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Well as some of you already know my wife was pregnant with our second baby with a dude date of July 11th. Well this little firecracker decided she didn't want to wait anymore so yesterday, Pepper, decided to make her grand appearance. 8lb 8oz of beautiful baby girl. I have never been a gun owner but i am seriously contemplating starting now.... Our son is so excited to be a big brother too. when he came into the room to see her for the first time he walked in all slow and said SHE IS ADORABLE then proceeded to sig to her cause she was fussing some. It actually made some of the nurses tear up and they later told me it was the sweetest thing they had seen from a big brother in all their years working there. Oh, and he was no happy at all when it was time to give her a shot

Just receive the rod today after a fairly long wait. Custom Curado 50e and a MHX Spin jig 842 but trimmed to 6'10. Dedicated jerkbait and small topwater outfit. Reel seat was sourced from Matagi in what is called vintage green which is sort of mettalic green marble color. Perfect match for the reel! Fuji alconite guides with green and gold trim work. Full cork handle and gold winding checks.

Spinnerbaits are my confidence lure! I've been fishing them for 40+ years. Here's all my secrets:

Why are you surprised, he was paid to mention it to generate interest and sales...

...He did. He caught this guy on a hotdog...

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.

Ok so revised and updated lol Carolina Rig and Football Jigs DX 744 HP - Zillion HLC - 16lb Shooter Paddle Tail Swimbaits DX 743 HP - Tatula HLC w RCS cork knobs - 10lb Sniper

Come to Oklahoma! In some of the shallow stained water I fish, a SB is about the only thing you'll catch 'em on! Big difference in a single Colorado blade and twin willowleaf... different bait in my opinion.

I'd say I actually boated about 12-15 bass. None over the 3ish mark so definitely nothing crazy but it was just a really fun day to be out. The killer was that I lost a few that were much larger, and the fish of the day blew the hook literally at my fingertips! I definitely yelled and grabbed at water. Here are a few randos Biggest pickerel I've ever seen in my life. He barely fit in my net and I could hardly even grab em for the pic! Couldn't even get the whole fish in the pic. I've caught smaller muskies! Mend-It should sponsor this guy!! Also since this reservoir consists of several demolished and flooded towns, here is an old road surrounded by heavy cover I like to visit. There are also a lot of rock walls too! As I said, no monsters but it got progressively windier and windier as the day went on so it got tough to even make one or two casts at a time by the end. Lots of oar work in the weeds today. Pouring myself a nice local brewed IPA for the cherry on top after I hit submit!

Fish a spinnerbait at night...you'll gain confidence in it real quick.

If I was in your shoes I'd keep the chatterbait tied on and not worry about a spinnerbait... oe

I see alot of people mention spinnerbaits as a high yield bait, confidence bait, search bait, etc. I've thrown spinnerbaits of all different colors, sizes, blade configurations, at all different retrieve speeds, depths, etc and have yet to even get a bite on a spinnerbait. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've bumped cover, lost a few spinnerbaits, fished open water, rolled the bottom, burned the top and everything in between. I've thrown nothing but a spinnerbait till my arm was tired. I've thrown a white spinnerbait and got nothing then switched to a white chatterbait and was reeling in a bass every other cast. Not sure what the deal is. Pressured lake? Everyone and their uncle throwing spinnerbaits? How can I get in on this spinnerbait bite? LC

This is my idea of a swim jig. Thanks to siebert outdoors.

The bass were not cooperating so we made some makeshift crappie jigs with a piece of a trick worm on a 1/8oz swimbait head, and fished them on baitcasters with 12lb line. We would pitch the baits into laydowns and the line would jump on the fall, just like bass, it was crazy

get some polarized sunglasses and you will.

Wow! Is this a fishing forum or a "Concourse de Elegance" of fishing tackle? LOL

S/B's are great during the Spring and Fall. Work in the hot Summer in deep water slow rolled, slow. Really, pick up your favorite plastic, worm for me, work it slowly. Hot Summers reward the plastic worm. Always will...

I'm starting to get kinda sick of watching those guys toss shaky heads and catch 12 inchers off docks. I feel like they're not really showcasing much skill. It's practically the same episode over and over. Don't downsize! Go for the bigguns!

On my 4th, and LAST new boat (2 Stratos, 1 Triton, 1 Alumacraft) - so says the wife Never had any regrets with the new ones. Nothing like getting to pick out, outfit and customize a boat exactly as you'd like it right from the get go. Also have never been comfortable with purchasing a used boat - though I've also owned at least 3 of those, though all were smaller boats. You just don't know how they've been treated and taken care of. Heard too many horror stories to drop big dollars on a larger "used" rig. You just have to decide if the cost of a newer boat outweighs getting along with the existing boat. Just like a car, they can nickel and dime you to death if you get a little unlucky. -T9

The ALX Brawler I picked up recently is an awesome rod...It's a 7'6" XH/F that's lightweight and balanced. Very impressed with this rod, especially in the $200 price range. My last tournament (where this fish was caught ) and my next one are on tidal water so it'll be dedicated to flipping...But the next two after that on lakes so it'll get a reel swap for some flouro and a 3/4oz jig for deep water fishing. Don't see ALX mentioned a lot on here so I figured I'd toss it out there .

If you're looking to catch fish put you on a Ned Rig!

Fish the structure under the weeds

The question has come up on these forums several times, and whatever "floats your boat" or works for you is fine, but Ned just put up a piece on "Ned Rig" rod testing and selection that is worth a read, especially if you have a fondness or appreciation for Ned's finer personality traits. A couple excerpts are quoted below.

When my wife asked me what I wanted for Father's Day, I was serious when I told her I wanted nothing. I really have nothing to want, but I knew that answer wouldn't work. A few people on here know that my wife is pregnant with our second child. Well when our son, Lake, climbed into my lap with a bag I wasn't really sure what to expect. He insisted on helping me, and proceeded in pulling out of the bag; a blue wiggle wart, a pack of blue bug Rage craws, some blue raspberry saltwater taffy, some blue raspberry Mike & Ike's, a cool blue Gatorade. I'm sure most of you probably get why everything was blue, I sometimes need a little more than just hints. Luckily, my wife had also found a poem and, with a little tweaking, wrote it out just right to let me know that sometime around December 26th, I'm going to be the daddy to another little boy! We were both kind of hoping for a girl, but girls are very few and far between in my family for whatever reason, so we knew the odds weren't good there. Now we have to start thinking up another name for Lake's new baby brother. On the plus side, Lake was born December 16th, so a lot of cloths and toys can get reused this time around

Early mornings are GREAT for shallow water Flipping! After I set the Hook set on this babe, she came up and danced across the surface with the Smokin' Rooster flappin' in her face... She was a good dancer Hope ya'll are getting in on some fishing too

I have a 7'0 that I use for texas rigs. The veritas line certainly run pretty stiff. I would say that rod definitely has the backbone for frogs and cover. I see no reason why it wouldn't serve the purpose.

Just use anything . If its soft plastic and can be T-rigged it will catch a lot of bass .For decades A six inch plastic worm has been and always will be one of the top fish catchers . I like Jelly worms but they are hard to find anymore . Zoom trick worms are everywhere . One day last year , I forgot my soft plastics . digging through my tackle I found a bag of black Gizits . I t-rigged them and didnt miss a beat .

I would fish at night if you can do it without worrying about being snack for a gator.

I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade, but I bought one of the 300 series reels, had it for about a week...and sold it because I wasn't super impressed. I believe that there are much better options in that $130 price range.

Some can't see the forest for the trees

Spinnerbaits are a must have bait for me. The War Eagle Finesse spinnerbait catches more bass than any other other I've ever used in all conditions.

The biggest drawback in a lot of the WT models is the short front deck which equals horrible rod storage. Been there done that. If the layouts of these boats works for you, then more power to ya. I've heard good things about Lowe. As far as the Lund, I'm a fan. I've said this before. My Lund really feels "safe". What I mean by that is the ride is solid, and I don't feel like it's going to get away from me. Handles rough stuff well and I like the feel of riding in the boat rather than on the boat.

I was just asking because I think your name would change to shimano dude.

A baby girl... One of the most beautiful miracles in life, One of the greatest joys we can ever know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in your world today. Congratulations to you both. A-Jay

hahahahaha nice pic!

Picked a new to me BassCat Caracal over Memorial Day weekend. I am more than pleased so far, although still learning the best way to drive it with the hydraulic jack plate and trim. Awesome storage layout that is unique compared to other boats.

@Darren. nailed the one big thing i missed. Don't rig anything for a while. My most recent boat i went out probably a doze times before i started rigging things up.

Put a pearl rage tail menace verticle on that bad boy and hold on

wow lots of questions but i'l do my best...but before i give my advice i will say go test paddle as many boats as you can. Find a shop having a demo days and have at it... Standing and fishing is not a problem. there are probably 10+ boats that have that ability. Taking the girlfriend in the kayak, well not as many options, especially ones that will then handle well when being used solo. Foot pedal options are great but pricey. you are looking at almost 3k to start with one of those boats and then still have to factor in a PFD and paddle. Pedal drive boats are also heavy so transporting is something to consider as well. Pretty much every kayak has the ability to add a trolling motor, either with a unit designed for the boat like the wilderness systems ATAK or via alternative methods from various manufacturers. Same goes for fish finders...you can mount one on pretty much any kayak. Most boats have the ability to store a lot of gear if you use a crate of some sort and rod holders. I have 6 flush mounted rod holders in my boat and a crate and can take more gear than i really need Transportation of the boat is another issue but you can get a rack system and cartop just about any boat. I cartopped every kayak i have owned on my jeep wrangler up until my last one when i bought a trailer (which is the way to go in my opinion). This is where weight and boat balance comes into play. There are boats from pretty much every manufacturer that meets your needs, wilderness systems, native, hobie, jackson to name a few off the top of my head. So take a look at all of them and get out and paddle if at all possible. I am currently paddling a wilderness systems ATAK and it is a great boat that provides stability without giving up much speed. It is kind of heavy but before i had my trailer it was manageable to car top. Hope my incoherent rambling helps a little bit but feel free to ask more questions as we do have quite a few kayak anglers on board here that can provide varying perspectives .

I bought several new boats when I was young, back in the 60's and 70's but the only new I've bought since then is a couple of jon boats. The last three I've bought have been auction boats. Doing this I have been able to get boats needing some kind of repair, usually the engine, for about 20% their actual value. It's been a long time since I've had a shelter to store a boat under and I tend to use the crap out of them, put them in places most won't and clean them about once a year, whether they need it or not. Any new boat I bought would loose a ton of it's value in just a few years, and look like it was rather old, so why not just buy one already fitting that description. However, I also know a hellavalot about boats and motors, so I pretty much know exactly what I'm getting and there's nothing I can't fix on one myself. So, I don't have to worry about what kind of repair bills I'm going to get hit with after buying a used one. All my repairs are parts only. Now, with all that said, if I was not a master mechanic and my knowledge level was basically how to operate one, I would only buy new or fairly new boats, with the best, longest warranty I could get. When that warranty ran out, I would sell that one and go buy another new one.

I'm about to stay in the Outer Banks for 2 weeks straight. I'm not sure how long my body can handle being up before daylight and fishing until after dark because I've only stayed for 1 week at a time before, but it should be a pretty wide open week full of fish. No bass down there but if there were I wouldn't notice them anyways!

A coincidence that I was fishing a 3/8 oz Dredge jig yesterday and had about a 2 - 3 pound LMB toss the jig on the second jump. I can't say with the limited time that I've fished them so far that they keep the fish buttoned-up any better than other hook styles...but it DOES seem like I initially stick the bass better with this hook style. Other board members have given the Dredge good reviews in earlier threads. A couple days ago - a 4.4 on a 3/8 oz Dredge in Bama Craw:

It was awesome! The wind was a bit much but that meant there was nobody around and a TON of action in the pads and grass. I don't even know how many I caught lol. Nothing really big but man it was a fun day!

Here are a couple areas to look for that can be productive in almost any body of water; drop offs close to the shore. sunken trees,especially if the trees have been in the water for years. areas where 2 or more bodies of water meet. areas of heavy aquatic vegetation that are close to a area of little aquatic vegetation. areas where there is a lot of baitfish. Bass tend to stay close to their prey. areas where they are manmade structures, such as bridges, piers , docks , spillways or similar structures. Good lures to use from the bank are the following; soft plastics such as swimbaits, senkos , flukes, worms, crawdads , other types of creature lures. hard plastics such as topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, lipless crankbaits. Spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , hollow body frogs are great lures for a shore based bass fisherman as well.

I enjoy it as well and happen to agree totally. Perhaps an increase on the length requirement for a "Score able Bass" would ratchet things up a bit. Or maybe an angler would need a two pounder at the start of each period before any smaller fish would count. That would be incentive to fish for something other than 13 ounce fish. A-Jay

Who cares how many "likes" you get, just try to be as helpful as you can and don't worry about what your like number says.

Weeds and boat docks are my specialty. Good places to start are, and what I look for when fishing weeds are: #1 Any kind of change in the weed bed....like for instance, if you have a long straight weed line, and then it turns in or out, makes a point, tapers off, etc... Good bet there will be fish there #2 Holes..................a hole in the grass means something on the bottom is different...........rocks,wood, whatever............I like the smaller holes, they seem to not get hit by everyone and there brother like large obvious ones do #3 Mixtures of weeds......any time (at least on my lakes) where two different types of grass meet, there will be fish, as often it's a change in bottom composition. #4 Milfoil...............Milfoil................Milfoil................and did I say Milfoil. It trumps all other weeds. If there is Milfoil in this lake bass will be near it, or in it............most of the time they will prefer it to ANY other weed. #5 Bait............you can fish acres of fishless water, because there is no food in the grass for the bass. Look for bluegills, and other panfish,and you will have found bass. #6 close to deeper water....grass that is close to deeper water is often the best grass to get a hog out of. Esp if there is something in the area close by outside the grass, like a rock pile, wood, sunken man made crap, etc...

That is definitely a smallmouth bass.

From the picture, it looks to be the dreaded invisible bass...