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Got the win and big bass in the weeknight tournament this week. Weigh in at 9:30, caught the big one at 9:14 on a homemade black and blue bladed jig.

The Dredger is quickly becoming my new best friend........and the WP 110

Rollincoal420 You are surrounded by lakes . You need a boat , it doesnt have to be fancy . Most of my fishing is done out of a 14 foot jon boat powered by an elec motor only .

Finally got my fishing partner back. Son pulled out 8 this morning after a few years hiatus

My wife hadn't had a bite all day, so she did something completely unorthodox: She fished a jig n pig on a float and landed this:

Trunk Monkey.

Me neither ~ But it does seem to help. A-Jay

My boy got a nice one on a black power worm. We saw it swim up to the shore causally, just staring us down it looked like. I threw a Senko in front of it. It came and watched it. Backed off. Twitched it, it came up again, then swam off. I told him to throw that worm out there in the direction it took off in and it was an instant strike.

It's difficult to learn to bass fish carrying 3 rods shore fishing unless you are skilled and know how to bass. My suggestion is putting away the the 2 spinning outfits if you know how to cast efficiently with your 6'6" MH casting outfit. I would also tie on a 15 lb 5' to 6' long mono leader, use a double Uni knot to join the leader to the braid or save and replace the braid and respool with 15 lb mono (Big Game is inexpensive and good line). Next I suggest using a sliding bullet sinker Texas rigged 6" to 7 1/2" soft plastic worm and 4" soft plastic craw both on a 3/0 worm hook. Usec1/8 oz, 3/16 oz and 1/4 oz bullet weight and work the worm or craw slowing along the bottom. Zoom trick worm and Berkely Chigger craws are both good choices. Stay with this T-rig and casting outfit until you have caught several bass and have confidence using it, about 1 month. Add another presentation of your choice and continue using the casting outfit. Tom

A great morning on Squam Lake

Do they need to be in their mouths or is in a glass on the nightstand ok?

Fair enough my friend and you know I totally agree. But in my own defense . . . .I'd like to humbly present Exhibits A & B Your Honor - The defense rests. A-Jay

Simple solution: Baby Monitors. I use the top-of-the-line baby monitor for my security. Has a night-vision camera with a wireless remote head unit. I can pan the camera around with the head unit, hear every sound, and even talk through via a speaker on the camera. I keep the head unit right next to my head when I'm parked overnight somewhere. Nobody can mess with my boat without waking me up.

Gonna be pretty tough for a water cooled motor work in the ice and snow.

It's fun to dream . . . . . . . After hiring a driver, a cook, a couple of housemaids & at least one translator, I'd be the newest year round resident of Sinaloa, Mexico. Specifically in very close proximity to Lake Baccarac . . . A-Jay

No problem 4 years running. Needs to be done correctly or you will be eating transducers because of the cords getting damaged. I can walk you thru step by step if you're interested.

If you're asking if an E6X Loomis and an NRX Loomis with the same specs are identical, the answer is no. The length, power, action, tip softness might be the same or very close, but the sensitivity, balance, weights etc are different. If you're looking to buy a new rod, tell us what baits you intend to use it for and the $$ you're willing to spend; and you should get some good choices to pick from.

Take the electronics off and bring them in the hotel. As far as the gear, when I used to travel, I would lock the gear in the truck and bring the rods in the hotel. Leave the boat compartments unlocked. I do know they make boat alarms, but have no idea how effective they are nor how far you can be from the boat for the receiver to alert you. There's also lokerbar, but I have heard that can be torn off using the trailer winch strap. Also consider a Denver boot style axle lock for the trailer and a prop lock. Minn Kota makes a lockable mount for their trolling motors, I modified a non locking mount to accept a brass security padlock. I have security locks on my Talon, but MK does make a quick release bracket for the Talon which would allow you lock it in the truck or bring that into the hotel room as well. A couple years back thieves hit a popular annual walleye tourney in Wisconsin and actually stole the kicker motors off a number of boats.

Well a pack of Big EZ swimbaits isn't exactly cheap, nor are they durable. I've caught a couple dozen fish on one of my Sprinkers and it still has the original tail very much intact. Spending a little more for something that is going to last a lot longer, as well as functions better, should offset that price difference.

I just received notification that my DX 703SF replacement shipped. I can't say enough great things about Dobyns customer service. I'm getting ready to order a DC 735C and a 705CB. What a great company! Billy

I fish until I am done...but I don't need to catch fish to have fun fishing.

Bamboo cane pole. Ten feet for ten bucks.

Great way to start the day

A T-rigged Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace Grub came through for me again today. The fish were aggressive this evening, after today's cooling, aerating downpour.

Hi everyone. obviously im new to the site and would like to introduce myself. I have been hunting and fishing all my life. I went from my little 12' v boat to a 14' sylvan deep v, I just recently purchased my first bass boat a 17.6 stratos. I cant seem to give up my 12 footer for those hard to get at little out of the way places to fish that have no launch. I have been fishing lots of local tournaments and have been holding my own competing against fellow anglers. I decided to join the forums in search of any little thing I can pick up to increase my knowledge and better myself to be a better bass angler. I look forward to getting some input and tips on certain things as they may pop up over time. Maybe I can help someone in return also. Thanks for having me in the forums. Brian, NE PA

Faster moving ones like a buzzbait can be. It drags the nose down too much on slower moving baits like a popper. I prefer braid for all my topwaters except a buzzbait.

Ultra lite spinning reels have small spool diameter designed for small diameter line ine less thean .0089 dia, use the line diameters your guide. Tom

It do. But it beats sitting in front of a TV every single time...

In a non-competitive atmosphere - that may be up to you. Personally, I'd say it's no less 'sporting' than throwing an A-Rig for instance. If it's legal, puts fish in the boat & a smile on your face - Go For It. Might not exactly be my cup of tea but that has nothing to do with you. Btw ~ I'd be terribly disappointed if you didn't get some video of you Pole Vaulting & Tarzan swinging pot-belly bass into that Pro-V ! A-Jay

Here we go again The problem for Dee was not rod length but the fact he had no reel attached, he was in his own words a "Tule Dipper". Thomas started out as what he refers to as a “tule dipper.” “I started tule dipping in California in the 50s,” he said. “In that technique, you have a 12- to 18-foot rod. There’s no reel so you either attach a length of line to the tip or you run a length of line down through the rod tip and affix it at the butt-end of the rod. Either way, you have a length of line, about as long as the rod, and that’s what you use to present your lure.” Dee Thomas’ early tournament endeavors were met with mixed results and mixed reviews. Most tournament bass anglers at the time considered his use of 12-foot rods as ‘unsportsmanlike’ and ‘something only a meat hunter would use.’ The 12-foot rod wasn’t something ‘a serious tournament angler would even consider.’ http://bassfishingarchives.com/features/the-birth-of-the-flippin-stik-part-one

I just got back from a pond looking for the good ole top water bite. I got skunked, not even a short strike. So to answer your question, YES! Don't be fooled by the video editing on YouTube and ESPN.

You should go online search "Dee Thomas, Flippin". There is a interview with Dee and a Utube vedio. Tom

After working hard & saving his money my grandson Aiden (Bayou Boy) Savant purchased his first combo all on his own! Lew's® Laser TXS & 6'6" MH Fast

For $100 there is simply no better reel currently available than the Daiwa BG imo. It is a fraction over 9oz though.

Worked the large weeds flats in 4-6ft. The big one was caught on a keitech fat impact electric shad on a #5 keeper hook with a 1/4 tungsten bullet. upper part of lake got them with texas smoke (basspro color)wacky. 1/2 ounce black and blue jig with a green pumpkin rage tail craw. Chatter baits worked also for some of the fish in the weeds. You can only fish the flats with wind and clouds, if clear and no wind don't wast your time.

technically the jet skis are still here but they are now providing cover, as they have been relocated to the bottom of the river.

So to summarize: Cons: very fast water that may still be dangerous due to debris, extremely muddy water, displaced game species. Pros: fewer jet skis. Well, this sounds like a win.

Getting skunked is part of the game. The better fisherman you become, the less it will happen, but that doesn't eliminate the possibility. Just fishing from the bank adds to the challenge because you're usually very limited by the amount of fishable water you have access to. As some have suggested, smaller bodies of water are usually your friend when it comes to this. As far as what you see from others in person, on social media, youtube, or the interwebs don't let it get you down. Fishing tournaments, there have been days that even on the same smaller lake someone hits the jackpot and nobody else does. Or the case of the two boats passing each other one saying they can't catch a fish on "x" bait and boat two says they can't catch them on anything but "same x"bait. As for social media, posts, or videos you're only seeing the highlights of their outings. Someone may have put in a 16 hour day on the water and had lots to show for it, but you're seeing the highlights of those 16 hours in the course of a few minutes in a video, or in a few pictures. You don't see the 4 hours straight they went without a bite, or the other 3 hours they kept getting short strikes. On the other hand they could also just be fishing a tremendous body of water as well. I'm not saying that to take anything away from them as fishermen because that's fishing, but when you see those type of posts you have to take all of that into account. If not you start to develop unrealistic expectations for your own fishing.

That *requirement* makes perfect sense. Why should just the people that worked hard to find the fish and figure out how to catch them catch all the fish? Everyone should get a trophy, not just the winners!!

I use what might be considered "natural bait" for trout fishing: roe bags or spawn sacks from harvested hen trout. Many fly fisherman look down on the practice, but I don't care. I don't look down on anyone fishing with live bait, so long as they follow regulations. In NY state, the rules can be particular about where your bait comes from, especially minnows. You must have a receipt from the bait shop and the bait shop must use approved sources for live bait. There's no shame in it, but for me it's more of a control issue. I can't really control where craw goes, or a minnow swims. I like to be the one that controls the action. Much of the stigma trickles down from the top level tournaments that ban the use of live bait. So, as the techniques that the pros develop are shared in press, TV, and the internet, live bait rarely appears. There's more to it than just soaking a softshell crab or night crawler. When I was a kid, we use softshell crabs for smallmouth out in Lake Ontario, and even then it more about location than just drowning baits. You still have to find them. I honestly don't know if I can come up with a more "finesse" method than live bait. So in my opinion, is it sad? Not at all. Enjoy your fishing.

My daughter didn't mind. I have a picture of myself kissing one from when I was younger, so she wanted to do it too.

I think it all started with Jimmy Houston's days on TV, back in the 90's.

Depends if I've been drinking....those big girls start to look pretty good Blame Mr. Houston

I think everyone has gotten skunked fishing at some point. I will say the Ned rig has saved the day for me, more days than I can count. It may not always produce the biggest fish, but it will get bites when nothing else does.

Let's not forget...

Every once in awhile, you need to get back to basics and hit a farm pond to get your confidence back .

More Yak fishing for me yesterday. I took a rare day off as the weather was almost perfect for a day on the river. A little hot but very little wind. I ended the day with 11 fish, 8 Smallmouth and 3 Largemouth. All caught on a red shad Senko or a watermelon/redflake Biospawn Exostick. The two best fish were over 2 pounds, one Largemouth and this Smallmouth. Even with half a tail he put up a heck of a fight including one jump that almost stopped my heart as that was the first look at his size I got and the thought that he shook the hook.

It's been tough around these parts lately with the high temps. So I'm happy with these 3, despite the size. One on a lipless crank, two on black/red flake Senko. I had been struggling with my Senko hooksets lately, as I have always kind of used them as a last ditch effort. However, thanks to this forum, the sweep hookset is working like a charm. I also stepped down to a 2/0 offset hook from a 4/0 offset wide gap. The fish on the left came out of a separate pond from the other two, just 5 minutes down the road. I found the difference in their color interesting.

I spent a good 8 hours at El Capitan Reservoir today and was rewarded with around 10 or 11 bass total. About 8 of em were off the Dirty Jig and Sweet Beaver combo. I fished the 3/8oz pitching jig in The Go To color with a Dirty Wizard colored Sweet Beaver and nailed em today. They were eating up these trailers. I think I'll start keep some smallie beavers as well. Can't believe how great of a day I had. These were all caught after 12pm, some were right after another.

Caught about thirty today with seven over 15 inches . Nothing huge . This was the best one caught on an 8 inch jelly Worm .