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Above my coffee pot! ?

Hi guys, I've been lurking these forums for quite some time and actually set up my account early last week. I started to post a greeting and thank you all for the excellent content posted here but it just didn't feel right until Friday, at 3 PM, after working through some new techniques that I'd never tried before. I've always been primarily a finesse style fisherman, and I'm really big on my spinning reels and weightless senkos styled worms. Friday, I decided to try out casting jigs. I'm familiar with weighted Texas rigs, so I applied every retrieval technique I could come up with throughout the day and caught many dinks and a nice three pounder. Then, I casted deep where the old creek channel of the pond I was fishing in cut through before it was dammed up. My Booyah Bankroll Jig in Money with a YUM Craw Chunk in Craw settled to the bottom and I gave my bait two subtle pops with my rod to emulate a crawfish darting. I reeled my slack. The dinks had been producing the machine gun tictictic all day. This time, there was a solid thump. I leaned into my hookset and after what felt like minutes, but was probably less than one, I landed my first double digit bass. 10 pounds, 5 ounces on the scale. I now fully believe in the power of the jig.

Here's a bunch of peas and largies I've been chasing all over Central Fl and a little south. It's been ages since I caught these drag peelin peacocks. Bass ranged from 3lbs up to the 9lb pig I caught today!

10 pounds, 5 ounces on the scale beating my personal best by a lot. Booyah Bankroll Jig in Money YUM Craw Chunk in Craw

"If you do what you always did you'll get what you always got!" Some look at the quote as negative, I prefer to look at it as positive! Just because the bite is slow doesn't mean I need to change anything because I understand that next after location is timing. Some days ya gotta cover a lot of water...some days ya don't. I spent 3 1/2 hours without a bump before boating this 8.25# Hawg, if I had abandoned my plan I wouldn't have met that lady!

Needed a little rain to pump some fresh water into the ponds and put a stain in them. Didn't get as much as I wanted, but got enough to get them biting better. Managed 31 in a couple hours walking banks in 57-59 degree water. Surface temps had jumped about 7-8 degrees, helped by both a warm rain and a few days late in the week that topped the 70 degree mark. Last pic is my standard tackle when banking it: One rod/reel, a small box with a couple extra baits tossed in my pocket and a pair of pliers.

Boat crowding is annoying but nothing to ruin my day over. What concerns me is cursing. I understand the occasional launch of a word or two but when I hear young adults cursing up a storm, with every other word being a cuss word and I look around at the young kids within ear shot, that bothers me the most. Maybe I'm just getting old but I think when you are out in the public, even if its on the water, you should act like you are in public. Not sitting on your sofa, watching a ball game. I'd hate to think of what my dad would think of me if I talked like that in front of him.

common courtesy is nearly as uncommon as common sense on some waters

Well, this thread just proved the point. Many different opinions. I fish the Potomac River where rude and bad behavior is the norm. As a rule, I choose not to escalate when it happens. The first thing I consider is "intent" did they know what they were doing was wrong? When I was guiding, I've had boats follow me all over the lake just to GPS spots I take clients to. I will say something to those guys if they get close enough or if I see them at the ramp.

On our small crowded lakes, 100 feet is sometime generous. I don't like it, I don't do it to anyone, but unless they get right on top of me, there's not much I can do about it. It's just how it goes on an 800 acre lake with 30 boats fishing a tournament on it. I feel like I get less of this than most guys, because most of the tournaments I fish in....I also run, and it's not wise to tick off the tournament director. But I also have to be on eggshells too, I can't be accused of "doing whatever I want" because I am the tournament director. My general rule of thumb is...........if I want to fish an area and someone else is in it I: #1 go to another area, I can catch fish anywhere on the lakes I fish. #2....if #1 is not an option, I will see what way the other boat is going, and get behind them a respectable distance. #3 If I get behind them, and they whip the boat around....it's a sign they are keen on keeping me out. So I leave. #4 if I see a guy working shallow in an area I want to go, I ask permission to fish deep, staying off their stuff, or vise versa, if they are fishing deep, I ask to slip by shallow, and won't bump out to deep water until I am well away from them and the area they are fishing. 99.9% of the time this is how everyone behaves around here, we all get along, we all catch fish, and no fights or arguments break out. I tend to conduct myself the same way fun fishing too, and most of the time it works out fine. The biggest problem I have, is when I am out on my lake fun fishing, and another tournament that I am not in is there. I try my hardest to stay out of the way. But have had other organizations anglers show ZERO respect for a local or recreational fisherman. That really gets under my skin, as I also do my best when in a tournament to respect the space of the non-tournament anglers on the water as well. Other fisherman acting like jerks on the water is my biggest pet peeve. They all should know better. I don't get to bent out of shape about the jet skiers, pontoon boating old farts, etc.....most of the time they are just ignorant of what we are doing, and a polite conversation addressing their behavior usually leads to an understanding of how what they are doing is discourtious to other people on the water.

Your writing is a little difficult to read, but from I get of it, I think you may have misunderstood what the OP actually wrote. He was in no way threatening other boaters, rather he was making the observation that there are folks within society who will take a breach of etiquette as an act of war and respond accordingly (and illegally). He did not intimate that he was such a person. Yes, it is just fishing and people shouldn't get irritated while out doing it. On the same hand, people should be polite when out in society, whether it be fishing, on the freeway or in a grocery store.

Oh the irony!! You accuse the OP of being a hothead and then you make a statement that is the epitome of hotheadedness. To answer the OP's question, yes etiquette seems to be slipping especially in more densely populated areas. You get someone who has never spent much time on the water, they make enough money to buy a boat and off they go with no idea of the written & unwritten rules of the waterway. I believe it is the result of ignorance (not stupidity) combined with arrogance. One other comment to Ben Miller in response to his question of laws being broken. Etiquette is not about laws, rather it is "proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.". Etiquette is passed down generation to generation as a guide, laws are prescriptions of punishment for doing certain activities that have been deemed to be against the written rules of society. For example, your responses were out of bounds when it comes to etiquette, but most likely didn't break any rules. You are more than welcome to act in the way that you did, but expect to be shunned by others for such words & actions.

New PB for Iowa 6.19 lbs (6 lbs 3 oz) and first Iowa Master Angler Bass. Got this jetty giant on a flat-sided squarebill on a wind blown jetty in 47 degree water.

Lets back up a bit before we go forward. I am looking at what you already have first. I like your choice of the Ike Delay rod for cranks, and jerks. It is only a 7 footer so you will find it works best with small to mid sized cranks, square bills, even some jerkbaits and rattle traps. You may want to eventually swap that 5.5 reel to a 6.1 to 6.3-1 reel. The 5 to 5.5-1 reels really shine when you are throwing crankbaits that run over 20 foot deep and that requires LONG casts so it usually takes a 7'9 to 8 foot long rod. I do not mean your combo won' work as an all purpose rig but you may find the 6.X-1 works better. I run a Tatula 6,3-1 on my Ike jerkbait rod. my 3 crankbait/trap rods and my 6 ft BPS Extreme rod I use when fishing soft swimbaits like Skinny Dippers and Keitechs and my spinnerbait setup. Realize I fish with over 12 rods under my deck and so some of my rigs are specialized. You had a spinning combo you liked but need a replacement rod. For general finesse purposes, and to keep the price down, I would consider a rod like the Dicks Sporting Goods Quantum Escalade 6'6" medium. It is an IM8 rod that retails for $99.00, but is almost always on sale for $49.00. Another good option is a Berkley Lightning Shock rod. I fish with some very expensive rods but also one of each of these rods. You never mentioned what the other rod was that you already fish with so lets consider the two needs you are looking to fill. I believe the Dobyns 734C is as versatile a rod as you are going to find for throwing many baits. It will easily handle your lighter jigs fishing (jigs up to 3/4 plus a trailer), baits like a Stanley Ribbit, which fits in a category of baits referred to as horny toads These baits are very pliable plastic and get rigged most often with either a single texas rig or a special dual frog hook like this one. This is much different than the typical hollow bodied frog and the rod used to fish them are different. The 734 will throw spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, even some small to mid sized topwaters well. That is a lot of versatility. i would match it with a reel like a Daiwa Tatula CT in the 6.3-1 ratio. My next rod choice would be the Fury FR 735C. It will handle your pitching, flipping, carolina rigging, and it is one of Gary's favorite actions for fishing hollow bodied frogs. My personal situation only allows me to fish with 7 foot rods as that is all I can fit in my rod box. So I fish a Dobyns Champion 705C and it makes a great frog rod, but I also throw bigger heavier jigs in deep water as well as I use it as a pitching rod. My combo has a Tatula Type R 8-1 on it but you could go a with a Tatula CT in either 7.3 or 8-1. Just to throw a few monkey wrenches in here, I also like the Powell Inferno 6'10 medium spinning rod. Check out an Irod Genesis II Fred's Magic Stick. It is a IRG 754 but it i also available for a little less money in the Fiber series. Same basic blank and action, just a bit less expensive components. This may sound funny but I would stay with the Fury series rather than the Savy series.

I'm never guna save any money

But got it done. It was a nice Friday went and redid my bunks new wood, carpet and lag bolts. Figured just lift the boat high enough to slide out old bunks and slide in the new ones ....NOT! These must of been the original 2007 bunks. They were worn out even the lag bolts were pretty much rusted to nubs. Decided to pull the whole trailer out and wire wheeled all the rusted bunk brackets and hit them up with some Rustoleum. Had to raise and lower the bow like twelve times pulling the trailer out and get it back under (the bow winch actually did alot of the work get it back under) I was sore after it was all said and done. Getting it on the stands (or Mustang wheels) used the foam blocks from my kayak roof rack to keep the boat stable on said wheels. Used truck jack stands and pieces of 2x4 to support the rear at the chines. All done and ready to shove it back.

As others have said, if you aren't catching (much), it isn't much of a pattern. A pattern is when you find something that works. HOWEVER, if it's a pattern that isn't particularly good and I think there are ways I might do better or I simply don't care for the pattern I'm on-or the techniques required for it-I might switch. I'm a strong believer in versatility and having a willingness to change however I also believe in playing to ones strengths. Few people are really outstanding at everything. I'm more likely to move TO my strengths than I am to deviate too much from them. Confidence (and competence) are major keys catching fish.

In my opinion, no matter where you go or what you do, most people are polite, kind, courteous , do the right thing, others not so much. Unless there is a safety issue I let people do what their going to do. Some one crowds into my fishing spot, pushes at the boat launch, cuts me of in traffic, etc., so be it. Life is to short to let it ruin my day.

Who knows? Even the Shadow doesn't know. In fact, I spend way too much time with a bait or technique because I think it is the right one, even though I have not had a bite in over an hour. Other guys and gals switch out after shorter times, like 15 minutes. Or the number of casts they make. It all boils down to confidence. Confidence in your baits and techniques. If you have confidence in your baits and presentations and are not catching anything then it is more difficult for you to change. However, if you are open minded you need to try different colors, styles and types of baits and different presentations. This is totally up to you. Based on what you are catching or not catching you have to try to find the pattern for the hour or day. Easier said then done. You have to be open minded although you have already planned your day in your head. Change is difficult. But if what you are doing isn't working you have to change it. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. That's the challenge of bass fishing.

um...I think so buddy It hasn't completely changed. I still take every opportunity to teach my kids etiquette every chance I get...not just on the boat...but in life.... I do see it all of the time here in Central FL...horrible fishing etiquette. I just usually shake my head and move on.

I'm far from a hot head it's just common courtesy that I was taught growing up in this area you don't pull right in front of someone when they are fishing, when there is 75,000 acres of a federal preserve to fish guess some people just don't have any decency anymore....

No set time for me. When I lose confidence in it, then I will change patterns/lures/clolors/rate of fall.

Swim jigs are my go to lure for clear water and grass. Love the 6th sense swim jigs down here in south florida and always have one tied on. I always use 1/2 oz with 15lb flouro and 7.1:1 reel and control the depth with speed of retrieve and rod angle. Bluegill fire is my color of choice since we have bluegill, mayan cichlids, talapia, and oscars down here. A swim jig is basically is a jig with a vertical line tie and a head that comes to a point to get through grass without getting hung up. They are very subtle and perfect for clear water presentations where bass hunt primarily using their sight. The action comes from the trailer that you choose and the pulsations from the skirt. My favorite trailer is a keitech type fat swimbait which has a wide swing. This tail thump gives the skirt a subtle pulsating action that mimics gill movement. I also like using a rage menace grub. I trim the skirts just behind the hook. I mostly use a straight retrieve and let the trailer impart the action. Ill give the rod a slight jerk every once in a while or rip it out of grass. As for colors keep it simple. I try to match the hatch. Anything that matches bluegill, shad, or your local forage will work.

I don't what the bass wanted yesterday. Big gizzard Shad dead and floating all over the lake. 67° chocolate milk water. Tried everything I had that made noise, couldn't buy a bite. I was working on being skunked. My buddy had a few on traps, and one on a jig out of a brush pile, but nothing big. Finally I decided noisy and flashy wasn't working, I said screw it go big or go home. Started throwing 8" megabass swimbait and very quickly had a 3lb bass follow it right to the boat, but it wasn't going to commit. An hour or so later have a solid 4-5lb do the exact same. Inches behind the bait just following it. Changed up to an s waver and in 5 casts got my only fish of the day. 5lbs on the dot.

Clearly the deer was trying to swim across the water and a giant bass took it down. Think of the rod we are gonna need for the new topwater deer bait.

Said the pot to the kettle! LOL!

Thought I should share these photos. I recently installed an Ultrex on my Z7. Once I got the TM mounted I put the pedal into the factory recessed pan and what do you know........ It did not fit. I did a ton of research on what other installers were doing in this situation and I did not find much. Anyways here is what I did and I feel it turned out nicely. Original TM was a 24v Minnkota Maxxum. List of parts that I used Comfortroll Ultrex Pan Blue Sea System battery disconnect switch PROcise Outdoors Dek-It Mount Bobs DeckSaver

11 lb 9 oz caught near Fall Creek Falls, TN, small electric only lake. my previous best was 8 lbs

A few creations ive made this spring. A few more A few more

Just thought I'd throw this out there. Cabela's has the Tour KVD reel on sale for $89.88, regular price $229.99! I snagged one and used the code FREESHIP for free shipping. I know Quantum doesn't seem to be one of the top brands here, but I've gotten excellent service from almost every Quantum product I've had and I'm definitely willing to try one of their upper tier reels for that price!

They are moving in on the Potomac. This was Saturday.

@S. Doolittle You gotta tell us what happened. Is your friend all right? Did he hit something?

Sound carries on water. Watch what you say!

For the last 4 years I have been fishing out of a 12' Hornbeck, which is a canoe/kayak hybrid. Prior to that, I had a 10' WS Tarpon, which I sold after using for several years. Pros: Very light - made out of Kevlar - 18 pounds - which is beneficial for carrying, transporting and storing Wide open layout - I like this so I can put stuff in the open space in front of me Stable for sitting - 29" wide so as long as I keep my butt on the seat it's good Comfortable - I use a thin closed cell foam seat with a high back on top of the foam seat, so fairly comfortable; could be better Fast and maneuverable Cons: Fragile - should never be dragged across rocks or gravel; Kevlar is tough but scratches on rough surfaces Stability - can't stand up Comfort - I would like to be more comfortable and sit higher Cost - was $1400 a few years ago, I think about $1700 now Has rope at front and back for carrying - doesn't happen often, but this rope is a magnet for a hook I duct tape the exposed rope inside the boat to avoid this since I don't use the rope for carrying Looking to get a Nucanoe Frontier or Flint to supplement my Hornbeck. There is no perfect kayak; however, they are coming out with more and better options every year.

Agree with all above. Just keep Improvising to Overcome what's not working and be ready Adapt to what is. Thats why they call it fishing. Mike

I don't have trouble with other fishermen. Where I fish, the air boat tour guides have the worst etiquette.

I'm quick to change baits and change locations when I'm fishing on my home turf. I know what lures I have had success with at different points in the season and I know where the bigger fish are usually located in most lagoons. And with over 200 lagoons in that immediate area I have plenty of locations to choose from. So far I've only fished about a dozen of those lagoons. I want to fish these thoroughly multiple times, then I'll add a new location or two into the mix. The interesting thing here is that most of the lagoons are interconnected through the stormwater system so the fish can and will move from lagoon to lagoon. When I say "bigger" I mean 3 pounds and up. I'm kind of a "fishing snob" in that I'm not looking to catch 50 dinks in a day. I'm like targeting bigger bass and looking for my first double digit catch. While I haven't landed a DD yet there have been plenty of 5 and 6 pounders. I know the DD's are there because I've seen the pictures. They also shocked the main lake and counted, weighed, and tagged the bigger fish. They're out there - I just need to find them!

If your not catching fish, I am not sure how good the pattern is, that said I believe your gutt is the answer as it interprets thoughts, which are often accounts of past experiences. In that situation, I sometimes revert to junk fishing and throw things that don't see the water much. I change my experience to "education" and the expansion of my comfort zone. With this in mind, sometimes my busted patterns helps me become a better fisherman

You're on the right track but In the flex parts of the rod you need to use an over sleeve rather than insert and it must be lower modulus (fiberglass). Search the library of rod building.org for the repair article

It went well ( literally ) and went well and went well..... The actual procedure couldn't have gone any better. They said no polyps and it's good for 10 years. I felt 10 pounds lighter until I ate all those french fries yesterday.? Thanks for askin' !

I need to get one of these to put in my wife’s car

FYI: a pattern means you're catching, I wouldn't be changing that! As for when to change lures or locations even KVD struggles with that question.

My dad used to tell me, there’s A’holes everywhere, when you meet one, just move on with your life.

This gets to the gist of your perspective. Everyone is free to act in the legal, lawful manner they choose. However, culture (not legal authority) also creates guidelines as to how people should interact in the presence of others, which is where etiquette comes from. One is not bound to etiquette, but usually the parameters of it make a lot of sense. For example, if I met you and your daughter, it would not be illegal for me to say "Ben, you better get that girl married off as soon as possible, with a face like that, she is not going to have many suitors". That would be very rude, but perfectly legal for me to state. Now etiquette dictates that your response would be to possibly tell me I'm out of line and to end it at that, but it would not be surprising if you instead popped me in the mouth. In other words, breaches of etiquette can easily and understandably lead to escalation of non-lawful activity.

I had a guy in an old 17’ Tracker bump me in my little 10’ plastic boat and then proceed to anchor down and fish for crappie right where I had been working a dock. I asked him what the hell his problem was and I asked him if he realized how dangerous it was and he told me it wasn’t my lake and that I should respect my elders. It took everything I had not to tie on a 1 ounce tungsten weight and rocket it at him. He could’ve sunk my boat or knocked me over and I could’ve drown. I was running my GoPro so I got it all on camera and have reported him to the local coast guard authority, but it doesn’t seem like they are gonna take much action. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt or ingorancy, but some things are down right obvious.

You didn't read like a hothead to me. That stuff gets really annoying sometimes and it's hard to keep one's cool and keef fishing. I think lots of people just don't get it and don't know better. You did the right thing.

Gives a new perspective to buck tail. Tom

For the longest time I’ve been trying to get my ducks in a row, but I’m finding it isn’t as easy as everyone thinks. It seems like they have a mind of their own, but we’ll keep working on it....

Few new ones I thought you might like to see.