Mattlures

go to ataxadermy suply website like Van Dykes or Wasco and you can buy a basic kit and instructional video. Mount up a big bluegill and see how you like it.

I have not done a skin mount but I have done many reproductions. Some bought and some made from my own molds.

Saints and the Chargers in the superbowl!

Dang pgersumky you bring a bunch of stuff . I always have a camera and a scale. Sometimes a stringer, knife, pliers, flashlight. It depends on my back pack. I have 3 of them. One for night fishing, one for saltwater and one for day time freashwater. They are all stocked and I just put the camera and scale in which ever one I am using. A lot of times I go at the last minute so its nice to just be able to grab a pack and a couple rods and go.

Rivers is one of the best right now. If any team could pick a QB to build their team around he would be#1 or #2. Breeze would be the other top guy. Brady and Payton are slightly better but they are older. Rivers is probably the most under rated player in the NFL because he plays on a small market team. I would rank Rivers in the top 5 of all curent players. I dont think he has ever lost a game for his team. He also makes just about no mistakes and out of the very few pics he has most of them hit his recievers. All the experts Rank him very high. He does all this with a weak line and he is constantly preasured. He has almost no running game for support. He makes all those passes when the defence knows he is going to pass. He makes every throw there is and continualy brings his team back in the 4th quarter to win. He is that good! The only argument against Rivers is lack of a ring, but this a team sport and we are comparring individuals. The top current QB's are Payton, Brady, Breeze and Rivers. They are the top tier. Most of the football "experts" and writers agree on this.

i think Paul needs to teach me how to use my baits I think he catches more fish then I do. Paul you couldnt be more right. I managed a couple ponds years ago and the formula realy is that simple. Soo many people think the only reason the bass get so big in Cali is the trout. That is part of it but they dont realize how much C&R of trophy bass is practiced here. I have heard of tires being slashed from sombody who kept a big bass. I remember I got in an internet argument with aguy who actualy said you should keep all the big bass so the little ones could grow big. Sometimes its like trying to reason with a drunk. You obviously get it and are reaping the benefits of proper management and skills with the rod. Thanks for posting about the minnow!

Congrats. thats a good looking fish. I think your estimate is good. Those are realy hard pics to judge because you cant gage length but I would geuss it around 5. Golf pond?

Did you see Rivers drive the bolts down and beat NY! That was tough to watch. If only they had a running game, they would score 40 a game. Look out Denver here come the Chargers.......AGAIN!

Thats the same hook I use and had in mind when I designed the bait. To rig it. thread the line through the tiny hole in the nose out through the belly slot. Then tie on the hook. Then push the hook point up through the back of the minnow and push the hook eye into the nose. When rigged properly you shouls hardley see the hook.

Awsome fish Paul ! thanks for posting. You are a stick!

You can breast the duck buy making a incision along the bresat bone. Then cut out the breats meat and give the bird to your taxidermist. That is cool looking teal. I have never seen one that was white like that. Catt did you shoot it? I will start banging ducks in a few weeks. Right now its deer It looks like it could be a white cinamon teal?

I couldnt be happier with Rivers, He is a monster but man was I sad to see Breeze go. I route for the saints 2nd to the bolts just because of Breeze. Catt its a good time to be a saints fan. I dont see anybody keeping them from the superbowl right now

take off the two hooks on the sides. If it swims then you will know that the problem is the hook placement. A bill is a good way to salvage a non swimming bait

I am realy liking my curado 300. I also love my Calcutta 300te. I havent played with any loomis swimbait rods but Okuma makes an incredible rod for the price. If your trying to get one set up for an all around, you will want to go a little extra on the pwer. An Okuma 7'11 Xhvy or 7'6 hvy. I am sure there in an equivalent loomis but I have no idea which model. Guys......?

I also recomend "in pursuit of trophy bass" by the late Bill Murphy. He is the original trophy hunter. Also "tracking trophies" by John Hope has some good info. I have the BBZ book but I never finished it. It just wasnt exciting to read. Good info but it semmed long. Now the BBZ video is a different story. I liked that one alot As for weedless swimbaits. The mission fish and 6in huds are good choices. There are a nuber of good floating hardbaits out there. J_B congrats on the toad, I wish you had a camera too! :'(

A lot of good advise and I agree with most of it. I have caught many over 10lbs (around 30 I think). I have caught them at different times durring the day. Mid day has not been the only good time for me. Morning, mid day and night time. Summer nights and big plastics and wakebaits are my most consistant patern. These fish are caught shallow. As WRB has said summer nights, pre spawn and spawn are the most productive times. I think summer nights because the fish are predictable and they are ususly up shallow and actively hunting. Prespawn because the fish are just bigger. A fish that might be 8lbs throughout the rest of the year could be pushing 10lbs when its fattening up for spawn combined with the cool water and slow motabalism. And of course the actual spawn because you can choos which fish to fish for. Those are the main times I fish for LMB. because I can find and catch the big ones. The rest of they year I am having too much fun playinhg with the saltwater fish to work hard for LMB

I have seen a couple fishing shows where they are fishing for nile perch. They were trolling large saltwater rapalas and the huge fish jump and do head shakes just like bass. It was awsome. I bet they would a swimbait good. And Cart there is now way that fish went 249lbs. From my estimate it was 245

Agreed!

I think the Donkeys just claimed the division. If I didnt hate the Broncos, I would like them. I like how they traded away the supossed franchise pro bowl whiney little girly QB. I think its funny how everybody said what a horrible move it was and how McDannials blew it. Well It sure looks like Denver screwed Chicago. I think Orton is the Better QB. The biggest difference in tonights game was protection. Orton had all night to throw and Rivers had 1.5 seconds. The Chargers cant beet the good teams if they cant buy Rivers some time. LT actualy looked decent.

I dont doubt your story at all. My theory of bass and bullfrog tadpoles is just that theory. I do not know why his bass ate them and mine wouldnt. I just dont know? I have seen it several time where a pond is loaded with BF tadpoles and the bass are skinny. Maybe we are talking about two different species of tadpoles? But even if we are talkning about the same thing, I have seen enough that I wont be using them for bait. However if you are seeing that the bass, especialy bigger bass are eating them then put a hook in one and catch some fish!

Keep chucking them Nick! they will get bigger Thank you for posting

Maybe he would have spit it up if you woulld have given hime time and not caught him? Maybe those particulay tapoles were different then the ones I experimentd with. Mine were bullfrog tadpoles. And Maybe You shouldnt listen to me an get a little minnow net and catch a bunch and go whack the bass! seriously I had small bass take the tadpoles all the time but they would always spit them up. Sometimes an hour later. But like I said, maybe something was different. Either way, if your getting bit you need to keep experimenting with it. My tadpole theory is why I feel the Dances eel sucks. That lure was so ahead of its time It swam beautifuly and mimiked a tad pole perfectly but it was never a producer.

I had that happen a few years ago out in elcentro fishing a canal. I caught 2 bass with mackeral. They were both decent size too. I think around 5 lbers. But they were skinny so I just assumed they were extra hungry.

I like the looks of the Imakatsu. The FA doesnt do much for me. I would rather use a Berkley chigger craw. I will give the Ima a try though. Thanks for showing

Paul I have found that bass do not like bullfrog tad poles but will readily eat small bullfrogs. When I stocked a pond for a guy I had to put adult frogs in because the bass would eat any small ones. I could put tadpoles in and they would grow to small frogs and then get eaten. My guess is the tadpoles have some kind of toxins and that changes as they chang into frogs. This of course is a guess. I have kept bass in aqauriums where they would eat anything I threw in. If I put a tatpole in they would eat it instantly but they would always spit them up and then they wouldnt eat the tadpoles any more. If I put a baby bull frog in they would eat it and keep it down. Also I have never seen a bass keep a toad down. HMMM this has me thinking about scent. Bass must be able to smell because I have used small real frogs for bait with success but I have never goten bit on a real toad. Even at night. so I must coclude that the bass could smell the stink of a toad. as for that bait, that guy can paint. those are beautiful frogs. I dont like the rigging with the big hook showing in front of the bait. I would like a more stealthy rigging but the looks and action of that frog are impresive. They aint cheap either. The video was cool, I think he was just excited or maybe he knew it was smaller and he was being a salesman.