Leaderboard

I was in a park once and started picking up the trash off of the shoreline. My girlfriend and daughter followed suit and before I knew it every kid in the park was lending a hand. We filled 4 large contractor bags full of bottles and cans cleaning the entire park. Meanwhile all the parents sat and watched in disbelief. Ghandi once said "be the change you want to see in the world". Leading by example many times has wide reaching results.

A-Jay, Put the Chigger craws in the flea market! Tom

Stocking up on knowledge. Now to find the time to read... I haven't read a book all the way through in I don't know how long

Graduating from a Jon boat and getting my first full rig bass boat its an old boat but had a marine mechanic check it out and he gave me the thumbs up!!! Very excited!!!

Went on a little JDM rampage the other day; I love the Decoy jigs, they work great for grubs, small paddle tails, and weedless Ned Rigs. I prefer them to the Owner Ultraheads as I feel the vertical line tie helps me keep it just off the bottom. The weights are to make up some Jika Rigs with straight shank hooks. And the tail spin lure was just to funny looking to pass up. I like to keep a few "loud" lures on hand for when I am really skunked. Annoyingly, JDM rods don't come with hook keepers. I don't like the fiji ones as they will not let you hook a buried point t-rig on them. These do, but I swear they looked more red and less pink online. This is the second time I have ordered Keitech plastics not realising how small they will be. These will go into the pile with the 3-4 packs of 2" Impacts I bought last year. Maybe I will devote more time to panfishing this year. In anycase, it looks like they also sell a 3.5" MadWag, and that looks more like what I want. The reason for the overseas order, a Zillion SV TW XXH. It was somehow cheaper, even with shipping, to order from over there. I have the reel mounted on this guy; And man, I cannot wait to be able to hit the water.

I don't quite understand what you mean by the line catching under the spool. If stealth spider wire 30lb is a braid (I'm not familiar with it), then the line is likely digging into itself. That was a problem with some of the older baitcasters. Recent production reels spread out the line across the spool so it overlaps rather than laying the line alongside itself like a garden hose. You can help reduce this by keeping constant tension on your line during the retrieve. With some style baits, the bait's resistance is all that is needed. With others like some top-waters or when jigging, slack line is allowed to enter the spool and any subsequent tension on the line during the retrieve will cause it to get under the looser line. Hope this helps.

People that leave trash... Are trash.

I got mine yesterday, and was actually surprised that the issue is all about finesse fishing. I was a B.A.S.S. member for many years, but let the membership run out when I stopped tourney angling. So it was a surprise, and yet kinda a downer as well. I used to look forward to the magazine, and its info, tips, and tricks. It had become a intrical part of my life, filling idle moments. It did have alot of "southern" impoundment info, as,.. well lets face it, thats where most of the bigger tourneys take place,...(or should I say TOOK place). I would read about some new technique and attempt to emulate that to "my" areas waters up here,... and let me tell you,.. it wasnt easy. Many,.many,... hours, and dollars, I put forth, trying to copy the pro's direction. No matter what "it" was,... I tried. It took a long time for me to see that the direction I was receiving needed some "help".,... Some techniques did work, but they were easily identified, and stowed away in memory as a success. It was the unsuccessful that really stood out. Much like in life, the victories are well known, but easily forgotten, where as failures burn for a long time, and are seldom forgotten at all. I hold no claim as a "pro" by any means. But those "self tweaked" techniques that I made work for me? were well learned. And the techniques I did successfully learn from the mag's pages, that were well documented in my memory? are all, in fact, lessons learned just the same. All of this I offer freely, as I remember those days of struggle. My "passion" for the sport is mine, and mine alone, I understand that I may have this passion, but others may not. Nonetheless,...I would rather help someone struggling with the desire to learn this sport, than to standby watching someone drown in the sea of endless gear, techniques, situations, and basics. And lets be real,..there is a endless amount of basics alone, when one enters this realm. My victories, and failures, yes,.... are mine. But if they can help someone, even just one person? I'll be there for them,.,.. For I know all to well the strife, of spending endless hours, floating (uncomfortably) in a sunbaked canoe, in the middle of a bug, and snake infested swamp. Learning about line twist, proper line weights, line watching,,...right place, right lure, right time.,....sunburn, or I should say sun poisoning!, the importance and cautions of deet, scents. Proper rigging of baits, flipping, pitching, skipping,.AND! OMG!,...... l e a r n i n g , . . t o , . . c a s t , . . a BAITCASTING REEL!!!,.....lol, (can ya tell I had trouble there?),... polorized sunglasses, white meshed baseball caps, hydration, etc, etc, etc,.. All learned the hard way!,.... and the list goes on. So,..In summary,...thank you BPS for my complimentary subscription. Thank you, Bassmaster for the years and years of direction, inspiration, and hope,... But most of all? Thank you Bass Resource,. for the opportunity to help those that need it, the opportunity to interact with like minded, and most of all,..the endless amount of info that we all, yes,.. we "all" need.

Only 5 ?

There's no reason to be intimidated by its size, just subdivide the lake on your chartplotter, something you can do at home. The FWC reported that of all things, the most productive plant for bass in the Big-O has been "cattails". Cattails rarely grow deeper than 3 ft, which gives you a heads-up as to bass depth. Roger

Daiwa Laguna for 44 on Amazon and Berk big game backing line from the TW 25 days sale. Hoping this reel will be a workhorse for years. Liked the way the one we bought my father in law fished, time will tell.

Yea I wish, I just don't have any kids lol.

The Fletcher Shryok trebles at Walmart are sticky sharp if your lookin for a short shank EWG style hook. They come in sz 2 4 6 and 15 in a pack and are made by Eagle Claw. They sell them at Walmart and are on sale right now for $3.42-$3.47 you can't beat em for that price.

It’s often said that in most cases catching them isn’t as tough as finding them. That statement has never been truer than in the winter. They’ll bite for sure if you can find where they’re holding. In locations that do not have hard water, here’s how Greg Hackney does it ~ http://www.bassmaster.com/greg-hackney/finding-winter-bass-part-1 http://www.bassmaster.com/greg-hackney/finding-winter-bass-part-2 http://www.bassmaster.com/greg-hackney/finding-winter-bass-part-3 I really like GH's Style. If he wrote a book, I'd buy it. A-Jay

Quick trip to BPS then a little Ned rig fishing from the shore late today. Caught a couple little rats then this big girl. 3lbs, 7oz. I'll be putting the boat in tomorrow and be bringing one Ned rigged rod for sure!

For whatever reason, we are all guilty of this...........probably at some point in the past, we have had baits/lures that were mainstays in our rotations, but we have moved on from them for one reason or another, with the exception being they never stopped catching fish. Here is a list of mine, in no particular order: Bandit crankbaits: Especially the 100............it was my "go to" shallow crankbait for ages, the chart. rootbeer colored 100 used to do some major work for me. Then the SK KVD's burst onto the scene and for no good reason, I haven't used or bought a bandit since. Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps............there was a time that in the spring a red craw Rat-L-Trap was money, followed closely by a gold/black back, and chrome blue/back. I strayed away from them to try a whole bunch of other lipless cranks, before settling on the SK Redeye shad as my new "go-to". And much the same as the Bandit's haven't bought or used a Rat-L-Trap since. Spinnerbaits: No matter the brand. I don't even own one anymore, the swimjig and chatterbait have replaced them. Mann's jelly worms: There was a long period of time, from the late 80's to the early 2000's that if I needed or wanted to throw a straight tail worm, it was a jelly worm. I ran out once, and tried something else, and have never gone back for really no good reason. They worked on t-rigs, c-rigs, weightless, on jig heads (back when we called it a jig worm instead of a shaky head) Culprit Ribbon tail worms: Like the jelly worm, this was my go-to action tail worm in the late 80's until at least the late 90's. Then I found myself out of them one trip and bought some Berkley Power worms. I have used Power Worms ever since, but have never thought them to be superior to the Culprit, I just never went back to them. The Power worm is, or should I say was, in the same boat. From about 2006 -2014 or so, I am not sure I ever threw one. I have gone back to them the last few years however, and they work as well if not better than they ever did. I am sure I will think of a few more....but those are just off the top of my head for right now.

Heading up tomorrow after work with the family. We are staying at Fin & Feather.....so you know where I will be fishing. I don't plan on leaving the cove. I will post report. Y'all be safe and good luck.

Wow one of my go to patterns is cranking beaver huts!

I dont throw them in beaver houses , cedar trees , coontail grass ...

During the spawn and in heavily weeded lakes.

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ I'll admit that I really like to Chunk & Wind, so cranking is right up my alley. But I also like to catch fish so when cranking isn't getting it done it's time to switch it up. "When" to do this for me is mostly predicated on where I think the bass are at. They may be too deep or buried up inside of heavy vegetation. Perhaps the past & / or current water temps are such that something other than a horizontal presentation (think vertical) could get more or bigger bites. Clearly cranking works. But just as sure as nothing works all the time, so are the number of alterative methods. Fun part is being successful in choosing the right one. A-Jay

Any time is cranking time, the catch is to find out which crank is going to work, I fish spinnerbaits, jigs and worms not when but where, there are places where you just can't fish a crank no matter how hard you try.

Ok, Ok,..Im trying!,...lol, I need something to take my mind off pain till the morning meds kick in!.....lmao thanks guys, good laughs are always welcome

Hmmmm, I think it's the other way around Roger.

Diamond Back Lizards exist only in my memories now. each Spring when they would close the gates to the spillway at the state park, we'd throw a Lil Cleo across the froth and catch a stringer full of white bass. we'd spend all day walking those banks as teenagers. burning a Shyster parallel to the bank at the pond drew boiling strikes from fiesty largemouth bass, so would a chrome Tiny Torpedo, worked at an erratic pace. all on my old Mitchell "open face" reel.

THE JIGLESS JIG In the 'Florida Slop', my most weedless probe is what I call a 'jigless-jig' The 'crawless-craw' is a Deps 4.5" Twin-Tail Grub (Very tough plastic) The skirt is 'live rubber' The Hook is a 5/0 grip-pin rebarb straight-shank Dyn-o-mite Roger

Fished Tuesday in housen and ended up with 12. Best 5 close to 18lbs. Caught fish from 2 ft to 20ft. Water temp stayed constant at 53 degrees. Spoon, jerkbaits and jigs. Next week is shaping up to be pretty good for shallow fishing !!

Thicker line.

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Good Luck with your rebuild. A-Jay

Beetle spins .

As a small business owner myself, I totally agree with this. If I can't offer something of value to the customer that they can't get from a larger competitor, then why am I in business? Typically, a smaller company can outmaneuver a larger company as far as expertise and certain kinds of service. When it comes to buying a pack of Senko's, those potential advantages are for naught. When a product becomes a commodity, the larger companies with buying advantages will (& should) win. It has been my experience that to continue to stay in business, I need to adjust and do the things that big companies aren't good at. Oddly enough, sometimes it is nothing more than simply returning a phone call promptly or actually looking a customer in the eye & listening to them when they have a question. Not all purchases are 100% rational decisions, people often choose who they want to buy from based on emotion or feelings.

Mom and Pop often have killed themselves. I am for supporting local small business, but when "mom and pop" charge..........for example.......... $6.99 for a bag of Yum dingers that BPS, Walmart, TW, etc......charge $2.99 for, I draw the line. There is a difference in a modest mark-up to stay viable with the big guys on every corner................and then there is just greed and ignorance. Lots of time, "mom and pop" deserve to go out of business because..............well, they are bad at it.

The Laguna is a great reel. I have 4 of them. I have one in use and 3 as backups for when the 1st one wears out. From the looks of it, that will take a while.

KVD lives in Michigan and Scott Martin in Florida. It's 0* in Michigan

My best day was an early fall evening at a local honey hole (3-4 acre golf course bass pond full of vegetation) and from about 6-730 pm I was walking the entire perimeter of the pond, throwing a rebel popR lure alongside the vegetation lines. Pop, pop.. REST. Pop, pop, pop REST (repeat). In an hour and a half I snagged 17 largemouth on top water action, missed about 6 or so more. Ranging from *** pounders. It was magical. And it was my second day trying top water action. Still gives me goosebumps thinking about that night!

VMC 9650 replacement treble hooks are good and not too expensive @ $2.50 for 7. Test the hooks before changing them usiing your thumb nail, if the stick or scratch the nail you are good to use them. Tom

Good quality cranks have good quality hooks, so, unless you want something special, you don't need to upgrade hooks. I do replace hooks on baits like Jitterbugs cuz the factory hooks on them are trash.

Winter threads on BR are considerably cooler than both

Temps in the twenties, wind chill in the teens, but they still have to eat.

Had a pretty good redemption today, my little brother has a tournament on the 19th so we went to look for some fish on Lake Anna. Found them in 35FOW and put a dozen in the boat, biggest was the low 4 I'm holding, she wouldn't sit still on the scales but I wanted to get her back since they can have a tough time coming from that deep water. I apologize for the scratched out background, that was for a little fun to send to his friends who will also be fishing that tournament, then I realized it was the only picture I had of the fish! I think this was my last outing before I head back to school, gonna be a long winter

I was sitting on a stump field in 18' of water slowly working a Texas Rig when there came that little tail tale tap. Dropped the rod, reeled the slack, set the hook and it sets hook back. Get her up to where I could see her when she sounded taking me to my knees in the process. Got her up again but she quickly sounded again only this time the reel came out of the reel seat hitting the last eye on the rod snapping the line and falling over board. I stood up screaming damm that was a hawg and then screamed damm that was my reel. I aint saying how big she was but definitely Share-A-Lunker quality The reel was a brand new Abu Garcia Eon on a Cabala's Fish Eagle II rod, the rod a defective the back part was built to shallow far the reel to fully seat. Haven't bought a Cabala's rod or an Abu Garcia since.

Lunch break today near a pond.Thought I'd give it a try.15 minutes later this was the result.She bit a 4 inch GY senko in watermelon.Absolutely incredible fight with 8 pound test.I helped the drag by stripping line off several times.The fish was nearly symmetrical at 21.5 inches long,and 21 inch girth.Extremely heavy bodied fish.Weight chart says between 8-9 pounds.Thank you Lord!

If only I had a 'mom,and pop shop' around my area. Then it might be different True. but in my price range it is wonderful. No way could I spend 200+ on a reel. I just don't have the money. (Not putting down people who do, if I could I would buy top end equipment but I'm satisfied with what I have)

Awesome! They're solid reels and I think you'll really like it.

I went with the Curado 70xg. Picked it up on ebay for $170. Thanks for all the feedback.

My wife fishes with me alot. The most important thing to do is be patient. The last time we went, i got schooled I was none on that day as -- NET BI**CH And id be quite happy if every trip was that way!

Ice is plenty safe now.Those who are dedicated ice fisherman don't run out on the ice blindly.They scout and check ice thickness.Unless you actually do it you wouldn't fully understand.By the way i iced a half dozen nice largemouth last Sunday on 2 inches of ice.