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I worked my last last night and signed off for the very last time after 25 years. My God-son Talked me into going fishing this morning on zero sleep and when he pulled up at the park and ride I got the surprise of my life. His Dad, my best friend of 30 years had flown all the way from Ohio to spend a couple of days with us. To top it off, I caught a good one. This is how I wanted to start my retirement. I'm the one holding the bass.

My partner and I had a great day today, we caught around 40 fish (maybe more!) and culled our way up to 13lbs, 13oz. Good enough for 4th place out of 130 boats. Hoping we can put together another solid bag tomorrow. We saved some areas and our spots should reload with fish anyways! I will do a full report after the event, we are on a VERY neat bite right now.

Largest was 4lbs15oz, caught using a floating jerkbait I found. Last year I caught a 4lber almost every trip just beating the banks at this pond. This year I've only caught one shallow. I've been finding better quality bass in the mid depth sections (6-8ft) with weeds coming up about half way.

Be careful.You can get arrested for "buying dudes".I think they call it solicitation for prostitution. Sorry guys I had to.

Not stereotypical at all... you spelled every word in your post correctly. oe

2-11 fatty yesterday during my lunch break

So I was doing some tight quarters combat fishing and managed to catch a bush in my back cast.No saving this one!

Mobility and simplicity rule from the bank, IMO. One outfit, all the time, every time, and whatever fits in my pockets for tackle. Which outfit is based on season, as well as expected weather and water conditions.

I am getting it out....Im just using scissors!

This episode features Andrew, a guy I watch grow and mature into a heck of a tropy angler. Big Bass, and big pike. He recently put up some pics on a local site of a northern that was every bit of 20+ lbs. He also delivered the goods during filming of an episode featuring him on a beautiful upstate NY lake.

Caught him during that "Walking back to the car with nothing to show for, and Ooh this looks like a bassy spot, let me cast this Zoom Horney Toad I already have tied on a couple of times, and swim it right beneath the surface thru all that duck weed" moment. Sucker came out of the water like a Great White breaching after a seal. Wasn't really heavy at 2 3/4lbs I usually don't fish this area of the nature preserve (which is actually behind me) cause it's not open to the public like the main lake. It's a marshy swampy area which does feed the main lake but its also home owners' property. I'm on a public bridge so no harm no foul. There, fixed it.

I see a lot of anglers here looking for good tackle but are on a restrictive budget, and I include myself in this segment. I lost buying power after I became sick and was no longer able to do the kind of work I use to do, so in order to get the best bang for my buck I developed a little strategy to help. The very first thing you need to do is sign up for emails from all the major online stores, TW, American Legacy, another site, Fish USA, etc., you will get notice of sales before they happen. The next thing you need to do is pay attention to ICAST by watching the videos from here or places like TW or Tackle Direct and make note of the things you need. ICAST is important because when a rod or reel series gets refreshed you will find last years model being sold at discount at all the major stores. Once you start seeing the discounts on the things you need stay patient, often the first discounts will be small but as the new stuff begins arriving room will need to be made and the discounts will get very good sometimes more than 50% difference. The one drawback is you can wait too long and end up missing out but that only happens with certain items. Restrict your buying to sale times and make note of prices before hand, places like Cabela's will often have sale items that look good but in truth they simply made the original price higher to make it look as if it was on sale, I've caught both them and Bass Pro doing this multiple times. By saving your money and only buying during sale times and by watching ICAST you will end up with better tackle for cheap, every year I end up with at least 1 killer deal, a few years back I got a nice spinning rod from American Legacy, a Lews HM85, the retail on them was $199.99 and I ended up paying $79.99 because Lews was revamping the entire line. I've also filled up a lot of crankbait boxes with the same system, and this is why you sign up for the emails, yes you will get a few extra emails every month but it will be worth it. A lot of these places will get a lot of certain items, items that were hot and dsales have cooled down and you'll get an email about an impromptu sale, things like Lucky Craft square bills for $7.99 or the Xcalibur XCS when they were being discontinued and they were reduced to $4.99 in a lot of places. There are even bigger discounts at times but you need to have the money and be ready for when it happens and you do that by trying to avoid impulse shopping. Almost all of my rod purchases come in the late winter, when stores are getting ready for an increase in spring demand so some older inventory is drastically reduced. And I also buy at the end of summer, late August through September, this is when products from ICAST begin to show up so stores need room for new stuff and depending on the item your savings can be massive, to give an example one of my square bill boxes cost me $142 roughly to fill but when I added up the retail costs it would have been $400 and change, baits that are normally $8 - $12 that I grabbed for $4 - $8, and last week our local Cabela's had a sale on the discontinued Clackin' Crank from Rapala, the square bills were being sold for $3.99 when that bait retailed for $9.99 at one time, it was a great buy for those that at fans of that series. So that is how I go about purchasing my tackle nowadays, when I get a gift card or some extra cash it wants to burn a hole in my pocket but I put it aside and wait, yes it is painful at first but if you can resist you will be rewarded with more and better tackle, good luck.

Photo of Quilt of Valor my wife created. Will be big enough for a king sized bed.

Went out this morning between 7 & 9 am, hitting some local ponds from shore. Medical issues have prevented my fishing partner, Walt, and I from doing much boating this spring - unfortunately. Used mainly 1/16 oz. ball heads with a variety of plastics. Most productive were the straight tails. When I quit - due to aching shoulders from all the casting and the necessity of relieving myself - I caught & released 44 crappie, one fingerling LM bass and a very decent bluegill. Not a bad way to spend a short morning of fishing with UL rig (SHSS) and 2# test line. Did not catch any giants, but most were of this size: Well, it will only allow me one picture I guess??? Sorry! LOL!

Championship caliber over run right there. Be proud of that one. A-Jay

Those are my go to scissors when I throw in the towel too. Ugh cottonwood....it's all over the place right now and aggravating when it gets all over your line. All my Ash trees are dead from the Emerald Ash borer, why couldn't they go after the cottonwood instead.

I had the mother of all backlashes Wednesday when some cottonwood pollen got on my line and then stuck in my line guide when I cast. The only way I was able to get it out was to cut it.

Sell the house!!! Or wife, lol

When you can fit you're hole hand in it's mouth to get a tiny wacky jig out

I had to chuckle a bit when I read the title to this thread, as I was sitting at my computer reading an article by Buck Perry published in Feb. 1974 titled, "Learning To 'Read' Water Tells You Where To Fish In Any Body Of Water." Yes, the answer to your question has been around for over 40 years Buck wrote, "In the past, I have stressed "Structure" primarily. But structure, although very important, is only one of the Basic Fishing Facts that you and I must be concerned with...When the BASICS of fish behavior, structure, weather, water, and lure presentation is fully understood, the fisherman can then put this knowledge to work and come up with some answers to the many fishing conditions he is faced with." So, to answer your question, I'd suggest either picking up a copy of Buck's book, "Spoonplugging," or digging around the In-Fishrman site for the concept of F+L+P=S as your foundation. Either should get you started in the proper direction, and will provide more than enough info/pics to answer this, and many other questions. ...and yes, every point is a point, but the key is understanding which points will be productive, and why (not all are). -T9

Yours truly, circa 1980 +/-

Yesterday I was fishing a lake that is always very kind to me. It was cold, windy, and raining on and off. I was fishing for bass and was on a good shallow spinnerbait bite when this happened: My first ever Tiger Muskie The fish swiped at my spinnerbait right next to the boat once, and I missed him. I continued to cast in the same spot and maybe 5 casts later he nailed it again and this time I got him. Not a huge one, but I was so stoked and I got to cross off another bucket-list species. Such a beautiful looking fish. Also got plenty of decent bass, mostly on the spinnerbait. Good day of fishing despite lousy weather.

I figured now was a good time for me to become a member... thanks for the very kind words Francho. i noticed you only have the part 2 episode posted, the first part can be seen here... for some reason they deleted the video and then uploaded it again just recently.

I know this is an old thread but I have been spending the last few months, maybe a year researching all Chinese Reels on the market since I import products from China & other countries to sell part time. I am familiar with the Korean Company & 2 others which help create the image of "Not Made in China" but Taiwan, China, outside the USA all the same to me for most part. When I say Chinese reels, I have been testing reels like *** (In my town and started the company at the same time as the 4 guys from Kastking. 99% of the reels we fish are from China and other countries not in the USA unless you are looking to go deep sea fishing and use Avet. Reels from Lew's,Abu, Daiwa, Okuma etc. may have R&D Offices in the USA, Sweden, but they simply outsource the reels to factories elsewhere which makes sense. Obviously all companies have different Quality Control & different specs so I am not knocking any company, but I can pick a reel from a catalog, order 500, call it anything I want, and simply add a new color to a $200 reel and just mark it up for much less, or use cheaper bearings etc. Not too much goes into R&D anymore, and KastKing is no different than say a company like Duckett or Quantum,BPS etc. They give free reels to everyone, focus on Customer Service, and simply do not mark up reels at 400%. Most reels we fish are sold in other parts of the world under different names, The Ardent wire spinning reel is sold as 8 different reels I believe. Bottom Line, Chinese reels under Chinese names are coming like Japanese Cars. The China Fish International show was all New reels from China and you still often get what you pay for, but just because you pay $300 for a Duckett Reel, or Quantum, does not mean it is worth $300. Every company makes cheap reels, Kastking has a few models in the $100 Range now, but I would put their casting reels for $50 on par with any $100 reel, I would argue the Pro Max for $49 online is the best value under $100, Advertising, Sponsership, add cost, Eposeiden is selling reels cheaper by using Chinese Factories & using Proven Technology to keep costs down, then they do not mark them up so high. The Academy Meddle is $60 and if I gave that reel a new name, some new paint, Titanium coating on the line guide, It could sell for $150 no complaints if KVD fished it. All reels have issues after a few years. Kast King is based on Long Island and they are using the same factories and frames as other Chinese reels, They are based on Long Island like *** is based in Florida, both do the same things when ordering reels, only Kast King has better customer service. Eposeidon which is Kast king now has $100 reels but they are no different than buying from Quantum, they all pick em out of catalogs and then import them. Chinese reels are going to be like Japanese Cars. China fish International the biggest fishing show in the world is usually 2 years ahead, and it was all Chinese Reel Companies, branded in China, going to be Sold In America. Why not cut out the middle man? Japanese cars are pretty good after a tough start. Kastking is an American company so if a Silver Max was working for you, you are tough on your stuff, Expect a good 2-3 years from a Kastking just like you will get from your Lew's Laser. Sorry for the rant, Obviously Lews makes a good reel and they "Design" some nice reels, but so does Kastking, ***, and Abu Garcia. After trying dozens of reels, I would say the ORRA and Pro max are best reels for heavy fishing, good drags, if you go that way again. Lew's are great, but at $50 every company has a comparable reel, some companies just sell them for 4x the price. Check out Browning Reels. Saving a ton of money if you buy the one's that are a year old or so. Unless BPS lies about the Specs, hard to beat a Browning reel. Then again, they don't advertise like Kast King so they only sell for $80 same Internals as a Jonny Morris?

KVD braid cutters in my bag.The Rapala scissors are in my TV remote holder so i can sit on the couch and be comfortable during the surgical procedure. Yo-Zuri Hybrid. 10 bucks for 600 yards is cheap enough and i still have 400 yards or so left.

Rapala scissors,so you know,MANLY scissors.

Go ahead, be a man! You can get that out! If it were mine it would be Power Pro!

The good news is its Yo-Zuri and not Power Pro.

Topwater bite is ON.. got a 4+lber on a x-rap prop yesterday. Biggest fish of the season thus far. I got a cool video that I'll put up. I was just doing some pond fishing over lunch break.

Congratulations on your retirement and joining the "Every day is Saturday" club! Great way to start off retirement by going 10-8 with your Godson and and your best friend and getting on some fish. Enjoy retirement and continued good fishing Columbia Craw, JB

I'm in Indy too. Take my Nitro out a couple times a week. Hit me up if either of you ever wanna get out on Geist or Morse and we can try to make it happen.

Try a loop knot as well.

Try these VMC In Line single hooks instead: http://www.cabelas.com/product/VMC-INLINE-SINGLE-HOOK/1920441.uts I've replaced most of my trebles with these and my hook-up ratio remains the same. I also crimp the barbs down. Better for the fish and safer for the fisherman.

Thia is why you pay for everything on a credit/debit card. If Gander won't make it right, you contact your card company and request a chargeback.

You answered your own question. Mono or copolymer leader would help tremendously. It will still wrap here and there but nearly as much. I use 10-15 pound p-line cxx. 10 For poppers, 15 For walking style baits. Its stiff and strong. I also use an fg knot which is a great leader to main line knot for me personally.

I want to thank Bass Resource and Yum for the package I won. It contained way more gear than I expected. I invited my bass fishing buddies over and let them pick a few bags each. Bass Resource is the best site for information that I have found, and now I got some free stuff. I still can't believe I won!

Hi Boomstick; you mentioned this in your first post, and based on that I'd go with the 7'1" MH R as you'll be throwing spinnerbaits and swim jigs more often than crankbaits. The same rod can easily handle crankbaits and topwaters too in the event that you throw them. Cheers, hope that all the info provided was of help and that you enjoy your purchase!

Thanks to @A-Jay and @J Francho for sharing their insights into the northern waters, really helps me understand a lot of the water I fish! In the Kawartha's I find myself throwing a topwater or jerkbait for bass as a search bait. This season between tournaments I'm going to be experimenting with a spinnerbait as a search bait as well.

Visible bass is where I get hung up on local ledges....As a rookie sonar operator, I tend to think that EVERY arch is a bass....until a couple hours into a skunk, at which time I usually decide that NONE of the arches are bass

I'd be there, with the reel, my receipt, and wouldn't leave until I had a working reel or my money back.

I always carry along an UL rig regardless of the species I'm chasing. I use a 7' B n M SHSS rod with a 750 Symetre filled with 2# Fireline Crystal and 4# test fluorocarbon leader. Have caught some pretty large bass & pike on this rig and have never used a leader. I have lost jigs on pike. Doesn't bother me that much, it's just part of the game. This northern was successfully caught & released on this rig:

While it is very good, the Rats have out performed it

Do yourself a favor and get some 1/16th oz. darter heads, 2" Yamamoto single tail grubs in pearl and you'll catch just about every species of fish in your water, from dinks to lunkers. The aforementioned bettle spins, #1 Mepps in-lines, and Road Runners also are mandatory ultralight baits one should throw. I would not recommend using a steel leader on ultralight tackle. Just don't throw high dollar baits for the toothy critters to steal.

I'll add that I do essentially what A-Jay does when chasing brown fish out in the big lake. I'm looking for alewife - carpets of them in 20-40' of water. find them, and you will find quantity and quality, unlike hunting and pecking through widely scattered bass that are keyed in on gobies. I discovered this a few years ago. It was partially by accident, partially by design. I stopped paying attention to the grid lines from shore to 20', treating that 20' line as my "shoreline." Out in the big lake, there's no search baits, unless you troll. If I don't see bait on the graph, I don't bother dropping a jigging spoon or DS rig.

I highly recommend fishing Flea Markets as you can pick up a lot of stuff cheap. Picked up 15 Bandit cranks this year for $10 and a freezer bag full of Fat Ikas for $5. Allen

A pencil, run through the spool of line, clamped in my toes. Never have to look to hard to find it.

Search bait? This is what I search with

I'm actually searching for the location of the fish. Fan casting at the front, are they shallow, deep, or both. Spinnerbaits and rattle traps are my favorite. Once I determine it's one or the other, I'll keep fishing that bait until it stops producing, or is only producing small fish. Then I'll slow down with a jig or plastic. I most often go through this when I don't what is going on, and I have guest(s) in the boat that aren't as proficient at casting. That way I can get them on fish.

Went out for a quick shore excursion at massabesic. Landed a pickerel and this nice largemouth that was about 2lbs in the hour that I was there. On a rattle trap.

My first Tiger Muskie