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I've often wondered what the pros would be throwing if they didn't have any contracts. Also remember that the pros don't necessarily get to pick their sponsors. A young guy on the circuit will get the sponsors that are left. The top anglers may have their pick but I'll assume that they go after money when signing contracts. Different businesses have different business models and some spend more on sponsorships, advertising, etc. In general I tend to think of it this way: The pros are getting paid to use certain gear, so they use it. I pay to use gear, so I'm going to use whatever I want. The best gear for me is the gear that I like best, and I don't really care what any pro has to say about it.

Call up your state wildlife and parks department, they will head you in the right direction and will be able to tell you where you can purchase USGS maps. Some states sell their own maps and I've found that map quality seems to vary from state to state. Some come weatherproof some don't. KS i know doesn't have wetherproof 7.5 min maps but they have a handful of lake maps that are. Colorado offers weatherproof 7.5 min maps. Lake bottom topography showings are not that common on maps, but some are available for certain lakes. Be sure sure to check when the maps contour lines have been updated. Some USGS maps haven't been updated in a few decades. Also, I'm talking about PAPER maps. I'm not that experienced working with GPS - I don't really trust it.

Fishing lakes is much more difficult. If you can't find the fish on a 1 or 2 acre pond, then you just can't find fish. I love fishing ponds and they've taught me a lot, but I generally feel as though ponds are like a practice field. Lakes are much more diverse in current, cover, feed, depth, etc. This is why I always start with a topo for lakes. There are a lot of maps out that also have lake-bottom topography which can be immensely helpful. Maps that show run-off can also help.

These are all good points. Thanks for the great post. I'll add what else I've found works for me. Location is huge when fishing from the shore. Find a good spot before you even get your poles out. Get your topo map out and choose some preliminary spots. Visit these spots and look for crawdads, baitfish, etc. If there are none, you can find a better spot. INLETS and OUTLETS. Even the small ones, like where a small seasonal creek runs into the lake can be very productive areas. Visit your spots regularly, even you don't have time to fish. Without being on a boat you will likely have to watch the ground closely to tell you when seasonal patterns are changing. ABC is completely true. Some of my friends seem to put their rods down and twiddle around until someone catches a fish. Right after a fish is caught they're back in the water. TOO LATE.

You might want to discuss something else, like, maybe the Banjo Minnow. That's a safer subject. Jack :-?

6:00 am is a little too late for me to go for the topwater bite. I'd be throwing 1/4oz spinner baits through all those stumps and progress to bigger spinnerbaits especially around the edge of the channel. After combing the water for a while I'd get around the bottom with a T-rigged worm and work it around the humps and saddle. Mid afternoon I'd drag craws along the bank-side of the channel up towards the point in the background and look for good structure on the slow taper on the way back.

I'd say to follow that decline until you find a hump or ledge in it. It's real easy to spook fish in 4' of water.

What is the body of water like? I tend to think that bass like to keep to structure more than crappie and/or bluegill, but they shouldn't be too far off.

#1 Mepps Spinner w/ Maribou Tail - Brooke Trout Big black live slug - Bass

I've been all day reading your re-build. Great job. I don't have the aluminum experience that you do though, but the boat is already in pretty good shape. The other v-hull thread I can't get the pictures to show up. I'm not sure if I want to deck the whole thing. I'd like to put a casting deck from the nose to about the first seat back with the battery and anchor underneath. I'll put in a recessed spot for a TM pedal. I'd put a shorter deck from between the first seat to the middle seat and leave the back like it is but with carpet. I don't have experience with this particular type of project and was wondering what the types of wood and treatment I'll be looking for are. Also, with what I plan to do, will weight distribution between the front and back be a concern? These 9.5 and 18 hp engines don't weigh that much, but I plan on having a larger than necessary gas tank towards the back.

I've got a boat that needs fixing up. Hasn't been on the water in years. Both engines run. 9.5 runs like a champ, 18 is a little rough. I'd like to get it going this winter and fix it up. Give me your ideas!

Great posts. I'll add a few notes for extreme circumstances: - If you go under, do not thrash about. It's a waste of oxygen and energy. Orient yourself and swim to up with purpose. - If you are on a huge body of water and cannot see land, look for birds. They stick around the shore generally. I seriously hope nobody ever has to worry about these things, but it certainly can't hurt to know them.

If the cows are lying down, you won't catch any fish. (edit: I don't have any superstitions, fishing or otherwise, but this is my favorite one to repeat)

Acclimation. If you find that you can't stand the heat, thats generally a good reason to spend time in it. Nothing makes the weather outside hotter than sitting in the AC all day. The more you let your body adjust to the heat the more comfortable you will be. As others have said, water water water and more water. Long sleeves and pants will actually keep you cooler than short ones.

First you must spend more time on the mountain. When you are ready, the secret lure will come to you.

Anything you can do to avoid having to do what I posted, do it!

I've been on this site quite a bit lately and haven't seen much on these forums about safety. I'm sure everyone considers safety while fishing but I thought I'd take the time to put a few points down in case the unexpected ever happens. 1) Wear your PFD. If for some reason you ever lose your boat and are in water remember these things: -Men naturally float on their stomachs, lift your head to breath. -Women naturally float on their backs. -If you must swim in waves, do not swim through them, you will get too tired. Swim in the troughs and do not resist the waves; they are headed for land. 2) Do not lose your cool in deep water. It's like not looking down when climbing. It doesn't matter how deep the water is, what matters is that you stay on top of it. 3) If you must swim across (perpindicular to) waves use a side-stroke. You will not tire as quickly this way. Feel free to add anything below that I may have missed. Also, mods can put this where they like. I think it is important for boaters.

I was going to start a thread today on water safety anyways. Constant reminders always help. On Perry Lake in Kansas there is a large bridge that runs across it. At night you simply cannot see the supports. I don't know how many people on boats I've seen buzz under that bridge doing 40-50+ mph. I guess some people believe that crossing your fingers works. It pays to be safe.

I would love to go cat-fishing around the Amazon River. Catching a huge red-tailed catfish is on my to-do list before I die. Also, although I've never tried, I've heard the the old mine pits in SE Kansas have big bass in them. I'll have to check some of them out sometime. I stay the hell off of private property, sounds like a good way to attract some buck-shot.

I agree with Catt here. Of course there's some variables. The more the temperature and pressure goes up, the more you need to actually get down in the grass. I find that when you break the edge of the grass a big vertical movement is a good idea. They seem to follow you through the grass, even if they don't hit in the grass. I still believe the bass are coming out of the grass rather than swimming over or around it. And also, I'm not big on topwater frogs. I sink mine into the grass.

What exactly are you calling a jig?

I'll use the same stuff today that I did yesterday . My family has never been into bass fishing, but I can say that the lures/flies for trout that my grandfather made decades ago still produce better than stuff in the stores. While it's true that bass fishing has become a science, sometimes it's important to forget that. Of course it's good to plan your outing and make the best educated predictions possible as to where the bass will be and what they will be doing, but it just doesn't always work. I believe that is why we fish Plans B through Z work better than plan A sometimes. A thread got shut down earlier when a guy asked about fishing with just line and hooks. I can understand why the thread got shut down, as this is a sportfishing web-site. I think the bottom line is that line and hooks is really all you need to catch fish, and I would say these are must to carry with you if there is a chance you may encounter a survival situation, it could save your life. I have seen a few bass hit bright, shiny new hooks with nothing on them! (while fishing for cat-fish and reeling in after losing the bait)

Try adjusting the nut that holds the spool in. I adjust this whenever I change lure weights.

Thanks for all the input guys. TruflShufl - My girlfriend uses a bobber for everything.

Catfish will eat anything provided they are in the area. Check the weather. High, muddy waters can disorient them fairly easily. Add strong current to high, muddy waters and they turn into a frenzied animal, feeding on anything they can catch. Very sudden changes in pressure can bring them off of the bottom. I prefer it when they stay on the bottom, they are much easier to find that way.