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Epic day today out at the hidden spot here in arizona. Biggest bag of my life 30lb 10oz. My previous PB bag was also out here. 27.5lbs. Finally beat that. Epic day. 11 bass caught. Strike king 6xd in chilli craw and an unknown brand my buddy had in tilapia were the tickets today. The picture with my buddy holding the small bass and the big one was one of our serious culls lol. We ended up culling a 5lbr out too later.

I am back at school and caught my first ice bass today after class. My friends and I caught over 50 fish, mainly bluegill but a few bass and crappie as well. Looks like the weather this week is going to make the ice unsafe so this might be the only ice trip for a while!

In order: Depth Action and retrieve speed Profile Color

Not the "latest catch" but thought I would post since I thought I lost the pic. Heck of a fiasco On this day. Up for 27 hrs straight, forgot the net, sheared a pin in the trolling motor, dropped pliers in 20ft of water so couldn't replace the pin. Was throwing a kvd sexy frog On my 6'6 Shakespeare medium heavy with 15Lb mono. Forgot my braid setup. I believe this is my 4th biggest bass. And I have caught it once more 2 years later after it was spawned out and not nearly as big. We tagged this fish after I caught it the first time.

to me ,I want the profile, presentation, speed and depth right first. color comes last. now having said that I do have certain colors that I have faith in. june bug and black and blue in stained/ dirty water, green pumpkin in less stained to semi clear, watermelon/ translucent colors in clear water. for me you need a general color that is visible in the water your fishing but not overpowering and generally matches the prey where your fishing. im sure there are others with more experience who will say color matters more but just for me I feel the other factors are more important. you can have the best color there is but if your not fishing where the fish are and with a presentation that they are receptive to you wont catch many fish.

When I was learning, my bass fishing success was very, very minimal at first. But it exploded once I started doing three things: 1) I studied up on bass seasonal behavior -- what are they doing, where, and why, depending on the time of year 2) I stopped worrying about WHAT bait I was using, and starting paying more attention to WHERE I was using it -- location, depth, cover types, structural features. 3) I learned how to fish a plastic worm on a texas rig -- how to be patient, select my casts carefully, feel the bottom, feel obstructions, detect strikes, proper hooksetting technique. I use all kinds of lures, but becoming good with a plastic worm made me better with everything else.

This is Carly. 11 year old Bishon.

Today was my first full day back from vacation up north. Brrrrrr. Back in the balmy 24 degrees I got an 18" smallmouth on my second cast. Actually cast out and set the rod down to gnaw on a frozen cookie for a few minutes. Picked the rod back up and thought I missed a bite but figured I was crazy. Reeled tight and jigged and the fish hit again

Dress sensibly, and please be careful out there!

What's there to have fun about? Between those two, PowerPro. There's many other brands as well. Most 4 carrier braids are over designed, and you'll be using a breaking strength that far exceeds what you need. So, really any "50 lb. braid" will do, because you're only likely to 20% of the line's capabilities.

I have found that I rarely catch a fish on a lure or color I never fish. Sometimes color is critical, but not always. For example, black jig/ black & blue trailer was my go-to for years. Then one day a friend of mine said PBJ was killer for him and I have had great luck with this combination for the last couple of years. Last summer I went to a green pumpkin with a little blue (Kent's Kraw) and that's all I'm throwing for now. So, how important is "color". As Catt implied, it's all about confidence. http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Grid-Iron-Brush-Jig-470.htm

Let's hope so. But the surface of water is like concrete. When you hit it you know you hit it. Still keeping the hope alive.

To me color is the absolute last consideration I make when deciding on which plastic to throw. That said I use Junebug more than any other because in my waters it's proven itself and I have confidence in it. There are waters that a translucent color will be predominant, or one with sparkles, or a solid lighter color like pumpkin or even black. The point is you don't need a rainbow in your bag, but sometimes contrast or a complete change up will be needed. Same thinking as useing a white skirted spinnerbait over a chartreuse one. The fish will tell you what they want and sometimes they'll want something you don't have. Mike

12lb Trilene Big Game is inexpensive and a good all around line for your 734 rod. Tom

Cadaver dogs arrived today to help with the search. More local resources are arriving too like Orlando Fire Dept’s boat team. I saw a video of a 26’ inshore boat on the lake yesterday that looked like a Jon boat being tossed around in the big waves. Nik was a USMC instructor for water survival, so there is hope he’s on one of the many small islands.

I found this Heddon Game Fisher and two Shannon Twin Spins today. I'm not a collector but they were too good to just pass up.

Only thing to add now is searchers are now looking in grass mats because if he got tangled in it, the boaters and helicopters wouldn't see him unless specifically looking in it. Also Bill has an app that locates his car keys and his keys are sitting in the bottom of the lake. The app shows the exact location of where the accident happened so searchers now have a specific area to comb over.

Georgia vs. Bama and they take it down to the wire...well, a little beyond the wire! Coach Saban's decision to change quarterbacks and bring in a true freshman was genius. Who da thunk it? Georgia played a great game, but it was Bama that closed the deal. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2753160-a-legend-is-born-alabama-freshman-tua-tagovailoa-leads-epic-title-game-comeback?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial CONGRATULATIONS!

Low spool tension, mid to low brakes and trust my thumb from there.

I know, right? I got to try one on and it is very very comfortable, the pockets are easy to reach and open, and they stay out of the way pretty well, even with my wallet, phone, wife's phone, her wallet, my keys, and my pocket knife in one of them. Astral Ronny Fisher Fishing PFD: $160 Embarrassing your wife at an hiking store: Priceless.

I have a Slayer 10 and am about 5' 10-11". I try to keep the seat pretty upright and try to sit straight up in it. The bottom of the foam on my current PDF (and NRS Chinook) hits the top of the seat by maybe an 3/4-1". I am also interested in the Ronny due to the flip down pockets/trays. I want to do more wading on the Potomac this season and I feel like I should start wearing a PFD more in general when wading. The pocket/trays are amazing for retying lures or general fussing when standing up.

Best thing about January is that the new fishing shows come back on TV. And the funnest to watch is MLF! I tell you, when its 20 degrees out or less in January and February, there is nothing more fun than watching MLF for a few hours on the weekend. I can't wait! Here's the TV schedule: http://www.majorleaguefishing.com/episodelisting?listing-id=5718 My first prediction - Ish Monroe finishes last every round he's in because all he will use is a top water frog!

got myself a little something to help with my organization of tackle

I just had to ask myself...... why am I here? Lol

Although jerkbaits are NOT my most productive lures, they are still my favorite. Soft plastics are #1 for "catching", but I often fish a jig even when I know something else would be better!

When I first started using worms the black grape Jelly worm was what I used close to 100 percent of the time . My fishing buddy used blue . I dont think there was ever a day where the bass hit one and not the other . A color I havent seen for years is lime green . Fliptail had that color and the bass around here went through them by the bagfuls . About the only color I wont use is anything with a red fire tail. Bluegills constantly hit that tail .

15# Big Game will solve all you problems ? Y'all can get by with 12# if ya aint fishing heavy cover, 15# is more forgiving when nicked or scrapped. What y'all will find with Big Game is the more you use the less memory it'll have. It doesn't like sitting on a spool.

Having confidence in a color is #1 in my book, if I aint confident in it I aint throwing it! Odd as it may sound I aint never caught a bass on green pumpkin so I no longer own any.

I often use the first plastic I pull out of the bag .

If you are new to baitcasters use mono

In the meantime you can use your DI/SI to find structure that could potentially hold fish and then switch over to sonar which is easier to see fish on when you are first learning like I am, then the more you use them you the more you will be able to read them like @Further North can. Edit: Also if you can split the screen on the helix 7 you could put sonar and DI side by side and that may help you determine what fish look like on DI when you can see them on Sonar

Yeah, I visited New Orleans about 4 or 5 years ago and some men dressing as women and parading down the street seemed to be kind of a normal thing...lol...and it wasn't even Mardi Gras. Seriously though, I am a die hard Cowboys fan, and might even get flack for it, but I did root for the Saints when they made their Super Bowl run a few years back and won and I'm rooting for them again now. It would be nice to get another Super Bowl trophy in Louisiana. Geaux Saints! ?

Bank fishing can be hard on an angler, especially if that angler doesn't know the bottom contour, depth and cover that's within casting distance. I don't know who coined the phrase, but you can't catch them if they ain't there. In other words; location is the key to catching and sadly, I believe, you're just in the wrong location.

Just some cast to catches some zoomed in/slow motion topwater strikes and a couple zoomed in on smallies jumping 2 foot outta the water. One throws the hook too pretty cool to see. Tubes/swimbait a d sexy dawg were baits used. Thanks for watching.

https://www.bassresource.com/seasonal-fishing-articles/ It really helps to study the season your in and before a transition read ahead for the next season because the fish transition in groups. Two seasons tactics can work at the same time and you will know the next expected movement

Imo it's more about a comfortable grip than blank contact in that particular spot. I like the slimmess of the exposed blank seats. My go to bang for the buck guides are Fuji SS Alconite K series.

I don't do a lot of slider fishing, but I do fish a ned rig similarly somewhat often. I usually use a combination of reeling speed and counting down, depending on how deep of water I'm targeting. If I'm keeping it within a couple feet of the bottom, I like to let it sink all the way before beginning the retrieve because they often pick it up off the bottom on the initial drop. But if I'm keeping it much higher, say 4+ feet off the bottom I'll just count it down to that depth. Use jighead weight and sometimes the bait's natural lift to help control depth also.

I don't have any particular methodology behind my depth control. I guess it's all gestalt now. I adjust depth and speed control by jig weight, body/trailer buoyancy, line diameter (critical!), and retrieve speed. I may pay some attention to the retrieve speed of my reel (ipt), when changing between reels, and when speed is critical -like in winter. I find it easy to retrieve too quickly, esp when I'm distractible -like when I'm tired or hungry. So checking in with my reel handle revolution rate gives me some measure.

You ever notice how much better they cast at home with a practice plug than they do in the real world?

Hard at work protecting the homestead???

We have 2 Bassets, very large bassets... Tripp: the younger and larger is 5-6 Cowboy: the older, whinier, slightly more active is 8-9 They like to be involved in activities like opening Christmas gifts: Other than that they like to try to sneak human food (showing me how he's not at all interested in the reese's cup behind my coffee cup)

This is Bailey. He was almost 15 when he reached that point of tipping the quality of life balance too far on the wrong side. He was a shelter rescue, a White German shepherd/golden retriever mix, and the sweetest disposition of any dog I ever lived with. He loved snow... could curl up in a snowbank just as happy as could be. Here I was taking a break from shoveling (2 feet on the ground and still snowing) for some playtime:

For topwater lures I generally only consider what the underside of it looks like. Choose your variety based on what the fish see.

I fish lake Erie about every weekend during the season, and I definitely cast my DS more than I vertical fish it. I have 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 ounce weights. I almost always use 3/8 regardless of the condition. I want my rig to the bottom asap, I want to keep bottom contact without trying too hard, and I want to be able to easily move my bait with out moving the weight a ton if at all. With even moderate wind or waves, a 3/8 or 1/2 is necessary for me to do this, so the 1/4 rarely gets a ride unless is particularly snaggy, or I am fishing pretty shallow, or virtually no wind.

I would say #1 reason for rod breakage is high sticking and boat flipping. #2 would be wiping the rod trying to get a lure Un stuck. I have broken two rods one each way. Lesson learned. The heavier liNE just amplifies these abuses to the blank. The weakest link in a setup is normally the knot on the lure but if using heavy braid the rod will give first.

And one day we will have magic reels with no ball bearings that you have to be careful not to spool out when you cast.

No not at least from a marketing standpoint. Every year the last years model is obsolete

The main difference is the action being faster in the helium 3 line. Both KLX and H3 are some of my favorites. I think the 7'1" mh/xf would be a perfect choice for your intended use.