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My buddy and i went fishing after work no fish for me. He caught his pb on the second cast pearl fluke witht the tail dipped in spike it. 5.51 lbs

Something I learned bed fishing is if a fish you can see can inhale, move and spit a bait faster than you can react and with out feeling it, no way are our reflexes so fast as to pull a bait away from a fish that truly wants it. If you're getting short strikes change color, size, retrieve or bait. It's not the line or rod action causing the problem.

Berkley Big Game 15# Mean Green

Spinnerbaits are a great multi functional bait. Use willow leaf blades and burn them as a search bait in open water. Use a colorado blade to slow roll deeper water. You can bring them through timber or just over a grass bed to get a reaction strike. Cloudy days I like gold blades and bright days I like silver. They are an awesome bait for a newbie or expert angler.

I got 12 more this evening biggest about 3 1/2, and 2 yesterday one 3lb and one 4 1/2. the biggest today actually tore the blade off my sinner bait, oh well ,fair trade 12 for 1

Caught my new PB on La Cygne this weekend at 6lbs 14oz and 22 1/2" (still cant manage to crack 7#). Got her on a sexy shad color bladed jig in about 8 fow. Also caught 5.2lb and 4lb keepers on a ned rig. Good day overall. Ended up with about 20 fish total, including a few drum and one nice size wiper. The bladed jig caught three or four and the rest came on the Ned. No luck with a black&blue jig, squarebills or lipless crank. I really thought the crankbaits would do well, but no takers. Ned was the winner. Water temp was around 65-66.

You might want to visit the owners, tell them your story, and reconfirm that it's okay to fish their property.

The slabs are starting to move up in central Pennsylvania.

First 4 pounder of the year. I was reeling in a small bass and this fish came out from under a dock and swiped at the fish I was fighting. I landed the small fish, released it, and tied on a LC 1.5 and swam it right beside the dock. Bam!

I first researched and published a piece questioning this practice many, many years ago. To that end, Mountain Dew is actually pretty lame in the acid dept. with a pH of 3.22, there are more than a dozen other common soft drinks with lower pH values. Even Gatorade is lower. This is because phosphoric acid is the stronger acid typically added to soft drinks, and Mountain Dew contains none. In addition, since you brought up dentists, the acid acts as a decalcifyer, eroding tooth enamel. The other (weaker) acid commonly used in soft drinks is citric acid, which is a known anticoagulant, so that would argue against your line of reason. Ironically, this binding and weakening of calcium is largely believed to be why blood clotting is negatively affected by these acids. The only possibilities the acid would have anything to do with helping to stop bleeding would either be by a weak cauterization (burning) of the tissue, or a physiological "shock" response by the fish to the low pH (the more likely scenario of the two), both of which the benefit would be questionable. Immediate water release, or placed into a treated livewell, is still the best practice until proven otherwise.

Boats and bananas do not mix. Yesterday, JE1946 took me out on Quabbin. Things were going well 'til I hauled a couple of bananas out of the lunch cooler. John promptly scolded me for bringing bananas on the boat as they bring bad luck. I spoofed the "superstition", and things went downhill from there. Lost a couple of lures that got hung up on the bottom, and snapped a rod trying to free a third from the bottom. Bananas 3, Tom 0. To add insult to injury when we got back to the landing, I ended up in the water when I stumbled taking the step onto the float. Could have been worse. At least I stayed upright, and the water was not quite waist deep. Banana curse 4, Tom 0. Oh wait, I almost forgot. Among the fish we caught were three or four lake trout. The banana curse struck twice more. John had a laker break off at the boat, long before the bananas' presence was made known to him. Curse 5, Tom 0. Ooops, one more though this could be more a matter of ignorance than luck. Never caught a lake trout before. When I got it to the boat, I lipped the fish and promptly got three puncture wounds (correction five puncture wounds) for my efforts. But what the heck. If I hadn't caught the fish, I wouldn't have gotten wounded. Bananas 6, Tom 0. As an aside, we did catch a few smallmouth, and I learned not to lip a laker. And,............I did not say that I shoulda stayed in bed. I will say, I shoulda left the bananas at home. Funny, the water did not seem that cold. Even afterward I did not feel cold walking around soaked to the waist. I was lucky in another regard. I did bring my foul weather gear, so I had a pair of dry rain pants to put on instead of driving home in my skivvies.

Or you could do something completely off the wall and crazy and have a conversation make plans and work threw things together. Now i want my hundred bucks for your first three marriage counseling sessions.

Hey Bass Resource! I haven't posted in a LONG time...life got in the way for a bit so I had to put the internet perusal on the back burner. Truth be told the bass fishing wasn't great for me last year either; managed some fish but nothing particularly big or worth writing home about. Thus, thought I would check in now that my 2017 Bass season is officially underway! It has been a very cold winter up here in the PNW and the fisheries all have reflected that; last year I was catching bass in February and getting topwater strikes in March, but this year the lakes were still iced up at that point. I've been making a few short trips here and there but it was always the same: cold, wet, and no fish. Finally got a break after the temperature started to climb a bit. Got out yesterday and hooked 2 dinks before getting into these two beauties on a jig crawled along the bottom. I'm not nearly as adept at jig fishing as most people so this was a very nice surprise for me, and man is it satisfying to feel a good fish on the end of the line again! Thanks for looking and I hope everyone else is having a great season so far too.

Internet ‘advice’ is always entertaining – so here’s some that’s probably worth a little less than what you paid for it. There is a lot said & written about ‘balance’. Life has a way of always balancing itself out one way or another. I believe in this case it may be more about honesty and living in the present. Where is it that you can find peace & happiness? Is it being with or doing for your partner or doing for yourself ? In reality, that’s a rhetorical question because you already know what makes you happiest. We all do. Next comes the part where two adults are honest about their priorities with each other. When you’re with the right one, they know what makes you tick and will support you (and vice versa). Not because anyone needs to, but because they want to – and when that’s actually the real deal – no one is asking anyone about ‘balance’. A-Jay

Finally able to hook a Michigan Brute! She weighed 6.26lbs

Today my friend and I spent 5 hours on the river here in Morgantown in kayaks. We had more opportunities at musky than bass over 12", which is typical. I caught a musky on a finesse jig (watched it eat the bait when I was swimming it in), my friend caught one on a spinnerbait, I lost one on a spinnerbait, and had one follow it to the kayak but I wasn't figure 8ing because well I was fishing a spinnerbait for bass. We did catch two smallmouth between 1&2lbs and several largemouth and spots around 8-11". The river here is seriously infested with them, it's not even a surprise anymore to hook one. I caught my first musky in August last year, and today I landed my 20th!

For you guys that fish them, what's your favorite color? Do you prefer the poppers or plain frogs? I was always a black or white frog guy, then @gardnerjigman started regularly giving me a beat down from the back of the boat with a Cricket Frog Popping Pad Crasher so I had to get one. Man does that bait catch fish! I had my best day ever on one of the local lakes, with all of my 5 biggest fish of the day on that frog. Now I've gone and got the Aquafrog, Ole Smokey, and Sunburn to try this year. The poppers work best for me because we have such little vegetation, they're easier to fish nice and slow and keep in any openings for a longer period of time. Curious what others prefer as far as color and popper vs standard frog?

I'm currently using a couple each of the Stradic FH and the CI4+ - one with & one without anti-reverse. After close to 50 years of reasonable success using reels with it, I never felt the need to back reel. Admittedly I do fish with a fairly loose drag. After a few trips with the CI4+ and no reverse gear - I haven't missed it. Don't expect I will. Love the new reel btw. A-Jay

I throw a few different spinnerbaits, but my favorite all-purpose combo is a War Eagle 1/2 oz Indiana/Colorado w/gold blades. Except in very shallow water, after the cast I always wait until the spinnerbait makes bottom contact. The 'drop' is a very important part of spinnerbait delivery. Roger

Maybe you'll attract a DD, that'll beat a 3lb'r If you feel it's too big you could always try another size/brand. I like the gold War Eagles in 1/2 oz.

1. Leave your crankbaits at home 2. Chuck it anywhere you'd throw a crankbait and a lot of places you wouldn't 3. Enjoy

The only people that don't understand the total control over a fish you get by back reeling have never learned to do it right. I appreciate today's drags...and have mine set to "disaster" setting. Many don't realize the amount of force it takes for a fish to take drag depends on rod angle. My drag is set very very high and if it begins to slip I lower the rod tip making it easier for fish to take line. That's when I flip the switch, raise the tip, and take complete control over the fish. I think reliance on the drag puts the fish in the drivers seat. You can't have have that using light line around cover.

As the saying goes "your not marrying someone to change them to your way's" Wife and I have over 40 years....this year will be 44 and I'm still no expert. But I do know giving 100% to the one I love makes life good. She has maybe fished a half a dozen times with me over the years. Her passion is golf and now that life has changed a bit we try and golf at least one day a week with each other. Some times more. And I fish quite a bit too... Listening and sharing is caring. Everyone is different...good luck.

I sat with our dispatch for 4 hours one day, I don't know how you do it. Some of the stuff people dial 911 for just made me shake my head. A woman called because there was a squirrel in her yard and she was afraid it would bite someone. Another called because a raccoon when into the storm drain and she thought that didn't seem normal. A person called because they saw someone driving around getting into people's mailboxes (it was the mailman). It really made me wonder how some people survive the perils of day to day life like walking and breathing at the same time.

Every topic has been aired before, so don't give that a second thought Back-reeling was very popular in the 60s and 70s, inspired largely by Fishing Facts & In-Fisherman Magazines. The drags back then often released line in fits-and-starts, where back-reeling helped cushion the shock of sudden lunges. The drags today however are velvety smooth, and angler demand for an anti-reverse lever has fallen off the cliff. Manufacturing decisions are always based on the almighty dollar, so it now appears that anti-reverse levers will ultimately be phased out of all upper-end reel models. Roger

This is new to me. I have never turned off anti reverse on any reel. I let the drag do its job

I am a righty, and I cast with my right, retrieve with my left. On a spinning or baitcaster. Same thing. I have absolutely no issue bringing a fish in with my left arm. I can see this being an issue in saltwater fishing with LARGE fish, where your right hand would be more effective to reel since it is your strong arm. I understand the argument made for reeling in with your dominant hand or arm but I just don't see it applying to bass fishing in most scenarios. As far as your reel question, personally as a righty I would want my frog rod on my right for strong hooksets and being able to control the fish better with the rod.

Picked up the new boat last Thursday and finally got to break her in on the 15th of April. My Father and Father in law went with me, my Father in law has never really been bass fishing and we showed him one heck of a time. He actually caught the first bass of the day on his 4th cast! Luck! We nailed them, we ended up catching 50- 60 bass. Most of them were high 2 pound bass but we caught at least 10 over 3 lbs our 5 biggest bass totaled a little over 18 pounds. Cranks and jerk baits were the ticket but we also caught a few on swim baits. The new boat with I-pilot, Humminbird Helix 10, 2 12' Talons and Minn Kota Ultera were awesome! Boat topped out at 62 mph. The stars of the day: More More More BTW we didn't take pictures of all of them takes up too much time!

I marked up a map for you of where I tend to see people fishing from shore having the most luck, now that the water is steadily going up all the bays with shore access should be better fishing. The big red circle has a bunch of different areas you can fish from shore and have seen those guys doing the best. Has anyone noticed that a lot of the seaweed around the lake didn't die off over the winter? Last year I was dragging a football head around some of the bays, this year they are already up near the surface in some spots.

If, after you cast, there is some loose line at the spool and you start reeling, that loose line will leave a loop that sticks off the spool. On your next cast, the line coming off the spool will catch that extra loop and pull it off which causes the tangle you are talking about. Usually these are called wind knots. If you get in the habit of tugging on your line after you close the bail to get rid of the slack before you start reeling, you won't get the wind knot.

I use a conquest 100HG for spinnerbaits and I LOVE it. Such a beautiful reel.

I caught this out of a 3 acre farm pond last year!! And many other hogs out of various ponds !! I like the isolation I have when fishing ponds.. But I like the unknown (of what's on my line) of fishing lakes. Nice fish man !

Been having some great days as of late.

Your problem is the model of reel. On their round reels the level wind doesn't disengage for casting so it takes a lot more weight to get it going. That reel won't cast anything under 1/2 oz very well especially right out of the box.

I understand your complaints... We had a lake house for years... I lived there for a few of them and have seen the good and bad. I'm also a dock fisherman- but either lucky or careful, as i haven't damaged anything more than my ego by snagging a few boards here and there. We sustained much more damage from ski boats and jet skis throwing wake into our boathouse and boats in it than we ever got from an occasional hook in the lift sling or wrap around a steering cable. And we were in a shallow cove. It's a bit like living on a golf course (did that too) you buy the extra glass breakage insurance because only about 1 in 10 people will ring the doorbell and offer to pay for the window. But you still enjoy living on the course even though it cost a little more. Sound like you guys might be the perfect family to live across the street from the water.

sun is actually shinning in Indiana ,went out for about 1hr and a half the lake was calling! caught 13, the biggest about 3 lb also found some mushrooms. good day!!!

All the styles & colors can b very over whelming. Call Siebert & mike will help you choose what would be good for your region, type of lakes, & general water conditions.

I'm not saying this just because they sponsor this site, but Siebert Jigs are great. I was never much of a jig fisherman and bought some Siebert jigs to try out and I have to say they work great! Their customer service is top notch too!

It's open. Fished again today. 22 bass. Same pattern. Biggest just short of 7 lbs. 3 over 4lbs. A lot of 2.5 to 3.5lbers.

My wife used to complain about my fishing and other activities. It used to drive me crazy.More than once I said in anger ( to myself of course ) " I'll never fish again " That lasted maybe 2 days and I would get the itch. The issue wasnt what I was doing,it was what I wasnt doing ( for her). After a lot of soul searching and prayer,I realized I needed to change from just telling her I love her to SHOWING it. I try to put her ahead of myself, and now I fish twice as much and she rarely complains.But it has to be genuine,not just so you can get your way. Best years of our marriage since I finally realized this.

My buddy and i went to a pond after work today no fish for me. My buddy caught his pb on the second cast on a pearl white fluke with the tail dipped in spike it. 5.5 lbs

Take your wife fishing with you, but not to catch fish but to expose her to the grandeur of nature. Always tote a camera, teach her how to identify species of trees and flowers, how to identify birds from their song or call. When I fish with my wife (my #1 fishing partner), there is zero competition. Although I enjoy cranking fish to the boat, it gives me greater joy when she boats a fish. Roger

Your question is about balance. For quite a few years you've done what you want. It is clear that competing is important to you. My question is this: Is it the fishing or the competition that you need? Fishing is far easier to find time to enjoy when not committed to a rigid tournament and club schedule. You've entered a relationship with a woman who has some baggage from her last relationship. You undoubtedly have some of your own. Working through all that is more important than competitive fishing right now in my opinion. Once she knows that she is your first priority, you'll have plenty of time to fish. Good luck.

I'm a 911 dispatcher. I dispatch police fire and Ems, night shift. It's a thankless job for little pay. I work overnight, weekends, and holidays. When the phone rings you never know what the situation will be but you do your best to help. You experience every emotion possible, from heartbreak to the high of saving a life to terror sometimes all in the same hour. I took a 30k a year pay cut from my last job, and I couldn't be happier. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It certainly is not for everyone but for the most part I love my job.

Nice find . I just finished off a big plate of morels. Last year I had chanterelles for the first time . Those things were everywhere. Hen of the Woods and Oyster mushrooms are choice too.

Went and got the boat out of storage today. 2005 Alumacraft Navigator Sport. 75 HP 4 -stroke Yamaha outboard. Bought it new and have enjoyed it ever since!!!!!!

I too saw those little dudes!! I considered this an act of war. I responded with a white spinner bait willow blade. got 13 of those bigger cowards sending those little fellers to spy on me!!

The bite was pretty good this morning, we caught 4 keepers, doubling the number we had caught in the past two days. I was lucky enough to catch three of them, and they just so happened to all be different species. Easter Trifecta

First thing I look for is an opportunity to make a cast! Access: being on the bank can limit your access to many areas. Take every opportunity to make a cast & fish it effectively. Top water, mid depth, & bottom - the entire water column.