Smalliehunter48

I used Google earth to find some new fishing opportunities recently. Last night I found a large pond on the edge of a golf course but the pond was'nt part of the hole it was on. Meaning, it was not a hazard on the hole. Surrounded by trees and away from the course yet easily accessible. I went there last night at 8 pm. Threw a craw first no takers. Switched to topwater, several casts later landed a 12" bass. Water was tough to fish on top because of a lot of cottonwood crap on top. Switched to Berkely Realistix Kicker frog and BAAAAMMMM!!! 6 + pounder. must've been beddin bass she was way overstuffed. I went to my bag to weigh her on my digital scale but somehow it stayed on from the last time I used it and the batteries were toast. I hit the power button it went off but would'nt come back on. No weight. However the fish was around 19" long and the girth was at least 16", and like I said OVERSTUFFED. I put her back and had to switch again because my frog was trashed. I put on an Eakins jig with a gulp frog trailer, like Al Linder fishes. I swam that dude for a few casts and BAM, 4lber. This pond has some giants in it. I fished till dark and left very satisfied and amazed Indiana ponds can harbor Bass like this. I bet that pond dang near freezes solid in the winter. 8-)

I used to own an old Yamaha Waverunner and I was thinking of getting one and converting to a high tech fishing ride for river and small lake areas. These babies run in six inches of water, and I could mount a cuda 168 fishfinder on the nose with a shoot through hull transducer. Then I'll power the FF off of an extra 12 volt motorcycle battery in the engine compartment. Then I thought of putting a thick coat of Rhino liner on the hull to protect it from sharp rocks. These older units are 7 feet long and about three feet wide. Stable as heck and easy to fish from. I could mount rod holders in the rear with bungees to keep the rods from bouncing out. There is a storage/ cooler under the seat for drinks and tackle bins. I loved the one I had and could take it most anywhere. They are quiet and efficient. at idle they crawl around nicely like a trolling motor. I could really see one of these making a sweet river rig. Any thoughts besides I'm a stupid red neck who's been watching too much Red Green Handyman Corner? :-/ : : :)

I actually did buy a scale after that fish. I got a digital I keep it with me at all times now. Thats how I knew the weight of the 3lb 7oz fish. I was just trying to estimate the weight of the 22" fish.

Well, the lunker in question was 22" long with a girth around 16". Smallmouth bass records from state to state are all in the 21"-23" area and weigh from 5lb 10oz- 7lb 3oz. I figure it is at least fair to say it could have been 6 lb fish. I catch the 19" ones pretty often in this one hole and they all weigh over 3lbs. The last one I weighed was 18.5"L x 14" G x 3lb 7 oz.

If an actual smallmouth I caught weighs 3lb 7oz and I plug in its numbers into the calculator the calc is over by one pound. If I then put in the attributes of a lunker I recently caught but could not weigh, and remove a pound from the equasion, would that not give me a ballpark weight for the lunker?

Hey all, If a fish weight calculator shows an estimated weight that is a pound over the actual measurements. Would it not make sense that taking a pound off another estimate of actual measurements would give a semi accurate weight?

I don't know about that one but I just bought a MB pop x and a pop max and an anthrax 100. The Anthrax looks sweet. It is an upside down looking crankbait that has an anal fin sticking up. It is supposed to be a topwater and subsurface bait depending on how you fish it. Check it out. Also I got a Daiwa TD Mouthwasher a while back and tried it in the river at my faverite spot and just tore em up! It is supposedly a popper of sorts but what I found is more amazing. If you retrieve it steady it dives just under the surface, and has a wide wobble like a crank, but it has a prop inside the mouth the creates a bubble and turb trail thats pretty sweet. The best is every couple feet it'll come back out pop/ spit and go back down....The smallies pounded it even with water temps in the low forties. Any way check these out.

Personally, Idon't see whats the big deal... I am farrrrrrr more concerned with the lack of respect in nature that a huge chunk of fisherman seem to have. Every time I go fishing I run across piles of garbage left behind by idiots. I actully have a Brand New rod/ reel combo for my son now because some A-hole got a tangle in the line and just threw it down on the bank and left it. There is trash every where...folks drinking huge amounts of alcohol and throwing the bottles/ cans in the water or on the ground. I mean, SERIOUSLY, I could easily stand naked guys or gals practicing C&R on clean pristine waterways rather than the beer gutted pigs puttin down a six pack and wizzing in the water. Some people actually are nice enough to bag their trash before leaving it on the bank. (not most though)The way I see it, if you can carry it in...Why cant you carry it out? By the way did anyone object to the commercial where the boat was going so fast that the drivers clothes ripped off leaving him sitting there in a pink thong? I laughed histerically. I thought mostly grown men watched fishing shows anyway. What about the Victoria Secret comms during prime time when the kids are definately watching. Huh? Huh? Pick your battles Kids.

I think its sort like NASCAR. There is always a driver you LOVE to hate. At the races they get boo'd almost as much as they get cheered. I feel sorry for the ones nobody even glances at. Boo's can be a good thing. Also it makes the sport better and more fun to watch. I am less concerned with Ike than someone like G swindle getting all ticked off about someone fishing 300 yards away, who In my mind had just as much right to be there as he did. So he has to rev on over there and make a stink. Its all fun and games until someone gets a hook in the eye. I never thought I'd see a pro basser break-dancing on the bow of his boat in a tourney. Thats just hilarious. Come on now...you know you were laughing.

As one of our posters notes have said..."Bass fishing is an addiction passed of as a hobby!!" Last year I obsessed about it so much I wasn't even chasing my wife around for sex. She was hacked about it, too. It most definately can be an addiction. Everything in moderation you know, anything to excess can be a problem.

I suddenly seem to have a problem with this site not showing pics and icons or smileys or anything. How do I fix this? All the option icons just show empty boxes with little red x's.

I had an idea for a new crankbait using the add a ball weight idea magnum uses in their carolina weights. Would it be possible to make a floating(initially) crank like an x-rap, that the tail unscrews allowing access to the inner core shaft, where-in could be added a ball ballbearing at a time to cause the crank to sink a bit more each time a ball is added? Seems like a winner to me. Plus I would'nt have to buy so darn many cranks. HE HE!

RW, Very good...Our river just went up 3 feet from rain and now resembles chocolate milk. However I'm assuming the tail waters out of the reservoir are still clear and I intend to fish below the dam this weekend. Unfortunately the only place here that has minnows of any size has plain old lake minnows which look like large crappie minnows. But they are only 2-3" long. I am thinking about just netting shad out of the river schools because there are some 4 to 5" in there. What do you think?

RW, So whats the deal with the TVA? Do the locations you fish rise and fall in extremes because of let down or generation. Or do the fish just not bite unless the "water is running" so to speak. I am visualizing you standing in a river a foot deep and then the water comes up rapidly....HAHA. Anyway I don't understand the dynamics of your favorite spots. Is temperature an issue?

Also I was talking to the DNR guy up here and he said they have had a lot of trouble keeping the walleye and hybrids in the resovoir when they drop to winter pool. He seemed to think they go down with the river and flush out. So would the river below the dam be better fishing than above the res? At least during the drop? PS Whos your fav. Nascar driver? I hope J Johnson gets the champ spot this year. But thats just me.