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When the parking is full.

This can be a little tricky ~ A-Jay

As soon as I throw my entry fee on the table 90% of my spots will dry up!

Got some dinks after a hellacious storm

No picture no scale, I would average the two weights, then add a pound, or two. Bigger is always better so why not give it a little fisherman's stretch.

1. FFS has become the most dominant technique in Bass fishing. 2. Young adults without families and adult obligations can literally fish every single day, they can pre practice way more than vets with families. 3. Young anglers are being exposed to derby fishing, and major derby lakes across the country far earlier, and with far more frequency than at any other point in Bass fishing history. 4. The internet has shrunk the world, and by extension amount of time to learn things. Technology and youth are hard to overcome.

I fished a few hours this morning. I caught 11 (kinda LOL). 9 were between 13 and 16 inches. The other 2 are my new "PW" (personal worst LOL). (one is the center picture) I didn't weigh them. I need to get a smaller scale. Both of the 3 inch Bass were hooked through the mouth. Were they actually attacking a DT6? It's hard to tell on Bass that small, but I'm pretty sure one was a Spot and the other was a LM. One of the 9 "real" Bass came on a DT6, a couple on a shaky head, and the rest on a spinner bait. The lake/water was....strange. We had a BUNCH of rain ~10 days ago. The power company lowered the lake some before the storm. During and after the storm it got up nearly to spillway level. (normal level is 3 feet below spilling) They kept moving water through all the lakes quickly. It's back down to normal level now. So in less than 2 weeks it's down a couple feet, almost spilling, then back down to normal, with a BUNCH of water going though it. The water color varies from dark green, to brown to almost black. It smell bad in some areas, similar to the fall turnover. It's hasn't turned over, water temp is still 84 degrees. I'd just say it's really mixed up. There were big lifeless areas. In areas where fish were they were concentrated. I'll go again tomorrow just before Sunrise. I was on the lower part of the lake today....going up river some tomorrow. There was nothing floating today, but I wouldn't be surprised to have floating debris in the upper section.

My work schedule has me rotating back into some weekend days off, so I got to go fishing with my bride for the first time since late June. We had a great morning and put a couple fish each in the net. Both of hers were bigger than mine. 😁 I love it when she gets the better of me. I started things off with this 37" on a Tuff Shad at first light. Tammy followed that up shortly after with a 40.5" on a Muskie Killer in the shallow milfoil. It's only her second over 40", so we were both tickled with that. After a few hours with no action, it was Tammy getting it done again with the Muskie Killer with a 38.5". I picked up my second with time running out, again with the Muskie Killer in a shallow creek channel. 38" Back to the grind tomorrow for the next four days. #HAPPYWIFEHAPPYLIFE!!!

This is always a bad fishing day sign!

Yeah I was honestly just grateful to hook up with her! Havent felt a fish surge like that in like 3 years it was great. Totally knew she would be where I hooked her too which felt great having the puzzle pieces come together. But thank you 5lbs makes sense. I dont find myself using less than 12lb line on my baitcasters so that gives good wiggle room. Gonna move away from locking my drag down, works with the 4 and 5lbers but I think those really big ones especially in the summer just pull too d**n hard Managed to get this nice 3.5 before the big one though which was nice!

A flat tire on the boat trailer at 5:30 am on the interstate going to Clark Hill this February was a bad indicator. Finally launched at 10. Got skunked, left lake at 4, had a flat on other side of boat trailer on way back home right at dark.Made in China

Cold and muddy water Right after a storm with muddy water and sun Any time the water is less than 40 degrees The month of September Bluebird skies without a wisp of wind And any time I think the fishing will be really good, it will be really bad

No. I've had Diawa and Shimano reels over the years. Both make a good product.

As far as Randy goes , I unsubscribed , not because of his views on FFS but because of his constant lecturing. He thinks he has this insight on life that every one else lacks and feels the need to convey it . He has some good tips and a couple of them I use all the time now.

It performs even better! (I really want one!) https://www.suzukimarine.com/

For me In Order… For 2 days after a cold front passes High muddy water 3ft or less 90+ deg water with no cover Flat calm under blue skies with no wind No vegetation anywhere in deeper water Full Moon Mike

I’m not dumping on St. Croix because they stuck to their guns and made a line of rods which didn’t fit with the mainstream. I’m dumping on them because they have consistently produced rods and especially reels over the last few years I don’t want to see. Ive asked for an updated legend elite or x line and been rewarded with what I consider garbage. I never wanted or needed triangle grip casting rods. I never asked for overpriced graphite reels. They cut the torzite guide train out of the legend line, butchered what could be a reel launch with aluminum frames and have ignored their longtime customers. The reality is I don’t even recommend St. Croix anymore. For someone who’s fished their rods for a decade that’s all that needs to be said.

I don’t find either Daiwa or Shimano to be better or worse than the other over all quality wise. They get points for largely having their own manufacturing systems but if I’m being honest, I service a lot of Doyo built rebrands that hold up exceptionally well and stay smooth. On paper they shouldn’t be close but in use the differences in quality are splitting hairs among the name brands at $100> msrp.

The fishing gods can throw all the lightning bolts they want. I Think a Zillion on an Expride would be worth dodging some lightning.

I got out in the wee hours wed morning and did a bit of bass fishing. I figgerd I better catch a few to keep my BR membership in good standing. It's been awhile. I've been completely focused on muskie. As I suspected, the bass have largely abandoned the shallow weeds for rock structure. It happens every August around here. I think it's because the gills are done spawning, and have vacated the area, so they move to rock and fill up on craws. I caught about a dozen of these cookie cutter LM. The first one I caught off of rock spit up a good size craw onto the floor of my boat. The craw was alive and well. Best bass of the morning came about 05:00 on a 5" tuff shad after I'd started cranking for muskie. That's one ambitious 3 pounder. I also picked up a nice eye. It's one of the rare lucky ones that got released. Most of them get released to the grease. I knew I was gonna be on a long grind for muskie, and wouldn't feel like knocking the sides off of it when I got home. Took a skunking on the skis.

Not in the least and I only fish with Daiwa and Shimano reels. To that end, I have a Team Daiwa-X from before 2000, it's been a mainstay in my lineup from day 1, to just having caught a fish on it an hour ago more than 25yrs later. It's as smooth or smoother today than any reel I own.

I know it's gonna be a tough day catching when juvenile bluegills are high in the water and not tight to weeds. It tells me that they are not too worried about getting eaten by a bass or pike. Another is flat water. Flat water with clouds isn't as bad as full sun. What are your indicators that usually mean a tough bite?

So I totally fumbled another giant this evening. This time I lost a monster on my baitcast gear. It was a combination of factors, was travelling light so used my 7' MH fast rod with a 1/2 oz spinnerbait, normally wouldve had it on my mod action. Hooked up into her and the rod just folded and she was moving quick! She darted one direction and then another towards some branches so I pulled back on the rod trying to stop her and she came unbuttoned. Reeled back in and the hook was a little bent out on the spinnerbait. I think I tried to horse her and my drag was locked down. Too much pressure. However all these swimbait guys and others say to lock it down and horse them in. Am I missing the picture it didnt seem possible to to horse that fish in. Would love to know what y'all recommend for drag settings on baitcast. Keeping in mind this lake is gnarly in cover, sticks, weeds and only about 6ft - 8ft deep so these fish dig straight into cover.

My Father got a brand new zero turn riding mower. His old tractor style one finally died.

"Does this Bass make my hands look big????" Woody, that middle bass all of you look HUGE! Here's Woody in the city frustrated because they called in the Air Force (again) to cite him for jaywalking:

I have lost and witnessed thousands of fish of all species lost from broken lines, pulled hooks, bent hooks, broken rods, and tearing the hook out of a lightly skinned hook fish. All of these fish might have been landed if the drag was not to tight. I have also lost and witnessedonly a handful of fish lost due to the drag set to light. The odds of loosing a fish by horsing them is way higher than the odds of loosing a fish by being to gentle. That said, there are times when bass fishing that you have to clamp down on a bass in order to pull it away from or out of cover. This can be done on a bait caster by applying pressure on the spool with your thumb. Once you have the bass away from cover you can let the drag do it's work. I have landed very large fish on tiny hooks, with ridiculously light line by having patience and the drag set light. I'm sure this can be accomplished with bass as well, it's only the culture of horsing them to the top and skipping back the boat that keeps people from landing many bass. How many times does an angler have a snag that wont come loose so they pull hard to break the line and the hook pulls out. The hook is not bent it simply pulled out of the snag. The same thing happens with a bass. Pull to hard and something is going to give. I have lost giant bass because I let them get in to cover. That is on me, but I haven't lost giant bass because I horsed them. Every fight is different. Sometimes you have to move forward and punch hard, sometimes you have to play defense and wear them out. Experience is the best teacher.

August is a bad sign. March is even worse. January is a sign akin to washing your son's hair and finding the birthmark 666 on his scalp.

The trick, figure out what features from each maker work best in your niches, and stick to them. To me, both fanboy and stashed surplus reels are symptoms of not making this effort.

The salad days...er, nights. Thanks for the photos, @Catt! @fishhugger: Bits from Wikipedia: "Although Lamarr had no formal training and was primarily self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions,[40] which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink.[30] During the late 1930s, Lamarr attended arms deals with her then-husband, arms dealer Fritz Mandl, "possibly to improve his chances of making a sale".[41] From the meetings, she learned that navies needed "a way to guide a torpedo as it raced through the water." Radio control had been proposed. However, an enemy might be able to jam such a torpedo's guidance system and set it off course.[42] When later discussing this with a new friend, composer and pianist George Antheil, her idea to prevent jamming by frequency hopping met Antheil's previous work in music. In that earlier work, Antheil attempted synchronizing note-hopping in the avant-garde piece written as a score for the film Ballet Mécanique (1923–24) that involved multiple synchronized player pianos. Antheil's idea in the piece was to synchronize the start time of identical player pianos with identical player piano rolls, so the pianos would be playing in time with one another. Together, they realized that radio frequencies could be changed similarly, using the same kind of mechanism, but miniaturized.[4][41]" It formed the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems.

Reels are set at 6-10# of drag, this never changes...ever. Berkley Big Game 15# or Sufix 832 50#, only lines I use. Majority of the time I'm throwing a Medium Heavy X-Fast.

Nice. I'm 69" x 38" at 246 lbs, if that helps.😁

Length to girth measuring must be accurate. Lay the fish flat and close the mouth then measure from the tip of the closed mouth down to the end of the flattened tail. Girth is measure around the widest area with the dorsal fin down. The “average” body girth of a healthy LMB is about 75% of the length. Some bass are heavy body mass that exceed 75% girth and can be up to 100% so girth is variable factor. L x L x G div 1200 works for LMB body mass. Tom

I took last weekend off to rest, recharge and get caught up on some stuff I've been needing to do. I'll be going early in the morning. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post tomorrow.

It's been kinda tough sledding lately. Stable high pressure, little wind, and clear water. I've been moving lots of fish, but getting them to commit has been tough. Took a skunking Wed, and only managed a 31.5" yesterday. Last night some storms rolled through, and this morning we had some showers and a low cloud ceiling. That put 'em in a much better mood. Started the morning off with this 37" on a 5" Tuff Shad. SLOW cranking it over deep coontail at first light. Next up was this thick beast of a 45.5" on a Mepps Muskie Killer, about an hour later. I've been getting lots of follows but few bites on bigger blades, so I downsized this morning. It proved to be a good call. Cool story on this fish. It followed my double 8 spinner in yesterday about 100yds further back in the bay in just a couple feet of water. It saw me and wouldn't follow into the 8, but didn't spook either. It just sat there for a bit looking at me, then slowly swam off. I recognized it as I was releasing it today by the white scar on it's head that I had noticed yesterday as it was sitting there. The final catch of the day came just over an hour after that in the back of another bay, again on the Muskie killer. It's a lean but beautifully marked 44". It was all down hill after that. Lol. I lost two at boatside while trying to net them. Not heartbreakers though, a mid 30's and a high 30's. Missed two that absolutely smoked my Tuff Shad. Not sure how they didn't hook up, they were violent hits, and I had five follows. Pretty busy 7 hours by muskie standards, and two mid 40's in the net is an awesome day. Happy, happy, happy!!! 😁

My Mother is an avid walleye angler. She grew up in an outdoors family that fished and hunted. She never really did any hunting, but she's familiar with all of that. She fishes in a state amateur walleye circuit every season on several bigger lakes here such as Mille Lacs, Big Stone, Lake Winnigigoshish, and Lake of the Woods. There are about 10 events, plus a championship on Lake of the Woods in September. Her own Father (my grandfather) and her Brother (my uncle) initially got her into this scene about 15 years ago. My Grandfather died, and my Uncle doesn't competitively fish anymore. She's been doing it for about 10 years with her husband (my Father) or a friend of my Grandfather's. My Mother is very dedicated to this. She spends days pre-fishing in advance, 8 hours/day. She also panfishes some in the spring. She used to muskie fish years ago, but she can't cast those big honking lures anymore, so she's done with that. Her and my Father or the other partner she fishes with used to do very well and they were consistently competitive. They use a 2021 Warrior 2090 pro tiller w/ 150 Mercury fourstroke outboard because they do a lot of back trolling and trolling with leadcore. Their goal was always to just break even on winnings compared to expenses. Unfortunately, the last couple seasons have not gone well. New technology like FFS has entered these events and it has left them in the dust. They've spent thousands of dollars on top of their already very expensive walleye tournament boat to "keep up" in terms of technology, but its not working out very well. I don't see it improving anytime soon either. Here are some photos of their walters from Lake of the Woods.

I fish a lonesome lake often, and fish mostly from a 17 foot canoe. The small lake is mostly surrounded by pine and oak trees. There's an ancient wooden dock that's rotting away and caving into the lake. The water is clear and clean. I love this lake. It's a special place for me.

I was raised in the swamps-n-marshes of Southwest Louisiana. I've walked levees for miles, fished pushpoling a pirogue, ran Jon Boats hundreds of miles back in marshes. Don't anymore cause I can't 🥲

You all know my style of fishing, which is to launch at some measly lake, too small for anyone to bother with a boat ramp, and with as little development as possible, and to fish, hopefully, without any other boat. When I was young, I drove down paved roads until they ended and then logging roads and then paddled and portaged to be away from even logging roads, which might see one vehicle every two weeks or even every two years. When that became too tough, I hired bush pilots to drop me onto lakes with no logging roads. Now I settle for the largely overlooked water near me. A little like Greta Garbo, "I want to be let alone." For you youngins, here's the Great Garbo, who was stalked by paparazzi: So, my questions are these: Have you ever fished a lonesome lake by yourself? If so, tell me a bit about it. No need to name it. Did you like it? If not, why not? The answer could be as simple as, "I can't launch my bass boat at such places." or "I missed fishing with my buddy/wife/son/daughter." or "I don't dance with dinky boats." If you haven't fished a lonesome lake, do you wanna? Lastly, if you have the desire, would it be some deep, never-to-be-developed swamp, some glittering northern lake, or something else?

Highly technical Bait Monkey term. Works for crankbaits too.

It can be confusing, girth vs length. I caught a a bass a few years ago that VA deems a citation yet only weighed 6.7 at 23" long. Just enjoy the moment and release the fish and congratulations on a PB 👍

I don't backreel. If I need to let a little line out, sure I'll use the anti-reverse sometimes. Most of the time if I need a bit of line because I reeled up too close to the tip top, I will pull some out or turn the spool.

The traditional formula commonly shown is: LxLxG/1200 which would put yours at 5.7 lbs. Others online will come up with a different number and formula including the BR weight calculator: https://www.bassresource.com/bassfishing/fishcalculator.html

One of the best things about the northern part of our country are the thousands of lakes and miles of streams and rivers. Bass are a low priority up north and underfished. I’ve spent days on huge lakes in the middle of vacation lands without seeing another bass fisherman. I’ve also fished several lakes empty of other anglers that were easily accessible by car and a short walk. I’ve also spent many weeks on remote Canadian lakes and rivers accessible only by float plane chasing pike, walleye, trout and grayling. I’ve read here on these forums about the enormous amount of fishing pressure a lot of you are forced to deal with and it makes me feel better about the thousands of miles I’ve put on my truck to take advantage of the opportunities available “up north “.

I have shimano and daiwa baitcasters 20 to 25 years old. It's all about maintenance. Also have new models of both and learned to open them up and check the factory lube. Both brands were pretty dry so they got attention! As for the Fuego spinner, I have A 2500 that is great! I will say, I don't turn the handle to close the bail arm. Causes stress and wear to the internal parts.

They are the only 2 companies that actually make their stuff anymore (aside from some low end Daiwas being farmed out and Swedish Abus 17 people use). That's HUGE. I worked in a mountaineering shop back in the day and asked the difference between 2 different parts. The Old timer came back with "these guys design, manufacture, test and sell what they make. Those guys open a catalog and ask for it in purple. Who are you going to trust with your life?" Obviously a reel isn't life and death but that mindset hasn't failed me yet in any of my adventures/purchases.

After years of using everything else, all my reels now are either Daiwa or Shimano. They are a dead heat IMO as the best two reel brands in terms of quality and performance. It’s the Ford-Chevy debate as to which is better. Just be sure not to put a Daiwa reel on a Shimano rod, or vice versa. The fishing gods will hurl lightning bolts at you 🌩️

Daiwa BG runs like a champ year after year

You're staring in a Sci-Fi movie and you have to rent your own (ugly) futuristic vehicle? Wow.... (I'm not joking, I've seen these...things...on the road around here - hate is too mild a term for my thoughts of the aesthetics.)