Gangley

That right there should tell you to start throwing a jig.

I don't care for snakes, but I let them go unless its one of the deadly 4 here in texas. If its poisonous, it generaly gets a bad case of lead poisoning.

I've been knocking them out lately with a Chrome/Blue back Rattletrap and a Green Threadfin Red Eye Shad. 75%+ C/BB Rattletrap though

Thanks for the clarification Lee. I was curious about the price increase and assumed it was part of the process of growing with the addition of a prostaff. I bought some of the original 3.50/pack and was extremely pleased with the results. I can honestly say that I lost all of them to snags and fish before the paint ever started chipping or deteriorating, so the paint quality issues were never noticed by me. Hopefully EPT does well in the future, I appreciate the product and enjoy using them.

Threw an unweighted fluke for the first time and birds nested. Spent a minute getting it out, reeled in the excess line, then realized there was a fish on the other end.

Now thats something I can get interested in. Where did you find that deal?

X2

Can't count how many times I have tied the knot before realizing the weight wasn't on the line, lol. Glad I'm not the only one to do this

An In-Fisherman Article recently published regarding bass repellents testing done by Pure Fishing had some pretty interesting information in it. It described what things can be identified as bass repellents and some of them that I thought would be considered repellents werent, while other that I thought wouldn't be repellents, were. The most repulsive repellents were anything that contained deet (Bug Spray like OFF, Cutter, etc). It seemed to "repel about anything that swims, crawls, flies, or runs". "Touching a lure after applying DEET renders it repulsive for well over an hour". "Detergents and soaps also are offensive to fish". "The active ingredient in many sunscreens --PABA;p amino benzoiic acid-- also repels bass" "On the other hand, some substances widely considered repulsive to fish are not. The amino acid L-serine, found in human skin, spooks salmon, but has no effect on bass. We've also offered bass food dipped in motor oil and gasoline, and watched them gobble it up." After reading it, it sounds like the best thing to do is wash your hands in the waters that you are fishing prior top handling any lures that you might be using, that way you can ensure that you are not getting any unwanted scents on your lures.

they are more susceptable <sp?> to hangups, but generally only on the front hook. I don't have any real issues with them and they have caught plenty of fish for me. If I have lost any fish using suresets, I dont recall when,. However most of the time its improper rod type or line type that causes missed or lost fish with treble hooks.

Cranks are one lure that I really dont have a Go-To because they are so much different across the board. For right now, my crank of choice is a Rattle Trap, but once spring is over that will change.

My mother in law is one of the best fishermen I know. She had two lake records for LMB, one of which I believe still might stand, but I could be wrong. Yes, i say fishermen and not fisherwoman, because fisherwoman denotes a difference from fishermen. From the fish's perspective, there is no difference in who is working the lure. Skill is not bound by gender. Fishing is generally my alone time. It's when I can be in peace and quite by myself without having to worry about somebody else's problems. Its really the only time I can relax and have fun while doing "my own thing". Having to constantly help somebody during that time is not enjoyable in the least to me, and that is why I generally prefer to fish with a few buddies that I have fished with for a long time, or nobody at all. IF I could ever get my wife to go, that would change though. If I am not fishing alone, it's with buddies, and there are strict rules among us that women aren't allowed on our trips. Not because they aren't capable, but because when we get together, it's Guy Time. No matter how much a female thinks the she is "one of the guys", she isn't, and guys will act different when one is around. To keep it normal, girls arent allowed, plain and simple. This is not to say that we don't fish with women or that we haven't fished with women. They bring their girlfriends out on occasion (my wife never fishes) and we have a good time fishing, but for the most part, the girls are elsewhere shopping or doing whatever it is that they enjoy doing while guys aren't around. If it's a trip though, no girls are present.

The "Drop Kick" knocks 'em out cold!!!

She buys a 4 dollar frappe' before work, I buy a 4 dollar pack of worms after work. I know she enjoys her coffee so I like her to have them, and she knows I enjoy fishing so she is happy for me to get my lures. As long as the bills are paid and the auto transfer goes into savings, she doesnt worry about my lures and I don't worry about her coffee's.

Are Falcon LowRider XG's for right at $100 a good deal? How do you like your LowRider XG, any problems or issues that you have had with them?

Matching the trailer to the skirt color is a good way to start, but it isn't always as important as what some people would have you believe. For the most part, I try to match them up, but there are a few combos I use that are very succesful and do not match up at all. My personal favorite is a green pumpkin trailer on a PB&J (Brown and Purple) colored jig. Most of my other jigs are color matched with the trailer just for simplicity sake, but don't be afraid to slap on a trailer that doesnt match the jig. You might find out something that most other anglers on that water don't know

You won't be disapointed, I can almost promise you that. I've been putting off ordering a few of the new colors posted recently because my jig boxes are getting pretty full, but here is my chance/excuse to get it done . I'll be anxiously waiting Hope your feeling better River Rat

I have had recent success with the DTFAT01 SS. I dont care for the SS hooks but they haven't failed me yet and haven't snagged on anything yet either so I can't really complain too much about them. The lure has a VERY wide wobble, almost looks like a super-duper-uber fast "walk the dog". The fish that I catch off of it lately have been in 2-3 feet of water

plano boxes seperate by head type and function

For the most part, and in this order ZOOM Berkley Lake Fork Tackle Rage

The waters I have been fishing lately are generally shallower than most (max depth approx 25 feet) with a majority of the water being in 10-12 feet, so my experiences so far this year will probably differ from yours. The larger bass here are on the inside weed edges already and some are cruising the bank for brief periods throughout the day. I have seen several 2-3 lbr's(not large, but very fun) just "passing by" but its always during a very brief time span and then you can see them head back out to the deeper water and the weed lines. I like to think the bass are doing some reconnaissance. The bass are doing brief runs to the shallows looking for a quick meal and future spawing areas, but I could be WAY off on that. I have had decent luck with spinnerbaits, lipless, 10" worms, and jigs. Particularly in areas where a laydown stretches far enough out into the water to meet with the weedline. I drop the jig or worm near the convergence of those two structures and I can generally come up with something. I will also cast the spinner and lipless along side the laydown and bring it back along the length of the laydown. The bites generally come close to where the laydown converges with the weeds. If no luck with the laydowns, i start to cast parallel to the weedline and bring the spinner and lipless along the edges. If no luck, then I try to bring the lipless across the top of the weeds, drop it like its hot, then rip it out. I have had decent luck over the past two weeks with this approach, but again, my waters probably vary significantly with yours. Best of luck and hope you catch a bunch!

I couldnt tell a difference in quality between the 50 on display and the 200's I purchased. However, I am admittedly not a reel guru and don't take into account all of the little things that might make one better than the other. My assesment was based purely on smootheness and "play" in the reel.

Also look at water depth. Ox-Bows tend to run shallow and if thats the case with yours, that water will warm up a lot faster and the bite may be fantastic, especially after the cold spell. If both bodies of water consist of similar depths, then I would fish the stained water and toss a jig to the laydowns and rip cranks and spinners along the length of them and also along the weedlines.

We stocked our office pond with Tigre Bass last year, but it had a good population of sunfish already established. While we were feeding the sunfish the crickets, I noticed that one of the fingerling tigre bass would always be right in the middle of things trying to get all the crickets. He eventually started coming up to the bank when he saw me coming and would almost eat a cricket from between my fingers, but never actually did. I named him Buddy, and I saw him again yesterday for the first time since winter started. He is now about 6-8 inches long and looking good.

Thank you Jig and Central for noticing the OP and for your positive comments, I appreciate them. As for the Busch thing...as long as your happy saying whatever you want, go for it. The Urban dictionary was the very first one on the list and was not picked for any other reason. I copied and sent the link, I didnt really care to pursue it further because it isn't as big of a deal as you and I have seemed to have made it. Thats my last comments on something that is a borderline discussion at best. Glad you found it humorous though (not being sarcastic).