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Took to Marsh Creek PA the other day to get on some LMB's. Was throwing out my Mega Bass Pop Max and this monster took it. Was on my kayak so it was a real crazy few minutes fighting her and trying to get her in my net. I knew how easily bendable the poppers trebles were so the whole time I was saying to myself that shes going to pop off at any moment. She was pulling so hard that my kayak was all over the place. Finally somehow I managed her to swim into the net. A couple of guys boated by and it turns out they and their club members have been stocking pure bred muskies in the area for the last 10 years and told me that this was in the 50" range and very close to 10 years old.

I don't care what the ambient temperatures are, I don't care what the barometric pressure is doing, I don't care what moon phase it is, I don't care what season it is. Give me three days of stable (unchanging) weather & it's on!

Define "budget"? I had a G. Loomis worm rod that was accidental stepped on, I replaced it with a Shimano Crucial. I don't feel it was a down grade in quality, workmanship, or sensitive. Personally I don't care who's name on the rod or the cost, if it feels good I'm happy!

I started buying expensive rods several years ago but have stopped in the last few years. I'll keep my higher end rods for feel baits, but baits like topwater, spinnerbaits, traps, cranks, frogs, really don't need a high end rod imo.

I know, for a fact, without a shadow of a doubt ........ that I have a pretty cool barometer that was my grandparents . That is all.

Just so you know - War Eagle spinnerbaits are fun!

My brother and I both caught our new PERSONAL BESTS today!!! I caught mine on a 3/0 EWG screw lock Trokar with a BioSpawn Black/Blue worm with a 1/4oz bullet weight. Tail looked bloody and was mutilated like it was spawning. Absolute MONSTER and no way it was any less than 5lbs! Brother landed one on a belly-weighted 3/0 hook with the same BioSpawn black/blue worm as me. I'm estimating his was a good 3.5-4lb fish! We were both shaking with adrenaline and excitement afterwards - they were SO d**n BIG!!!

Hello All I have just joined the forum after watching the YouTube videos for a few years now. Here in the U.K we do not have LMB but we do have big Perch up to 6lb ( a fish of dreams), large Pike and Zander ( Walleye) to 20lb. I do a lot of Perch fishing using what you would call finesse LMB tactics such as small jigs and drop shot. I do come over to U.S.A for the flyfishing for the trout and also Bass fishing but there is also Black Bass in Europe which is their name for LMB and I go looking for those when I get a chance. Looking forward to hearing from fellow anglers across the pond and learning new fishing tricks Peter

Usually when dealing with insurance companies I get very frustrated and ticked off, however I got a laugh over this one. I got a call saying I had a prescription ready to be picked up but the cost was much more than normal. I asked why and was told it looked like my insurance had been deactivated, and they suggested I call my insurance company to find out what was going on. This is where I usually start getting ticked, but this time it was just down right funny. I called the insurance company ( they cover my health care and prescription plan) and explained what had happened. I was told I was still covered and they had to call the company they use to administer the prescription plan, and would I stay on the phone with them incase I needed to provide more info. I said sure. This is what I heard. hello , I'm calling about XXXXX. he was told his prescription plan was no longer active, but according to our records it should still be active. that's right What's right? it's no longer active Why? We never received the ##### update on his plan from you. let me check..... according to our records we sent that to you three times last month. Well according to OUR records we never received it! Well WE sent it! Well WE didn't get it! SEND IT AGAIN! WE ALREADY SENT IT THREE TIMES! YOU KNOW WHAT! I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK TO MY SUPERVISER! YA, WELL YOU SHOULD TALK TO MINE!!!!!!!!!! At this point one of them remembered I was still on the line. Sir, are you still there? My reply was " you do know the prescription I am calling about is my high blood pressure medication, and this isn't helping. Maybe you could use some?" They both apologized and said they would look into it. Later that day I got a call saying everything was straightened out. Usually I'm the one getting ticked off at insurance companies. It was real funny seeing them getting ticked off at each other. I wish I could say I made this up, but sadly it's all true.

Got out for a few hours late this afternoon. It was good to have @BassinSoldier along and we got good cooperation from the fish. He was wearing out the fish to start with ,using a war eagle spinnerbait to catch the first 5 or so decent fish. I had caught a few on a super speed craw, and speed worm. @BassinSoldier caught several more on the spinnerbait until it broke, all healthy decent fish. I began catching a few on a june bug trick worm, and switched to a 5 inch pumkin ,chartruese tail yum dinger, and caught several more, including my biggest. In the meantime, he had switched to a rage tail swimbait and had caught several more on it. His big fish came the next cast after my biggest. We caught most of the fish around the eel grass edges again. Ended up with 18 or so. Got to enjoy a GATOR orange and blue sunset too !

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!

There are Hawgs in the "Land of the Morning Calm." Hoh Yeong Kang, Yongin, South Korea.

Once I get home I'm going to do a proper write-uo, but I couldn't wait to tell you guys any longer!!! We aren't sure on weiggt but mine was absolutely MASSIVE. I think it was a 4-5lb fish and my brothers easily 3.5-4. Our new Persona Bests!!! OMG!!!

After years of some practical experiences I came to the conclusion barametic pressure affects me more them it does fish. Falling barametic pressure indicates a low pressure system is approaching with wind rotation counter clockwise bring clouds and possible rain, temperatures usually drop. All this is happening above water in the atmosphere where we live, not below the water where fish live. Lower light conditions give predator fish like bass the advantage over prey and they take advantage. Rising barametric pressure means high pressure system with wind rotating clockwise is pushing the low pressure system away, bringing wind in the opposite direction and clear bright sunlight, again above the water. Predator fish feed during the low light low pressure system and now have bright light and changing winds, no reason to be active. Me on the other hand the changing pressures affects my bones and wind with bright sun affects my desire to go fishing. Tom

I looked in my mailbox, no invite......just bills.

Jersey has some good rod builders, but that repair (mending the blank up high near the tip) while doable is one of the more tricky ones, and the rod won't be the same. You are changing the action of the tip and adding some weight up high. On a $100 stick, I'd start from scratch. You can add a new tip to the remaining portion, and reposition some of the guides, but that will leave you with a much stiffer, not to mention shorter rod.

Yeah the person doing the review could be a 13 year old who's been fishing 3 months or a professional angler with 30+ years experience (or Kanye), and everything in between, so yeah,...

I’m a fan of Old Lake Customs out of North Carolina. Cory is in Guntersville this weekend and I spent my allowance on some of his baits:

I enjoy fishing from the bank because of the simplicity of it. Not having to worry about boat control sure can be nice. I typically only take one rod and resign to one type of tackle (usually plastics), so I can cram everything I need in a few pockets. I almost invariably end up wading so there is always a pair of wet boots on my porch. Funny enough, I tend to catch more fish this way than from my boat, if one could call it that.

Genetics have a lot to do with it. Your dinks having babies with dinks make more dinks

Out in the west metro. Water temp was 47-48. Fishing was slow. Caught 7, mostly on a crankbait. All fish hit 5-7 feet of water.

Do yourself a favor and invest in a good flipping stick high speed reel,65-80 lb braid,1-2 oz tungsten flipping weights, heavy duty 4/0 flipping hook,punch skirts, creature baits,bobber stop and like dink said find the thickest stuff you can find and toss it right in there.

"One of the most persistent myths in fishing is that barometric pressure controls the activity of bass and other gamefish. Although many researchers have tried, scientific studies have been unable to demonstrate that such a relationship exists. Every scientific report we’ve seen, in which barometric pressure was studied, reached a similar conclusion: no direct relationship is evident." -Ralph Manns For the full story, see: IF - Barometric pressure and bass Josh Alwine came to a similar conclusion in his recent book (Lunker Lore) after statistical analysis of another set of data: "What the findings indicate first and foremost is that a great many fish are caught across the full spectrum of barometric pressure...stability in weather has far greater impact on catch rates than any normal changes in weather." What is always interesting to me is that the scientific side of the argument says no effect, while it is well noted that most recognized big fish experts (and many other local experts) are convinced there is one (an effect).

Perhaps of interest...

Not sure about the pot of gold, but I’ve caught some dandy smallmouth and lake trout exactly where both ends meet the water over the years. #potofbronze

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.

You haven't even scratched the surface if you think those are overpriced. Don't expect to get a lot of bites on big baits. Just doesn't happen like that often. But when you do get one it's usually a good one. I gave up on big baits for this reason. I don't get to fish often so I don't want to waste the little time I do have. The overall best retrieve for me was always just a slow and steady with the occasional pop/directional change.

Got on a wide open Walleye bite today. Old Marble eyes were all over the lake and they were chewing ! A-Jay

Here's a riddle: Why would a body of water ever get overpopulated with stunted bass from lack of harvest? If bass eat their own kind wouldn't they keep their own population in check? Or is stunting resultant from some other factor. Most "dink factories" I know of produce mainly small but well fed bass. Go figure.

Ditto Mike

I can't confirm they are still there, but there were Spots there in 1978. As a 15 yr old, I had organized a tournament and the first day was fishing with a gentleman who was a member of the AmBassadeurs (his name escapes me). Towards the end of the day, he already had a nice limit and was coaching me on getting mine. With a few minutes until weigh-in, he pulled up to the lighthouse (on the channel side) and told me to throw a deep diving crankbait. First cast, I hook up with a nice bass, but when I get the fish in the boat, something doesn't look right. The fish is more football shaped than pot bellied and its mouth wasn't as big as i would have expected for a 2 lb fish. I said out loud "This doesn't look like a largemouth", at which time my "teacher" broke out in a big grin. He said "really? What do you think it is?". I had only seen largemouth before, so I said I didn't know, to which he responded "That's a spotted bass". Turns out he & a buddy had made about 2 dozen trips to Lake Perris that spring and kept bringing double limits of spots over, releasing them in the lake near the lighthouse. I would expect the spots to have done well, Canyon Lake has a lot of depth and rip rap and at the time, was loaded with crawdads.

My thoughts on bass eating their own is not because that's their first choice but it is a territorial thing and lack of other food source but until we learn how to speak bass who knows.

i dont even want to start that one.. ?

I will pay more attention to the big fish experts than pay attention to the scientist when it comes to catching big fish.Knowing the biology of bass does help but it does not compare to someone who has lots of experience catching lots of big bass in a particular body of water. With that said I have noticed better than average bass fishing and saltwater fishing when the barometric pressure is dropping. Also noticed the bass biting better during certain moon phases in specific times in the year. But what do I know, I have only caught a couple double digit bass and lost count of the 8 pound or better largemouth bass I have caught in the +2 decades I have fished for bass.

You could say exactly the same thing about moon phases.

I bought my first chatterbait in black/blue because it was wintertime and the water was off-color. But it works year-round.

I don’t get caught up in colors but something about a white rod is offputting to me

They are eating up plastic worms lately! We actually got a real cold front and water temp dropped to .......... 73... but it was chilly

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.

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,”

If I want added bulk for a bigger profile or to allow for a slower retrieve I will add a trailer. I'll also add one for contrast at times. In the fall when the gizzard shad are big, I use a 4.8" Fat Impact for a trailer a lot. I like to use a white spinnerbait with a solid chartreuse trailer in really dirty and really clear water also, especially for smallmouth. Generally use a YUM Boogie split tail trailer for that. Trailer hook is always added when I'm using a trailer and anytime I'm around spots or smallmouth. Dirty water+smallmouth=white spinnerbait with a chartreuse trailer (for contrast) and trailer hook.

I use a Keitech 3.8 Paddle tail and no trailer hook on a 3/8 single willow blade spinnerbait. There is a big forage base of shad where I fish and this seems to attract some huge bass.

after getting 10 inches of rain in the last 5 days, I was itching to get out on the water. A cold front and 15-20 mph were not ideal conditions, but i was determined to go out anyway. spent about 5 hours riding the waves and cranking rip rap, with a kvd 1.5, on my favorite power plant lake. caught 7 bass these 2 were the biggest. 3lb 14oz. and 3lb 6oz. of course a day of crankbait fishing, in Kansas, is not complete without a couple drum hammering your bait and taking off like a freight train.

Took advantage of the warmer than normal temps. to head out for some smallies. Took a while to find them but did OK. Looks like they are starting to fatten up for the winter. Nothing too big, but boy what a fight.

No plastic trailer or trailer hook for me.

Had an hour to fish the Chaumont River behind my Father's house before I headed back to Buffalo. This is my childhood spot and it always produces in the fall when fish move up the river from Lake Ontario to feed. Hooked both fish on a weightless T-rigged Zoom Fluke. The Perch absolutely hammered it. Love throwing weightless baitfish plastics when the temps start to drop. The Northern came out of the weeds right were I was casting and grabbed it. lucky it was so close to shore or I would of lost it to those pesky little teeth. This Perch is getting fat for the Winter. The Northern was in about 10" of water. Decent size this far down the river.

Curado K for cranking