Ratherbfishing

Caught a nice bass yesterday. (A REALLY nice for me). It was 22 inches long but I have no idea whatsoever what the girth was. It was neither a steroid freak nor anorexic-just a good solid fish (unlike my last 22 incher that was all head). What would a good approximation for a bass fitting this description be? (in girth or in actual weight)?

I don't understand. you culled a 2 lber BEFORE culling a 1.5 lber? Taking a time out can definitely change your outlook and your pace. When I'm fishing and things are slow, I stop, have snack and a drink and then imagine that I've JUST gotten on the lake. It doesn't always help but often it gets me back on track and helps me hunker down again.

I know, right?!

You are all going to think I have lobsters crawling out of my ears but Field & Stream has "buy two or more shadow raps and pay $6.00 each" and I picked two up and.....a few minutes later PUT THEM BACK! Can you believe it?!! Next thing you know, I might start eating sensibly and exercising!

Just how hot of water are we talking? Boiling hot? I wouldn't try it. I imagine warm water will soften line but only temporarily. While fresh water should not damage the reel parts, it CAN wash away oil and grease so, unless you plan to re-grease and re-oil the reel, remove the spool first (just be sure no washers or gears "tag along" and get lost in the process). But, really, I think there are probably better ways of addressing line memory and line twist. On a side note, I once had a reasonably pricey reel that was notorious for twisting line. I don't know what caused it because it LOOKED and acted like a good reel in every other respect. The line roller turned smoothly and I found no obvious defects but it just torturous on line. Forgetting the headaches, it was just going to be expensive to constantly replace line so I just got rid of it.

I looked at it again last night. It was dark in the room but it appears that the only guide that is ceramic is the one closest to the reel. The rest, including the tip, were metal. I'm 99.9 percent sure that the ceramic part had not come off the tip (though I've had that happen before).

Looks "cricketesque" to me. The great thing about flies (and many other lures) is that they usually only have to give the impression of something to work. Scratch that! They usually only have to look like something EDIBLE for it to work.

It is wrong to say "small window of opportunity" but not so incorrect to say "smaller window of opportunity." Conditions (angle of the sun, weather, water clarity, etc) and where the fish are in the water column (time of year, etc) will influence if/when a topwater bait is most appropriate. There will always (or almost always) be some shallow bass but would you rather spend all day catching one or two topwater bass (when it is not suitable) or go deeper (when it's more suitable) to catch 10 or 20 or 30 bass? A friend of mine would toss a jitterbug out in open water at noon on a bright August day and while I didn't argue with him, I was not the least bit surprised when he didn't get bit, either. Oh, the ONE clear exception (I can think of) is fishing through the moss at noon in the summer. That is the one time I can think of where topwater (frogs, mice) can actually do better than other methods.

The average employee and/or website is just going to tell you that something is "out of stock" but can you contact the store manager about it and ask IF/WHEN they are going to order more? If they once carried it, they'll place an order or can at least put you in contact with the parent company. Worth a shot, anyway.

Fish bite for a lot of reasons but if an abundant food source eliminates hunger from the list, you've got a big challenge on your hands. Try to find or fish a bait that looks particularly erratic or injured so that the bass will find your offering easier. If that doesn't work...go elsewhere.

No, it's just the tip guide. The other guides are ceramic but the tip guide was metal. I say "was" because I was successful in removing it last eve. It's a Pflueger rod and it has provided good service otherwise so I'd like to save it. I was not able to locate my spare guides so it looks like a trip to the store.

Having fished for 35+ years, I I still do not fully understand migration and migration routes and finding baitfish is about the same for me as finding their predators. So for a beginner and for starting out, I think that would ALSO be a pretty big task to try to bite off. The best advice I can give you is to learn about structure (changes in the bottom shape) and cover (weeds, rocks, branches, etc) and the nature of the beast (the bass) and LOTS of time on the water. Pay considerably LESS attention when someone tells you about a specific brand of lure or piece of gear to use. There are TONS of lures from TONS of makers that will usually fit the bill.

They are not an "anytime, anywhere" bait BUT when they shine, they really shine. I think they work best in low light or stained water conditions and when fish are in a reactive bite mood. Provided it isn't too thick or clingy, you can fish them in, next to, and over aquatic vegetation and in just about every part of the water column. They have saved my bacon on many occassions and I would feel something was amiss if I did not have a handful of spinnerbaits at my disposal. White, chartreuse, orange, and/or black skirts and blades are USUALLY my go to colors.

Kinda looks like a bullet proof pair of depends. Good to have if some jealous husband comes after you.

My buddy found a used one at a garage sale and gave it to me. It was broken but no great loss since it wouldn't have helped much anyway. And it would have just taken up even MORE space in my boat.

That is ONE way of topping off the water-levels. Just kidding. I would have probably forgotten to let go of the battery and gone down with it.

I guess I'd try to retrace my steps-if not now, in the Spring.

I was surprised to see so MANY grooves. One or two, maybe, but 4 or 5? Crazy man! Anyhow, Yo-zuri hybrid is not a braid and I'm really surprised that it would be so rough BUT after enough use and abrasion on cheap materials and anything is possible. I assume the rubber band and or mini-bungee cord is so you don't have to risk burning your fingers while tugging on the line?

Lately I've been having this dream where I want to fish this canal but there is an apartment complex in the way and it is like a maze trying to pick my way around and through the apartments. I remember cutting through peoples homes in my quest. I never do make it to the canal. It's maddening!

I have fished a Pflueger president rod for about 3 years now and have never used anything besides Yo-zuri line with it. This past weekend I noticed that there are 4 or 5 distinct groves in it. I have heard that braided line can do this to guides but not other types of lines (fluorocarbon, nylon, or hybrids) . Is this common? Anyway, I need to replace the tip with a new guide. Are there any new tips (pun intended) for removing the old tip? I reckon I'll try a lighter to heat it up and pull it off but is this advisable on factory glued tip?

A mushroom walks into a bar. The bartender says, "We don't serve your kind in here!" to which the mushroom replies, "Why not?! I'm a fungi!"

I don't understand your question. Is it that you released it and want to find it and catch it AGAIN? If so, at what time of the year did you catch it last time? A three pound crappie is a mighty big fish. I don't know a LOT about crappie but usually very large examples of most fish tend to be loners and hang around street corners smoking cigarettes.

If it is in a rapid "tap tap tap" fashion, it's probably little bluegill that are peckin' at the tail. The only advice I have is to resist setting the hook on those "feels" and you'll loose fewer baits. You might miss a few bass but probably not many. Bass will take the whole bait in their mouth rather than just grab at the tail (losing a meal is losing a meal, after all). Hence, the "feel" will be different.

This IS your birthday song! It doesn't last too long! Hey!!!!!

TLI (Too Little Information). Fall fronts have less of an impact on fish than Spring and summer fronts do and can sometimes trigger a good bite BUT you have to feel the fish out and see what they tell you. USUALLY I start fast and then slow down and then slow down even more if fast/and or slow isn't working. Why do you want to use topwater? Because you like to? Good enough reason, I suppose, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Once you've determined the fish are active and aggressive I might move to topwater but not until. BUT that is just me. Shad colored is generally always a pretty decent color but you would want to see what the water clarity and/or sky are telling you. Dark water usually means either a dark lure or a bright, neon lure. Dark water and dark sky, for me, suggests a bright, neon color. But again, see what the fish tell you.