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Wow!!! Not all keepers come from the water!!! My new granddaughter.

One of the guys at the pheasant shoot has many skills, he makes fantastic walking sticks, did a beautiful pastel picture of my previous spaniel, which I absolutely treasure, and on Saturday at the shoot he presented me with this. It's his first attempt at acrylics and I couldn't be more chuffed.

My Cubbie bear!

Okay...son told me "AGAIN" how to post...think I got it so here's the pics. Thank you all for your patience....fish aren't huge but....they were a good tug and I'm learning to post photo's. Whoooooohooooo Not bad for an ol fart

Some of the hardest photos to get right are birds in flight, but every now and then I get a decent one. This was a vulture that I took in Africa: Another one from Africa - Lilac Breasted Roller: Then one that I took on our island when we lived in the Bahamas - Kissing Flamingos:

Was going through my "FB Memories" for yesterday, and found this picture Rich Zaleski sent me

I just want to comment on the no bass leaving Florida (or anywhere else, for that matter) is totally untrue. We've been transplanting fish since the 1800's. Just because it wasn't a government body conducting the activity doesn't mean it didn't happen. Do a little research, and you can find photos depicting fish being shipped alive via rail in milk barrels. It's entirely possible FLMB were transplanted by 1932.

E.b. Is my home lake. Nmg&f has been doing some stockings the past couple years. The largemouth fishing is getting better and the smallmouth fishing is decent. Personally caught a 4.5 lb smallie last summer. March sh can be hit or miss given the strong cold fronts that time of year really warm prefrontal days fallowed by a decent warm day with a little wind the 2-5 days of 35 mph+, then bluebird and cold. Can be really tough if you can’t pick the better days to be out. April can be lights out if we have gotten out of the wind pattern and have more stable weather. Feel free to pm me if you want more info.

Catt, Perry said he had a photo of his bass and sent a photo to Field & Stream magazine bass contest along with the weight recorded on a 100 lb postal scale along with length and girth measurements. The IGFA didn't have fresh water world records for bass until 1951 and grandfathered the Perry bass as the world record based on the Field & Stream 1932 contest winner George Perry. Perry wasn't looking for recognition, he just wanted to win fishing tackle and avoided talking about his catch. Perry did an interview with B.A.S.S. before he died in a plane crash. Just have to accept the catch on face value, it has been the standard until 2009, there isn't any doubt about the Kurita world record 22.31 lbs bass from Japan. If Dottie wasn't snagged the world record would 25.1 lbs from California. Tom

Hard Water Carp ~ A-Jay

We were on a pretty good school of perch in 30 FOW through the ice... The bite suddenly slacked off and about 2 minutes later I popped this big girl, who ate a 1/12oz spoon tipped with a waxworm! Was quite the battle on a little ice rod and 6lb test. Measured 23", decided we didn't need to bring a scale while ice fishing (WRONG)! Certainly didn't expect a fish like this! I probably should just start targeting panfish because that's how I catch big ones.

I leave the baits in the retail packages, and those go into a tall 3700 size box.

I'm a Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor 18 years. I stand for all who fight and for all who who suffer from Cancer.

Call the DGIF for PA and ask. Here in VA even if you aren't fishing for trout and you are in a trout regulated water, you need a trout stamp.

Well I hope this can answer some questions. I just bought one. Went to bass pro because I thought it was to good to be true. It's not. Went through the one on the show room floor from bow to stern. What an amazing deal at that price point. The boat motor and trailer are beefy and solid. The color actually works very well. Comes with 40hp four stroke. The only upgrade available is trailer brakes. I have no idea why you would need trailer brakes for a 17' aluminum boat but whatever. I am truly amazed at the quality and features it has. And with the 400 gift card i can get the options i want like on board charger, extra fuel tank, spare tire, fish finder for the trolling motor. I highly recommend to see one you will not be disappointed. Mine won't be in till end of February or March . If anyone has any questions feel free to contact me

One from the porch during my stay in Tennessee, I miss that place

This is another photo I took many years ago. I just makes it feel warmer when I'm stuck in the middle of a big cold. Alpine tundra at about 12,000 feet up in the Colorado Rockies

Told my wife was heading out yesterday before the storm we have coming. Was supposed to be the warmer day this week. Well, ice still reared it's ugly head in the guides but no frozen reels! She asked ... well...who ya going with? Well....I said .... once again just me and the good Lord and my new Onyx!! Was a beautiful day. Started out a bit cloudy but then was clear sky's. Was so beautiful when I was looking up this little arm with the sun shining on this hillside and a mature male bald eagle fly's by. So awesome. Coots down on the lake don't seem to see the beauty of this though. Fishing started pretty slow...no real slow. Went two hours without a sniff...well maybe one. Water temp was around 41 with air temp in low 20's. Then life got better....next ten minutes had four bites...with two keeper LMB's. A little bit later a smallie pushing almost 20" graced my line. From then on it wasn't amazing it was just a good good day with around six keepers and some smaller fish. I was fishing deeper as the water was a bit clear.....seen a friend back at the ramp and he caught em shallow!!!!! Smiles....just when we think we're on to something and have them figured! P.S. Would have posted a pic but dang....need my son once more for help on this....sorry. (will write down procedure) Tight Lines

My buddy @basshunter0731 and I try to get out every year for his birthday the first few days of the new year. We both had the 2nd off and with the temps going to soar all the way to the low 20's with light winds, we decided to make it happen. To give an idea of how cold it has been, we had planned to go to a different power plant lake, but as we pulled out of my road and I called the gate house, I was informed the lake was FROZEN almost 100 yards out from the ramp and there was no way to launch. A quick about face in the truck (and our hopes of catching much), we headed to the other nearby power plant lake. A good portion of the ramp cove was frozen, but half the ramp was thawed and we were able to dump the boat into the 36 degree water. Of course, since it was -2 outside the boat wouldn't start, so we started trolling towards the main lake in hopes the warmer water would let the motor fire up. The first main lake bank we got to is a rock/clay/sand bank with pretty good depth. I was surprised when just a short distance down the bank I was met to mushy resistance when I lifted my shakyhead rod. A hook set and a few cranks of the ice maker that used to be a spinning reel, and I had my first bass of 2018! Still no dice on starting the motor after we fished that bank to the end, so we made a long, slow troll across to the hot water outlet, where we found no bass, no real desirable fish of any kind, just large black buffalo everywhere. We did both score bookend flatheads on jigging spoons, which Jon brought home for his parents to enjoy for dinner. 3 hours into our day, we were pretty well frozen, as was our gear. We thought about heading home and working on my jonboat, but decided to try one of our most reliable banks. I got bit right away on a shakyhead off the main lake point, but didn't hook the fish. Not far down the bank, another bite and another miss. Next cast to the same spot, another thump, and this time I stuck the fish, and it barely moved. I knew it was a good one, played it carefully and backreeled each time she surged, but it wasn't until she was in the net that I realized how large she was. The scale said 7.43, my 4th largest ever in Kansas. Jon cast back to the same spot and got his first bass of 2018 on a shakyhead. We caught a bunch like this one. Caught fish all down the bank before we ran out of soft water, turned around and right as we got back to the point we started on, Jon bowed up on a hard pulling fish that would not give up. His first big one of the year went 4.90. We thought about making the long troll back to the ramp since the motor still hadn't started, but we'd both missed a few the second pass down the bank, so we really felt like we'd be leaving them biting if we did that. I made a switch to one of my magnum shakyheads with a Rodent, wasn't long before I stuck a good fish that I had to handline out of a snag because my line broke in the reel on the hookset. A few minutes later after I restrung my rod and retied my bait with numb fingers, I made a cast to a rock slide and my line was moving towards deep water. Another immovable fish met my hookset and made the slow trip towards deeper water as I inched her towards the boat. When Jon got the net under her, I thought I might have my second 7 pounder of the year already, but she came up just a bit short at 6.72. We caught several more before we'd had all the cold we could take and trolled about 3/4 of a mile back to the ramp, and actually caught 2 or 3 more in the process. I dropped Jon on the dock to go get the truck and I decided to try the motor one more time, of course it fired up Going to be a tough trip to beat, but I look forward to trying

I know I'm jumping the gun here, it's only mid-January in Indiana, and most of our waters aren't warm enough for ice-out yet, but do the bass' behaviors change immediately after ice out? What I mean is, once they observe that there's no longer ice above them, do they kick into any kind of feeding mode or become more active? Or is their activity level solely based on water temps, regardless of if the ice is gone?

my mom who has been free of Hodgkin's lymphoma for 20 years now, my aunt who had breast cancer. as well as one of my dad's groomsman who we lost a year to stomach cancer. He is the one who inspired me to fish the most, last time i saw him i showed him a glide bait and he thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://fishlab.nres.illinois.edu/Reprints/Long_et_al_History_Bass.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiYmdKDz9_YAhVNRqwKHUGEA2UQFjAAegQIExAB&usg=AOvVaw2L_5yKBOES-5VzOy9m_dv4

Sorry to hear that Lo. Cancer is a horrible disease. Just weeks into college my life was flipped upside down when I was diagnosed with stage 4 non hodgkins and Hodgkin lymphoma. It was 4 rounds of radiation and 5 months of intense chemo that required a week in the hospital 2 weeks out and did that for 5 months. 14 years later here I am! Having lost an uncle, both my grandfather's and have known several others I know I'm the lucky one, and I make sure never to forget that. I try to do everything I can to in some way to support my local children's hospital where I was treated, and have donated in the past to St. Jude's because having been through it children's hematology/oncology is near and dear to me. So I stand with my fellow survivors for everyone who's going through treatment and say Never Give Up!

96 ProCraft dual pro with 96 Mariner EFI. Purchased from original owner last yr. This thing is spotless and runs perfect. The shop that initially checked it out before I bought it said it was one of the cleanest 96s they've seen in a while.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Let me know if I'm understanding this all correctly. 1. It sounds like you sent an old discontinued reel into them. 2. Shimano saw it was a reel that they no longer had parts for. 3. Shimano decided to just send it back to you (at no charge) rather than bother ripping it apart, knowing they wouldn't be able to replace anything if it was needed. 4. You got your reel back and took it to another shop and found out that you made a rookie mistake with using braided line. 5. You're mad at Shimano and you're going to bad mouth them online and harass their representatives at trade shows because they wouldn't service an old reel that they no longer carry parts for. If this is correct, it sounds like you're getting mad at a company that has designed many high quality reels that you have enjoyed for many years and now you're mad that at them that its difficult to get replacement parts for your discontinued reels.

By that time I don't much care. I just wanna get out. After a winter like having, so far....."I WANNA GO FISHING "!!!!!!! Hootie

I guess the most important thing to remember is both you and your boats limits on any body of water and don't push them. I buy my boats knowing the type and size of water I know I will be spending the majority of my time on. As current events have shown, even big glass boats are not a guarantee.

Wow that one is an early shed!

Larry Bothroff is was my primary source of information and he is the fishery biologist who managed the Diego City Florida bass program that Orville Ball initiated from 1959 to 1999 when he retired. The pure Florida strain LMB transported to California were from Cypress Garden Springs area of central Florida, not northern Florida. If you are so knowledgeable go out and catch a few giant bass, my bench mark is 15 lbs and to date I have caught 58 over a 45 year period of catching and studying these special rare bass. Tom

735 is a "beefier" rod than the 734 despite it being labeled a mh. Neither lure rating's are very accurate towards the top end. 735 is the rod you want for 3/8 - 1/2 jigs.

There is soooo much mis information regarding hair jigs like they are good only in cold water or small size or only for smallmouth bass, none of that is true. What hair jigs don't have is eye catching colors to attract bass anglers, the colors do attract bass. The only way the OP will know if his hair jigs work is to use them. I rarely bass fish and don't fish with my 7/16 oz hair jigs with 5/0 hook and pork rind trailers year around. Do they work, look at my avatar and top 5 LMB all caught on hair jigs. Tom

In August I sold my 16 year old Old Town Loon 138 and bought a new Old Town Loon 126. It is lighter, tracks better and very stable. Rigged it with 3 rod holders, anchor trolly, and depth finder.

This is the first I've heard of this one. Have not fished it. Interesting design. Of course, the past two or three seasons, the good folks at Rapala have worked over time feeding the Hype Machine. In most cases the baits have been OK - but that's about it. This one appears to be in that category for me. A-Jay

I had my foot surgery last week. Once this stupid foot heals I am inviting out several members from this site to fish the upper bay. I can not wait till you and I can share a boat and I can help you figure this all out. That Crestliner is a better built hull than I own even though the two companies are related.

52* water? I wouldn't be throwing topwater.

Winter be gone, so I may see this again.

What are you looking to do. Their ratings are a tad different but they are one of the best companies out there. My all around is a 744. The 7’4” has a heavy or 4 rating but it fishes more like a medium heavy. The 3 would be a medium.

If you could talk your way down to $12K, I'd be on this like white on rice

Looks like they tell everybody end of february or march,regardless of when you ordered.are they waiting to start rolling them out then.Impatient I guess.talked to guy at marina,has been catching on deep structure.just want to get out there and put the first fish on the deck.

I believe there are Florida Strain largemouth in Georgia. There was well documented 17.60 pound largemouth caught in 2015 and back in 1987 there was an 18 pound 1 ounce bass. Below is the Georgia Top 10 that I can find on the internet. Considering the sizes I would expect these bass have Florida Strain genes.

Hello Cory and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ I have a new one and I really like it. Instead of working on it - I'm fishing in it. A-Jay

River smallies love the 90 here in Ohio.

I picked up the last Whopper Plopper 90 in the clear chartreuse Sooner color from Scheels today. I think it'll work really well on the Smallies on the rivers on those cloudy or choppy days when the Perch color isnt producing. I also grabbed a few packs of Kalin's Spot Stalker jigs for grub fishing. Gonna try 1/16 oz out. Last year the 1/8 oz worked great, but occasionally I couldn't keep it up off of the bottom in the faster currents.

I already took the stuff out, but just went on a quick buying run.

These are some carvings I did last winter. I posted them last year, but may have since deleted them. Hootie

My 10 year old son, Matthew, and I ordered our 40th Anniversary Bass Tracker Heritage yesterday (1/14) at the close of the 2018 Bass & Saltwater Expo in Raleigh NC from a Bass Pro Shop dealer. I was not only their last customer of the day; I was their last customer of the 2018 Expo! This will be my very first boat and our families first boat. My son would rather fish than anything and after years researching the BPS Bass Tracker I was thrilled to see this beautiful anniversary edition boat at the Expo today. He even said he'd be willing to sell his XBox 360 and all his games to help finance the boat. ? Of course I told him that was a sweet offer, but definitely not necessary. But it definitely touched my heart. But then he confirmed it will definitely be a technology free summer. Which he rarely ever plays with technology anymore anyway. He'd rather be outside with me or fishing! ? Needless to say, we are so excited! In approximately 8 weeks my son and I can officially leave the banks and docks of rivers & creeks and hit the open water in our new boat. Love the colors.... love the size....love the price....love the smile on my son's face....love the limited edition aspect of this anniversary model (as of now only 2500 will be manufactured)....bottom of the line we absolutely LOVE THIS BOAT!!!! ?? 40th Anniversary Edition 2018 Bass Tracker Heritage

As long as mine arrives that is all that counts.

As long as they can convince anglers their latest buzz word is a must have there will be no plateau!