George Welcome

I could have bet on it.

Rodbender, You do have a shot at it: I don't. However the young fellow that started this should easily see that and then some. That money earning 5.9% would be just short of 100,000.00.

A bucket would work but might also act as an anchor - we use to drag a length of chain.

Without drift socks I would be a very unhappy person. Two keeps your boat aligned so that the whole boat is exposed to fishable water on a drift. They can also be used to control a drift along a shoreline by putting them off the aft cleats. You can control direction along the shoreline with your trolling motor.

Went explorating, (like that word) a couple of days ago: 1 1.5-pound bream on a 5" Senko, and one 2.5-pound bass for 3 hours of effort. Estimated 800-pounds per acre w/estimated 35% bass. Yikes.

Official ShareLunker Rules The program is limited to largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more. Fish must be weighed on certified or legal-for-trade scales. Certified scales are scales that have been certified as accurate by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) or a commercial scales calibration company. The program is normally in effect from October 1 through April 30. The fish must be legally caught in Texas waters. A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employee will be solely responsible for accepting a fish into the program based on the expectation that the fish will be able to survive and spawn. Possession of the fish must be transferred to a designated Texas Parks and Wildlife Department representative within 12 hours after capture. The angler must sign a release absolving all sponsors, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employees of any liability resulting from the loss or death of their fish. Employees and families of program sponsors are not eligible for participation in the program. Anyone catching a fish that may qualify can call our toll-free, 24-hour pager at 1-888-784-0600 (October 1-April 30 only) or (903) 681-0550.

Remember, that pounds per acre equate to not just bass, but all fish inhabitants.

Imagine the retirement fund you would have if you invested that $5K and left it alone for the next 50 years.

People have been killed 25 miles from a storm. A typical storm traveling from Tampa to Melbourne, Fla. will release over 10,000 ground strikes. Three people have been killed on Stick Marsh/Farm 13 over the last five years during storms. None of them by lightening, but rather by rough waters that exceeded their boats limits to stay afloat. 1000's of people annually play russian roulette with storms here in Florida. Lightening usually wins with at least 13 unfortunate souls. Get off the lake before you become a statistic.

Damage to the mouth of a bass - Much of the damage will go to the grave with the fish. However, unless the damage is extremely severe it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on their ability to survive.

It isn't the size of the lake that determines you success, but rather how well you know it. If the food chain is strong, the bass will be big.

Lane, The TPFD Sharelunker program is 13 pounds and over - Someone was pulling your leg with the results for the Intn'l Challenge Cup in Tamaulipas, Mexico on Sugar Lake. The size plateau for a nice bass seems to be in and around three pounds no matter where you are fishing. If you take this bass chasing thing to man-hours fished to bass produced you would find that 2.5 pounds is an accurate average. Catch a five pound bass and you just might have the biggest male in the lake. That's where I would put the bar. Destinations for big fish would include California, Texas, Mexico, and Florida as examples. If the growing season is long than you are in the right place for something over 10 pounds. A bass over 10 pounds is an anomaly, not a commonality. Although they can be caught in any of the above locations, there are lakes that are known for the over-10 mark.

This is so much hooey. Bass don't feed by preferred size, they feed by what they can get their lips on. Size of lure does not affect the size of bass caught. Most over the counter lures will catch bass that range from 6 inches to 30 inches.

A typical lake in North America supports 250-300 pounds of fish per acre. If you go to your fish and game or DNR you can probably get pretty good numbers on a given lake. These numbers can and will vary greatly. Farm ponds vary far greater. Stick Marsh/Farm 13 runs in excess of 800 pounds per acre. Do fisheries people know the where's and why's and what fors? No! If they did they would duplicate the phenomenon. It is not unusual for the fishery people to ask for information based on the number of hours and times per week that we fish this place. If the predation is right, and the food is right, and the recruitment is right, the fishery is going to be astounding.

Stickers aren't the issue - the issue is insurance. If your boat is plated for a max 25, and you stick something bigger on it, you have a serious insurance issue if you were to have an accident. Basically, you would have no insurance. Of course that only matters if you have insurance in the first place. Lots of people running around with the "it can't happen to me" attitude. The legality issue from the Coast Guard standpoint is as follows: Is powering above the rated maximum legal? The United States Coast Guard has an opinion on this frequently asked question, and their answer from their website is reproduced below: Can I use a bigger motor on my boat than what it's rated for? It is not a violation of Coast Guard regulations to install or use an engine larger than specified on the capacity label, but there may be state regulations prohibiting it, and restrictions from your own insurance company regarding this. There are no Coast Guard regulations against exceeding the safe loading capacity, however, there may be State regulations or restrictions from your insurance company which prohibit this. There is a Coast Guard regulation that gives Coast Guard Boarding Officers the power to terminate the use of a boat (send it back to shore) if, in the judgment of the Boarding Officer, the boat is overloaded. There is no fine for this, unless the operator refuses the Boarding Officer's order. We certainly hope that you will abide by the rating, as overloading may lead to capsizing or swamping of the boat. NOTE: The Coast Guard Capacity Information label is required only on monohull boats less than 20' in length. The label is not required on multi-hull boats, pontoon boats (catamarans), or on any sailboats, canoes, kayaks, or inflatable boats, regardless of length. As the Coast Guard mentions, local regulations may apply. For example, in the state of Ohio one should be guided by this regulation: Capacity Plates (ORC 1547.39 & ORC 1547-40) No person shall operate or permit operation of a watercraft in excess of any of the stated limits on the capacity plate. When no capacity plate exists, no person shall operate or permit operation of a watercraft if a reasonably prudent person would believe the total load aboard or the total horsepower of any motor or engine presents a risk of physical harm to persons or property. To help locate applicable law in your jurisdiction, you may find the website of the National Association of State Boating Law Agencies to be helpful. They provide a free guide to state boating regulations. It should be noted that in some cases there are pamphlets or guidelines issued by state regulatory agencies that contain recommended practices which may propose higher standards than those actually contained in the state law.

The make a two speed winch that is great, but for the most part you drive onto the trailer and the winch doesn't come into play. The only time you need the winch is when you have motor problems.

Lunar and solunar tables are going to be just as accurate as the Farmer's Almanac. Sometimes they will be right and sometimes they will be wrong. Far more accurate a system is the flip a coin. If it comes up heads you may or may not catch, and if it comes up tails you may or may not catch. If you want to be even more accurate flip the coin after your day fishing - you can then say, "yep, that's why they weren't biting", or the inverse of that.

How to out-think yourself right out of catching! First, if I knew I was fishing where there were only 12" bass, I would find another fishing spot. However, that being said, how would you know there were only 12" bass where you are fishing?

To study one type of fish and say that the findings apply to all fish is bad science. To do so would be akin to studying a manatee and say that the findings apply to all mammals. The opossum is immune to pit viper venom - based on that finding do we want to profess that all mammals are immune to pit viper venom? Inversely, humans can be very vunerable to pit viper venom: do we want to say that all mammals are vunerable to pit viper venom. There are over 29000 species of fish. If you want to talk about bass then present studies about bass. As I said previously, what an individual organism eats will greatly determine traits within that individual. Since there is no study, (although I would very much imagine there has been with results negative to the cause or expected results), of the mouth of a bass, and based on the diet of bass that would most definitely cause injury to that mouth, I have to conclude that they don't have or feel pain akin to anything that we humans know. Further, after observing thousands of bass pierced by hooks, scale hooks, stringers, etc., and not seeing any reaction of note from a bass, I have to conclude that their mouth areas don't feel what I would classify as pain.

In all these conversations it is extremely important to remember one thing: as fast as you extablish a rule with bass, they will change it, as they live by no rules.

If there in fact was bass where you threw a particular bait, I don't think you could spook them with that particular bait. If you have thrown several different baits into an area without a resulting bite you have the following scenerio: 1) There are no bass in the area 2) The bass in the area just aren't biting on those things you are throwing, in the manner that you are throwing the. Spooked, no: not there, or not biting: yes.

The diet from one fish to the next varies greatly, and it is the diet that would generate or degenerate reaction to stimulus through evolvement. Further, you continue to leave the gist of the discussion to wander into other areas. As for studying a trout and then concluding that the findings can be taken throughout the entire range and diversity of fish is wrong. I contend that if you aren't studying bass, then you shouldn't be including bass in your study findings. Bastardized studies and twisted statistics are the bane of the science world. To study one and apply those studies across the board is that type of study.

Notice any similarity in the URL? I wonder when who the last person was, and where someone went fishing in the UK for bass. I am only concerned with bass. I don't care what trout, or any other fish may or may not feel. Just Bass! I think since this subject was brought up on a Bass page, (Bass Resource), that the indidual bringing it up was talking about bass. Not babies, chickens, dogs, cats, or trout: Bass!

You forgot to mention what company you own.

Illegal fish can get you a fine. "I obey the rules except for carrying a PFD on board " The above can get you dead which does occur far too frequently!!!!