Bluebasser86

Don't know anything about the rod but I was the same way with the ci4, just not nearly as smooth as I expected a 200 dollar reel to be. I ended up going with a Pfluegar Supreme XT 8035 instead and have been blown away with how nice of a reel that thing is.

That's a tough one. What I look for in a jig rod and what I look for in a cranking rod are two way different things except I want them to be at least 7'. I would probably go with the 7' M/F St. Croix Mojo if I was in the same boat. I have that exact rod and use it mainly for plastics and small jigs but it also fishes a rattle trap or flutter spoon pretty well so it would probably work for what you're wanting.

Wish I could have watched it. Following it on the computer at work just isn't the same.

That's funny stuff right there! I did almost exactly that this last summer. I found a hump that topped out at 9' out of 18' with a rockpile and some brush on top, perfect cranking spot. I'd never tried deep cranking this lake so I thought that would be the perfect place to start. First cast I hit bottom, paused, and got hammered! After a pretty lengthy fight that included some drag peeling I finally swung my 2 pound channel cat into the boat. I had one other bite all day deep cranking, and it was a dink.

Fish baskets are alright if you're keeping the fish to eat but they are very hard on the fish's slime coat so you'd be killing fish that you were intending to release. It's alot harder for a fish to do damage to itself on the soft mesh bags.

Well with all the Christmas goodies that my friend and I got we decided to go to his uncle's ponds and give everything a test drive. Weather wasn't terrible either so both of his boys and one of their friends tagged along also. A couple of the ponds were iced over and almost all had some ice around the edges, water was probably in the mid 30's at best. One of my first casts with a small Xrap I hooked up but forgot to set the drag on my new spinning reel so I didn't get a good hookset and lost it. I was fishing a jerkbait painfully slow in the cold water and spent a lot of time helping the boys get untangled and unsnagged also. My friend and I were fishing the big pond where most of the bigger fish are at and the boys decided to go fish the smaller pond where I got bit at. We had just fished all the way around the big pond without even a bite when my friends 5 year old comes running down the path screaming "Christopher caught a shark!" So we jogged up to the small pond and while it wasn't a shark, his 3lb 10oz bass was a very healthy looking fish. I was shocked to learn it ate a crawdad colored crankbait right next to the bank. I had one more dink come off at the bank and those were my only 2 bites of the day. Can't say I was mad about getting skunked though, introducing young kids to the sport is just as exciting as catching a big ol' bass.

We use duck decoy bags for big catfish and for bait. We save them until morning to take pictures sometimes and we have never had a fish die because of the bag. I supposed you could modify it so it stays open but they don't have any problem breathing in the bags. I bought one from Cabela's that I have been using also that has wire rings to hold the middle and bottom open and then a plastic ring up top that floats and holds the bag open. We had 6 catfish over 20lbs and all of our baitfish in it one night with no problem, just gets heavy to lift into the boat. I think I paid about 40 dollars for it.

I've had one of the silent RES for about a year now. If I'm catching fish on a rattle bait and the bite slows down I can usually pick up some more fish by running it through the same area. They feel the exact same on the retrieve, they just don't rattle.

Raiders can have the West this year but I wouldn't count out my Chiefs, they're as good at losing to teams they should beat as anyone, so the Donkeys still have a chance. Doesn't matter who goes really, they're probably going to get stomped in the first round regardless of who goes. It's pretty said that anyone from the West even gets to send someone as poorly as all teams have played, pretty much the same as last year. Makes me wish we were back when most of the teams in the West were good and the games this time of year really meant something, not just fighting to see who gets to loose in the first round of the playoffs this year.

I've had good luck with their super knot and loved their high impact line for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits but can't ever find it anymore. I like the sonic braid but I go with Seaguar if I'm fishing heavy cover or really clear water.

I got one for Christmas and fished with it a little bit today. Didn't catch anything on it in the 36 degree water but it did feel really nice. It's not quite as smooth as the XT and doesn't feel quite as light but for $50 less it's well worth the money IMO.

Did a google search on the first subject that popped up was SWEPCO lake by Flint Creek power plant. Flint Creek Power Plant and SWEPCO Lake The 528-megawatt, coal-fueled Flint Creek Power Plant has been a mainstay of reliable and affordable power generation in fast-growing Northwest Arkansas for more then 30 years. SWEPCO Lake is popular, in part, for the sport fishing it provides. As water in the man-made 500-acre SWEPCO Lake cools the plant, it stays plenty warm for Florida bass, crappie and other species. This means year-round fishing for area anglers – and an abundant food supply for the magnificent American bald eagles that take up residence each winter.

I wear a cheap pair of White River half finger gloves in all but the coldest weather. If I'm running I have a pack of Jerzee gloves that I wear. If pair gets wet I throw them on the bottom of the boat and grab a dry pair. In real bad weather I have a pair of Glacier Gloves with half thumb and index finger.

It has my attention now that it's on my radar. Never heard of the lake before but if I get ambitious this winter I know a couple guys that are always up for making the drive and trying a new lake.

Hooligan you had me worried. I thought the OP was about the new Pfluegar MGX spinning reel, which I'm set on buying if I don't get one for christmas. I know I always count on you not hiding your feelings about new tackle and I was starting to second guess my decision before I figured out you were talking about the Revo MGX! clayton86-That is a sweet looking reel and I hope you got a good one and it works out for you!

If you don't have one yet you'll love that spinning reel! I bought myself one with money I won from a Wednesday night tournament this summer, best present I've ever gotten myself!

If I was in the same boat I'd want to go with a heavier worm/jig combo. The combo you have now will do most things but would not want use it for plastics or jigs. I'd look at something in the 7+ foot range and MH/F and a highspeed reel like a 7.1. You could easily get a good rod and reel combo like what I described for around $250.

Great fish G! Sure wish I had access to ponds that produced the quality fish you catch consistantly!

Merry Christmas to all of my fellow BR members and thank you so much to the Mods for running such a great site!

That is one of my favorite parts of this forum, nobody on here seems to be trying to hide information or keep a secret to themselves and they are always willing to help. I know I've picked a couple of the jig makers brains and the improvements on last years baits to this years are incredible.

^ What he said. The one thing I will add is about your question on pouring versus buying in bulk. Buying in bulk is cheaper but I like to be able to customize my heads and choose my hook brand and style. The other bonus is, like you, I live in a state where the water is hard for a good portion of the year and pouring and painting my own jigheads keeps me from going crazy during the winter months.

I don't know about the coldwater stuff because we have very few Florida strain largemouth in Kansas. As for the 4" worm scaring a bass when the outboard didn't I've heard a theory that I tend to believe. Bass in most bodies of water hear tons of outboard motor noises but are rarely caught while someone is running an outboard motor. In fact, outboard motor wakes dislodge craws and stir up baitfish so they might even assoiciate the noise with a chance to feed. If they were running a trolling motor though, bass in pressured waters may be somewhat conditioned to the humming of a trolling motor and shut down for a period of time until the humming stops or moves away. I believe that is one of the main reasons that some of the most famous big bass hunters opt either to fish from a small rowboat or anchor on a likely spot and what for a period of time before they even make their first casts. So if that bass had been caught before it might see that small worm as potential danger because of the added trolling motor noise, and that may be why it swam away.

I think you might be right, southern fish seem to go into "winter" mode at a much higher tempature but I also know that rattletraps ripped through weeds and fished through timber is a top producer in a lot of sothern states throughout the winter months along with a slow rolled spinnerbait. In all but the coldest and hottest water temps it has always made sense to me to try a search bait for active fish first and then slow down as needed. That doesn't have to be a crankbait or spinnerbait though, could just be a heavy jig or plastic fished quickly until fish are found and then slow down and work slowly through the area.

I like the smaller Zell Pop in the Ghost color, mine has caught so many fish most of the paint is worn off of it.

55 degree water to me says rattlebaits, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits. At that temp they should have the feedbag on and those baits are some of my favorites for finding them. Once you find them slow down and saturate the area with a jig.