paul.

i'd seriously ike to see WRB or Fish Chris post their top 3. There would be more weight there than 90% of angler's top 5. and more than quite a few people's top 10. but fish weights are relative. to me a 7 from northern states is equally impressive, if not more so, than a 10 from southern waters.

i don't really have any set "rules" for my bank fishing other than one. i rarely cast straight out unless i'm casting to a specific target. i am always trying to basically parallel the bank at increasingly narrower angles until my casts are coming in parallel only a foot or 2 from the bank. this draws fish in and creates the funnel attack scenario. if you can get a bait between the fish and the bank, you have just increased your odds of catching it considerably.

trip of a hundred lifetimes. so cool.

It's like any other technique or bait - another tool in the box. Don't go crazy and buy a hundred bucks worth of swimbaits. start small and cheap. a 6" ABT banshee will do the trick. amazing, versatile bait. no special gear required. fish it a couple of times and experiment with different retrieves. you should get excited pretty quick. this will build momentum and confidence. where it goes from there, you decide.

catch bass and have fun doing it. what else is there?

when you are fishing and suddenly you start hearing frogs when they have previously been silent, get ready 'cause things are about to get interesting. same with seeing deer or turkeys suddenly emerge from the woods into open areas - especially in large groups. all these things are harbingers of a hot bite to come. same with seeing a flock of gulls take off and suddenly start diving on the river. these cues have helped me put more fish in the boat than i can tell ya. poor man's electronics.

cool. sounds like you're on to something. they're in trouble next time.

good job. fishing below a waterfall has to be a cool experience. nice fish too.

one is better than none. it would be boring if we smoked 'em every time out.

great fish everyone!

good 'un for sure.

great fish! and short sleeves too. kinda jealous. i had 3 layers AND coveralls on today. keep stickin' 'em man.

oh well, it is what it is. the worst thing you can do is overanalyze it. there will be more opportunities. the fish win sometimes - it's that simple. i like your attitude about this and i think you're handling it right. just be glad you were able to spend a few seconds of quality time with her and move on. you won the mental part of the game figuring out where she was and tricking her. many, many guys never even make it that far. allow this to stoke the fire in a positive way. the fish you are holding is great. and 2 like that in one day? that's incredible.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! HAWG ALERT! HAWG ALERT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! awesome catch man. small mouth, small head, small eyes. all signs of young fish. and still so big. that's amazing.

small watershed lake Paul, 130 acres of water.

losing big fish always bites but you can't let it eat you up. it's the ones you don't catch that keep the fire burning. cool report.

cool report. who says you can't mix business and pleasure?

for some reason, people are reluctant to throw moving baits in cold water. real cool that you figured out that's what they wanted. good thinking.

this is seriously one of the coolest posts i have seen on here. magazine quality stuff right there. thanks Paul. great catches too.

excellent. nothing like sticking those first few fish of the year. gotta love those traps. many a skunk busted by that bait.

i love mine. my only gripe, and it's a small one, is i wish the handles were a little longer. but that's just a personal preference. i am nuts over everything else about the rod - especially the handle/trigger design. Not sure how it would compare to the phenix. i have heard those are some very sweet sticks too. a little sarcasm there. trust me, i am very happy. big bass or small, i just enjoy having the opportunity to be out there. thanks for the nice words guys.

some of the coolest things in life: marriage, kids, new pb's. congrats man that is AWESOME. very thick, healthy looking fish.

heckuva bass!! very chunky. congrats big time.

these greedy fish never cease to amaze me. cool catch. btw, what's your take on the bull shad? i've thought about biting on one.

last week. 9lbs. 13oz. date: 3/8/13 time: 2:25p.m. depth: 6-7 f.o.w water temp: mid 40's clarity: clear w/ 2ft. visibility structure/cover: submerged fencerow, wood & grass presentation: slow fall, tight to cover lure: bps creature bait, tx rigged, watermelon red terminal tackle: pegged 1/8 oz. tungsten weight, 4/0 gamakatsu ewg superline hook line: powerpro braid, 50 lb. test rod: *** *** black, 6'7" mh reel: pinnacle deadbolt