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My tournament partner and I fished a tournament on Stonewall Jackson Lake (WV) on Sunday and we won it with 16lbs. We had never been on the lake before, and spent more time on the trolling motor than anything else, putting together a pattern as we went! Most of the fish came on a whopper plopper 130 and a strike king 1.5 and 2.5. Felt good to whoop up on some locals who didn't expect much from the college kids in the aluminum boat

Some topwater smallmouth chasing shad over deep water

Went fly fishing today, Still fairly new to this type of fishing i was hoping to land a rainbow trout on it. I ended up going to the river with some slow current and had a few fish eat my fly but not for very long. But the fly ended up getting hung up and snagged after trying to set the hook. I use everything trick i knew and it still wouldn't come loose. After many attempts, I gave up and accepted defeat. I broke the line and it caused me to lose my fly and float. I headed back home and grabbed my other rods and went to the lake instead and it was totally worth it. I got a rainbow and two large mouth bass. Rainbow: Weightless trapper dropshot hook paired with a PowerBait Floating Trout Worm, Color: Bubble Gum. Bass:Weightless 3/0 Gamakatsu Offset EWG Worm Hook paired with a Yum Dinger T-RIG,Color:Watermelon Red Flake. My reel was having a hard time pulling in this "grass" little did i know there was a huge hog on my line. I don't have a scale but she felt quite heavy and seemed like a good 5-6 pound bass. She was feeding up for the winter, That's for sure.

The fish are still acting funny. Junk fished to catch my first bluegill of the year, half a dozen crappies, and 10-12 bass. A couple in the 3# range.

Been fishing hard over the last few weeks. Thought I post a few. Just not into the fish of the season yet. It's been a weird season for me. Gonna give it heck again in a few days.

Just returned from a week in Denver and the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The landscape and scenery are incredible. This shot is from Rocky Mountain National Park.

As promised. A selection, of schools in the water, being attacked by marauding bass and up close.

I'm surprised that with all the soft plastic choices the old plastic worm smoked em all , combined .

1-4 oz shakyhead with black zoom trick worm anybody notice a pattern with this thread? (fish worms in the summer)

This month's Bassmaster Magazine has an outstanding article about rod construction and how to maximize your rods for their best performance. I suggest everyone find a copy of Bassmaster Magazine and read that article. The article answers a lot of questions that are asked on the Forum. Good investment.

A few thoughts... If your sponsor is G. Loomis...I'd try to make sure I had a few on my boat. Bass X rods, while great, are at the lower end of the St Croix line. With a 50% discount, your dollars go a lot further on the G. Loomis side of the equation...For $250, you'll get a $500 G. Loomis...but only a $250 St. Croix...I'm not the smartest guy on the block...but that looks to me like an opportunity to get into some very nice rods that I could sell at a slight profit if it turned out I didn't care for them. I've got more St. Croix rods than Loomis, both are great. Go big, or go home....IMO.

Check the date of that post bruh, 2009! My PB was caught in 2014. Cool story though. . . .I was such a fat a** back then ?

Almost exclusively ribbon tail worms- all sizes. Went back to fishing like I did in the 80s and it paid off.

All work and no fun, but I always try to get some pictures of the heavy machinery for my son, he loves big trucks and machinery.

A boat dealer cares about paying the least to get the most out of a trade in. I have sold my last 2 boats on consignment dictating to the dealer what price was my bottom line and negotiated their commission. Might lose a few bucks on the top end but, nowhere near what I would lose if I traded it in. I got more than my bottom line on both boats, sold them both within a month, and didn't have to deal with the whole selling process. Dealers want uninformed uneducated buyers. Remember a boat is not a necessity. People will spend more freely on something they want rather than something they need. Why do you think so many dealers sell "ready to fish" boats with minimal electronics, trolling motors, and smaller outboards? The pricing gets people in the door. After the first season, the buyer decides he wants more trolling motor or better electronics because he saw the commercial on TV and these items will make him a better fisherman. The uneducated buyer is going to bring the boat into the dealer and pay full retail for the new graph or trolling motor and then pay to have the dealer install it. Mo' money Mo' money

One companies fast is another's Xf fast. No standard way of measuring...

Been catching fish on topwater chasing shad still

got something in the mail from a member yesterday really stoked to throw this

All i wanted was a bass but instead i get two pickerel, I guess bass and other fish are hiding. I don't run into them to often but when i do, It really puts me in a panic mode and i'm not really to sure what to do in the situation. I hooked this guy and he gave up such a fight and wouldn't open his mouth for hook removal. Any attempts to trying to get him unhooked and set free he'd thrash around. So my sister put her foot barely on him and that was enough to stop him from thrash around and calm him down to where i was able to remove the hook and put him back where he belongs. Any advice on the correct way of handling these fish would be much appreciated.

Had another good catch at the little pond today; My scale is still battery-less, which is a shame cuz the she felt quite heavy and I am still trying to crack 4lbs out of this spot. Got her on a spinnerbait and a pair of 1-2lb ones as well. Tomorrow I am giving this pond a break and am going wading for smallies, but I will be back soon.

This was my first bass of the year awhile back. Not a very impressive fish, but it is my favorite fishing picture. I never got to meet my grandpa, so when my wife looked at the picture later on and commented how I look just like him, it has become very special to me.

Boat: Alumacraft 1648 MV NCS I framed the two decks using 2x4s with 19/32in untreated plywood. The upper surface of the deck was sealed with two coats of Durabak and then 16oz marine carpet. The carpet was attached using only spray adhesive and staples which I did not have any durability issues with. The four hatches used stainless piano hinges and a pair of air springs. I went with a 24v 70# thurst Minn Kota Maxxum which was bolted to a mount made of angled aluminum and riveted to the preexisting aluminum deck. Four group 27 batteries were stored in the back for weight distribution; two in 24v series for bow trolling motor, one for 12v transom motor, and one accessory battery. Under the deck storage provided plenty of space for tackle and room for rods up to 8'. Overall, the boat proved to be an excellent platform for 2-3 guys on the smaller bodies of water that I fish. I bought the boat new, a more costly option that was worth it to me as I was able to customize it to my standards rather than taking on the project of a used boat with unwanted modifications and uncertain wiring/structural integrity/maintenance. Open to questions + critiques!

Depending on the style of popper (note the 2 p's ), you have several retrieve options. Usually I let it sit for several seconds after the cast to let the ripples die away. Then I will do anything from a pop, pop rest to what is almost a jerkbait retrieve, cranking and jerking at the same time - with some you can walk the dog as easily as with a spook. I've caught fish on poppers with a retrieve that is almost painfully lethargic to one that is as fast as a spinnerbait - depends on the style of popper and the mood of the fish. Use your imagination to make it imitate what you want it to represent to the bass.

There's a few reasons why you'd want a jackplate, and that determines what you get. Contact Bob's, and tell them what you want to do: http://www.bobsmachine.com/

zoom ol monster. candy bug & green pumpkin magic, 1/4 oz tungsten. straight shank 5/0 flippin hook. fished on sand bar drops near main river channel. btw it's the same every summer.

I think it might be time to get yourself a scale, something like This. Walmart even sometimes has one on sale for less than $10 or $15.

The city of Champ-yinz.

As I utility locator I'm around heavy equipment all day and do the same for my son. He loves seeing heavy equipment and electric linemen at work. If only I could take him to work for a day I think he'd have a permagrin for weeks.

x3. My understanding of the rationale behind opting for the much more expensive carbon-fiber blades is efficiency. Not only are they lighter, but they're more rigid, which transfers more of your paddling energy to the water. But I'm a fisherman, not a long-distance or speed paddler, so the durable nylon blades work just fine for me.

Heddon lures 25% off on TW

I've got the IMX Reaction rod - 802c TWR. It's for topwater and is excellent for that technique. I'll typically throw a heavier lure than its rated with no noticeable effect. With a Curado 70 and 20# sufix 832, casts a mile and is easy to use all day catching good size Stripers. It's got more flex in the tip than a "fast" rod, maybe leaning more towards a mod fast. The other rod is a MH and probably more versatile.

Agreed. A simple way to cover a lot of bases without going nuts is to keep at least 1 jar of dip'n'dye/JJ's around (if you only have one, make it chartreuse). It's amazing how some days they want glitter/sparkle and others white with chartreuse to accent and another will only bite watermelon or pumpkin under virtually the same conditions. That said, even when smallmouth get particular, the basic color rules regarding clarity and sunlight hold up.

When I'm fishing lake largemouth my color choices aren't many, green pumpkin and watermelon for clear to light stained water, black for dirty water, and sometimes brown instead of watermelon if I'm fishing rocks in high visibility water. For the river smallmouth I pursue, color is really important. I can introduce you to a gentleman from Florida who I took out for 3 days of smallmouth fish who caught all of 9 fish while I boated 104 , yeah, it sounds like a story but true, he refused to believe that the smallies in clear water were really keyed in on color opting instead to just throw downsized baits. The color was smoke purple, and it didn't matter if it was a tube or a swimbait, those were the only two baits I use, my friend from Florida didn't have anything that color and wouldn't take my baits, and he insisted that eventually they would eat a different color, the short story was they didn't. Now, this doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to place color a few rungs higher than the bottom, and that is another thing I found. When it comes to smallmouth, color factors way more than largemouth, at least in every body of water I ever fished for them in, you may be able to catch them on several different colors but you will quickly notice that certain colors will get bit more often or by larger fish on average, and I've had a lot of days in which the bait had to have glitter. Black wouldn't buy me a strike during a small club tournament but black neon was getting hit so hard I had to change baits every 2 fish. For the most part I'm with the general consensus on color and that it is the least important element with location and presentation being on top but in clear water fishing smallmouth, color is much more important that some would like to believe.

I actually color the tops of several of my floating jerkbaits with a strip of bright pink nail polish. I learned this from another angler, and will still throw the bright top lure if windy, long casts etc. I like to see exactly what my lure is doing at all times, and it will vanish like a bobber every once in a while. I have never noticed the top color having a negative effect but I usually keep my floaters on the surface most of the time. It is amazing how a Bass can strike a Jerkbait with all those Treble hooks and not get any. But it happens. Often times if I am missing too many strikes I will either switch the color, or the size, if they are truly Bass swiping at it, I have done well at times keeping the cadence predictable or without too much action. A dressed rear treble hook also can make a big difference especially when long pauses seem to draw strikes, but sometimes too much dressing can mess up the action, but worth experimenting. Suspending Jerkbaits are a different story and something I am not confident with. You can watch video online of bass inhaling and spitting out jerkbaits with treble hooks and it is kind of amazing. Not sure you feel that if slack is in the line and not looking to see your line move. I still say Floating Minnow lures are the most under fished lures, and even though everyone knows how well a Rapala or Bomber Long A can work, I think weeds discourage people, or they are just not "Popular" in the magazines and too many other techniques to use. I try my best to always give a floater a try at least a few times a day, when they work they really work, you can strike out with a fluke but kill em with a floater many days. I only set the hook with a sweep after seeing the lure go under like a frog, or will just tighten up if I hook up solid, I also try not to use braid on a fast rod unless necessary, I like Mono for jerkbaits due to the stretch, Fluoro for same reason.

You can do it, but it's not ideal. You'll want to fill the spool a good portion of the way with some other line before splicing the 2lb in or you'll be wasting a ton of line. You can get a good ultralite spinning reel for pretty cheap, that would be the route I'd go.

x2 on Aquabound. I have the Manta Ray Hybrid (glass-reinforced nylon blades instead of carbon). It's a great paddle for the price. Retail it's like 140 I got it on sale though. It's got a 15 degree increment ferule system called posi-lock that is VERY solid, a carbon fiber shaft to keep it very light for it's price. I would buy another at full retail in a heartbeat if something happened to mine.

More times than I care to recall. I've hand them knock my Spook twenty feet only to track it down and slurp it down with little surface disturbance. Other times they wait until the first movement only to smack it another fifteen feet and then ignore it completely. They gotta be females because they can't decide what they want, but you better give them options.

Handle the rods you can. As mentioned above, every manufacturer (and even lines within each manufacturer) will be different in power and action. For example, generally, St. Croix is known for having a slightly heavier and faster build than say, Fenwick. Fenwick, however, also produces the Aetos line which tends to run much faster than most lines from most manufacturers. Ultimately, it comes down to the type of feel YOU like while fishing Senkos. Should I assume you're also looking to fish other finesse soft plastics on it as well, I would suggest something on the faster side because you aren't going to have a lot of weight dragging the bottom, and being able to drive a hook set at distance is much much easier with the stiffer/faster rod. What gets sacrificed? Maybe some casting distance and faster rods tend to be a bit more brittle at the tip and have narrower lure weight ratings. If you're responsible, and buy from a company that offers a strong warranty, this isn't a problem, but broken tips are the biggest complaint I've heard regarding X-Fast tips from fishermen in general, and it's 95% user error. For that price range, Avid/Avid-X, LTB, and possibly used Legend Elites are available from St. Croix. If you ask enough people on here, you'll get answers ranging from Shimano to Powell, Dobyns, Daiwa, etc. Figure out how fast an action you like, and then go from there.

Nothing real special about this 3 pounder, but the fact that 8 in the boat this AM, means Fall is kicking in.....

Lol, yeah, it seems about as predictable as the weather. Nice little cool down this weekend, then back into the 80's next week

Murdered them on Sunday......with grandson.....Tuesday night figured we got this......NOT!!!!

Godspeed my friend. I've been looking for 5 years since I became disabled. Office work is tough to get used to for a guy who has worked alone for the better part of 25 years. There's something else out there for me and I'll know it when I find it. I'm confident you will as well. Could be worse. Much easier to sift thru jobs when you are employed than when you are desperate.

Another old school thought.....You should always let the ripples from your lure hitting the water dissipate before you start to retrieve a floating topwater.

R.I.P. My condolences. My little brother passed away a little over two months ago. He didn't even make it to 40. Life is precious. Life is short. Fish every cast like it was your last cast...

AirForce Vet Desert Storm 5th Combat Comm

USAF 1970-1976

USCG Active Duty Electronics Technician First Class 2002-Present

Former Navy