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Some of the better green and brown fish from my 2 days of fishing this past week. Most were on either my homemade finesse jigs, or homemade micro jigs. One of the smallmouth was on a Ned rig, one largemouth was on a Whopper Plopper 90. Both days were great days, the kind of days where you're surprised when you make a cast and don't get a bite.

Some Monday night local tournament fun! 5lb gap between the other 11 boats and myself, had a blast and as of now I'm out of the red and into the black for local tournaments. (not that I actually think I can do anything but lose money by fishing them )

My oldest son, Lake, has really wanted to go fishing lately but the rain has kept us away. Finally got a chance to go this weekend and he caught several fish, including a huge crappie in our neighbor's pond on a wacky rigged 5" stickworm. It looks big in the picture, but it was even bigger in person, 15-16 inches by the mark on rod he was using. The 5" bait just about fit in it's mouth without having to be bent.

I buy things as the monkey commands me to. No real rhyme or reason, I just see fishing gear on sale, everything goes dark, then when I wake up all my money is gone and there's banana peels everywhere.

I don't use the same rod and reel for everything, so why would I do the same for line? I let the strengths of each type of line match up to the worst circumstances of fishing situations, and go from there. Having different line types make problem solving easier.

It's that time of year when everyone is up shallow and hungry. In addition to largemouth and smallmouth this past week I've caught; warmouth, green sunfish, crappie, walleye, white bass, drum, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and trout. A finesse or micro jig fooled most of them. A couple of my favorite ones, I have a soft spot for flatheads, even tiny ones. I caught 3 walleye on Thursday, this one being the largest at 20-22 inches (board only goes to 18 so I didn't bother measuring). My oldest also caught a monster crappie from our neighbors pond on a wacky rigged 5" stickworm. It looks big in the picture, but it was even bigger in person, 15-16 inches by the mark on rod he was using. The 5" bait just about fit in it's mouth without having to be bent.

The fact that there are so many testimonials for a wide variety of knots only shows how little pressure most anglers ever really apply to their line under normal situations, as controlled testing shows a wide disparity in strength. Knot strength really only comes into play on the margins. Otherwise, as has been stated, the knot you tie best is the best knot to tie

went out for an evening of bass fishing, on one of the first cast my cousin landed this huge crappie. the plastic box is 14" the fish is 16" caught it on a 'POP R'. we ended up with 8 bass, 2 to 4 lb range before thunder storms chased us out before the good evening bite.

Bought a new top pour silicone mold to pour a 7" swimbait similar to a popular style that I like to fish but get pretty pricey because they tear up pretty easy. This was my first attempt so it's not real pretty, but it swam good today during the swim test. I melted down old, torn up plastics and used the insert from a Bic pen for my line thru insert. Probably won't bother with the eyes until I'm sure I have it like I want it.

I couldn't disagree more that you need "high-end " lures to be successful in bass fishing... How on Earth did our grandfathers catch bass before there was a 26 dollar jerkbait. Stuff is ridiculous to say the least dude. The "middle of the road baits" are more than good enough.. more often than not it's the fisherman not the lure that leads to success . Also timing and location... Far outweigh lure selection... So many hog bass are taken on so many different things... Worms, jigs, spinnerbaits , top waters, jerkbaits and everything in between.... The world is advanced beyond belief. And so is advertising. If I had a nickel for every sap that walks the earth I'd have a fancy boat of my own. My PB ... Was taken on a topwater cheaper than 10 dollars. More like 6 bucks... So tell me why I need a megabass popmax when this particular popper has caught me four fish over 20".. doesn't sound that impressive really but if you consider the amount of time I get to fish , and the water I have access to... It's more than impressive if I do say so myself. All this being said I don't recommend buying 1 dollar Chinese made crankbaits .. often won't run "true" and are not able to be tuned.. junk split rings and hooks don't do so well either.. however many companies offer nice lures for modest prices. Check out bomber , bandit , and rapala for your hardbait needs

Welcome aboard! It's very tough in the beginning, there's such a flood of information. If you read between the lines from what everyone offered above, you'll likely end up with a senko on a spinning rod....not a bad start at all. Roger

I've been using all braid on BC for the last 2 months.. No leaders Fish don't seem to mind with anything i throw. T-Rigs, Cranks, lip-less cranks and Jerks. Sensitivity is amazing. I'm not a professional and using the KISS method. Soon i will be focusing on spinning setup for drop/shakey on copoly 6lb at a very popular pond

All braid, all the time, for me, and never with a FC or mono leader. The main reason I always use braid is I don't like lines that stretch. For things like cranks, I use lighter rods that absorb the hits and I don't horse fish in, so I don't tear hooks out of fish. I adjust my fishing to work with the gear I'm using.

You need electronics to fish ?

here's some of the pics and a little something about the build Gary .ghoti. Did for me. Im still a little lost for words and might be a bit rambling but I'll do my best I just did a practice run on this post on FB expressing my gratitude. This took me by total surprise and honestly couldn't have came at a better time as I have been battling some severe depression lately and this really picked me up when I have been feeling down. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I don't even know where to begin to thank everyone who has donated and helped with these builds. Gary did a great job on the rod and I almost don't want to use it as it's much nicer then my fleet of veritas rods but it was built to be used and I plan on breaking it in tomorrow on some river small mouth. Im still a little lost for words as there is more bouncing in my head about this than I'm able to put into words on here. Now for some pics I took after work today they don't do it justice. It won't let me do the pic of the spiral wrapped guides

Accidentally caught 5 or 6 bluegill on a yo-zuri jerkbait. I was quite impressed with their grit and determination

After landing a new home state smallie PB earlier today, I didn’t think my day could really get any better, but it did. Big Time ! There, sitting on my stoop, was the unmistakable white pvc tube that can really only be one thing – A new rod. “ I didn’t order a rod ?” I said out loud as I pulled in the drive. . . . . . Thank you Glenn & Bass Resource and obviously a very special “Well Done” is in order for @Alpster for a truly quality and ‘made for me’ custom build and one of a kind rod. Please know – you made this Retired Coast Guardsman very happy. I don’t talk about my Coast Guard career much on the forum, but truth be told, everything I have & everything I am as a Man, I owe to that service. It literally saved me. As a younger human I had made some poor decisions that were leading me in the wrong direction. The best thing I ever did was take the oath of enlistment and commit myself to the cause. The journey lasted over 28 years. Crazy how it flew by and much of it now seems like a dream. All my assignments were up & down the east coast from Maine to South Carolina; each saw me conducting & or planning Search & Rescue, participating in Federal Law Enforcement, Drug Enforcement, Migrant interdiction, even did 2 tours as a Drill Instructor – which was demanding & very rewarding. Saved some people, caught some bad guys & worked alongside and learned from some of the most honorable, committed & dedicated humans I could have ever imagined; even managed to have some fun along the way. All the while I had the distinct honor of having the privilege of making the sacrifice to serve this great country. I’d do it all over again in one second. I am very proud of my service and having such a wide array of assignments is in line with the Coast Guard’s motto of Semper Paratus – meaning Always Ready. It’s a tough thing to do – being always ready. But even now, that phase is something I live by and still strive for every day. That fact that you chose to inscribe this on my rod means more to me than you will ever know. I get choked up just typing that. So THANK YOU One & ALL – This high speed Rain Shadow Blank, with it’s very Killer reel seat & split grip will no doubt be my New Jig Rod. A-Jay

i fished in a charity tournament with my dad on logan martin this saturday. we weren't really fishing for the tournament, but more just having a good time. my dad's never fished in a tournament and we surely didn't take things too seriously! we caught a lot of fish, but most all of them were 10"-11" little spotted bass. i did manage a few keepers and one 4# stud caught walking the megabass giant dog x by this long grass line early in the morning. hit it so hard, running the opposite direction of my retrieve, it literally almost took the rod out of my hands. i caught the rod with my left hand before it went into the lake!!! we had a blast and sure enjoyed fishing that lake!

Planned on hitting it at dawn, but the 30 degree air temps had me rethinking my decision. Instead, I dragged my feet with the hopes that the sun would warm things up a little. It did, but the tradeoff was a semi-stiff NE wind – not a fan. The hour or so ride to the lake went quickly and I was on the water @ 9:30 or so. This is the place that “I had a Day” a couple of weeks ago, so expectations were high. I was not disappointed. Started off slow, a walleye, a few pike and then . . . .Boom. The strike I’ve been waiting ten years for. Six pounds of awesome northern Michigan Smallie. This bass fought just hard enough to take me to my knees, especially after I got a good look at her. Once in the net, she was stout & totally gorgeous. I was pretty pumped. She yanked the scale down to 6.21lbs. A new Michigan Smallmouth Personal Best. The Perch Megabass jerkbait accounted for this catch, along with another very respectable smallie. That one weighed 5.11 lbs. These were the only two bass I got all day. You know who’s not complaining ? This Guy ! Here's a Pic of a decent double. A-Jay and btw way once I got home - there was a very special 'package' waiting for me - more on that in another thread - wow !

Shad rap and bomber model A are two hard baits I wouldn't want to go without.

Yes you can but spinning would be better. With casting reel instead of learning how to fish with lures, plastic etc. then you have to learn how to cast too, that is too many to learn at once and you might give up all together. Spinning reel would be a lot easier for you so you can pay all attention to how to catch a fish. Don't get me wrong about spinning reel, every one use this kind of reel even pro. I have three myself.

I can save ya a lot of time and frustration. buy a bag of senkos catch some fish and from there spread out to learn the other techniques of bass fishing.

I went and bought a few today!!!!!!

They are pretty easy to use, a steady retrieve with a pause or a quick speed change once a retrieve to trigger followers works well. Every quarry has ramps constructed for the machinery to drive in and out of the hole on, the fish will use those roads to travel from deep to shallow. Make sure to check those out as they as often the best structures in quarries and pits.

This gal was half and half somehow.

I reveived my rod last night, I was told it showed up Friday however I was away at paddlefest. I didn't even know it was there or in its way I happened to be walking to the bedroom after a long day and seen the tube leaning in he corner and knew it was a rod. I knew .ghoti. Had mentioned and sent me some baits in the past saying they were from sponsors as a thank you to our vets and that another package was on it's way. I was not however expecting this custom rod. I was completely speechless. I took some pictures last night but they don't do it any justice I'll post some tonight after work with a little more detail and some words worked up because I'm still in shock and I thank you everyone.

I've been sitting on these pics for a couple weeks because I couldn't post them til the project was announced. Since my forte is cork and reel seats, I declined the pre-fab grips and did my own thing. Please excuse all the fuzz on the rod. The microfiber towel I wiped it with seemed to deposit more dust than it removed! Butt cap with Army insignia inlay. I wanted to do more with the grip but a technique I have been experimenting with wasn't working out . The reel seat hardware provided wouldn't work with my plans of using acrylic, so I substituted in Fuji SK2 hardware. I had a bit of scrap left from the reel seat, so I turned a matching winding check. Slogan decal provided by Batson. Personalized decal by Decal Connection. Alps guides provided by Batson.

I want to salute the the 4 warriors honored with these rods, and the members who built their rods: Warrior Branch Builder Sam Army S Hovanac AJ Coast Guard Alpster Clayton86 National Guard Ghoti Oregon Native Navy Mike (Delaware Valley Tackle DVT) I can't tell you how proud I am of these folks - both who served, and who took the time to build the rods. SALUTE! And again, many MANY thanks to Batson Enterprises for donating all the rod components for all the rods! Y'all are too awesome for words.

Taking the rig out for a spin on a perfectly quiet evening of solitude on glass... It never gets old! Didn't even get a nibble that day and didn't care.

Went fishing this morning and to say the least, I was, and still am, shocked with the results. I went to a favorite Lake Huron pier to try and catch another splake (lake trout/brook trout mix) and came away with two lunker PB's under my belt. Started fishing a Rapala Husky Jerk Glass minnow ghost size 12 that I'd painted white nail polish down the sides to mimic a smelt. This lure, along with two splitshots above it has accounted for some nice splake catches recently. Not even 15 minutes in and I hook and land a 4.05 lb 20 inch largemouth on it! Crazy, since largemouth are practically unheard of to be found in this region, let alone area off of Lake Huron! The rain starts to pour in buckets about an hour later. The water that was once crystal clear glass, is now broken up from the upheaval of waves, wind, and rain. I quickly hook and land a 9.5 inch splake on the 6.25 inch lure. A few casts later and I hook into the fish of a lifetime (for me at least). The brute takes me for a ride, but after about a minute I glide him into my umbrella net trap below me and hoist him onto the pier. Previously, my PB smallmouth was 3.24 lbs. This smallmouth that I just caught weighs 4.67 lbs and measures 20 inches as well. All fish caught were lowered back down into the water to fight another day. My guess is that these bass were cruising the shallows in search of areas to start forming beds for the spawn. In probably a week and a half to two weeks, I bet they will all return back to the deeper waters of Lake Huron after spawning. The next chance I get I'll have to come back to fish for these beauties. Fish On

I got a 7-9 on Falcon a few years ago but my PB in Maine (home state) was 6-1; till today. Not much better but weighed in at 6-3. Good morning all around. My buddy and I tried a new hole I got wind of and it paid off. We left my boat behind today for the kayaks. Had to portage in through a small stream and over 3 beaver huts then it opens to a small, secluded pond where big girls swim. I ended up with the 6-3, a 5, 3 4's and some dinks. Definitely going back there again. The 6-3 and one of the 4's

Glad to see some folks actually giving KK a try instead of just writing them off as inferior because of their price. They're not for everyone, but for those of us on a budget, they're great.

Run a surface wake bait like a rat or Slammer along those drop off edges, and over the laydowns, even if they're in deep water. In clear water situations, a big fish will move a long distance for what it perceives as a slow moving big meal. If nothing else, it will be a good way to get a big fish to show itself so you know where they live.

Welcome to the forum! If your adventures bring you through Kansas, I'll put you on some fish.

Compact spinnerbait around "fishy" looking spots (laydowns, brushpiles, ledges, etc) is my favorite searchbait. Use a fast reel and a quick but erratic retrieve. Also a squarebill on hard structure, especially rip rap. Smack it into anything you can and crank it at a wobbling pace, not really fast

I have 3 quantum energy pt's, 2 team kvds, iron 300 pt and the original smoke. The energy reels out cast my curado and citica 200i's, my tatula HD, and my bb1 pro by close to 10 yards. They have more drag then any of my other reels and at such smoother then the tatula and bb1 pro. They are of par with the curado and citica, if not then a fraction behind. The smoke is one MEAN reel, it will rip out a tree from the roots. I don't care what anyone else says, quantum can make a pretty darn good reel if you ask me. DM me if you want more info. I've taken all my reels apart so I'd say I know my quantum's pretty well

I tried everything to get it apart. There are two bearings underneath, that's what I wanted to oil. But that cover never came off. Let's just say, i have to order a new knob.

If you have a smartphone buy Navionics U.S. Boating app for $10. Works with or without wifi/service anywhere you go. Marking way-points on this has led to successful follow-up fishing trips for me. Would definitely recommend to anyone.

The same lures you've been using to catch dinks will likely work on the big gals too. What you most likely need to do is target the prime pieces of cover in the areas you've been fishing. Big fish make claim to them and often times another quality fish will take up residence in a spot that you catch nice one from. What you may perceive as a small change in the size of the limbs or a one foot depression at a tree's base may be the 'best' cover in the area. You'll find that big fish won't be as quick to chase down a bait as the dinks are, so you need to put your offering as close to those prime areas as possible. Stair stepping a jig tight to the tree on the shady side has produced fish that regularly placed me in the top five on a lake where my local club held multiple tourneys each year. With jigs and fish suspended in the trees, it's all about the fall rate. Don't be hesitant to go heavy. Often times a 1/2oz. jig with a compact trailer will trigger them when a 3/8oz. with a bulky trailer won't.

I have caught runts and slobs in the same location a number of times, but not during the exact same time-slot. It's as though an infiltration of large bass causes the middlings to pack up and leave, I can only speculate. In any case, it's a popular natural phenomenon called 'Timing & Territory', which is nature's way of giving different year-classes of bass a chance to share key foraging sites at different times (very common). Roger

Agree with ROLO--been using the uni for a long time and find it easy to tie and I have never lost a fish that I could blame on the knot

Well this is what happens when you re-surface an 11 year old thread Bait monkey got me with a reel today, I don't think $45 is that bad

With the belly up, rigged upside down, you can make it wlak the dog under water. Takes a little practice.

That monkey hit me up for 170 bucks today AND he made me overnight everything!

Shaw is a funny dude. I like watching his show even tho it's like most others where he stays pimpin out the gear and the guides. He's fun to watch tho and I'm sure even more fun to fish with

Sorry to hear you got ripped off - and on your birthday no less - That's Bogus. May I suggest a different type of "security". Sort of Old School but time tested & often rather Effective. A-Jay

nice one

LOL, popped collars attract bugs, too.

A-Jay

Couple nice ones from last week. Caught these all day (about 20 total) the largest went almost 4 lbs: