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I was fishing at a private fishing club today on a lake that is rarely fished. I find this little guy stuck in a crevice in a log. His shell and head were dried out and I thought he was dead. I was surprised to find him alive and kicking when I pulled him out of his predicament. I clearly saved this turtle's life and I really expected him to be appreciative but he tried to bite my face several times when I only wanted a selfie with him. I was about to set him free when I discovered HE HAS NO BACK LEGS. He just has two nubs. Something had long ago bitten his hind legs off. I was feeling sorry for him and wondering how he was escaping predators and feeding himself when he has no back legs. I had kneeled to pull him out of the water and take the selfie and I set the turtle down on the deck to push off from the laydown and HE CHARGED ME! He tried to bite the side of my calf so I stood while he tried to chase me around my own boat. Seriously ungrateful turtle. Allow me to summarize: 1. I saved this turtle's life and he hates me. 2. He has no back legs. I named him Lt. Dan and sent him on his way.

Just a few creek bass from yesterday morning. I only took one rod and one 3500 box and it worked out just fine. Good thing I took a spool of 10lb fluorocarbon line because I backlashed on my third cast after getting bit twice in a row. After catching a couple of 1.5, 2 lb fish on these little Keitech jigs with straight fluoro... This setup is definitely going back to braid to a leader. I'll just adapt my cadence and action with jerkbaits, it's fine.

I launched late for me this morning because I'd flown from Sarasota to Maine yesterday and was tuckered, but I needed to be on an empty lake after the hustle of Florida's Gulf Coast. I caught 22. I landed an 18-incher on my fourth cast to a beaver dam (Thanks again, @Glenn!) using a little, chrome Whopper Plopper. I know Glenn has caught many bass from one dam, but that one bass literally beached me on the dam by pulling my canoe. I couldn't find a pattern after that and caught some here and there, but in the final hour, I located a wolf pack in the middle of the pond and landed three and then found some tight to the pond's north shore, catching another nine. I caught nothing small and even the smaller ones were thick with muscle. See two of the smaller ones here: ^This^ bass has the build to be BIG one day. My last two were similar in length and even thicker, but my camera was dead at that point. I actually laughed out loud when I landed the last two. They were crazy thick. I caught longer bass too and my five-bass bag was just over 15 pounds, using my length to weight scale. Here are the longer ones: I know it's not as a big a bag as @gimruis's nor are any of my bass as big as the ones that @DaubsNU1 and @The Baron have recently landed, but when you've spent two of your last three days in airports and on airplanes and the third day in Sarasota traffic and then you're back on your pond wrasslin' bass, there's nothing sweeter. Oh, I also caught two smallmouth. Those hippity-hoppity brownies are also fun. Here's one: And, of course, I took a pretty pic too! My main lure was a Dobyns Beast spinnerbait with a Crush City Mayor in chartreuse and white. Hooray for coming home!

Caught five out last Thursday at a usual spot of mine. These next two came from a trip to Virginia this weekend. I met up with a buddy of mine from N. Carolina and spent all day Saturday on the water. Rough time fishing but the weather made up for it. All came on some denomination of spinnerbait except for the last, he came on a dropshot.

I've fished braided Cotton, Dacron, Micron, Suture Material (Silk), Micro Dyneema®, Kevlar, Spectra, Gore-Tex, various types of monofilaments, copolymores, & fluorocarbon. I have 10 rod-n-reels Punch rod spooled with 65# Sufix 832 Superline Frog rod spooled with 50# Sufix 832 Superline The 8 others spooled with 15# Berkley Big Game. Am I 100% mono? I really don't like braid but fishing thick vegetation it's a must. I'm trying to like Fluorocarbon but it's negative qualities are hard to overcome. 35 double digit bass all caught on 15# Berkley Big Game. I think all of @WRB double digit were caught on monofilament. That's pretty good indorcement

I went this afternoon/evening for about 4 hours an hour from my house. It was warm and windy out, but I knew there was going to be a weather change coming. I got on the water and could see the cloud deck coming in the distance. There was no rain associated with this change, just a drop in air temps, thick clouds, and a major wind shift from the south to the west. I crushed them on both a spinnerbait and a newly acquired tungsten evo chatter bait. The terminator spinnerbait was probably a little better, but I caught the biggest largemouth of the season on the evo. In total, I landed 19 largemouth and 5 pike. Every bass was at least 16 inches. I took photos of the 5 biggest, which included an 19, 20, and 21 incher. I weighed the 21 incher and it was 5.97 pounds. Some of you may remember a 20.5 inch prespawn largemouth I caught back in May, which at the time, was a second best PB. This bass today replaces that one as a second best PB. The only one I have caught bigger was way back in 2006. Quite often, these rapid changes in weather produce a bite window and the fish become very aggressive. That's exactly what occurred and I timed it right. I think the fish are moving into more of a fall pattern now too here, finally. I expect the next 2-3 weeks to be very good before I hang it up for the season.

Life is good... My mission is complete... Introduce my 6 yr old granddaughter to fishing with her own Shakespeare children's rod & reel combo (an ultra-lite to us adults). She had a ball and wanted to catch tiny sunfish in the little church pond that I took her to here in Beaufort, SC (off base military housing). I'm here visiting for the weekend...

Strip pond No. 4 today. Today was a quantity day. 27 to be exact. Was hoping for a few bigger ones but they were MIA. All except three were caught on the double willow War Eagle which I cast into laydowns on the opposite bank, or when I casted along the bank I was on in my direction of travel to “clear” it before I could spook them. The other two fish I caught with a Rapala Husky Jerk out in open water once the pond got too wide for me to hit the opposite bank. The last fish I caught on a white SK heavy cover swim jig with a rage tail. Best five below…

For this type of situation I like the couch. LOL

A-Rig & a Spinnerbait came through for me ~ A-Jay

Yesterday was hot, 90° weather, Southwest winds were blowing hard. This morning it was 53° with a northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. I was working a bluegill colored spinnerbait in 2 to 4 ft of water near stumps and lay downs. Caught a 4 lb bass, and then this 5 lb 3 oz Largemouth bass. This is the largest bass I've ever caught in Nebraska. Put 14 bass in the boat in a little over 3 hours. Darn good day!

Cashion Icon Light 7'6. I picked it as a finesse swimbait launcher and it works great so far

I found my ultrasound picture!

Had to sort out gear for the next trip, thought I might as well snap a couple of pics The main lineup for fall. And I got to try out the Expride yesterday on a couple of two pounders and a bunch of dinks and wow. Even coming from the Zodias I was impressed.

Definitely a fun one. Albeit I haven’t watched much football so far this season ☹️ I will also add I really enjoyed watching my beloved Chicago Bears beat up on the hapless Carolina Panthers😃

For Shimano, the first baicasters in 100 size go way back to the first Bantam (1979). And there is no equivalent size between different makes. One company's 100 may be bigger or smaller than another company's 100. You can really only compare between reels of the same make.

I have zero anywhere near this man’s experience and knowledge but I know enough to know when he shares an opinion I listen.

guessing this was a spotted bass but not sure ?

^ What Crow said - but I put 3 packets of Silica Gel in each box to absorb any excess moisture 'on the fly'...I use the 5gm packets...100 of them is only $16 - and they're reusable.

Regardless of how much water there is in the glades right now, the black bass bite has been nonexistent: fortunately the Peacck bite has been crazy. A local guide has caught over 100 peas in 4 hrs and not one single black bass. They seem to focus on small hard stickbaits like Rapala # 9 or torpedo type baits. As bad as the bass fishing is right now in south Florida, the Peacock are on fire! Fish close to the weed edges and look for big rocks along the edges. Strikes have been violent! They are not everywhere, but moving in packs, so don’t focus in one area too long. When you find one, you may get multiple fish in quick succession. We are so lucky to have these fish in our waters.

Leader is not a requirement for bass fishing. I don't use them. Problem cured.

I don’t have a garage or any dry hatches on the boat. And our air is wet all the time 😂

The perforated boxes absolutely, 100% work perfectly. I've used them for over a decade, and still use them. I've always resisted waterproof boxes, because I'm not sure you want water trapped in the box once it gets wet. That said, I've been using an Edge terminal box for a few years now, and it does keep water out, and as long as you dry it out completely, no rust issues at all. The best solution to rust is to do what you can to prevent it. Knowing how long you can procrastinate taking care of your gear is just gonna lead to failure. Stuff happens, and you don't get to it in time, and then you're cooked.

These are all fishing tools. Each has their own specific job to do. But seriously, I'd like to think I use the right lines for my specific needs. Each type of line has its good qualities and bad but put the right line with correct rod and baits and you can increase your chances of success. It's not rocket science but we try hard to make it that way.

I live in a rainforest so it’s inevitable. Plano has one tackle box that is completely perforated

Big Game mono all the way except for froggin Braid

This, but it's actually called low vis green.

I stock piled those terminators when they were still available. Occasionally you can find one on eBay but they aren’t cheap anymore. The strike king tour grade versions aren’t bad.

Baltimore vs Cincinnati was the best game of the year so far.

Took my two kids fishing in both the boat and from the bank, and now I take the grandkids. They are very much like me, a slow methodical fisherman. I learned early the trips have to be short while their young, forget about fishing yourself, and bring lots of snacks!

In our Everglades massive flats, I took a Rapala Broken Back floater and removed the front treble, and removed the back end. Replaced the back end with a #4 WGH and put a grub Texas Rigged on the back. Went through the 3 feet of water and thick weeds with ease. Still had the wiggle of the broken back and would float in holes in the thick cover. A fun catching machine!

I've used both the Big Game and the Suffix Titanium and have been happy with both. I agree with Tom that the Tritanium is a little stiffer and has more memory. In my opinion it seems to have a little less stretch than Big Game. I have spools of Big Game in 10, 12, 15, and 20lb and spools of Tritanium in 12 & 17lb. I mix and match as desired. I kind of like the Tritanium for single hook baits like Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits where I want a little less stretch when setting the hook.

Suffix Tritanium Plus has been on the market over 20 years promoted as a salt water high abrasion resistance line and never caught on with fresh water anglers. Good copolymer line and not expensive the down side is it’s a high memory line difficult to cast in cold temperatures common with bass fishing. Used as a leader line should be good. Diameter and stiffness is more important then how visible it may appear. It’s hard today to find a better all around mono then Big Game. Tom

We used to do stuff like this is the musky world.

Hey, just wanted to share a few fish caught recently, hope everyone is well

We had a bit of a cool down mid week which cooled down my favorite retention pond with a 70 degree plus day yesterday which had the crappies up close to the shoreline 😃

I use braid, braid to leader, mono, and fluorocarbon depending on the gear and technique being used. I would use fluorocarbon more often if I never backlashed, never snagged, it was more available in my area, or I was very wealthy. My problem with Fluorocarbon is if it gets kinked ( from not exercising patience while removing backlashes), or over stressed from pulling on snags it needs to be replaced. It is expensive to replace, so I take a gamble, roll the dice, and sometimes loose my shirt. Knots can be a problem with Fluorocarbon but as of today I believe I don't have a problem with Fluorocarbon knots. It does last far longer than mono if not abused, but I am rough on all my gear, so I only use Fluorocarbon for my T rig and Jig fishing. Fluorocarbon is also less visible than the other options, but for most of my bass fishing, visibility is not a consideration. I currently use 16 pound Sniper. Braid lasts for ever, does not stretch, and combined with different leaders can be used effectively in a variety of situations. Braids down side is because is has very little stretch it is very sensitive when fishing a tight line. The problem is when there is any slack in the line it has zero sensitivity. Many situations when I want a bait to fall naturally I am forced to give a slight amount of slack in the line. This is when the sensitivity advantage of braid is zero. Fluorocarbon is heavy, and sinks making detecting slack line bites possible even with a slight bow in the line. When I am fishing moving baits on a tight line, braid gives me great sensitivity, the problem is I don't need great sensitivity when fishing moving baits. Braid floats so is perfect for topwater, is very strong for it's diameter, making it perfect for punching or flipping heavy cover, and with a variety of leaders is extremely versatile. I currently use 30# or 40# Diawa J Braid. Mono is a compromise in most applications, but it can be used effectively in any situation. Slack line sensitivity is not as good as Fluorocarbon, but better than braid. It semi floats, so works well for top water, but not as well as braid, It does stretch making hook sets with bottom contact lures more difficult, but far from impossible, and the stretch makes it great for fishing crankbaits. Mono is slightly more visible than Fluorocarbon, but not enough to make a difference in most bass fishing scenarios. Mono is inexpensive, which is a big plus in my book. Mono may be a compromise, but there are many times in life when a good compromise is exactly what is needed. My favorite mono is Maxima Ultra Green, with Big Game a close second. This is my opinion on lines, and I'm sure others here will rightly disagree with me. I have to stress, this is my current opinion and I reserve my right to completely change my theory's at any time, without past posts being held against me. Weather I use Fluorocarbon or not depends completely on the current condition of my on again off again, love hate relationship with Fluorocarbon.

I love seeing my fishing brothers catching big northern bass! Alas, Alex will soon be catching bass that could bully our bass.

@DaubsNU1 Congrats brother, that's a magnificent fish! I knew you were going to catch a 5lb class fish on that lake, and I'm excited about seeing the future 6lb class fish you catch from it 🙂

I knew I was getting old when I started referring To Willy Nelson and Keith Richards as "those young musicians".

I new I was getting old, while driving my car, I started to complain about the old geezer that was holding up traffic, but stopped when I realized the problem car was was mine.

I knew I was getting older when I forgot what CRS stands for. But the good news is, now I can hide my own Easter eggs. A-Jay

Nothing happens overnight with the government. Especially the feds. I can tell you that personally because I work for them. Without making it political, it doesn't matter who is in charge at the time. The structure of the response is the same every time: slow and arduous. It goes through Incident Command and trickles downward. That isn't going to change. Its not like a hurricane is anything new. Hurricanes happen every single season, in the same geographic areas, over and over. They originate in the warm tropical waters and head inland. Its like playing russian roullette. And yet, people are suprised when it happens. They aren't going away either because the next one is already out there. Its no surprise that insurance rates have skyrocketed after events like this either. I hope everyone affected seeks closure from catastrophes like this. I'd go bonkers if I lived in a hurricane zone wondering every year if the next one was coming for me. Wouldn't be able to even sleep at night.

I wouldn’t give 35 cents for one

The cost of premium spinnerbait hook from Gamakatsu or Owner in 25ea is over $12, Highend blades like Hilderbrandt are $1.50 ea., titanium wire frame, tungsten molded 1 1/2 oz head, premium swivels and hand tied skirts all add up. Add supply and demand for artisan skilled workmanship custom JDM spinnerbaits demand a high price Be glad we have Mike at Siebert Outdoors! Tom

Point Blank. I've owned many high end factory rods and built many "high end" rods myself now. If the application calls for a sensitive, fast or extra fast action...You won't beat a PB.

What is the most sensitive blank for a build regardless of price?

Pretty sure he said email him for a quote based on your needs. Having built rods for a long time (as a business) it really depends on the customer needs and wants. First and foremost, a custom builder will have a greater attention to detail than a factory built rod so that will be better right there. I don't know how you feel about the grips and seat on the NRX but you have all of the options there for form and function. Want a split seat with a full grip? How about a split grip with a full seat. All are possible. Prefer a longer front grip? Just a nub and winding check? The world's your oyster. I'm pretty sure they use recoil guides on them and lots don't like that for casting rods (I don't). You could swap their guide train to full Torzite. And none of this mentioned the cosmetic options to customize to you which don't change the function (though I really dislike the blue wraps on an NRX+). I can't quote for Dave and I don't know what you want. Neither can he unless he knows what you want though.