Dwight Hottle

That's a great story & a great bass. Your hooked now!

Thats a good heads up Fish Chris. I carry a pair of knipex in my boat for toothy critters. They are also great insurance in case you ever get hooked while unhooking a fish. They should be standard fair in hospital emergency rooms. The musky pike community endorses them as the best. Shop around for price.

Yes that is a trophy for Illinois. Congratulations.

Donmac wrote x2 I'm on my second 4 runner (4wd-8cyl) used as my tow vehicle/primary transporter for a 18' lund & my new 20' starcraft. Goes to Canada at least once a year. Both have been trouble free.

I agree with changing rods. I use the avid AVC70MM with braid & loose few fish. The advice about using a net & burying the rod tip to prevent jumps will help as well. Everyone enjoys the jumps but to put that PB in the boat requires limiting the jumps if you can.

CWB wrote Thanks for the heads up. I printed the coupon and it worked fine

Thats a great start for the year. Like A-jay I'm still waitig for iceout.

I'll preface my opinion with a statement that 80-90 percent of my bass fishing is for smallmouth. I have found that bigger baits are more effective for bigger fish. No bait is two big for bass as most musky fisherman will attest to the statement that their biggest bass ever caught was while musky fishing with BIG baits, 8 to 12 inches in length. My favorite hard bait for smallies is 6 inches in length. Larger baits do discourage smaller fish & increase your size caught. But as Mattlures pointed out you have to be aware when the big bait bite is not working & change tactics. Conversely I have caught some of my best fish on small baits but that is not the norm.

Sorry to hear about your problem. This is your second boat for smaller waters, right? Take pictures of all the cracks & hold their feet to the fire regarding the fix. If necessary get your insurance company involved. I hope tracker makes it right for you. There always space in my boat if you need it.

Congrats. That is going to be hard to beat!

My favorite is spring synonymous with pre spawn. Fish are generally heavier and more cooperative for me.

She is a beauty. Your knocking on the 10lb door with that PB.

His writing surly puts life into perspective. Very gifted writer.

I use a boga grip to grab it by the lip. Once unhooked you can grap it under the jaw for a picture. Like this.

I just bought a st croix saltwater series legend inshore. Seven foot lite power moderate action. Really sweet. I can't wait to use it on some big lake erie smallies. Its upper end for a production rod. LIS70LM.

I would guess 10-11lbs. Long fish with lots of girth & thickness. Looks like like a peacock with the head bump.

I still have several packs of their discontinued 1/8oz white hair jigs. Roger Rolo Save those jigs for your smallie trip. I'm sure they will work on Erie

Great advice Rodger. Increasing the vibration in dark/dirty water increases your odds for hookups.

As usual J Francho has it right again. Dirty water & fish laying tight to the bottom gives fish a bleached out look with minimal color. I see it in bass, walleye & pike.

Well its time for another estimate/guess. What's this one weigh?

And?

B looks bigger but I suspect its the same fish in both pictures. We already know its the same hat in both pics. Maybe you can trade the hat for a scale? ;)

rlsurveying the fish on the left weighed 6-4 as I remember. My biggest so far is 7-6. Your into some beautiful fish. I always used to think the biggest fish came in the spring because of prespawn but there are some real biggies caught in the fall. Most people are missing the boat on fall fishing.

These were my last two from 2009.

I talked to the people at IGFA regarding digital scales & they recommended Salter Brecknell as the most reliable that they test for record certification. A 55lb scale is $89.95 and a 100lb on sale for $79.95. If you fish for mutiple species & travel to remote areas it is a bargin. It reads in pounds with ounces, pounds in tenths & kilo's with a tare feature for weighing in a net/bag. I just bought one last week.