Leaderboard

Getting a little kayak time in on Kentucky Lake and this fat white chick starts hitting on me.

Well, that self-imposed timeout from new tackle didn't last as long as I anticipated. I lost one of my new 110's last week and figured I better replace that with three more. Friggin Bait Monkey...

It depends on how you fish, assuming you have a serviceable rod and reel now. If you are a crankbait/spinnerbait, chunk and wind all day kind of guy, a better reel will benefit you more... if you are a soft plastics, feel kind of guy, the rod is infinitely more valuable.

All you backseaters need to wear a helmet! Can't imagine a 8'11" crankbait rod with a few feet of line hanging down with 10X crankbait whizzing past your head all day! Tom

No offense meant, but it's a sad reflection on the sport, and the current media/tournament mentality when you feel embarrassed by catching a bass. They can't get big by not being small, first. I love catching them all, big or small ? -T9

I remember when anything over 5 1/2 ft. was a long rod. Hootie

Sorry... but if you do not see the necessity of flippin' .. you haven't been to a lake/river that has high water/flooded bushes and 60* dirty water... there is nothing like whackin' a 6lb'er with 10 feet of line out..deep behind some flooded buck bushes.. and just muscle that toad out of the junk!! After a spring COLD front, flippin' is the go-to method for lock jawed monsters!! I have won several early spring open's by flippin ONLY!! The differences of when to flip or pitch is water clarity, cover you are fishing(how thick it is) and water temp(active fish or not) and a little consideration to the depth.

I do a lot of pitching (and the occasional actual flip), but I think I am guilty of calling pitching "flipping" most of the time. No one in this post has mentioned it, but maybe guys use it more because flipping is just a great word to say. It's a fun word. Unlike "pitching." Not that pitching is a bummer -- it has its place. Like in baseball, or when spreading a pail of coal tar. But I like to say "flipping" a lot more. I like how you can drag out the f and how your lips smack together at the end when you say "flip." Flipping. Flip. Now I can't stop saying it. Ffflipp! (Whoops -- I just spit on my screen.)

Cgolf, Interesting topic. Let us know what you find out on the clear vs white plastic. A-Jay, I have a non-silent RES that is in Sexy Ghost Minnow (partially clear). It wasn't made right and the cylindrical weights rattle slightly when I shake it. I haven't used it yet (because of the other lures filling my tackle box) but I guess I should. I know that some of the old versions of the Cotton Cordell Spot would have the lead in the head portion of the lure loose and it would make a different noise. I used to go to the store and shake the lure packages searching for them because they seemed to work better. They probably thought I was crazy shaking the lures next to my ear!

Just couldn't pass up a great price on local classifieds.

Well, after much deliberation (and more than a few posts asking advice...lol) I finally decided on a new rod for this year and I went with the iRod Fiber casting rod, 7'5" Fred's Magic Stick model...check it out at TW. This should take care of all of my heavier top water baits as well as jigs, spinnerbaits/buzz baits and even frogs. The reel is a BPS Pro Qualifier, 7.1:1 RH that my local (2+ hour away) BPS was finally able to find me and costs just $49.97 (they also agreed to ship it to my house for free). Now, I would like to get yet another rod for more of an all-around use like maybe a Dobyn's Fury 734C or something similar (maybe one of their refurbished/trade-in specials) too as well as a Daiwa Tatula CT but those may be further down the road this year (maybe birthday and Father's Day...lol). Right now it's about 11 degrees out with a 25 - 30mph arctic wind that makes it feel like -20 and a fresh layer of about 4" of snow so fishing season is still a ways off up here in the North

I don't know if it's the different plastic, stuck BBs or different paint, but I absolutely have RESs that catch better than others. I just mark them, and move them to the $ box.

Yes but figuring it out to win a dink fest is different than figuring out a lake's patterns to catch both quantity and quality are two different things --

Rod for bottom contact or baits that aren't always moving, reel for moving baits and top water because you get long casts

I have Exactly One bait, that is supposed to be silent but instead clicks a little. This is it. . Clearly whatever's going on inside there is an accident and although I've purchased a few more with the hopes of reproducing the 'magic' - it hasn't happened & probably never will. So all that means is there is No WAY I'm going to knock, whack, smack or even flick this bait in any way that might "Fix" something that in the minds of the couple hundred bass that have totally swallowed it, does not exist. I may even consider storing it in bubble wrap. A-Jay

Do you know Scuba Steve ? A-Jay

It probably belongs to the guy standing on the bank crying & looking longingly at the water.

Looks like St. Croix is revealing their extra long rods to go with BASS now allowing rods up to 10' in length. What does everyone think of these sticks? https://www.bassmaster.com/news/st-croix-debuts-half-dozen-extra-long-legend-tournament-bass-casting-rods-bassmaster-classic

I was cleaning an old computer when I found an old picture of a Big NY Upstate Winter Bass through the Ice. My Brother and I used to fish a lake near his house which was pretty big and if you fished it in the spring through fall, you would each catch Stunted bass on almost every cast. We used to assume that all the fish were stunted in the lake with an occasional 2lber but my brother discovered that targeting them through the Ice in the part of the lake choked out with Hydrilla so thick that you really couldn't fish most of it (This is before Braid & b4 we knew about Hollow frogs etc.) I forget how much this fish weighed, we used to call everything over 21-22" 5-6lbs and I kind of think this fish was 23" since that was a really good quality bass in upstate NY and in this lake, you could literally catch 5-6 Bass over 21" in a solid day of Ice Fishing. This Fish barely fit through the hole and I believe it was caught on a small Road Runner or small Jigging Spoon (We used to use a Hopkins spoon) We only caught the big fish in the deep areas over 15' in the areas that you could not fish during the year. I guess the lesson of my story is if weeds are too thick they can cause bass to be stunted which I have seen in ponds, but if you have a lake where you only catch small bass, try fishing it through the ice. Live Minnows will also speed up the process & it makes the cold not seem so bad. Here is the picture of my brother with one of the biggest through the Ice and this was Mid Winter with thick ice. Bass eat in the cold, especially the bigger ones, you rarely would catch the dinks in winter which still seems strange to me.

So in February, we had a warm snap and got me itching to go fishing. Decided that I better check the boat out in case the weather changed for the better again. Uncovered the boat and started cleaning things up and trued out the trolling motor, nothing. Thought what in the world! Messed with it on and off for about a week and couldn't figure it out. Had a feeling it was probably the circuit board in the foot control. Took the motor off and took it to a local service shop. Yep it was the circuit board. Got it fixed and remounted the motor. Ran good but the weather turned cold again so just have to wait till the weather to break again. Well this weekend is to be in the upper 60's, time to get the boat out. Started to pack some rods and gear in the boat. For some reason I decided to test the trolling motor again. Barely would move the prop. Checked the batteries, one of the batteries was not even trying to charge. Took it out and to the store I went. Battery is bad, not even a year old yet. They gave me a new battery also I bought another new one cause my one battery is not that great. Hope I have the bugs worked out now. Wow what a pain, guess it is better to find out before I go than finding out on the water! On the bright side the big motor fired right up and is running good! I just want to go fishing !

It was accidentally deleted! Tom

Loon was the first color I ordered. If I were buying only one, that would be the color. After that I bought bone, and then bluegill. As an aside, I would also recommend getting the 130 instead of the 90, as the bigger bait seems to run more true and the smaller fish will nail it too.

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!

I think Lew's made that a long time ago, called it the Speed Hook.

X2 Excactly what I was going to say.

Try fishing, first the rod with no reel, then the reel with no rod. I think you will find, they are equally important. Hootie

You should've done 2 orders and used that fish hound $5 code each plus get 2 stickers and 2 shirts

Just arrived this afternoon. I like this mid week gig. Fished the last two hours today. Caught 6 or 7 and a gator lol. 3 or 4 keepers some post spawn some slap full of eggs. Spinnerbait, Frog, and Rogue. Hopefully, with 12 hours tomorrow I can give a better report. Good luck!

I meant it was tough for bass fishing lol. I usually catch around 5 bass within an hour at that spot. Yesterday, I fished for 3 hours and only got 2.

Uhh ohh. I smell a "new rig" comin

Pitching and flipping are two different terms to me, and the term flipping has not replaced the term pitching. However, I think the technique pitching has replaced (maybe too strong but getting there) the technique flipping. When I first started seriously bass fishing in the 80's it seemed like everyone was flipping, and now everyone is pitching. All the cool kids now are pitching.

Today was the my first full day of fishing on the lake. I caught 7. I did some scouting and idling last Thursday and didn't do much fishing at all. This place can be overwhelming. I launched at San Miguel. Water was as high as 74 in some places. I got a 4 pounder on a toad in 1215 near north Toledo bend state park in a foot and a half of water near buck brush and submerged grass. I didn't make it there until close to 11 but I assume that bite would be better in the morning. The carp over there are nuts. The rest came on a squarebill on rip rap on the south bank of San Miguel. Cozy point etc

Best Option: Shakespeare Spiderman Rod/Reel Kit ! On the Serious Side: St. Croix Legend Tournament Spin Rod 6'10" Medium ($260) Shimano Stradic Ci4+ Spinning Reel (2500) ($229.99 Total: $489 <--- Paid by the Forum Members

monkey`s just antagonizing some more

I don't know what kind of boat you have but maybe this will work? I use something similar with a generic Bass Pro cover.

AJ hit the nail on the head, you can tweak the scoring as needed if you want to have larger bass targeted. You could reward bonus points for target or largest fish, change the minimum size, or a bunch of other creative things. As boring as some think it is to watch smaller fish caught, it is more boring to watch someone go an hour without a bite.

Dink fest...Aaron Martens caught 88 lbs of bass in 6 hrs from one of those Grand Rapids MN lakes he had never even heard of before fishing it and very few were under 2 lbs. Tom

Going by retail prices. Chronarch MGL St. Croix Avid Going by what can be had with some searching Metanium Dobyns Champion

Both are important to me, my reel costs about the same the cost of the rod.

I heard the chartreuse perch color makes a "mooooo" sound.In all seriousness its a good question.I never really thought of it.

For me it goes rod, line, then reel. That being said, I do own some $300+ Daiwas

For me they're even because I plan to keep them for quite some time. I want a quality reel that with proper maintenance will last me 5yrs or more. I want a quality rod that is well built and as sensitive as I can get for the money I can spend on it. Warranty plays a small part also. You have a great budget and you can get a solid combo for $400-500. I'd put $250 into a rod and $200 into a reel.

Caught a Sea Gull as a teenager trolling in my canoe with a diving plug. Had NO idea of what I was going to do with it, fortunately it came off right before boatside. He was NOT happy. Wife caught a snake once before we met, had some teenagers come unhook it for her. Fishing with her nephews, they thought it was awesome. I have had snakes try to get in the boat, snagged fishing poles, watched Eagles pick up trout close to the boat and all sorts of interesting sights. My best stories are from duck hunting though, wandering around the marsh in the dark. A Blue Heron spooked when you dont know its there sounds EXACTLY like something Stephen King would dream up....

Had a friend that worked at a nuke power plant. We got to fish the discharge and take a tour of the plant (after a lengthy background check). The pics are speckled trout.

??

The Metanium palms bigger than the Aldebaran and does not hold much more line. Especially the cheaper JDM version with a shallow spool (all other things exactly the same i believe). The Metanium is still very comfortable to palm in my hands. I have all fingers north of the trigger when palming. The Metanium MGL is the best casting reel I have fished. This includes older Zillions, Met 13, Met DC, Aldebaran 2015 and 2009 51 Mg7, Core 51 Mg7, Curado 51E and 201E7, Curado 71. More expensive options like the Antares (heavy), Conquest (round) and Steez may cast as well or better, i have never fished them. The 2015 Aldebaran is the smallest and lightest reel I have used by far. Noticeable weight difference between it and a Magnesium Core 51 or Metanium MGL. Casts great. 2 bearings in each knob (Met MGL does too) but i swap the knobs for the larger MET 13 XG ones. It has the small knobs like the ones on the Curado 71. On a lightweight and balanced rod like the NRX 842 (fast action) or NRX 852 (XF) it makes a hard combo to put down. Both the 842 and 852 lack a bit of power to be ideal for pitching typical skirted jigs 3/8oz plus plastic and greater to cover IMO. Better suited for 3/16oz jigs and t-rig, shakey jigs, weightless plastics, small paddletails, small squarebills. Perfect for a 4" senko and beginning to feel light with a 5" senko but totally doable if that helps. For an all around jig rod for pitching id look at something sensitive, MH, XF or maybe F. some rods I have never used like the high end Kistlers (sensitive), Dobyns (balanced) and some of the high end Megabass rods where value starts to diminish rapidly might be worth some research. Different MB lines vary greatly in sensitivity, do your homework if you go this route. My MB experience is only with the XX line. Great sensitivity but not near NRX territory. Awesome tapers for moving baits.

Is a thousand dollars really considered a "budget"?

R.I.P. On a positive note, you get to go shopping...

Frogs croaking is how I know it's spring time. They started last week sometime. Not so loud tonight after the snow yesterday

Here is a 14 inch cedar musky bait that was a nice change from all the small bass cranks I have been building. The eyes are mirrored opal stones I pulled off of a costume jewelry bracelet. They made pretty cool walleye eyes.