the day in the pic below. the pig my brother the aftermath few catches few more and a close-up of the jig best smallie of the day

As the sun begins to set, the hustle and bustle of day life begins to wind down. The infrequency of traffic and Amish horse-drawn carriages suggests that most everyone, to include my family, have retreated inside their homes in preparation of bedtime. Bathtime has come and passed and my freshly scrubbed daughter crawls under her blankets as I quickly tidy up her room before grabbing the 'go to' bedtime book - "Curious George's 8 Adventures". Upon finishing, I leave the book with her; to let her read a story herself before bed (our secret), as I stand to close her window. Standing by the window, the illumination of our porch lamp coupled with the grey darkness looming, creates a soft glow on the window sill. The aroma of grilling and freshly cut hay squeaks through the final crack as I shut the pane and lock it - which only adds to the ambiance in the room. Relaxation. Happiness. With a kiss goodnight, and a quick explanation as to why she can't stay awake all night, I'm off to my own room. But not to sleep. After tucking the ol' lady in and going over some safety details, I'm off to fish! The fishing There's been a lot of posting about night fishing recently and after reading @A-Jay's last post, I decided I would give it a go. I spent the evening relining by reels and re-organizing my tackleboxes (to include creating a new 'night box'). I got to the lake around 10:30pm. Sunset was 9:22pm so I didn't quite make it out as quickly as I'd hoped but it was ok. Once I launched my kayak, I decided to stay in that general area as it was close to the deepest part of the lake (and to the launch). My Abu baitcaster just so happened to be in my front rod holder so that's what I started with. Throwing a 3/8oz Z-Man chatterbait (in Dark Green Pumpkin) with a Fishog Shadow swimbait (in Houdini color) as a trailer, it took all of 3 casts to land my first LMB. I knew the night was going to be good because the first bass was not a dink. It wasn't huge but definitely a decent fish. After releasing him and getting my bearings; as I've never done this so it's all new to me, I continued on. Now, trying to think of an easy way to describe my fishing pattern has led me to create my own visual reference. Imagine lake depth as a number, 0-10. With 0 being the shallowest and 10 being the deepest. I was fishing around a 3 so I could cast to a 0 and also reach a 4/5 (small enough lake to do so with litlle movement). Keeping to this pattern, I worked the outside NorthEastern edge and literally kept within a 100yds of the same spot my entire duration out there. After working some pontoons and docks pretty heavily, I back up a bit back to a 3 and began fan casting out in all directions. In the 90-120mins I was out there, I landed 10-12 bass (lost count) and lost 5ish (losing vision does take a toll on hook set and retrieve - there's no line to watch). Most importantly, they were ALL quality bass except one dink. My previous best for this year was a 3.25Lb LM. I landed a 3.5Lb lastnight as well as one just over 4lb. No matter where I turned, or what I threw (also threw a single blade spinnerbait with Big Ol Bait Co paddle ail trailer), I was landing quality fish. The entire thing was exciting. I was legitimately like a small kid in a candy store. As stated, i did have around 5 get off due to getting used to everything and one....one felt like I hooked a horse. I set the hook and it felt like it didn't even move. Overall, it was a fantastic night!! Conclusion I don't know if it was luck, perfect timing, a little skill, or what but I will most definitely be going out again very soon as it almost felt like I couldn't NOT land one every cast. It's an absolute rush and I highly recommend other's try it if you've been thinking about it. Taking something as naturalistic as bass fishing, and removing your most highly relied on sense, amplifies everything you feel when day fishing. However, safety truly is paramount so take the proper precautions if this is something you decide to embark on. Because again, I highly recommend it.

YES just for our friends here at BassResource!!! You are the FIRST to see this new Rage Tail product, The New MAGNUM Rage Tail Bug by Strike King Lure Company (y) Hitting store shelves in mid July 2016!!! Bout TIME, Huh

Had a decent day fishing. Four 16", one 14", one dink, and this one. Best of seven 4.05 pounds. Hootie

It didn't take long to figure out that the fish wanted no part of a popper or a crankbait or a Spin Bait. I was not ready, however, to believe after a half hour of casting, that there were no fish on or around this choice hump. It was more likely they were in a weather and/or post spawn funk and needed to be seduced by something subtle, sexy . . . which is to say a wacky rigged soft stickbait. Don, who had been working hardbaits too, joined me patiently sinking, twitching and pausing an unweighted soft stick, sometimes as deep as 15'. Between us, we CPRed 15 fine smallmouth in 4 1/2 hours. This trip was not the first when the fish refused a variety of other baits but inhaled a Senko (or other brand) soft stick. Speaking of "inhaled," I've greatly reduced the number of gullet-hooked bass since I switched to circle hooks. I use a size 1 Gamakatsu Octopus circle for a 4" bait and a 1/0 for a 5". When bit, train yourself to reel down until you feel the fish then simply reel faster. The hook should set up something like this: Yours, wackily, WW

Being very familiar with different shoulder ailments, I would say not a rotator cuff. That's more of a clicking/popping accompanied by pain. Burning sensation along with sharp pain is often associated with muscle tears, which could easily happen with vigorous exercise. Then again...

LOL what is the blind squirrel technique? I'm not questioning your qualifications; I'm questioning the dismissal of research because it doesn't stand alone as a foolproof lure selection guide. It's a piece of the puzzle, one that even you have not finished putting together. Should we stop researching because you've fished for 50 years and know everything there is to know? Should the aerospace industry do the same?

There is way to much emphasis put on tackle & not emphasis placed on the anglers! Buck Perry, Al Linder, Bill Binkelman, & others don't teach us tackle; they taught us how locate & catch fish by getting off the bank. I spent 5 days sitting at a desk across from Buck, I went on break twice a day with Buck, & I ate lunch each day with Buck. Not once did he tell us what rod we needed, what reel we should buy, or who made the best line.

Hopefully it's nothing.....say the guy who has had 3 shoulder surgeries See an orthopedic doc that specializes in shoulders. Then get a second opinion. Among other things, I tore my lower trap and rhomboid muscles off my shoulder blade in 2012 from a work injury. I had them reattached 6 months ago. This is not a common ailment and there is only one doctor in the country that performs the reattachment surgery. Only reason I brought it up is because you said you work out. Weight lifters are among those who have torn the muscles off their shoulder blades. Prior to the injury I could fish for a week at a time. After the injury, 2-3 hours tops. After the scapular muscle reattachment surgery, I'm good for 5-6 hours. After going to the doctors, if they still can't help you, I'll give you the number to the doctor who fixed me up(I'm still permanently disabled but I'm better than I was). He's located in KY. He developed and pioneered the surgery. I believe he's done roughly 300 scapular muscle reattachments over the last 15 years. After 2 surgeries, similar to you,

Sounds pretty bad. Sorry to tell you this but I think we're going to have to put you down. . . . . Or cast with the other arm. A-Jay

I did not know where else to post this on here. I know we have a lot of fishermen and women from Florida and I assume the Orlando Area. In the wake of the horrible act of terrorism, I just want to say that my heart goes out to all of you from the area. I pray no one was effected or had any family or friends effected by this tragedy.

Got my new kayak this weekend since I've been picked up by the wildy team to rep in WNY. Went with the ATAK in sonar tested it out today in 20mph winds with 35mph gusts. Didn't handle to bad at all I love it.

This is the exact same question you asked and I responded to in my previous post...? lol Quoting myself (emphasis added): This is going in circles. I'll bow out.

Some things are debatable some not debatable. What a bass can see is . How light waves disappear under the water is not .

Keel-weighted, screw-lock hooks in the 4/0 size. This is made by Owner.

I really didn't want to get involved here, but as a PhD candidate in freshwater Ichthyology this dismal of research is rather disheartening. Fissure man is by no means saying that the research is indisputable, but rather should serve as a reference point for further investigation into the field of color recognition/ preference in all species of fish. The complete dismissal of scientific research for anecdotal evidence based on years of experience is silly. In no way shape or form are you able to recreate the weather conditions, water temperatures, baitfish activity, and water clarity in which specific lures work. But to say that studying the anatomy of a fishes eye and offering color choices isn't valid is closed minded at best. As lovers of the sport and always wanting to improve, I would think that considering the widest range of available information to the most beneficial. Although I will be the first to concede that theory, research, and results do not always play nice with with one another. But thats the fun in science, and more importantly the sport of fishing as a whole. There will never be a cut and dry answer to what color bait the fish will prefer, but using research to help aid in bait selection seems like a surefire way to begin figuring them out.

Said no one on this forum.ever.

I've had good luck throwing a 9" Culprit Fat Max (I've been liking Grape Shad lately) on 3/8 or 1/2 swinghead around stumps and other structure. Toss em in by the stump or tree or whatever and let them fall.

I am in the camp that does not see it as one style of fishing or technique has to be in direct contrast to the other. Instead I choose to see them as options that compliment one another. When you become so adamant about one style of fishing you effectively eliminate a lot of options available to you. With the finicky nature of bass in general and their preference for one bait on one day and another the next, I don't understand why it would be effective to eliminate options.

The new rig is Everything I'd hoped for and quite a bit more. I'm putting together a "one month review / walk-through" post that will include a short video. Should be up by the end of this week. But just to quickly answer your questions - although I have only been out in what I'd call Sloppy weather so far, this hull came as advertised - completely capable. As for the deck height - I like all aspects of it. Good Visibility, great for long distant & target casting as well as keeping the humans on board dry while underway. Glad I opted for the 62" TM shaft though. Shallow water draft is fine for my needs & the waters I fish. Double Talons are a game changer. More to follow. A-Jay

Cool - but what was for lunch ? A-Jay

Being a Destroyer sailor (and radarman) in the ship's CIC, I do know how to plot a course and Catt is absolutely correct in his assessment of early plotting techniques. Folks have it too easy these days! LOL! And, of course, who could forget the venerable Buck Perry. Thanks for flashbacks Team9nine. I have 3 complete sets of spoonplugs we used to "verify" our depth sounding discoveries. Perry was the "Man" (and still is!). Sometimes it's amazing to me to witness the blazee attitude of the newer fishing populace, with regards to all the work that has preceded them. Buck Perry, Bill Binkleman, Al Lindner.....those are the folks that truly paid their dues. Hopefully we will never forget.

Picked up a Dobyns fury 735 for my new frog rod. I am really loving it so far.

Thanks for the plug Turkey! It's a bit of an old thread, but thought I'd chime in with my two bobs worth ;-) First, this is my book. I wrote it because there are lots of misunderstandings when it comes to lure color selection. Tom, just so you're aware, I teach lure making, I'm not a manufacturer. So I have nothing to gain from steering people towards one color or another. This book was merely an attempt to inject some science and objective thinking into an area of fishing where it is usually lacking. Before I was a full time lure making teacher, I was an aquatic scientist. Actually, I have a degree with double majors in Aquatic Biology and Aquatic Chemistry, Honors in Aquatic Science and a PhD awarded for my research thesis in the fields of Aquatic biology and water chemistry. I spent 20 years working as a professional scientist on areas of fish management (among other things) and ran my own niche aquatic ecology consultancy employing a number of other scientists in the fisheries field. I have personally made numerous measurements of light and color in saltwater - and even more in freshwater - using some pretty sophisticated equipment. I've also been an expert witness in my professional capacity as a scientist. And before I wrote this book I did an extensive review of scientific (not popular fishing) literature on the subject. I reckon I'm probably qualified to give a scientific perspective ;-) Yes, I'm Australian. I've worked and fished around the world though, including in the US. And had you read my book, you would have seen that there are links to references to other scientific work from around the world too. Actually, in scientific terms, what I present in my eBook is very old hat, scientists have known and published this stuff around the world for years. Fishermen have just never caught up. You are quite right that different species often have the capacity to see different colors, or at least different shades than other species. But you have completely missed the point that environmental conditions often preclude fish from seeing a particular hue, or any color at all. These environmental conditions are physical, not biological, so they are the same irrespective of your geographical location. In terms of the capacity for fish to see color: Most freshwater fish species are hundreds of times better at seeing shapes and shadows than humans are. And many (but not all) are many times worse than humans at detecting color. We know this from the anatomical structure of their eyes. Walleye, to pull your example, have a retina is packed with rod cells. These are the photochemical receptors that are super sensitive to light. They're present and have the same function in every living vertebrate on the planet - they allow us to see shapes and outlines in low light. Human eyes have relatively low numbers of rod cells, which is why we struggle to see much when the light fades - fish can often see silhouettes sharply when human eyes fail. The other photochemical receptors in eyes are the cone cells, which detect different wavelengths (colors) but need much higher intensity of light to do their job. Thats why we can often see silhouettes but not colors at dawn and dusk or on a moonlit night. The ratio of rod and cone cells tells us a lot. As already stated, walleye have loads of rod cells. But they have a low proportion of cone cells. This reflects the environment they live in, as well as their nocturnal hunting habits. They don't see color as well as other species but they can make out shapes in low light when other species can't. Bass have a higher proportion of cone cells because they tend to live and operate where there is better light. Color can play more of a part here. But compared to humans, they still have a high proportion of rod cells, so they still see better than us in low light and worse (less color distinction) in bright light. And yes, before you say it, some fish can see colors that humans can't, such as UV. As for the penetration of light and the visibility of color at depth, I've worked on tannin lakes where the blue and green wavelengths are absorbed in the first 6 inches and only red colors are visible. I've worked on algae lakes where the red/orange wavelengths disappear within 12 inches and only greens and yellows are visible. So light penetration and color visibility can vary tremendously in a lake as deep as 20ft. Hope this sheds some light (pun intended) Greg

We are having a huge sale for Fathers Day. Over 40 items marked down. This includes our Extreme Football jigs with Trokar hooks, Grid Iron Footballs with an Owner Hook. The big name items are also on sale. Most Rage Tail, Mega Strike, Strike King, Keitech & more. http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Sale-Items_c27.htm?sortOrder=-2

My technique is to catch a lot of bass and sometimes I'll hook into some big ones too . I'd rather catch 50 fish and 1 lunker than three fish and one lunker .

Can you elaborate? How do you go about picking lure colors based on those factors? Good point, but environmental conditions and bass physiology can be studied without any input from the bass. It's not the whole picture, but it lays a foundation for understanding bass behavior. If experience shows bass have a color preference in particular conditions, the science can help to understand why, and lead to a hypothesis on color choice in other conditions as well. I'm in the camp that says lure color usually isn't a big deal, but occasionally it's critical. Some of the discussion above has focused on determining which colors are most visible to the fish, but "most visible" often does not mean "most likely to get bit."

Deep water structure My most productive techniques; Texas rig both weighted & unweighed & Jig-n-Craw

My Pflueger President is an amazing workhorse that delivers trouble free fishing ... if mine was stolen, I'd buy another tomorrow.

I've been telling y'all since July 11 2005

Actually guys the seminar was at a small community college in downtown Houston, Texas & we ate at the cafeteria. I can't tell y'all the name of the college or what was on the menu but I can tell y'all what he said about structure, reading maps, & catching bass!

Balogna a sandwich.? Tom

Not really any superstitions. Caught plenty of big bass with bananas in the boat. However, when the battery dies on my camera, i know we are about to catch a giant. I try to switch batteries as fast as humanly possible. I guess i have some weird observations, i have absolutely no confidence in a jig with half the skirt torn up. Secondly, i have no confidence in a jig with the paint chipped off the head. I will change jigs asap. Third, when people start making up random fishing songs to tunes of other songs in the boat, it is a sign that we need to get off the lake or move to a different spot.

My man, I live in Mexico, that's third world country for you, there ain't no friggin maps of 99% of the lakes I fish and for the better part of my life I've fished without electronics, so how do I "read" a lake I have never been too and manage to catch fish ? I WATCH, I watch the terrain above the water level, I watch the vegetation above water level, I watch the vegetation that was there when the place was flooded, I watch the aquatic vegetation. Do I need electronics ? ------> NO.

Bait monkey biting Hootie again !

Sadly many have already forgotten the pioneering efforts of some of these men and their colleagues, especially Binkelman, the most underrated of the bunch. I'm a bit of a historian and collector of all things related to those guys and what Ron Lindner refers to as "the modern angling revolution." For those interested in learning and reading more about that great time period, and as my small effort to make sure their story is not forgotten, see my profile listing. -T9

I have no problems setting the hook while standing in my yak. I know the 128T is billed as wider than the 12, and more stable. I've seen a guy out on a local reservoir fishing in one and he was standing most of the time. Unless you do gymnastics or yoga stretches while setting the hook, you will be fine. You will learn the yaks secondary stability and get along just fine. But please, wear your PFD 100% of the time. You never know! This way if you fall out due to a 175º hookset, then hit your head on the side of the yak and get knocked out, you'll most likely wake up still in this world. I wear mine always. Life is too short to do otherwise.

I think it would be preferable to just wash the swimsuits before wearing them... Tight lines, Bob

Your Welcome Jimmy ~ As I said, my used vessel purchasing experience is minimal ~ but two recurring themes by those who offer experienced based advice is to always test ride a potential purchase on the water (testing it under load rather than in the driveway) and to have the motor looked at by a professional you know & trust. A compression test is a fairly standard part of that. You may have to pay for it but it's probably money well spent. What another boat owner could tell you about the his / her rig may not have much bearing on anything you're looking to buy. Each boat, motor & trailer has a story. Whether the seller is providing you all, part or any truthful versions of the story can be tricky to decipher. However, the current condition of it all is right there for one to see, ride, test and evaluate. One simply has to make the commitment to do it - in advance of the purchase. If it looks like a duck . . . . . . . Good Luck A-Jay

I usually opt for a slow, steady retrieve, but stop and go works well too.

I put a Spro 40 rat to work this afternoon. Picked up 4 fish and had my 5th blow it out of the water to the moon. No big gals but still a lot of fun. Bluegill were nesting all over the lake. I should have tied on a hardgill or alike but was having fun with the rat bite. Here was the biggest.

Today's bass anglers think trolling is cheating partly because it is during organized bass tournaments. Buck Perry developed his skills and lures during a time period when trolling was the norm and sonar units were not common for fresh water fishing. Before sonar units became available for the general fishing public we used maps and visual landmarks to triangulate our position away from lake shores by dropping a anchor or sounding weight. We had small buoys with about 50' of cord and weight to mark spots when we found them. Still use bouys at times to use as a visual marker for off shore bass fishing, especially at night by rubber banding a small glow stick to the buoy. With GPS way points fishing off shore is a lot easier today, still doable with a simple flasher unit. Pro bass tournament fishing started about the same time as flasher and paper graphs became popular. Bass fishing off shore today is still relegated to a very small percentage of bass anglers. The vast majority of bass anglers fish within a casting distance from shore over 90% of the time. I will add most of those bass anglers own state of the art sonar units and don't know how to use them effectively. Tom

What I have learned from experience often contradicts what I read in sceintific papers and research data on how fish see colors. My experience spans over 60 years of fishing for both fresh and salt water game fish. The one thing in common with all game fish is their preference for color contrast verses single color lures, including all black. The study of the physical eye construction certainly gives clues to low light vs bright light vision ability. What the eye construction can't do is determine how the fish interprets the waves lengths the eye transmits to it's brain. Observing how fish react to various colors, shapes and lure movement takes a lot of time on the water under a wide variety of lighting conditions. As mentioned 60 years of fresh water fishing for trout and bass, plus about 30 years fishing for musky, pike and walleyes. About 35 years salt water off shore fishing for tuna, Marlin, swordfish and coastal fishing for calico and sand bass, halibut, White Sea bass etc., You learn all fish have different color preferences depending on light conditions, including night, overcast days, bright noon sun. Color preferences in soft plastic lures for bass can make or break your day or night. Nothing I have ever read explains how bass have specific color preference at night in deep clear structured lakes that I fish. Understand the importance of contrast and silhouette outline, but often a clear smoke worm with different color flakes out fishes solid black with various color flakes at depths of 20 top 40 feet at night. The science tells us the bass eye can't see the worm, but they do! Tom

Hard to beat a Pflueger President.

It's called Murphy's Law

What Crestliner said is definitely true, but a basic slow retrieve (just enough to get the tail moving) will generally work no matter what time of year. Keitechs on swim jigs are great.

Depends on the time of the year and the water temp. Early spring I'll cast it out and slow roll it along the bottom. During the warmer water periods I'll use higher retrieve in the water column along with erratic action from time to time. You just need to try various retrieves and see what works for you and the fish.

Congrats on your Swimsuit purchase ~ Where did you attach the hook ? I wouldn't worry about the baits smell. A-Jay

For little guys, they have amazingly strong jaws. If they latch on to a finger or thumb, it is a bear to pry them loose.

The starting line-up for the summer is now complete: Add that to some offseason acquisitions: ...and the yak is now full.