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Just picked this little gem up this week...an original Charlie Brewer 'Do Nothing' kit as sold by Northwoods (Fishing Facts) circa 1975.

Got out a few days.ago got 7 on a chatterbait with this one checking in at 4-1

[September 27, 2018] & A Bonus "Freshwater Cuda" 5 lb 01 oz, 28 & 1/2'' Was throwing a Strike King 8XD Crankbait, and without a weight transfer system, the bait tends to helicopter in the air if you don't keep slight tension on the line. The line got hooked around the front treble causing the bait to spin near the surface. When I started to retrieve it... the bait spun two or three times, then I saw a big splash near the bait. I slowed the bait down a bit and the "Cuda" nailed it the second time. WolfyBrandon

This one crept right up in the grass at my feet and grabbed my crank. I actuall thought I was stuck in the grass until it started splashing.

I decided to fish off my dock this evening. I wanted to catch a small bream to live bait fish, and caught 10 or so with bread before getting the size I wanted. Hooked it on and threw it out. Kept seeing a decent bass blowing up on bream every few minutes. I kept fishing for bream too. Set the hook and caught this nice bass on bread and a tiny bream hook ! While I was getting the pic and letting it go, something was getting on my live bait rod. It ended up being this big soft shell turtle. Never a dull moment !

I was having a slow morning, just 3 or 4 smaller fish, when all that got turned around by this 5lb 7oz fish. I am really hoping this is a sign of things to come as the fall bite heats up hear in Minnesota. Caught on 1/2oz white/charteuse spinnerbait with a 3.75 Rage Swimmer trailer. Also, I am trying to stop long-arming everything but it was seared into my brain by my dad when I was a kid and its a hard habit to kick haha

Thanks for the replies everyone. I wrote this in kind of a humorous slant because that's the way we took it. We are retired, so can fish whenever we want. Their buzzing around didn't bother us, it was kind of fun to watch. That part of the lake is fairly small, maybe 200+ acres, so for them to go from point A to point B,C,D etc. at full bore took them maybe 10 seconds. And even then what they did didn't make much sense. They would fish maybe 10 or 20 yards of shore line, then zip to another shore line and do the same thing. We had maybe 200 yards of water all around us so they had plenty of room to give us space, yet they didn't. I am no expert when it comes to fishing, however I have fished this particular lake off and on since I was a little kid ( 60+ years now) and usually have it dialed in, so had they slowed down going past us, and engaged us in conversation, and not ran WOT thru no wake zones, etc.,I would have been happy to tell them the weather had changed in the last day or so, and the bass had moved from the shallows on the shore line to the submerged weeds we were fishing. I certainly no not think they represent the vast majority of tourney fisherman, but their actions do cast a less than favorable light when it comes to tourneys on these small lakes. I think the funniest part is in their zipping along, getting from point A to point,B,C,D, etc. they must have barreled over a section of submerged weed line 4 or 5 times, and after they finally departed to parts unkown, we fished that section and caught one of the biggest LM we've ever caught in that lake. Jim

You can have lures in your tackle box or bass in your in your livewell...ya can't have both! If I catch one bass per piece of plastic it's done it's job! Plastics that I know work I'll buy in bulk, the only used plastics I keep are for jig trailers.

Here's a set of S-Crank bluegills I did for someone. Mike

So I decided to start throwing some big or “bigger” swimbaits to get hat trophy fish. I know you can spend hours without a bite. I started off with a 68 perch hudd but I feel like I need to learn that some more. I switched over to a new 7 inch keitech and Boom! First ever swimbait fish.. and it’s funny how everyone says small fish eat them to but you can’t belive it until you see it .. little guy was barely 1.5 pounds

JVD - GONE

Brett Hite - GONE

So I am pretty much a noob. I ordered an Ugly Stik spinning combo in July and started fishing for bass for the first time in my life. I upgraded the spinning rod not too long after, but yesterday I picked up the Abu Garcia UltraMax combo from Dick's which is $40 right now on the recommendation of the Realistic Fishing YouTube channel. They are sold out online but I lucked out and found one at the local store. This is my first bait caster and I got to say, not knowing any better, I was able to fish it this morning and even catch a couple bass. My priority was just learning to cast, and sure I bird nested a couple times, but at the end of 60 minutes I felt like I found the rhythm and was casting farther than I expected. All that to say for $40 bucks I think it was worth it to jump in the game. The rod itself sells for more than that so it is like getting it on sale and getting a throw away reel if you want to think about it that way. I thought I would just share my thoughts in case there are any other noobs out there. -- tDd

Only a matter of time before that $40 reel is replaced by a $400 dollar reel and then next thing you know you have 20 of them................

And they smell good enough to spread on toast!! I love these old worms. Every time I get to smell these I am taken back to another time fishing with my Dad in his old aluminum boat. I sure miss him....

I try not to go through plastics, for a few reasons: -I'm stingy. -I am concerned about biphenols like pthalates in the water, due to some evidence that some can cause reproductive harm in fishes and other aquatic life. So... I maintain my soft plastic baits. I repair them with Mend-It, or cyanoacrylic glues. If one gets torn and looks like it'll only catch one more fish, I replace it, and mend it when I return home. I try to find more durable substitutes for certain baits. Bc of toxicity concerns, I never discard soft plastics around water and pick up all I find out there. I'm also using some Elaz-Tech type plastics that are more durable and, supposedly, without the reproductive toxicity potential.

Hey honey! I have to go fishing again today, if not my mono will coil!!!!! ?

I live in California and I would love to be able to vote to raise taxes in Massachusetts, or at least in the city of Boston. I'd be so enthusiastic, I would probably vote 7 or 8 times... ?

I've been using Big Game for years too, mostly 12-15lb on my baitcasters.

Speaking of Hedgehog.... I bought a beater TD-Z to see how I liked the platform. I am digging it like crazy and as it came with a badly stripped frame screw, I though I should do the sensible thing and tart it up a little. Right now it's got a RCS 1012 sv spool in it and it'a maybe the best casting reel I have ever used, both in distance and control. I have an ZPI PG spool in blue on backorder but I might cancel it and try a ZPI M instead as I am running 12lb floro on it. The reel needs a new drag in the worst way but I cannot find the d**n jar of drag grease I bought and refuse to buy another one. Im thinking of posting a "WTB: A Smear of drag grease in a ziplock" thread, but that jar must be here somewhere! This reel is the fourth reel I have tied on my mbr783 and I think at long last I have found The One for this rod.

morning sky up in Maine

I throw Berkley Big Game 15# on everything except punching & heavy cover frogging. Never had an issue feeling bites, losing fish do to stretch, problems with knots.

Nothing like a beautiful sunrise, flat calm water, and a big ole’ bass on topwater to start the day! And on a side note, yes, those are a pair of $3.00 safety glasses I’m wearing. I’m glad a friend suggested them, because they are best I have found for those very early morning runs to your first spot! Good fishing all, JB

A few days ago we were out on the lake fishing. As we only fish during the week the lake is usually more quiet . That day we had the lake to ourselves, except for a couple of guys in a Nitro with a 200 hp. something or other on the back. I knew there was a tourney coming up that weekend so I guess they were practicing. I couldn't help but feel sorry for these two poor guys. The lake is not that big so it was easy to watch them thru out the day. They must have had motor trouble because it seemed to be stuck in WOT. They were zipping along at full bore everywhere, close to shore, thru no wake zones, close to us, you name it. Also they seemed confused, like they couldn't figure out what to do. They would zip here, cast, cast, cast, then zip there cast, cast, cast, over and over and over, like mosquitos buzzing around. I felt so sorry for them, the whiplash and wind burn must have been horrible for them. Meanwhile my wife and I were on a long submerged weed line. I had set the TM to slowly move us thru it and we were catching fish after fish. I am actually grateful to them. Catching all these fish is tiring, and if it wasn't for the big waves they generated running past us 25ft. away at WOT, we might have fallen asleep. Later on we were putting by the marina and I saw them tanking up their boat, and heard them complaining how bad the fishing was. Those poor guys. I hope after gassing up that big boat, they had enough money left to fix their motor so it wasn't stuck in WOT, and hopefully enough left over for some meds to handle their whiplash, wind burn and frustration. Meanwhile, my wife and I caught plenty of fish, and had a wonderful day. Jim

After a couple less than stellar days, the stars aligned and I had the best 2 hours of the year. Found fish in Spring spots and revisited an old friend ( chatterbait!) 3 fish for 12.6 lbs with a 5.1 SM topping the list. Missed a bigger LM at the boat. Note to self, close the cleat, it tangles the net?

It depends on what I'm using. I find that culprit worms and baby brushhogs are usually pretty durable, and I can catch several fish on them before having to replace them. Senkos on the other hand, I can go thru a pack of those if I hit a bump to hard on the way to the launch.

I go thru plastics a lot. I primarily fish a toad style bait and frequently will go thru 10-15 in one trip. I save them and have a 5 gallon bucket about half full of used baits. I made some molds and started using the old plastics to hand pour baits. My favorite drop shot baits are swim baits that have lost the paddle tail.(keitech, rage swimmer types) It still has that bait fish profile and the ribs + the thinning of the bait towards the tail still gives it a subtle action.

Nice find. I ordered a slider kit direct from Charlie Brewer in the early 1980s. Mine was only 4" worms and assorted heads with the book on slider fishing. By that time I think they were no longer called Crazy Head lure co.I caught lots of bass with those worms, following the instructions in the book.Innovative stuff in the mid 70s, and works just as well today

The first step should be to flush and lightly oil the stock bearings. If you'd like, email me with the make and model and what you'd like to accomplish and I'll make a recommendation.

I'll have to check out the speed shad. Most of my keitech type swimbaits are used as a chatterbait trailer anyway so I could use some added toughness. Scent can always be added after the fact. And just a heads up, if you buy keitech... Don't get so excited to check them out that you tear open the package on the ride home. The Mrs. Will NOT appreciate the smell. Promise.

What's frustrating, is that many of the pros that jumped ship, voted out the west coast lakes before bailing from B.A.S.S. Why their vote should matter is perplexing to me. Kinda like voting for NY taxes when you live in Texas, if you ask me.

I go through this many blackberry Jelly Worms every year. This box was ordered last November and is almost gone. Although they don't hold up good to subsequent catches, the bass love em. Been using them since 1975 and as long as they continue to perform, I'll continue to use them.

You seem to know what you like for grip and length. I'd also suggest confirming the handle length and reel seat you like and go from there. WAIT FOR A SALE (on eBay, Black Friday or Xmas time) and you should be able to find a good deal one one of the top brands: gloomis, st croix, dobbins or megabass. I have multiple of each brand above and they are all great......but I NEVER buy a rod unless I'm getting at least 20% off retail.

The amount of plastics I go through usually correlates well with the number of fish I am catching. I tend to change my plastic at the slightest irregularity if it gets bit. After all, I want to reproduce the same presentation if it’s working. One exception is a time that I had prefished a lake and it was muddy with 6 inch visibility and then 5 days later it was clear 4-6 feet of visibility. I had brought only gear for dirty water. I fished a black and blue jig most of the morning and didn’t get a sniff. I hunted around through my boxes and I found a green pumpkin/blue jig with an okeechobee trailer, started throwing it and started catching them. One of the pinchers got bit off, and I didn’t have anymore in that color, but I thought “what the hell” and fished it anyway and continued to catch fish. The other pincher got bit off and I just kept fishing it and getting bit. I ended up with a 3rd place finish with about a 20 lb bag. Despite this, I still change my plastic at the slightest irregularity if I have them. But I frequently wonder how much it matters.

The more I think about it...is this really "good" for the sport? The way I see it, the richest guys in the game just made their own exclusive club..How is this supposed to grow the sport again?

I am chasing the big girls too, but usually fish plastics only if they are lethargic picking them up off the bottom. If they are in a chasing mood I will switch to a lipless or some other crank to be more efficient. Also fish a lot of tubes, Kalyn’s 5” grubs and rage menaces that hold up well to multiple fish. This menace got me 23 largemouth in a few hours, finally had to retire it. Almost ran out of this color on vacation, only had one pack and the bass loved it.

Must be getting late in the summer, more than one thread of this type at the moment. 50-75% of people will head to the woods here pretty soon, then there will be "room" on the lakes again, and the fish will start cooperating a little more!

It’s not so much the number of people on the water that’s the problem. I can handle that. What amazes me is that so many, not all mind you, are simply rude. Don’t know if it’s that they are so excited to be where the fishing is good, if that’s the way they behave at home, or if their momma’s just didn’t love them enough to teach them good manners, or what. Cutting you of launching/loading at the ramp, blocking the ramp, pulling right up next to you on the water when there is not another boat for a mile or so, cutting in front of you while you are going down the bank, etc. etc.. The list goes on. I agree that an armed society is a polite society but, even though I am licensed and carry the majority of the time, I don’t tempt fate so I leave my weapons at home while fishing in the winter. It’s really that bad at times.

I don't always use mono but when I do it's almost always Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo Nylon Line. It's not the least expensive product out there and that's exactly how it fishes. And did you know that 4 out of 5 snappaheads that use it, recommend it. It's true I tell ya A-Jay

Sounds like you have a solid plan in place where you are able to use, keep, & save many of your plastic baits. I'm a bit different in that my priority is to catch big bass with my plastics. In fact, I want to catch as many as I can. However I do understand and accept the fact that in the process of catching all these big bass, I will inevitably go through a ton of baits. I say "Dam the torpedoes, Full Speed ahead !" btw - Congrats on your collection of used baits. A-Jay

The Bitsy Bug can be a good place to start jig fishing. Trim your trailer back slightly, and use either one. Cast and let it hit bottom, and retrieve with short hops. Fish it slow, and watch your line where it enters the water for strikes.Whatever you do, don't toss it in the trash. Practice on jig fishing.They are one of the best baits you can throw, and have a solid rep for catching bigger bass.Its not easy, but we'll worth learning.

Mail Call.

Here is a left turn on the topic, but staying within the concept of improving Professional Bass Fishing in relation to how it is viewed in comparison of other sports. The Professional Bass Fishing League. 16 teams are franchised, with the owners choosing a location as their home body of water. It can be a public body of water or a private one, doesn't matter, it is their "stadium" and the teams take the name of the cities or states they are in or near (ie, the Dallas Hookers could have Lake Fork as their home body of water). The owner pays all of the expenses, provides the boats & tackle and signs anglers to contracts. Teams compete against each other each week (or every other week), 8 matches with the details of match play to be determined (i.e., your team could consist of 5 "starters" and a few alternates). Have a season that is a few months long, winners of divisions or conferences complete in (or for the chance to be in) a "Super Bowl" at a neutral site for the championship. It would have some interesting changes. Right now, anglers are small business people, in this scenario, they could focus more on the fishing. Choosing your home lake and corresponding anglers would be very strategic. Sponsors would get more quality time because they would be sponsoring teams & not individuals. The owners could be wealthy individuals, but more likely would be major players in the Bass fishing industry (boat manufacturers, lure makers, etc). BASS, FLW or MLF could all create a league and schedule it around their other tournaments.

The BPS Speed Shad are about as good as it gets for ribbed paddle tail swimbaits. I use them all the time. The biggest difference between them and Kietechs is the squid scent and the fact that Kietechs are a tad softer and tear much sooner. Put the two side by side in a pool and you can't tell the difference, IMHO. BPS branded lines are good as well. Excel and the KVD endorsed stuff is legit, especially for the money.

I've been fishing with Trilene Big Game ( in several tests ) for decades, have caught thousands of fish and several dozens over 10 pounds, I fish with it 90% of the time.

Yeah i know better than to do something that idiotic in a kayak. It is like i tell people about road cycling. Yeah i have the same rights as a car and people are supposed to yield but it doesn't do me much good to be laying in a ditch wondering if i am gonna make it yelling, but i was in the right!!

If a tournament angler asks you to move, find out who the tournament director is, and report them. That is grounds for DQ in any club I've been in.

My dad used to call bass fishermen in high powered bass boats "gnats on a turd" because they couldn't sit still. When one would come screaming by us at full throttle he would say "Hope he hits a stump." And I've seen it happen.

Took an old neighbor of mine fishing this past week. Her son passed away this past year and she doesn’t have access to a boat now. She’s not a novice, absolutely nuts about fishing, but all she can do is fish from shore these days. Took her out on a nice day and taught her how to skip wacky worms under docks. We had a blast, nice to see her smiling!!

Hope you are using a spinning outfit trying to cast a Thin Fin 06, it weighs 1/5 oz with aerodynamics of a patato chip! Tom