Ratherbfishing

I truly think it's a mistake to restrict oneself to one technique. Yes, you may decide to place jigs higher in your priorities and dedicate more space for them but IMHO a versatile fisherman knows when and how to use a large repertoire of methods and lures and isn't afraid to switch as the situation dictates.

Well, maybe it isn't rocket science but I think your acquaintance will learn it's not a piece of cake either. Maybe you'll get a good price on a slightly used skeeter when he figures this out.

This is incorrect. Plants, in the process of photosynthesis, produce oxygen.

I take mine to the living room. Or the basement. Or wherever I happen to be at the time.

Hate to be a smart aleck but if there is water, it ain't dry. Is the water moving? look for seams, eddies, deep holes, eroded cut banks on outside bends, submerged logs and boulders, etc. Fish early and/or late in the day when the sun isn't overhead.

Who's to say your spot wasn't their spot first? I know it's a pain to have to share public water but what are you going to do about it? So long as they aren't breaking any laws, it's their lake too. You can't paint a big X on the surface and proclaim a spot as yours.

Until very recently, the most (between a friend and me) was 70 bass. But two weekends ago, a different friend and I caught 135 bass and lost around 20 more. I still shake my head in disbelief. It was unbelievable!

Hmm..live the life of a rock star? Being on the road for countless mind rotting hours, days, and probably months. Maybe have meaningless "relations" with some gal you don't even know and will likely never see again. Get stoned. Wake up feeling like crap-if I wake up at all. Is this what you mean? I think I'll pass.

Early last Saturday a buddy and I met to fish our favorite lake. Our expectations were about on par for a hot, bright summer day but this lake is phenomenal at times so you just never know. Anyway, after a little bit of searching, and using our depth finder, we located a spot where two submerged irrigation ditches intersect and we dropped anchor there. We pulled in over 40 bass just in the morning alone. After a break from the heat and getting some lunch, we went back out and tried to relocate our spot. I'd forgotten to bring my GPS and finding it was difficult because the wind had picked up and the waves obscured the emergent weeds we'd hoped to use as markers. But it was, perhaps, for the best because we found an even better spot. The bass were so stacked that for a spell we were hooking one on each cast. If a bass shook off, if we continued to retrieve, sometimes another bass would jump on our lures. All said, we caught at least 135 bass with another 25 or so that came off. Only a few were smaller than a pound and a half and my buddy caught one which was just shy of 20 inches. If you want to know the location of this lake, I'll tell you that it's somewhere in Illinois. : )

Yes, you should keep some of the other fish (and a few of the bass too). They are outcompeting each other. I have the same problem in one of the ponds I fish and the next few times I'm out, I'm bringing a stringer.

Will this trick work for Berkley Powerbaits?

Growing up on a farm miles from any neighbors with kids, finding a friend to fish with was rarer than hen's teeth. My dad used to occassionally take me and my seven siblings fishing but he died when I was 11 so that ended that. While I could've probably begged my brother to go, I think I enjoyed an activity which was purely, uniquely my own (having to share just about everything else) so I didn't try. It's difficult to connect with like-minded people, sometimes but maybe you can ask your folks to help. Even if they can't or won't find the time to actually fish with you, maybe they can hook you up with someone who can.

I'm sure your mentioning the price of your equipment was to add emphasis to your level of frustration but if not, rest assured that two thousand dollars worth of equipment won't produce more fish. My first piece of advice is this-go where there are fish. Avoid heavily trafficked public lakes. If possible, begin with smaller private bodies of waters that aren't heavily fished. It will be easier to locate bass and get them to bite. Second, bass love structure and cover. If you find vegitation, bass aren't far away. Look for submerged stumps and trees, weed edges, boulders, etc. Third, use soft plastics. And fish them slowly in the areas described above. Fourth, don't give up!

What! You mean my 29 lb largemouth bass may have weighed less?!!! I'll sue!!!!

I like to keep my damaged plastics strewn randomly about the bottom of the boat until eventually I reach a state of acceptance and dispose of them. Perhaps in the "old days" it would be easy to recycle soft plastics but with all the different colors, formulas, scents, etc. I don't know how feasible it is. But good luck to you.

Two hours isn't enough time to throw in the towel. I've had lots of days where it's taken over that amount of time to locate catchable fish. One of my favorite lakes (where a buddy and me have caught over 60 bass a day), things usually don't start picking up until early afternoon and if we gave up before then, we would've missed out on some outstanding fishing. So I just keep trudging along until one of several things happen-either I find some catchable bass or the bass start biting or both. If, however, after many hours of unproductive fishing, I might pull out my fly rod and chase some bluegill for awhile.

Last night there was a Tornado sighted on the West side of my town. The sirens sounded for about a minute and then stopped. Then a few minutes later they sounded again. This went on for about 15 minutes. Same storm, same threat-so why did they shut them off at all? I commented this to my supervisor today and she said the city of Urbana turns them on and off, alternately. Presumably, you're supposed to know this and not just assume everything is all clear. That's rather stupid. I'm from here and I didn't know. Had I not been watching the weather, I might have thought the threat was past. What if you're not from this area? Or if you just came up from a basement where you couldn't hear the siren before. I realize this is a slightly different scenario than the one described (over using the siren) but I just had to vent.

If you ( a person) finds a rod unsatisfactory after one or two tries and you've treated the rod well, I don't see any issue in returning it. But don't lie and say it was never used or that it was a gift. Sometimes you just have to "eat" a bad purchase rather than making someone else eat it.

Thanks by I'm good. It matters little to me what my "status" or count is so I'll just start fresh.

Hey folks, For those of you who care (a small group to be sure), I've been away for a little while and am returning with a new name. No I wasn't banned before! When the site was revamped, and with me being technologically challenged, I could never get my old username/password to work so eventually I gave up trying. But here I am-the new and improved me! My old name was farmpond1. Now I'm Ratherbfishing. As I have this new name, it may take a little while for you to discern that I haven't any idea what I'm talking about most of the time. But you'll realize this soon enough. Anyway, when I get back on photobucket, I'll try to post my old picture. Haven't time right now. This has been a wacky spring weather-wise (cold one week and 90 degrees the next) but all in all, I can't complain about the fishing. Some nice bass and crappie and even a few catfish have said "hello" (and "goodbye"-I let them all go). Hope you are all doing well, too. ciao' Ratherbfishing (aka farmpond1)