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Why would a spawning bass that's cleaning house, decide that braided line is unworthy of housecleaning? For the record, I fish straight-braid all year round without any leader, but then again, I only target stupid bass with poor eyesight Roger

hey guys. i normally don't wait until feb. to start the new year's fishing, but my schedule just didn't allow me to go until this month rolled around. so i tried to make up for lost time. not the big fish bonanza i had hoped for, but i've been fortunate enough to catch a few over 5 and even some nice bluegill. here's some good ones i was able to get decent pix of. i hope winter fishing is going well for y'all.

Even though I prefer to have a lake or area to myself when fishing, I do have a soft spot for kids who are learning the sport. Their interest in fishing, no matter how short lived due to childish attention spans or other distractions, can be stoked with a little success and a realization that results are within their control based on their decisions. So yesterday I am working my way down the eastern side of a cove when I notice a dad helping his 2 boys & daughter fish off their dock at the back of the cove. It was like he was spinning plates, running from kid to kid as they cast over each others lines and tried to figure out how to reel. Kind of humorous. In the 20 minutes it took for me to get closer to their dock, I caught 3 bass, which as would be expected, caught the kids attention. After the 3rd one, the dad asked what I was using for bait. Even though I was tossing a Ned Rig TRD, I thought it might be better (easier) for the kids to use a wacky rigged senko & still get results. I motored over to their dock and was going to give them a pack of the worms when the dad said "Oh, those are Yamasenko's, we have some of those". So I spent about 2 minutes showing them how to wacky rig them and told them that the bass were not really chasing today, showing them how to fish it slowly. I mentioned that the bass were getting ready to spawn, how they would be moving shallow and some different areas that they should cast to. I looked over at the oldest boy (about 10) and told him that he wouldn't feel a strike from the fish, more likely he would just see his line moving, so keep an eye on that. I motor away the opposite direction and no more than 5 minutes later, I hear the 10 year old yelling "Dad, Dad". Sure enough, he had hooked his first bass. His mom was videoing the the whole fight and they took a bunch of pictures after he landed it. Dad was handy enough to get the hook out and release the fish fairly quickly. I gave the boy a sitting ovation from about 50 yards away, to which he waved & yelled "Thanks for the help". With the seed planted, it will be interesting to see over the next few months if he is bit by the fishing bug or if this was just a cool moment he got to share with his parents.

Took advantage of this beautiful 60 degree weather day ........Within 30 minutes I caught my first bass of the year .Got 2 more later on but nothing decent........Funny, tomorrow I'll be ice fishing upstate NY at White Lake King of the Lake Tournament.....they have 10" of solid ice as of this afternoon....crazy.....Hey it just felt good to be out there today....it's been awhile since I fished last........FISH ON!!!

took a little trip to the fishing show yesterday and picked up a few things. i got 2 packs of havoc pit bosses 1 junebug, 1 black/blue fleck, 2 packs of craw fattys 1 green pumpkin, 1 green pumpkin blue and 2 packs of chigger quads 1 green pumpkin purple and 1 black/blue fleck. i also picked up a cool crank made by a local company it's about 5" long and 2oz dives 6"-8". i also grabbed a livetarget perch swimbait.

Went to academy tonight and the stocker pointed out a display he just put up, said the store isn't going to carry them and got what they got so that I probably won't see them anymore...with the bait monkey on my back..and the closest BPS an hour away..I had to induldge. Got some 7.5 Yum Genies in Old School Purple, 5 inch Yum Pulse swimbaits in pearl, and the others are there all the time, black and blue rage structure bugs (thought I was getting rage craw but messed up...hope they work just as good hopping as the craws, maybe someone can speak on this? But I see them being used primarily for punching and flipping.) And 12 lb test invisx that I won't get to try out until later in spring when my sunline runs out!!! Any tips/advice/opinions on these baits and choices of line? Oh and also a Nike drifit shirt!! Man those things are soft and really keep the sweat off you!!! Looking at the pic....I REALLY want to unstring my reel and throw that seaguar on there.....ALSO he had some new hack attack spinners out there and some popping perch from SK as well...probably 8 different colors? Lol then I saw SK was advertising a buzz frog, like we can't just take our old buzz baits and throw a Ribbit on there!!

I went crazy at BPS today... wife cashed in her credit card rewards so I got to go on a shopping spree! Got a Carbonlite rod in MH/XF and M/Mod., paired with PQs. Geared up on hardbaits and a few other odds and ends.

Me and my son hit the lake for the first time this year. His first bass for 2017 4.8 and his best on Forrest Lake.

Love bacon, but I hate to screw up the flavor of a prime piece of beef by wrapping it in bacon. A good steak needs nothing but salt, fresh ground pepper and searing heat.

Well,I finally got back out in the lake for a couple hours yesterday.Decided to start a short distance down from my property and fish the whole west shoreline,not just the hot spots.I had a nice fish pick up my watermelon red fluke but he came off at the hook set,which rarely happens to me.Next fish I had seen a good sized swirl and through into the area and felt the tap.The line broke when I set it!? Which almost never happens to me anymore.It was then I noticed my (Shimano stradic) was reeling kind of rough.Needing oil. So not wanting to ruin the gears,I retired it for the day. So I pick up my spare plastics rod, which has a reel with a slower gear speed. Next fish, another good one,he runs straight at me into some eel grass.Im reeling frantically to keep up and HE comes off.Now I'm getting frustrated.Miss another fish. T hen I stick a 2 pounder,and as I pull him out of the water,the line breaks! I nearly went home at that point. But I kept on and caught 3 before dark.One of them, a 2 pounder, was caught where I caught my PB many years ago.And the other 2 were caught with baby brush Hogs in Ruby red by the Island out of wood.Even with the setbacks,it was a beautiful evening on the water.Owls hooting,geese calling,dogs baying way off. Lessons learned: Time to change line. Time to oil reels.( Should have done these sooner) and time to sharpen hooks!Things I know,but I have a lazy streak I guess. And not to get frustrated when things don't go my way.I could be in a 3rd world country just fishing and whatever else to just have something to eat! Very thankful! Mike

Sure! I mostly tie a uni-to-uni, or a modified Albright where I go up about 8-15 wraps (depending on line diameter), and back down 7-10 times, then moisten, tighten. I give strong pulls before ever dropping my line. So I've practice-tied these knots for years. Getting a well-tied knot is crucial, IMO.

Replaced my MH Powell Endurance with a Shimano Zodias ML 7' for dropshots and finesse.

Holy old thread revival!

Today's lunch. I buy whole filets then wrap them in bacon with a little fresh ground pepper and light salt. I cook about 2 minutes on each side on the grill on high. The tapered shape of the whole filet works out perfect since the ladies get the smaller medium cooked filets while the guys get the 3 larger rare ones.

Awesome hookset!

Good bait and currently on sale during the Spring Classic in store at Bass pro. 5 for $10 Red eye's on sale for $5.19

Put my kayak on a small lake here in Northern West Virginia today, I landed 6 small bass, one on the jerkbait, and the rest on a 1/4oz lipless. Water was freezing cold and they were incredibly sluggish but they know the days are getting longer!

While Powerpoles may be almost useless on Toledo Bend, with respect to the marsh and swamp, I totally disagree. As someone that spends 99% of his time fishing the marshes and swamps of South Louisiana, whose last boat had a stick anchor, and new boat has a Powerpole, there is absolutely no way I'd go back to no having one. The ease of hitting the button on the remote around my neck while the wind or current is trying to blow me across the marsh when me or my fishing partner has a fish or wants to pick apart a specific spot is WELL worth the price of the Powerpole. You just simply aren't going to use a stick anchor to sit in a spot for 3 minutes to get multiple casts in. You'll hit it with a couple casts and move on past. The ability to stick the anchor in and pivot around it in the current or wind is amazing in allowing both anglers an equal opportunity to fish spots as well. Move a little, anchor for a minute, move a little, anchor for a minute. I'm tired just thinking about doing that without the Powerpole.

PP or 832. Flip a coin.

http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/p/costa-del-mar-hamlin-camo-polarized-sunglasses/16cdeuhmlnblmrrrlsgs?&color=Blue/Camo DSG has a pair of 580p green mirror for $99. Seen a couple of good Costa sales but rarely any green or green mirror lenses. Pretty good deal. Steep and Cheap has some pretty good buys right now too.

I'm on a role now! Biggest bass I've caught in a few years on a homemade football jig in thE same color as Seiberts Bluebasser86 storm series jigs,

Like most of us I'm all about the "New Thing". Whether it's technique or the lure that KVD used to win The Classic. Bagely B2, Rapala DT6, Shadalicious, Blakemore Randy's Swimin' Runner, etc. We are all looking for that silver bullet. But I'm old fashion and think there might be a better approach or at least a couple of things to consider. The fact that there are very few things that are prohibited at the professional level is a sign. Trolling? Hmm, not in tournaments, but for the rest of us there is no better way to cover a lot of water. As Rick Clunn said, "Catching fish is easy, finding them is the challenge." Back in the Stone Age, before electronics, trolling was perhaps the most effective way to find fish. When we got a strike we stopped and fished that area thoroughly with a variety of lures, but especially the Creme purple worm! Is there any lure other than the Alabama Rig that is outlawed at the professional level? Hello! Double down and troll The Rig. When you find the fish, stop and throw your other favorite lures if you like. In the spring, fall and winter there is nothing more effective for BIG bass and if your water also features stripers, that's another bonus!

First it was yum and booyah I didn't know about until I scrolled all the way down. Now Hobie and Favorite Rods USA. Glad to see the site getting some more sponsors. Maybe now with Favorite as a sponsor we will get to know more about there rods. I have seen people ask about them in the past myself included.

Just Messing With Colors , The Green On The Top Is A Color Shift Green / Gold Its Shot Over Black. Mike

I do not want to run afoul of the rule where we should not promote a particular tournament but they have announced a kayak bass fishing tournament where the winner will walk away with $ 100,000.00! I have been bass fishing from a kayak since 1991. I find that it is a great way to get out and truly enjoy nature. I also enjoy fishing my local tournament series. We typically walk away with two, three hundred bucks if we win. 100 grand for a tournament is hard to get my mind around. Crazy stuff!

A crooked guide will want you to pay up front and won't show up.

She has a Siamese cat,....well now she has two. Hootie

I've been using the Alberto knot (not really a knot, more of a weave) for many, many years now. Since leaving the Uni/Uni connection to my leaders and going with this knot, I have rarely ever experienced a failure. I believe failures using the Alberto are mainly due to a hurried tie. I tighten up the knot in stages, wetting it as I go. And I do change my leader knots ever two or three trips, just to be on the safe side. I know some camps don't like leaders. I do, mainly because braid itself has little to no stretch. And most folks, when excited, then to over set the sharp hooks on the lures and jigs that are available to us these days. Consequently, you need some kind of shock absorption in order not to break off. The other thing is that braid is not very abrasion resistant. Not nearly as much as a good quality fluorocarbon leader has. So it becomes a win-win situation for me. And like I said, with properly tied knots there should not be a problem with leaders under normal conditions.

So youre implying ive Shared false information. OK fair I guess some fisherman are pathological liars. Im really not flaunting or flashy. And certainly not fond of others who lie to create a favorable self image. I can only afford rent, and tatsu cause I shop at Ross, and wear 7 dollar out dated hurley shirts that didn't make the cut at dillards hehe.

If you can find them, Cotton Cordell Super Spots are easy on the pocketbook and are good for exactly what you do. The hooks aren't bad and they have a decent rattle chamber. Average price is around $3 at many discount stores.

It's weird I was the exact opposite. Had multiple Uni to Uni's snap on hooksets and now use Albright's with no issues. Just goes to show with all the info we share sometimes you've just got to see what works best for you.

Catch-Photograph-Release Most if not all kayak tourneys are length only. Weight doesn't matter

Exactly In addition to one less knot, I'd much rather fight a 12-pound bass on knotted braid than knotted fluorocarbon...but no one goes there. Roger

> When you want max 'sensitivity' at the cost of other features (e.g. finesse lures during non-crank intervals) > When you want quicker hook-set response at the cost of other features (e.g. jig fishing) > When you want quicker access to the blank's backbone (e.g. hauling bass out of heavy cover) Roger

Well I'm joining the plastic boat club. Picked up a 10E today at dicks sporting goods. I'm looking at a 40lb thrust trolling motor. I've got plans to make a small box to hold about 10 +/- 3700 series boxes that will sit under the back seat, and I picked up a small Rubbermaid tote that will go under the front seat to keep my soft plastics in. I'll post pics when I get the box all done.

then get another coin and decide between 10 or 15lb and you should be all set

You must not be tying the alberto knot right. I have never broke it, and use it all the time.

2nd mortgage?

Go with a Palomar for attaching any lure to any type line while bass fishing. As a matter of fact, I use it for everything unless I get offshore and can't pull it high with higher pound test stuff or if I'm fly fishing for trout when I need something that doesn't eat so much line. Knots breaking really just should not be an issue.

I recommend either 16 lb or 12 lb Sunline SX1.

3000 or 300?? 3000 is like 800 dollars worth of line

If you are just getting started here is my advice. Do not go cheap and UPGRADE later. I am not saying spend $500 on a combo either. Today there is so much good equipment available in the modest price ranges. I suggest a good 6'9 to 7 foot medium spinning rod. Look at a Powell Inferno 6103 CEF This is a 6' 10 inch medium action spinning rods that runs $99. Dobyns offers a Fury rod series for $109, Look at the FR663 SF and a FR 703SF. Another good choice is a Abu Garcia Veritas 2 rod in a 6'6" medium or a 7' medium. If you want to save a bit more money the Berkely Lightning rod Shock series in again in a 6'6" or 7 foot medium. There are lots of other choices but these are nice options. Match any of these rods up with a Pflueger President in model 6930 or 6935. For general use I like to use Berkley Fireline in 14 pound test * 6 pound mono in diameter) and toi that I tie on a 4 foot leader made up of 8 pound mono. Stren is a good choice in mono. P LIne CXX in 8 pound would work good too. I would get this combo first. Fish it a bit. Then I would consider my next rod carefully. It could be a heavier spinning rod but more than likely you will want to step up to a 7 foot mh 1/4 to 3/4 baitcasting combo. Kews makes a Mach 1 Speed spool combo for $130 and a Mach II Speed Spool combo for a little more. If you send me a pm I can go over some tackle to start with.

They're waking up ?

Maybe I should have. I ended up with 3 dinks on the lipless cranks - no takers on the gantarel jr, I got one blow up on the rat though

abu garcia rods tend to be a bit on the heavier side, but i actually like that since i mostly fish worms jigs and swimmers, frogs are also common use for me.

I'd have to have some a couple spinnerbaits for pond fishing. Have fun!

Getting ready for the spring assault! I don't think we have enough. http://www.booyahbaits.com/

I hate citrus shad,but I couldn't pass up theses Excaliburs

Tips to imitating crayfish ~ Ability to hold breath & Megastrike cologne might help Sorry ~ A-Jay

Beautiful day out today. Got done filling bait orders and couldn't help but go back to my dink lake. They were not stacked like yesterday, or I wasn't catching them as good. I did get what was by far the biggest bass I'd caught from there at that spot. decided to go hit the mouth of the main spawning cove. Casting my.little 65 pointer and catching dinks pretty steady, I was thinking if there's a big one in here, she ought to be soaking up this sun right on the edge of this flat. Sure enough, she was there! No scale, wasn't expecting to catch a 2 pounder, let alone one like that. Fat and healthy and she swam away strong after her glamour shots.