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Well guys I set a "trophy bass goal" for myself when I decided to take up bass fishing as a hobby back in June of this year, and that was 8 pounds. I've caught a few 5s and one 6 since then. I've been totally addicted since I caught by first bass (one of the 5 pounders). I basically fish every morning before work and during my break (I drive half the day for my job). So I stopped at a decent sized pond I was driving by yesterday and threw an H2O Express squarebill hoping to get a few little guys, which I did catch one dink. I walked to the other side and on my second cast I thought I hit a log til I saw a HUGE mouth break the surface and my lure came flying at my face.... Oh hell no.... I throw it right back, and wouldn't you believe it, she hits it even harder! Really got a good hookset and the fight was on. She peeled off 30 yards of drag that was TIGHT and jumped 3 times. My knees were weak. My hands were shaking... When I pulled her out the water I got two treble points almost to the barb in my finger and didn't feel it. I ran back to my truck to get my scale thinking she has to be close to 8 if not 9.... 8.15 pounds and 26 inches long!!!! I did it! I'm definitely getting a replica mount of this beauty! I want to thank all of the members here, for I've learned invaluable things from you guys! I attached a pic of her... You can see I'm in a daze from the adrenaline!

Went up to northern michigan AGAIN and pounded the fish. Going for that 25lb inland lake smallies bag and we were so close! This trip we fished flawlessly and big fish went 5.99 lol. So we got the giant fished flawlessly but never got another .25lbs. Fish were inhaling tubes, spinnerbaits, and 5" keitechs.

I love the " hunt" in bass fishing. Launching our boat, or canoe and trying to find bass is a huge part of this sport. I also love bank fishing. It's where many of us got our start. Sometimes I enjoy it as much if not more than being in the boat.I like to keep it simple. I usually take 1- maybe 2 rods, and a small flat side Plano box, which I've modified to clip to my beltloop. On the waters I bank fish, almost all the cover is right on the bank. Moss and weed beds, blowdowns and weeds are at your feet. We wear rubber boots, and walk the shoreline,casting mostly parallel with the shore. The most productive lures have been weedless soft plastics, and jig/ trailer combos.Anything even slightly different in the form of cover can always warrant several cast. It can also be deadly productive. Summer heat, early or late in the day, spring and fall- anytime, especially on overcast days. I plan on bank fishing a lot this fall, until our lakes freeze over. I'll bring my old flipping stick, and a med spin rod. Standing on the shore and pithcing out a jig, creature bait, or plastic worm into a large blowdown is just plain fun. Anyone else enjoy this simple fishing as much as I do? If so what tackle do you like, and what baits have been good?

I started bass fishing in the late 50s & this will come as shock to many but I was deathly afraid of boats! Growing up on the Louisiana Gulf Coast every thing was geared to saltwater fishing. Bass tackle was hard to come by & obtaining information was limited at best. Not only did I walk the banks but I wade fished a lot, sometimes waist deep. Plastics worms were not readily available so my lures consisted of H&H spinnerbaits, Snagless Sallys, Jitterbugs, & Hula Poppers. I still enjoy bank fishing & firmly believe it's harder than boat fishing because of limited access to the water.

I am a fan of anything I can get a good deal on.

You need to know your limits and I am not one to admit that easily. A few years ago bank fishing alone and decided to wade around some reeds instead of hiking up and around a steep bank, stepped into a muck hole and sank down to my chin, very lucky to get out without drowning. Early this year a good freind of mine was bank fishing and was hiking down a steep bank and fell, broke his shoulder, ribs, punched his lungs and spleen falling about hundred down the steep hillside. Fishing alone as most of us do he managed to crawl to his truck to get cell coverage and called for help. Gary was given his last rights but survived, sold his boat all his tackle and guns and now can't walk without help. We don't always use common sense, be safe. Tom

I found this along the bank of the lower Danube 30 some years ago. There are remains of a Roman fort about 50 yards away that was occupied until 400 AD. The locals say they find these all the time.

The old barometer debate ? Believe the math works out to about 16" or so in extreme examples, less than half that under normal pressure changes. Let's get ready to rummmm-bleeeeee

Barometric Pressure has absolutely zero direct effect on bass. Zero. Even a large swing of a full point, say 29.50 to 30.50, on pressure readings means a fish has to make the tiniest of depth adjustments to offset the change. Bass and other fish swim around all day at various depths, up and down, up and down, deep to shallow and back, to degrees that far, far exceed the tiny differences in atmospheric pressure pushing down on water. There is a column of air 60 or so miles in size to create 1 atmosphere of pressure at sea level. Water? 33 +/- feet to add a second atmosphere. What it (atmospheric pressure) does do is reflect what weather patterns we see, what we are in. Here, we do know, emphatically, that fishing changes with clear skies versus cloudy/gloamy days, windy days versus dead air days, cold days versus warm days and more, that these do affect fish behavior. I'll share the math of the actual distance a fish has to "adjust" in the water column to offset a particular quantity of added air pressure if anyone wants to see it. Brad

This is my Dad's favorite lure, and he doesn't remember what it is called. Can someone help identify this lure? I'd like to try to find another for him for Christmas. Thanks in advance!

"The struggle is reel"?

I 2nd the Bomber Popper. Those with spinners also came with the bucktail trailer. Those without the bucktail treble/trailer had no spinner.

Scored a Hawg Tech Prototype handle for the Tranx ~ Just in time to accompany me south of the border to hunt Mutants A-Jay

If your goal is $100 or less then I’d recommend the Daiwa Fuego LT. If the goal is less than $100 then look at the Daiwa Legalis LT 69.99. People are loving this reel and it’s great for the price point.

It should now be "turned over" and have the same characteristics. Two ways to tell. A temp probe is best to confirm, but seeing fish arches all the way down on the bottom is another. The 50 degree mark is a generalization. Different bodies of water have different temps below the thermocline. Whenever the temp is consistent throughout the entire water column, regardless of the exact temp, the lake has turned over.

This season has been almost all bank fishing for me. Issues have kept me out of the boat and kayak this year. I forgot how much I enjoy it. It's so easy to throw 2-3 rods in my car, a small tackle bag and a short drive to be fishing. The small tackle bag contains a variety of lures for different presentations, top water, some kind of crank or swimming bait for mid depth and bottom fishing jigs. I generally stay in a spot for 20 minutes and then move on unless the bite is hot.

Looks like a match.

I may be going back to the ol basics on some rods/reels. Seems fluro if you get even a small backlash weaken's the line to the extent I can't trust it. Everything has it's applications and I think on my jerk and cranking rods I'm going back to good ol mono......just saying......to be continued.

Wow ~ Thank you so much for your most genuine concern and generous offer. Think I'll hold on to it for now but if it all goes hay-wire, I'll be sure to get back with you straight away . . . A-Jay

I'm sorry but that will never work. Obviously the reel is defective. If you could be kind enough to send me the reel I will gladly dispose of it for you

This week I learned that soft baits aren’t working but top water and square bills are. I also learned I can still find bass without electronics.

I’ve had a bit of a slump for most of the summer and have been routinely catching small spotted bass right at sunrise using a 90 series Whopper Plopper in one small area around the neighboring pier. Little fella fought above his weight class. I thought it was bigger as I was reeling it in.

My wife rarely has a hair out of place which is what made this photo so funny to me. It was windy on the Big G yesterday and it was hitting her right in the back of the head. She’s a fan of Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” I told her she looked like Guy’s twin sister, whom I called “Guydean,”

So a good friend of mine nearly lost his life yesterday. He decided to head out to a local river after work in his kayak for some evening fishing. He gets out on the river near a bridge and drops anchor upsteam in about 30ft of water. The anchor lets go unexpectedly and he begins to drift towards the strong current in the middle of the river and then snags on something hard and pulls the entire front of the kayak under water. Before he could even react the entire kayak was pulled under water and flipped upside down with him inside of it. His leg was caught on something and he had to rip his leg free then float back to the surface and attempt to swim across the current to a boat nearby. Luckily he was able to get the boats attention and they pulled him out. They head back over to where his kayak was and they couldn't even find it, the current was so strong that it pulled his kayak so far under water that they couldn't see it from the surface. And he was trapped inside of it that far under. He shows up to work today with a terribly lacerated and bruised leg and a horror story and telling me he is so grateful that he had his life jacket on because without that extra flotation there was no way he would have been able to stay above that current and call for help. The boaters nearby said they didn't even see him go under and never would have noticed had he not been yelling in their direction once he resurfaced. I know folks say it all the time but seriously, always wear your PFD. They really can and do save your life if you find yourself in an unfortunate situation like my buddy did and currents can often be a heck of a lot worse than they may seem on the surface. He ended up losing everything in that accident including the kayak itself as well as all of his gear, keys, phone, etc. But he walked away with his life.

Thats what I thought but had people tell me its to early .

I still fish from the bank. I agree with Catt that it is tougher bc of the access limitations. But as Mobasser said, those limitations can make you a better angler. There are real advantages to bank fishing too, and I try not to forget that as I boat fish. Boats simply give you access, and positioning advantages on any spot. But, sometimes the best casting angle is from the bank. At times I'll park my boat along the shoreline and cast out. I can fish an entire shoreline this way too, along banks that exclude bank fishers bc of brush and trees. I use a backpack that I keep packed with essentials -duplicate of my boat bags. That way I don't end up out there and realize I'd left something in another bag. I grab the detail stuff -lures and riggings- from "the warehouse" before I head out. This stuff changes all the time, with season, water body, and conditions. I use same rods I boat fish with, but find shorter rods can be a help bc of shoreline obstacles -high banks, and overhanging vegetation. If I'm checking out a new water body, I bring spinning tackle. It's much more "brush friendly" than casting gear. I also have a long range bombing rig -a large spooled, long, spinning rig- for mid-summer when there are a lot more fish away from the shorelines. I use the same baits I use from a boat, for the same reasons. They are still the same tools after all. The one thing I may use less of -or at least use more often from a boat- are crankbaits. There are places that cranks can be fished well from the shore, and I don't hesitate. A good pair of waterproof boots, with good traction, are essential. Ah yes, as scaleface reminds me, streams and rivers are great fun, and fishing current offers great lessons in how fish operate. My dad and I used to drive backroads and fish any little creek we came too. We caught many species of fish and always found some surprises too. Small stream smallies may just be my favorite fishing. Don't have that here where I live now.

You may actually be able to "see" turnover. As the process begins and continues, the water will often take on a colored or cloudy appearance. In some of my own local waters, turnover makes a mess. Worse part is the fish will often simply shut down either way I've not ever had 'great fishing' during & on waters that were in the middle of the process. Fortunately all the waters don't turnover all at the same time; usually the smaller / shallower (relative term) places start & finish first. So I can often bounce around and find one that either hasn't started or is done. However there's usually about a two week period where most places are a little jacked up. I will often take that opportunity to travel abroad to fish. A-Jay

I dont bank fish so much unless its on rivers and then I'm wading half the time .

I broke the thumb bar off a daiwa and they are on back order so I needed a new reel . i just ordered the KastKing Assasin with a 15 dollar off coupon . 45 dollars total .

Bravo on the great catch. Still proves what I've always said. I live in the wrong state.

It does look like the Bomber popper with a prop . They added props to the Long A Minnow fora short time. I have several of those .

That looks the "Bomber Popper." I don't remember them having a blade on the back, was that added? Berkley maybe?

I still throw from the bank from time to time, nothing "beginner" about it. It takes just as much skill from the bank as it does out on the water. I throw just about all the baits I use on the boat.

The answer to why the manufacturers do not make them anymore is VERY simple. They did not sell well enough and money is everything. Think about it! Money (in the form of sales) drives this market. Dyna Trak was one of the earliest brands to make one. I rode in one back in the early 90's. Then of course Nitro, Gambler and others started producing them as well. Back then the companies were about to go through some tough economic times, during which most companies were just trying to survive. Many did not survive and still more were bought out and chewed up for a parent company to improve their own product line. Also, most companies had to make two different top caps for each model in order to sell a single and dual console model. Adding a 3rd top cap to offer the center console bass boat was not cost effective. In all the used bass boats I have seen for sale, I have only ever seen 2 of the center console style bass boats available. Because the consoles were molded in the top cap a dealer had to stock 2 boats in order to have a single and dual console available for sale. This is why manufacturers today have cut cost big time with the removable passenger console. They stock one boat and if needed order a matching passenger console if one is desired. The industry promotes the ability to remove the console easily as a benefit to the angler (use it installed with the family and remove it on tournament day) but the real benefit is to reduce both manufacturing and cost to the dealer.

Went and hit one of our many northern secret lakes. Got out there today and wind was forecasted for 20mph. Thinking hmm little lake little wind. But that was NOT the case. By 10 am we had 3 and 4 footers at the end of the lake. Got a 3lbr on a 7ft flat with a 5" keitech, then hit one on an A rig in 10ft down from there going Mach 5 lol Cuz of wind. Decided to go back by ramp where there is a 17ft hole that comes up to 6ft. First cast bam a 3lbr. Thought I had a 7 but got to boaylt and fish had 5 hooks in it lol it was coming through the water sideways. Get all the hooks out and make the next cast and bam crush a 5lbr. But after that wind was so bad we couldn't keep fishing. So hit 3 keeper in 2 hrs and had a 4th fish crush the rig in the same hole but missed it somehow. Either way good day. Fish were chewing but I NEED spotlock hahaha.

I prefer a straight shank heavy duty flipping hook with a Snell knot. It's what I have confidence in and my hookup ratio is great, seems my only misses are short strikers where I have half a bait missing. I like to have a few presentations handy if I'm punching. 1. Gambler BB cricket or Baby D Bomb. I like to use these as search tools, but dont let the size fool you. 3 of my biggest 5 fish came on a cricket. 2. Punch skirt with a creature bait. I prefer a Gambler Why Not, D Bomb, Double Wide Beaver, Rage Menace. 3. last but not least, a Gambler Ugly Otter. I have a quick change skirt handy and will skirt it and unskirt it throughout the day. Some days they want the skirt, other days they dont. As far as colors go. I stick to black blue. junebug, and green pumpkin flash.

glass is louder. I have both, I havent noticed whether one catches more fish than the other.

I've had good success with Zara Spooks in baby bass color. It works well, but at times I'm not sure if the white belly is the real key with this color. Either way it works

If someone makes fun of you then you'll just have to win!

Acceptable to who? If the boat meets the requirements of the trail, who cares.

Believe me the stumps are there just west of the pump station, and their are thousands of them. I have seen a map with all the hazards marked on it. Go on line and see what you can find.

Scored a Hawg Tech Prototype for the Tranx ~ Just in time to accompany me south of the border to hunt Mutants A-Jay

Ugh, the wait is killing me. Sometimes I hate the fact that I prefer a LH retrieve BC reel.

So I went on my trip over the Columbus Day weekend, here is a recap for anyone interested: I was able to fish for about an hour on two separate days. I ended up buying 2 different packs of 5" stick baits: First was the Greg Yamamoto Watermelon with Blk/Rd flakes and the second was a pack of 5" Yum Dinger Black with red Flakes that was on sale for $2. I started out using the Yum Dinger (since it was the cheaper of the 2 I bought). I used a Texas Rig (1/8oz bullet weight and a 3/0 Hook) and texas rigged (wow that is confusing) the bait onto the hook. Being my first time no idea was to expect so I sweep dragged about 10" then reeled in some slack...rinse repeat. I had TONS of problems with my line on my spool so I spent a good 30 minutes trying to let out line and reel back into to get out twists and avoid birds nests (never had this issue years ago). I finally got that sorted out and threw my line out and as the bait sank i felt a tug...gave it a good yank and pow! Caught my first bass. After that excitement, I moved around using the same method (and same stick bait after re rigging it) and within 10 minutes caught another bass! So 2 bass in about an hour after some technically difficulties with my equipment and I was a happy fisherman! Next Day I tried my luck again (Same stick bait from the day before, still looked in good condition). I spent about 45 minutes casting in all sorts of directions, moving around the lake and nothing was really happening. I decided to move over to by a metal dock that extended out into the lake and figured to cast by that. I read somewhere bass liked cover and figured maybe they were hiding out there. My first cast over I got a bite and snagged a bass! some kids around the lake got super excited and came running over to see. Another few casts over by the dock I caught another bass and my fan section of kids went wild again ? All in all about 2 hours of fishing and I caught 4 Bass and had 1 hell of a time! best part was I used 1 piece of bait for 4 bass and the thing still looks like it could be useful. That seems like $2 well spent and I have plenty of bait for next year! I don't think the bass were that large but I added some photos below. I appreciate all the help and advice you all gave! I am now hooked on bass fishing and I am going to want to go and find more lakes to fish!!

This is what our marshes look like right now, y'all can throw what ya want this Cajun will be punching!

United States Marine Corps 2001-2005 Operstion Iraqi Freedom crossed the line of departure on 20 March 2001 into Iraq with 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion out of Camp Pendleton, California.

Another important reason, is that should you die, wearing a pfd makes finding your body much easier.

Went to BPS to spend a $50 gift card I purchased for $40 and used a $10 off $30 or more coupon. I wound up spending $5 and some change out of my pocket. Everything on the bottom row was on sale at least. Needed some more variety.

Old Timers Inc. got the metal roof on this morning despite a couple rain showers

Been pretty busy lately at work and haven't been able to do much fishing. However I have been feeding the bait monkey...lol. In the past couple weeks I bought a bag of Zoom sapphire blue Z Craws and 6" lizards, a bag of Gene Larews sapphire blue Wheeler's Hammers, a bag of BPS sapphire blue river bugs, swimming elite chunks and black sapphire chunks, a new, smaller tackle bag H2O Express to condense down what I beat the banks with, a pack of Z Man bad shad and the deal Razor Shadz, a Strike King neon bluegill and a natural shad 1.5 squarebill cranbaits (3' to 5' diving) and a blue craw Red Eye Shad and today I got my 1/2oz sapphire blue and junebug Jackhammer style chatterbaits I ordered from @Bluebasser86. Looking forward to trying all this out, especially the Jackhammer style chatterbaits. Very nice workmanship and quality. Thanks a million Clayton, I'm very appreciative for what you made for me. ?