Fat-G

When the weather is cold just let that baby sit. And sit. And sit. You'll nail a slob soon enough with the jig. Just fish it in a place you know has a pig in ideal weather conditions.

I don't even know what to say, man. You're on fire! You know what that means though... after two 6's and an 8, you'll go on a long streak of not catching a big one. :D:D I went out today and got a skunk. Tried three new ponds that I didn't know about until last night. Missed a couple of good jig bites. Stay after them until you freeze up!

I thought this was an exceptional movie. The plot was very good and the events leading up to the bigger scenes made a lot of sense. I thought it was a well-directed film. Plus the wife was HOT. You should try and watch it On-Demand, especially if you like gore!

The consensus from my family was that it was sub-par. I'm not saying don't go see it, kids will like it and wives might as well. If you can avoid it, though, you should.

My stock 50E could throw a weightless Trick Worm a d**n long way. It's a sweet little reel, and can handle anything from ultra-light rigs to flipping/frogging. The only area it doesn't shine in is big baits with a lot of drag, ie a heavy spinnerbait with big blades or a deep diving crank. I can't even imagine what that reel could do with an aftermarket spool, drag and bearing upgrades, and a full internal polishing. A big part of throwing really light rigs Cliff is the line you choose. I had mine spooled with 4# Hybrid when I was casting the Trick Worm. I'm assuming stepping up to 8# would have made a big difference.

This is from my personal experience, but I wouldn't get any of them. I've made compromises many times with fishing tackle, and always regret it later on. If you don't think you'll like it or have a good use for it, don't buy it, even if it's a smokin deal. Use your Avid for jigs and plastics, the Powell for cranks and spinnerbaits, then save up one or two more paychecks and get a rod you really want. But seriously, don't settle for something less than exactly what you want. It's more expensive to buy a rod, use it and decide you don't like it, sell it and pay for a rod tube and shipping, then take the hit for however much money you lost than it is to buy the exact rod you want. I went through three rods looking for the perfect rod for me before I said f*** it and bought what I really wanted. I would recommend getting a rod that is 7'3" minimum for any sort of flipping or punching. I prefer rods over 7'8 personally. A long, powerful rod can be used for a lot of techniques, too. Flipping, pitching, punching, frogs, heavy spinnerbaits, swimbaits, heavy plastics, and jigs. That's just naming a few. I'm using a 7'4 rod for jigs and plastics and sometimes it feels too short... For me a Mag-Heavy rod with 20# flouro or 60# braid is an all-around setup. I can do everything I need to do plus throw a squarebill, lipless crank, or spinnerbait if I need to. Just use your thumb as the drag. Your Avid can do everything you need it to - it may not be perfect for all of them, but that's where your two other rods come in.

That's an interesting topic. As a side note, WOW. Look through "BigBassDaddys" photobucket album. Dude is a TOAD-MAGNET. Post #38, page 3.

I don't have an answer to your question, but here is something to keep in mind: When we wade rivers around here, the stuff we kick up usually attracts minnows, which obviously attract other fish as well. I have caught a lot of fish, bass, catfish, and bream, not three feet away from me because they are keyed in on the baitfish that we attract. Maybe ducks and geese have the same kind of effect. Who knows.

deep - No problem man. btfisherman - In all honesty I haven't really had much cold water luck in years past. I didn't really understand the concept of fishing slow, and even when I thought I was fishing slow enough it was still way too fast. I'm starting to catch on, and here's what I've learned so far: - You don't have to fish smaller baits in the winter. - Fish S-L-O-W. I'm usually taking up to five minutes per cast, and I still don't think it's slow enough. - Every fish I've caught this winter has hit when the lure was not moving, except for one fish that had just hit the crackpipe and slammed a jig on top. - Fish slow. - If the water warms up some, fish an area that has shallow water close to deeper water with cover mixed in as well. - FISH SLOW. I only really need three lures in the winter: Black/Blue Jig'n Lobster Brown/Orange Jig'n Lobster ( We need a Bama Craw Lobster ) Lipless crank in two colors, a natural shad color and a red craw color. EDIT: To answer your question, I prefer a big jig in cold water because I'm looking for one or two big bites a day.

Not to hijack, but I think we're right about the cold-weather red toungue. December, mid 40's: October, mid 60's:

I couldn't possibly agree more. At the beginning of the cold season here (mid-November), I was convinced it was time to put away the Rage Lobsters and break out the Flappin' Hawgs. I didn't catch a cold water jig fish until I brought out the Lobster again. Here's a link to a Big-O post that taught me the same thing. Made me actually think about it and realize the logic behind it rather than going with what is considered the "norm". http://ragetalk.com/...hp?topic=3216.0

Nice fish Goose! Lipless cranks catch a lot of 5-7 lb. fish for me as well...and I can't explain why. I think only two colors are really needed: Some variation of Sexy Shad and a natural craw pattern. SK just added a lot of new colors as well. If they sold them with a better quality hook, I would load up!

You know why I like this post...

Maybe instead of a mesh bag I'll get a tournament weigh-in bag that has holes, some way of closing, and a handles to tie the rope to. I just hate holding a fish out of water after it just fought all the way to my hands. I would rather give the fish and myself a minute or two to gain our composure.

I want to come up with a way to have a livewell while bank fishing. I've thought of a lot of different options, but this one sounds the best to me: a mesh drawstring bag with a rope attached. The fish would go in the bag, pull the bag closed, and be placed back in the water for a couple of minutes while I get some pictures, weights, etc. Would this hurt the fish? I was thinking not, because it could still swim around freely, just in the spacious mesh bag until I pulled it back in for a photo session. It would then be released, obviously. Fish would be in the bag no longer than 5 minutes. My main concern is not harming or killing the fish. Thoughts?

A lot of people like what you have mentioned here fish one specific body of water and learn it like the back of their hand. They know when the bite should be good, what the perfect conditions to catch a big fish are, and how/where they should do it. Plus, they just don't want to fish professionally. I don't really ever want to fish a tournament other than maybe a small local one here or there, but who knows.I just don't want to go out and try to catch five fish in a certain period of time. I would rather spend all of that time and try and stick a really big fish. "Hookingem" is a tournament guy...he should do very well next season for his college team, and by the time he is a senior I would think he is going to be one of their top fisherman. Personally, I fish a pond that gave me my PB two years ago. I could pick five days in the spring to fish and feel pretty good about my chances of catching a toad. I've fished that pond for a couple of years now, and know when the big fish feed.

Videography was good, plot was stupid, actors were really bad, and it went nowhere. See TinTin instead haha.

I just went and saw this with my family. It blew. Not recommended.

Lots of sweet collections here. I "downsized" recently from about 35 lbs. of gear per trip to just one lure, and that lure is the only one I fish. Or own, for that matter. I have one rod/reel setup as well now. I don't need thousands of dollars worth of gear. I'm 18, fish from the bank, and catch most of my big fish on my one lure.

40 ton graphite blanks, Matagi components, micro spiral wrapped guides, and your choice of reel seats. And that's a FACT.

Crucial. I would get a Compre over an Avid.

Several options: Tripod, using the cameras timer - More of a hassel for those that are shore bound, but you can set it up when you arrive and leave it at the same spot until you leave. You should be fine since you have a boat. Correct focus is something I have yet to figure out. Arms length is good if you're caught off-guard. Most of the time the picture will come out well. The laydown - I don't really like this one as you don't get a good idea of the actual size of the fish. I also use what I call a "gaper shot". Lots of options, but ideally someone will walk by and snap a picture or two. I always take at least two shots from every angle as one might come out blurry or overexposed. Edit: Just try and ALWAYS remember to bring a camera, even if it is something like a small Canon that is the size of a phone and fits in your pocket. The third to last picture was with my iPhone and obviously didn't come out too well. Hope this helps some. Hayden

I have a Berkley 50 lb. and an Evolution Econoscale. Oddly enough, both of them weigh 1/2 lb. light. So, a 6.09 pound bass is actually a 7.01. I want to upgrade soon. The Econoscale is really a piece of junk. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than someone looking for a pike grabber.

Nice, I had a decent haul as well. - Luna 300 - coming soon. - A couple "generous" checks from relatives. - A whole lot of TW dollhairs - Another F&S flannel shirt (that makes 4, a must have shirt) - Wool socks - incredibly comfortable. - New boxers - New moccasins - A VERY nice present from hookingem that will be put to good use More importantly though, I gave each of my family members a gift that I spent a lot of time thinking about, which to me is more important that getting what I want. It's shocking to me that I'm one of the only kids I know that buys gifts for family as well... most of my friends just sit there and open their presents.

Can I get a "HOT d**n" for the spinning setup? That's sick!