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I was down in the Orlando area and fished one day on the Harris Chain. My first largemouth bass of the year weighed six pounds, two ounces:

Thanks to google for putting a *** article on the wifes phone about the prespawn, she wanted to go out today. Had another 4lber slam the chatterbait!!

Found this antique oak tool chest. Makes a great display case for some of my reels and lures.

I had a day on Friday that I have to share. I fish from noon to 1 PM nearly everyday during my lunch hour with two of my colleagues. We catch a few fish but rarely many big ones, but it gets us out of the office and lets us enjoy the south Florida sunshine. Friday, January 26 the wind is blowing 20+ but the skies are clear so off we go. With the wind at my back I send my first cast out about 35 yards and light a smoke. I start working the lure and on the second bump I feel that all too familiar tick and wind down and set. The first picture is the resulting 4-6 fatty. All three of us keep fishing and each catch 4 really little guys (I mean really little, 8" or less). Its gets near 1 PM and we call last cast. I have worked my lure nearly to the bank when I get torpedoed. The second picture is the last cast 3 - 15. Last year I only caught two fish over 4 pounds so I get two in that range in an hour was special. I was using a spinning reel loaded with 15 lb mono with a 6" medium action rod and a Havoc Rocket Craw (Watermelon with purple fleck) Texas-rigged with a 3/16oz bullet weight.

A few days or so ago I received a PM from @A-Jay saying he wanted to send me something and not to worry that it was fishing related. He asked for my mailing address. Not knowing what to think about it, God assured me that it was ok. Being thankful for just the thought of me I replied with the info he needed. A couple days later he messaged me back that the package was on the way with a link for me to track it. I had to go out of town over the weekend for my girlfriend's sister's memorial(God rest her soul) and received an email letting me know the package had been delivered yesterday. I couldn't wait to see what it was, but I had to wait until today when I got back home. I feel like I've won the Bait Monkey Lottery. To my surprise the package was full of bass fishing goodies. Baits, lures and a little bit of tackle. I was speechless and felt very Blessed. Inside the package was: 3 packs of Mega Strike 4.5" Mega Bugs(watermelon black flake, green pumpkin black and red flake and black blue flake) 3 packs of Mega Strike 4" Mega Tubes(green pumpkin black flake, black blue flake and crawdad) 1 Mega Strike 1/4oz Cavitron buzzbait in black with black blade 1 pack of Strike King Rage Tail Smokin' Roosters in watermelon red flake 5 packs of Gary Yamamoto 5" single tail Hula Grubs(motor oil red flake, purple pearl blue flake, smoke/black purple flake, red/large black silver flake and rootbeer gold flake) 4 packs of Berkley Powerbait 4" Crazy Legs Chigger Craws(watermelon, green pumpkin blue flake and 2 black blue flake) 1 pack of 3 Berkley Powerbait 5" SwimBaits natural color with a weighted looks to be 6/O or bigger EWG offset hook and a decent sized treble hook) 2 packs of Power Team Lures 3.5" Craw D'oeuvres(black blue swirl and green pumpkin blue swirl) 2 Booyah 1/2oz Bankroll Jigs(wild card and runt) 1 Booyah 3/8oz Vibra Wire spinnerbait with willow leaf and Colorado blades in chartreuse pearl white 1 Booyah 1/2oz One Knocker in Rayburn red 1 big pack of Fisherman's Choice about 4.5 or 5" curl tail worms in looks like red bug or junebug red color gotta be at least 50 of them in the bag 1 Savage Gear 7/8oz Ti-Flex spinnerbait with titanium blade arm, trailer blades and 3D details and finish in black/red 1 pack of 2 Savage Gear 3" 3D Crayfish with real 3D scan color appears to be green pumpkin purple flake with 1/5oz jighead 1 pack of Savage Gear 5.5" real 3D scan Armor Tube Worms in watermelon red 2 I think Dredge jigheads 5/O or so with pigtail wire bait keeper 3/8 or 1/2oz 3 football head jigs not sure brand 3/8 or 1/2oz(2 green pumpkin blue, 1 black each with Rage Craw trailer already rigged uniformly) and 2 single willow leaf blade chartreuse spinnerbaits 1/2oz or so. Seriously I won the Bait Monkey Lottery! I'm still in awe! Thank you, thank you, thank you and God Bless you, God Bless you, God Bless you my friend A-Jay! You are awesome! I can't wait to catch some bass with my new baits and lures! ?

Ran out just before sunset to beat the bank. The color purple ruled the day, with three 3-pounders in quick succession.

I'm guessing some of the answer lies within that statement. Standing out from the crowd is not always a good thing in Nature...

I had a great time at Toledo Bend, but boy was it tough! My partner and I couldn't get locked in on anything consistent. We were getting 13-15lbs worth of bites a day, which we figured would be flirting with the cut line, but they were never in the same place or on the same baits. Our main two "patterns" were steep humps and points close to a creek or river channel in 15-25FOW with a c-rig and football jig, and a ratltrap (ONLY 1/2oz chrome 1 knocker, they wouldn't touch red or rattles) on banks that had 7-10FOW where the boat sat, with a creek channel behind you. You also had to be in the outer 1/3 of the creeks for that bite to happen. The issue was, the fish weren't really following a pattern, you would find a good stretch of bank or two, try to duplicate it in 10 similar areas, but would never find them again! Same with out deep, we would fish 3-5 spots for every one we found fish on. We had 4 deep spots that produced multiple fish in practice, two stretches that had been decent with a ratltrap, and one small spot where we found some schooling fish. They were all spread out, so the plan was to just make a big loop throughout the course of the day hitting all of the spots. We had a 2 hour fog delay on day one, which gave us less time on our spots, but we still had plenty of time to be thorough. Stop number one was on our spot with the strange schooling activity. It was a very small spot in 1-5FOW, in the back of a pocket, unlike anything else we found all week. It was the only place we got them to eat a jerkbait, but since they were schoolers it made sense, and that's what I started with there. I quickly put 3 keepers in the boat, all in the 2-2.5lb range, we caught a couple shorts too, but that was all. We figured we would maybe get one fish there so we were way ahead of schedule. Deep spot #1 didn't produce, and neither did 2, 3, or 4, but we still had a couple spots for the ratltrap to pick up a keeper. First shallow spot produced a keeper for me, and 4 shorts (14" limit), which got our confidence back up. At this point we were no longer concerned about a 4lb+ bite that we had gotten every day, we just needed our 5th fish! No more ratltrap fish in those areas, so we headed to our starting spot with about 20 minutes left to fish. We put 5 in the boat there, but none were big enough! We were pretty bummed, because from what we did in practice, even though it was tough, 5 should not have been a problem. We sat in 69th place out of 248 with 8lbs 8oz after day one. Day two we decided to completely abandon the deep bite, and try to expand on the shallow stuff, even though finding areas with fish was really hard to do. We started again on our schooling fish spot, and we didn't get bit when we made our first pass, which was disheartening. But we knew they were there, so we put our heads down and stuck it out. I saw something break out behind the boat, it didn't look like a bass but I threw out there anyway. A few seconds later I popped a 16"er which went in the well. On the very next cast I leaned into what ended up being a 5+lber, our biggest of the day and of our whole trip! 5 minutes later my partner stuck a 4, and then a chunky 2lb+ fish. That spot was super strange, it was very shallow, and you had to just keep casting, but when they turned on, it happened QUICK! We stuck with the jerkbait for several hours, finishing out our limit and then culling our smallest with a 3.5lber. The jerkbait bite died once the sun got up, so we went and ran some dirtier water with ratltraps, where I was able to make one more small cull. That was it for the day, we caught a lot of fish, but none that would help. Our bag went 17-0 on the scales, which jumped us from 69th to 37th place, missing the cut by a mere 13oz! I sure which a little spotted bass would have latched on to one of our baits on day one, or any keeper for that matter! I was very pleased with our work, after a tough practice we were left scratching our heads, but we used what we learned on day one of the event to turn things around and give the guys in the top 30 a scare. We still have another chance or two to qualify for the BASS National Championship, and you can bet we will be giving it our all!

Anyone notice something off? https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/berkley-cherrywood-hd-black-max-baitcasting-combo-17bkyuchrrywd7ftmcom/17bkyuchrrywd7ftmcom

Most people who can only go a couple times a year want to go during the spring because the bass are actively feeding. While this is true the bass during the spring can be extremely fickled. If I could only go a couple times a year I would pick summer because the bass are easily patterned.

B.F.H., the universal wrench.

~ Sure thing. One small tidbit I'll offer you on presenting a jig is; With the exception of 'swimming a jig' which is different than most other 'jig' presentations because it's more of a horizontal deal rather than vertical - when retrieving the bait or working it back to you (either from a boat or the bank), while there's almost no wrong way to do it as long as it is slow - try to imagine that you're attempting to get the bait back WITHOUT the bass knowing it's there. Meaning slow, with plenty of pauses, feeling as much of the bottom and whatever cover you're bringing the bait back over, under & or through. There's nothing wrong with big hops and snapping it well up off the bottom. That works really well many times, but so does just sneaking it along. There's little chance the fish do not know it's there, if they are - they know. It's their world and little happens it in that goes totally unnoticed. btw- one or two small rattles incorporated into the skirt of the jig can be an effective addition. Good Luck A-Jay

Review & Update your Health & Life Insurance Policies. A-Jay

Closest I've been to a bass in 3 months!

Having fished all over the world, both fresh and salt water that is a difficult question. Most places have changed a lot and not the same today as I remember them and most of the people who shared the experiences are no longer around. Sunrises on remote wilderness fly in lakes with my father in law in his plane stir some wonderful musky and lake trout fishing. Marlin fishing off remote coast of Baja's Magdelina bay with the sea alive with thousands of birds diving on bait and big tuna and Marlin in a feeding frenzy, the images are etched into my memory. Catching giant bass at Casitas and Castiac are cherished memories. catching my PB musky, my wife trying to net it brings a smile. I live where I planned to retire and sharing life with lovely wife, life is good. Tom

As a man who also spent a career on the water, much of it in that very environment - the simple truth is NO. While 'some' of the commercial vessels will know what the Nav rules say - and what sound signals mean - virtually NONE of the recreational vessel operators will have a clue why 'that little boat' is blowing a horn at them. . . . Stay well clear of anything with a motor on it and expect EVERY vessel to run you down. Clearly they are not trying to and some may even steer clear of you - but most will not. While I certainly respect @Fishing Rhino response above and do believe that his knowledge & experience on the water spawned his response - and although his advice could help - I have to respectfully disagree. My experience says Most will not see you, most will not even be looking for you. You will either get run over, swamped & or capsized; none of which is remotely desirable. Sorry to paint the Gloom & Doom picture but it is reality. In most every situation (as you've described it) The Rule of Gross Tonnage' applies. And in a Kayak - you have none. Think of it like taking a big-wheel out on the interstate - except less than 20% of the drivers have licences, know the rules, even know there are rules, even care, have any clue, there's virtually no speed limit and none of them have any brakes ! And I didn't even mention BWI. Stay Safe A-Jay

I recarpeted my 20' Stratos a couple years ago. It's relatively easy skill-wise but it's definitely hard work and time consuming. Remove every lid or panel that can come off the boat, it's a lot easier to work with off the boat. Getting the old glue off can be a pain, you can use solvents but I found that even with chemicals there's still a lot of physical scraping to do. Save the old carpet pieces if you can so you can use them as a template for the new pieces. Make sure you cut all the new pieces from the same direction (grain) otherwise the sections will appear different. I used DAP Weldwood Contact Cement for glue and was very happy with the result. I no longer have the boat, but after 3 full seasons on it there were no issues with the glue failing or carpet coming up. I'm sure it will last many more years for the new owner too. Just be aware that it sets instantly so you have to be sure of your placement! It's a step process for the lids, gluing the flat main part and setting it, then gluing the sides and 'flaps' of carpet before clamping it all down for the full set. You'll want to have lots of clamps and furring strips along with some heavy weights (I used lead dive weights) for working with the compartments and glue. Good time to do a deep clean with all the lids/decking off too... If you mess up the grain of the carpet, you'll be able to notice it...Like I did here . It faded enough to not be noticeable after a season of use. All in all, it's a big job...But everything I heard and was quoted was $1000+ for a professional shop to do this, I got it done for about $350 total (carpet, glue, trim stripping, misc hardware) and a couple full days of working so I'm glad I did it on my own.

part of my duties when i was a young man with the water dept. was mowing the grounds at the filtration plant, which also included weed-eating around the small reservoir. bream would follow me around, picking off grasshoppers and whatever else hit the water, undaunted by the noise and commotion. after a while they’d be gone and a giant bass would appear, looming in the shallows, waiting. it was awesome and even kind of spooky at the same time.

Bass...are predators not prey they hunt kill and eat prey. Bass are fish within the animals kingdom and are not the sharpest knives the that drawer. Bass like other fish are unable to solve complex problems that higher animals like birds, cats or dogs can and like all animals they have keen instincts, survival skills not intellect. Why bass strike artifical lures is because they can, if the lure represents something alive and they are active they may strike it. I am glad they do strike a wide verity of lures. Tom

G Loomis, baitcasters St Croix, spinning

After 3 weeks where I couldn't even buy a bite, pulled in this nice 4.5lber in FT Stewart.

I agree, but Zaleski's phrase is just a nice play on depth and speed control, and that ain't guessing. Strike Zone/Window just doesn't do anything for me, though I think Ralph Manns is great ?

OK, going through here I found a few key comments and suggestions. Early on there was mention of a crate, that crate contained 3 water bottles, 2 full, one empty and used as a urinal. Some folks forget the convenience of keeping a pee jug in the boat. My personal recommendation is a 32 oz Gatorade bottle. The large opening and higher capacity makes things just a wee bit easier. Continuing on to the crate, there are hundreds of kayak crate building videos on YouTube, watch some for ideas. This is one stupid easy project that you'll use forever. Think when you build it, though. I put 4 rodholders on mine, made from 1 1/2" PVC. I built it at work and brought a rod to test it out. The first trip out, I realized that my favorite short handled casting rod, equipped with a pistol grip, doesn't fit in a 1 1/2" pipe, and I had to leave it in the truck and stick to the spinning gear. Don't do that. As for the PFD's, find one that's comfortable. If you're looking at a chain, get a kayak down similar to yours, grab a rod, grab a paddle, and try the life jacket on in the store, sitting in the boat, paddling and casting. Also, don't be scared to pick up a type IV PFD as well. This may not be legal as your only PFD in your state, nor is it really a good idea to have as your only PFD, but they do make a good seat cushion that can also be used to save a life. You can find them as cheap as $10. Anchor trolleys can be made out of paracord, a key ring, and a couple of U bolts or plastic eyes. If you plan to anchor the 'yak and fish from it, this is a great way to spend $5, and it works with a stake out pole as well. Waterproof cell phone - I have been an avid user of milspec phones since the days of NEXTEL. Kyocera makes some very nice units. I've had several TORQUE models and currently have a Dura Force XT. Totally worth a look if you're upgrading and do anything that might break a phone. Something that has been missed, however, is that waterproof phones do not float, and neither do Lifeproof cases or any Otter Box. Your phone will float just in a baggie, and your day on the pond will be much better if you leave the phone in the truck. Continuing with the waterproof phone, if you're looking for electronics, there are a lot of lower cost options out there that work with your phone. There's iBobber, Deeper, and a half a dozen other ones. Worth a look. Most will work with your old phone so you re less likely to cry when you dump it. I use my Deeper with an old Kyocera Torque. The old phone also has about 30 Grateful Dead shows recorded on the SD card and works great with a waterproof bluetooth speaker. Do you smoke? Find a waterproof cigarette case. they'll hold a pack of smokes, a lighter, ID, credit card, and some cash, and they float. Seeing as marijuana is legal in some states now, I'll add that a wooden dugout and one hitter will also float, however I'll point out that boating under the influence is illegal and ill advised. As for the other things that you might need, check your local laws before you go out. You may want a battery operated stern light and an extra rod holder on your crate to put it in (or a go pro on a stick). Your state may also require a bow light. A whistle or an air horn is a good idea and a legal requirement in some states (often it must be audible for 1/2 mile). Launch permits also vary from state to state. What are you driving? Trailer, roof rack, back of the truck? A proper rack can protect your yak and your car. Pool noodles can also be the answer.

I have no idea what you mean … LOL.

My job has regularly taken me to hundreds of "abandoned" buildings, houses, farms, etc. Just because it's abandoned doesn't mean it's fair game. Get yourself seriously injured or god forbid killed in one and the lawsuits will be flying. If there are "caretakers" there and they didn't have you sign a release, then they are just as responsible if something happens to you while on the premisis. Who puts a caretaker at an abandoned building anyway? Nonetheless someone owns that property and unless you have been granted permission, you are trespassing. You want to look for relics be like Frank and Mike on American Pickers. Do not sneak into abandoned buildings without consent.

I would also like to hear from someone that has been on e the water with theirs. Also any tips on upgrading of boat or tweaks that may have been done. Supposed to be getting mine around the 1st of March. Time is sure standing still it seems. LOL.

Little Fish, shoot me a link of where I can get one of those guns. Words of wisdom Catt, I agree. I've been fishing up there for years and really don't know a whole lot more than when I started. It takes a lot of quality time on the water to really get on them regularly. My problem is, I fish tournaments down here and go there to fun fish. So I fish a few hours at a time, catch enough to make me happy and go in and take a nap. I would need to fish some tournaments there to get my butt in gear and do some work finding fish.

I'm no jig expert, but I'm always more successful fishing my jig around wood cover rather than grass. Also,check out this link. The 4th post is a really good get started guide. I'm sure the entire post has great information, I just haven't made it all the way thru it yet.

Finally got my hands on some new Slammers.

And get a good defense lawyer, maybe a hard hat.

The whole process of of catching is nothing more than a guess on our part! " I much prefer to keep Zaleski's maxim, "close enough, for long enough" in mind instead." Ya still just guessing ?

Guess you get frontlashes then?

St Croix hands down. Daiwa has served me well too.

my top 3: 1. G. Loomis 2. Loomis 3. 1 and 2

I can't thank you enough for pointing me to Daiwa Aird X rods. I had a enough of 'quality rod companies' last year. Dobyns refused to back a Champion rod that broke during a forward cast and made me pay $90 replacement (on top of $30 to ship the rod to them for 'inspection'). I was responsible for breaking a Powell endurance and had it replaced with a 3D Max that was horribly unbalanced. I requested an exchange and the owner of the company got so offended which ended in the most disrespectful email I've ever received. I was fed up with these companies and knew there was something better. A week later I came across a post of yours praising the Aird X. $55? I'll give them a try. these rods are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. they are light as a feather and as balanced as a St croix LTB or Champion Extreme....at only a fraction of the cost. I agree the gap is closing and nothing could make me happier. I'm done with the primadonna niche brands. fyi: Daiwa Aird has a 1 yr warranty. For a few dollars more you can get a 5 yr warranty with the Tatula XT and S Casting.

@A-Jay Makin it rain tackle! Good for you boss man.

So much for saving the gift cards I had until the next sale...

I look at previous weights from tourneys on the same water , them make a guess .

I use lots of squarebills from April through June and occasionally all the way through October, but when the water gets really warm in July I tend to use deeper diving crankbaits more, like Bandit 200's or Fat Free Shads unless I am creek/ river fishing, FAVORITES? I like them all: Cordell Big O's, Rebel Wee-R's, KVD 1.5's, Lucky Craft RC's, Xcalliburs, Berkley Pitbulls, Luck-E-Strike RC2's, etc. MY MOST PRODUCTIVE squarebills in lakes and ponds, without a doubt, has been the H2O Xpress CRS and CRUL (Academy Store brand). I gravitate toward different colors for differing conditions but I love the H2O CRS in "Live Pumpkinseed" color. We had a three-man kayak tournament once and I literally cast that bait 5 ft. beside one of my competitors (we only do that among close friends to annoy each other) and pulled in two bass while he was dragging soft plastics and getting zeros. I love squarebills. By the way, it is absolutely NOT true that you have to bang them into structure or bottom to catch fish. I use that method when that is what the bass want, but I catch just as many straight cranking as I do rock and tree banging, but it differs from day to day.

It all sounds good when you read it in fishing articles, doesn't it

He always seemed like a great guy man. I love this site. I've only met I believe one guy from here and I can attest that that is one of the best people I've ever met. Not many folks hand deliver a care package of plastic to your job then hang out with you at a tackle shop

Maximum intake Minimum output Y'all ever heard of "Strike Zone"? That's the distance a bass is willing to chase prey or your lure ?

Lake Erie is where I chose to move for retirement. Plenty of diversity when the bass aren't biting. Winters are best spent south in Florida.

Back in the day I liked to explore very old, abandoned farm houses, including one that was probably ready at any moment to collapse. Ah the dumb things I did as a lad... But advice above is good, find others, and be safe! Now someone should organize a BR trip to Chernobyl! We could hire Jeremy Wade as our day-time guide and fish during the day, then have the Ghost Hunters team guide us for night time building exploration, LOL.

Aside from the custom rods I had built to the specs I wanted them built to, my current favorite off the shelf rods are: Daiwa Abu Garcia Berkley I find those brands offer a good "bang for the buck" ratio. While not as finely built and crafted with top notch components, or as "nice" as Loomis, St Croix, etc....the performance of "budget" rods now-a-days is closing the gap on some of the premium rods. That's a huge plus for someone like me, who, for reasons only known to god, is very rough on rods. Sure, the warranties on the high end stuff is usually great, but breaking a couple $200+ rods a year is a tuff pill to swallow, breaking a few $75 rods a year is still not desirable, but easier to stomach.

And that my friend is what Bassresource is all about! I've seen it done over & over on this site at various times and it still gets me excited! I remember sending this patch all over America for one of our military members!

Very glad you like it @MichaelCopeland Hope there's some Fat Bass in your future A-Jay

Two warm weekends in a row and a little more rain today opened up one of the little lakes in my area after nearly 5 weeks of being frozen solid. Had to take advantage and at least make a few casts after the cold we've been dealing with this past month. Bonus when I managed 7 bass in about 75 minutes from a lake that was still frozen just yesterday. On the board in 2018, about 2 weeks earlier than last year! Looks like another lake in the area will be clear by tomorrow, so hoping for one more trip before we go cold again.

Fresh out of the packages. Tatula SV TWS 8.1:1 and Powell Max 3d 795. Already sealed the cork with U40 and spooled up with suffix 832 50lb. Got this whole setup for what the reel retails.

I fish my braid for 2 or 3 years, then I strip if off and reinstall it backwards. Fresh line again for a couple years!