Ratherbfishing

This is like asking, "Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads?"

I SUPPOSE I should be grateful to have the time required to sort out any problems with my boat and gear and to have the resources to do so, however, I reserved a cabin in Wisconsin about 10 months ago and so much time has passed that it's where I almost want it to be over with. I'm a bit of a worrier by nature (obviously) and I've never been to this particular lake/cabin before (which I'm sure hasn't helped) AND I'll be towing my boat 8 hours to get there but I've almost exhausted myself running everything through in my brain a thousand times. Has anyone else ever had this "problem"? Or should I seek professional help? Wait! Don't answer that. Charlie Brown has nothing on me!

You hurt his feelings.

Bass seem to like the Whopper Plopper.

The Panther Martin, under the right conditions, will catch any fish, anywhere.

The Rebel crawdad is a great bait-especially for smallmouth HOWEVER if I had one complaint (which I do), it is that the back hook will inevitably (invariably?) get wedged between the space between the two pincers-usually, I think, during the cast. I DOUBT Rebel (Pradco) will change their bait design for just one person but it drives me batty.

Probably BECAUSE they were indestructible.

You exercised great restraint! I haven't ever gotten physical with people but I believe he'd lean what I thought of his behavior on that deal. I haven't had many major violations from fishermen (mostly from jet skiers and power boaters) but the one thing that stands out in my mind is people that cut me off and begin fishing a section of water I am clearly moving towards. I'm not talking 500 yards. I'm taking talking 25 yards.

The one fishing personality that lit my fuse was Virgil Ward-though it wasn't confined to bass fishing. I have a couple of friends who were very instrumental in expanding my "repertoire" to include soft plastics. Before I was mostly a "hard bait" fisherman but I've caught a lot more since I've added worms, "flukes", crawdads, and creature baits to the list.

Four: Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. and Ontario.

No hats (that I couldn't recover) but my "atlas" of regional lakes went flying and took a dunking about a month ago. It's difficult to dry out a ream of paper without it molding.

For clear water: Chrome blue For stained water: Chartreuse or, maybe, firetiger As my response indicates, for me there is no one best color. BUT if I were forced to choose one bait in one color, it would be boring old white.

Perhaps my statement was too broad and sweeping BUT borrowing with no idea how it's going to be paid back IS, imo, a real recipe for disaster. Credit can be necessary and it can be used as a tool but it can very easily become a pry bar upside the head.

IF you are able to stave it off, more power to you.

Credit cards are the devils playground. If you have to sell your plasma to live, do that but stay away from credit. It will come back to haunt you for a long long time! Unless you plan to use it for your income, where does a truck figure into your future? Before long, you'll be taking out title loans.

You think this is bad? Just wait until the mere act of livin' makes you hurt.

I picked up a Pflueger president spinning rod/reel which I use for just about everything (when i don't feel like lugging more around). It has been an excellent all-around combo.

Might need to sharpen the hooks a tad

Some spinning reels have a separate screw or fastener to secure the handle in place but with the Pflueger (and many other reels), when you back reel, you are, essentially, doing the "thing" which would normally unscrew the handle. This is normal. About the only way to keep it from unscrewing is by tightening it down snug (don't over-tighten it, though). If it won't "firm up" and you insist upon back reeling, don't buy it.

My two primary gripes with Mepps is that they do tend to tarnish and the squirrel tail (for dressed spinners), if allowed to stay wet very long, will rust out the hooks. (So don't let them remain wet). And, broadly speaking, inline spinners are not very weedless. BUT having said this, they are very good for catching fish of almost all species. Anyone who poo poo's inline spinners is either a "purist", a novice, or a knucklehead.

Unless it's the Pillsbury dough bass. ; )

I expected this post to be the result of an "auto-correct" failure but I looked it up and there really IS a lure with this name. I don't have an answer to your question, though. Just had to comment.

Not often (read as "very rarely") but once a friend and I anchored at a "strategic" spot (where two flooded ditches intersected) and we caught close to 100 bass (we lost count) in almost the same number of casts. Often, if a fish threw the bait (crankbait), if it was still some distance from the boat, another bass would grab it. I've never been physically tired from catching fish (before or since).

Lately I've been letting them swim around awhile so they wear themselves down a bit. Doesn't always work, though.

If a bass is going to impale you with hooks, it is most likely going to be a dink. They get a big old set of trebles in that tiny mouth-forcing you to either hold them by the body or to squeeze your fingers in right next to the hooks. Invariably, they will shake like mad as soon as you do the latter. Had two dinks impale me this evening.