Bluebasser86

I didn't have a single attractive teacher my entire school career and it seems a majority of the teachers we had were dudes

If you go to Hazel creek send me a PM and I'll tell you what I know and try to help you the best I can. I catch most of my smallmouth at Wyco on shakyheads or topwater and a bunch on jerkbaits in the spring. There's some really big ones in there, it's just a matter of getting them to bite. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some good smallmouth up shallow at Milford. I caught a 4 pounder there last year when it was pretty hot out in about 4' of water off the dam. From Thunderbird it's basically a decision of if you want to target smallies or largemouth. Turn right you're after largemouth, left it's smallmouth. I've caught them both all over the lake but that just seems where I catch most of both of them. The point to the north in the cove that the marina is in is usually a good spot for wipers but never done much for smallmouth. I've actually caught some of my best largemouth around the marina and in the scattered brushpiles in the marina cove, at least towards the south end of the lake. The State Park marina cove is usually really good for smallmouths and I've caught some solid keeper largemouth up to 18" out of there also. Seems I catch most of my largemouth on jigs or cranks and most of my smallmouth on shakyheads and soft plastics, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater. If you can get an overcast day out there you can have a blast fishing a spinnerbait or trap. I've caught 2 5 pound smallmouth and 1 4 pound smallmouth from Milford. 1 5 on a jerkbait off the boatramp in the state park marina cove, 1 5 on a trick worm and shakyhead in the furthest south corner of the dam that you're allowed to take a boat, the 4 was on a 3" Gulp minnow on a 1/8 jighead swimming it in the middle of the dam. This spring I lost a 4-4.5 pound smallmouth off a lone stump on a spinnerbait on a big mud flat on one of the first main lake points on the south side near the dam. If I could figure out how to draw on this google map images I'd mark the places I'm talking about so it wasn't quite so vague. This was the best I could do with a map. The spots I marked are mostly smallmouth spots but I've also caught largemouth and spots at several of them. I didn't mark the dam, figured it's a pretty obvious spot for smallmouth. http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=10&ll=39.079291,-96.919928&spn=0.012893,0.016479&z=16&vpid=1345156029616&t=h&lyt=large_map&hyaw=313.18182601138545

I have fished for largemouth at Milford a little bit but never had a lot of success fishing for them. Plus I don't get to fish smallmouth a lot and that is the best smallmouth lake in the state in my opinion. I've mainly fished for them towards the north end in tournaments just because they're heavier than smallmouth. There are some nice largemouth in there but they are much more difficult to locate because of their low numbers. I've had my best luck flipping around timber and the few docks or cranking rock piers or points. Hazel creek is a great lake and I really wish it was closer, there's some monsters in that lake. I posted on a trip that I took with my friend out there a couple months ago on the central forum. It's worth the drive without a doubt. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/103436-hazel-creek-lake/

I got hit by "the urge" driving to the lake one morning. Well it wasn't really an urge, it was a full on code brown! It was early in the morning thankfully and still dark out but it didn't stop my buddy from almost falling into the ditch laughing at me leaning against the outboard and holding onto the transom of my boat on the shoulder of the highway. When you got to go you got to go, sometimes waiting until you can get to a good location just isn't an option.

It's great you can share your passion with your girlfriend. My wife likes to go but barring an emergency like the house on fire she wouldn't be getting up before the sun

A 2" grub on a 1/32 jighead will catch any panfish that swims and can be fished a ton of different ways and is cheap to buy and doesn't hurt if you lose a couple.

we're a long ways off from turnover I believe, I hate turnover anyways. I'm ready for the water to get below 80 degrees though, the fish we were catching this morning felt hot in the cool air and had steam rising off them. On a positive note I'll be picking the Roughneck up from the shop tomorrow, it's been a long 3 weeks

PVC tube from the hardware store, rod wrapped as BC said.

Something like an Ugly Stick Lite is great for kids. They're cheap, durable, and they work pretty well for bass fishing. They're not the best choice for the stuff that really requires feeling the bait like a drop shot or shakyhead but they work fine for cranks, spinnerbaits, or T-rigs. I'd go with a 6' rod, mainly because that's going to be about the shortest spinning rod you can get in a medium action rod unless you step up to a higher end rod.

Yeah, cause you never have to pay attention to details to get crappie or perch to bite All kidding aside, an innocent mistake like that is a pretty minor thing, everyone on here was new at some point and pretty much everything could fit under "General Bass Fishing" since most of what's on this forum is related to bass fishing in general

Careful with that, chumming is illegal in some states.

Well so much for that statement. FIshing yesterday I swung a 2.5lb jig fish into the boat like I have hundreds of times and my 7' 1" MH Rage casting rod broke about a foot from the tip for no apparent reason. I'd been fishing with it for about 6 hours at that point and had swung bigger ones than that in with no problem. Took it back to Cabela's and just went ahead and spent the extra money and upgraded to a 7' 6" LTB "pitching" rod. It's my third LTB rod and after catching a few on it this morning it felt really good

Rattle traps are one of my favorite baits when it's windy. They cast really well with or against the wind.

I can't hardly keep ahold of a muskie in the boat, no way I could grab one underwater that didn't have it's movement restricted in anyway like that, crazy.

Only thing that makes it better is if you have that picture in the background of the picture of you holding up the big pig you just caught!

Looks like a lot of fun. Those toothy bonus fish are fun as long as they don't steal or wreck any gear!

I've had all my gear stolen on one occasion and a small pond hopper type boat stolen on another, it's a terrible feeling. Both times I was pretty young and had paid for all my gear and the boat by saving every penny I could scrape up doing chores and odd jobs for people, I just felt deflated both times because I'd work so hard for it and someone else just took it like it was nothing. There isn't much you can do to get it back besides hoping and doing what the other guys mentioned, never got any of my stuff back but hopefully you'll have better luck that I did. Hang in there man.

The hollow belly style swimbaits you're talking about can be very effective, especially in sparse to moderate weed cover like you mentioned. One of my favorite techniques for them is to just tick the top of the weeds and rip it out whenever it starts to catch in the weeds. I either use a keel weighted swimbait hook if the weeds are heavier or an open hooked jighead if the weeds aren't too thick. A steady retrieve or slowly pumping the rod will cause a lift-drop motion of the bait and the fish will crush it when it drops in front of them. The bait's mentioned work well and I'll toss out the Havoc grass pig as one of my favorites for this techique.

Peter and I hit Bone Creek again today. Same deal as last week, lots of fish but none even very close to the 18" mark. I had 34 by 11am, Peter was probably close to that number too as he went on tear a couple times on some of the isolated tree lines we hit where he caught fish several casts in a row. Decided to make the move to Lake Ft.Scott for a bigger fish. We got bigger fish but not many. One of my first flips I drop one of my jigs into a tree and got smacked after sinking about a foot. Fish was a solid 2.5 or 2 3/4 pounds but that still doesn't explain why my Rage rod broke when I boat flipped it Took it back to Cabela's and traded up to a 7' 6" LTB. Few fish on a jig, few on a crank, few on a spinnerbait, few on a shakeyhead but nothing bigger than 3 before we had to pack it in.

I have lots of St.Croix rods and had never had a problem, until I bought a rage rod. My Rage spinning rod foregrip came loose and moves all over. I used rod tape and don't have that problem anymore. Another guy I talked to said he had the same thing happen with a casting rod. I'd upgrade to an Avid series rod and be done with it. I have a Rage casting rod and I love it and have never had a problem with it.

Mind sharing where this creek is and if it's public or private? I love that kind of fishing. Sounds like you guys had a great day!

Nice, those XR50's are my favorite rattlebait!

I'd be irked about someone running a line from one side of the pond to the other if I lived there too, effectively roping off part of the pond. Also are your lines properly marked? Here we have to have our names, address, and phone number on any type of set line. I understand you're trying to have fun but I'd make absolutely sure what you're doing isn't breaking any laws.

Mine saying where this stream is and if it's public or private? I love that kind of fishing.

Good call, I have that rod as well. The shortest spinning rod they offer is a 6' 8" "Wacky Style" spinning rod. If it's a casting rod you most definitaly don't want a spinning reel!