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If I'm ever tired of fishing, a week at work normally changes that

It was pretty brisk when I launched and right as the sun came up the wind picked up and stayed at about 20mph. It's fall turnover and I knew I would need to fish slow and small. I threw a Keitech Custom Leech all morning. I went through about thirty of them and caught about 70 perch. Then paydirt, 4.3lbs. They fight so awesome in colder water. I weighed her, snapped a pic and got the hell out of there!

Cheaper? You betcha. Dont know what you expect you'd learn from the two of us. Wine drinking, advanced sarcasm, professional level BS'ing, and how to not catch fish and still have a good time. If you're up for that, then we are your men. Anytime bud. On a serious note, I've fished with Mike more than any other BR member. A lot more. We live about 600 miles apart, and still seem to get together 3 or 4 times every year. Except for the last year, while Mike has been taking care of his wife. I am delighted to be able to say Marlene has made what has to be called a miraculous recovery, and brother Mike is once more able to get out and go fishing.

Hi all, Finally got out today after a few weeks of non fishing. With our drought this summer the water level was down about 3 ft. We almost couldn't launch. But once we got out into the main lake we had a fun day. Fishing in 3-5 ft. of water we saw some nice bass. I tried swim baits, spinner baits, frogs etc. and could not get a bite. I finally hooked one on the infamous T-rigged Senko. I knew it was a nice fish by the amount of line it took, but when I got it in the boat I realized just how big it was. Per my scale it was 7.1 and just about 24". By far the biggest I've gotten in the boat, and a real decent fish for Maine waters. Here's some pics thanks for looking Jim

I'd fish with any one on here who would buy me lunch. Not a task for the meek........

As a follow up to the "It's Not Fall Yet" write up, B.A.S.S. Elite Tournament Pro Greg Hackney penned this little nugget. Dated 11 Sept 2016 "Last week I called these the blah days. At best the fishing is so-so in most of the country. But it won’t be long and things will improve. The temperature is supposed to break next week, and the days are getting a minute or two shorter with every sunset. I’d guess that by the end of this month, or the first week in October, the fall transition will be underway. It doesn’t happen all at once, though. It’s a back and forth process that’ll last well into November. Typically they’ll move at least a half-dozen times before winter. When a cold front hits they’ll move way back into shallow water, sometimes no more than a foot deep. When it warms for a few days everything will move out a little ways, maybe into the 5 or 6 foot range. As time goes along and everything gets colder the shallow periods will get longer and the deeper periods will get shorter. The baitfish that the bass are eating get bigger, too. I don’t really understand the biology of it all but for some reason the smaller shad and other baitfish move first, well in front of the bigger ones. Regardless of whether or not I understand why it’s happening I do understand how it affects my fishing. The most profound effect is on my lure selection. They get bigger as the shad get bigger and the end of the year gets closer. One of my favorite fall baits is a walking stick. My preference is a Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg. Early in the season I like the Jr. size. It’s 3.75 inches long and weighs a half ounce. That’s pretty close to what they’re eating most of the time. Later, when the bigger baitfish move in, I fish the full size model. That progression is about the same for all of my lures. I’m a big fan of the Red Eye Shad in the fall as well. I start out with the 1/4-ounce size but then later I move up to the 1/2-ounce size. And that’s exactly what I do with my buzzbaits and my traditional crankbaits. Once it gets really cold I put away all my smaller stuff and go with all big baits. Besides that I don’t make any adjustments except for maybe slowing down my presentation. Even then, though, don’t get carried away with slow. They’re still fish, and the water isn’t covered over with ice. What they’re eating is still moving. And keep in mind that how this all plays out depends to a great extent on where you live and where you fish. Up near Canada it’ll happen faster and the cold fronts will be more pronounced. Closer to where I live the transition will go on a lot longer and the early cold fronts won’t amount to much. No matter, the deal at this time of the year is that the fish are feeding. Catching them is not about surprising them with an easy meal, and it’s not about enticing them into doing something they really don’t want to do. It’s about playing to their natural behavior. Do that and you’ll be successful." As the days get shorter and the over night air temps continue to slide, my anticipation for success grows as does my hours on the water. A-Jay

Please if you ever have a problem with Strike King product please send it back to us and we will be happy to replace it. We try to stand behind our product. Not all products are assembled off shore. All soft plastics are made in the US. All hard baits are US components assembled off shore.

You might just need a rest. Maybe it's time to just fish for fun. You can always go back to tournament fishing if the desire arises.

Never having fished tournaments, I have never experienced burnout as a result of that. Having said that, I have experienced burnout from fishing before. I lived in Florida for a while and moved back to Nebraska a few years ago. I learned how to target bass while living in Florida and was blessed to live on the coast where I could fish both salt and fresh water. I became very spoiled fishing-wise when I lived there, being able to catch huge bass fairly consistently and being able to fish for tarpon and snook. After moving back to Nebraska, and again fishing our local waters, I became very disappointed with fishing here. I didn't catch bigger bass at all for a while and obviously there are no saltwater opportunities. I became so discouraged I hung up my rods for a couple seasons. After that break, I came to the realization that bass fishing is bass fishing. They may not get as big here nor am I able to catch as many, but they are still here. And I like to catch them. I've been pretty gung-ho about it ever since that break. I do start to get a little burned out toward the end of the season, but I have found that if I take a day off during the week throughout the season to completely disconnect from anything fishing related, that helps. As does taking the occasional weekend off and not fish.

Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't even consider putting a deck on a 1236, let alone one that is twice as wide as the hull.

There are A LOT of guys I would like to fish with here. In time, I hope to fish with as many as I can. I would love to go jig fishing with some of the guys on this board and aim for a great top 5 bass pic...or if we bomb, just a fun time. Would be fun to keep an album of those good times. Might not be a bad idea to have this thread, or a future thread dedicated with pictures of members fishing together! Shimmy

Over the last 4 or 5 months I have been working two jobs. With about up to 50 hours a week in 6 days. Not bad I know. I was just getting a bit burned out, and getting angry at stuff that I should not have been. After a few talks with some people. I had to chose to walk away form my bouncing job. I was one of the hardest things I have ever done job related. Usually I can't wait to get out of a place, but this place was different. It was like a family, and I learned that quick. After my notice got around to the bartenders, cooks, and wait staff. about 3/4 of the staff tired to twist my arm in staying. After a few days of hearing that. I really had to ask why they want me to stay. These are some of their words they used to get me to stay." you looked after us." " You never went Roadhouse on any drunk." " You were always positive." Hearing that really made it hard to quite. I think the person that took it the worst was my manger. I told him this is just a sabbatical. I will be back. I just need to enjoy my life right now. This past weekend was my final shift with that manger. As we were saying your good byes, and hugged it out. (First time I ever hugged a boss.) I could tell he was about ready to cry. I even say some tears in his eyes as we pulled apart. When I saw that I had to ask why are you so sad. He then said he will miss me. Never had a boss say that. I do know deep down I will be back. More then likely once the holidays and what not are over. Once I get bored and what not. From the way it sounds. I will be welcomed back with out a problem. Now its time to go back in to hiding for a few more months.

Couple rods that left the shop last month. 3S68MXF-F acrylic butt grip and winding check Blue burl cork grip. Sage One 10' 5wt Spalted maple fighting butt and reel seat insert (finished with Tru-oil and polished to 12k micromesh) Lemke solid titanium seat hardware.

Put 'em on a hook under a bobber!

No tourneys for me, either, but over the last couple years I've fished very little during the summer. Just haven't had the passion. The heat and humidity are a pain, doesn't matter the body of water. Gaining weight makes it all the worse. So that's got to be a priority for me and it isn't. Taking time off also helps me focus on my sons' and their interests--they only focus on fishing during certain times of year. They move on to other sports, and things they and their friends are in to at the moment. It also helps with spending money on things I don't really need. Keeps money in our bank account. Fall brings insane travel for elite level soccer for two of the boys - almost every single weekend is travel. And now one of my boys has taken up mountain biking - racing with a local club. So there's travel for that, too. I'm learning -- at 47 -- to just enjoy the curves life throws at me and not worry about missing out on bass fishing five days a week. Life is much bigger than that.

I finally have a fish worth sharing. Unfortunately I didn't check the scale battery (of course it was dead) so I don't know the weight. Caught on Lake Kissimmee using black and blue senko. It was really hot and she didn't put up much of a fight.

Slow your presentation down. I caught this one on a pegged senko flipping reeds slow and deliberate. They are there. If your hot then they are too. It will pick up once it cools down.

Of course there´s room for L and UL power rods in bass fishing, the catch is to detrmine where and when: Most definately NOT here ! : Here, you can bet YES ! :

It just seems that for me I start getting burned out on fishing just about the time the snow starts falling. Then there is the 4 + months without fishing that gets me wanting to go out fishing again. By January I'm twitching and fiddling with my reels and lures. February means outdoor shows and buying tackle I need/want. In March the weather start getting warmer and I get antsy.

Yeah, for about 20 years it wasn't a priority. Shooting guns took its place. I made guns into a business, and got back into bass fishing when I started needing breaks from business. Coming back in, I discovered the equipment evolved to the point that I can do in practicality what I wanted to do in theory before. I've played with the idea of tournaments, but I'll never make the mistake of turning fishing into a business beyond selling a supertuned reel now and again. Josh

I once purchased a 12' boat from the Pa FGC at their sell off auction with no title[they lost it]I was told by them that I needed proof of purchase with hull number,size ,ect to register and have a title. So I went to the local notory and had my wife sell it to me for $200. It went right through the system and 20 yrs later I`m still using it. PS,I never did pay her,but she insisted on personal favors to work off the debt. C22

Never will bass be found that are not related to structure in some manner; this is why it is said that 10% of the water holds 90% of the fish. The basic " break line" is the depth, a "break" on that basic break line would brush, laydowns, ect. The key to fishing the transition from summer to fall or winter to spring is to understand how the bass move from one area to the other. Some try following the bass, I prefer following the bait.

Glenn............ of course!!!

On Friday my father and I went to Clinton Lake in Illinois, it was our first time there and we did some scouting. I launched on the hot side ( nuke power plant cooling lake) by the no wake zone. We got there around 9am and with the water temp being in the low 90s we traveled up river to colder water coolest we found was 85deg and with mid day coming fast we fished the shallows and shadows throwing crank baits/ warms/ plastics. I put on a Rapala Shadow rap #7 with a 7ft Abu Garcia Veritas rod and Revo STX reel with 30lb braid and a 6ft 10 floor leader with in 3 min of casting in 2-6ft of water in shadows I got this sucker 19.25"

I remember, I was in high school, 1st period of the day. I was in American History class ironically enough. Our teacher got a phone call and I remember the color draining from his face. He turned the TV onto the news and we sat and stared in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity. I've never felt that mad and confused at the same time in my life. I was ready to sign up that day, but was still a few years away from being old enough to. 15 years later the confusion is gone, but the anger is still very real.

Purchased my last 2 reels from eBay. Just like shopping for the correct reel you have to be aware of the details when shopping a auction site. Stick with great reputation sellers use a payment method that gives you some sense of security and shop its really that simple.

At one lake I fished there was one beaver who would follow me around all night and slap its tail every few minutes. Scared the crap out of me the first few times it happened. I tried fishing the opposite side of the lake a few hundred yards from its home, but I guess it considered the entire lake its territory. I got used to it after a while.

don't you think that feeling the vibrations with braid would be beneficial? I know i do. I like braid and hybrid lines myself. I personally haven't caught any less fish because of the alleged visibility of braid. I know many think it matters and use a flouro leader. As far as lb test goes i usually go by diameter...spinning gets anywhere from 4-6lb diameter and bait casters i use anywhere from 8-12lb diameter braid. Color, i usually go with greens or browns and have used hi vis yellow which really helps for line watching techniques.

Are we allowed to push them in the water & motor away as they tread water? If so, then the list would be much different than if I had to play nice. The "Play Nice" list: Gulf Captain - Lives fairly close, seems like a nice guy and is one of 6 people in all of Southern California that likes bass fishing. Scaleface - Close in age and has a similar history with bass fishing as I do. Slonezp - He was dead on about what a jerk a certian pro is, something I didn't believe until I met the pro. Bluebasser & TeamNine9 - Their posts convinced me to try the Ned rig, so I owe them.

@Sam I'm pretty new to bass fishing and he's always been there to answer any question I might have. I can say I'm a better angler thanks to him. @A-Jay probably one of the most knowledgeable guys on here. Would love just to sit and learn.

Got out on Lake Johanna today thanks to another bass angler and we hammered them. I caught 2 2lb, 1 3lb, and 4 lb. The guy who took me out caught 2-3 in the 2 lb range, 2 3lber's, a couple 4s, and one 5 at the very end. Probably the best day of fishing I've had in a while. I'll try and get some pics of my bass up.

I'm always sharpening hooks while fishing, even brand new ones, even if they're 'specially shaped' hooks like Trokar. I don't buy into the "you'll ruin the hook if you try to sharpen it" thought process. Once it gets dull, it's already "ruined", so you've got nothing to lose. The goal isn't to give it back it's original shape. The goal is to make it sharp! Regardless of the original shape of the hook point, I can always sharpen them back to a razor-sharp point - often sharper than it was originally. Usually I get them sharp enough to poke through my fingernail (if I push too hard). Here's how I do it:

Went on a random trip this weekend up north and caught my PB LM 4.7lbs pure michigan

I remember being a member of a Joint Task Force, Army, Marines and Air Force, looking in the eyes of the guys around me and seeing their pride and determination. The pride I felt being surrounded by amazing Men and understanding that each of us was counting on one another to do our jobs, no one better than another, just a team of men dedicated to performing our task as perfectly as possible with each other in mind. One of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

A-Jay

I've been lucky enough to fish with several Bass Resource members in the last few years. Roadwarrior Glenn Long Mike Big O CJ Lee H riskkid FishinRhino Maltese Falcon Mac Mike Siebert and wife Julie BassinChris PapaJoe If I've forgotten anybody, I can only blame it on old age and impending decrepitude, and offer my most sincere apologies. Going forward, if anybody invites me along to fish with them, I will most gratefully accept. If there's one thing I've learned from the many days I've had on the water with this diverse group, it's that good folks are found everywhere. I've made some life-long friends here at Bass Resource; even though they've all out-fished me. Here's a quick, off the top of my head list, of BR members I'd like to fish with, in no particular order. I've fished for a long time, but there's always something to be learned, and you CAN teach this old dog new tricks. J Francho; I haven't fished his area of the country, and would like to do so. Besides, if a drummer and a bass player can't get along; who can? Catt; doesn't play well with others? I'm calling BS on that, dude!! Dwight H; never fished Erie, and Dwight seems to be the absolute best guy around to break me in on that awesome fishery. WRB, who wouldn't want to fish with a guy who's caught so many trophies? I'd like to see, up close and personal, how a dedicated trophy hunter goes about his craft. slonezp; brutally honest, opinionated, rubs people the wrong way? Bring it on amigo. I'll match ya, blow for blow. LOL A Jay; just because. I could list a lot more, but I'll stop there. You all will get tired of my ramblings. Keep in mind that the trip isn't over when the fishing is done. we still have to go back to the cabin, uncork a bottle or three of good wine, and have a nice meal. You'll probably out-fish me, but, chances are, you won't out-cook me.

At age 60 I was told I needed a knee operation - My shoulder was hurting so bad I had injections for the pain. I wore a wrist brace. I fished and/or guided 200-250 days a year and was about to give up. I was lucky to read about Egoscue exercises in a Ned Kehde article - bought a used copy of Pete Egoscue's book Pain Free for $3 and now (15 yrs. later) I fish relatively pain free in wrist, elbow, shoulder and knees. But I do have to do the exercises.

everythingthatswims, because we live less than an hour apart, and hes a boss!

I am of course Flattered & Humbled by each vote of confidence & every kind word. Hadn't set out to be rich, popular, highly educated or perfect. Priorities are to be real, humble & strong and to be able to share and touch the lives of others. I'm happy and content with that. A-Jay

If we're being honest here, I'd rather fish alone. No disrespect to anyone on the forums. I tend to be unfiltered and brutally honest and I rub a lot of people the wrong way. Don't like many people either. Before going fishing, I'd much rather sit down for a drink with a few guys. The short list would be A Jay, Dwight, Retiredbosn, Catt, and Fishing Rhino. I feed on knowledge and experience and believe I could be entertained and educated by these folks. Not necessarily about fishing either. It doesn't always have to be about fishing.

In no particular order: Catt, to learn and tell stories. AJ: Simply because we like to fish at night and his positive attitude In general. Dwight Hottle: I would dearly love to throw jerkbaits all day with the man. This bait Is a weakness and To me there would be no better teacher. Mike Seibert : Fine tune my jig skills and talk fishing all day with a genuinely great person. Scaleface: He likes older and sometimes vintage baits. I truly like the simplicity he employs In his fishing. There are many more as this Is a great community!

Lake X is still hopping. Had to add a trailer hook to my buzzbait this trip. It was a weird deal, all but about 2 fish I caught were hooked outside the mouth in the cheek. I'm thinking they must have been going after the blade instead of the body of the bait. Resulted in lots and lots of missed fish. Even when I switched to a plopper 130, 3 bites, 3 misses. Caught 2 more on the Aventa, but I missed 4 other bites. Both of my first 2 keepers were follow up fish that ate a Senko after they missed my buzzbait. My last keeper was also my biggest of they year so far. She smoked my buzzbait and never should have made it to the boat. All she had to do was stay down, but she spent all her time near the surface and I was able to work her past the maze of stumps and laydowns. 5 pounds 14 ounces, I tried twice to get her to go 6, but rang up the exact same both times. One of the few times I was really glad I had a trailer hook on. Friday I had my mind made up to go back, but I got scared by the 2" of rain we'd gotten overnight, so I headed to Linn Valley instead. Right off the bat I stuck a 17" fish that went 2lb 11oz in some water willow, but I couldn't get that pattern going at all. I fished a Ned a lot and caught the appropriate sized fish to barely get a Ned in their mouths. Got onto some whites and schooling bass (largemouth and smallmouth), for awhile but they wouldn't connect on a topwater for some reason. Hooked a big bass under a dock on the Ned, pretty much at a standstill for several seconds before she slowly moved to the top. Water there is super clear, she was big, but it's impossible to tell from a distance and several feet under water. Hook just popped out, one of those ones you can't do anything about. I saw a drum fight? 2 of them spinning around and biting (gumming?) each other. Sight fished a 12.5 pound carp with my 5' ultralight and 4lb test, that was cool. Saw some GIANT gills and got a mongo redear on a hula stick, one of the longest I've ever caught, but it wasn't overly tall.

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.

Yeajray231, Perhaps a support group for Rapala addicts is in order. " Hi I'm Joe Shmoe and I'm addicted to Rapala's "

Keep in mind that the warmer water states bass and other fish spawn earlier in the year giving them longer growing cycles. Fish that spawn in March are 6 months old by September, YOY. Baby bass in So Cal lakes are about 4" long by June and baby crappie and blue about 2" by June on average by September the YOY bass are over 6" and bluegill or crappie 3"+, the grow fast. Castaic this year has been raising all summer about and up about 50' vertical feet so far. The cool water has affected the Shad growth this year and most are under 3" long. If you use larger soft plastics it's a long day, 3" to 5" soft plastic work good. Casitas is just the opposite the water is stable and warm the baitfish are bigger and you can catch bass on a wide variety of lures and sizes, the fall bite is on there. Castaic the fall bite may start by end of October, the 2 lakes are about 50 miles apart and usually about 1 month different in both spawning cycles and seasonal cycles. Tom

Greetings and Welcome to the forums

Welcome. Lots to read about Carp. Check the "other species section"

I like to fish with humble folks who know their business. The kind of people who share information freely because it helps others. With that said, I have a list of guys I think have demonstrated this character at least in my mind. Ghoti Paul Roberts Clayton Jrob78 Dwight H. JeffH A-Jay Team9nine Deaknh Tim - the Georgia boy I am sure I have missed several others that I have had the opportunity to speak with here and other places that would be nice to spend a day on the water with.

Glenn Ajay Catt Rolo Roadwarrior Tom Siebert Those would be the gentlemen I would choose to fish in an eyeblink. They all seem to need some help from me.

Does it have a livewell that you trust to keep fish alive all day?