Ben W

yeah i'll be using 10# Fireline but I am mainly fishing for bass. Thanks for the info! When I set the hook and can kinda tell it won't be a bass, should I switch on the anti-reverse switch to let them run? I've never done that before, I would just let them fight not reeling in...but that was with bass. If I hook a walleye, pike, or musky, I'm thinking of just switching the switch on!

So I bought a Pflueger President spinning combo for the reel, and thought the 6' 6" rod would be perfect. The problem is, is the action on the rod is light. I never use crankbaits, mostly plastics, the heaviest lure I use would probably be a spinnerbait/buzzbait. I have a 6' MH lightning rod with a spinning reel on it which I could switch reels. Should I switch reels? When I go up north and might happen to hook a musky or pike the rod won't snap? I'm confused on this whole action thing:(

Good/Bad news! Sportman's warehouse is closing the new berlin store and having a liquidation sale! It will start soon as the store will be closed by May. The bad news is that I'll have to go about 30 minutes to Gander Mountain for fishing stuff. I will look into the Shimanos you guys said, the president, and abu 101. They have a great variety of rods there, so I'll just have to look around. I love the lightning rods, though

I'll definately look into the President! Would a 6' 6" lightning rod go good with that? I don't know what kind of rod to get, fishing mainly plastics and topwaters if that helps...

With the past week hitting temperatures in the 60's, I can't help but think of spring and the fishing season starting in early May. With a $50 gift card to Sportsman's Warehouse and a little extra cash, I want to get a new reel and perhaps a new rod. I have a 6' Berkley Lightning rod with a Shakespeare Cirrus spinning reel on it. Everything is fine, I would just like to have "better equipment". I mainly fish senko worms and topwater lures(buzzbaits, frogs, jitterbugs) and plan on using 10# Fireline. If that helps, could anyone help me pick out a nice reel and perhaps a rod? I haven't done much research, but I've looked at a Quantum Array and an Abu Garcia Cardinal 300. Please bring up any reels you would recommend. Also, what is the ball bearing system? What does it do to improve performance? I want a decent rod and reel to start off the season with the reel being under 60 dollars. The rod, i've been thinking of getting a 6' 6" lightning rod, but please give suggestions! Thanks!

pfff you guys are all lucky! SE Wisconsin bass season doesn't open until the first saturday in May, which this year, is the 2nd. You know i'll be gone casting by 6 am that day after 6 months of no fishing!

Same for me. All the ponds I fish at are weeded up to the point there are no pockets to cast in. I also don't have any lake access available and will just wait until spring where every pond is open with no weeds. Hope you still fish in the future.

haha i'm sorry. I was just too excited and gave all the details of the trip : firefightn15- yeah I need a digital scale! I have one of those combos that have the scale and measuring tape in one. When I weighed them both(the two PB's) they were between 2.5 lbs and 3 lbs. I think your right and its time to get the exact weight Thanks guys!

The path I take to the many ponds I go to form a "T". This morning I went left, going to the "mystery" pond I posted about. Without live bait, I don't think you can catch anything there. Did a couple casts there, and thought why waste my time when I know I need live bait for this pond. So I go to a pond close to it and manage to catch a little 4 inch bluegill on a 5" senko worm. Come home, because it's 85 degrees out, eat lunch, and go back out. This time, I go right towards my PB pond, and a chain of 3 ponds sorrounded by apartments where I have caught 12-15" bass. I went to the chain ponds. The first pond is where I have caught all of the bass in. I threw my tiny toad out there and got nothing after about 20-30 casts. I throw out a pink 5" senko T-rigged, and get a bite. I set the hook and was taken for a ride. This was a good fighter and turned out to be a 16", 2.25 pound bass. (Tip of mouth at 3 inches and 19 inches is in the middle of my shoe) Then I go to the third pond because the second pond, in my opinion, is way to small.(40 feet on both sides oval shape). I haven't caught anything in this pond but thought I'd try it out. I caught a small bluegill with a Mepp's Comet, and you could see right through the water! I saw a bass and tried all my "bass lures" by him but of course he ignored it. It looked to be about 10 inches ;D So now I go to the other side of the pond and toss out my tiny toad in a pocket of scum. I see a fish swim up to it and BAM!!! Set the hook and the bend in my pole was big!!! Once I got it on shore, I unhooked, measured, weighed, and took a picture of him. It was 18" and 2.5 pounds. The same as my old PB!!! When I go to release him, a guy comes out of one of the apartments with his dog and screams "No, Don't release him!" I told him its a bass and instantly he said "No way!!!" and he told me he never has seen any fish or have caught any in this pond. When I released the bass, we both watched him go and the guy told me thanks for exciting his day up lol It feels good to see people recognize your fishing Now here's a comparison of my old PB and a possible new one today Old: (Jitterbug is 2 inches)(Caught 5.25.08) Possible New: (Red mark= 1 foot on measuring tape)(Caught 8.5.08) Keep in mind, before I take the picture I do a proper measurement of my fish. I do it down the middle of their body from the tip of a closed mouth, to the tip of a clamped down tail. The new one and the old one were both around 18" and were around 2.5-3 pounds. Which one do you think is bigger? It was a good night overall, caught some big bass for me in the ponds. Thanks for reading! Ben

Great vid!! haha your excitement throughout the vid especially when he had it hooked was the best part!!! Nice fish. Did you have to ask for permission to fish in the golf course pond?

Well, I decided to try another new pond because the two I've been going to are filled with weeds and have no areas to cast into : I fished this pond about 3 or 4 years ago when I was a panfisher. The fish I caught looked to be oversized bluegills. They were 7+ inches and were very dark colored almost black. Ever since those days, I haven't fished it since. Now, I go there today and am over excited to see there are no weeds covering the surface! I got a tiny toad hooked up that have caught many bass and a couple of big bluegills. Nothing. Then I notice a little fish making a ripple through the water on one side of the pond...BOOM! A huge splash! Instantly I thought big bass are in this pond. This little event happened 7 or 8 more times within an hour period all in different locations of the pond. I threw out everything I brought with me: Scum frog, tiny toad, hula popper, jitterbug, small crankbaits, buzzbait, senkos, and spinnerbaits. NOTHING. It just bothered me the whole time that I had no bites and there were explosions in the water everywhere!!! There are bull frogs there but I'm thinking there are bass or there are the overly grown bluegills that have grown even bigger because those splashes were no small fish. These splashes had to be 12" + fish. I'm stumped and am thinking of resorting to live bait ahhhh!!! The pond is like a perfect circle, VERY dark water, and has cattails surrounding it except for 3 openings from where I fished. I have no idea what to do. My PB is 18 inches and around 3 or 4 pounds(didn't have scale, estimate) and I'm thinking I could catch one here. I need help. Ben

that thing is fat! Nice catch

No musky, my dad was throwin' suicks and bucktails like crazy but nothing! He did catch a nice 22" walleye, 20" and 24" Northern.

This past week (19th-26th) I went up north to St. Germain, WI with my family for some fishing on Little St. Germain Lake. We've been going for 13 years, since I was about 2 1/2 Anyway, there is very good panfishing and is recognized as a musky lake. Doesn't say much about bass though. So, on sunday(20th) I was getting no luck on any artificial lures that I just set up a hook and bobber using a wax worm. Caught a crappie and bluegill then got this little guy about 13 inches: On Monday we went to get more leeches for my dad and I picked up a Scum Frog Tiny Toad in the brown/yellow color. My frog that I had was too big so I thought I'd try this out. On Tuesday night around 7:00, we went back to where I caught the first bass. I throw my toad into a pocket on the edge of the weeds and got a strike right after it hit the water but the fish missed. Reel in, then cast again, twitch, and he strikes again except it was a bigger strike! My first fish on a frog! I kept casting in the same spot and hooked 3 more after that. First one was 16 inches 2.7 lbs, second was 15 inches about 2 lbs, third was around 10 inches (didn't take a pic), and the last was 17 inches and 3 lbs. Not any PB's but when I got them every other cast it was a blast!!! Then had no luck with no bass after that day : 16.5 incher: 15 incher: 17 incher: It was fun trip and looking forward to next year. Also I'm going to try it at the ponds I've been fishing at this year and see what happens. Thanks Ben

Haha, i just have to find a tournament to get into!