Leaderboard

I was contacted by a fellow member and asked why I didn't throw the three large bass (8, 9 & 10 lbs.) in my avatar back to give another angler the pleasure of catching them? In case anyone else is wondering the same thing, that photo was taken after a tournament back in the mid 1970s. Back then, most bass boats didn't have live wells and weigh ins were not set up for weigh-and-release. I have been practicing catch-and-release for many years but, back then it was common to bring them home and filet them up. The largest fish in the pic is on my wall the the other two along with the balance of the 10 bass limit went on the grill for friends to enjoy.

...You are driving down the road, looking at the hillsides and imagining where the fish would be if it was all underwater.

Tackle Tour reviewed the Edge 705-1 Black Widow. Based on that review, I ordered the 705-1 from Tackle Warehouse in May 2015. When the rod arrived, I discovered that the current production rod did NOT match the configuration of the rod tested by TT. Edge had discontinued the spiral wrap guides at some point after the TT review, and had also changed the blank material on the 705-1 from their best quality HM material to IM material. I contacted Edge and, to their credit, they offered to make it right. I returned the rod directly to them and they built me a spiral wrap rod on an HM blank - all it cost me was shipping to them. Just be aware that the Edge web site, and the TT web site, may not correctly describe the current features on the rods. For instance, both TT, and the Edge main page, STILL specify that the Black Widow rods are made on the HM blank...BUT, when you go to the specific web page for the 705-1, they DO specify IM blanks on that page. Edge Rods still seems to be somewhat of a cottage operation with changes made on the fly with no updating of marketing material. NOW, once I received the rod, it performs just as the TT article described it. The balance is excellent and every time I pick it up, the tip ends up pointed up in the air - it actually feels tip-light. You get that from the heavier handle design but I don't mind the extra weight back there. On sensitivity (always a subjective thing) I believe it's NRX-class, or perhaps a bit better - perhaps attributed to the balance. So, an excellent rod as finally built for me from Edge....but as many will point out, you could have a very nice rod custom built for you on that same HM blank for less $$$ and know what you are getting. You would NOT get the nifty "Weibe-type" carbon-fiber reel seat/handle however. FWIW

Got a really good one on a COLD morning in the Adirondack Mountains. Air temperature was 42°, very foggy and she crushed a Rapala Skitter Walk. Biggest of the year so far. This fish is responsible for the most aggressive, violent top-water strike I have ever witnessed. Caught, weighed, photographed and promptly released.

Fishing in the Fast Lane. Anglers have been using Speed to trigger strikes with moving baits for a long time, and bass anglers are no exception. I’ve been a fan of this approach for a while and I’m probably guilty of using it a little too much. I’m not the biggest Fan of the “finesse” deal and have had some success using a Speed approach in these conditions instead. Doesn’t always work but I can catch a skunk on anything, so might as well do something I like. The technique involves the use of horizontally moving baits that a bass can track & chase down; FAST. For me this is usually most effective in clear to slightly colored water & in shallow to mid-depth ranges of 10-12 ft. and less. Doesn’t mean that using speed can’t or won’t work in something else, just that this is where I’ve found better results. Some wind is very helpful, as is staying off the fish and making a long cast. I prefer to fish into the wind if conditions permit, but either direction / approach has shown solid results. Fishing cross wind is a little tougher. Quite an assortment of lures can be fished / retrieved quickly and in the right conditions /situation can & do catch fish. I have a few favorites that have proven themselves over the years. Crankbaits, Lipless Baits, Spinnerbaits, and Jerk / Rip Baits are what I use most. More recently, several lures manufactures have introduced baits that are specifically designed to be retrieved with speed which has resulted in more & better options for those of us who like it Fast. The Spinnerbait is one of those lures. (For the remainder of this write up I am always referring to a single or double willow leaf bait). It’s such a versatile lure that can & will produce in a wide variety of situations but does seem to come into its own over & through some type of shallow vegetation. Burning one just under the surface to about one foot down, is one of my all-time favorite ways to catch Smallmouth bass. Which is what makes right now, early fall, such a great time for this technique. The weeds are starting to die back but the water is for the most part still warm enough where the bass are very ready, willing & able to chase it down. Back in the day (and there’s no real need to say when that actually was) I read somewhere that by making two simple modifications, most any quality spinnerbaits ability to run fast & true could be improved. One was to down size the willow leaf blades 1 or 2 sizes and the other was to add weight to the bait. The smaller blades allowed for easier reeling & more speed without the bait coming out of the water. Same with the added weight, bait stayed subsurface and casting distance was improved, in the wind especially. Sometimes Smallmouth will follow a bait for quite a while. (Regardless of how fast I reel it) It’s like they enjoy the chase before eventually hammering it. Other times they just seem to come out of nowhere and Blast the bait. Both are OK by me. A few years back SK introduced the Burner Spinnerbait. This was a game changer for me. The baits compact head design allows for max speed, but the real innovation was the Raz-R-Blade. It’s a somewhat down sized, thin cut willow leaf that was designed to increase revolutions, increase flash and keep the bait from lifting like traditional willow leaf blades are so prone to do. BAM ! No more changing out blades. But I have found that by still adding some weight to the ½ oz. bait, I can make an already great bait, Better. By simply spinning on length of wire solder onto the baits hook shank, centered & balanced weight can be effectively added to any bait. How much weight will depend on the length, type & size (gauge) wire solder selected. This can easily be done by hand and a drop of Super glue at each end will help keep it there. Any spinnerbait is a candidate if you want to add weight to, not for just burning, as it’s quite applicable for deep water applications as well. Trailer hooks are optional. Don’t remember who to give credit to for sharing these ideas, but I’m certainly glad they did. A-Jay

you get up earlier on your day off than you do for work. catching a bass negates any plans to head home soon, no matter how long you've been fishing.

You have more lures than tools, and your an auto mechanic You have one truck, but three boats Your phone has more bassfishing apps and sites, than phone numbers You can get lost driving in one town over, but any lake within 300 miles are no problem Your wallet pics went from your kids to your personal best. Your xmas presents went from sox and ties, to bps gift cards Back to school time costs less than that months tackle warehouse order

I also become a real fan of pro football in September, October and November...it gets more people off the water and out of the woods on Sunday afternoons.

This is no longer true, I have a new PB found lure. While fishing Saturday, I saw something near surface of the water. I motored over to it and at first thought it was a dead bluegill attached to some kind of fish stringer. As I reached down for it, I realized it was a medium sized hard body swimbait in bluegill color (Jackall Gantrel Jr.). Great lure, it even fooled me. Took it home & it cleaned up well (before & after pictures below). In regards to the poor soul who lost a $30 swimbait, I am 99% sure it wasn't one of the other two serious fisherman on the lake. Since I found it close to a green belt area that is accessible to the public, my theory is that a knowledgeable fisherman who doesn't have lake rights snuck down here to do some fishing and hung up the lure on something. If it was another homeowner or a guest of a homeowner, most likely they would have jumped in a boat and motored over to retrieve it. I do get this is Orange County, but a $30 floating bait is worth some effort in retrieving.

I've been bass fishing for years, and this is the first snakehead I've caught, a two footer more or less, with a very dramatic tail spot. This was done bank fishing today at a local canal (the El Rio canal in Boca Raton) that was packed with dense matted hyacinths, by punching through with a plastic craw and a 1.5 oz weight, hoping (without success) to catch a bass or two. For about a 1/4 mile length of the canal, the water surface was not visible, just the top of the green stuff. The photo illustrates how dense the hyacinth mats can get in Florida.

You got a 12.5 and didn't take a picture ? I would have taken a dozen pictures, weighed her several times, measured the length and girth before releasing her back. I would be ecstatic to catch such a fish. It would be a state record in every New England state except for Mass.

My email traffic with Edge regarding my rod exchange was with Collins Illich (President, Edge Rods). He told me, and told at least one other person on TT that had the same situation as me, that: "Gary [Loomis] doesn't like using HM for that application [the 705-1]." So, I don't know if IM is used ONLY on the 705-1 (7' MH-XF) and HM on all other Black Widow-series rods or what the situation is. For me, I've "been there and done that" with Edge rods and won't be getting any more. Regarding this Edge rod vs. NRX, I will say this - the Edge 705-1 Black Widow has that very versatile Mag Bass taper that Loomis made famous. Essentially the same taper as the (Shimano) Loomis MBRs. After I got the Edge 705-1, my NRX MBR843C all of a sudden started spending a lot of time gathering dust in the rod rack - instead of being in the boat. OTOH, the 705-1 is in the boat every time I go out. The Edge is a very nice, versatile, uber-sensitive rod...

lol.Doing that right now. ( The early thing )?

WATCH YOUR LINE. I almost always see it move before I feel the bite. Especially when the fish are lazy

Multiple cast to a single target is always a wise decision! I fish a lot of "Team" tournaments, that's 2 angles fishing for a single 5 bass limit. We fish together as a team not as two individuals out fishing When one catches a bass the other should immediately fire a follow up cast to the same spot. When done in unison both anglers can cover water quickly & thoroughly, which allows a greater opportunity to establish patterns faster.

Ive always been a all spinning type of guy. I flip, punch, topwater, and crank with spinning gear. Well last week my girl gifted me a 7ft berkley lightning rod and a 2016 shimano caenan, i wasnt too excited but i decided to take it with me on a fishing trip today. It changed my whole perspective on baitcastin gear, it made flipping and punching 100% easier. I feel like i was way more efficient with my casting and i was more accurate. Im a beleiver now. That being said, bait monkey has me by the throat and i need some new reels.

Went out yesterday morning after the hurricane came through Saturday. I had no expectations, but it was the only day I could get out, and I needed some aquatic therapy. Caught 3, and missed many. Water has cooled 20 degrees over the past week, and was muddy with less than a foot of visibility. The bites were coming on a t-rigged Rage Structure Bug in junebug, and were nearly undetectable. I probably had a dozen bites, but only connected with a few. This one was the only keeper and came in at a little over 17". A welcomed treat in spite of the conditions.

I'm not too sure about this chart. Had I been born on my due date, I would have been Portagee Bigstick, but instead, I was 3 weeks late and therefore became Cap'n Shortstick? Apparently hanging out in the womb too long changes your nationality and gets you in charge of a vessel, but does a real number on your private regions...

The fish are definitely starting to transition into the early fall movements now with the water temperature in the upper 70s. When its calm and sunny I've been catching them on frogs skipped under main lake docks. When the wind kicks up I switch to squarebill crankbaits and jerkbaits fished quickly over top of grass on the down wind side of the lake. This pattern really gets good when the wind blows the same direction for a few days in a row with at least ten or twelve mile an hour winds concentrating the shad.

I made a post yesterday that was in poor taste and to any I offended I would like to say I am sorry. I would hate to upset any on this forum whom I consider one of the best websites and forums out there.

Keep em both! Put a topwater on one and a senko on the other. Or a crankbait on one and a texas rig on the other. Or, whatever combination you'd find most efficient to avoid spending time re-tying to switch baits. You're going to get another combo sooner or later anyway...make that one your third instead of your second...

I'm an advocate of keeping it. You can never have too many rods and as you spend time on the water and reading this forum, you'll find a use for it. Even if the rods are identical in length and weight/power, the action (or where the rods bend) can drastically effect what techniques they fish best.

x2 I've had some great days in what would be considered awful conditions (fish shouldn't be biting well). Hell, one of the better fish I caught this year was during the busiest weekend of the whole summer at a lake we fish a lot. Pleasure boats and jet skis everywhere, the lake looked like there were 30mph winds with all the boat waves. I also had my best couple days last year during bluebird sky's, hot as hell, middle of the summer, middle of the day. Fishing has too many variables for me to rely on an app to know when they should be biting.

Well, if you stand any chance at all when it's been busy during the day - Night Ops would be it. But on this particular weekend, I bow out to the Recreational Humans. This is their last chance to burn some gas so I let them have at it. No sense putting myself in the middle of all that crazy - the bite is rarely any good anyway. When they ALL GO HOME later this week - I'll still be here. Usually on Tuesday or Wednesday after the lake & the bait has a chance to return to it's "usual daily routine", only then will I venture back looking to sore lip as many as Humanly Possible. The bite only gets better from here on out - as long as the weather is safe - I'm on the water. Last Fall I had a few most memorable days. A-Jay

The difference is $10

forget that stuff

I haven't used a spinning Rod and reel since 1984. I hate them.. Yuck ! Good move...

My little brother drove to Morgantown this weekend to visit (fish) and our goal was to get his first musky. I took him to my spot yesterday evening and this morning, a couple follows but no dice. Today we were fishing a pile of laydowns and he sets the hook on what we thought was a catfish.....the fish jumped and chaos ensued! 12lb mono and a sk bitsy flip with a zoom ultra vibe speed craw!

Besides being overfilled, 12lb line is kinda heavy for a spinning reel. It will limit your casting distance a little bit.

Get to fishin'! Use them both and have fun!

Agreed ~ the same could be said about the Viking this season as well. And as a long time Patriots (and Red Sox), fan there were DECADES of Seasons were I could totally resemble that second sentiment. (recent history not with standing). A-Jay Jerry belongs alright ~ Drop the "B". A-Jay

I use lots of different baits. I'm in Tennessee but fish a couple rivers that sound very similar to yours. On top I like poppers, small walkers like Sammy 85's, small 1/8 oz buzzbaits (usually black). I like hard jerkbaits a lot too. All kinds of brands but usually in the 3"-4 1/2" range in shallow rivers depending on the size of the forage fish I see. This time of year I catch more on floaters like original rapalas, rogues, bomber long a, and lucky crafts. Other hard baits I really like are square bills and medium depth cranks. I use all kinds from shad raps to wiggle warts. Shad raps, rapala dts, wiggle warts, bagleys, bomber a, Normans are what I use most I usually use ones that are designed to run deeper than the bottom where I am fishing and use craw colors and grind them in the bottom. I use inlines like rooster tails and small underspins like the fish head spin with super fluke jr trailer in bait fish colors, and some spinnerbaits, but I only seem to do well with spinnerbaits after a rain when there is color in the water. Then I like the war eagle finesse spinnerbaits in 3/16 and 5/16 in spot remover and pond scum perch. Soft jerkbaits, senkos, and trick worms weightless. I like the zoom super fluke jr, 4" senko or dinger, and white or chartreuse trick worms weightless. I catch a lot on soft swimbaits. My favorite river bait is are the 3 inch keitech easy shiners and fat impacts, but I've used others with success. On the bottom I like finesse jigs, usually 1/16-3/16, but sometimes I use 1/4-3/8 if it has rained or there is a lot of current. I want the bait to barely stay in place and maybe drift a little down stream like a natural crawfish if lifted off the bottom. Most of the time I drag or shake it though. Favorite colors are mixtures of greens and browns with some orange highlights like my local craws. I fish tube jigs from small bitsy tube up to 3 1/2" tubes the same way. I use these and grubs on jig heads and drag on bottom, but sometimes they like them swimmer and only scraping bottom every few feet. I use the same colors with tube jigs and grubs as with regular skirted jigs. Natural craw colors. I Texas rig small craws, finesse worms, and small creatures also. Usually 1/8-3/16 weight and small ewg hook. Work them like the jigs and other plastics. Colors are simple. In clear water anywhere I like to match the hatch as a fly fisherman would say. All my local craws are brown or green with orange highlights, so anything that color is what I use for craw imitating baits. I use black blue if the water is muddy though. In baits that imitate baitfish, shad, chubs, Creek minnows, panfish, and trout are what the bass in my local rivers feed on. Look around while fishing your local rivers at baitfish and turn over a few rocks to find craws. See what the main colors are and imitate that. Smallmouth and spots also like some chartreuse at times, so I always try something like sexy shad on my reaction baits, and I also dip a lot of my jig trailers and soft plastics in chartreuse and orange dye because smallies and spots seem to like it. Other tips I can give is to walk or wade very quietly almost like hunting while fishing if the water is clear and keep movement to a minimum before you at least make a few casts in a new area. Also smallmouth and spots seem to like current better than largemouth, but all three species seem to use rocks and downed wood as ambush spots and current breaks quite a bit. I always catch more while retrieving my bait downstream with the current than upstream. As far as equipment I usually use shorter spinning rods for everything because of overhanging trees but also because they are versatile and can fish a wide range of baits. I sometimes take a lighter baitcast outfit though because I prefer it with cranks and spinnerbaits. Line is usually 8-10lb mono or copolymer because of water clarity. Sorry I wrote such a long post but one bait would never work for me and I've been fishing rivers for bass over 20 years. I actually fish rivers and ponds more than local larger lakes. I don't think I'm an expert by any means and I'm constantly learning new stuff like the ned rig most recently off sites like this. I just wanted to help out some of my fellow bassresource members that may not fish rivers as much.

Wait until a bat ticks your braid....lol.

I guess 10 years of apologies are in line for me then, because poor taste is my middle name

Don't go fishing on a holiday weekend. There are damned people EVERYWHERE. Went to check out some new lakes on some less traveled gravel roads in the AEP lands today and found 6 or 7 that were very nice - but no shore access. They had boat ramps, but the shore all around was choked with chest-high and higher brush. Nowhere to cast. So we checked out our usual places - nothing but campers. Son of a *****.

I am still very new to fishing, only my 2nd season, and I want to know if kayak/canoe fishing requires a different rod length do to how low you are in the water? I have been doing a lot of research and find everyone using long rods but I think that is mostly due to fishing while standing up on a bass boat, so I figure a canoe or kayak changes things a bit, what is your opinion? Edit: I think I should add that my problem is just when the line gets wrapped around the rod tip and my 7' rod is hard to reach setting so low in the kayak with no place to set the but down like you can standing up.

It was about 5/5:30 am at twilite. The sky was just starting to light up, still dusk. The time of morning makes me think of Louie Armstrong's what a wonderful world. I was at a man made dam on a larger lake. There is a road at the first man made drop off. Before the large dam. The shoreline drops off. The weeds were submerged. I made a long cast parallel two feet from shore. I reeled in the bait slowly the ripped it out of the deadline into the channel then the big gal hit it. As I brought her to the shoreline in the channel I was in shock I never seen a bass this large. What a big bass. My scale read 10 lbs. Rod Shakespeare 6' med. Reel Wal-Mart quantum Line 8lb Excalibur Silver Thread Copolymer. Lure, rebel BIGCLAW CRAWFISH dives 10' in green/chartruece. I was happy catching drinks to 6lbers. I was happy with smaller bass. I feel this big bass has cursed me. Now I know the new state record is within reach. But I don't want to report where I caught it and see the place hammered. Ill just report it here but won't I'd the place

true, but tohatsu also sells under their own name and i believe they make the small yammy's too. just seems weird to me that mercury would have such a presence in japan.

I use to try and find ways to avoid using spinning equipment, as I had it in my mind that I just didn't enjoy it. Once I used a very balanced, sensitive spinning rod and reel I have enjoyed them to no end. I would say they play a bigger part in my fishing now than the casting reels.

I only use my baitcasters a couple times a year anymore, just in the spring for the jerkbait bite. The rest of the year I'm fishing deep and vertical, two things that spinning gear does much better than casting.

Somewhere the Bait Monkey smiles......

aint one thing wrong with that combo she got you!

I still use spinning quite a bit. Jerkbaits and walking baits up to 3/8oz, anytime I'm skipping under docks or trees, or with any other bait under 1/4 oz I still prefer spinning. I can do it all with a baitcaster, but spinning is so much easier to manage with light line unless you have at least 400-500 to spend on a bfs combo. I am more accurate with baitcasters, and the extra power on the retrieve is a big reason to take up baitcasting. If you like that reel any of the older curados, chronarchs, or citicas have the same braking system. I'd look at some of the d series reels used if you want a great deal on a similar reel. The e series is great too, but the prices have went way up lately. Daiwas are very nice also. I use reels from both and would recommend the tatula and tatula ct as great reels on a budget. Lews mbs can be found at a great price on fleabay, and the quantum energy is another pretty nice dual braking reel like the Lews that can be found around 100 on sheltons clothing. The pfleuger supreme xt and patriarch reels are both really nice for the price. Lots of nice baitcasters available but you may like the one you have and get more. I know you didn't ask, just thought I'd throw some good budget options out there on reels with quality braking systems that will help you learn more easily, and that are made well and will last a while with regular maintenance

I don't use much braid. I think Sufix Performance is a very good low cost option. I liked it better than the PowerPro Original that replaced it. I like Samurai for what little time I have used it. Probably should put some braid on another reel of two. Smackdown is sounding like a good braid to try. I've got some 30# 832 Ghost that came on an Alphas F. So far it has handled very well. Color doesn't fade either.

Welcome! I was 100% spinning until I got back into fishing locally in '09. (Had fished on visits to Florida for the previous 3 years.) Decided to try baitcast reels. Never looked back. It has been about 7-1/2 years of increasing my arsenal. It is easy to get carried away. I hesitate to mention how many reels I now have. Let's just say that some of the money from my second job was put to good use. And that the Bait Monkey loves me. EDIT: You have a very nice girlfriend. Wish I was young enough to have such a good one.

Just dropped $30 on the Berkley Endo summer sale. Pitboss, papa pit boss, beat shad, and grass pig jr packs. 16 packs of plastics for less than $2 each. Free shipping, which I didn't see mentioned until checkout(AWESOME). Heck yes please. Thanks for keeping this thread going everyone. Hoping for a sticky soon as this thread is probably creating a lot of extra purchases within the industry.

Hope they have some sort of employee discount system.

Not from the shore, but just the other day I was throwing a wacky worm and somehow had the hook get caught in the split ring of a kvd square bill that was in great shape. Couple years ago I found a fully rigged a-rig in a tree, which is not legal here in Iowa!!!

I've had absolutely ZERO luck with my perch 90.