Raider Nation Fisher

Went out to my usual pond to fish after work yesterday, and fricking wow. I saw no less than eight water mocassins swimming near the banks over the course of my fishing. They ranged in size from about eighteen inches to three foot. I disposed of the two three footers with a load .44 magnum snake shot. The others I couldn't get clear shots at and didn't want the police coming out there. Now here's the fun part. I hooked a eighteen incher (snake) through the side on a rattle trap. First time I have ever caught a snake before. I telll you what those things fight like all Heck. Killed it with my machette once he got to shore. Hopefully the others will stay hidden from now on. Then again they might gang up on me and attack me.

That is hysterical. I just lol'd when I read that. I needed a good laugh today.

The majority of my fishing is done from the bank. So I try an be curtious to the bank fishers when I'm in a boat. On one lake I fish a lot, bank and boat, I've found the magic spot. However the only way to get in and out of it is through a feeder creek with a bridge over it. And bank fishers line the area under the bridge and adjacent to it. Id say 90 some odd percent of them are crappie or catfishing. I have found if you troll up about twenty yards from them and ask if u can troll past, they will almost always guide you past their lines or reel in until you pass by. Courtesy goes a long way. However if someone starts crowding in on me when I'm fishing I find that slowing way down and crossing their line generally sends them on their way.

On Sunday I spooled one of my reels up with this line. Holy crappie dude. I could feel every blade of grass and twig my crankbaits was hitting yesterday. Does line really make a rod that much more sensitive? I mean I've always had great sensitivity on my carbonlite, but this was completely new to me. I ususally use seaugar florou, spiderwire stealth, or spiderwire camo. I'm completely blown away by this.

After doctoring the tails on the salleemander I had great luck with them. They worked amazingly. Haven't tried Amy of the other f2 stuff yet.

I like the PQ I fish it a ton. Its a good reel for the 80 bucks. I've played around with the H20 reels a good bit in the stores. They seem like pretty decent reels. I just haven't gotten around to getting one yet though. I think either one of them would be worth the money. Between the two though I would go with the PQ.

Your gonna like that rod. I have three of them. Wish I had only paid 94 for them.

LVLDVL you are correct jigs are not my goto lures. I prefer plastics for pitching in the shallows. But I want to try an be versatile and figure I need to learn them. Thanks for the advice on the hookset. The jig is a half ounce Revenge jig. Also my line is fifty lb spider wire braid. I'm starting to think it was my hook set that was the problem. I caught three five lbers and a seven lber yesterday on the same rod and same jig. The video posted above was a huge help. Thanks for all the help fellas. I really appreciate it.

I've started using a new rod on the pond I usually fish. Yesterday I decided to try my luck at jigs again. Never used them on this rod before. I caught a couple two and a half pounders no problem. However a huge female hit and slipped the hook about a foot from shore. Ol girl had to be at least eight pounds, she was huge. Had the same thing happen three more times with her. What am I doing wrong here? Could the rod be the problem? Its a 6'9" carbonlite med. heavy extra fast. I'm just completely at a loss here for what went wrong.

I use frogs and buzz baits on and around the lily pads. Fish em through the pads and along the edges.

Anyone here familliar with fishing the Cahaba River around the Jefferson and shelby county area? My buddy has talked me into trying river fishing and I'm curious about this river.

That's my feeling on it.

I know the feeling. My best advice is just to stay focused and level headed. An old man, who happens to be my fishing partner, told me fishing for money took the fun out of fishing for him. As I told him, don't think about the money or even placing. Just fish like you do when we are hanging out at the lake. Its hard not to focus on the tourney,but if you don't it seems things always go better. Fishing is supposed to be fun. Thats my advice for ya. However you are right. Putting all that work and effort into something and then having it be for not is rotten as Heck. Its happened to me a bunch.

About a year ago I was fishing a lake in my kayak. And a boat swamped me and tossed me out of said kayak. My pfd was sitting in my lap and floated off. Heck I'm a good swimmer, but after thirty minutes of treading water, I Was worn out. Never again will my pfd not be on me when I'm in or on a boat. Don't make my mistake always wear one.

I gotta throw a wacky or T rigged senko at 'em. Followed by a tube or a salleemander. Me and jigs just don't get along right now.

I love fishing frogs. I have better luck with them then all my other top water baits.

I second that. The new look is amazing. Glenn you did an amazing job. Thanks for all your hardwork, in making this one of the best bass fishing sites on the interweb.

Unfortunately no. I had to have a second because it is a team tournament. I even tried to get someone to just sit in the boat with me while I fished it. And they wouldn't let me enter my two year old as my partner. Granted I would have been watching him more then actually fishing. But that's how desperate I was. Heck I even asked if I could enter my dog. She has caught a fish before. To this I was told that it has to be a human partner, regardless of how good a fisher my dog is.

The beaver lodges generally hold fish. Plus by telling trees into the pond they add lots off structure for the fish to hang out at.

So I've been practicing for these Friday night tournaments at Lake Purdy since October. The sheer excitement of them finally being here was unbearable. All week I had been making the mental preparations to fish this competition. My usual partner had to work and wouldn't be able to fish it with me. He had told me this two weeks in advance. Thursday night, the evening prior to the tourney, my brother in law, who happens to be my back up partner for these tournaments, calls me up and bails on me. He tells me He has a paper due in one of hiatus classes and can't fish with me. WTH he has known about this for the two weeks since he agreed to fish this with me. I completely flipped on him and basically told him he will never fish competitively with me again. Couldn't find anyone else to fish with in under 24 hours notice and missed the tournament. Thank God my regular partner will be back with me this week. Hopefully we can dominate the rest of the tournaments to make up for this last crummy week.

I would have lost it too. I mean there is no excuse for that. Leash laws are there for a reason. I had a cop pin my old rott against my garage with a gun drawn on it, after it had jumped the fence. He said she was being vicious after he cornered her. I got fined for her not being on a leash. Granted it was hysterical reading about it. Still that's a rotten way to start the year.

X2 I personally feel that this is like body building or dietary supplements. There is always some amazing new product on the market. That will revolutionize the sport. However the ones that actually work get banned, IE Andro and Tbombs. If this did all it claims to do I don't think it will be tournament legal for long.In no way am I saying this device doesn't work. I'm just saying I don't think its all its being hyped up to be.

You are correct and I am very thankful to have that pond this close to me. And my update for today at said pond. The bass were hitting buzz baits this afternoon. Had twenty some odd hits today and landed two @ one pound and one pound three ounces. I also caught nine more sunfish with my crankbaits. ;D

Last I heard the water level was high as all get out. My grandparents inlaws live there and said their yard has been under water for a week now. That was last Friday that they told me this.

Returned to a pond I haven't fished in a few years due to lack of luck. Its about 4-5 acres maybe a little bigger. Everyone has always told me that there are some monster bass in this pond. Half the shoreline is public the other half is private. The company that owns the private side has finally opened their side up for public use as long as all trash is taken away with the fisherman. My company is doing construction on a different plant owned by said company. So I've had permission for a while and this hasn't affected me. Anyway after a few years of learning and reading I decided to give the pond a try again. It is heavily fished by other locals and seems like a challenge. My first day out I caught three four #rs and five between one and two #s. ;D The man about a hundred yards down from me caught an eight and eleven #er. I might also add that the majority of the locals catch crappie, various bream, and catfish. If the do catch a bass if its over three #s they usually throw them back. Now for the peculiar part of the story. I caught six bream ranging from half a # to one # four ozs. on rattle traps and crank baits. :-? The rattle trap was 1/2 oz and about three in. in length. The crank was a three incher that dives to ten ft. What in the world is up with these vicious bream. I mean half of them were smaller then the lures.