Leaderboard

Ladies looking for a man? Step right in... An unusual High-End store in New York selling new husbands had just opened. It was publicized that each woman could visit this store ONLY ONCE! There were six floors and the value of the products increased as the shopper ascended the flights. The shopper could choose any item from any floor, or choose to go up to the next floor, but could not go back down except to exit the building! So, a single woman called Cheryl went to the store to find a husband. On the first-floor the sign on the door read: Floor 1 - These Men Have jobs She was intrigued, but continued to the second-floor, where the sign read: Floor 2 - These Men Have Jobs and Love Kids "That's nice", she thought. "But I want more." So, she continued upward. The third-floor sign read: Floor 3 - These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and Are Extremely Good Looking "Wow!" she exclaimed. But felt the urge to keep ascending. She went to the fourth-floor where the sign read: Floor 4 - These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, Are Drop-Dead Good Looking and Help with Housework "Oh, mercy me!" she burst out. "I can hardly stand it!". Still, she went to the fifth-floor where the sign read: Floor 5 - These Men Have Jobs, Love Kids, Are Drop-Dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak She was so tempted to stay, but she went to the sixth-floor, where the sign read: Floor 6 - You Are Visitor 31,456,012 to This Floor. There Are No Men on This Floor. This Floor Exists Solely as Proof That Women Are Impossible to Please. Thank You for Shopping at the Husband Store.

Well took dad out last time so it was mom's turn. Hate to say it, but she is a better bass fisher than dad is. We had a great day and the weather cooperated. Mom even caught her personal best 2.5 lbs smallmouth. Caught this trout while working out a knot in the line. Once I got the knot out, I was reeling in fast to make another cast and the trout just slammed my grub.

Tie directly to hooks and jigs. Tom

Fishing by the light of the soccer fields to my back after the sun had fully set. Hit the t-rigged Yumdinger like a champ. Didn’t get weight or length, but probably close to 24 inches, 5 or 6 pounds and my PB cat—I’m assuming it’s a flathead or channel, but correct me if I’m mistaken. Shoes in pic for reference, I wear a size 10.

Nabbed a 12lb limit in 2 and a half hours this evening. Water temps ranged from 42-47. Blade bait, ned rig, and a slow rolled spinnerbait.

Broke my PB walleye today on Cheat Lake, WV. I was slow rolling a 1/2oz war eagle spinnerbait and at first I thought I hooked a rock until it shook its head. 30", and 9lbs15oz of MEAN.

So, I've been itching to get out to sling big meat flies for trout for months. Every time I've had a time, the water has been too warm, or the flows have been too low. Finally, this past weekend the flows were up, the water was cold, and I had the time to make the drive to north central PA. Now, that doesn't mean we didn't have our fingers crossed. There was a ton of rain that blew out the stream for a few days, some snow, and air temps dropping down to 14 degrees Friday night/Saturday morning. The water temp fell from low to mid 50s down to 41 degrees. Still, we weren't going to pass up the opportunity so, we packed up the car, filled up the streamer box, changed out the warm water line for sinking lines and sink tips, and made the 4 hour drive. We walked into a crowded fly shop in Slate Run on Saturday morning to hear lots of guys talking about how tough it's been even nymphing. This was fine, since I'd rather throw meat flies on 6 and 8 weights. While setting up the rods by a creek mouth, we listened to lots of stories of hard luck from guys walking off the water by 11 AM fed up with iced up guides and uncooperative fish. I tied on the biggest, most gawdy articulated white maribou and bunny hair concoction I could find and within three casts hooked into an absolute monster brown - hooked jaw, bright orange belly, and incredible color. The guys who just walked off the stream saw the commotion from the deck of the restaurant behind us. I worked the fish to the shallows to realize the net was in the car. I handed off the rod to reach for the fish's tail, lifted, and with a strong head shake the 22-24" brown snapped the tippet, leaving me almost diving into the icy stream, and taking my streamer with him. I was pretty shaken up not getting a measure, but it was easily a personal best. Luckily, half a dozen casts later on the same seem, this 18.5" brown took an oversized white zonker.

This time, we had my net and were able to snap off some pictures. After putting him back, I took some time to help my lady friend with her casting and work the faster run below to no avail before moving along to another access where I knew there would be some great banks to beat with streamers. My first cast at the access was throwing a 5" articulated olive sculpin pattern along the cut bank immediately upstream from the boat launch and this 17-18" brown absolutely smashed it and ran straight up the boat ramp before pulling drag back into the current. It was ridiculous - I don't remember the last time I had a day where big trout where exactly where they were supposed to be and so incredibly aggressive. It was the best day I've ever had streamer fishing for trout. So, the next day we headed back to the fly shop to see if we could find any big streamers and the fella behind the counter asked if we were the ones lighting it up the day before. I smiled and with the slight ego boost said, "we had a good day". Coincidentally, we got skunked on Sunday (luck runs out eventually, lol), but what a weekend! I have never been so tired and sore from fighting conditions and casting big flies on sinking line, but it was one of the most fun trips I can remember.

Ditch the snaps. Better sensitivity, one thing less to break and collect weeds. Knots wear out and should be retied anyway. I used to use snap swivels before I knew any better.

I'm here to tell you that this works. This is a much more simplistic version of all the things that @Catt @WRB @Team9nine @A-Jay @J Francho have taught me and what they are telling you here. First, learn how to study. Then study. Then you'll find them because they go up and back down, and then up, and then back down again. If you were catching them shallow they got there by following what I now think of as a "bass interstate". I don't work the destinations anymore. I work the highway in between the destinations. Now, thanks to these guys, I find fish! I don't need to know what the weather is. I don't need to know how close the moon is to the sun or whatever. The fish are somewhere along that highway. I'm not smart or knowledgeable enough to say it scientifically like these guys do but I've learned to dumb it down so I understand it. I owe all of these guys a lot of fish and a lot more to come.

Your boat is perfectly fine for local and regional stuff to include BFL's...So you shouldn't even worry about it. IMO a smaller boat when starting out is actually beneficial in the long run since it forces you to manage your time better and fish more thoroughly. A guy in our club won AOY one year out of a 17' jet rig and our schedule includes big water like the Potomac and Upper Bay...We aren't a tiny club either, it was quite an accomplishment. I wouldn't worry about your boat holding you back until you can articulate exactly HOW and WHY it's holding you back. I fished tournaments out of a smaller AL rig for several years before upgrading to a full size bass boat...It made me a better overall angler than I would have been otherwise IMO.

My Mrs on her first cast on the old boat.

when you have a 3 month old baby you don't see a lot of water.... when the wife says you should go fishing today YOU GO! nevermind that it was cold and wet.... i was in heaven yesterday, had the whole lake to myself and couldn't have been happier. also managed to land about 6 fish, all on the spinnerbait or s waver. great day!

Braved the brutal cold this saturday in NY and was rewarded with my first smallmouth. Hit a jerkbait on the test cast lol. Chunky guy too. Brought my new scale with me but was too cold to open the package with frozen fingers. Caught a good size pickerel on the same jerkbait

Yep, definitely a scorpion fish. Stone fish are mainly a Pacific and Indian Ocean species as far as I've read. They are related to scorpion fish, and to the lionfish (there are over 300 related species in the group). Lionfish are also an eastern hemisphere species that unfortunately has been introduced into the Caribbean region (supposedly dumped by Florida aquarium hobbyists who got tired of them eating every other fish that they put in the tank). With no natural controls on their voracious feeding habits, lionfish are having a negative effect on many reefs in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Fortunately people are discovering that they are great eating, a delicate, flaky white meat. I know that the Bahamian island where we lived holds semiannual lionfish hunts, then a seaside feast afterwards. Lionfish fillets will rival the best fish you've ever tasted. Humans may end up being the best control over a problem that we caused in the first place. This my only lionfish photo, one taken on a trip to the Philippines in 2008. It is out of focus, but nothing I can do about that now.

That's what she said. (sorry, had to)

@BigAngus752 from a previous thread Bass Fishing & Deer Hunting! Y'all ever notice similarities between the two? Both have a home, deer bed down in the same area, bass hide in cover in the same area. Both have kitchens & dining rooms, both have numerous feeding areas. Both follow the terrain (structure) to & from feeding areas. Both can be harvested in one of three ways 1. Find their homes; usually located on prime structure & in prime cover, both are setup on structure & in cover that allows them to see all directions at once. Maybe not 360 but it'll be as close as they feel comfortable. 2. Find their feeding areas; multiple areas that have sufficient food to last the present season. 3. Find the trails to & from those areas; both travel structure in a way that allows them to see while remaining unseen. When I was a teenager my dad would get topographical maps of the areas we deer hunted. I would shade in areas that were White Oak, Live Oak, Pin Oak, Conifers, Soy Bean fields, rye grass fields, & other food sources. I also marked thickets, swamps creek bottoms, marshy areas, & other possible bedding areas. This knowledge of reading structure was easily applied to bass fishing!

There is a lot more skill required to tie good hair jigs then wrapping string around hair on a jig collar. Like any good jig it starts with premium hook and jig head design that can be effectively fished without snagging. Colors are important regionally and the type of bass being targeted. I fish hair jigs year around for giant bass and know a few things about them. 1. The hair should flare and breath as it moves through the water column, this gives it life. 2. Multiple colors combined gives the jig contrast same as any other jig skirt. 3. Use a trailer with your hair jigs when targeting LMB. Punisher hair jigs should work for you. Tom

Please refrain from posting fish less than 10 pounds in the future. Thanks.

Decided to fish the south (deeper ) end of the lake and caught 7 , mostly on zoom super flukes in watermelon seed and red shad. Also Picked 1 off on the ultravibe speed craw.

A friend uses high vis yellow or chartreuse/green line, he tells me the bass can follow it down and find his lure easily. You can’t keep from laughing and he catches bass. Tom

Here are a couple of non fishing fish photos, both taken in 1990 on a dive trip at Bloody Bay on Little Cayman. Photos taken with Nikonos underwater camera on Kodak Ectachrome transparency film. First is a scorpion fish, shot on a night dive: This second one is a pair of juvenile spotted drums (they don't develop the spots until maturity).

Black/blue! Thank you for identifying it for me.

@Todd2 Breaks/Breaklines ?

The ideal snap is no snap. Gross.

You mean this one?

I bought a Revo SX from TW and it did not come with it. I'll have to call TW and see what's up before I return it.

I live near you and know EXACTLY what lake you’re talking about. There were two tournaments there in the last two weeks where lunker was 7.26lbs and 7.4lbs, respectively. don’t listen to the haters, you’re spot on. PM incoming. Also, for all you non-believers.... Marsh Creek produced an 8.5lb lunker this summer in a night tournament. It’s on video. They’re rare, but they’re here.

I am trying just what your talking. I have swaivers, big keitecks, trash fish and huddlestons. Toss in a bbz-1 and a BBZ rat and your in big business. Stick to known baits that work. Having a million baits is not better. My buddy got a bunch of expensive baits and has quickly gone to only fishing his hinkle shad. Now that bait is good money but if your only buying one or two then its not that bad. I don't know what your limits are but it can be done. The costs associated with being bit off are unknown so i cant speak to that. If your baits are big enough then that may limit the problem.

Fancier is always worth a shot for finicky fish but this right here will catch the crap out of them

I only throw R2S S-Waver. Great baits and good for budget anglers.

There were at least 2 in the Costa on Champlain this year. 194 boats and more than a few were 150-175hp, just 2 tins though. The 2nd day of the Costa on Champ was one of the worst weather days I have ever fished and those brave souls in the Tins did just fine.

I made an effort to point out the importance of being able to understand 2D maps or sonar and seeing in your minds eye 3D details by looking at local physical terrain. If you can't do this fishing deeper than you can see the bottom becomes very difficult. Bass move around they do not sit in one spot all day waiting for something to come to them to eat. Like the shoreline there are specific areas bass use to hunt and feed at and areas they rest, usually not very far apart. Suspending is how bass rest, they just float suspended in place at a specific depth using their fins to keep stable in a near sleeping state I call being inactive. When you see suspended bass over deeper water on your sonar screen with nothing near them those bass are more than likely inactive at that time. The depth these inactive bass are at is important because those bass will remain at or very near that depth when they become active feeders. Look at your lake map find structure nearby that intersects the depth the bass and or baitfish are at. Often a few active bass will be catchable on the structure and more bass should move onto that area as they become more active. The term moving up doesn't mean moving shallower, it usually means moving horizontal because bass avoid making big depth changes until it becomes necessary to catch prey, then it's a short burst up and down. It takes over 24 hours for a bass to reacclimate to depth changes of more than a few feet, it's a slow process. Your sonar is more than just a tool, it's your eyes underwater. Can you fish deep structure without sonar? yes if you have intimate knowledge of the structure. Without sonar you can't see the life zone depth without the time consuming trail and error of fishing. Buck Perry refused to use sonar preferring to troll his spoon plugs to determine what depth the bass were using. Perry fished ledge lakes ideal for trolling and pioneered deep structure bass fishing. Few bass anglers troll lures today, use your sonar. If you are not good reading your electronics hire a good sonar expert bass angler and spend a day on the water learning how to use your equipment, it's important if you want to be good at off shore bass fishing. Tom

Hint...Read and follow "Eastern Mass Fishing Reports"....and pay attention!!

Long time friend, Damon and me today out at Cross Lake in Shreveport. Didn't catch anything, but had a great time hanging out with a friend I've known since the 4th grade.

so the very next day i was ready for the lower deck area. i was really stressing over this one. i think i spent three nights doing it in my sleep so on game day i had a plan. glue down the drivers side cockpit first, frog tape the remaining carpet up, and to the windshield, apply glue to the deck, then stick the rest. this way i’m not walking around on it. it went well. i was able get it down and roll it without stepping all over it til it cured. the next day was Friday and the front deck carpet went down without a hitch. Saturday i installed the hatches, EZ Troll tray, did some trimming, and a final vacuum. these pics loaded out of order, but that’s it guys. the end

Loving the cooler weather

From a previous thread & should be a sticky! Good evenin' folks, I may be about to open a SERIOUS can of worms with this thread, but what the heck.....here goes anyway. Being in the blank distribution business, I get asked A LOT about the construction and makeup of the various graphite rod blanks that I sell. And, I have to say that whenever somebody asks me about modulus I just cringe! Here is why; It seems that about 90% of the folks that email me want to know what the modulus is of the blank(s) they are considering buying. When I ask "Why do you want to know that" they can't really give me an answer....they're just convinced that higher the IM rating is better. Here is how the conversation usually evolves: Mr. Customer: What modulus is that blank made from? Andy: Well, if you must know, it's about 40million Msi Mr. Customer: What does that mean? Andy: Well, it means the blank is made from the material you have come to know and love as IM6 Mr. Customer: Oh, that's too antiquated...I only fish with IM7 and higher. Andy: Really? Did you know that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is not the modulus it's the tensile strength? Mr. Customer: Really? Andy: Yeah REALLY! Mr. Customer: Eh Hhhmmm....erreer, uh, oh....well uh....well Bass Pro Shops says... Andy: Forget Bass Pro shops...let's look at the numbers (at this point Andy whips out his trusty data chart that illustrates the differences between the different fibers that actually have IM designations). Here take a look at this. This comes from a chart put together by the folks at Hexcel (http://www.advancedcomposites.com/technology.htm) The number on the far right is the modulus of the fiber, and the number in the middle is the elongation to failure or stretch. Hexcel IM4 600 40 Hexcel IM6 760 40 Hexcel IM7 780 40 Hexcel IM8 790 44 Hexcel IM9 920 42 Mr. Customer: You Mean all this time I thought I was getting a higher modulus fiber with the higher IM rating, when what I was really getting is a fiber that stretches more? Andy: Well, in some cases you are, and in some cases you arent. The fact is though that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is nothing in terms of modulus, and compared to IM8 it's only slightly higher. Wow...look at that IM9 actually has a lower modulus than IM8...go figure Now, many companies are using fibers with a much higher modulus, like 57 and even higher, however these fibers don't necessarily use the IM ratings. So, whenever you see a fiber with an IM rating...BUYER BEWARE! THE HIGHER THE IM RATING, DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THE HIGHER THE MODULUS!!! The point is this folks...just because you have a blank made from a high modulus fiber, doesn't means it's a good rod! And vice versa, just because you have a blank with a low modulus...even the original fiber blanks were made with (33 million) doesn't mean it's a bad or outdated rod. It's all about what the designer does with it. I know there are some of you that may already know this, but judging from the amount of calls I get on a daily basis from folks who ONLY want IM7 or IM8, but can't really tell you why, I have to believe they don't really know what they are talking about at all. They've just been sucked into the marketing machine that leads people to believe that the higher the IM rating, the lighter and more sensetive the material, which is not always the case. Be forewarned that there is A LOT more to graphite blank construction, performance, quality, sensetivity, weight etc... than just what modulus the fiber is. There are lots of other variables like flag patterns, and wall thickness, and resin systems, and mandrel design....It's all about the talent of the designer, and what he is able to do in terms of the sum of those variables...not just the friggin modulus! Whewww...ok I feel better now... My aforementioned explanation of modulus and IM ratings is by no means meant to be anything more than a brief primer for the folks who didn't realize what the differences with the IM ratings were. I hope this clears things up a bit, and I hope that some of you will chime in on this as well. Oh, here is a link to the Hexcel page for those of you who want to investigate the matter further. Do a search for IM6 and you'll get some interesting info. (if you're into that kind of techie junk). [www.hexcel.com] [www.advancedcomposites.com] Now, this gives you some ammunition...next time you stroll into BassPro, and some yahoo tries to sell you a rod based on it's IM rating, ask him to explain to you why the higher IM ratings are better. When he replies by sayin' that the higher the IM rating means more sensetivity, less weight etc....just tell him that you have a blank at home made from IM2000, and see what he says. Regards, Andy Dear Lamar Manufacturing

Recent catches since Sunday. Top-3.8, bottom left-3.6, bottom right-2.9. All on t-rigged worms of different colors, all between 8:30am and 10:30am. Johnson Park ponds.

Bought this from DSG. Somebody messed up and miss marked the Megabass lures to 75% off. I took all they had. Manager wasnt too pleased but honored the pricing.

One of the things I like about the Garmin,it will record of of data on the internal memory but I bought a simple sd card for $20 so I can view my maps on my computer

And don't forget the Legends that will show up soon!

Lews Spend Pro Series comes with a extra spool. My wife got me one for Christmas last year and It's been a great reel this past year.

Not to be snarky, but, "No you're not." Points and humps ARE structure. Whatever you're looking for on them isn't 'structure.' Terminology matters. This is insightful.... I have been really focused on finding brushpiles, rockpiles, and things like that on humps and points rather than thinking of them as the actual structure that the fish are relating to. With that being said, I could fish thoroughly from the outside in of the point or hump. I've literally written off barren points with no structure. I've been focused in on rocky points and points I know have rockpiles. I haven't even checked up at a point with barren ground. With all of these posts considered, I should consider any point with access to deep water as a viable option until eliminated. Not to be snarky, but, "No you're not." Points and humps ARE structure. Whatever you're looking for on them isn't 'structure.' Terminology matters. This is insightful.... I have been really focused on finding brushpiles, rockpiles, and things like that on humps and points rather than thinking of them as the actual structure that the fish are relating to. With that being said, I could fish thoroughly from the outside in of the point or hump. I've literally written off barren points with no structure. I've been focused in on rocky points and points I know have rockpiles. I haven't even checked up at a point with barren ground. With all of these posts considered, I should consider any point with access to deep water as a viable option until eliminated.

I saw a video on YouTube that shows hi vis pink becomes invisible underwater. The guy tied different colored line to frame and dove in. Surprisingly it showed hi vis pink becomes invisible almost immediate and hi vis yellow is the next to disappear with green and red never disappearing just turning black. Ever since I saw that I switched to pink Gliss 20# line and tie straight to the bait. I don't feel I have dropped in productivity and it helps with watching my line.

From somebody that only uses them all the time i'll put in my two cents. We do use them and only them. Anything from the catch more fish line up to ugly stik/etc. We have rods in 4'6 to 6' in UL/L/M all spooled up and setup based on fish. With that being said, Only three people fish in my house and that's myself, sister and other sister. From my point of view, It makes much more sense to buy these cheaper combos instead. A example: If each combo is 50$ per person i would be spending 150$ in total and that's not including the line/hooks/lures/bait/sinkers/etc. B example: If each combo is 100$ per person i would be spending 300$ in total and that's not including the line/hooks/lures/bait/sinkers/etc. All things you NEED in order to catch fish. Bottom line: It would be nice to use/fish with these 100$-200$ combos but not everyone can afford to drop this amount of money just rods and reels alone.

I still have the 8 foot Heavy Ugly Stik boat rod that I used to commercial fish cod and blackfish for over 20 years.

Better hang on !!!!!!

Bixhoma Lake in Bixby just southeast of Tulsa has some giants in it and good shoreline access. You have to get a day pass for $5 in City Hall, but it was pretty painless to do when we were there. I hooked a monster on a jerkbait that pulled off before we saw it, but it has DD fish in it.