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I just use baby wipes.

I make baits.

I'll guess take cover from a hurricane.

There's quite a bit that goes into this before & afterwards, and it involves a commitment that exists everyday all year. However for everyone involved - the ride itself is Seriously FUN ~ ! A-Jay

I have been a "member" on here for a few years but I never post anything. I feel bad as I browse throughout the forum, picking up tips and information on all sorts of everything and never have anything to contribute. Literally, every time I do a Google search about something bass related, this site is usually at the top of the results and with multiple articles. This year is the first year that I have actually committed to bass fishing. Ever since I discovered a top water frog and a honey hole to winch out lunkers. I've been updating my arsenal of fishing gear mainly based on what I've learned from here, combined with my quirky preferences which may work against me in some cases. I have 3 Shimano Curado's (201I hg, 71hg, 71xg) and a PENN Conflict 2500. I'm gung-ho for St. Croix rods - have my spinning outfit on a Triumph 6'6" med fast. Casting outfits on Triumph 6'6" med/heavy fast, Premier 7'0" heavy fast and still need a third. Looking forward to jumping into the world of jigs this coming spring and I'd like to use my 7'0" heavy fast paired with the 71xg for frogging and as a heavy cover jig rod. Was thinking of a 6'6" - 7'0" med fast to cover most other jigging. At any rate, I don't want to ramble, just wanted to say thanks! -Tom

Got out for 2-2.5 hrs this afternoon, paddled around trolling chartreuse grub and Bobby garland baby Shad in electric chicken color. Also had to release some crappie that were barely under 10"

@Yeajray231 I found your off-season kit while browsing TW.

Your first post is to ask for a rig named after butt hair lint balls? Welcome, you'll fit right in!

A-Jay It's unique alright. It's a good way to freeze your Dangle Berry rig right off too. A-Jay

I just got home from fishing a 2015 Aldebaran - it doesn't feel cheap to me - it feels light (4.7 ounces). The reel is tight, smooth, a great caster, all the qualities you would want in a reel, and it's light as well - what's not to like. OTOH, I also fish reels that weigh nearly 10 ounces - that I enjoy just as well. They're all different tools in the tool box. I think the concept of light weight = longer fishing endurance is overblown - especially when you're only talking an ounce or two. For me, the advantage of a light weight reel manifests itself when used with a light rod for bottom contact. Could just be me, but I sense that I'm getting more feedback to my hand with a lighter combo than a heavier one (all else being equal). My Aldebaran is on an NRX 852C - total combo weight is under 9 ounces with line - sorta feels like you're holding a toothpick, thus making any taps on the line just that much more noticeable. At the end of the day, fish what you like - gear that gives you not only the needed performance for the intended use, but also the aesthetic and sensory pleasure as well...

When I first got my current boat (2002), it occurred to me that I fished alone a lot and I could fall out of the boat. So I practiced one day in a shallow cove, jumping out of the boat and getting back into it. I recommend this as a mid-summer activity. Fast forward 6 years later and I was fishing in March in 42 degree water and it was windy and just for a moment I turned and was off balance and at that instance the wind blew harder and sent my boat sideways into a stump and over the side I went. It was pretty clear water and looking up and seeing the bottom of your boat over your head is a strange experience. At that point adrenaline kicked in, legs started working and in a moment I was hanging on the side of the boat. A couple of minutes later I was back in the boat, the practice getting back into the boat paid off. Half an hour later, I was back at the ramp, changed into clean warm dry clothes and I could think about how close a call I'd just had. Point of this story is about how important preparation is. I'd considered that I might fall out of the boat and had a plan on how to get back into it. (I used the tilt/trim to lift me up and then I rolled onto the back deck). Just as important I had spare weather appropriate clothes to change into back in the truck. Driving my boat back to the ramp (which took 20 minutes or so) was a little chilly, to say the least. I keep a couple of space blankets in the boat bins now, at the time, that would have stopped the wind quite a bit. I was shivering quite a bit before I got the cold wet clothes off of me and the clean dry clothes on. 10 minutes after the dry clothes were on, I was warm and fine.

@A-Jay I'm getting a setup very similar to that one tomorrow for my birthday - oh wait I'm not supposed to know that! Anyways its a Rapala fish gripper & scale combo and there's a ring on the gripper that you can attach to the scale or you can use them separately.

I fish still but not quite as much.I usually get out hunting some .I do home projects mostly outside stuff that I put off until cooler weather.I also clean and reorganize my fishing room,and tackle boxes,and oil reels.I get a break from mowing the yard etc,until March.So My goal is to finish all my projects before spring before the lawn maintenance kicks in. But winter fishing is still good here.Caught my pb on Dec 31 !!

Welcome! We were all new to the site and the sport at one point, no reason to feel bad about it. Don't be shy about asking questions. I wish I'd had something like this site at my disposal when I was first learning, it's a terrific resource to have so much experience at your fingertips.

I fished Rayburn from 10-5. Caught 31.

This video, which A-Jay posted when the topic of "blade baits" came up last year or the year before, is one of the best: I've only been fishing vibrating blades for a couple of seasons and would tell you that the most important thing to keep in mind is not to overwork them. Present like so: Let the bait hit bottom then with a steady, short pull, say 18" - 24", lift it off the bottom. All you want to do is feel the bait vibrate. Remember that both bass and prey, being cold blooded, are moving slowly in 40º -50º water. Reel slowly as you follow the bait back down with your rod. Let it rest on the bottom for a second or two. Repeat. Expect the bass to eat this bait while it's motionless on the bottom. This lure type is one of the worst for hanging up which is why I've been experimenting with hook arrangements. tholmes on this forum likes double hooks. I was still plenty capable of hanging with them so I went with a single rear treble last year and had better results re hang ups. I visualize a bass attracted by the vibration of this bait to kinda mosey over to it and then inhale it. The single rear treble worked satisfactorily. That said, during April 2017 I'll be trying an arrangement that Crestliner2008, also on this forum, swears by: a single 1/0 siwash hook. In my neck of the woods, bassmasters say nothing beats a blade for chilled out smallies.

The next PA state record is going to be caught on the dangle berry rig.

I don't pour plastics. I keep busy enough with what www.tackleunderground.com refers to as "wire baits." Do check out this site. There is quite a bit about jig tying on YouTube. Start by Googling "smalljaw." Then click on "videos." Catalogs you should have: www.barlowstackle.com www.lurepartsonline.com www.jannsnetcraft.com www.lurecraft.com You may find helpful basic information in this article: If you're molding, the first thing you should be thinking about is safety. And, lastly, I can't say enough about the value of patience and practice. Put all of the above together and you'll have a rewarding hobby.

@TxHawgs I have the 8' H Zillion SB rod, it's awesome. @j bab Sweet man, haven't had a chance to fish that rod yet. Gonna get a reel for it but haven't quite decided on one yet. I have a 200 series Conquest but I want to go low pro. Bought that rod cuz I got it new for a hundred bucks but gonna pick up a Loomis IMX SBR. And I just received an email from this guy in the pic and have 5 of these headed my way in February, Merry Christmas to me lol!

Can't get over the name and don't see any need for any more hooks in my tackle box so I'm out.

Its in the contract, the wife gets 5 days a year!

Didn't you know that every missed fish is either 5, 8, or 10 pounds?

Agreed ~ I'm positioned squarely in the Skeptic column on this one. A-Jay

Caught a nice chunk today. Also a PB.

Great looking jigs @A-Jay! Here are mine, designed with aid from WRB. The heads are Yamamoto football heads from TW, hair was tied by a local guy (I'm not there yet), I just painted the heads with model paint.

What do you do the other 5 days .

I think I figured out how to see the deals.... If I'm right, here they are: Day 4: 30-67% off select TW gear and appareal Day 5: 25-36% off Shimano Closeout reels Day 6:33-60% off Trokar Hooks Day 7: 33-60% off Closeout Lucky Crafts Day 8:33-60% off Big Bite Baits Day 9:27-40% off Shimano and Gloomis Closeout rods Day 10:25-95% off Select Fishing line Day 11:33-66% off Select Jackall Closeouts Day 12:30-55% off Daiwa Closeouts Day 13:40% off Gambler Creature and Craws Day 14:50-69% off Select Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Products Day 15:28-82% off Select Biwaa, Damiki, Westy and wave worm Day 16: 30-35% off Select Daiwa and Dobyns Closeout Day 17:30-60% off Select Culprit, D&M, Mann's and Z-man Day 18:27-34% off Select Cabin Creek, Netbait and Kicker Day 19:38-77% off Select Apparel and Sunglasses Day 20:33-57% off Select Bomber, Booyah, and Yum Baits Day 21: 27-34% off Select Okuma and Quantum Closeouts Day 22:22-44% off Select Electronics Day 23:22-44% off Select Baker, Live Target, and Rattletrap Day 24: 30-67% off Select tools, terminals, and speedbags Day 25: Sale items marked down a additional 25%

My last interesting piece was half a Barber quarter . Click on the photo and it will take you to my photobucket page and you can see a lot of the better stuff I found .

might i submit this?

edit: Update - scroll down to see my progress Saw this video recently showing a way to make a feathered treble in no time at all. Has anyone tried this method before? I think I'm going to try it on the Lobina Ricos that I have coming. They didn't come with hooks so I ordered hooks but forgot to buy feathered ones, and I think they're over priced anyways so I want to try to make them myself using this method and see how it works. I'll update this thread in about a week when I get back home to Texas where my Ricos will be waiting on me.

Start with a 175..they can be had on ebay for $35-45 if your patient. Get one in a natural color, get it in the water, and see if it suits you..if so, you'll have a decision as far as getting a 250.

I hunt and build baits more when it gets colder, but I don't have an offseason. I can see the plume from the smoke stack of the closest power plant lake from my house now.

a true rod handle measurement is measured from back of reel seat to rod butt , that handle is 13 1/2 , here's a pic of my St. Croix - you'd be suprised how much better the rod casts with a longer handle a really great line that is super strong , not much memory is Izorline XXX , i would use 25lb. line for baits up to 7 oz. , 30lb. for baits up to 10 oz. and 40lb. for baits up to 16 oz. another line that is ridicilously strong (strongest out there ) is Gamma Co-poly , has some memory but is still not that brittle to where it gets kinks (like p-line CXX ,that stuff will cause unexpected breakoffs down in the spool , i quit using that stuff years ago , learning the hard way ...)

Bud if you think you need to spend all that money on a fishing pole you're sorely mistaken. Are they nice ? You bet your ace... in every way. But, I've had 40+ fish days on a 30$ spinning combo. And also caught my personal best on a 29.99 Jimmy Houston spinning rod. my most expensive combo is a casting and it was 169$. I'm 9 years your senior and been in the real world for about 7 years. Moral of the story is get what you can afford ? Do we all want to drive a Lamborghini? Sure... but that civic gets you goin where you need to go every day. At 15 years old you have alot of time.. don't try to keep up with everyone else.. half these men are 40+ years old and have put their time in ! You seem very keen for your age. Get what you want while you can... Before you have kids... dun dun dunnn.

Whatever the other guys say on this one. Me? Welcome aboard!

I'll go ice fishing a few times for perch, crappie, and bluegills. It's fun and hey, a bent rod is a good rod. Apart from that I'll do some photography if I feel so inclined... On the bass side of things I review video and research new water that I plan on fishing next year, along with stocking up on my favourite lures and some new ones that I want to try out next year. I'm also debating going to Flordia for a few days to catch a double digit bass on a shiner under a float...it'll be a last minute decision though as air fare gets pricier this time of year. Today I put my rods and reels away for a winters nap; they'll be back out in March along with a couple of other combo's that I've picked up to target panfish, pike, and trout. Cheers, enjoy your off season if you have one!

I bake.

No off season in East Tennessee either. Sometimes coves freeze over but generally not for more than a week. You can always find somewhere to fish

Not all tackle, but here's a few things I've picked up recently (once all my tackle orders come in I'll have to make another post ). A bright yellow PFD so I can stay safe on my inflatable kayak this coming spring, an automatic PFD that will keep me safe fishing from the boat, a reel bag to store em all in (other reel bag is full ), a small tackle bag to keep all my ultralight/crappie/trout tackle in, and a new 6'6" ultralight rod with a 500 size reel full of 4lb line. @TxHawgs I have the 8' H Zillion SB rod, it's awesome.

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Interesting first post. I don't see the advantage of the free sliding weight over a traditional weighted swimbait hook. What's the deal there ? A-Jay http://www.bassmaster.com/tips/coolest-bass-rigs-you-arent-throwing

I used to reload and shoot three times per week. I wish there was more time to reload, shoot, and fish. I started out with a lee single stage that I used for close to ten years. Then I got a pretty nice turret press last year and since then I've used it only once. I'm hoping to get a lot more use out of it this year. That's awesome! You beat me to it lol. Sounds like fun. I still do the delayed harvest-artificials on occasion. I'll take my fly rod and crush trout. The year I stopped trout fishing was after catching over 30 trout on a green sucker spawn fly I tied. I haven't done steelhead in a while either. I guess this is why the state record for Pennsylvania LM is around 11 lbs...

Sorry I missed this! My strategy is ballet! That's what happens with granddaughters!

Me? have stories? with my war and peace length posts? The hobbit, and lord of the rings trilogy, would have nothing over my "brief" keyboard interactions about bass lures, and stories behind them. I actually wonder if god will allow me the time left here on earth to do so,..LOL!

Typically once they get this big

I used to fish any remote lake without a second thought.I usually had a gun anyway,but not due to worrying about danger from people.In the last 15 years I've always carried.Sad story,and sad that things have gotten this way.God bless their families.

A jerkbait has treble hooks, a chatterbait has a large single hook. The only way 1 rod would really be good for both is if you got a rod for jerkbaits and used the small 1/8oz chatterbaits. A medium power, fast action rod will work for both but if you find yourself in grass with the chatterbait or use a 3/8oz or heavier model, you may find setting the hook on a larger fish to be problematic. I recently found the best chatterbait/ spinnerbait/buzzbait rod I ever used, a Hammer Rods 6'9" Heavy power, the rod has a parabolic action but isn't soft like a cranking rod, the power is about a half power heavier than a standard medium heavy power with a fast action. That rod has the backbone to drive home large diameter hooks while having enough forgiveness to fight the fish and keep it pinned but it isn't any good for a jerkbait. I like shorter rods for jerkbaits, and since I use that bait a lot I've tried a lot of different rods. Anything from 6'2" to 6'9" works for me but I like a medium power, fast action rod with a soft tip or a medium power, moderate fast action that has a slightly stiffer tip section. I can't recommend a single rod that would fit as these are two completely different types of baits used in completely different ways so you are best served with two completely different set ups. Now you can get away with one rod if you use smaller chatterbaits but you really are giving up a lot by doing that, some of my biggest smallmouth have come on using larger 1/2oz chatterbaits and a medium power rod would not have landed many of those fish as the hooks are just too large.

A Lot of Tough Love in this thread ~ But we respond because we care. Really, if not, this one would remain unanswered. And that's clearly not the case. A-Jay

Deadlifting a fish by the line is a huge no-no, especially if the fish's weight that you're lifting appears to be equal to the lb test you're using. To me, it's kind of like a catch in football. If you never had possession and control over the fish, it wasn't a catch.

Too bad you lost a fish. You may not really need a new partner. Your account of this event reads like a calamity of errors. I'd be looking in the mirror to help locate where they originated. btw - I fixed Number 1 for you. Better Luck next time. A-Jay