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I don't think you should tell him anything about His pond. Mind your own business and just be thankful you can fish there.

First fish on one of my new finesse jigs, and first fish on my new Favorite rods White Bird. An exceptional fish for this lake. I caught over 30 more, only 1 of them would have even approached 1 pound.

In the first place what makes you think you have any rights to say how the pond is fished or inforce your views and ideas of how to fish it to the owner of said pond and land. If the pond owner has given others permission to fish the pond and he does'nt have a problem with them keeping some to eat and they aren't taking more then their daily law allowed limit then they are not doing anything wrong. You need to be thankful someone let you fish what they put hard earned money up to buy and build and stock with fish. So stop whinning and learn how to catch them with a diffrent bait other then the one you always use. And to add one other thing, you need to read a few books on how to manage a pond for fishing, if you don't take some out the population will grow to large for the water and they will eat out all the food and then guess what happen's next all your bass die off.

Had three follows today in addition to catching this fish, thinking she was around 40", very thick and by far the strongest of all the muskies I have caught, this one making the grand total 22.

Great day with a guided tour, between the three people in the boat, we caught 115 smallies. Biggest one and personal best for me was 18.5 inches

A French Pearl 110 is a killer smallmouth bait for me, but this one ate a Pro Blue 110.

Yeah they'll eat a 110. There isn't a 110 in this picture because everyone else in the tournament was throwing a swimbait and I wanted them to continue doing so.

Got the two grandsons all day on Sunday. 6 & 10 years old. We're going to hit three or four spots I normally would go. I'll have them on the water at 6:00. Stocked creek sections and hope they land a few. I don't think I'm gonna fish. I should just work with them. They live close by to me but it seem like I can never get them out enough.

A-Jay

As the others have said as well.Its not your pond.Its his pond.You're lucky he lets you fish it.If you have a problem with the way he chooses to maintain his property,go fish elsewhere.

Unless I get an invitation from a fishing buddy with a "Quabbin" boat (Quabbin Reservoir is highly regulated.), you'll find me riding a rental. I know a number of my fellow BR members are trying to learn the ways of this big New England water so let's have a look at how I set up one of the 14' boats you'll be renting: Starting from the stern you'll note a large dry bag. It contains three Plano 3600s, a portable camera mount which I clamp to a gunwale for fish pics and room for my down vest and fleece as the day warms. The swivel seat is greatly appreciated by my aging back and butt. See my stationery store tackle box on the floor. It could be a portable file holder for taking work home from the office but it's of much greater interest to sort through six Plano 3700s for just the right bait. You'll find miscellaneous support gear in the utility carrier: marker buoy, sunscreen, bug repellent, needle nose pliers, clippers, small boxes of weights and hooks, scent and dye. Early season when the lake trout are shallow, you want fish grippers so they don't wriggle out of your grasp. You recognize the other items on the rubber mat on the middle bench seat. Out of this photo and as close to the bow as you can get 'em are lunch cooler, 12 lb. river anchor with approximately 75' of 1/4" braided nylon and, yes, a chunk of granite. Why the weight in the bow? Because if you go solo at full throttle the bow is going to point heavenward at a 45º angle. You must balance the boat for running. Alright. Let's go fishing. Hey! Here's the first smallmouth of the season and the first one I've caught on an Underspin. Wish I could tell you about the presentation but there wasn't one. See, as soon as I lifted the rod tip, the fish was on. From what I've read about retrieving Underspins, you want to work it slowly, steadily, feeling it tick the bottom. And wait until the rod loads before you set the hook. These are 1/4 oz. models from a Do-it Herring Head mold. The top two baits are dressed with Z Man's Swimmin' Trout trick, the bottom a Super Fluke JR. Willow blades are size 3 but I'm going to try 3.5 because master bait maker smalljaw67 says he likes that size better. Blade baits are the #1 go-to for many Quabbin smallie guys when the water is under 50º. Buying "body blanks" from Barlow's I get to choose the hooks and I've been experimenting with arrangements for three seasons now. I started with a pair of split shank doubles and found I could hang these in the rocks as easily as trebles. Last year I used a single treble in the rear and that worked okay. Over coffee and conversation in my tackle room with Crestliner2008, he insisted that a 1/0 Siwash was the way to go. Two improvements over split shanks or rings and trebles are obvious at a quick glance: the Siwash hook is much more substantial than the others and there's no need to mess with split rings! Great tip, Crestliner2008. I don't hear too many smallmouth fishermen in these parts talking about using plain, old-timey, bucktail jigs in these parts. That's fine with me because that means fewer fish will have sore mouth and will eat eat the undressed bucktail I will be throwing! Another? Okay. I love molding, painting and tying these jigs. It's a winter hobby that gets me focussed on something productive rather than sitting around and obsessing unhappily about the hard water season in Western Massachusetts. If you're interested in jig making first try a variety of "Search" terms on this forum - there's a fair amount of info to be found - and I also urge you to subscribe to smalljaw's YouTube channel. Smalljaw has posted many very good tutorials. For now, have a look at my tying bench setup:

I got her back from DVT and put the rest of her dress up parts on. Now she just needs spooled and she's ready to go.

1) get married 2) have kids Repeat #2 (sometimes #1 too) The well will go dry in no time

There seems to be a lack of reel comparisons on the internet for someone looking for how one reel performs VS another. Im writing this in hopes someone finds the info useful for research into one everyday, average persons experience with these two reels. Anyone reading this should keep in mind the Curado is 2 years old and has been casted a minimum of a million times (not joking I love fishing). The Tatula is new straight out of the box, and I have no experience with the reel other that the short time I spent with it before writing this comparison. I had a chance to fish my new Tatula CT yesterday. For comparison I brought along my 2 year old Shimano Curado I Both reels are mounted on the same rod (Tournament ZX) and both spooled with new Pline Floroclear 10lb This is only my initial impression after switching between both throwing the same lure for 4 hours. The Tatula feels solid. It gives the impression its built like a tank. Unfortunately for the Diawa thats all I think the Tatula has over my Curado I I would say the #1 thing that stood out between these two reels is the way the braking system works in the real world. I felt the brakes on the Shimano were better than the Magforce Z brakes. The Curado I brakes could be dialed in to not need any thumb during the cast VS the Tatula needing some thumb during the cast and more thumb to stop the spool at the end of the cast. I could get the Tatula close to needing no thumb but if dialed in this way the Tatula didn't cast very far (far short of the Curado I distance needing no thumb during cast) and if I adjusted it to cast the same distance (well, close to the same) the Tatula needed thumb during the cast and more thumb to stop the spool at the end of the cast. The Curado brakes are more progressive allowing not only no thumb needed during the cast but also just a light touch at the end of the cast to stop the spool. Something to take note of is the Curado brake adjustment dial doesnt have 'clicks' and is infintely adjustable within its adjustment range. The Tatula brake adjustment dial has 'clicks' allowing discrete adjustment only. The brakes on the two reels are different enough that I don't think the finite adjustment of the Tatula brakes is a problem, but I do feel like the infinite adjustment of the Curado brakes makes getting dialed in perfect possible. The Curado brakes feel like they slow the spool at different rates over the entire cast (progressive) where the Tatula Magforce Z brakes feel like it slows the same amount (linear) the entire cast. I much prefer the Shimano braking feel and performance. The Curado sits lower on the rod and is more ergonomic for me. Thats not to say that the Tatula is bad but the Tatula had a slight hot spot where my thumb and pointer finger join (the area of the hand that contacts the beaver tail of a pistol). I hold the rod with my thumb over top of the reel and put two fingers in front of the rod trigger and two behind. This allows me to choke up on the reel in my hand and I found the Shimano is more rounded in the corner where it presses against my hand VS the Diawa that was a little more pointed putting more pressure against my hand. Another interesting observation is (Im assuming) because the Tatula body is constructed of all aluminum there was a pronounced gear meshing (or possibly bearing) noise propagating through the reel body during the retrieve. The Shimano has a similar sound but is greatly dampened (again Im assuming) with the use of some plastic. According to tacklewarehouse both reels are the same weight but my observation is the Tatula felt heavier. It could be the higher seat height of the Tatula that made it feel heavier but it definitely wore my arm and wrist out more than the Curado has ever done. Casting distance again I have to give to the Curado. Both casted plenty far for my needs and both were accurate casters so Im happy with the performance of both here. It could be because I was new to the Tatula but I was getting more backlashes with the Tatula first time out until I played with it a bit and figured it out. The Tatula instructions state spool tension only needs to be tightened enough to remove any side-to-side play but I was getting some bad backlashing until I tightened the spool to allow the lure to drop slow like I do on the Curado. I had the brakes on max. The Curado was my first baitcaster, having never used one before I bought it. I didn't backlash it a single time the first three trips with it, but I tightened the spool to allow the lure to drop slow. I like the Tatula CT and plan to keep it for now, and at the online price these reels can be found it is a real bargain but I wont be getting rid of my Curado just yet

this is a bass quilt my wife made for my cousin.

Judging by the grammatical errors in your litany of complaints, you are either 12 years old or Tipptruck. Or both. Either way, welcome to BR. I'd love to hear what else we are doing wrong, as I assume there's more.

If your goal is to land a trophy bass, and not partake in a runt fest, you should thank the landowner for a policy that plays into your hands. Roger

Differentiating want from need. That being said, I have been known to confuse those words during 20% off sales.

My advise for a new bass fisherman.............K.I.S.S. Even after 25+ years of bass fishing I still try to subscribe to that, and I do just fine. Don't get overwhelmed by the vast array of stuff, very little of it is a need. Learn the basics and expand from there. My list of stuff for a new comer is the same if you fish ponds and from the shore, or off the deck of the fanciest bass boat. Two rod and reel combos will cover everything, a 7' M spinning out fit with 8-10lb line, and a 7' MH bait casting rig w/ a 6:1 reel, and 15lb test line. Get yourself a selection of 4" and 5" senko style stick baits, Yum dingers are very effective, durable, and not expensive. Black/blue flake and green pumpkin will work anytime, anywhere, in all water conditions. Get some 1/16th oz wacky jig heads to fish them wacky rigged, and some 3/0 EWG hooks to fish them texas rigged. Watch some youtube videos on rigging/fishng these, and it will all make sense. I don't often recommend jigs to a newby, as a texas rigged worm or craw/creature bait can be fished in the same places, work just as well, and is a good, simple way to fish. Expand into jigs after you learn the texas rig. As for baits/hooks/weight to use on your texas rig............Berkley power bait 7" Power Worms, and 4" chigger craws are tough to beat. The fish will hold a power bait infused plastic a long time helping you learn to detect bites and set hooks in a timely manner. Your 3/0 EWG that work with the Yum Dingers work great here two, so two birds killed with one stone. Then get your self some 1/4 oz. bullet sinkers for fishing shallow , and some 1/2 oz ones for fishing deeper. Color choice.......... black/blue, and green pumpkin. And again...watch some you tube videos for rigging/fishing tips. Keep the moving baits simple. Deep cranks will not be a great option from the bank. You will catch lots of fish on Stike King KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbaits. The are $5-$6, and the Sexy Shad color and Chart./Black back are all you need to get started. These are great baits and will catch fish just chucking and winding until you learn more.

Couldn't catch a big one at X, so I had to do it at Oz

Of course. It gets washed monthly.

Retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1995. I have seen the very worst parts of most countries earth. Started off in the infantry but learned quickly there was not much future in that. I went on to repair and fly helicopters. After retirement I created maintenance manuals for aircraft and components. Fun when you're young! Now I am an ornery old man that harasses his grandchildren. After a number of replacement parts the good Lord allows me get a line wet every now and then.

Finally after a 5 week wait because the Pro 120 was back ordered, it arrived from the manufacturer. Got a chance to fish it yesterday and was very pleased. I knew from reviews it was very stable but was surprised how easily two adults could fish the decks and move around with out the fear of capsizing. I am 185 lbs and my buddy is 170 and after 30 minutes or so we moved around freely without any concerns. The current model of the Pro 120 has aluminum stringers and the hull is foam filled which adds incredible stability without adding much weight. There is also a lot of room in this boat even though it is under 12'. Plenty of storage and the you can feel the quality everywhere. The hull is much thicker than the Pelican I previously fished and the decks are very solid with quality marine carpeting over 3/4" treated plywood. I switched out the seats to allow for more room on the casting decks but will probably remove them most days as I don't sit much but you can sit on the edge of the decks to tie on baits and so forth. The built in cooler saves a ton of room on the boat and if you use a Yeti ice brick, you don't need to bother with the drain at the end of the day. Haven't turned on the live well yet but it is big and seems to be a very simple design. I like that it is automatic and works off an electrical panel. The running lights worked nicely coming in at night. The seat pedestals were a concern when ordering but they are rock solid with steel plates mounted on either side or 3/4" plywood. They are not going anywhere. My only complaint is that it is only pre-wired for a trolling motor on the bow as the stern mount was meant for an outboard but with so many people powering it with a trolling motor, you would think they would add this feature. A simple modification solves this issue but I thought I would mention it. From the factory this boat is 238 lbs but loaded with motor, battery, anchor and gear, it is quite heavy so I would recommend a dolly like the one pictured or a trailer if you are transporting to a body of water. Two is the perfect number for this boat but you can easily fish 3 people if needed.

Personally I consult my Color C Lector before I choose which color lure to fish!

This thread is hilarious! But in all seriousness, here's what I do: 1) stick to a set budget for general lures and whatnot that you agree on with your wife. This is the money that you can spend without feeling guilty 2) if you want an expensive new rod, reel, or other substantially expensive item... It's okay to buy it. However! My rule is that if anything costs a substantial amount of money, I will write down what it is and why I want it. Then I'll give it three months or more, and then I'll re-read my reasoning and decide whether or not I still really want it. Believe me, it is sooo hard to wait a few months to make the purchase, but I can't tell you how many times I've changed my mind during that time. If you give it some time and still really want it, then by all means go buy it! No need to feel guilty about buying something that you've put a lot of thought into and that you know you will use. 3) If you still feel guilty or need to spend more money after the first 2 steps, then go out and do some side jobs to earn some extra cash! I used to detail clean cars for $80 a pop... so if I wanted a new rod, I could work hard to clean a few cars and then I'd be able to spend my money happily, knowing I earned it for myself. Everyone has a skill that they can use to make money on the side. My dad, for example, creates cool backyard decorations out of wooden pallets that he gets for free from work, and he sells it for some extra cash! Be creative! Hope this helps!

Had a week night tournaments at La Cygne last night. Typical evening at swan. Fished pretty slow but cracked a couple good fish. Biggest was 4.40lbs and was caught on a shaky head 15 min before the end of the tournament. @micahthorlawson caught just about every species in the lake on the ned including a good fish right away in the first spot. Some day well get that lake figured out.

Lol if you're single maybe you should spend some time shopping at the grocery or mall instead of bass pro

Have your significant other limit your budget, works every time, unless your single then your screwed.

Last year I came across a bass bed with a small male and large female locked on it. As I was getting ready to pitch to it, a 2 ft plus carp swam into view headed right towards the bed. The male left the nest and bumped the carp, which quickly left the area. I have also seen bass follow behind a single carp as if they are waiting for them to root up a small crayfish or spook a small baitfish for the bass to gobble up. From what I have seen, carp are the Great Danes of the freshwater fish world. Big, slow moving, and often bullied by smaller, more aggressive fish. I think carp have self esteem issues...

Vision 110 for smallies ? Yes Please. A-Jay

Swimbait eats jighead. Bass eats swimbait. Circle of life

One of your comments to me about my videos was that you wished I'd done less editing; the loss of potential insights. If everyone was like you A-Jay, we wouldn't need to edit. Sure would save me a heck of a lot of work.

I can totally appreciate the raw, unedited presentation where very little is lost in the translation of reality. Which really just means,yea, I watched the whole thing. A-Jay

Has the boat touched water yet?

Same here for me...with the amount of stuff I have accumulated over the past 6 years, I will be good for awhile. My new hobby is trying to grow my savings account in hopes that one day I can retire early become a snow bird and be healthy enough to fish everyday.

Catt, if this post is to far outside of the scope of this topic and thread please feel free to say so are ask me to delete it but I have to speak up about something I just seen on the Bend. THIS IS A HELPFUL WARNING TO ALL THE FOLKS FISHING THE BEND TODAY ARE IN THE FUTURE, IF YOU ARE NOT IN A MARKET BOAT LANE DONT DO MORE THEN IDLE, DONT RISK YOUR LIFE ARE EQUIPMENT TO DO SO, PLEASE DONT DO MORE THEN IDLE WHEN OUTSIDE THE MARKED BOAT LANE'S. I just watched someone run at half to 3/4 throtlle past my house headed towards north Toledo Bend state park following the shoreline, in what looked like a 16 foot blue express boat, running that speed in any boat outside of a marked boat lane is just asking for something very bad to happen, people need to remember if you sink your boat other people have to come out to save your dumb butt and that puts their life's at risk. Again I'm asking please don't do more then idle outside the marked boat lane's. And if the person who I just saw do this read's this and it offend's you it should because you were being a fool, and atleast I had the heart to say something about your foolish behavior. Sorry for going on a rant on your thread Catt, I hope I didn't offend you to much with it.

I have no clue - but whatever you do - DON'T buy a new Boat ! A-Jay

Want to get into swimbaits this year. Put in an order for some baits. Now waiting on a combo that can handle big baits.

My dad and I went to Conesus today. Water was pretty muddy in some areas and nicely stained in others. No big debris floating around which we were worried about. Water temp 45-48. No numbers and size was so-so. My biggest was a 4-10 and my dad's was a 5-5. Everything caught in less than six feet of water. I had the front wheels of my truck a couple feet into the water to float the boat. Water is high and the ramp must be even more gradual near the top than midway down.

As soon as you understand the #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.

If you have a Dicks Sporting Goods nearby, or you could order one of these combos online, take a look at a Pflueger Trion combo. They offer a 6'6" medium action rod with a 35 series reel for $60. It can be ordered as a one piece or two piece rod. Above that I would recommend the Pflueger President combo. I really like the President rod and reel better. It will cost $80 and is available in a 6 foot medium 1 piece and a 6'6" medium 2 piece rod. I fished with 2 piece rods all through my elementary school and high school times because I could handle it better while bicycling to my favorite fishing holes. If you ever read any of my other posts I have said I do not like to suggest buying "beginner gear". I understand cost is a major factor, but I will tell you this. My wife and I have fished for almost 40 years. To this day she fishes Pflueger President reels. We both do. Three of her 5 rods have President 30 or 35 sized reels. One other is a Pflueger Supreme 35 and she has one Shimano. So if you go for one of the President combos you will only spend $20 dollars more. Two of her Presidents are more than 10 years old. The other is less than 2 years old and the Supreme I just purchased for her this month. It is going on her new frog rod. She has landed bass up to 6 pounds, stripers up to 30 inches and catfish up to 8 pounds on these reels. Let's talk tackle, since you will want some to fish on your new combo Keep it simple and basic. I am going to share with you just a couple of lures that catch fish for us all over the country. I live in MD and fish in MD, VA, PA,DE, TN, and KY. So here are some of my best secrets. Tell mom and dad I said to get just one or two packs of any bait I am suggesting. Then get a couple of packs of each type of hooks. I am not saying you need thousands of dollars worth of gear, in fact the opposite. Most of these baits are available from Bass Pro Shops and Dicks. Look for Kalin 5 inch Lunker grubs. I like bluegill and watermelon/red flake. A pack or two of each to start maybe. Rig these on a special hook called a Bass Pro Shops Perfect Finesse worm jighead. In fact lots of worms can easily be fished on these. It is a hook with the weight attached. Rig any grub or worm texas rigged and texposed meaning the hook is buried a little in the top of the bait. Next this is a "big secret" do not tell anyone! Lots of fish fall prey to Senco worms. Gary Yamamoto makes very good ones but so do others and some of the others are less expensive. These can be fished weightless on a simple hook, stuck in the middle with a "wacky style jig head" and even on my Perfect finesse worm hooks texas style. Start with a pack or two of 4 or 5 inchers. The colors I would start with would be like a green with red flake, and perhaps peanut butter and jelly. Maybe something like a green pumpkin/ chartreuse tail even. The colors on these baits have a lotto do with the clarity and color of the water you fish. Lastly, look at a bait like a Reaction Innovations Skinny dipper. Dicks Sporting goods caries these. They are a minnow imitation. they can be rigged up differently, but I like to use a belly weighted swimbait hook. Throw these baits out, swim it back a bit then stop reeling letting the bait flutter a bit then twitch it and begin reeling again. I usually fish a houdini,sungill, blue pearl, white trash and even a money shot green sometimes. I would pick up one pack of white trash and one pack of sungil or blue pearl first. I also still enjoy a live minnow, a hook and a bobber sometimes. Nightcrawlers still catch fish well too. One nice thing about this first rod you are looking at is it will be fine for catching decent sized catfish from time to time. They too are fun to catch, along with some panfish.

Cliff's Notes version: Yes. You will always "need" more tackle.

that pretty much sums it up, gotta love getting there at daylight though when its calm and a little fog over the water and their hitting topwater of course. my favorite time to fish has to be when everyone else aint fishing. normally weekdays and at night

Most of my biggest fish have been caught between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

now that's bait monkey propaganda if i ever heard it

We just left Gaston's White River Resort in Northern Arkansas. We hit our limit of 15 rainbows early on, and spent the rest of the day catching and releasing. After spending about 8 hours on the river we popped over to the little pond on the resort. I lost count after landing 8, hooked into I don't know how many. They were biting the second the plastic worm hit water.

You are correct, there are indeed rude people who fish and do not respect a property owners dock, boat or other possessions. However, they are not rude because they are fishermen, they are rude because they are inconsiderate. It just so happens that you only notice these folks when they are fishing & doing damage to your property, at which time you incorrectly conclude that all fishermen are like that. There are plenty of considerate bass fishermen who might fish around your dock & you would never know, because they do no damage and leave no trace. There are rude property owners who shoot their guns at fisherman, spray them with hoses and call them racist names. It would be incorrect for me to automatically stereotype you as being part of that group just because you own lake front property. As an aside, if your dad was a bass fisherman & he never fished near docks, then I would suggest that he probably was a horrible fisherman. Nice guy, but horrible fisherman.

Crocs, these are the most comfortable shoes I own. x3 when I'm on the bank or some Reef flip flops on the boat

x2