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So these pics are almost 6 years apart... he's eaten up with fishing and driving! I'm thinking he'll be the best fishing partner yet!! (yep, same old boat, same young driver!)

You owned a car for 4 years. You named it Brad. You loved Brad. And then you totaled him. You two had been through everything together. 2 boyfriends, 3 jobs, nothing could replace Brad. Then Liberty Mutual calls, and you break into your happy dance.

Took the boat out on the lake this past Sunday, it was to nice not too.

Well 6poundbass and I headed out yesterday morning so he could break in his new Mike Iaconelli spinning combo he got for his birthday last week. @OCdockskipper would be proud knowing my son specifically asked for the Ike combo. LOL He ended up catching 7 in just over three hours. Most went around 1-8.He was pretty geeked. No more spincast for him.

this greedy 4.6 lbs bass couldnt even wait to completely swallow this poor frog before chomping at my jig.

My wife is my fishing partner and better half, but she has hand, arm strength issues and can only fish for short periods of time, and only with a lite rod and Zebco spin cast reel. However this doesn't keep her from showing me up on a regular basis. Yesterday was a perfect example. We were fishing for bass in shallow weedy water. The bass weren't cooperating but we caught the occasional pickerel. I was doing OK with pickerel when I heard her say " Fish on ". As our usual practice she handed the rod to me to get it in. ( she doesn't have the strength to do it ). Got the fish in and darned if it wasn't the biggest, thickest, pickerel we've seen in years. 3.2 lb. 26+ inches of muscle and slime. No one will ever convince me a Zebco can't do the job. Here's a couple of pic's. the first one is the average I was getting, the second, I'm holding, but it's her fish.

Spent the day on the James river yesterday and caught a handful of largemouth and a couple smallmouth. The smallmouth were on wacky rig stick baits. Largies I caught on jigs and one on a Keitech, all way up in cover. Fishing wasn't easy, but we had one of our better days on this stretch of river. Saw a couple 3-4lb smallies cruising around and had one follow a lure but couldn't catch any of the big girls. Also trolled right up to a 40"+ Muskie sitting up on the edge of a rock pile, and saw maybe 2 dozen short nose and long nose gar cruising around chomping on all the fry that were literally everywhere. Almost caught my first Muskie on a jerkbait! Felt a couple taps on the bait when it was 8-10 feet from the boat and kept just barely twitching it. Finally got it close enough to see and there was a teeny tiny Muskie! Couldn't have been more than 6" long and was very interested in that 5" rapala jerkbait! It hung around for about ten seconds then swam back down into the rocks. Just missed getting a pic of it. The smallie in the pic thought it had wings! I hooked it and it ran a few feet then jumped straight up about 5 feet out of the water! Couldn't shake that VMC hook though!

She decided that there was just enough room to fit a 2.75" trd in that belly.

Had a few hours to kill today so we went to one of our favourite lakes. Caught over 40 bass, about a 50/50 mix of smallies/largies and that’s with a couple swim breaks in between?. Today the fish were schooled up big time, almost like in the fall. Almost every fish we hooked had multiples of either species following and attacking the hooked fish, trying to steal their “prize”. We had multiple double headers, all we had to do was drop anything over the side and the other guy would hook up too. It was a pretty neat experience for my son. Fish were caught on KVD size 300 jerkbaits, 1.5 squarebills and wacky rigged Berkley Max Scent generals. The kid won the bet for first fish. Got a few nice ones as well. Same fish, they’re healthy in this lake ? This one followed one of the kids smaller ones to the boat trying to grab the lure, it hammered the stickbait.

Savage Gear Snake, 9" Shine Glide and the Splitfin line thru. They're gonna win one or more categories, taking bets.

Smallies liked the ned yesterday morning. I caught 11 in 30 minutes. The ned is a skunk buster.

For the first time, anglers will have the option to select a Minn Kota Ulterra™, Terrova®, Ultrex™ or Fortrex® trolling motor with Built-In MEGA Down Imaging sonar. The Humminbird MEGA Down Imaging transducer will now be integrated into the trolling motor to provide a clean set up at the bow for anglers. Humminbird’s ultra-clear MEGA Imaging™ is the first Down Imaging technology to enter the megahertz range with performance that’s nearly three times greater than traditional 455 kHz frequencies. It results in the clearest, sharpest on-screen images ever seen. Read more here ~ https://www.minnkotamotors.com/news/article/minn-kota-launches-new-trolling-motors-built-mega-down-imaging A-Jay

If I understand your question, I suspect the answer is 'not so much' As suggested above, if there's a defining characteristic, is often something other than the pads and depth - holes, humps, changes in bottom composition, paths, breaks, etc - seem to be more important than depth alone. One of my absolute favorite things about kayak fishing is getting into extremely shallow pad fields where boats can't. Big bass seem to be just as likely to be cruising in a foot of water in the lily pads as they are in four foot deep pads. Love, love, love pushing into thick fields on a calm day and just sit and and listen...and especially watch - for even very slight movements -- the bass give away their position like no other place on the lake ....unless its a carp...or bowfin....or snakehead...but, you get the picture -- getting that blow up after seeing a pad move just an inch or two and then putting a lure in there perfectly is extremely satisfying

pretty stoked about the deal i got today i've been looking at getting a nice drop shot rod for a while, looked at e6x's, zillions and a few others. Today I found a Dobyns Champion Extreme 702 SF for $250 at one of my local shops. I'm so stoked to get this thing rigged since I have a smallie trip this weekend but of course the bait monkey is telling me I need a nice reel to go on it.

I talked to Dicks second in charge -They say we have good steady sales but are now looking at other options in buzz baits -I didnt think there was any LOL Wait til you see the new Fishing With Roland Martin Show we just did on Cavitrons What an action packed show with back to back 8lbrs-and plenty of 6-7s - No private lakes or anything like that -we just went fishing - CRUSHED THEM BASSES

I haven’t fished that area much either but I might echo what @buzzbaiter83 said, never heard many positive Fishing reports from that part of the world. I have had some good luck on the big south fork of the Cumberland river in ky but that’s about all I have ever tried or explored. Fishing in East Tennessee (for me) was much better prior to May than after it, and that holds true for me every year. Summer Fishing is just tough, especially with the volume of rainfall we have had this year. Summer is a lot easier during a “drought,” although we never really have a true drought in east tn/east Ky. Are there any dams near you that you can fish below?

My only advice would be to slow down. It sounds silly and simple, but If you want to catch fish from shore in the summer (in the "Midwest" region) and they aren't eating the frog, you've just got to down size and slow down to get a few bites and to get your confidence up.

There’s just not a lot of fish in EKY unless we’re talking Laurel, Yatesville, or Paintsville Lakes. I live in SEKY. Our local lakes have been as tough as I’ve seen them this year. It’s been a weird weather year, especially since May. If I can give you any advice it would be to pick up a spinning rod with 6-8lb test and learn some finesse techniques. Drop-shot, wacky-rig, Neko Rig, & Ned Rigs are the only things producing any fish for me locally right now. Hope that helps.

The trick I was taught, too late for my first pair, is to only cut braid on the back half of the blades and use the front half for floro, mono, and situations where you have to cut close to the terminal tackle connection. I have been doing this on my second pair and it seems to help extend the life a of them a little.

Boomerang Snips for me too...they used to cut braid with zero resistance, but they've dulled just a bit over time and require some braid resistance for a real clean cut now.

Keeps removing my link. Just google "KVD Mustad split ring pliers/braid cutters" That think cuts 65 pound braid effortlessly. Also has split ring pliers for changing out treble hooks.

i see why they call them kentucky bass.

DIY using pipe insulation from Home Depot:

Life in the shallow subdivision ponds around here can be a pretty tough living due to a variety of factors. Kind of rare to find one with a real good size structure of bass in it. As such, we get a lot of smaller fish that top out around 3-4 pounds before dying off. Managed one this weekend that was probably around as big as they get in this particular pond...at least it's up there with the biggest I've ever caught there.

Well, today was a good day. Went fishing at Burr Oak for a little bit and caught my new Personal Best Bass. Granted, those of you that have seen my previous bass, you'll realize it doesn't take much to break it. lol Drug a whopper plopper 90 in Pac-Man along the right side of some lily pads and on the 5th retrieve or so this guy came storming out from under and smoked it.

Hey guys. New memer here, and I'm in a "rut". I know everyone has good days and bad days, but this year seems to be all bad days as far as catching em. Here's a little more on the story. I live in eastern ky. I fish from a yak and from the bank. A lot of creek and river fishing as well as what parts of lakes I can get to. I wouldn't consider myself a newbie, however I'm not in the running for the Bassmaster classic either. My normal set up that Always goes with me is a 7'0 mh rod with a casting reel (7/1 ratio). I feel like that should be pretty versatile for what I do. I have it spooled with 30lb braid and unless I'm throwing in murky water I use a 10' or so leader with mono. Now for the business end of the line. I pretty much throw everything from flukes to frogs. I would say my most used baits are flukes, worms (mostly senkos of some type) and craws on a jig or Texas rig. But as I mentioned I also throw lots of different things. I feel like I fish around good fish holding spots, such as brush, grass, logs, rocks and etc. And I mostly keep simple colors such as watermelon and pumpkin seed, white, and black. My my confidence is waning, as I've spent hours fishing this year with very little to show for it. I mean I'm not even catching a fish per outing sometimes. I know you can't catch em all everyday, but it just seems like it's that way for me constantly. I need some of you seasoned vets to chime in with some tips or tricks to get me back in the game. Thanks!

You can do this without other people pressuring the fish as well. That's more important than you think. It's hotter than hades, fish are stressed by lower oxygen levels and they see more artificial lures. In smaller bodies of water, you can show a lure to fish that haven't seen one in a while and you know you'll drag it by some because where are they going to go? They can't go deep when deep is 3-4 feet. Another good tactic is going in the evening until dark. You'll just get more bites during low light periods in the summer. And since I'm a topwater nut, that is my favorite time. I also work, but there are still 4 hours left of daylight when I get off at 5:00. Also, downsizing will get you more bites. I like the Zoom 4" Finesse Worm. Try it on a small jighead or dropshot or a "finesse Carolina rig". That's a splitshot rig with a fancy name. I'll use more natural colors when the bite is tough. Less bubble gum and chartreuse. I'll also keep a craw on a plain Arky jighead handy. A Yamamoto Hula Grub gets some bites as well. Something about the craw when they aren't active can be too much for them to ignore. But if they aren't biting the big baits, the whole skirted jig might be too much.

I'm a CPA. I have a strict policy not to count unless someone pays me. In fact, its probably an ethics violation. But... if i were catching a 10lbr every 3 minutes I might have to break that rule.

Welcome to BR. Growing up I waded small creeks. I caught fish all summer long. Rarely, caught anything over a pound. Sometime when the tough Summer fishing get's me down, I'll drive my aluminum bass boat as far up a creek as I can go. I can usually catch a few small bass on UL tackle to lift my spirits.

Good advise! I always considered myself a power fisherman until I spent a few years in KY.

I will let you guys try all the new crap and see what is still standing in a yr. I am still trying to get last year's crap to work. ?

Aint forgot about y'all! Got the map out, got to studying, got reminiscing, got lost in the moment! Later! ?

I keep a little log on my phone. I keep track of all fish not just bass. Wanted to break 1,000 last year but final tally was 765. So far this year, tally is 410. Weather and work have hindered my outings. Best bass day for me was 27 in 3 hours 2 years ago. They were chasing schooling Shad in a cove in October and it was beautiful.

Sometimes it's just like that. I started taking bass fishing seriously 4 years ago. First year I didn't have a boat and only shore fished. It was often I'd get skunked a week in a row. I'm talking 4-8 hour days with no fish. Next summer I bought a boat and started fishing those same lakes from a boat. I was still getting skunked often. Not as bad, but I'd go 1-2 days without a fish. The next year was a little better. I did a lot of studying, bought a sonar unit and put the knowledge I acquired to use. It slowly and surely got better. I started realizing patterns and where the fish would hangout pertaining to the time of the day or month. Don't get me wrong, I was still terrible at fishing. I was getting maybe 1-2 bass a day, but it was progress. The last year and this year have kind of been light bulb moments for me. I started actually working the baits I've been skunked on the previous years with results. I have yet to get skunked one day this year and most days I'm catching 4-5 solid fish if I'm out for 8 hours. I know that doesn't sound like a ton of fish, and it's not, but I know my lakes aren't numbers lakes and it's going to be a grind for a decent limit. The biggest thing is to keep pushing forward and striving to learn more. Bass fishing seriously isn't as easy as the pros make it look. What we see on TV is them fishing for 45 minutes and catching bass. What actually happens is they pre-fish that lake for 3 days with the best technology and boats money can buy, along with a decade or more of experience in their noggin. Then they grind for 8 hours the tournament days to hopefully catch a 5 bass limit. Sometimes they do, sometimes they catch none. I am still so far from where I want to be it's not funny. I just love this sport so much all I want to do is be better. Nobody is ever done learning in this sport. All you can do is absorb as much knowledge as you can and spend as much time on the water as you can. Even on bad days, weeks, or months, you can learn and practice. I have no idea how good the fishing is where you're going, it sounds pretty tough, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Keep grinding. It's so rewarding when you realize what works. I don't claim to be a good fisherman, but I do know what it's like to grind for so long with nothing to show. But it gets better and the reward is amazing.

Tidal water is moving water and current tends to mix the water column so deeper water may not be cooler. The key is prey, where is it located? Rising water tends to have a wider verity of prey choices, falling water creates funnel areas draining the tidal flood cycle. I would look for funnel areas with good green weed/grass beds and target those with steady pace noisy lures the bass can easily find and time a strike. Tom PS, Catt is more familiar with the Louisiana delta area, I base my reply on the San Jaquine delta where tidal current is significant.

Plano will be unveiling their new products during a live broadcast from ICAST at 3:45pm ET on Wednesday. Click this link to watch! https://plano-synergy.brand.live/c/2019-new-fishing-products

Key word is yet. Give it time. ?

I believe it is to cut down on transporting nuisance species, like zebra mussels

Definite Wanton Waste here in MN. They don't care if its on the ice, on shore, or in the water. Quite frankly, it isn't about breaking the law here. Its a moral issue. You either harvest them or release them fully alive. Pitching them in the water half dead is morally wrong. I probably would have called the authorities. Confronting someone is what I'd like to do, but you never know when someone is packing heat.

It’s the same here on the lower end of the lake but the upper end has Rapids that you have to drag a canoe through when it’s really low. The smallies love that cold water especially in July-september when they start dropping Douglas and Cherokee lakes. When they fill those lakes up in spring there isn’t much flow and the water can warm quickly but when they generate, it comes out cold from the bottom of the deep lakes. I have seen people wakeboarding downtown in August wearing wetsuits

But they are currently at the bottom of the lake. ?

Welcome to the club. We have T-shirts. ?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/KVD-Mustad-5-Split-Ring-Pliers/23704230 See if that one takes... I second them, had a pair for a couple of years now and like'em. FM

I'm considering doing that as well. Or putting my boat keys on a carabiner with my plug. Or a yellow sign on my console that says "did you put the plug in, moron?"

Those all look like largemouth to me. I'm not sure spotted bass live as far north as NH.

I've kept detailed records since 1972 of every trip, including total number, total above minimum size limit, total below minimum size limit, & largest. I've had over 4 dozen 100+ days ? 2007 The Year in Review: January 10, 2008 Last year my time on the water was greatly limited but for what ever reason I was on big fish all year starting with a personal best back in February of 12 lbs. 8 oz. I think it was a combination of limited time on the water and the fact Toledo Bend was 15' low for almost a year before returning to normal. My limited time on the water had me relaxed and concentrating harder while the low water concentrated the big bass. Lacassine Wildlife Refuge: V&M 9 Super Ringer Worm T-rigged Black Neon 10.37 lbs 10.61 lbs 11 lbs 3 oz Toledo Bend Reservoir: 10.013 lbs, Oldham Jig with Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw Black-N-Blue 10 lbs 3 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½ Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage 10.42 lbs, Oldham Jig with Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw Black-N-Blue 10.061 lbs, Oldham Jig with Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw Black-N-Blue 10 lbs. 9 ¼ oz, Gene Larew 7 ½ Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage 10 lbs 10 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½ Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage 11 lbs 1 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½ Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage 12 lbs 8 oz, Rat-L-Trap Total Bass Caught: 980 Total days on the water: 58 Average daily catch: 16.89 Bass under 14”: 382 Bass over 14”: 441 Bass over 5 lbs: 63 Bass over 6 lbs: 51 Bass over 7 lbs: 17 Bass over 8 lbs: 9 Bass over 9 lbs: 6 Bass over 10 lbs: 11 Largest: 12 lbs 8 ozs Top Area: Toledo Bend; Main Lake underwater point & ridge Top Technique: Texas Rig Top Bait: Worm Top Color: Camouflage

It may not be much for some of you but it is a PB for me in my short fishing career so far. Caught on a swing football head with a Rage Tail menace grub.

Purchased a new Fuego CT casting reel for a steal! ($52) A Dobyns Fury 663C on the way Ragetail Menaces

Ned rig gets big numbers in a pond full of dinks ?. This one was the second biggest at a pound and a half but I got one that went 2.6 later in the evening on a 3’ wacky senko but didn’t get pics ?