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Lake has been going crazy asking me to go fishing several times a day lately, so I took him across the road and asked the neighbors if we could fish their pond. Of course nobody could say no to that face he caught a dozen in the hour we were there, including half a dozen decent ones, this one being the largest and his new PB on a wacky rig!

Depending on the size of the lake, a few....maybe more than a few....truckloads of rice dumped in the lake will absorb the water. Once all the water has been absorbed into the rice,you will be able to simply walk over to the phone to retrieve it.

Got out for awhile this evening and got this 4.3 not long before dark.Caught her at what I call " big hole " the deepest water in the home lake.Caught her on a 5 inch senko,purple with a chartreuse tail. Caught 4 other fish too,some on the watermelon trick worms. Seen a decent fish on a bed but couldn't get her to eat.She did chase a lizard once. Nice,cool evening on the water.

Do you know Scuba Steve ? A-Jay

long before solunar tables, temperature guages, depth finders, and even daylight savings time, these little guys told our grandfathers and their grandfathers it was time to go fishing. when they talk, i listen. and today, they were right again.

Here are some pictures and the video from the giant I caught at LaCygne this weekend. She weighed 10 ls 15 oz and released to fight another day.

Use some braided line and tie off the R-bend like this...It keeps the wire from bending as much when you catch a fish. Another benefit is that the wire doesn't flex quite as much on hooksets . Just a few wraps and half-hitches and then a drop of superglue to keep it from unravelling. It will still break eventually, but it does last longer this way.

Water temp was down to 38 degrees today, my friends and I went out to try for some sauger and walleye. Fishing 4" keitech swing impacts on 1/4oz heads on a slow lift/drop retrieve in 15-20FOW. My buddy hooked a musky within 15 minutes of us getting to our spot, and the hook came out while I was trying to get the fish grips on the fish's jaw. 5 minutes later and I hook a brute of a musky, luckily it was just as a boat arrived that was targeting musky, and they netted the fish for me. They were stunned that I caught it on "that little jig". 10 minutes after releasing the first one I feel a "tick" and lean back into something that is also clearly not a walleye! The guys in the boat were happy to come net the fish for me, and we got more pictures. 15 minutes later and I am dumbfounded when I hook yet another musky. I told the guys in the boat to just keep fishing but they helped me out again and scooped the fish up once it was tired. Somehow I managed to land all three on a 10lb test mono leader. So today the spinning rod with a keitech outfished 3 guys throwing big musky lures from a boat, they never had a bite! Must be the cold water. Might I add that I can see the buildings where I take classes from where I am catching these fish! This fish very easily could have been my PB (43") but we didn't measure it, things were chaotic enough to begin with!

When it comes to bass fishing or any type of fishing for that matter everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion! What works for me may not work for WRB, A-Jay, RoLo, TOXIC, J Francho or anyone else. Individualism is what makes this sport awesome! I have a friend who throws white spinnerbaits & nothing else, he does not fish for any other reason but a fish fry. His freezer is never empty!

Got on my first frog bite this past Tuesday. This was the 2nd biggest out of the dozen that I caught. My friend was too far away to keep the bigger one out of the water that long to take a pic. All these came on a white R2S frog, the original version.

It never really occurred to me that a TV show depicting a cluttered deck full of rods had anything to do with a tough bite, and me emptying my rod locker, searching for the magic bullet. If there are a lot of rods on the deck, it usually wasn't a day of smooth sailing. There's also some weird obsession with fisherman about what other fisherman are doing. It cracks me up, even though I've been guilty of it a time or twenty.

Got out in the kayaks today and caught several. Slow going though, the fish are wondering where the warm weather went!

If it was a $700 combo Id pay a $150 to get it back. Of course I doubt Ill ever own a $700 combo to lose.

3 years without a boat ended last night. Can't wait to get out and fish again.

This one didnt even bend

It's not really a guide service ~ it's more along the lines of roller coaster ride at Six Flags - It starts out OK but then then it goes down hill Rapidly from there - and at the end of it, your hairs a mess and you've lost all your pocket change. A-Jay

Replacing an old President that's damaged with this beauty. After using a Stradic FK last season (incredible reel), the Shimano reels just feel "right" to me. I still like my presidents, but there's something about the Shimano ergonomics. It's funny when I switch between the two brand a lot, because they have such different bodies that I end up dropping the line.

Well of course you are going to catch fish at a ramp used by tournaments, it's where they release their fish. We call them ABC fish already been caught. I take a lot of rods because I can. And if I didn't, they would be biting on the combo I needed to throw that bait. I take 3 rods when I go crappie fishing. I take 4 rods rigged with different senko techniques alone when I go for bass. Boat rods....

To me, each rod and reel has its own story of how and when i obtained them. Don't have many rods, but if i can get them all on the deck, i will. I love the art of choosing line size, the right lure, and then having them on deck. I work hard to have what i have on deck, so i find it more enjoyable to have my arsenal on the deck so i can make a quick cast if needed despite the fact i know my jig will be my main approach. If i had the space, the money, i would have 25 rods on deck. I love knowing i have options. Plus, when you see most pros who fish for their living have 10-20 rods on deck, it means they have found utility for that and it's not just for looks or sales. When the best fisherman in the world show that it is no longer needed to get dialed in, then i will rethink it.

Swim for it, heck I swam in 40 degree water for a 75¢ ned rig. Definitely worth getting cold and wet for a $700 phone, IMO.

I think it's safe to say that I'm all set for fishing to start up! Stocked up on the staples and picked up all the new stuff I wanna try! Jigs and terminal tackle New tubes and The Ned Rig!! Hard baits (cranks, top, jerks) Spinners (aglias, war eagle finesse)

Watching MLF competition sets the tone for today's pro's with anywhere from 10 to 15 or more rof combos out on the front deck while fishing. It amazes me how bass anglers copy what they see on TV. A few days ago I took an old friend who can't get up early due to his health issue fishing. We arrived at the lake around 9A bright sunny day and the spawn is on so you don't need a lot of different rods and reels. We both got out 2 rods for worms and jigs put them out on the deck and launched. While I was parking another bright yellow 21' bass boat launched and I got back to the dock the other guy arrived looked at our 2 rods each, I look over at thier 20+ rods out on the deck and said " are you fishing MLF"? He answered can't catch em if you don't have the right stuff. Got in my boat and idled out about 20 yds while the other guys were trying to figure out what to start with and metered a rock pile with bass on it, turned off the engine and put down the trolling motor, turned around and the guys yells to me "your secret spot and starts laughing. Fred and I both made a cast to the rock pile, we both caught bass on the first cast while the guys watched. Before the others got their rods sorted out we caught 7 bass between 3 to 4 lbs off that rock pile. Silence, no more laughing from the peanut gallery. Tom

I have a tendency to collect rods on deck as the day goes on, even if one or two baits are working fine. I will almost always start the day with 4 or 5 combos on deck, even if I know what's been working. You never know when a chatterbait, or spook, or buzzbait, or wacky rigged Senko, or shakeyhead , or squarebill, or scrounger might work better even if you know a jig or worm or creature will. For me, a big part of part of the enjoyment of fishing is experimenting with different baits and techniques. Don't underestimate the guy in the jon boat or the guy in the high end boat with 20 rods on deck. Making judgements about fishermen (or anyone else) based on equipment is silly in my opinion.

The difficulty will depend on if you are starting with a slide swimmer or silent killer. The slide swimmers are already a SS bait, the SK is a floater but there are a few things you need to do: With a SS, you can remove the front hook and split ring. Insert a flat screwdriver or something similar from the joint up to the hook hanger to assist in lifting the skin up over the hanger. The front skin pulls forward, over the nose. You'll then see the cavities with the weight in them. You can add or remove weight at that point, reinstall the skin and hardware and test. With a SK, you'll still remove the hook and ring from the front but you'll also have to cut the bill off and sand it down to where you can slide the skin off the front. I've converted quite a few 250s this way and it works fine, it just takes a steady hand so you don't mess the skin up with whatever you're cutting the bill. You'd then follow the same steps as above with removing the skin but you'll definitely need to add weight as there is none in the body cavity of a SK. I prefer tungsten putty but they sell Deps tuning weights specifically for this application. An additional step with a SK is there is a weight in the tail. You'll see a drain hold on the bottom of the tail. I usually take and Exacto and make a small incision, use forceps to grab the weight and then slide it out the bottom. The difficulty is also going to be different if you are working on the OG (foam) or the new style (injected). I don't mess with the back section skin as it is glued/epoxied to the bait. The front section has no adhesive on it. Hope I covered it enough. Feel free to ask, I'm far from an expert but I've done it enough to know how not to mess it up.

This winter I got a new bag - Plano Guide Series, the big one and it carries quite a bit. I like it a lot, but it made me realize something about myself. Early this month my wife and I went to Mexico for a week, I did carry-on for the trip and my bag weighed 23 pounds. I am not sure, but I think my Plano might weigh close to that, and it probably couldn't fit in those carry-on bag checker deals at the airport. So what I learned was that I carry more crap with me on a day of fishing than I do for a week of vacation out of the country.

I have had the SA ones for over a year now from one of their specials. I have washed a couple several times and they are still usable. I handed out a few to my fellow Club Members and they seem happy with them. I still have a couple new ones and I will probably order a few more as time goes on. I put mine on up over my ears and nose which also covers my neck. I wear a Vietnam Bush Hat and sunglasses. I have had three spots removed from my face that were skin cancer. I will do anything to keep that from happening again.

If its Oroville lake just wait it may empty itself.

So...you catch a personal best and you just happen to lose your phone. Very convenient. It didnt happen if you cant provide pics!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that will go in after a cheap bait.

Is a thousand dollars really considered a "budget"?

March 3 / 4 39 degree water ..... rage craw weightless ,green with white under and green with redish under. no hard hit , just little tugs and then hook sets

This is I guess my main terminal tackle box Plano 3701 I think. I prefered the more shallow box to get my small stuff out easier. It didn't do great until I gorilla glued the dividers in and gorilla glued the mat stuff to the lid. It keeps the compartments from having hooks slip over into adjacent containers. I keep a few of the dry bags in compartments with stuff I don't use often. I have to say its nice as my fishing partner can find basic stuff pretty easy compared to before when I said they are in the bag start checking pockets. I also have a smaller Plano box that has only my flippin/pitchin terminal tackle in it. And I still have packages of snaps for crankbaits and all kinds of hooks and weights etc in their packages in pockets on my bags.

Nice job, little man! And how about that! A wacky rig! Hey @A-Jay!!

I only have one rule, the leader knot doesn't get to the reel.

Try 30 or perhaps 40lb braid. The diameter will be closer to 10-12 lb mono and it will have quite a bit more strength to effectively present baits in light to moderate cover. If you're fishing heavy / matted vegetation you'll need to not only plus size the line but your gear will also need to go up in power appropriately as well. A-Jay

Nice work Tom. Bet that felt OK. I'll admit to being guilty of having what sometimes ends up to be a decent pile of rods on deck, but that's just because I'm a Hack. And I smell what you're cooking Tom. The "TV" bass angler has played a decent role in more than a few different ways IMO. And for the anglers who have grown up watching them and their success, that's just the way it's done. I'd include the following on the list; No Net use, Boat Flip only. Never even try to play a fish, just Speed reel it all the way to the boat. (water ski that bass) What's an anchor ? Trolling motor on ALL DAY - especially before the advent of shallow water anchoring systems ( btw I love mine). Screaming like a limp has been lost after a fish catch - Thanks Ike. Then there's the names of everything - Power Fishing, Dock Fishing & Junk Fishing (first time I heard that one I got a little nauseous) Finesse Fishing & Structure Fishing. Before this I think it was all just fishing - didn't really matter where I was casting or if I had any power or junk. And let's not forget all "the Rigs" - Where Texas & Carolina may have started it all - Ned, Do-Nothing, Chicken, Neko, Split Shot, Jako, Rage, Wacky, Doodle Dong, (alright I made that one up - or did I ?) and the A or Umbrella Rigs. And I have no problem with most all of it, (well, except for the post catch screaming like a sea bird one, not a fan), just as long as I get to do it, doesn't matter what it's called. A-Jay

Had a slow day Thursday, which I expected the day after a massivery 5 day cold front left the area. On the plus side, most every one I caught was a nice one. Had 4 keepers for 14.56 pounds, all on jerkbaits.

Please learn me if I am wrong here but I always thought flipping was done with the rod in one hand and a pre-determined length of line out and that line was held in the other. The reel was never touched and the spool is engaged. Meant for quick, short, precise bait placement and the length of line never changes or is reeled in until bait is bit. Pitching was done with rod in one hand and the bait is held in the other. Spool is disengaged while the bait is sort of sling-shotted out; meant for further "casts". Why I ask is I see and hear people all the time say they are "flippin" but they are doing what I described above as pitching. Am I wrong? Have the terms changed or do people just like saying "flippin" better?

I use closed loop spinnerbaits, Mann's ect. No problems with breaks.

It's pretty much inevitable that the wire will break eventually. Whether it's after 20, 50, 200 fish will depend on the thickness and quality of the spinnerbait arm. I personally like War Eagles.

I was glad to get it parked and then go to my friends house. My truck was on his floor lift. I got the repairs done on it and that was the last time I would tow with that short a vehicle again. My next vehicle is going to be a Tundra.

Sorry to hear that. The only way to get it would be to swim for it. Try to find someone that has an aqua view or some other underwater camera so you know exactly where it is before you take the plunge.

Mono Palomar Knot FC San Diego Jam Braid Palomar i prefer snap over tying to the ring as the knot could potentially slid to the middle and break.

Lowest I've ever gone on a baitcaster was 20. Now I don't go below 30. I would definitely say avoid using 10, it will dig in a lot.

Looks good! I've personally decided to keep my hooks in their packages to avoid labeling the compartments.

I used 4 rods today, so I had 4 on the deck. 2 stayed in the rod storage. I rarely take out more than 6.

Can I get in your will? That's a Shimano collection even I'd be proud to use!

First i think 2 many rods on the deck caused me to fall in the lake last summer. But i was 62 years old with bad knees & a bad back didn't help none , as far as starting at the ramp , i always do. I think its always worth a few extra minutes fishing a boat ramp because i've caught a lot of bass off the ramp where i put in. I'm glad others back in & leave because if their any bass on that ramp their all Mine.

These same anglers are also the ones who will use "cover" and "structure" interchangeably. Short answer; you are right, they are wrong -T9

My 2nd biggest bass ever, a fish that was 24" long and I think was in the 8-9lb range, was caught trolling a shad rap behind a noisy paddleboat in July. Dumb stuff