Shad_Master

All of the fishing stuff is primarily on ESPS II - check with your cable company if you don't get this.

The wind never stops blowing here in Nebraska so it is always a battle - when I bought my used boat, it came with an electric anchor lift- I was frustrated with this as it took up space on the front deck, and hardly ever used it. But last year, while trying to drop shot on a particular area, it occurred to me that I could use the anchor line to tie up to a tree near the area and just let the line out until I was over the spot. After fishing out, I just hit the button and it reeled the boat back up to the tree. Now I consider it one of my regular tools, especially when trying to sit on a spot.

One other thing to keep in mind - put a penny or some other such object at all four corners of the glass when placing it on the desk top - this will keep moisture from building up underneath.

Several years ago when I first started fishing with my local club, I was paired with a guy who made three casts with a top water lure first thing in the morning. then he put it down and didn't touch it all day long - it was a blue-bird sky day with out much wind. Late in the tournament one big cloud rolled in and provided some shade - he picked up his top water lure, made one cast and caught a keeper fish. the cloud rolled away and he put it back down. Since then, whenever I am fishing over cast days, I always keep a top water handy.

yeah, I have started saving these shows on my DVR so that I can watch them again -- I think this was the guy who did some video for one of the original Bass Saturday shows after ESPN got connected with BASS. Really cool stuff.

Just another quick endorsement for these little jewls -- last year I was fishing with another guy and we were both hammering them on Senkos - I was using the parasite clips and he wasn't - he went through an entire bag of Senkos while I used only two.

I like the clips, but am not as sold on the bullet weights with the clips attached -- I have said a 100 times, I don't know how they work, I don't know why they work - I just know they work!

A couple of years ago I re-discovered braid -- this was the only kind of fishing line available when I was a kid -- and I was pleasently surprised at how easy it was to cast, to pick out the back lash, and to feel the bite. But then I started listening to all the other guys and slowly began to move toward flouro carbon and hybrid lines. My efficiency began to suffer - now I use braid for all of my spinner bait/buzz bait applications, jigs and frogs. I still play around with flouro for most soft plastic applications, but have been thinking about switching back again.

What part of the country are you in countrykid? Have you looked around for clubs in your area? If not, you may want to check first - no need to go over plowed ground.

In our club we use a point system both for individual tournaments as well as year-end standings. We do "paper" tournaments (catch, measure, release). All fish must be at least 12" to be a keeper and the points go up progressively as the size goes up. We all use the same kind of measuring board to keep things even. All fish are measured to the 1/2" up to 15" and then measured to the 1/8", but only the 1/2 inch is awarded points (e.g. 15" vs. 15 1/2"). "Fish points" are used to determine placement in the tournament, but "Finish points" are used to determine standings (e.g. -- 1st place gets 100 points, 2nd place gets 95, 3rd gets 90 down to the 15th place and then everyone gets 10 points for participation). We fish 7 tournaments and count the best 5 for year end standings. As for boathers vs. non-boaters, we have two tournament series - in one the boathers and non-boaters are tracked seperately. For the other all participants fish individually, but we do have a rule that says the non-boater gets "control of the water" (that is can determine where to fish) for half of the tournament day. The rule also says that the non-boater can fish from the front of the boat for half of the day, but this does not necessarily mean run the TM or that the boater has to go to the back. This is intended to cut down on getting "front ended", but doesn't always work. We are going to toy around with the concept of "heavy boat" this year to track the combined points for boater and non-boater, but we are still working out the bugs of this one. We don't really have a "classic" type event but did have an informal tourney this year where anyone who finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd for any tournament for the year was allowed to fish. If you want to know more, PM me or check out our website - smallboatbassclub.com

You can't catch 'em if you don't fish for 'em -- as noted above, I would try thowing a jig - for clean bottoms I might try throwing a crank bait that will stir up the mud and for the trashy areas I would throw a T-rigged worm or senko type bait. If you start hauling in some hawgs, he might get the bug.

I noticed you didn't mention any lipless CB's in your list - if you don't have any get some - they are awsome for early spring fishing and can give you some experience. Cranking is probably my most enjoyable way to catch fish because of the hard strikes. But doing it all day will tire you out. Also, if you are just learning CB's, don't be afraid to bump them into stuff (rocks, trees, stumps, even grass) this will trigger strikes more and give you a better idea of what gets the bass buzzing.

Don't overlook the GULP! Nightcrawler as a DS lure

Is the branch you're talking about in or out of the water - I will often pitch into a brush pile and use a submerged branch as the pivot point for jigging - the only time I do this with a branch out of the water is when I screw up and try to look like that was what I intended all along

This sounds very similar to a pond that I fish a lot during the season - I have had lots of luck with spinner baits and small crank baits (when I can use them) otherwise I would suggest a frog (horny toad or similar) or a ring fry fished weightless like a frog. If the area uner the mat is fairly open, you might try a T-rig with enough weigt to punch through.

As of last Wednesday evening, we had 56 tables confirmed and we're on our way to 70 - if you do come, stop by the club table and ask for Shadmaster.

As of last Wednesday evening, we had 56 tables confirmed and we're on our way to 70 - if you do come, stop by the club table and ask for Shadmaster.

Dude, you've got your shows or your names mixed up - it was Clausen that bit through the line while Brent Ehler was trying to land a fish that probably would have made the match more competitive - karma finally caught up with Luke when he was DQ's for having 6 fish in the live well. Does anybody remember how G Swindle got lambasted for rippin on Luke the year before - maybe there was some bad blood already out there or maybe Luke took his cue from the G man. No sure.

Road Warrior is absolutely correct - schedule now to have a guide take you out early in your stay - otherwise you will be very overwhelmed. There is another thread working on this lake, you might want to check it out if you haven't already. As to where on the lake to fish - I would suggest two options -- first is the Indian Point Marina area (if you don't mind fighting the Silver Dollar City traffic) - the second would be to look around the Kimberling City area (less traffic and great fishing). You also may want to check out the Campbell Point Marina area (at least I think that is what it is called). Not as much pressure and still great fishing.

I second the recommendation for Pete Wenners - I had him guide me on TR twice - the first time was about 9 years ago when my son was 6 and we also had my father-in-law who was in his 70's and very afflicted with arthritis - Pete put us on fish, spent lots of time with my son and helped my father-in-law. We boated a ton of LMB and Spots on a drop shot (btw, this was in late June and the fish were suspended at 30 feet) - about two years later, I booked with him again. This time it was just me and my son. He spent the day showing us places near where we were staying and helped me get a boat rental so that we could go out the following days and replicate what he was showing us. A wonderful guide and knows the lake well. Check out his website' it is "hooked on bass".

BTW, what you are watching is last season's show - I won't spoil the ending for you though.

I don't entirely agree with you jwo1124, one of my favorite techniques in early spring is crashing traps into the grass and then jerking them out - I do agree as far as fishing them in heavy wood or rocks, but the grass thing works well.

Thanks for the responses

My suggestion would be to start at the local club level - this would let you have a taste for tourneys and maybe get hooked up with a good partner.

if this question has been answered elsewhere, please direct me. I am starting to get a few years on my joints and would like to look for a rod or rods that are more light weight, especially for spinner baits/buzz baits and cranks. But I really don't know what a good rod weighs. I know that if I sell the dog and rent out my kid, I can buy a high end rod that has to be weighted down to keep it from floating off. But I am looking for something more practical. Right now, I have several Rick Clunn and other BPS rods - just wondering about the weight so that I can try to make some comparisons. Thanks for any help.