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They heard how much it costs and instantly both jumped on it

Went to my fav spot -- the creek mouth which empties into a large, clear lake. Started with the trusty thumper and hoisted 3 around 3 lbs. Then came this one close to 4. They were all cruisin open water, not stationed at their usual ambush points. I couldn't buy a hit on topwater. I went to a different area, a new place I hadn't hit before from land. I managed to hoist a few on the thumper. After a few surface detonations, it was time for the spook. So, I got my topwater rig, worked the SS several times......kaboom! She was pushing 5.

Mannnn...These pickerels sure do love my lures! I wanted to get a bass but instead i get this, I did however get my bass last night right before we were asked to leave by security as it was like 9-10pm. I'm just using a weightless, wacky rigged senko but that's enough to get them to bite. Our catch: A 5 pounds and two feet long pickerel, He was giving me a fight and kicking a ton of water at me.

5.4 on the popping perch

At a recent family gathering my 11 year old cousin Dax expressed great interest in bass fishing, had read up on all sorts of lures and techniques, and said he wished someday to have a baitcasting set up. Well, I indulged him. I bought Dax a Lew's TP-1 MH rod, a Lew's Speed Spool reel, filled it with FC line, tuned the reel, picked up a box full of great baits and accessories, and last week brought him with me to a local pond an hour before sunset. Dax became rapidly adept at casting a baitcaster, and with the help of some tips from me and perhaps some beginner's luck, within the hour had landed this 3 pounder and this 5 pounder, along with three or four smaller fish. Pretty darn amazing, Dax!

Got a new Avid-X last week for spinnerbaits, a MH/F 6'6". I was actually using a M/XF rod just because that was my extra rod, needed some more backbone I thought. Broke it in the night I bought it with a couple of 1.5#'s in my backyard pond, but yesterday I got into something that made me glad I had the extra backbone. Close enough to 4 to call it 4:

Once the waters warms a bit & the Brown Bass move deep, try snapping that tube. Use a heavy weight, at least a 1/2 oz inside the bait jighead and snap the heck out of it to hop it up off the bottom. Make sure it falls back on a slack line. Often the faster the fall the better. They often grab it on the fall but you usually don't feel it - until you snap up the next one . . . .And there's a big Fatty on the end of it. So this is a way to fish a tube that is Anything but boring. btw - this is not new. A-Jay

After getting skunked for the first 6 or 7 hours of the day, my dad and my brother and I caught all these guys in about an hour before the bite shut off again. Never know what the day will turn into!

I wanted to try out my other Fathers Day gift. Brand new Field and Stream Inferno 2 piece casting rod. Caught a Bass and a Pickerel. Rod was pretty nice considering it's $25 price.

Sounds as if you should've been fishing a tube jig instead of the drop-shot... oe

Been a rough go lately. Fish are scattered and tattered, trying to recover and regroup from the spawn and get into their summer patterns. Went to one of my favorite local lakes Friday and it beat me pretty bad. Green sunfish were attacking my bait every cast, no matter what I tried. Water was backwards, main lake was pretty clear and river water looked like a dirt road mud puddle. Still managed one beat up gal back in the mud on a homemade bladed jig.

Yesterday I finally broke the four pound mark for the first time this year. This one went 4 lb 8 oz and I caught it on a black jig and black craw. Wind started coming out of the North about 8:30 AM, and the lake I was fishing was very muddy, less than a foot visibility.

Well...I've saved up a little money and decided I wanted to upgrade my vessel. I have fished all over central FL in a 14' Jon boat with a 30 hp johnson. I basically learned to fish out of that thing...and she was good to me. BUT...the time has come... My first bass boat - a 1990 Ranger 374v with a 1996 175 hp Mariner Magnum EFI. To me...the boat is unbelievable. It's not perfect...but she is close enough to perfect for me. I have a little refreshing to do on her, mainly on the trailer...and a few "peace of mind" items...but everything works...everything is solid...and I couldn't be happier.

i caught a tool box the other day

@Ben Miller Because the time, effort & personal touch by all involved, can make All the difference. A-Jay

**reads first sentence and faints** I'm gonna need a stiff drink to make it through this thread.

Refilled my plastics

Picked up some new kayak and bank bags. Great quality too

Try replacing the tail with either the same replacement tails sold separately, or do what I did and replace it with a zman finesse wormz (or other worm). Works just as well and doesn't hardly ever break cause it's elaz-tech. And if it does, its no big deal with the worm only costing 30¢.

[June 21, 2017] (Wednesday) -----Conditions----- Time: 2:00pm - 7:20pm Sky: Clear "Bluebird Sky" Wind: Strong Wind from the Southwest (White Caps) Water Temps: 64-67F Water Clarity: Clear (10ft+) -------------------- My friend from work (Jeremy) and I planned to continue from where we last fished back on the 19th (Monday) and had to cut the day short. We both got off from work at 1:00pm, geared up and headed to the lake, and were in the water and headed north to our location at 2:00pm. First thing to note was today was forecasted to be windy, and when we arrived at the lake we could see a southwest wind strong enough to cause white caps. The wind wasn't much of an issue though as the location we planned to fish was north on the protected side of the lake out of the wind. We decided to start fishing near where I caught my largest one the last time we were out. The bass in my local area spawn anywhere from Late-May to Mid-June, depending on the year. This year we received a lot of snowfall & record amounts of rainfall so the conditions are about a month behind last year. I suspected the nice one I caught on the 19th may have been on a bed, but couldn't confirm it due to depth & waves. I let Jeremy make the first cast to the spot so he had a chance at the big one if it was still there - and sure enough seconds later he was hooked up. Sadly, it shook loose while fighting it to the boat, so I made a cast to the exact same spot and again it was only seconds before I had a tight line and gave a good hookset... 1st Bass = 18 & 3/4" - 2.69 lb (2 lb, 11 oz) Same bass as last time. I was able to get a better measurement and it's actually closer to 18 & 3/4", same weight. Still couldn't see a bed but being that it's in the exact same spot, and we both hooked into it within less than 60sec, and I could see it's been caught before by someone else, I would say it has to be the male on a bed. Since I've caught it twice now within 3 days, I made sure to give it a good healthy release... We continued to fish, and I had another nice Smallmouth follow my bait and check it out but just turn and swim away. I made multiple casts trying different things to no avail, then Jeremy made a cast with his bait (similar yet different) and hooked right into it. Turned out to be a (1 lb, 10 oz) Smallmouth. There has been this common thing on all of our fishing trips... At some locations whenever we have the boat in ~35-45ft of water the Sonar has gone crazy marking things. It's been going off so much it's caused me to toss a few baits down there, and even tie on a 6XD and make a handful of casts with it... I've seen it marked up way more than that, almost top to bottom, lines all over, but never had any bites. :Shrugs: It could be anything... from Kokanee to a school of White Suckers. Would be nice to hook something though to at least identify the species. By this time we ran out of protected water, and were fighting the wind again, so we changed locations and headed further north to the next protected area. It was pretty much one after another for the both of us, but mostly just dinks - no real size to them. I caught a total of 10, Jeremy caught a total of 11. Just numbers today, for the exception of my first one which was the one I caught before. Anyway, here are the larger ones of the bunch... 7th Bass = 11 & 1/4" - 0.53 lb (08 oz) 8th Bass = 10 & 5/8" - 0.44 lb (07 oz) 9th Bass = 11" - 0.51 lb (08 oz) We both have the early work schedule so we had to pull the plug at 7:20pm and head back. It was another good day, the wind calmed down in the evening, and we caught a lot. We already have a plan brewing for this coming Monday and will probably change it up, will have to wait and see what happens... WolfyBrandon

My dad and I hit the local over-pressured public lake in the evening on Saturday during some rain since the crowds would be all gone. I primarily fished a hollow-body frog and my dad fished a weightless t-rigged senko. It was a chilly evening, but the fish were still hitting topwater. I caught a few on the frog (missed a few more) and was having a blast. Had a one boil on my frog and told my dad to cast in there with his senko. Sure enough he hooked up and it was a nice solid bass in the 18-inch range. Ended up losing the biggest one of the night right before it got too dark for us to see. Wish I could get out more during the week to fish topwater, such a rush.

They are awesome rods. You will enjoy them. I had two 7'3" medium spinning rods but figured I didn't need 2 of the exact same rods so I sold one. Kinda wish I hadn't now.

I won't guarantee that the press and jerk method will work in this area. I can guarantee that you are going to have to do the whole operation yourself.

@fishnkamp laid out solid recommendations for rods and reels, my suggestion is to look at the Fenwick hmg line. I've got the spinning and casting rods and I really like them. They will run you $100.

I've done it. It was great, as much as a dropshot hangs up for me, it allowed me to lose baits twice as fast!

What you're suggesting folks should do is illegal in many states, it is here in Kansas. http://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Aquatic-Nuisance-Species K.A.R. 115-8-12: Don't dump bait. You cannot stock or release wildlife on department lands or waters, navigable publicly-owned waters and federal reservoirs unless authorized. Dispose of unused bait on dry ground or in an approved bait receptacle. It's an easy way to move invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels, Asian carp, curly-leaf pond weed, Eurasian water milfoil, white perch, or the rusty crawfish. If you want to help out the fish in a body of water, talk to the local biologist and see what the fish population density is. If it's towards the high side, maybe keep a limit of smaller keepers to thin out the herd a little, effectively making it so there's more food for the remaining fish. To stick with your hunting analogy, it's similar to culling a herd of deer of the older animals to make it possible for maturing animals to reach their full potential.

Thanks, they have been on fire up by the house on my favorite sand bar and grass line. They wanted the trap burned to the max speed along the grass line this evening. I literal couldn't crank it any faster then what I was and my reels are 6.4:1 ratio when they would hit it, it was like running head first into a stump, it would just stop and start jerk the rod around. I had to put a new trap on this evening because the paint had been wore off the one I took out the pack yesterday, the one I was useing this evening ain't looking togood right now.

I recently bought a Radar 115 and today brought it out to a 15 acre lake. Third time out in it, first two resulted in 0 fish. That all changed today. I caught this one on a hollow body frog casting into the middle of lilly pads and walking it across. He was 20 inches and weighed in at a nice 3 lbs 15 ozs. Caught 5 others after, 2 on the same frog, 3 on texas rigged Senko's. The smallest came in at 16 inches the others were all around 18 inches. I only weighed the biggest. Nice morning on the water and nothing beats watching a big bass hit a top water frog!

I was cleaning some stuff up in the tackle room and respooling, so I thought I should take a picture since it's been a while..

Large Pike. Forgot my tape in another bag. One of my biggest.

I just returned from a trip to Table Rock Lake. I haven't been there in 30+ years. All I can say is; I wish I knew then what I know now. I likely would have moved the family down lock, stock and barrel (when was the last time ya all heard that?). Structure.....endless Fishing pressure......non existent Wildlife......abundant Scenery.......breathtaking I haven't experienced schooling 3lb.-4lb. bass anytime in my lifetime, but enjoyed it a few times in my short stay. As far as fishing pressure goes, I can not fathom it being a factor in fishing a lake of this size even with multiple tournaments on week-ends. it's just too big for that to become a factor to have to deal with. 200 boats on a 1200 acre lake for a two day tourney is what I consider a pressured fishery. Any of you that live near or fish a big reservoir, consider yourself blessed. If you can compare Kentucky Lake to Wilson or Wheeler, you know what I'm talking about. Now I just gotta talk the other half into yearly trips, or it may be another 30 years until I get back and I'm pretty sure I can't fish from 6ft. under.

Well I know KastKing is a sponsor here. I do not want to say anything really negative about a sponsor, but I believe you would be better served with a reel from another manufacturer. Daiwa, Shimano, Lews and Okuma make some great reels. These have been on the market for a long time, and have reputations of long term quality service. My preference is a Daiwa Tatula CT, however not necessarily for her situation. Seven of my 12 baitcasters are Daiwa Tatulas and Tatula CTs. I love them, however I also like your choice of a Helios and a TCS if you are thinking about the 6'9" model. Another nice option could be an Irod Genesis II model IRG693C, a "Harold's Lone Star Special".

How about using something these?

Your contribution to the wellness of trophy size bass by stocking 50 lbs of crayfish from the same body of water will also feed catfish along with a few bass. The downside is you may introduce non native deseased crayfish into the ecosystem that may have a major impact on the tons of crayfish living there. Every day is a holiday, every meal is a feast. Tom PS, 15 lbs is the sites benchmark and my minimum weight for a FLMB to be considered a trophy size bass, not close to my PB.

Sad really sad, money is the rut of all evil and brings out the worse in people. On a side note the pattern is still holding this evening only change was the numbers were down but the size is way up, I landed twelve and keep my 8 all bass were between 2 and 3 pounds, I had 14 throw the hook on me and couldn'tfigure it out till I was packing to head home and noticedboth treble hooks were missing two barbs. So put some new hooks on and be ready for the morning bite.

The Core is Great bang for the buck higher end reel.

If it's your private pond go for it, if it's public get permission, this is how desease and unwanted critters get transplanted. Tom

Sluggos (sp) and large jerk bait

BR Quabbin tournament.Pair up,teams picked from a hat. 100 bucks a team.Top 2 or 3 paid out depending on how many teams are in.Either 3 fish limit or lunker decides winning team.No sonar.Whos interested?? Say....September.

The top 2 were bogo 50% off. Not a great deal but I "needed" an 8xd so i got the senkos for like $3. The DTs came from gander for under $6 each, the 14s in Parrot were only $3something each

Some new stuff that according to flea bay is worth it weight in gold....lol

Chris McCall's Rayburn Swim Jig http://www.santonelures.com/store/store_sub.cfm?Category_ID=3

I love Table Rock. If I could fish only 1 lake the rest of my life, that would be it. It gets tons of fishing pressure and the boat traffic is starting to rival Lake of the Ozarks though. A boat on every good point or bank and a couple more waiting their turn isn't uncommon. I prefer to fish the colder months to get away from some of that. My last couple trips there have been excellent. @gardnerjigman and I won a tournament there in March, it was a blast.

Actually I think its one of those new NASCAR racing bass. If you look at the other side its sponsored by STP, Pepsi, AT&T and the state of Virginia tourism bureau.

First catch on my latest addition

Try throwing them on this

Latest addition to my stable compliments of my wife and the fine people at the Tackle Trap, yes she is the BEST wife ever! If you're in the market for a high end finesse spinning rod you've got to consider the Megabass Destroyer Addermine, it's amazing. Awe heck let's show off the FMJ too.

Your rod is anything but "all-around". More specifically it must be designed for BIG swimbaits, but it strikes me odd that it is designated medium heavy. It sounds extra heavy to me. At any rate, for line I would recommend #50 braid with a #25 fluorocarbon leader. Specifically, KastKing Black Ops/ Seaguar AbrazX. http://www.eposeidon.com/kastking-mega-8-super-performance-8-strand-braid-fishing-line http://www.seaguar.com/freshwater/fluorocarbon.html

I just caught a frog, with a frog. Weird.

Once while grinding a crankbait along the bottom my lure came back with a five dollar bill impaled on the treble. Who says it does not pay to fish?