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First time out on my new Pro Guide V 165-wt yesterday and was able to christen the new boat with a few of these guys between 2-3 pounds. Late morning Fishing a grass bed right at the edge of about a 10 foot drop off. They weren't donkeys but they were fun catching. Texas rigged PowerBait 10" Power Worm in Green Pumpkin. Didnt keep any of them but did come across a nice bluegill bed later in the day. Took home about 12 good size bluegill and they made a tasty dinner for the family. Love eating bluegill.

I learned to baitcast uphill, both ways, barefoot, in a snow storm, with a lump of coal, on a shovel, by candlelight. ?

After yesterday’s study break I had to go back for more. Got this 4.16 lb one in 3 feet of water on a Siebert Blue Craw Dredge Dock Rocker jig.

Just remember, If you are not winning money, you are donating money. Can you afford to donate money?

Here’s something to make it super easy. Stick to the top two reel manufacturers ( Daiwa and Shimano) and pick one that receives high praise for performance/value and offers the features you like. As the old saying goes K.I.S.S Daiwa tatula ct Daiwa tatula sv Fuego ct Shimano Caenan Shimano Curado K Shimano Citica I

I really was sick today, boss. Don't be so insensitive. It's called addiction.

Yes. It's second nature after years of fishing. I don't even think about it.

Second and third impressions are still great. I did take both the spinning and casting rods on vacation with me. I used the casting version primarily and my son used the spinning. It was nice to have the option of the 2 tips on vacation as I used the MH to punch some of the overgrown areas I fished. I switched back to medium for T-rigs and smaller crankbaits. I am very happy with this rod and find myself using it even when I don't need a 2 piece rod. It looks great paired with my Lew's Tournament MB baitcaster

The bite moves...the fish don't! Active vs non active ?

The rain came in today and got me a day off work. It also made for some killer fishing conditions. Went down to a local pond that I heard was just recently stocked and absolutely whacked them silly. Over 15 fish and the best 5 went for around 16lbs. Here’s the best of the day.

They would not leave the spinner bait alone today. Caught fat little dinks up to much better ones.

A buddy of mine who I used to fish with all the time moved out of state a few years ago, but is in town for a week or so, so we hit the lake. Due to a massive weather system moving over the northeast, the radar was looking iffy so we decided to stick to a lake close to home. Sure glad we did, because the fishing was ON. We caught lots of fish, and the average size was very impressive anchored by the 20”+ smallmouth that my buddy caught. Here’s one of the chunks I landed, pitching a Texas Rig to some Lily pads:

TLDR. Adderall, maybe? Sorry to be a smartazz...but, you want it simplified, its going to be simple. Couple of Chop's personal observations: -you get what you pay for here on BR -very few product info posts incorporate thorough, honest comparisons...it just isn't every thread that you find someone who has compared the exact two or three models you're looking at -very few of us are professional reviewers -- everyone has different things they value, notice, dislike, etc....so you'll find little unfiltered objectivity -just maybe those tech/feature differences are subtle or negligible to 98% of the novice bass equipment buyers -I'll go out on a limb and suggest that if you spend, say $120 on any rod or reel with specs close to your intended usage...you aren't likely to be disappointed

The question was about jumping bass and to assume every jumping fish is a carp and suggest ignoring the activity misses the point. Bass do in fact jump out of the water at times along with a wide variety of other fish and what they all have in common is they are active feeding fish. You shouldn't ignor activity in and around where you fish, it indicates the eccosystem is active. You have eyes and can see the fish that jump out of the water or part way out, you can't easily see fish making only a surface swirl, but you can see what the fish is feeding on. When a carp jumps it makes a distinctive slap on the water and most carp have distinctive coloration like other fish and the color flash is a identifier. If you don't see anything the jumping fish is after like panic minnows or small fishor large insects, the fish is more then likely not a bass, but still an active fish worth noting. Tom They are naturally there or transplanted. Fish eggs don't hatch without being fertilized. Tom

Thanks guys for letting me vent a little a few days back, it really did help. but today I have great news to share! Out on Lost Lake in Groton again this morning about 5:30. It was humid as all get out, but nice once on the water. Water temps were up a few degrees from the weekend, 75-77 most of the morning, and just about 80 when I came off at 10. Headed straight for the cove were I've been hunting that "monster" for the better part of a week now. Just as I glide in I am greeted by a bald eagle who was scoping out breakfast, amazing! He/she circles over a few times and then swooped in, flying off with what I'm not sure, but it was absolutely a fabulous way to start the morning. Sonar is really, really quiet for the better part of an hour, and then I hear the fish alarm start pinging...just the usual smallish ones, and they are suspending between 2-4 feet under me. Working a slow crankbait, and not much is happening, so instead of ignoring that little voice in my head I decide to take my own "expert" advice. I tie on my secret weapon [soft plastic turtle] and bang, pickerel; toss it out again and bang! a nice little bass about 2lbs....toss it out again...and BANG! I have a bass that is taking me for a ride...woohoo!!!! She measured out at 20 [maybe a little closer to 20.5] long x 15 girth; just shy of 6lbs according to the weight calculator here at BR!!!!! [a little over 6 if she's closer to the 20.5]. Either way, I think she might qualify for first place on the BBWC leaderboard for MA!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! If my balance was better I probably would have been dancing in the kayak. Without further adieu....

New Tatula SV

Like @Choporoz said, it sounds like you are right where you want to be. Almost backlashing means you have everything dialed to stop an actual backlash but you are on the edge so you are maximizing your cast. I'd just be careful if you are fishing in wind though because an "almost" backlash in one direction can be a real mess in another if you don't adjust the reel or use your thumb enough.

Sounds like you're dialed in just about perfectly.

Just in case there aren't enough reasons listed already..... Big bass get released at ramps....tourny bass, and even just daily bags saved for stringer photos...lots of big bass get brought from all over the lake only to be released at the ramps. Now, of course, they don't all stay right there, but some will be around....so, even if areas near a launch get relatively more pressure, that may well be offset by the likelihood of a higher concentration of big fish within a few cast lengths .

16lbs is a good sack no matter where you live. I've won and lost tournaments with less. Only one way to find out is to fish one. Mike

If I have time, I go. That's how I judge if fish are active or not.

20 years United States Marine, Gunnery Sergeant one each Retired.

At my local it's always carp.... carp... and more carp....

Lox Road Ramps 6:30-11:00 mostly cloudy wind SW 5-10 water temp 86* slight stain weeds thick current east Picked up buddy Rick and we went to Lox Road ramps. Ran west to the second cut and began fishing the flat. Started with top water swim bait with little results. Switched to a plastic zara Spook with a hit and miss then nothing. Then switched to a U-zibe burned, and then fished slow, another nothing. After 20 minute, switched to a fluke and got bit pretty quick. For the next hour the fluke produced. All bites happened while the bait was sitting. I jerked a few times and then let it sit. If you were moving the bait you didn't get hit today. Patience was the key today. This pattern worked on all of the fish today. Moving bait Zero. After an hour of action things went cold. I switch a number of baits and colors and then finally got hit on a w/r stick-o. Caught a few more on this and then the bite was done. It was a fun day, but you had to fish slow to get bit. We got out of there before the storms rolled in. We caught a total of 15 fish, not much size but still worth the trip.

New to the forum and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jason and I'm a Navionics Marine Specialist for kayak fishing. I hope I can add to the discussion and be a resource concerning Navionics. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Yesterday we fished an area about the size of a football field. 7-12 ft. depth, weedy bottom. Weather was very overcast, drizzly. We caught several fish and had more hits and misses. Went thru the same area later in the day and came up with zip. The only difference was by then the sun had come out. I'm assuming the sun had spooked the fish and turned them off. However I'm wondering if in a 3 hr span, could all the fish have vacated that area? Do bass ( LM) move that much in a short time span? Thanks Jim

I ditched the chute thingy.

It sounds like the braking system is working as intended. No bird nesting means a successful cast so I doubt I'd really worry about it. I've never really watched my spool while casting as my thumb is usually blocking the view.

Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh Catt, not everybody needs to know bout the joys of night time bassin on the big pond ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh lol. Oh and that part bout being mad to them lmao man I ain't heard that in forever. I'm going fuel the boat up and get ready for some night time frog bite top water and slinging the Crig.

Joe the reef tops you mentioned might be worth a try both early & late in the day. Other wise look for fish in deeper water adjacent to the reefs.

That's the mistake I made as well. I ordered a bunch of Bully Wa 2s during the 4th of July TW sale based on the tactical guys recommendations. Absolute garbage product! I swore off the original bully wa due to it filling up with water and sinking before getting back to the boat on a long cast. Also the body would tear really easily. Well, the 2 version that claims to have at least solved the taking on water issue is no better. Still takes on water and the body ripped after 3 dinks. The hook is also really flimsy compared to the original. Returned them all to TW. I'll stick to the proven snag proof with ITT. It's a shame too because they walk great and I like the bigger size.

More better ?

One day I was fishing jigging spoons off the end of a ramp and caught two wrist watches , dip net and rod n reel combo .

New Addiction -

Bass do roam but I would surmise that your fish just got tighter to cover and had a more specific location regarding shade.

Best buy can do it for you if you want, otherwise just get a USB thumb drive or external hard drive and copy over what you want. Suggest if you do that to keep the old one for a period of time just in case you miss anything. The Norton and Office subscriptions should be able to be added to the new computer during setup, its not by IP address since those change. This is another thing Best Buy can help with.

3 Years into my bass fishing and I'm convinced the best rod and reel is the one in your hand at the moment. When I first got into this I made a post or two that in hind sight were a combo of blind enthusiasm and a bit of being overwhelmed at the options and number of manuf. in this sport. These probably made the experienced folks here take a deep breath and sigh and think geez use the search button guy. ha A few years later, some sweet second hand purchases, more ass chewing from the wife about purchases then I care to count, a couple broken rods, 7 and 9 year olds who go through tackle and gear like a candy bar and now I'm feeling like offering a simple piece of advice to others who might be new to this. Worry less about the gear and more about casting skills. Because my sons are young but can throw a baitcaster very well they have a few 30'ish dollar BPS rods with KastKing assassin reels. Wrinkle your nose but I can promise this much. With these cheapo combo's I'll out fish a guy with top shelf gear who hasn't taken the time to practice casting until accuracy is achieved along with the ability to skip baits into small spots. Another thing I keep running across is a lot of times you are never in a perfect position to do a easy front hand cast so being able to fish backhand, out of position and such has been a huge help. I swear I catch more fish when the boat gets pushed out of position by wind or current and I see something I want to target and instead of taking the time to preposition the boat I just fire a cast with confidence that I'll hit it. My primary fishing grounds is a river with strong current so this out of position stuff might not apply to some folks however I'm confident that casting skills would apply exactly the same on lakes. One more thought for the new folks that I just recently figured out. Find a person who is super experienced, buy them gas and food and spend all day on the back of their boat. It was mind blowing watching a local bass club ass kicker grind for 6 hours straight. I swear he got 3 casts to every one of mine and could hit a gap between tree branches the size of a freaking baseball from 35 feet away, almost every time all day long. Stop obsessing on which $100 dollar rod is the most sensitive and get out there and practice casting with the same intensity, your fishing experience will be far more rewarding! Just my opinion based on personal experience thus far.

The moment you entry fee hits the table all your honey holes dry up! There's only one way to know ?

I aint talking light & variable winds! Ranger didn't send me a Z521L ICON ? I fish the brackish marshes of South Louisiana as well as Toledo Bend, most marshes have horse power restrictions. Instead of buying a 20' bass boat that will not fit in the marsh, I've got a 16' Alweld. For whatever reason I never owned a boat over 18'. My ideal bass boat would 18' in length, 96" beam, with 150 My buddies tell me that's to small to fish the main lake! If to rough for an 18' boat I don't need to be out there! At 68 yrs old I aint that mad at no more ? Just rambling on, the moon is getting full, 5-7 mph cool wind!

I was a big athlete in high school and very competitive still to this day. I love fishing tournaments. If you have the spare time and cash, it's really fun for a competitive guy like me.

If they are indeed Bass; then a Wacky Rigged stick worm should do the trick.

Not a pistol grip but a Fenwick Boron, 2 piece, 6’-6” Medium-Light spinning that was my dad’s all-time favorite rod. He caught a million smallies and walleyes on it since the 80’s. Okay maybe 2 million... After he died 2 years ago, on what would have been his 88th birthday, I ceremoniously caught one fish on it on the lake where he was born (literally when his parents were on a fishing trip in 1928) and then I retired it on the wall of my office. Thx for bringing up Boron and a good memory ...

Most people think of florida, texas, california for largemouth. I live in the "Midwest" and would rate the fishing as good but not great.

the fish will not be affected like the fishermen are during the rain. go get ‘em and avoid the lightning.

Yeah, I try not to be distracted, and abandon my plan. I will do a side scan of the area to see if there are large predators, but usually it's either carp, or something else.

Growing up if Momma cooked it you ate it... there was no discussion! What she cooked was to please Dad not us kids! Now days kids nine hundred & forty two thousand choices!

Humble beginnings Abu Garcia Vengeance 6'9" MHF / Abu Ultra Max 6.4:1 My son's Lew's American Hero Spinning combo Abu Garcia Vendetta 7' MHF / Daiwa Fuego CT 8.1:1

I’ve been both that jerk boater that got my eyes beat shut by the non boater, and didn’t handle it well, as well as the guy in the back tearing it up. I like being in the back, I feel like the underdog, and when I’m out fishing the boater it’s a pretty good feeling, haha. Honestly though, most people I’ve ever had in my boat have been great about not casting over the top of me, and likewise I don’t want to front end em’. It’s one of the reasons I don’t dock fish when I have someone with me. I don’t think you were in the wrong at all. I get that he isn’t necessarily thinking about your ability to succeed, but if he was worth a darn he should be. The boater has a lot invested, and being accommodating by providing the rig. It doesn’t give him the right to own the water. He can have whatever intentions he wants by coming back to a shoreline or spot, the fact is he should hit that spot first if it meant so much. What is he going to do if ya pulled into a stump field? “Only fish the small stumps, I get all the ones with the heavy root systems”....sounds kinda dumb.

No. You were correct. As long as you do not throw to cut off the individual in the front of the boat you can fish anywhere. The boater was totally incorrect and was PO'ed that you caught two and he did not because he is a bone head. Story: Fishing Lake Gaston in a club tournament many years ago when my friend who was the boater asked me where I wanted to go. I told him by the islands and we went directly to my spot where I pulled in two nice keepers. He did not get a bite. All of a sudden he said "that was enough at this place" and he pulled up the trolling motor, started the big motor, and we moved to another creek. To say the least I was stunned. Then I realized that we were fishing against each other and I had three in the well to his two and he was upset. So if you fish tournaments as a nonboater you will encounter a number of guys who can't stand to see you be successful. Just smile and keep on casting. Good luck.

I am a boater and don't think you did anything wrong. If you are not interfering with his casting or throwing ahead of him, it is open water. You paid to your entry to fish and try to win just like the boater. Some boater get irritated when you outfish them.