senile1

This is another pic from Rocky Mountain National Park. We were standing at a little over 12,000 feet.

Nice fish! Keep 'em coming.

I know what you mean. See my last post above about my "white whale." There are bass there and some big ones. In some tournaments they will occassionally break 20 lbs for the win. Many times though, it is tough to fish and I have seen some poor tournament weights more often than not. Maybe the lake has too many gizzard shad as the main entree and the bass just don't find our lures appealing. I have caught enough big ones there to not give up though.

I glance at this thread occasionally but I never post in it. My wife and I occasionally take hiking trips in the Rockies, and the Appalachians as well, so I thought this might be a good place to post some nature scenes we have captured along the way. The pic below was one that was taken as we traveled to and from our lodging to Rocky Mountain National Park in 2015. This moose was one of many we captured hanging out in the Colorado River valley on the west side of the park.

Check surface water temperature via depth finder Check water clarity (though I usually know what to expect in this regard based on weather review beforehand) Check wind direction and magnitude Check activity on the water (shad schools, birds) Scan every location chosen with depth finder and eyes (to setup casts, look for bait balls, and possibly find fish)

Agreed. I said that in jest anyway. Pics are always deceiving, especially with the long arm technique.

That's a nice fish! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I went out to Smithville Lake Sunday mainly to scan some structure with my depth finders. Water temperature ranged between 39.5 and 41.5 degrees. I caught this 5 lb 14 oz female in 40 degree water on a finesse jig. I have a more detailed write-up in the Fishing Reports forum.

That is so true for many of us. Hopefully, we will find the time in the future. It makes you wish for retirement, but I hate wishing my life away. As for baits I haven't tried, large swimbaits like A-Jay mentioned, spy baits, and A-rig are on the list. There are probably some other obscure baits that I can't think of as well. I think the big thing for me isn't how many I haven't tried, but how many I haven't tried enough. One needs to give a technique time.

I go to Table Rock, Stockton, or LOZ and have more success at those lakes and I only see them once or twice a year, or maybe not at all. Smithville Lake is my white whale. Fishing it sporadically, over the last 15 years I have caught a few 6s and a couple of 5s, but have never broken 7 lbs. I have much difficulty catching numbers there and typically, I don't catch more than 5 - 7. I have had quite a few skunks there. My main purpose in going out yesterday was to try to find the wintering spots for these fish and, then as the season progresses, follow them in and out so I can improve at this lake. You might be very disappointed if you came with me to this lake, but you are more than welcome. Maybe you can teach me something so I can tame this whale. Regarding other fish at Smithville, my wife and I have had some big days for crappie and white bass, but largemouth bass, not so much.

Yeah, I thought the same but there are no spotted bass at Smithville. None of the pics were great, but here's one that cuts off the tail a bit but it shows her girth better.

On Saturday I got the bass boat out, updated my maps on my Garmins, and generally made sure everything was good to go. I took the boat out to Smithville Lake today to mainly work with the Depth finders and peruse the lake bottom though I was prepared if I found fish. I only had 4 hours because of plans later. Smithville is 7190 acres so it takes a bit to warm up. Water temperatures varied from 39.5 to 41.5 degrees at the surface and winds were gusting to over 30 mph today. After scoping out some very large points all the way to the river bed at 43 feet and finding little to speak of, I moved to a very large creek and followed its channel. About a quarter mile from what will be the spawning beds in a couple of months, the creek channel bends sharply toward the bank to an area protected from the wind. There is a lot of timber in this lake and the channel edge was lined with it. I had a feeling that this calm water near the bank with 17 feet of water in the channel might be a good spot. I pulled up into about 4 feet of water and cast into the 17 feet deep channel, dragging a finesse jig past the largest tree which was in about 8 feet of water. I didn't feel a bite but you jig guys know how it is when you get that odd feeling of heaviness through your rod, so I set the hook and landed this decent fish. My scale was showing a bit over 6 but then settled in at 5 lb 14 oz. She was 22.5 inches long. And of course I forgot my camera so I had to use my phone. The angle kind of makes her mouth look small but oh well. She was a pretty fish though you can't tell from my pathetic camera skills.

Wow. It must be shorter than she looks in the pic. Someday this could be a really big one if it survives its early onset of obesity.

That is an amazing fish! If his head was just a bit smaller he could stick it in its mouth.

I think that is a very perceptive comment, Gundog. Most of these guys have proven themselves, some have their own shows, and others get paid to place their names on new lures, etc. Maybe it isn't worth putting in the extra effort that interferes with family and other parts of their lives if it isn't necessary to make a living.

Good points, all. What professional angers learn about technology is certainly at the lower end of the spectrum of what can be learned in the entire technological field, so in that regard it does not compare. I also agree that the younger lot can learn everything much quicker and I would agree that old paper flasher technology would not help with future technology. The comparison I am making is in the professionalism of performing the job for those who still find it important to compete effectively. I am referring to professional anglers who have kept up with the technology to . . . . let's say the last generation of sonar and depth finders, not someone who quit learning after paper flashers. In my opinion the newer side imaging, down imaging, 360, Panoptix, etc do not require a big jump in technical user knowledge from the previous generation of equipment. It is, after all, just knowledge learned from the user perspective and not the programming perspective. I assume a professional angler who still takes his job seriously would continue to learn until the point where it isn't important to him anymore. (Though I should keep in mind that maybe they don't see learning new user technologies from the same perspective as I. ) Having said that your point is well-taken that the older guys may not be as good with the technology, but I don't see it as something they are incapable of. I just see it as something they see as unimportant at this stage after they have already made a name for themselves. They can now make money without being at the top of their game. In other words, the technology isn't the culprit. Their desire to learn is.

If you are just talking about the average older adult or the average angler, then the above would be true. I don't know about your familiarity with network engineering, but it goes well beyond just the computer business and encompasses a gamut of technologies including the implementation of voice servers, data servers, phones, firewalls, routers, switches, ACD servers, ACD scripting, DMVPNs, SDWANS, virtualized environments, wireless phone integration, etc. We build entire converged computer networks for corporations. And the younger network engineers tend to be not as savvy as the 4 older senior engineers where I work. It is a matter of time spent studying, experience, and continuous study to keep up with technological improvements. Maybe older professional anglers do not keep up with the technology in their field like we do, but I would think they have a step up on using it since they are already familiar with the older technology and should be presented with newer technologies to play with every time their sponsors develop them. Maybe they choose to just let it go after a while and not learn how to use something newer - living off their past laurels so to speak.

I agree with most of this, though as professionals I would think they keep up with the technology. I am 57 and a senior network engineer and the young people come to me when they can't solve issues, but that is because it is my job to keep up with technology changes. I would think it would be the same for older professional anglers.

Good question, but one that I can't answer. I know as I have grown older I am a better angler than I was when I was younger. Through repetition of concepts and time on the water, applying those concepts becomes easier and at times almost second nature. I would think the same would apply for the older professionals. Maybe it has something to do with their stamina in maintaining the intensity of thought and physicality needed to win. I don't know.

I agree with the under 5 lb guesses. It appears to not have the girth to make 5 lbs.

I thought the same. At least the pic makes it look like a huge freaking fish.

Well . . . . poo on you with your "consistently warm for three weeks" comment. I know when someone is rubbing it in. Sounds like a fun excursion! A trip with a bass over 5 lbs is a successful trip where I live.

Beautiful fish and great story! I hereby dub thee Bass Whisperer.

Welcome to Bass Resource and welcome back to fishing!

Welcome to Bass Resource! There are quite a few KC and Kansas state anglers on these forums and I am looking forward to your participation!

Welcome to Bass Resource and nice first post! It's good to hear where you are at so members can pitch in with suggestions. It does take practice to be good with a bait caster but any reel in the 70 - 100 dollar range from a known brand should cast well, in my experience. It sounds like you picked a high quality reel so get out in the yard and start practicing and the backlashes will ultimately be minimized. You might also check this video out on how to setup your baitcaster as it will help to minimize backlashes as well. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/cast-adjust-baitcast.html