Bluebasser86

Those Big O's appear to be the reproduction they made for Cabela's a few years back. I was working at the one in KC when they started making them again. We sold tons of them but they proved to be fragile and not produce very well. Not sure what the value would be now but I believe they sold for about $10 then.

She was a beast of a fish for sure and wanted nothing to do with me. Catching that flathead and then catching the blue an hour later with several 8-15 pound channels in between made for a tiring day.

Sweet, we'll mainly be tossing sticks at them but always good to know just in case they won't eat them. The visual side of fishing jerks for those big browns down there is so exciting.

I fished some buddy tournaments with a friend of mine several years ago when I had one of those days, and not in the good way. We were fishing for smallmouth and both catching fish, but he was the only one catching keepers. Then about mid day he was the only one catching fish. It wasn't for lack of bites, I was getting plenty of bites on my shakyhead and hula grub, but I could not hook a fish to save my life! I had several casts in a row that my line would take off racing down the rocks and I wouldn't even get a piece of them on the hookset. I went so far as to change to an football head without a weed guard and continued to miss fish while he was culling. Of course there was always some good humored ribbing going on and it was getting pretty heavy on his end of the boat. He was telling me I was setting the hook on rocks so the next bite I got I told him to watch my line while I tightened up on it. The line was scooting down the bank and he even confirmed it was a fish before I set the hook and missed yet again. We traded rods, he caught fish on my bait and I continued missing fish on his. I'm sure by the end of the day it was just a huge mental block but I was baffled at how I could miss so many fish. At the time we both worked in the fishing department at Cabela's in KC, the next few days at work were pretty rough with all the jokes and trash talking going around More often than not it works the other way around for me, but that was one of those days I got my hind end handed to me.

So I'm going to be headed to Tulsa for the Classic here in a couple weeks and would like to get in a little fishing while I'm down there. Where would be a good place to get in some fishing before we head to all the festivities at the Expo and weigh in on Friday? There's lots of lakes pretty close by it seems like and I have no knowledge or experience about any of them. Would like to keep it fairly close (around 30 minutes one way). Mainly looking for bass but would also be up for some striper/white bass/wiper fishing if it's a better bite than the bass would be. Was looking at Skiatook or Keystone as possible destinations, any thoughts? Thanks for any help.

I've tried a lot of different rods but haven't found any I like as much as St.Croix.

Disturbed, Stoned Sour, and Chevelle were all here together for Twisted Christmas several years ago, that was a really good show. Metallica and Godsmack was an awesome show. My favorite concert was probably Brad Paisley though. I was working at Cabela's in KC in the fishing department and he actually was in there shopping with the rest of his band. I got to talk to him and help him find what he was looking for for about half an hour. After he got everything he wanted he asked if I was going to his concert that night and I told him I'd like to but being in high school I didn't really have any extra money for concert tickets. He asked me to write my name down and said he'd have 2 tickets waiting at will call for me When I told my girlfriend I could tell she didn't believe me and I was sure he'd forget but the tickets were there waiting when we got there, 3 rows back and center stage! He's an amazing guitar player and you can tell they have a blast doing what they do and they had several jam sessions during the show. Just thought it was really cool of him to be so nice to a young kid like that and he put on a heck of a show.

Can I have my reel back now???

I've got almost every color of the bigger size and have started a collection of the smaller ones also. They've been a really good bait for me. I switch out the trebles still but they got the split ring problem fixed now it seems. I bought one when they first came out and had a 15" fish pull a hook and split ring off my bait but no problems with the newer ones. The littler size is pretty light but it can still be fished on casting gear and still catches good fish. I got this one out of one of our toughest local lakes late last November on a Secret Night colored STX Jr.

I use their trebles exclusively and love that they're offering a short shank #3 now, that's what is on most of my cranks and traps after this winter. I just bought a couple packs of the "Ike approved" HD flipping hooks but haven't had a chance to use them yet. They're very sharp and seem like they'll hold up under pressure.

Largemouth 10lbs 2ozs Smallmouth 5lbs Brown trout 18.5" Muskie 15lbs Flathead catfish 50+lbs Blue catfish 50+lbs

A couple really nice browns in that video! Were they eating sculpins? I've got about a month and a half and I'll be back down there after them

I mainly use the 1.5. I like the 1.0 in clear water on spinning gear and for smallmouth. I don't own any bigger KVD baits but I do have some 2.0 sized Lucky Craft and some SK 4S that I'll toss when I'm looking for bigger fish or in dirty water.

I'm assuming red means a decrease in size/numbers? These forecasts are always interesting to read but I'm never really sure what to make of them. Like Melvern is rated only fair for smallmouth and the biggest fish they sampled was only 2.79 pounds? I think weather/time of year/areas checked probably have a lot to do with their samples. Since the electrofishing gear only works to about 15 feet deep it always seems like shallower lakes have truer numbers. If they happen to sample a deeper lake on a post cold front day when all the fish drop off into deeper water I couldn't see them getting a very accurate look at the true population of a lake.

It's the best open water line you can get. I haven't had the fraying issues others have had. It isn't good for bottom contact baits but other than that it has been great. Tie your knots carefully and check them before you fish with them. I caught a lot of fish last year that I wouldn't have because I was using Nanofil. It isn't a braid so if you try to use it like one you'll be disappointed.

I won't be able to get out there until the 6th.

That's a really nice spinning rod and a not so nice casting reel. I'd hold onto the rod for those times you really need a spinning set up.

Football head, standup head, T-rigged, or C-rigged are my most productive ways to fish them.

They'll all have some sort of snap that runs through the center of the blade to tie your line to.

Flicker shads and Shad Raps both can produce lots of smallmouth. Like others said this isn't the best time of year for them. You can weight them so they suspend and they can be really good in cold water though.

I don't know where you are in Kansas with 40 degree water temps, it was 36-38 at the pond I was at in Northeast Kansas today. If your pond has good water clarity and the banks aren't too gradual, I'd be fishing a jerkbait.

I caught a large, flat rock on a crankbait that I thought was new state record smallmouth. I hooked it off a steep point and when I set the hook it lifted up and glided out into deeper, open water pulling drag like a big smallie. When I'd lift I'd gain some line and then it would shoot back down towards the bottom, just like a big smallmouth. I'm glad I was by myself and nobody saw me fighting this rock, never have I been so fooled by something that wasn't a fish.

I've seen lots of ponds and small lakes with a large population of stunted bass. Usually there isn't much forage to go around so that combined with the crowded conditions just doesn't allow the fish to get larger and thinning them out is the best way for them grow larger. It will help the overall population of the pond/lake also when the bass population is kept in check. I don't personally keep them but I've filleted plenty of bass for land owners who granted me permission to fish their ponds as long as I'd give them a few fish to keep. The smaller ones taste way better than the big ones. I remember trying a piece of a larger bass my dad caught when I was little and any keeper sized fish we caught came home with us, it could have been a plate of moss and mud and I wouldn't have been able to taste the difference.

They float up very quickly and come through cover really well. Running them into standing and laid down timber is my favorite way to fish them.

I've looked all over and everything I've seen says that it's free to get into the Expo and weigh in but I just want to make sure I'm not missing something?