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My company is giving us one Friday off each month in the summer and today was mine. Went to a local department of conservation area and rented a Jon boat. I had my day all planned out but the fish were not cooperating at all. After two hours, I grabbed my wife's Mojo Bass which I always have set up with a Ned rig. I just wanted something, but ended up getting my biggest fish of the day.....3 ounces shy of the four pounder I told the wife I was hunting today. The fishing Gods smiled and I ended up with fourteen more bass, a crappie, a bluegill and a two pound catfish. Sunny as can be but I love throwing top water and the Whopper Plopper got six of them. Two on a jig, one on a frog (three misses on a frog too. Need some practice) and the rest on the Ned rig.

No trailer and no trailer hook on my buzzbaits. I use black 90% of the time, white 10%.

Those people who say they don't like cats just haven't had them prepared right

I don't buy expensive gear because I think it will catch me more fish. I buy it because it helps me tolerate days that I don't.

No regrets here. Did months of research. Had a ton of help from several very generous humans willing to share knowledge & experience. Saved up all my nickels & dimes. Preparation equals Performance. My only true regret would have been not getting it. Tomorrow's not guaranteed to any of us. A-Jay

Megastrike Cavitron, 3/8oz. black skirt, black blade, no trailer. I use the other colors too, but black/black seems to be the most versatile.

Can you help me tie a UNi-Knot ? A-Jay

I was at Staples and discovered Really Useful Boxes, a storage tote company. They make a rectangular shaped 6.5 Liter box that is 6" tall, 7" wide, and about 17" long. The label said weatherproof and I was impressed with the solid build and positive latches. For $10.49, I bought one, took it home, and discovered I can fit around 25packs of plastics per box. The best part is that Staples has a $10 off of $30 and a 15% off storage coupons. I went back to the store and bought six more for $45! They're stackable, and I can fit many of these in my compartments. Now, rather than sifting through big ziplocks for a specific pack of something, they're all single-filed. I have a box for craws, one for shakey worms, drop shots, a beaver box, etc. i have no affiliation with the company, I'm just impressed with the product and figured some of you might be too. Tight lines!

Try a San Diego jam knot, I use it with fluorocarbon all the time. No problems at all.

I was out on the lake yesterday and around mid-morning, a woman in a kayak paddled up to my boat just as I was making a cast. "What are you fishing for?" she asked innocently. I pulled down my buff so I could speak & be friendly and told her largemouth bass. "What do they look like?" was the next question, to which the fishing gods immediately took over and provided me with a strike. "Let me show you" I replied as I set the hook, feeling as cool as one can be to provide a bass on command. She wowed when the fish jumped & tail-walked across the surface and said "Oh My" when I lipped the near 3 lb'er and showed her its gaping maw. I spent a minute telling her about bass, how they are great sport-fish, how they can be caught on lures and that when they get really big, their mouths allow them to eat just about anything. "I think I'm going to learn how to fish for bass. I don't even know how to tie a hook" (yeah, I know, I didn't correct her & tell her that you tie knots...). This sentence provided me with a dilemma. Had she been under 30 and in a bikini top, I might have offered to be her personal tutor. Unfortunately, she was closer to Glenn's age and even kind of looked like him. That made a light bulb go on & I replied "There is a website called 'BassResource.com' that has all kinds of information for beginners to experts. Check it out, they have videos & info to help you get started". "That's cool" she said, "I learn better with videos". She began paddling away, thanking me for the info while all the time I am thanking Bass Resource for being the ultimate wing-man & taking one for the team. The only problem is if she does follow through & ends up reading this post, she may paddle out again next week & punch me for my description of her appearance...

The braid test is too light for a baitcaster. You could use it but it will be extremely difficult and annoying - the line is so thin that it will bed into the spool of line. Too give you comparison in diameters - 50# braid is equivalent to 12lb flouro. So your dads 6 lb braid, i can't even calculate how thin that is. Commonly, on baitcasters - people tend to start at around 30 and above in # braid. If he wants to go that thin - a spinning reel will be far better of an option. Birds Nests are 99% user error (my math) - there are a ton of videos out there on youtube that will help your father setup his reel properly to deter bird nests. Make sure he understands, whipping the bait is not always the best way and definitely does not get you the most distance. A solid roll cast will go just as far if not father. If he is overhanding, could be another issue as well. If the line tension is too light, the line is coming off to fast off the spool to where it is not coming off the rod quick enough, thus line overrun and bad bird nests.

I've bought 2. One in 2004 and the other in 2013. Had I not grown out of the first boat, I'd still be in it. I spent 3 years researching boats before I bought the 2013, As far as having regrets, the 3 years of research took all the doubt out of my mind.

How do i do this

I have always been a Jeep fan since my first 1971 wagoneer I had in college about 20 years ago. My previous Jeep i sold when my son was about two be born because, well a 2 door wrangler isn't the easiest vehicle to get a car seat in and out of, not to mention pretty drafty. I then bought a Subaru and when that motor blew a little over three years ago i had to go take look at Wranglers again. After trying my hardest to make a car seat work i decided to compromise and get a 4-door version. Well for three years I did nothing to it other than adding a rack to haul my kayak around. After the odometer passed 60k miles the tires are in need of replacement so that's what I did Here she wa the day i got her back in may 2013... And here she is today Big improvement in my mind and while it still is primarily a grocery getter and kid hauler, it doesn't look like it as much anymore at least. I know the new JKs get a lot of hate from jeep purists but it is awful nice to be able to put flat fenders on and clear 35's. My old YJ i put 4" of lift and barely cleared 33's..

Me Too & Me Too ~ A-Jay

Congrats to KVD ~ Major props to Jordan Lee great Tournament. A-Jay

Punch punch punch. The smallest rig you can run and still get through- those aren't lily pads they're beach umbrellas for vacationing smallies!

I like the TD-Z best of all time. I add carbontex drag kit, Abec 5 or 7 spool bearings if I need them, 90mm handle (favorite is the TD-Z 100M stock handle to keep factory stock appearance) and a T3 1016 spool in the 103P and 103H models. This build suits me better than anything else. Quite expensive though when all is paid for and done but they will last me forever. I still think the Daiwa Tatula's are the best bang for the buck going right now. Great performance for what you pay for them! I do like mine very much and I don't change a darn thing on them. Just a huge fan of the Team Daiwa reels from years ago like the TD-A HSTA to the Fuego's and Sol/Alphas and of course the TD-Z's.

Man they went through a whole package of sencos today! I didn't weigh them, but most seemed to be in the 2-3# range, and aggressive as can be! First time using plastic worms, even caught a big catfish on the senco. Caught a 4 lb'er on the Ned rig! Heck of a great day!

Well, as some have noticed, I am trying to get rid of all the videos on my external hard drive and finally have time to make videos. The quality on this kinda sucks. Can't stand how some videos just won't transfer well to the tube. This reservoir used to drive me nuts. You could go all day without a bite and come back the next day and catch nothing. Good thing about fishing tough reservoirs is it gives you a chance to learn more about fishing structure. I eventually figured a few things out about this reservoir, but it came after a lot of failure. Enjoy! Shimmy

Palomar with mono, fluorocarbon, or braid If ya having problems with a Palomar knot it cause you are letting your line cross over each other on the initial loop. Your line will cut it's self every time

First frog and top water bass!!!

Okay boy you were right not a lot of boat dealers around you. I found an Alumacraft dealer here but he has more deep vee boats. He of course can order you one. WATERS EDGE MARINE1413 NW Polk City Drive, Polk City, IA 50226 515-984-8725 www.watersedgemarine.com Otherwise your best bet is to travel over to Bass Pro in Altoona. Go sit in a Pro Team 190TX The standard package is alright, but I would consider a few changes. i would ask for a motor change to the optional 4 stroke 115 hp outboard. It is actually going to be a bit cheaper with this engine which surprised me. All of the engines are going to 4 stroke eventually. The maintenance is a little different but the 4 strokes are much quieter and perform well enough to make it worth it. I would upgrade the fish finder. It comes with a very small unit at the helm. Do yourself a favor get a Lowrance Elite7TI with Navionics+. It is like a baby brother to the HDS units. It will cost about $800 but you will be doing something like this later. I know this is a foreign language but do a little research and it will make sense. if you want I can send you pictures of my setup later. It is almost the same. Now that depth finder will give you gps mapping and the ability to find and mark fish, waypoints etc. The boat comes with a Lowrance Mark3 at the console. You can get them to mount it on the front deck and add a transducer onto the trolling motor. Or if the budget allows it ,have them give you the credit for that one and have them put another larger unit on the front deck. Another Elite7TI would be nice but money will dictate this. I will tell you the larger the screen the better. For me I would have the trolling motor upgraded from a 45 pound thrust 12 volt unit. I would have them add the second trolling motor battery(that means you will have 3 batteries on board)and upgrade to a MinnKota Maxxum 65 pound unit. In the wind or river current you will need this. The only two other options I would really consider is an on board two bank battery charger to charge your trolling motor batteries back up when you get home and get a boat cover. There are lots of other things you could do but that will get you a great first boat. I purchased a 17 1/2 footer because I was assembling a special boat to fish a lake with a 20 hp max. I took great pains setting up a 25 Merc to look like a 20, adding a special tilt bracket, a hydrofoil wig etc to make a 1000 pound hull work on that lake. When we moved next to the bay here I sold the engine package and installed a used 75 Merc. If I was setting up a boat for this big water I would go 19 feet long.

Confirm the greatness of Shimano every chance you get. Tout the superiority of braid over all other lines. Promulgate these mantras and be on your way to a munificent reputation.

or just be an azz like me

It helps if you are bright, witty, charming, and have something worthwhile to say. I have a few likes so that is not always required.

Backlashes or overruns happen when the spool turns faster that the line is going out. Line needs to pull the spool. When the lure hits the water you must stop the spool!

no picture but i guess based on your description that they are carp

I bought my boat brand new. Never did any research. That was back in 1988. It was more difficult to do research without the internet. I saw a different boat at a boat show and put money down. I was on my way out of the show when I saw the Ranger booth. I went and got my money back and bought the Ranger. I still have the same boat today. I never really saw a boat I wanted more than the one I have. At least I didn't want another boat bad enough to spend a lot more money on.

This makes new boat #3. The peace of mind is worth the added cost to me. I don't have much free time so when I do have the time to fish I expect my equipment to work. It does.

My wife, stepson and I all did it today.

#2 Rattlin’ Chug Bug® Again I like the bigger saltwater versions! Features: The do-everything topwater lure, spits, darts and chugs like fleeing baitfish Weighted tail for longer casts Loud rattles

Holy smokes! The Pompadour and the Cavitron would be my top two recommendations hands down. I catch so many fish on these two lures that I barely use any other topwaters anymore, aside from the PopMax and Whopper Plopper.

Been using the standard baseball cap all of my life. If it's really hot I'll dunk it in the water and put it back on.

Jitterbug, black,5/8oz. Historically, has caught lots o'fish Technique: reel towards you, not away. I do not recommend:getting a treble hook stuck in your hand.

New addition to the roster. Pflueger Supreme XT. I love Pflueger spinning reels so I'm seeing how I like their casting reels. As soon as I get a rod to pair her with, she'll be inserted into the starting lineup.

FYI... It's the last day to register for the Midwest Madness Kayak Fishing Tournament hosted by Wildcat Creek Outfitters & the Indiana Kayak Anglers. You can fish any public water in Indiana (check-in is at WCO in Zionsville). Registration Rules Wish me luck!

So I'm done and ready for the opener tomorrow. Here are my 2016 addition to the family. 3 Zodias rods, a 7' Medium Glass, 6'10 ML and 6'10 Medium. for reels bought a Metanium XG '13, Metanium HG '13, Curado 200I HG, Curado 70 XG, Core 100 MG and Chronarch E5/E6/E7.

Got on some very DEEP drop shot fish in the kayaks today

My latest video. Please take a gander and let me know your thoughts!

There's no conversion because there's no standard. Different lines of the same #test can have different diameters. Suffice to say if you go up significantly in diameter you can expect significantly less capacity. For bass fishing line capacity isn't that big a concern usually.

I am always loaded up with Motor Oil Red Power Worms, Trick Worms, Charlies high floater swimming worms in Motor Oil/Chart tails, and It's funny that you mention that as your favorite color...I think most people call it watermelon Red now, but It does have that added chart/change over flash, which I think makes it one of the better colors in stained water due to flash and also works well in clear water as it matches forage...I stocked up on Grubs about a year ago and have packs of the 2 colors you have plus the Kalins avacado is good as well...I was lucky to come across a huge lot of Kalin's baits a few years ago and stocked up on all colors and I have cases full of grubs and swimbaits I need to go through one of these days...My biggest bass To Date came on a Motor Oil Chart changeover (It get's rejected at the Factory and they call it "Flashing???) but I had a bunch of big Ribbon Tails in the color and they look olive in one light, and then gold or Green in the water and I wish companies would sell the color instead of rejecting it....You can have guys who hand pour do a Change Over or Oil change and I still have yet to see it on the market, I guess Flashing is bad, Charlies has a great Motor Oil color, old school companies still make some good ones... I just went down memory lane...I do have a bunch of Trick Worms that were rejects that I told the local supplier to grab on his trip, and sure enough he came back with the standard finesse worms in the Motor oil green/chart flashing color which they don't sell, but it is better than any colors they do sell....Pumpkinseed was a mistake, and that was the top seller for a few years...I know grape was the #1 10 years ago, and I think he told me Electric Grape, then it went to Green pumpkin the last few years and now Junebug and Black and blue are catching up but this Blue Magic color is getting a huge following down here as it looks like green pumpkin but as it swims it gives off blue flashes and watermelon blue is "A secret Florida Color"....So is Black, Blue and chartruese....Fry Chaser or something like that...

$90.00 Hootie

Raider is gonna be upset that you posted his old lady online..

Our bass don't get big but the 130 size works way better here. As long as your bass get to a couple pounds, they'll eat a 130.

Chronarch is Made in Japan. Good enough reason for me haha

First off, I am or will be okay. I had a terrible accident yesterday , but I am doing better now. I decided to go horseback riding, which I haven't done in quite a while. Well, I got on the horse and started out slow, and then we went a little faster, and then we were going as fast as the horse could go. All of a sudden I fell off and caught my foot in the stirrup and the horse was dragging me around in a circle. It wouldn't stop, it just kept going around and around. Thank goodness the store manager at K-Mart came out and unplugged the carousel.

Robert, after the first few sentences I started feeling sorry for you and was picturing it all in my mind. Ya got me!! Mike

Meant to add, if you like Rebel stuff, the company has a great facebook page to follow. Pretty much every day they post pics of old and new baits, recent catches, and discuss fishing areas. I follow them so I can get my daily dose of Rebel eye candy and check out their positive comments. Their facebook page extols the virtues of getting kids fishing and protecting the resource. Sure, its part of their marketing, but it's a whole lot more enjoyable to check out a bunch of lures and positive comments, than some of the other negative stuff out there in other media. I also like the fact that their lures are affordable and work. I admire fancy lures as much as the next angler, but like that someone is producing effective, cool-looking, easy-to-use baits that are accessible to pretty much anybody.