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Sure enough, Clearance Aisle finds galore. As mentioned, everything rang up for even less. The $3.00 Watermelon/Black Senkos were actually $1.00. I bought everything they had. All hardbaits in photo including Yamamoto were $2.00 each. 110 yards of Trilene Mono, XT was $.75. Insane. Here's the whole Clearance Aisle haul: LINE 5 spools 110yd Trilene XL 6lb 1 spool 110yd Trilene XT 6lb 1 spool 300 yards Trilene XL Low-Vis Green 12lb 2 spools 100yd Stren Fluorocast 8lb and 12lb 1 spool 300 yd Hi-Seas Grand Slam 10lb SOFT PLASTICS 4 bags GYCB 5" Senko Watermelon/Black 2 bags GYCB 5" Senko Red Shad Laminate 1 bag ZOOM Super Salt Plus Split-tail Trailer Chartreuse Glitter HARDBAITS 1 GYCB Chikara Crankbait Sexy Shad 1 GYCB Chikara Crankbait Pumpkin Black Flake 1 Norman Mad N Lavender Shad 1 Norman Flat Broke Chartreuse Sexy Shad 1 Norman Middle N Chili Bowl 1 Arbogast Jitterbug 1/4 oz Clicker 1 Cotton Cordell Big O Green Tiger 1 Cotton Cordell Grappler Shad-Perch 1 Cotton Cordel Shad Super Shad TERMINAL TACKLE Mustad KVD Pro Stinger Trailer hooks 3/0 2 Ready2Fish Baitholder hooks 2/0 Booyah Sunglasses ($4.00)

I'm still drooling all over my new set up. Point Blank 7' medium fast. Fuji Titanium Alconites spiral wrapped. Alps Tex Touch reel seat, left the insert out - Lot's of blank access here! Carbon fiber and Eva mix handle. Matt black checks and rings to match the finish on the reel of course. Fuji ultra poly metallic thread. STEEZ SV. This is crazy light with some good power. Must get to the lake soon!

My first high end casting reel, and my second Shimano. Cant wait for Wisconsin spring!

I can't imagine it's any better than a Tatula CT for $100 on the Ebay. I imagine it's a good reel though.

Didn't know there was a thread for Walmart scores. Picked these up today

After attending Day 1 of the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, I want to congratulate B.A.S.S. on pulling off a huge success. Even with 2 days of competition left to go, it is obvious that B.A.S.S. was able to bring professional bass fishing to the bright lights of a major city in a manner never seen before. With that said, I humbly suggest future events go in a different direction. We have all seen those movies whose plot centers around an outsider kid trying to get in with the cool crowd. That is the residual feeling I get after watching the major tournament of our sport walk into Houston. We have every right to be there and are as compelling as any other sport that city has seen, but at the end of the day, we don't fit. Whether it be trucks hauling boats in downtown traffic or watching garages charge $15 parking for an event with no admission fee, the nuances & traditions of our sport do not mesh well with the lifestyle of an urban environment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying B.A.S.S. can't do this, they are proving they can. From the product they deliver to the talent on the water and announcing the events, these folks can hold their own on this or any stage. I just don't believe that in the long run, it is in their best interest to do so. While in line for the weigh-in yesterday, security for Minute Maid park came through announcing the limitations on what can be brought in & how their security screening process works. Talk about not knowing your audience!! I guarantee that crowd of people was the safest spot to be in the entire city. The weigh-in started an hour later than originally scheduled, and what was the crowds reaction? Did they boo, start chanting or storm the field? No, we just waited & talked among ourselves. What a concept!! I used to share season tickets to the ANAHEIM Angels (sorry Artie, they aren't L.A.) and barely ever had a 5 minute conversation with any of those sitting around me. Yesterday, I chatted for 45 minutes with a man sitting to my right who turned out to be a lure engineer for a major bait company. Guess what, he doesn't live in Houston, New York or L.A. B.A.S.S., you proved your point, you are in the big leagues. As a member of your organization on & off for the past 40 years, I believe your future, the way you grow & reach people, is not by taking yourself to the big cities inhabited by a majority of people who would sneer at Hank Cherry for mentioning his faith & tearing up. Instead, stay where you are most welcome and use technology to bring people around the country to you. That too is a big hurdle, but I believe you have proved over & over again that your organization has great "hops". Once again, congratulation on the success of the Classic, you have once more outdone yourself.

TW has the largest and the best prices/selection on the net. Those clowns that cry every time they have a sale and they are "disappointed" in an inexpensive tackle vendor being cheaper and "they should keep up with the times", are the same people that can't read TW's simple FAQ or pick up a phone to call them directly because something isn't right in front of their face. Spoiler alert...TW price matches any major retailer that isn't ebay or amazon. All you have to do is pick up the phone... I understand it's a difficult website to scan...so here's a step by step. I know...that was tough.

After I've searched to see if anyone is home, then I will start targeting. Stumps.....laydowns......overhanging brush. If the middle of the day, I will cast into shaded areas. Anything that looks "bassy". When you get good at it you can call your shots. Land your frog on the bank and work it into the water. Land it on top of laydowns and jump into the water. Anything to cause a frog like commotion. When you DO get a blowup, your immediate instinct is to set the hook. You will lose that fish. I won't give you an exact pause time because it changes every time but when you feel weight, set the hook UP. If you hook it, use that stout rod and fast reel to get that fish out of there FAST. You do not want it going down. If you miss the fish...STOP! If your frog is still in the general vicinity let it sit there and start working it again. That fish is still there and she's already taken one shot at it. She'll take another. If you pulled the frog out of the area, regroup and cast back into the area and give her another shot at it. Frogging is deceptively simple. It's a very easy technique to learn but requires hard dedication to master or really even get good at. I'm good at it. I am NOT a master. It is also not a "numbers" technique. It's a "big game" technique that happens to be amazingly fun and can also make you think about quitting fishing all together, at times. Try it! Don't let it get you down and keep chucking that frog. The first time you put it all together and you pull a 6 lber outta there, you'll be way more hooked than that bass. One other thing....I use 40 lb braid but I also use Norman Speed clips. Why? I cast into some GNARLY places and get hung up. 99% of the time I can get it free but that 1% that I lose the frog I do not want to also leave 20 or 30 yards of braid behind as well. I try to respect the water I am on and the fish and other creatures that live there. I can break that clip before I break that braid.

I also braved the wind about 3 hours or so yesterday when I had the time. The air temp was a balmy 72 degrees, which was a nice change of pace. Very sunny and windy. The wind was so bad I couldn't keep contac with my jerkbait, so I fished mainly a Red Eye Shad instead. My buddy caught a bunch on one as well, it was chrome blue back, but not for long after the fish started to chow down. Only have one to show for it but she was a beauty. Weighed in at 3.48 on the new Rapala scale (which when tested was good to plus or minus a tenth of a pound or so with multiple weights) Also caught a small one, first one of the year, Wednesday evening because the boss let me off early. It was the first time I'd been fishing in a year and I'm glad I've come back to it. It felt great to be on the water and to get that tug again.

I had dinner with tonight?

The more expensive the lure, the bigger the tear you will shed when it gets snagged and lost.

Thanks guys for all the kind word, I'm not giving all up that for sure. Came back from work, slept a couple hours and went back there again. Caught one on missile bait, not a giant as I hope but good enough to give me back my hope.

I just have to brag about this one, the rod pictured, built on a RodGeeks blank, was auctioned last night at the local educational advancement foundation fund raiser, and it brought $500 from a very generous man who had won the auction on one of my rods from an earlier year. Being close to Lansing, MI, the Michigan State theme rods are popular.

I'm glad you all asked.Today we will be serving baked cod.Seasoned simply with salt,pepper and butter.Pan roasted asparagus and rice pilaf on the side.

True, I hope it applies to the bass considering I just bought 3 packs of em

There are some cities that have a huge population of anglers. NYC comes to mind.

The spectators boats are an interesting study at every Classic and often impact the results. It seems the locals want to follow so they can watch where the pro go on thier lakes and then move onto spots and fish them if the pro leaves. Sometimes the spectators beat the pro to the spots on days 2 and 3 catching the bass....amazing show of unsportsmanlike behavior. Watching is normal, fishing during a tournament as a spectators isn't. Tom

Never used a PQ. Although the CT can be had for $100 or less (and the original for $95) you have to remember you are comparing a $130 reel to a $100 reel (list). It should be a better reel based on list price. I can say the Tatula is a very nice reel probably worth more than what it sells for. Some house reels also fish better than their price. Take the older grey colored Prodigy (made by Daiwa for Cabela's). A reel I feel was worth more than the $100 asking price. Not a "new" reel, but I'd guess the best $100 reel on the market at the moment is the Diawa Exceler for $37.48 at TW. Reviews are good for the most part. No doubt someone fishing hard several days a week would find it not as smooth sometime down the road. But that is to be expected. As I said, never used a PQ, and at the price I can get a Tatula model, never will. Admitedly I like Daiwa reels. However.........I would never choose a reel just because it had a Daiwa or Shimano nameplate. Absolutely love my Primmus Xi HS and Helios Air reels. These are not reels many on here would even consider owning.

Fishing buddy Eric usually tosses big swimbaits at largemouth, but on his yearly trip to Quabbin Reservoir with me he thought he'd try to get a sizable smallie to eat a CL8BAIT Vole.

Dwight is correct. I'm sure big smallies have been caught on big hudds and 9" Sluggos, but neither is a high percentage type presentation. And they require Xtra heavy gear to toss them. Smallies can be caught in greater numbers on any number of presentations out there that do not require football shoulders to toss. Eventually, you will tie up with a 6 lb. smallies with conventional gear. And the experience will probably be a much better. JMO.

Yikes! Some of my fantasy guys better get on some fish then!

I caught my PB smallie on a rapala tail dancer shown in the picture next to a hudd 68 special for size comparison. A bigger smallie could eat the 6" hudd. Smallies are notorious for hitting musky baits but most of those caught are snagged when they slash at it as opposed to actually choking the bait into their mouths.

Kiteman, there are three basic water levels that we fish: topwater/shallow, mid-range and deep/bottom. You have to use techniques and baits for all three levels using a "fan pattern" for every place you stop to fish. The "fan pattern" means you work your bait from left to right and then right to left, about five our six times, before changing baits or techniques. Poachers like large bass. Nothing you can do about poachers other than to avoid them. If they are taking the large ladies who help continue the pond's bass population, then sooner or later the population will be harmed. Please consider down sizing your baits on lighter line, with the understanding that you may have to upgrade your line test and bait size when you fish the grass. Consider a Carolina rig or a Mojo presentation in the grass, using weedless rigged plastic lizards with weedless 1/0 or 2/0 hooks. And use those weedless hooks with your plastics to avoid snags in the grass. You can also remove the back trailer hook from your lipless crankbaits and pull them through the grass. If you still do not catch anything then the bass population in the pond has been severely damaged and it may not recover. How about adding your location to our avatar so we can easily understand where you live and what bodies of water you like to fish. All I can add is to go out there and experiment. It will be painful and the results may not be what you want. At least you will have tried.

Mr. Don Burgett https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/3/24/goodbye-don-burgett/ The "ww2" in my screen name goes all the way back to when I was 11 years old and read Don's book "Currahee!: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy." that I checked out of the elementary school library in 4th grade.........and so began my lifelong affair with studying these great real American Hero's. While there were more decorated hero's of the war, or more well known author's about their personal exp., Don's books are a fantastic, no-nonsense, often comical, and very real telling of his story and well worth the read.

Nope. Those guys are hardcore; they use JJ's on everything.

Dealt with the wind as best I could for about three hours today. I don't know where the weather guy got his info, it was way windier than the 25 mile an hour predicted. It was so windy my trolling motor couldn't keep me in place, and my anchors wouldn't hold, so I would motor up wind of the spot and put the trolling motor on full speed to slow the drift past the spot down. Didn't think I could safely get to the dam after spearing a couple waves and getting drenched, so I fished the upper end of the lake. Still managed 8 bass on jerkbaits retrieved with a 2-3 second pause, with the largest weighing just shy of 4 1/2 pounds. Seems like most of my bass over four pounds are caught in heavy wind, but it doesn't make it any easier to fish in. Tryed fishing in protected coves, but they are still on steep dropping shorelines and points in 8-17 feet of water today. Water temperature is 47 on the main lake and 52 in the coves, and the water clarity is about 3-4 feet.

that code worked for me on monday. you probably can't use the code on top of the 25% off on the classic items

Cold water muskies are some of my favorite fish to catch. My best producing lure by far during this time is a 6" Fat AZ Sloppy Swimmer (rubber paddletail swimbait). I take the bottom hook off and craw this sucker slowly on the bottom, sometimes taking 3 or 4 minutes a cast. Here's a musky caught last Spring in 38 degree water temps using this technique. I should be out there now, but I just haven't had the chance (I know, weak excuse)

i think ike has a learning disability for sure. he is beyond excited over 1lb bass the stupid outburst and lack of control of emotions. if you watch the mlf stuff he is head butting the refs and his windshield. i don't know i like his power fishing and think he is a very good angler, but he is a special kind of silly. i have keith combs to win it out of bucket A and it seems to be all but over for him

27/7? I would think the overhanging threat of theft would itself be a deterrent.

Brent Ehrler weighed in a 23-3 bag anchored by a 9-12 Go-Rilla of a Bass and currently sit's in 1st place. btw - now that the contestants are off the water Scrubby McScrubberson is running around poaching everyone's bass. A-Jay

I don't mind paying a higher price for a crank, when it's justified by premium hooks, counter-balancing, internal acoustics or the like. But it would be a cold day in hell when I throw money at an ultra-realistic, super durable, baked on finish. Ever notice that the best producing plugs are always the ugliest, most battered plugs in your tackle box? Roger

You got a lot of excellent advise on the how and where. The when really depends on your water. I live in Florida so down here the "rules" are a little different. There are days throughout the year that I won't throw anything else and get bit in open water at high noon. Early morning and late evening seems to be the sweet spot for most of the country so I would hit it hard during those times but in a pond try it at different times and see what happens. I know guys who stop throwing a frog when the sun comes over the top of the trees!....Don't get pigeon holed into that kind of thinking. Most guys on this forum are in love with the Pad Crasher and anything from Spro They are excellent but try others to see what you like. I'm partial to the Scum and Live Target they all have thier plus's Have Fun Mike

Did she come unbuttoned into the net or were you lipping her with the scale's hook?? That's a pretty tight estimate of a lost fish! lol

Get yourself a pack of 9" Sluggos. Tx rig with an 8/0 worm hook (no additional weight). Cast out and let it hit the bottom and leave it there for about a minute. Snap it off the bottom and repeat. If it gets in front of a big northern, it will take it. The warmer the water gets the quicker the cadence.

What Gives here? Havin a bad day? I agree,there are alot of these posts. But how many braid to flouro, backing my reel,etc posts have been up just in 2 weeks? Im probably guilty of it too,but those who care to answer,do so,and its appreciated. I guess some of us arent as smart as you sir. But i do appreciate your knowledge on other posts.

I've had a slow 2017 until this week. Caught both in the same area, maybe same bed, 3 days apart. Both off of watermelon trick worm on a bubba shot. Battery was dead on scale for the first one, but it was 22.5". Second bass was much thicker, 22" @ 6lb13oz. For whatever reason they look kind of small in the photos, I'm guessing its camera angle. PBs for retention ponds+bank fishing.

I sent you a message

3 ci4's and 3 Chronarch MGL's and none of them have ever given me a single issue. I know people dislike the oncoming of composite materials replacing metal, but the fact of the matter is that companies are using these materials because they see an advantage to using these materials. A big company like Shimano would not use a chincy material that they know they would have to warranty out and put a bad taste in their customer's mouths.

have you used the fenwick yet? i ask because i wanted one but got the phenix M1 over it since i couldnt find a decent test or review

stuff.

Pretty soon we will see a similar picture but with a 10 pounder. Nice work always good to take kids fishing.

Bring a large quilt or comforter to wrap around you when you get out of the water, or a zippered sleeping bag. Personally, I don't think it's worth it. You get in trouble and your buddy might not be able to haul you back onto the boat, and end up in the drink trying. Chalk it up to a life lesson, and move on. None of us wants to read about a fisherman who died trying to retrieve a seven hundred dollar cell phone. You hit that cold water and it could literally paralyze you in seconds.

Cold water and swimming don't mix, Get yourself a ten foot pole and put a dip net on the end of it and fish the phone out. Then next time your out fishing put a leash on your phone case. Again large dip net and ten foot pole.

The current Zillion SV TW spool does not drop into the current CT. It's a different spool design. They do share the same frame dimensions. The new SV spool won't drop into current CT tatulas. Current Tatulas use a spool shaft design where SV spools do not. I would opt for an SV103 if I had to choose between the 3 you are wondering around.

I haven't picked it up yet, but I just purchased a 2014, Towee Rivermaster. 16' long, 51" beam. I've been fishing rivers for the last few years, floating in my personal pontoon which I really enjoy. The problem was that in a day, a 6-7 mile float is about as long as you can do and the rivers I'd like to fish don't always have put-in and take out spots that are close enough together to make these floats possible. The shallow, rocky rivers prohibit me from taking my Ranger. A boat with a jet would be the answer. A friend was selling his 3 year old Towee which was designed for shallow rocky rivers. It's small enough to easily fit in my garage, and cheap enough for me to afford. The picture below is not the boat I bought. Mine has a Terrova trolling motor and I will be adding a 35hp Tohatsu jet outboard later this winter. Looking forward to the spring when I can get it out on the water.