Leaderboard

My new PB!!! Shaky head creature bait. Missile baits d-Bomb. 5 pounds 14 ounces!

As I see it, The Best place for this fine human to be Is In Front of me; both on the road & on the water. This gives ME all the control, and almost eliminates his opportunity to jack up me or my gear; because we both know he's almost certainly going to try, eventually. Once 'The Jack Wagon Syndrome' has been recognized, my standard defense is to simply slow down and then smile & wave as the 'accident waiting to happen' goes on by. Then it's just a matter of sitting back, waiting & watching as the insanity ensues. Usually doesn't take long. A-Jay

I went to a Sportshow...

The smaller females are hitting the banks so that's always my sign to start throwing a bream colored chatterbait. I caught three fish in the 3.5 to 4lb range. I didn't get a picture of the first. I had a hell of a time getting her released. Oh and Go Ducks! First Final Four since before the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!

This type of thing Is the exact reason why I do my best to fish when there are few others. Of course there are times when that Is not possible and in that situation I do my best to be Invisible. By that I mean fish In places that are difficult to get into or at the very least find the nastiest stuff I can fish, put my head down and mind my own business. In the event someone shows his hind end I smile, wave, pull up stakes and go elsewhere. In the Summer It's easy to get away(Fish at night) from the crowds and In the Fall the deer hunters cut the lake population In half. In the Spring I deal with the crowds in the stated ways above and refuse to fish for bedding fish. In the end the good folks far outweigh the bad and realizing there will be turds In all walks of life makes It simpler to be polite, let them have their way, and avoid as many as possible(anglers in general) to do something I love to do. As for AJ'S comment of the watering down on "goodness" In the gene pool, he's correct but with a caveat; If you read/post here long enough you get to see good men and sportsman on a regular basis.

The Mental State of Pure Florida Bass... Aloof....You hit her in the head with a 1 oz weight and she'll just look up at you and shake it off. Apathetic...Hungry or not, if she don't feel like moving she won't. She'll just sit in one spot and watch your bait swim by and look the other way. Recalcitrant....You do the right thing, in the right place, at the right time...She knows it but couldn't care less. Mike

Had 30lbs today and my dad had 14lbs in our club tournament. Our best 5 combined was 33lbs. I had 3 fish between 7- 10lbs jump off. My big fish i caught was 9.5lbs. Lots of tournaments coming up, but I'd be willing to share some info with y'all by pm if you want it.

I don't no what any of those words mean but I agree....or not, maybe.

Bass Pro Shops itself is calling their new reel "The PQ2" right on their website. It says right in the description that "it is a smaller framed aluminum housing, and still has the same dual braking with click adjustable magnetics and a 6 pin centrifugal cast control". That is essentially the same system it has had for quite some time. I dislike that cast control as compared to that of the Daiwas. It is the same reason I sold my Curados and Chronarchs. The Shimanos are beloved by many, just not me! This is what my fishing experience from using many reels has taught me. I make my comments based on that experience only. If Bass Pro Shops had said it had an improved cast control, than I would have had to test one for comparison. I could care less about 1 ounce of weight on a reel. I love my original Type Rs and they weigh 7.9 ounces, so that is .6 more than a PQ2. That is irrelevant. My preference is based strictly upon my experience that has come from actually fishing the braking system that Daiwa developed and uses in all of the different versions of the Tatulas. It is called Magforce Z. In my opinion, until Johnny Morris has a truly new reel designed (or like always he buys someone out so he can steal their technology) then BPS sell nothing that compares to the Tatula family. The Daiwa Tatula CT is the least expensive of the Tatula lineup and it shares almost all of the goodies that the more expensive versions offer. As the price goes up, so do the extras each version offers. Some versions offer a weight reduction and a size reduction, some offer lighter weight "sv" spools and better bearings etc. They all add up to reels I can enjoy fishing with and rely on for years of service. They also offer the ability to easily obtain aftermarket parts to customize them with. This is also an area many Diawa and Shimano users share.

Lots of good info on this, here is my take. Rod 7-7'6 Heavy action and fast tip. Braided line, I use 30# no matter where I'm fishing but started out useing 50#. I use the spro frogs sometimes but have better results with ribbets, I use all the diffrent sizes. Like others have said give it a few seconds when it gets hit, when you reel out the slack and feel the bass chomping on your frog and feel its weight, bare down and cross its eyes when you set the hook. Fish a bunch of colors to find what works best for where you fish. When the sun is high fish it tight to flooded brush and log jams as well as thick grass pads. I fish frogs from early February all the way till November most times.

On the strength of TWO 20lb bags Dave Lefebre from Erie, PA is currently sitting in 2nd place on day two. Brent Ehrler backed his day one 23-3 lb bag with another 20 sack to stay on top of the leader board so far on day two. The final day is shaping up to be pretty killer. A-Jay

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)

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.

To add onto this I do recommend modifying the frog a little bit by bending the hooks upwards slightly and trimming the legs an inch or two. Trimming the legs will help prevent the fish from short striking it and will help the bait walk easier. If you are fishing really heavy cover you can't really walk it but just pop it along until you get to a hole or any gap in the cover then try and walk it slowly almost in place. A lot of times they will follow it out of the heavy stuff and hit it where they can target it easily.

What do you use for your other swimbaits? Power and line capacity would trump any ratio concerns in my mind.

Bit of a shame there wasn't a camera with Jordan Lee. We'll see how good his marshal is at estimating weighs at the weigh in....

Handles 7 lbs in grass easily! Aint weighed it, ain't gonna

It's called the spawn cycle, big females are up and catchable! Ike's big bass looks like 8 lbs to me, hope he doesn't win! Tom

You could cut a thin piece of dense foam to the shape of the inside of the lid and that would solve the problem too.

Tools with the next victim .....

51 other anglers had this dream and he's living it. I doubt he's going anywhere regardless of today's results. A-Jay

Zodias is the best keitech rod ive tried

7' M Zodias will work..

OC, excellent editorial, however it has a small flaw in my opinion. The flaw: Where can BASS have the event that can house and feed the fans attending the Classic if not in a "city atmosphere?" The last Classic I attended in 2015 I was lucky to have my wife drop me off as she went shopping and then pick me up that evening. No parking problems for me but the line to get into the parking area was long and slow moving. Unless BASS can find a location close to a satisfactory body of water that has enough motel/hotel rooms, restaurants, sights to see and visit, an airport, a large area for the Classic's showcase, busses to take and bring back the participants to and from the blast off and weigh-in, parking facilities for cars, trucks, RV's and charter busses, have a safe environment, areas for the media to set up, enough law enforcement in the area to handle traffic and have a presence at the show, and an Interstate highway system to handle the traffic, we are stuck with a "big city" atmosphere. And having the show in an area where the body of water is in close proximity to the show in lieu of having them 20 to 30 or more miles apart is a challenge for planning future Classics. With that being said, how about everyone give us a list of locations that are not major cities that can meet the BASS requirements for the Classic. Branson? Beaver Lake? Eufaula? Toledo Bend? Buggs Island? Lake Mead? Lake Kissimmee? Bull Shoals? Guntersville? Lake Wylie? We are heading back to Greensville, South Carolina for the 2018 Classic. That is the last Classic I attended and it was worth the drive from Richmond. I may go again. Greensville is a small city with great people and a facility that can handle the crowd. Will start dropping the "seeds of heading to the Classic" on my wife, now, for next year's event. Believe me guys and gals, the Classic's show facilities with the vendors, pros, manufacturers (I met Big O from Rage Tail. Fantastic guy and the fun guys from Pure Fishing), give aways, and beautiful setups, met Glenn, you cannot parallel the Classic with any other fishing event. Although I have never been to ICast and I can't make a valid comparison of the two events, I strongly suggest everyone make at least one Classic. You will not regret the time or expenses involved and you will make new friends and have the opportunity to see the newest and latest gear plus purchasing some of the items at a fantastic price.

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.

This is good info. And like he said, once you figure out this early sason bite, it's usually pretty reliable to pattern. And it's different on every body of water. On my home lake, just after ice out, you can walk across them in this huge cove where the main stream comes into the lake. It's mostly 3-5 ft with some pockets that get 9-11 ft deep; that's it, no deep water bite here, no ledges etc...just a big bowl where the water warms faster and bait starts moving up that stream in the spring and the bass follow in herds. And it's the same thing year after year; love it! Oh, and if you aren't already, throw a suspending jerkbait. And try different colors of it. Good luck and keep us posted.

Better he is on your back, then nipping at my wallet!

On Havasu 2 years ago, it was $125. You are guaranteed 2 days, 1/2 the marshals (first signups) get day 3 and there is a random drawing for the few Day 4 spots. I looked at it as getting to sit in the front row of a sporting event. While some anglers may seem to harbor resentment for dragging a spectator around in their boat, Dennis Tietje and Alton Jones were fantastic hosts. I did everything I could to not be a problem and just observe, I know this is their office and they are working. I'll probably have to wait until 2020 for them to come back out to the West Coast, but I will definitely do it again.

Caught this one today on an Academy H2O Express wakebait. This bait has been a proven catcher for me the last 2 seasons. I usually can find these baits for $2 - $3. This is my best so far this season, prob 5+ lbs.

Good marine fiberglass boat repairman can fix that. Tom

I'm not sure myself, but I figured it's better than profanity Roger

One thing is sure, the advice and information gleaned from this forum is second to none! What's rarely addressed though is that the vast majority of information pertains to 'northern-strain bass'. I grew up bass fishing in NJ, PA, NY and Ontario, Canada. In the northeast I was fishing exclusively for northern-strain bass, a highly aggressive, easy-to-catch game fish. In fact, I had myself thoroughly convinced that I was a crackerjack bass angler. That notion was soundly trounced however, when I moved to central Florida, where I was converted back to a rank beginner (KVD admits that he fears Florida). Northern Florida isn't bad at all, because it supports northern-strain, Florida-strain and intergrade bass. But whenever you're fishing south of Ocala, Florida, you're dealing almost exclusively with Florida-strain bass, an aloof, apathetic. recalcitrant creature Roger

Just a thought- if you are using multiple coats and still enveloping guides, I think you are applying it too heavy, or your dryer set up is significantly out of level.

I have been visiting my Walmart clearance isles on a weekly basis. It seems they lower the prices every week. I got Gamakatsu drop shot hooks for .75 (last week $1, the week before $2) a pack this week. Trilene XL 14lb test for 1.50 a spool and Gulp Crawfish attractant for $2.50 (last week 4.50) Still waiting on the power pro to get lower. Still $12 a spool.

Nice. I've picked up some of those Cotton Cordell's for $2. They may be cheap, but they'll be fun baits to throw since you won't have to worry about the cost of losing them.

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

It's a logistical thing and nothing more or less. They need the facilities to support the expo and all the industry people and fans coming in. They also need it to be relatively easy to get to in terms of travel, which means it will have to be somewhat close to decent sized airport. As an aside, do you not think there are a huge number of bass-heads in Houston and it's suburbs? I think it's nice when they get out of the traditional comfort zone...An MLB stadium is a pretty cool place to weigh in.

I would give you 3 suggestions and I love all 3 of these rods. Number one is my primary jig rod. It is a Powell Max 683 CEF. You can read the Tackletour review of this rod. They have upgraded these rods so the same rod is now a Max3D model which is just a tad more powerful in its backbone. The Inferno series version of this rod is a probably closer to the original, but either will be terrific rod to fish with Next look at a Dobyns Sierra SA734C. That is a great do it all rod, good for jigs, tx rigs, spinnerbaits, and even some buzzbaits or spinnerbaits. i like the Sierra over the Fury for its sensitivity. I also love the Irods Genesis II series of rods. Here I would look at the IRG704C and IRG 744C rods. Both very versatile rods. My wife and I fish several other models of these rods and love them.

I have a slightly different version. "Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig. After a couple of hours, you realize they like it."

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

Just found a brand new with warranty Tatula TAT741HFB Frog rod on the bay for $96 shipped. Times is PHAT!

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.

Nope, I ain't buying it. First the whopper plopper, now this. Nope. No more. I'm out. I'll stick to my rubber worms. They may only do one thing but they do it right and they work.

Ok.....when I talk froggin, I'm talking about what Massbassin said above...Combat Fishing. Tight quarters and throwing into HEAVY cover. That thick matted snotty algae that people that DON'T frog would look at and keep on moving. As most have said above me, you need a stout rod of your preferred length...(I've used everything from 6'6" to 7'4). I like around 7....and a fast reel with good drag. I'm considering one of the new Kastking Speed Demons but they are hard to find and are not Aluminum framed so I don't know. The kind of frogging I do is HARD on equipment so I'm a little shy about buying one. My frog of choice is Scumfrog Trophy Series 5/8 oz. I don't think color matter that much in this kind of fishing BUT I seem to do best on this one.....Natural Black and Green. This has the added bonus of being one of the cheaper frogs you can buy. I also have plenty of Pad Crashers, Live Targets, etc., but I always come back to these. The Scum Frog lands on that matted stuff with a very distinct *plop* that is unlike any other frog. I use them as is straight out of the package. No need to trim as I am not walking them and I don't really want the hooks sticking up higher as that makes them more prone to snags and picking up debris. The added weight also means you can bomb them out there with pinpoint accuracy. I don't work for Scumfrog, btw. If I'm just searching, I'll cast out over the mat and let it land with it's plop and...do nothing. It might get hit immediately but most likely won't. It has, however, gotten the bass' attention, they just don't know where it is yet. Then I give it a pop and start working it back. Slowly. with plenty of starts and stops and all while shaking my rod tip to create as much commotion as possible. I've had friends tell me that I look like I have Parkinson's disease while working a frog but it's controlled. I'll pause it in any openings but continue the shake. As I get close to the boat, I'll speed up a bit until I get to the edge. There, I will stop and slowly work the frog off the edge. Get a lot of blowups there. I don't stop working the frog until I pick it up for another cast. *continue in next post*

Keep trying using a slow approach with jerkbaits or hair jigs. I usually find them after ice out in deeper water suspended as they transition into shallower water. Look for bait balls & target them at that depth. Their moving from deep water to shallow at this time in the cycle. Early in the season the bite is better as the day warms up later in the day. Don't get discouraged because once you get your first bite it will only get better, game on.

Oh NOW you tell me! After I discarded all my lures under $10

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

If your bank fishing around a lot of trees from tight spots,or what i refer to as "combat fishing" opt for a 7'-7'3" HF rod,and a reel with an IPT about 30 give or take.Spool it with 50-65#W braid depending on how heave of cover your fishing.Grab a few Booyah Pad Crashers (black,white and a bullfrog) and you'll be on your way.Hands down my favorite way to fish.Nothing like a frog blowup! Oh and use the 2 second rule.When that frog gets hit,count to 2 then jack em up!

Nothing wrong with Storm at all.

Brothers