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My wife My dad Both my brother in laws from my wife's side. My oldest boy with his first fish without any help. My oldest niece at her first fishing derby My mom

Me, My mom who passed away in October, and my uncle fishing the saltwater flats. I'd give up anything and everything I own if I could relive that day....

Every time someone triple posts on the internet, Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks a kitten.

These "what are the best" questions for some reason, really get under my skin lately. It's like people think that there is some secret combination of things that some people know that are the magic keys for unlocking the mysteries of the universe. C'mon people, there are a million and one good bait's and heads, and they all catch fish. The secret is not what is on the end of the line in the water, it's what is on the other end between your ears. These threads always ramble on with people listing there favorites.............and there is nothing wrong with that.................ughhhhh I need to go fishing LOL it's been a while. Never mind me, just a grumpy fat man being grumpy today.

The benefit of having my little Pond Prowler docked and not having to haul & launch it every time I go fishing does come with one drawback. Sitting in the water full-time does create growth on the hull that affects performance and is not the most aesthetically pleasing. A week ago we had a break between storms and since it was a day that fell on the wrong side of a cold front, I decided to do a full cleaning. I have never taken the time to show off my mini fishing rig, so I figured this would be a good time to do so. To give you an idea of what 18 months of buildup looks like, here is a look at the hull half cleaned & fully cleaned: I have done a few modifications to the 10 ft. boat. I have always considered a fishing boats main purpose is as a casting platform and gear hauler, so I try to keep everything open & accessible. The first photo is what the Pond Prowler looks like sans modifications while the next few are with the modifications reinstalled. The last photo is the boat tucked in for the week with the custom waterproof cover that keeps the interior out of the elements. The flooring consists of two pieces of marine plywood covered with marine carpet. The first piece runs from the front to about 18" from the back, where a second piece is part of a battery cover (the large box in the back). The box features a removable lid & a small bilge pump enclosed. Not pictured is a small rudder used to improve control, consisting of a Bullnose rudder attached to an old trolling motor shaft. At the front of the boat is the trolling motor, depth finder, on-board battery charger and Bigfoot power control for the TM. The small box on one side houses the excess cables for the TM & charger so they don't get caught up in your feet while fishing. On the other side is a magnetic tool/lure holder. I chose to keep the stock seat system instead of switching out to pedestals for a couple of reasons. First, I prefer to sit low for my lake is fairly clear and this gives me a more stealthy approach. Second, the stock seat system gives great storage for tackle boxes & gear under the seat (no pedestal in the middle). Lastly, by sitting lower, it is easier to land fish, just reach over & grab them. If I need to stand to work a jerkbait or skip under a dock, there is enough room to do so, although I find that once i hook up, I prefer to sit when fighting and landing the fish. The boat easily holds 8 rods when fishing. With two anglers, each person has four rods (two per side) placed in the side "trays" with the butt end near them. When fishing alone (95% of the time), I remove the rear seat and use the brace behind the front side to set 4 spinning rods, butt side towards me, tips on the battery cover. It is a handy way to have access to eight combo's without them being tangled. While I still drool every time I see a decked out 21' Skeeter or Bass Cat, this little boat is a perfect fit for my electric only small lake. Maintenance is next to nothing, letting me spend my time fishing instead of fixing

Caught this little dude yesterday, not really sure how but I'll take it. It did however show me what color lizards to use now on. I used to use only green pumpkin and black and blue but I need to add in something with some orange flakes now. These guys are all over this pond so hopefully I'll have some luck using lizards here.

Not near as impressive as some of you guys, but these are the rods and reels I have acquired in the past year and half. Just got done with cleaning and lubing them. Put cork sealer on the rods for the first time. Think I really like the darker cork look. Reels are all Tournament Pros.

A swing head with a beaver is a bait I have tied on all year long and really produces well in the winter months.

Currently, the only way for me to come into contact with my finned friends is snagging carp (Legal in WV) near a discharge outlet on a flooded river that we can walk to from our dorms. Is it spring yet?

Had a wisdom tooth removed today. Went straight home, grabbed my rod and headed to the golf course for some relaxation. In my mind this is completely sane. My entire face is still numb so not in pain yet, and I actually have the day off with no kids to watch..........So fishing of course! Wasn't until I was walking back to my car after fishing for about 2hrs I wiped off what I thought was rain running down my face only to pull my hand back COVERED in blood. My gause had shifted and I had started bleeding but was so numb I didn't know until I probably looked like a vampire that just had finished feeding. What's your favorite "not sure how, but I found a way" fishing story? PS... Caught a decent one too!

The pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers also comes from tax codes that penalize retailers for inventory that doesn't move out quickly enough. More and more, they don't stock the items needed to complete a project properly, or to even start a project that isn't a mainstream activity. This forces customers to shop online for specialty items, and that encourages shopping online for the more popular items as well. Speaking from personal experience, I get really tired of driving all over town for some little hardware item that was common and easy to find just ten years ago. Now, even if I'm not concerned about price, I'd rather order it online and not worry about wasting my time and gas hunting it down.

With the correct weight and hook size, a weedguard helps very little. A Ned rig isn't meant to be fished in heavy cover, but it will come over limbs and through sparse cover very well as long as it's a head that fits into the traditional Ned rig standards.

When I started messing with the Ned Rig I tried different weights and different sizes and type of baits as well as head styles. One thing I found is the more weight, the less bites I got, straight up fact, and because of that I never used a weed guard and I have only been hung up a few times. If I'm fishing cover like brush piles I'll use a shaky head and that is because the if fish are holding in cover, they'll bite a T-rigged worm, the Ned Rig is more about catching fish that are suspending or cruising open water when pressured or in a neutral mood, fish holding on cover will usually bite other baits so I never felt the need to use a weed guard.

I'm a Loomis and Shimano guy...

In case anyone is curious, I decided to keep the M/F Mojo Bass and look to get a MH/F as my next purchase during the next good BPS sale! Thanks guys.

Review please

Went out on Saturday with my S/O and we got skunked. Water was up about 2 foot and the bass just weren't having it. Nice day to be out and about though.

My Son & I on the rocks at sunset in NJ. A-Jay

Only good part about being back to work, I can finally edit my videos from my trips while I was off.

For some reason I feel like you might be a wind up account. So many vague topics created regarding a rod, or rod comparison, or a single lure..

I'm feeling a little nostalgic with tears running down my cheeks . How about a thread that shows our loved ones enjoying this great sport .. My grandoa on left . My dad with some MarkTwain lake channels and blues Mom , landing a carp My uncle still fishing after neck surgery. My sons first bass .

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!!!

Do you have a barrel swivel and a clip ?? I'd ditch both. I tie directly to my cranks . And use a loop knot if there isn't a split ring. I'm sure you're gonna say something about line twist but I've never had line twist cause me problems with cranks.

Well, the Denver Broncos are still Reining Champs for two more weeks. I would like to see Peyton passing the title to his good friend, Tom Brady.

One fluid motion and the follow through is very important. The follow through is just slowly lifting the rod tip up as the bait travels. It is also important to not get right up on the dock/cover, leaving yourself more space will actually make getting more distance easier. Use your normal reel braking settings but tighten the spool tension just a hair. You don't need to over power the cast, just a nice fluid motion...Typically the bait is not travelling very far. Any head shape will work and flat shaped trailers with a little bulk can make things a little easier starting out. The actual bait itself doesn't make a huge amount of difference though, technique and practice are the keys to getting it down. Shameless showing off below, but it's a good example of the proper motion .

I bet he sticks around win or lose.

I have a couple, they're solid baits. The whole Berkley lineup of hard baits has been very productive for me. Nice to have a reasonably priced hardbait option that comes in good colors AND with good hardware.

The ribbing on the Rage Swimmer gives this bait more action at slower retrieve speed. This is an improved version of the original.

I went ahead and ordered the Dredgers , one in each size all Fire Tiger .

Late this past summer, we had a big hurricane come through, and my lake was very flooded, and the water looked like straight up chocolate milk. I actually had a decent day, despite the conditions. They all came on a black and orange jig with a Zoom ultra vide speed craw in pumpkin. I couldn't tell you why it worked, but it continues to work for me a muddy conditions. It's called "Halloween" on the Siebert website.

Junebug with a sapphire blue trailer.

Ughhh! Don't like fishing muddy because it normally means fish in my areas have been thrown for a loop. But, if I do and if I'm fishing a jig, it'll be a fairly big one for me (1/2 a 3/4) black/blue or black neon with a fairly big 4"-5" matching craw trailer with chart dipped tips.

Trout actually have pretty soft mouths and they're usually pretty small compared to the size of the fish. What gear are you using? I had issues keeping them hooked for awhile until I found I was fighting them too hard and tearing the hooks out.

Those water temps are way past spawning temps around here, I imagine it's the same for Florida. Topwater should absolutely be in your arsenal in 70 degree water. That's about optimal water temps for topwater IMO.

I'll admit to thoroughly enjoying that one. And for fans of other teams - if this was your team headed to the Superbowl - you'd be loving it . . . . . Go Pats ! A-Jay

I have one tied on from the minute the ice leaves until the grass starts growing and other presentations are more efficient at coming through the grass...............but they don't get put away as they are still very productive in deeper rocky areas year round that don't get filled up with heavy grass growth. Then again in the fall they see a lot of use in the grassy areas with hard bottoms after the grass thins out heading into winter. My favorite and most productive baits on them have been chigger craws and pit bosses, they are especially effective on smallmouth around here, and I think every 5+ lb smallmouth I caught in 2016 was on one. My go to size is 3/4 oz.....as it's a presentation I want to keep bottom contact with almost 100% of the time, even in shallow water I am using the 3/4 oz most of the time. The heavy weight has two advantages for me................the previously mentioned constant bottom contact, and I can make ridiculously long casts with it and cover tons of water. For heads, I am a big fan of the Mustad "fastach" weights, that way I can match hook size to the bait better. A lot of the 3/4 oz heads with the hook attached from the factory are often too big for the 3" chigger craw and pit boss that the smallmouth seem to prefer in the clear water I am fishing them in.

I believe Brad's Wiggle has that type of line tie. It's a very similar bait to a wiggle wart.

looks like a wiggle wart, or maybe a copy.

My beautiful bride told me to go Saturday afternoon but after looking at the creek levels while we were out that morning I just passed. The last time I tried fishing a flooded creek I ended up skunked and completely aggravated from snagging everything in the creek!

@Team9nine Thanks for all the MLF background info. I knew very little about how it got started so I appreciate the info. Even though I complain about all the small fish caught during competition, I still like what MLF is doing and hope they keep expanding.

Go pick up a Dobyns, install your favorite reel on it. You will immediately forget about weight and be amazed that it balances perfectly. A combo properly balanced fishes all day without causing fatigue. Most really light rods are too tip heavy. It makes no difference if you are s[peaking about the Fury series, Sierra series or either of the Champion series. If it falls in your budget look at the Champion XP DC 736C in either a full cork handle or split grip. If that is too expensive then choose between a Sierra 735C, Fury FR 735C and 765 Flip. I have a friend that recently purchased the 765 Flip. Amazing rod for the price.

This was the one in Broken Arrow, OK. Before the last spring classic they had megabass xx's and a few other nicer sticks. When the classic wiped them out I haven't seen them back. I figure they are stocking what is moving, but I just feel they need to have the upper end lines to be big league.

Haven't posted anything on here in a while so I thought id show off my newest combo! Lews BB1 7:1 on a St. Croix Avid X 7'4" hvy. My first St. Croix and definitely not my last! Also while I am still a MAJOR Shimano fan I have to admit this BB1 and my tournament speed spin are really growing on me ?

Back from the archives ~ Yours & mine A-Jay

Hard to find pics that are not of bass My kid My dad My brother RIP and a special thanks to Glenn, and 00Mod (Jeff) for getting it autographed My grandpa Me dad and gramps in 1986 My kid and dad with a double on KY Lake Me dad and brother in law

Nice! May have to get off my butt and take a couple pictures. My phone takes better pictures than my old digital SLR. I should take a picture of my 6'6" MLM Aetos/ PXL and 7' MF Helios/ Helios Air. Both very light combos that are a joy to use.

First fish I caught was with a weightless craw last weekend. I actually went with a double weightless setup. Using the swivel free sliding on my main line and dropping another hook down about 16 inches down from a swivel tied to the end of the main line. Was testing to see what they wanted had a 7.5" worm on the second hook. We landed about 75 fish that day in the light rain and solid clouds. As for the hook i've used grip-pin flipping hook, and a few other lighter wire strait shank hooks with the pin like the one Catt posted. I wouldn't want to say a specific size either without knowing the bait. But generally I throw a 4" bait and a 4/0 hook generally works. Obviously its not set in stone.

Always wave to other boaters, bass fishing or not. What goes around comes around.

Finished off the gift card