5150bass

I know 3 things without a doubt, 1) I was born 2) I will die 3) I'm gonna do a whole lot of bass fishing in between those 2. We agree on all of the above! I don't wish a long heated argument. My only desire was to correct some misinformation. My sentiments exactly. If I spend all my time debating on here how am I supposed to spend all my money on fishing tackle on eBay?

retiredbosn I am sorry to have to say it but you could not be more wrong. We are the only ones to ask these questions, and many times, (most) we come up with the wrong answer. We (science) comes up with the wrong answer most of the time? We still have a lot to learn for sure. We are incredibly far away from knowing everything but to say we come up with the wrong answer most of the time? This statement is just false. All I need to do is look around the world to see that everything we know (as sure as we can know anything) was discovered by science. To believe the world is young or old is just that a belief, all of my biology books in college had words like "we believe, could have, seems to" all are words of conjecture and belief. To believe that the world is young or old is not just a matter of opinion. I like vanilla and you like chocolate, who is to say which is better? Beliving that the world is young or old "just because" and believing that the world is young or old for reasons are two very different things. There is not one thing in the world that makes sense if you take the view that the world is "young" by any meaning of the word. The idea that the world is 4.5 billion years old is not just a matter of opinion or something the majority voted on. It is a fact as sure as any other fact documented hundreds and thousands of times. To believe in a big bang and billions of years without documented empirical data is as much a leap of faith as to not believe that way. The big bang is accepted by every scientist and physicist I've ever seen. The universe is still expanding since the big bang and accelerating. The red light shift from stars and galaxies prove this as sure as any fact. Everything is space is flying away from us. To be more clear: everything is flying away from everything else. Evolution is still just a theory, all of it takes belief. Science does not use the word theory in the way we do. I may say "I have a theory the bass might be shallow today". I mean to say that that is my hypothesis (A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.) "As used in science, a theory is an explanation or model based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning, especially one that has been tested and confirmed as a general principle helping to explain and predict natural phenomena." It is called the theory of evolution similar to the theory of gravity and the germ theory of disease. Someone who says that "Evolution is just a theory" has to realize that the idea that the earth is young doesn't even graduate to the level of a theory. It is just a hypothesis with no evidence to support it.

This is a really good question. As a little bit of a side note: It is very interesting how there was no "first" largemouth bass or smallmouth bass or any species. Every largemouth bass had to have parents and those parents had to be of the same species as it. With the slow and gradual change of evolution you would have a pretty tough time saying when the first largmouth was on Earth even if you could see each generation. In the same way that you cannot say which day you stopped being a baby. There was no last day you were a baby or any first day you became a child. There is just slow and gradual change. In the same way that we change slightly each day, species change slightly each generation. So if T9 says that they have been around for 3.5 million years, 4 million years ago there would have been a fish (the ancestor of largemouth bass) that was quite similar to the bass alive 3.5 million years ago. To me, this gives me a further appreciation for the fish we catch. It is great that we live in a time in history when we know how all the animals got to be the way they are. We are the only animal on Earth that have any clue to these types of questions.

I live in Canada and fish for smallmouth bass where there are some Northern Pike. Other than a steel wire leader what would you reccomend for a leader to prevent bite offs? I will only be using this for crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits not jigs. What would you reccomend? Thanks in advance.

I am going to Orlando this week and I would love to catch a Largemouth bass. We don't really have any where I live in Manitoba (Canada). I am staying at Bahama Bay resort near lake davenport: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bahama+bay+resort&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=25.483499,86.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=bahama+bay+resort&hnear=&ll=28.327502,-81.656442&spn=0.016017,0.058622&z=15 Does lake davenport have largies? Are there any lakes or ponds close by there that I could try? I am not really worried about the size of fish, I would just like to try to catch one. I am not interested in a guided trip, I just want to try off shore for a bit on a lake or pond. Thank you very much!

I was wonering how I would go about making my own Crank retriever? I am mainly intertested in making the kind with the heavy weight and the rope, until I get a telescoping kind. Any help would be great. Thanks a lot, 5150bass

Does anyone know or have any information on how much Silica Gel it takes to keep all the moister out of one area? For example, how much Silica Gel would it take to keep the rust off hooks in a flat sided Plano box? Thanks, 5150bass

I fish lakes up North here that have a lot of Northern Pike. I do not want to loose my cranks, jerkbaits, topwaters and spinnerbaits to toothy critters. Is it ok to use a six inch steel leader on the end of my line? Will this have any effect on my ability to catch bass? Is there any other options to protect against bite-offs? Thank you, 5150bass

I have a 17 foot Misty River boat. I am looking to get a bow mount trolling motor for it. I have a few questions. 1.) What pounds thrust do I need? (I fish in rivers a fair bit). 2.) What length of shaft do I need for it? and 3.) What difference is there in a 12 volt versus a 24 volt? I am looking at the Minn Kota All Terain 55, 65 or 70 pounds of thrust bow mounts. Thank you very much, 5150bass

I would take a copy of those notes if its not too much trouble. 8-) Thanks a million, 5150bass

I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for but I'd thought I would mention it. The book "Largemouth Bass: An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies" is a really great book. It tells you how to locate largemouth bass in lakes, rivers and reserviors. It also explains the different calender periods which would help understand when the bass will move to different areas. There is lots of other info on locating bass in that book too, like different reservior types etc... And information on how to fish different lures. Theres lots of diagrams too. I know this isin't exactly what you wanted but I thought I would try anyways. 5150bass

I think our best bet is to ignore "thegreatestfisher", this person really needs attention, and is trying to get a rise out of everyone. I don't think we should respond to anything he says. If you see a post by him, don't even read it. My 2 cents worth. 5150bass

Do any of you use flashers? What are their benefits over other sonar types? Thanks, 5150bass

Yes, I agree with what you guys have said. I am seventeen and my role models are my parents because they busted their arses for me. I respect Ike and those guys for becoming great fisherman, but I don't want to be like them just because of that. I also agree that it is not their responsibility to be good role models, not any more than it is for any other occupation. Interesting topic Avid. 5150bass

Thanks guys, good info. roadwarrior In the river I fish, the areas that have current will always have current. So should be concentrating on areas with current throughout all seasons, and not bother with the sections of the river with no current? And then like you said find structure in the current areas? Thanks again 5150bass

I fish a fairly big river for smallmouth bass. What would be your main type of spots you would focus on? Also, what would be your top choices of lures to try? Thanks guys, 5150bass

I would like to start making my own soft plastics, mainly worms, senkos, grubs and maybe tubes. My main question is how much money would I be looking at to get started? I would like to make my own shaped bait, not just copy another bait. Also, what equipment would I need to get started? Thanks a lot, 5150bass

Thanks guys. I can see your ideas on picking colors vary quite a bit. But all the info was helpful. SENKOSAM Where did you get that chart, could you please give me the link? Thanks, 5150bass

How do you decided what color lure to use when you get out on the water? I read in an In-Fisherman book that "Largemouths have rods and cones. The rods are black-and-white sensors that are good in dim light. Cones are color receptors. Bass shift reliance as light levels change. They see colors when light is adaquate, but only shades of black and white when light is dim." That all makes sense to me, but how do I use it to my advantage to picking colors? Thanks, 5150bass

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place. 5150bass

Yes I agree it can be frusturating teaching people that don't know how to fish. But I think you need to keep it simple as possible. And it is also important not to give then an information overload all at once. Saying make sure you do this, then that and make sure you don't forget to.....blah, blah, blah. Just say cast this crankbait out and reel it in, when you feel something weird pull back. Then as soon as they catch one fish or see a fish follow their lure to the boat they get so excited and get a bit of confidence. And then bit by bit you can get them to refine what they are doing. And then after a while something very strange happens...they start catching more fish than you. 5150bass

Like Matt_Fly said, it is awesome you take your daughter fishing. But now to the more serious issue.....You say the bait monkey has gotten to your daughter? It was bad enough that he has gotten to us. But now the children? No, I am sorry, he has taken this too far. Someone must capture that evil primate. 5150bass

Hey, me and my dad did this to our old boat. I think what we did was got some "L" brackets. Get pretty heavy duty ones. Then we drilled holes through the brackets and through the boat where we wanted them. Then we rivited the "L" bracket so it was inside the boat with one side of the bracket against the side of the boat and the other side facing up. You will probally have to bend the brackets so when they are against the side of your boat the side of the bracket that is facing up is parallel to the ground. Or in other words when the plywood is placed on it will be level to the top edge of your boat. Then after you have done that around the boat in the area where you want the deck, cut out the plywood to fit the shape you need. You will also probally need to have the plywood supported on the edge that is not against the side of the boat. You can also cut holes in the plywood that is the deck to make compartments. Just use the same idea with the "L" brackets to screw into the inside edge of the floor, so the door of the compartment dosen't fall through. And use a hinge on one edge of the door. Just ask if somethings don't make sense. This might not help, but hopefully it does. 5150bass

Do any of you guys use fishing logs to record info. on your fishing trips? If so, do you find this helps you? Also, what info. do you write in it? Thanks, 5150bass

I am completely lost when it comes to locating bass. Is there any good articles or dvd's you could recomend. Or like a lake map that shows the fish's seasonal movements, or something along those lines. Any help would be amazing. 5150bass