SuskyDude

Well, give it a shot then. I still think you'll be better served throwing the crankbait without the "rig". K.I.S.S.

Agree, but I think less effort/money on more oil, and more effort/money on alternative fuel. Doesn't matter if you believe in global warming or not, burning oil just isn't good for the environment anyway you cut it. A clean fuel needs (and can) be developed, so lets do it. It will kill our dependance on oil, keep us from being so entangled with the Middle East, and be MUCH better for the planet in the long run. Win, Win, Win.

Cool stuff! A suggestion though: don't torque the fish by it's jaw like that, it leads to serious injury of the fish when you don't support their belly.

The three way rig really is for live bait. I don't use live bait because it usually has a higher mortality rate, it isn't very sporting, but most of all, it's just plain boring. I suggest you forget the 3-way and live bait, keep throwing your spinnerbaits. I suppose you could use the 3-way for soft plastics, but I can't imagine it's more effective than casting them upstream and drifting/dragging them into the strike zone. Hope this helps!

:-? Ummm, you're on your own with that one dude.

3.5 lbs Seriously doubt twenty inches as well, looks closer to 18. Sorry, not being a hater, but I've caught and weighed ALOT of fish that size. Nice fish either way, and I love the pic! The mashed up cigar is a nice touch.

They probably weren't pike! Most likely pickerel.

Yep. Toned, tawny and tan.

Moon phases, form what I've experienced, are pure BS when it comes to freshwater fishing. I just looked at that chart, and am glad I don't use it. Would have missed out on alot of great fishing last week if I had. Sunday the 17th was supposed to be very bad, huh? : The only time Iv'e seen the moon have a significant effect is in the spring. The first full moon when the water temp and photo period are right kicks the pre-spawn/spawn into overdrive. But if that voo-doo works for you...hey! Have at it! Confidence is important.

That's what I was gonna add. Check your knots, and re-tie often. Check your line. I run it (mono, co-polymer) between my lips,it's easier to feel the tiny nicks that occur. If it feels rough, strip off a few feet and check again.

Go out and start the morning by hooking and landing 20 decent fish in a row. The 21st, of course is huge, and he shakes the hook. Take the camera, and you don't catch anything picture worthy. Leave the camera, and you have a banner day full of slam-pigs. Bring the camera, have a day full of slam-pigs, then realize you forgot you had the camera the whole time and you didn't get a single shot.

So I guess you'll be representing the USA next Olympics and bringing home the gold? Don't hate, appreciate. Thats OUR atheletes giving it all they got.

Tough to say. 2 1/2 - 3 is what I'd guess. Length can be decieving when considering weight. I've caught 18 inch fish that only weighed 2- 2 1/2. Then on the flip side, thi spring, I caught one that was just shy of 16' and weighed 3 1/2. Anyway, nice chunk!

YEs they catch small fish, but why would you want to? ;D

The Jitterbug is arguably the best night time topwater bait. Never had anything come close to outperforming it for LM. Slow and steady wins the race. Do not use if you're a heart attack risk!

Agreed. I think it's from a movie shoot. NOT real.

Good question. Not a hunter myself but I have to say If I could easily see that the animal was mortally wounded, and I had the means to put it down, I would. Once, while delivering pizzas, I came across a deer in the road that was messed up by a car, but still floundering on its feet. I would have dispatched it by hand by it was too dangerous to approach, so I called it in. Another story: My buddy (an avid hunter) was driving down the road when he came upon what looked like an accident. As he got closer he saw that it had involved a deer, so he decided to stop. As he approached he realized that the mangled deer was very much alive and in terrible pain, as evident by the gut-wrenching noises it was making. So my buddy asks the cop on the scene if he planned on putting it down and the cop shrugged off the question. Well long story short, my buddy walks to his car, grabs his knife, walks back to the deer and with one quick slice puts it out of its misery. He said as he was wiping off his blade, the cop and the driver stared at him wide eyed like he was nuts. He walked back to his car and drove off, and that was that. Sometimes you have to do whats right.

Looks like a pure smallie to me. What makes it a hybrid? The mouth seems a bit to big, but barely reaches the eye.....

Ouchigan, is what the Algonquin called the smallmouth bass. The English translation: "ferocious" I read that the other day, and felt the Algonquin nailed it right on the head. It also got me thinking about other nick names for the smallmouth. We've all heard: smallies, bronzebacks, brown fish, smalljaws, etc. Anyone got there own? My buddy and I have a few. For big smallies: Slammers, or Jammers. Which is fun because you can play around with them. For example, if you hook into a good one, you can yell "Jamma-Lamma-Ding-Dong!",or "Boom Slamma-Jamma!" (yell these when she makes that first jump for the full effect ) For really big smallies: Slam-Pig, or sometimes Pig-Beast or Donger. For midday, high sun smallies: Sunshine Smallies, or if the fishing sucks, Midday Miracles. For night time smallies: Moonlight Maulers. Yeah, we have time on our hands..... So lets hear them!

Why wouldn't you? Unlike Brett, John was getting it done, and went out on top. Oh, and I have to ask, why do you root for Denver? I thought Tennessee had a little football team? ;D 8-)

I think they're both losers, but I feel Brett is the bigger heel. You said you retired, so retire. Thats it. He does this flip flop attention dance enery year and its OLD. Very OLD. I don't care what Brett says the org. "forced him to do" or whatever. This kind of drama is best suited for women and soap operas. You retire, the org has to move on. And even if he hadn't retired, why would they start him again? He might be great, but he hasn't won them the big one in awhile. Getting close doesn't cut it. He could have retired a legend. For some reason, now that he's a Jet, I see him going out like a clown. ;D I wish him the best of luck, cause he's gonna need it over there. Can't wait till the season starts!

Its already been said, but what the heck. Bass don't chew there food. This sounds like some old fishing lore. I've never noticed bass teeth to be different from day to day.

I have never experienced binding and although I have heard this said, I have never met anyone in person that has experienced this "problem". So, I am not disparaging you, I simply do not think this is a "common problem". : Two out of my three Shimano spinning reels is enough for me to say I'll never buy them again. (I do have one stradic that doesn't bind). I have heard many people testify about the bind. I have heard many people testify that they've owned numerous reels without the bind. If you've never experienced the problem, then don't let me ruin your fun! But I can gaurantee that it's more "common" than you think.

Shimano spinning reels. I have a Stradic, and a Sahara that both bind when they get wet. After asking around this is a pretty common problem with shimano. Great reels when dry..... Never again.