K_Mac

I'm glad you're on the mend. Be patient with your progress. I wish you all the best Clayton.

Looking45 if you are not shocked and amazed by some of the people of Walmart, maybe you are one the people being photographed! As I get older I am less and less concerned about what I wear to Walmart (or any other place). I do draw the line at women's lingerie though!

Thanks for sharing. It takes me back several years to when my father passed. He was a couple of years older than yours. He was also a WW II vet. I look at your picture and see me and my pop circa 1959. One of my favorite memories is of fishing with my dad a few years before he passed. We fished a powerplant lake that had a good population of bass. It was a perfect day. My dad caught several bass in the 15-17" range. Trying to convince him that they had to be 18" to keep was fun. He came from a generation where releasing anything with that much meat on it was unthinkable. I finally had to tell him we could buy a lot of fish on the way home for what it would cost to keep illegal fish! I would give much to go fishing with him or my brother who has also been gone for several years. Your advice about taking the time with loved ones is painfully true. Thanks for the reminder. I'm sorry for your loss.

I loved the first half. I wish the Georgia could have pulled it off, but Alabama found a way to win it. That is what great teams do. Changing QBs midstream was a gutsy call. Can you imagine the outrage if Georgia would have won it because of mistakes by the freshman?

You must be a prophet Sam. A facemask call that wasn't made gave Alabama the ball.... Now it's a brand new game.

Roadwarrior is it wrong for me to hope Georgia shuts out Alabama and beats them by 35? 13-0 at the half! That's a good start.

I haven't been around much for a while either. Life happens. I'm very sorry for your loss my friend.

Merry Christmas to you Raul. I hope you enjoy your time with family and friends.

My condolences to his friends and family. He was one of the guys who's advice and opinion I always valued. He will certainly be missed here.

Good to see you Hootie! I have fallen out of a boat more than once and decorated more than a few trees so I can't hold it against him. I would question why you're giving him your tackle to throw in trees, but I've done that too... welcome back!

WRB, I don't think a new bass fisherman needs high-end gear to be effective. I don't think an expert needs it either. Today's rods, reels, and lines are extremely good at almost all levels. I do think mid-level gear is often a better value than entry-level gear in performance and durability. With that said, some of today's high-end rods are amazing in weight and sensitivity in my opinion. They are outside of my budget, but I generally hold my own with my more budget friendly stuff. Some of the better rods are a joy to use and make a long day on the water more enjoyable. It's hard to put a price on that. I agree with Team9nine that sensitivity is a quantifiable measurement. I also agree with Catt that there are folks who can't tell the difference in an old glass rod and a new quality graphite one, other than they might notice one is a little heavier than the other. For those folks, one rod is as good as any other.

No, not everyone is using braid or fluorocarbon. I hate braid and don't use it much. I like fluorocarbon for many applications, but many don't. There's many different monofilaments and hybrids available, some already mentioned. Part of the fun of fishing is experimenting with different equipment and tackle in my opinion. Enjoy the process!

Without question the trolling motor. With a little use you won't know how you got by without it.

Anyone who fishes very long loses an occasional good fish. I lost a real monster a few years ago in a local lake. I tell the story every time I fish there to partners who have heard the story many times. My wife was with me and will verify my story, but it has taken on mythic size over the years and I get a lot of joy telling the story! Like yours mine may have been the biggest in the lake. Knowing the lake has the ability to support one monster increases the chance of others, and helps me focus on finding them. You know where it lives. Good luck.

I have found that it is hard to distinguish idiot fishermen based on how or where they are fishing. Heaven knows there are an alarming number both on the bank and fishing from bass boats. Fortunately the idiots are out numbered in most places. I like the corrallary to .ghoti.'s maxim: argue with a fool and you're liable to act like one.

I will not try to school you. I don't think your definition is completely accurate though. I am not interested enough to try to get a textbook definition of schooling, but I can tell you that bass sometimes gather in large groups that seem to have little interest in feeding.

I like the pronunciation GY uses off camera: Money!

dan94, your question has been answered several times. Bass can grow and prosper in a weed choked body of water. Is there bass in your lake? We can't answer that, and neither can you without putting in the work.

Happy belated birthday my friend. I hope you make that third trip!

I'm with J Franco. You have to find the breaklines, pockets, structure and bottom contour that give bass the ability to ambush prey and move depending on conditions. This will take time and work, but there is nothing in bass fishing like the thrill of, "epic, hand to hand combat," with a big bass on a short line in very heavy cover. Being able to visualize what is below the surface and how that relates to bass on any given day is what separates really good fishermen from the all rest. The best fishermen I know can do this pretty well...only after countless hours on the water. Be patient and enjoy the process! Good luck.

I don't know about using it as a leader. I do know that using fluorocarbon for walking baits is a bad idea. It will ruin the action.

It has never occurred to me to take a picture of a backlash. We all know what they look like! I have had my share over the years. As noted here, the really epic ones usually happen when you catch something during the cast or hit something with the lure unexpectedly. I haven't recently had one of those where you try to muscle a few extra yards, but they also can be quite impressive. One of the reasons I only use 100 yards, more or less, of line with backing on my reels is when I get a serious backlash I reach for a pair of scissors. Even if you can get your wife to straighten out the mess, it is good bet that some kinking will happen, especially with fluorocarbon. A bird'snest with braid is one of the reasons I rarely use it. With experience these calamities happen less frequently. On the positive side, they provide justification for multiple rigs. You never know when disaster will strike and spending time picking or re-spooling when the fish are biting is poor use of time in my opinion.

AJ you are right that repeating in the NHL is nearly impossible. The league has created a system that makes parity the primary objective. Pittsburgh did it in spite of long odds. They are worthy champions. I would rather the league focus more on a quality product than making sure the difference between worst and best is so small. It dimishes the product. They could start with officiating. With hockey on view for the world to see, the lack of clear definition of the rules, inconsistency of enforcement, and complete disregard for conduct unbecoming is frustrating. I love the game and think played well it is the best of all the team sports. I also know that the NHL is the top of the heap. I'm just not sure that it can compete without some real changes.

You certainly won't get any argument there! As others have said, the OP wants to know how you will do with the limited choice given. A trickworm/shakyhead combo is one of my favorite techniques, so my confidence is high! Of course, that may not be the best technique for the conditions, but you're not limited in the choice of rod, reel, line, or jigs used. Even with high-end gear in this scenario there is no guarantee you won't be beaten by someone with greater knowledge of the body of water (or just luckier) being fished, whether he has high quality gear or not. Yes, high-end gear and the proper terminal tackle can make a good fisherman better. Now, how are you gonna do with a handful of trickworms?

I think the point of the question is if you had to choose one, knowledge of bass and their habits is better than a new boat filled with tackle. You certainly don't need high-end gear to catch fish. Yes, with knowledge and experience we learn different techniques and the best gear for those techniques.. No one is saying having the right gear is not an advantage. It certainly adds to the pleasure for most of us. I can (and have) catch fish with Walmart gear from my old tin boat or with high-end gear from a shiny new 20' bass boat with 250 hp. Why? My knowledge of bass and my experience catching them. You can't buy that.