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Went out night fishing tonight, threw a spinnerbait a little bit but switched over to a zoom curly tail junebug worm. Fished for a good while and caught a 12 incher but didn't seem to be getting the response I was hoping for so I switched back to the big black spinnerbait and moved further down the bank. I was just rolling it along, not burning it but not slow rolling it either when at about 5-8' out from the bank it felt like my spinnerbait was just sucked in....well I loaded up on her and here we go!! I clicked my head lamp on and when she got close to the bank and I saw her I was scared to death I was gonna lose her! It didn't actually take long to work her to the bank and I was able to lip her. She went 9.44 lbs. 23" long and 20.5" in girth. I tried to make the pics snappy and get her safely back in the water where she swam away strong! Man what an awesome night!!

Caught this 9.44 lb Hawg night fishing with a big black and blue spinnerbait!

Always nice to come home to a TW package after a long Friday. My new Powell endurance 8ft punching stick and Concept with matching accents. I am in love with this one. Rod is so light yet still a beast! Perfect tip, not too stiff. Got rid of my 8ft Champion XPs cuz they were too heavy/clunky.

The great thing about fishing is that there a lot of really successful anglers, professional and otherwise, that encompass about every style or approach you can think of, from the incredibly simple to the overly complex, shallow to deep, with all gradations in between. There is no one "right" way to approach this game, so we can all choose to learn from, copy or emulate those we tend to think alike with or are drawn to. Early on, as a bass angler with professional intentions and a scientific/computer background, Clunn was the man for me. Now that that chapter in my life has passed, I've gravitated toward studying and adopting simplicity in approach (Kehde, Brewer, Perry, Cullen, Binkelman, Plummer, Murphy, and others). It's what works for me - might not for others. Doesn't matter.

Traded in my (4) Exsence 3000's for (4) new Stella 3000 FJ's this week and wow.... They're like a Rolex, can't feel a single gear and smooth as butter! Just got to spool up 8lb Tatsu on them and they'll be ready to be broke in up north this spring on some smallies...

Here’s a few from my past 4 trips

When I started out, I tried to copy all the teqniques used by pro tournament fisherman.If a new bait came out, I had to get one. Most of these things rarely worked for me. It was when I read some things by Buck Perry, and Charlie Brewer that I started to catch more fish.I've followed their lead now for years, and will continue to do so. Once I realized its not about the hot new bait, or the latest tackle trends, I could see part of the bigger picture.This explains why many of the best fisherman use only a few baits to catch all their fish, and have been successful for years.Charlie Brewer stated many times its not about the exact lure,but the understanding of bass, and how and why they strike.I'm still trying to understand all this. Now, I buy the same things that I've bought for years, simply because I'm learning what works best. Its a lot to take in. Really, a lifelong study. Anyone else agree?

Over the years, I superscribed to many theories. As my fishing (for several species including bass) has evolved, I have come to believe that one theory in particular has quite a bit of merit. Additionally this theory often improves the chances of some of my 'other theories' actually working out. Fishing in bodies of water that hold numbers of above average fish, improves the opportunity to routinely catch above average fish. That's my theory, and I'm stick'in to it. A-Jay

Oh come on dude, I was planning on getting stuff done today...

In my quest to become a better angler...I have came across someone passing on the teachings of Buck Perry. Don Dickson is his name, he has a website with a blog and a few YouTube videos. https://www.facebook.com/DonDicksonFishing/ http://dondicksonfishing.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMOkkcQIDRcdm-f4al4iCcA It appears as though his online presence is a new creation as of 2018...but has taught spoonplugging for years...he even has a video of him with Buck Perry. Just thought I would pass on this tidbit of knowledge, in the hopes that I can help guide someone else to become a successful angler...it's a great feeling.

Don't forget confidence. If you have confidence in what you are doing then continue doing it.

Bass fishing can as simple or as complex as you make it and that is why it's a popular sport. Understanding basic bass behavior will improve you ability to catch bass. How important are lures? When was the last time you used that hot must have lure you bought 5 or 10 years ago? The bass haven't changed over that time period, you have! I tried to simplify basic bass behavior back in 1974 by making up my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar, it's so simple that apparently only I can understand it! For me I like using a wide variety of different tackle, lures and presentations to catch bass because it keeps it interesting. When targeting big bass my lures and presentations are reduced to only a few that have proven to work at specific locations. That is my theory. Tom

So I woke up this morn and low and behold a brand new heritage in my driveway!

What I'm seeing here is @Catt and @Bass_Fanatic you guys are both wrong because your results aren't the same as the OP.The tournament results aren't inline with him either. I think you could try and help him until the cows come home with TB but the results aren't inline with him and his neighbors so not much can be done. Sad

Do you think the tournament results, the pictures folks posted and the info Catt reported is not true? That would be odd for a lot of different people to get together and lie in order to make you feel like you are the only one struggling on this lake. That is the stuff of conspiracies. Lets go this route, I have a story for you. A Grandpa was taking a nap on the couch when his mischievous grandson snuck in and put a piece of limburger cheese under his bushy mustache. A bit later, Grandpa woke up, stretched and then immediately began sniffing. "This room stinks" he said and he went into the kitchen. He sniffed a few more times and said "Heck, this entire house stinks, I'm getting out of here and getting some fresh air". He stepped outside, took a deep breath and nearly choked. He quickly walked down the street, trying to get away from the rancid smell until he bellowed "This entire neighborhood stinks". He came back home, jumped in his truck & tried to drive away from the smell, but to no avail. He finally declared "For heavens sake, this entire town stinks!!". The moral of the story is before you claim that everything around you stinks, you may just want to check your mustache for limburger cheese...

In NH we have the same rule, but if a state game officer inspects the canoe you can register it without a title. Who has a title for a 15 year or older canoe?

My brother caught this one in San Miguel today. He was by himself so it was hard to get a pic.

It's that time of year. He's ready to go.

Ithaca Falls in fall. I had to get in the river for the shot.

Got 3 the first day of the storm. Waiting for it to clear up again here in Cali.

When that happens, the fish are telling you you're almost there, but there's something just not quite right. I'll first change my retrieve speed to see if that improves the bite, and then I change blade colors if that doesn't work. That often gets them to commit more, but if it doesn't, then I change skirt colors. Between those three, you'll get better hookups. Ya, ya... a bevvy of folks will tell you to add a trailer hook. I personally hate them because they interfere with trailers, plus that tends to get the spinnerbait hung up more. Plus it doesn't answer why they won't commit - it just snags them...sometimes. I prefer to solve the core issue. I want them to crush it!

Cold this morning and a little windy, but we found a calm pocket behind a long point. She grabbed a blade bait on bottom about 15 feet deep. 23.5" long and 6.3lbs. Another couple weeks and she would have been alot heavier. Still, She's my new longest LMB! Shes my second citation largemouth of the year. PB by weight is still 6.5lbs (23") from a couple years ago.

I'll echo what everyone else has already said. Start by switching up retrieves, then colors of: skirt, blades, trailer. But if I was getting slammed and not hooking them, I would have put on a trailer hook, and I wouldn't have gotten to 5 strikes by the time I put one on. By the 3rd time that would have happened to me, I would have been digging in my box for a trailer hook. I, like a lot of others here prefer to start off without a trailer hook. But I realize that a trailer hook, like every other lure, rod, reel, or piece of terminal tackle that we use, is a tool used to catch fish. We choose our tools based on the conditions, and use the right tool for the job when the time is right. And when you were missing fish, a trailer hook was the right tool for the job.

I just assumed this post started from a local that was trying to deter others from visiting Toledo Bend. the reports here and all other literature of that lake, tells a different story. It is still on my must visit list for Bass fishing destinations.

I was one of the first to research and write about this, and the best answer, recently supported by a fish physiologist (Dr. Bruce Tufts), is that it's the carbon dioxide in the drink, which means it doesn't matter which brand of cola you use, as it simply could be carbonated water. The higher the content, the better. Regardless, CO2 is weird in that in nearly all cases, it acts as a vasodilator in people. The one exception is the lungs, where it acts as a vasoconstrictor. The belief is that the gills in fish are acting like the lungs in people, and the blood vessels feeding them immediately constrict when met with high CO2 contact. This is the best "scientific" answer I've seen, though no one has addressed if there are any negative consequences to the practice.

Welcome aboard! Great advice through all the replies. Even though I don't fish out of a bass boat (kayak for me), I have always found that politeness gets the best response....

6 - as it isnt my scene but still cool

Wow that's a fat one! Congrats!

I would suggest maybe trying something other than braid for the spinnerbaits unless you're fishing heavy vegetation. I also don't like trailer hooks, but sometimes you just have to use them.

Does April 15th work for everyone? Should be an easy day to remember to get your taxes and baits done

Daiwa fuego ct. Save some $

retired USAF Aircraft Weapons Tech F4's, F16's, F-15's and A-10's

Tatula CT. The Curado is great too but is $179.00.

USAF 184-88, F-15 Avionics specialist

Tatula or Tatula CT. I have several of these and some more exotic reels, but nothing really beats the Tatula series for me. Ebay for the best prices, and you can get 20% off by using the code PRETTYDAY until 3/26

@Burros For many years that's all I used exclusively. Here lately I've found myself with more and more Powell's in the boat though. They fish way above their price point imo. I just picked up a 795 Max 3D brand new on Craigslist for $75 too!

FYI: since 2006 Texas Parks and Wildlife stocked over 26,000,000 Pure Strain Florida Largemouth fingerlings, plus a few hundred thousand ShareLunker fingerlings. Add to that the number of fingerlings naturally spawned by the millions of female bass in a 190,000 acre lake. Ya think ya can fish it out or even scratch the population? What happened is the spraying of the giant salvinia killed the Hydrilla, Milfoil, & Coontail forcing the bass to change from being related to grass to being wood/brush related. The bass successful made the change... sadly many anglers did not!

Us army viet nam 67/68

... and sometimes you don't! My son got a big kick out of this dink he caught today. We each caught three fish, but nothing over a pound even though we fished spots where we normally land 2 -5 pounders just about all of the time. But it was still nice to get out and fish for a few hours. The good news is that historically things really start to pick up here in the next two weeks. The only bad part about today was I lost two lipless cranks and one spinnerbait. I didn't lose that many lures all of last year. But I found out that the community disposed of a lot of Christmas trees in some of the lagoons over the winter and since I did not snag in these spots last year I'll assume that's what I snagged on today. The perils of bank fishing! I'll have to bring out the iBobber next time and see if I can map out the bottom of these lagoons.

Wonder if he was swiming the chicken nugget or dead sticking it?

No experience with the rods. The reels use the exact same parts as reels half their price (e.g. Shishamo). You can get great gear for great prices on eBay. Guys have mentioned the Fuegos. You could also take a look at what Kastking offers. Most of the guys on here that have used them have nothing but good things to say about them, minus one weird drag washer issue. Don’t know if that’s been corrected yet or not. If you’re looking for starter gear, you’d have a hard time beating a Fuego (or KastKing) with an affordable rod (e.g. Ugly Stik Elite, Berkley Shock, etc.).

I usually drop the trolling motor, and ask if it's okay if I squeeze past. When in doubt, quietly ask. Most people will tell you it's fine, or what side they're fishing on.

Here's another look at Mt. Evans from Guanella Pass on the west. Mt. Bierstadt is in the upper right corner, then the Sawtooth connects to Mt. Evans proper across the center of the photo. The drive over Guanella Pass is a nice one too. Most any road you take in the mountains seems to have something to offer. My Garmin GPS near the top of the pass:

Snoqualmie Falls, Washington - 2011.

I would go with a 5' xtra heavy spinning rod for sure. Put a zebco 33 on with 6lb braid and 30 lb mono leader. My go-to rig for drop shotting chatterbaits and I highly recommend it.

First smallie of the year. Fought very hard for such cold water. Only fish in 2 days in fishing 4+hrs each day....

New arsenal for 2018 covered all my basis frog rod cranking rod jerk bait plastics bit pricey but it’s worth it Got it from Japan

Spring is basically here along the gulf coast, TX. How I know: 1.) if the skeeters are biting, the fish are too! 2.) my baobab trees are sprouting 3.) the wild "field onions" are putting up flower stalks 4.) The black berry vines have grown their first green buds of the year 5.) the squirrels have returned with a vengeance 6.) it is regularly hitting 75-80* during the days Yes sir... getting very close indeed! Hang in there all you frozen, icicle ridden fellows! Spring WILL return, and soon! If not, I give you permission to plunge me in an icy lake!

I was there when this beautiful bass was weighed in! Picture does no Justice, she is huge! My brother was lucky enough to catch a share a lunker also which weighed 13.00lb in lake Fork 3/8/18