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I don't visit Facebook much anymore. It's just a bunch of gossiping housewives making up stories and rumors just to get somebody to say "OMG!!!" Just garbage. People desperately looking for attention will say anything. And the lack of basic knowledge...wow! Earlier this week, I read somebody's post saying America sends help to "third world countries like Puerto Rico when nobody sends help to the U.S. for hurricanes." Ummmm...... And then there's the endless fighting and drama. You post something, and it's open season for personal attacks. The lack of respect is appalling. So....I gotta think people in other countries love FB for it's entertainment value. "Just look at the dumb Americans bickering amongst each other!" Well, not here. Fishing is an escape and a form of relaxation for most people. And so too is this site.

Apparently, it seems like you are. A-Jay

Got tired of catching 3 pounders; so I went to Dink City today for a change, and caught... dinks!

Tough bite lately, but I think we are finally over the hump in terms of constant 90+ degree days. Air temps in the upper 70s/low 80s the past few days. Picked the 3 bass off a giant school of shad, possibly the biggest I've ever seen that spanned about 100 yards down the bank. Happy with what the pond gave me, despite the size. I believe I blew a bearing in my Tatula my last time out, so I was using my dad's rig with an ultra fast action tip...so the little bass were a lot more fun to catch, albeit deceiving.

There's definitely two sides to this coin. On one hand you have the guys that won't even consider gear outside of certain select brands and only their flagship top of the line products. Then you have guys that think super low budget gear is just as good and there is no reason to spend money on those items. In reality you do get what you pay for most of the time, and while the returns get less as you go up the ladder in price they are still there, to not acknowledge them at all is just silly. I think most of us here fall into the category of "buy what you can afford". There are plenty of great options at all price ranges and all budgets. All will catch fish, but not all are equal in performance. The backlash you got seems extreme and completely unwarranted, but the "If you're spending triple digits and NOT getting 3 combos you're doing it wrong" comment I think is probably what set people off. Sure you can absolutely get 3 combos for a hundred bucks and do great with them but to say upgrading beyond that is "doing it wrong" comes off poorly IMO.

Only took one rod with me today but it was worth it as i got this cutie. Not sure how big she is or how much she weights but still a nice fish. Got her on a dropshot trapper hook and wacky rig senko. I'm starting to think this combo i pick up a month ago from a yard sale must of came with fluorocarbon as i've been doing pretty good with it on both bass and trout. However, I don't think there's a way i could really know that.

Last tournament of the year is over with. Here's the biggest fish I could muster up out of the city pool of the 3 rivers in Pittsburgh. If you're familiar with how the 2005 Classic and 2009 Forrest Wood Cup tournaments went, you'll know that this fish is pretty good sized.

CAJUN WARNING Due to the extreme flooding in Florida, the following caution was issued: The Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising alligators both young and old to take extra precautions and keep alert for Cajuns while in Bay, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, Brevard, and Orange Counties. Alligators should recognize the difference between small young Cajuns and large adult Cajuns. The young Cajun will be the one carrying the Sauce Piquant pot and the adult Cajun will be the one wearing alligator boots.

Had to paddle around an island to get this angle but I think it turned out pretty well, especially for an iPhone 7

If the water is wet, it will probably work. I don't put a lot of faith in color. Its more about location and action. Find the fish, catch the fish, release the fish, repeat.

"Buy what you can afford" There a magic word. You get a lot of hateful comments becuz you said if someone spent triple digit and not getting 3 combo is wrong.

Yep, every lure displaces a certain amount of water, some more than others, but fish can pick up (feel) that displacement and locate the source if given enough time, along with using any visual or auditory aids also.

My first ever bowfin: And my second: I think that the first was a female and the second was a male. The male had a black spot ahead of its tail and turquoise-tinged pectoral fins.

Their lateral line. They feel it.

So this is my 'Big Hookset in the Wind' face ~ Never actually realized I did that until today - kind of spastic. A-Jay

Bite is good right now! Fishing pads and weed edges with a jig. Wt:63 Shoutout to Sully, he helped me get confidence in a jig and it's completely changed how I fish. Get out out when it's raining if you can.

unfortunately we now live in a society where people are often very sensitive, and take offense to nearly everything.. especially on social media where you don't have to face someone during a confrontation. if you were here last night that was a good example of someone being ultra sensitive and arguing about nothing for nearly 8 hours. I bet it would have never happened if it was a face to face confrontation. On social media, I generally try to keep my comments to myself, just so I don't have to deal with the nonsense. on the line of economy rods and reels. I own a few combos under $100.00. I also own several that are much more expensive. generally you get what you pay. more expensive rods are usually more sensitive and responsive.

To be perfectly honest, in the whole scheme of things it doesn't matter what you buy. If your happy with cheap stuff, that is good for you. They also have the right to buy expensive stuff, if they chose too. This whole conversation is a big waste of time, but that's only one persons humble opinion. I'm sure someone will feel differently about that!!!!!!!!!

I stay away from social media. These forums and Tnation forums are it for me. That other stuff (facebook, twitter etc) just seems toxic.

I have probably caught the most fish on the original floater out of all of them but I also have fished it the longest.

Fished my favorite little stretch of river today and had a nice day. Light rain showers scared most people off so I mostly had the stretch to myself. Turned out to be sunny out and combined with the solitude it was beautiful. But, the bite was slow. The first fish was this one on a keitech paddletail, it was probably around 3 lbs? I had to look it up and I think it's a mountain whitefish (I'm fishing an offshoot of the Columbia river). The bass bite was slow. Showers stopped, wind slowed and the sun came out and I was able to start getting bit on a grub on a jighead. Caught a few small smallmouth and decided to drag a jig and trailer. I'm reluctant to do that at this spot because it's easy to get hung up on the rocks (any tips for jig fishing the size/shape of rocks in the pics? Football head doesn't seem to help). I only got maybe two bites, but one of them was this nice smallmouth. Not sure the weight, but I think it was the biggest I'd caught. May be 2.5? MAking a hard hookset into a jig bite is so satisfying. Looking for that feeling again is addicting. Was awesome being able to see the fish come up in the clear water and having the place to myself.

Took my dad out for a quick trip to Clear Lake last week. Timing with the weather (cold front) was terrible considering how great it's been, but we still had a great time and caught a lot of 2-4 pounders. Every fish was thick with a big ol belly. Should be a great spring considering the ridiculous amount of bait in there... Even saw a bobcat that couldn't have cared less about us being right there

Stop and think for a minute and ask yourself how can a bass find it's prey? The small bait fish are camouflage to help them hide, they don't make any audible sounds and the bass can find them at night! If a bass can't find food it starves. Study bass behavior and learn about thier sensory ability, how they see, hear, feel and taste. Bass have big eyes located near the top of thier head, nostrils to detect odors at the front of the head, lateral line nerves exposed along the lateral line via pore scales making both side sensitive to water pressure waves similar to sound waves. Bass use all their senses to detect prey. Tom

It was a beautiful day today by my standards, low 80s, partly cloudy and breezy all day. After getting out of school and doing some things I decided to spend the last hour and a half or so of the day fishing. In doing so I managed to find out why the Booyah Pond Magic is called magic. At a pond down the street I managed to catch 13 or 14 bass and 1 sunny on a white Magic in about an hour's worth of time. That being said, none of the fish were over 2 pounds, but it was still a big moral boost after catching MAYBE 2 or 3 fish a day at that same pond most of the summer. The fishing down here is finally getting to decent levels for me. I hooked every fish except one in the middle of the right side of the jaw, don't know how.

Yesterday was brutal...was out at dawn and the air temp was 32F on the button hence the jacket in my picture. Hit my first stop, a saddle between a mainland point and island and the fog was rolling off the lake. Wind was blowing in from the east... Once the fog cleared I caught a few on a jerkbait though nothing of any size. The frustrating part was that I could see 3 and 4 pound fish sitting in the 2-3ft water right in front of me but they wouldn't bite on anything...argh!

So, you stated your opinion on social media, some disagreed with you, and you feel hurt? Happens to me all the time here. 25,000+ posts, I'm sure all of them weren't in agreement with everyone.

I can't speak for the Stingray product, but my Barry's aluminum foil isn't below the water line when the boat is on plane, so zero effect on top end.

It's called get in where you fit in, or buy what you can afford. However you want to look at it. Personally, I'm passed the average fisherman stage and have went to the dark side of being an enthusiast. I prefer high end gear these days over low end stuff. Do I need it to catch fish... No, but I like it and it makes me happy. If I'm spending my money on it then I don't care about someone else's opinion. If I wanna spend $750 on a combo then that's my choice though. I won't down others that use cheaper equipment. Two of my good friends and fishing buddies use budget gear. The last time out the one out fished me using a combo that cost 1/3rd of mine. I still had a good time fishing with my friend though. We all fish for enjoyment. That's the bottom line of it all.

Right there with you man. They talk about sensitivity being better in more expensive rods, but just like I can't tell the difference between a $50 bottle of wine and a $5 bottle of wine, I've never noticed. Pretty much all of my rods are Lightning rods (not Shock!) and my reels are AG Silver and Black Max. Just good, middle of the road stuff. Nobody can change my very personal opinion that rods and reels for hundreds of dollars is a waste of money. It's also my very personal opinion that people go top shelf just because they can, basically a pi$$ing contest. Just how I view it. I'm not going to straight up tell people that, but I think it, and that's fine. Whatever floats your boat.

Now I know what my problem is...my 300 tranx is too small for the strippers!

Small lakes have been a little slow with this weather and lack of rain, but managed a couple dozen this weekend including this guy - score another one for finesse fishing

This, Accounted for all 5 of our keepers tonight, including these, Rigged on one of these in 1/8oz and drug painfully slow, like a small craw would move through the rocks.

Had something weird happen recently on FB. A site dedicated to bass fishing ran a article about how to choose a spinning rod/reel combo. Flippantly in the comments I posted "buy cheap. If you're spending triple digits and NOT getting 3 combos you're doing it wrong. I have a $15 combo that I use for any and all spinning applications and it has never failed me or failed to do what my buddy's rod (over $200 investment compared to my $15) could do." The hate and vitriol that came at me from multiple anglers was surprising to say the least. After being called a a-hole, a loser, a cheapskate, a piece of excrement, and being told by the one guy that he should turn over his business to me because he must be doing something wrong I figured I'd stop by here and see if anyone else has run into this? Ever find someone butthurt because you can do what they do only their setup costs 3 x as much as yours so they get upset?

This is what I have on my boat with a 40 HP, works better than any hydrofoil

Yes, they work, actually quite well for helping one get on plane. I don't care for the big whale tale ones. The SE Sport is more along the lines of what I prefer. As for reducing speed, if the motor is properly set, there should not be any reduction in speed. With the two motors I use them on, my boat will run 81+ mph with or without the SE Sport 300 on it. Now, if your motor is too low on the transom and is letting the hydrofoil run cutting in the water when on plane, then it will probably reduce your speed some.

I've had a client on my boat that couldn't cast a $500 Shimano baitcaster. He said he was sending it back because it backlashed all the time. I took it and set it up for the bait he was throwing and I heaved it as hard as I could and put both hands on the butt of the rod, I never put a finger on the reel. No backlash. What that says is that there is a "perception" that better equipment makes you a better fisherman. My take is that it is a yes and no answer. Yes, the higher end gear will have better drag systems, better braking, better bearings (notice I didn't say more bearings) and are more serviceable, extending their lifespan. BUT.....to me there is a point where you reach the tipping point on price. When guiding, I had all models of my rod/reel sponsor's lineup from cheapest to most expensive. Clients could try them side by side and then feel the difference. Some could tell, some couldn't. For those that couldn't, a cheaper setup was just fine. I will say that it is a mistake to buy a dirt cheap baitcaster if you are just learning to throw one. A mid-level model will actually help overcome some newbie mistakes.

I have a bat, and yesterday I won a Joker in a raffle ?

Yesterday, I saw an elderly couple, in a pontoon, fishing a dock, presumably for crappies. It was a tad windy and they were apparently dragging anchors...yes 2 anchors. As I approached, I saw the guy using a push pole with a duck bill on the end to reposition the boat and drop anchor. I thought to myself, "I'm glad I'm not him". Buy the right motor the first time.

Great advice! Circle hooks are a must for cats. Bait is usually an afterthought for me but I only cat fish a few times a year. I grab whatever freezer burned meat is in the fridge, put it in a ziplock and cover it with garlic powder. Raw chicken breast works great. There is a youtuber "Catfish and Carp" that is very informative. Check him out https://www.youtube.com/user/catfishandcarp

I enjoy the comfort aND relaxed format here. In social media you get a lot of teenage hormones and those are what they are. Your opions are what they are and I'm ok with that. Telling others there doing it wrong opens you up for response good or bad. I don't expect people to be civil these days so I go in knowing what to expect. "Mom always said treat others like you want to be treated." "Dad always said that there is always some one bigger and meaner or a better fighter so be careful who you start crap with." So is life

All work, they have a wide variety, for a variety of different actions, applications, and conditions. You forgot one of the top bass producers of all time, and the lure that would rank along with the original as one of the top classics of bass fishing: the shad rap! If I had to pick one for multi-purpose cranking, I would want to have a shad rap shallow size 09 in shad color, or an original in good old fashioned silver or gold, size 11. The original is versatile because it can be used as a surface lure by twitching it in place, reeled with a start and stop and allowed to pause on surface, and reeled in at just about any speed (and it will maintain fairly stable action). The jointed versions of the original work great, too.

if you have 30 and paid back 10 places, 100 bucks per = 3000, 1000 first, 500 2nd 250 3rd , 200 4th , 150 5th 100 6th-10th would leave 500 for biggest fish winner needs to get the largest part, I am not for the everyone gets a trophy thing, winning needs to mean something IMO

It's only a "hassle" when you set it up the first time, and it'll eliminate frustration every time after that when it does what you want it to do and you don't wind up frustrated and PO'd because you wasted you money on a 55# thrust twelve vote model... ...and it's not that much of a hassle to set up a 3 battery system. IMO, you will wind up disappointed and frustrated with that set up and wind up feeling you wasted your money. Bingo on the "...big sail...". I know folks with multi-species boats who went cheap with 12 and 24 volt set-ups and get booted all over the lake by the wind...and multi-species boats are much less of a "sail" than a pontoon... Absolutely agree on the "...get the biggest you can." While a 24 volt may fit the need, for me it's like choosing between riding a bike to work or driving a car. Both meet the need, one does it in a way that it's less likely to fail to meet expectations... Understatement of the month... It was about this time of year last year when I towed a gentleman with a pontoon full of dead batteries to the dock. "Unhappy" doesn't quite capture his state of mind as he tried to paddle that big girl across a windy bay...

I'll be on Rayburn his week for the Keith Combs Slam. Gonna need 28lbs+. After that I'll be back on Toledo. As some of you know, I'm doing a little guiding on both lakes. I do electronic sessions and fishing trips. If anyone wants one, feel free to PM me. Fishing should only get better!

Crushing down the barbs with a pair of pliers is an effective way to make hook removal easier. Then you could still choose to leave both treble on the bait. A-Jay

Seems you’ve been contemplating the trolling motor addition for a while. I’ll tell you that in my experience a vessel that light and with that much sail area (meaning flat surfaces above the waterline that are directly affected by the wind) using a trolling motor on anything but the calmest of days is a tricky proposition. When there’s wind, that boat’s going to blow around; sometimes a little other times a lot. This is one reason the responses above mention three batteries and a larger trolling motor. While a trolling motor is your best bet to quietly & effectively move short distances, to ‘hold position’ or to ‘fish a spot’ for any length of time, you’d be better off simply deploying an anchor off the bow. Anchors are very inexpensive, use no battery power, require little storage space and when used correctly, are very effective. So depending on how you plan on using & fish from that pontoon boat, will determine what would be your most effective choice here. Finally, not adding at least one additionally battery for the trolling motor will quickly become problematic. You will eventually drain your starting battery to a low point where it will not start the outboard motor. You will not be happy. Good Luck. A-Jay

@june-bug that's pretty awesome ? I've seen that 6 or 7 times in 45 yrs on the lake, 3 times off the same treeline! If one were to lineup at the end of Millionaire Point, head kinda east towards Tennessee Bay, you would come to the treeline. Back in the mid 70s that treeline was visible about the water, ya gonna have to graph it now. Right at the treeline or slightly before it the depth drops into Lowe's Creek. If ya look at the map there's 2 creeks coming off the river that meet near the end of Millionaire's Point. Not saying there's fish there but I always stopped & looked!

@StrikePrince, That top fish might be a pikeminnow.

Daiwa Zillion HLC 1514 & Shimano Chronarch G 151HG

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.