Bluebasser86

I guess that just shows how good of a lake Melvern is. I fish almost none of the spots you marked and catch tons of fish. There must just really be that many fish in that lake. I know it's one of my favorites I just wish it was a little closer but I think the distance it is from the major cities is what helps keep it good. Skunked the smallie your dad has in that picture is a nice one and the main reason I keep making the trip down there!

What stream are you going to? I'll be on the Elk next weekend doing the same thing!

I like Gammie superline hooks for almost everything. I've straightened and even broke a couple regular EWG Gammies on hooksets and I'm not a real big guy. I have had not had any problems with the superline hooks though.

I have a couple pairs of Coasta Del Mar sunglasses that I only wear fishing. They make a huge difference on what I can see on the water and my eyes aren't nearly as tired after a day of fishing. I do have a pair of cheap Berkley sunglasses that I wear everywhere else that are alright for fishing but they scratch up and break easy. I wouldn't say you wasted your money, anything is better than nothing, but a good pair of sunglasses are a worthy investment!

I've had several days of catching 100+ fish in a day but most of them were smaller fish. My wife and I did get on a good school of spots with a few largemouth mixed in on Table Rock a couple years ago. We caught fish on every cast for almost an hour straight with most of them being 1-3 pounds and my wife losing a 6+ largemouth at the boat. Still I had one day a few years back in January on a powerplant lake that I only boated 6 largemouth but the smallest was 4 1/2 and the largest was 7lbs 2oz. I'd trade days like that for 100+ fish days with dinks anytime!

I'll have to respectfully disagree with pointing the rod at the fish to give them slack. Never has giving a jumping bass slack line turned out well for me. Slack line will just allow the hook to flop around even more and possibly create an even bigger hole for the hook to fall out. When they're trying to jump about the best thing to do is bury the rod in the water to try to keep their head down. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Also you're fishing light line so make sure your hooks are extra sharp to help dig in. Big bass have pretty tough mouths and sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you set the hook or how sharp your hooks are they aren't going to penetrate to the barb and you'll loose them. I hate loosing big fish as much as the next guy but it's something that is going to happen if you fish enough. Don't let it crush you and ruin your day but let it be a lesson on how to fight the next one! If you do the same thing over and over and keep loosing fish then you should be trying something different!

It's been in the mid 90's-100's for the last couple weeks and fishing has suffered. It's hard to stay out all day because the heat index has been over 110 for most of that time. I wish I could get out and night fish but I work nights so I'm stuck with nothing but days to fish!

I have the 6' 8" "wacky style" mojo and I really liked the rod but after owning it just over a year two of the guide bent and broke in as many days. I'm hard on my gear I know but nothing that that rod went through should have broken any guides. Luckily I won the tournament I was in the second of those two days so I went the next day and got a new LTB 6' 8" "finesse" that feels great and has much better guides. I have not used the Veritas but I have held a couple of them and they feel very light and seem like they are a good quality rod.

About the most important thing for fishing them around here is finding baitfish. Once you find them you drop the spoon through the school of bait and try various jigging retrieves to see what works. If you're good at reading a graph and have one good enough to follow your bait you can watch your spoon on the graph and watch fish swim up to the bait. This is really helpful and determining what jigging candence they want that day. I've caught fish casting them but that's usually to fish schooling on the surface. I've also used them for jigging under deep docks in the summer instead of a jig or dropshot. Fish almost always catch it on the fall so make sure it falls on a semi-slack line so you can feel the tick and keep track of how far it falls so if it stops short you can set the hook. I like braid with a floro leader because it really helps set the hook on a fish that might be 60-80 feet down.

I like the Pitboss in big texan and green weenie (purplish/greenish color) with the tip dipped in chart dye, that color imitates the juvenile bluegills around here perfectly. I also like the Fatty craw in black red flake but I don't fish it in as heavy of cover because it doesn't seem to get through it very well.

Livebait is about your only option if you're wanting to fish a hook and bobber. Catch a baitfish about 3-6 inches long (check local regulations to find out what can be used for bait) hook it through the nostrils or the back just behind the dorsal fin. Cast it out and wait for a bass to find it.

I would think you would have to use steel or other non-toxic shot if you were going to do that. You could make the arguement that someone might get shot but really it would be kind of like pheasant hunting, just have to know where everyone is at and stay alert of what's behind your target. I've thought of doing it on the Missouri river before because they are thick behind the wing dams but don't think it's legal in Kansas and where I'd be doing it is right along Ft.Leavenworth, don't need to be making them think I'm popping off shots at buildings inside the fort!

Wow that deer of yours has a crazy rack on it! He must use that area a lot to have that many pictures of him too. I do have one more picture of that buck with his head down on the mineral block. He doesn't look quite as big because his rack is a little obstructed by the poison ivy vines. The thing that really kills me is that my stand is directly to the left of him in this picture, 13 yards away from the base of the big hedge tree my stand is in. He would be at a very slight quartering away angle right here. There is another buck that I think is his twin but his rack is clean without all the stickers, same size though. I don't think this buck is very old from looking at him. He looks very healthy, especially for it being at the end of the rut when he should be in his worst condition of the year. My stand sits in a hedgerow where several major deer trails converge. Problem is there isn't much keeping them on the property so I'm really just hoping that I'm there when they decide to move to or from a feeding or bedding area. Here's a picure of how open it is, nothing but bean field and some tall grass and the hedgerows. http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/Trailcam%20pictures/DSC_0017.jpg

My truck wasn't moving but I pulled up to our mailbox to get the mail one day and I guess there must have been a hole in the thing because a hornet had gotten in there and built a nest. So I reached in to get the mail and along with grabbing the mail I grabbed the dang hornet and it procceded to sting the crap out of the palm of my hand. I leave the mailbox open for a minute before reaching in since that experience.

What exactly does a guy do to deserve that?? I'm just curious so I don't do it!

How was the guide broken? Is the insert knocked out or was the entire guide snapped off? If the insert is knocked out you can simply remove the guide by CAREFULLY heating the epoxy finish and removing the guide. This can also be done if the guide was snapped off but it is a little harder. Personally I'm with SirSnookalot, it only takes a couple days for someone who is good at it to fix it and it isn't that expensive. Whatever fishing you do while it's being repaired just take the time to try to learn a new technique

I pour my own and also use the Pro slider heads. I fish a lot of Zoom Trick worms and centipedes but have caught fish on about every kind of soft plastic. It is a technique that you should learn for sure because it will catch fish in most situations.

I use a digital Cabela's scale. Seems fairly accurate and I've had it for a couple years with no problems. It was only $20 so if it only lasts a couple years it's not really a big deal.

Going to be putting a camera out and checking on the stands tomorrow. I'm really hoping to see this guy during the day this year. He snuck in on me last year and I never got a shot, still have nightmares.

Was it a ground hog or praire dog? Praire dogs will blow up pretty bad when you shoot them with a fast, flat shooting bullet and might be what you're thinking about. Ground hogs are pretty good sized, at least around here they're bigger than a rabbit, and they absorb the shock of a bullet pretty good and sometimes take more than one shot with a smaller round. Praire dogs are only about the size of squirrel so if you hit them center mass there is really nothing to absorb all that energy so they just blow up.

I like duck hunting but I've never been any good at calling them. I've only ever had luck with one duck call and it goes something like this "AFLAC!!" Only seems to work on the ducks at the park though and they get mad when you start shooting at those ones.

I've heard of it but can't think of what it is off the top of my head right now. I was having some intestinal problems a year ago and that was one of the things they threw out there for me. Good luck man hope you get better soon!

I have heard the PQ is extremely difficult to take apart and get it back together again. Not that you would be out much since you found the reel but getting a good reel for $30 I don't see where you would go wrong and it would save you the headache of trying to put it back together.

The sharpie idea does work. I've colored spinnerbait and buzzbait blades with sharpies when I didn't have the exact bait I wanted and it works and the fish don't seem to notice any smell of the marker.

The two are really hard to compare because they are completely different baits. Spinnerbaits are a better option for covering water, pulling fish out of heavy cover, in dirty water, or when fish are aggressive. Senkos are a better option for getting down into cover, clear water, inactive fish, fishing slowly, cold water, and sight fishing. Each of them have other uses and what I've listed is when they usually work better but it is not always the case. Best thing is to try each and let the fish tell you what they want.