Mitch G.

Haven't been able to get out too much this season and last due to work related injury that has really put a damper on my life.....dealing with workmans compensation has been nothing short of a nightmare......in the few trips I have been out this year, I just try to make them count...

Took advantage of this beautiful 60 degree weather day ........Within 30 minutes I caught my first bass of the year .Got 2 more later on but nothing decent........Funny, tomorrow I'll be ice fishing upstate NY at White Lake King of the Lake Tournament.....they have 10" of solid ice as of this afternoon....crazy.....Hey it just felt good to be out there today....it's been awhile since I fished last........FISH ON!!!

Just a quick follow up from my original post.....got out today and used the rod/reel combo I mentioned originally.....Tied on and threaded line through all guides and seems to be fine all day......I must have missed a guide last time.....all's good now and got a bunch of smallmouth on that combo as a bonus....thanks again for all your suggestions regarding this....FISH ON everyone!!

I'll be out this weekend and will see if any of these suggestions fixed it......I retied and made sure I passed through every guide and dropped a bait down off my balcony(I'm on the 5th floor up) and when I reeled in it felt 100% better........Hopefully it was that easy and thanks again for all your suggestions....FISH ON!!!

Thanks guys.....will check when I get home from work...getting older...my eyes are getting bad maybe...thanks again

Been using my Smokes for a few years now with minor or no issues.....One particular reel is giving me a problem and trying to pinpoint the cause/issue.....Spooled up w/ 10# flouro on a St Croix Rod,.......after I cast and start to reel in, any speed retrieve, the reel is very difficult to reel in line....at first I thought I either have major line twist so I let out 3/4 of the spool as we cruised out to a spot on the lake, closed my bail and let the line uncurl.........that didn't seem to fis the issue.....next I thought, maybe I overspooled...nope that wasn't an issue either......this only happens when I am reeling in a lure/any bait.......even a senko......so I cut the bait off and reeled in all the line and clipped the line end to the spool clip and spun the reel and it feels great, spins nice and long, and smooth....seems only when a lure if attatched and i reel in.....I'm gonna check my rod guides for a possible crack.....but I am aggravated trying to find the cause of this....reel is oiled and greased recently and it was done correctly so it can't be that either....anyone have any suggestions what may be the cause and any solutions?.......happens only on this particular Smoke(I have 10 of them).......no smart a$$ comments please regarding Quantum...thank you

Thanks guys...It was alot of fun........It really was a fun afternoon and was a great way to give back to the sport......a lot of the kids who were there today don't get that opportunity to even experience something this cool, and most of them never went fishing before today....I know speaking with a lot of their parents, that there was a good majority who will be making a trip to a sporting good store and buying some fishing rods in the future...It's always a good thing to give back......we all had a great time helping out.....there is no better feeling in the world than to make a kid happy and some of these kids who never casted before were naturals(the girls too!!!)......I think all the kids involved and their parents, the sponsors, and everyone who volunteered can agree this was a successful day!!..Thank you for your kind comments.

This weeks fish.......we had a slow week or so for this time of the year.......weather in New jersey overnight has been anywhere berween 58-64 degrees...there is no topwater bite and little weedbeds still as of yet....Any other year it's usually on in early May....hoping things change soon as a 6-9 fish day is tough after putting alot of time on the water......thanks for looking fellas.... Did an event in New york City with Mike Iaconelli and a few others last weekend......It was to promote Casting for Kids, an event aimed at getting kids from NYC who rarely get the opportunity many of us suburban bassers get.....Had a lot of fun that day and i made bassmaster.com online page Went out a bunch of times after then and here's the roundup of best fish of the week My buddy w/ a nice one Went out for a night trip and got a decent chunk on a senko Me and my buddy Dan placed 3rd in our first tournament of the season...that's always a good feeling to cash a check finally finished off a long weekend Monday morning with a few decent ones And of course after all that fishing, i needed a quick power nap so took one while on the water...lol

Had an okay week this past few days...mix of Bronze and Green.......no giants still...this year has been a weird one, that's for sure.....Here's a few...most caught on plastics on or near the bottom..... Last day of the beard...but growing it back as of now...lol Freshly shaven for my Bday last Sunday.... Birthday Rock Bass!! I volunteered to assist at a fishing outing for the disabled last Saturday...The look on everyones faces was priceless when they caught fish....that day was my catch of the year so far in 2015

That's a St. Croix Avid 6'3" MXF spinning rod paired up with a Quantum Smoke SL25 with 8# flourocarbon.....I LOVE that rod......

The week or so in review.... My buddy Brad with Mr. Waldo In the midst of this nice weather streak as of late, it was 45 degrees this particular afternoon we were out... Brad with a nice Sammy!! We saw Mr. Bear swimming out in the middle of the lake another day Rocky Balboa made an appearance..caught on a chatterbait.....those things are CRAZY!!!.....LOL Walleye Chunks ready for the deep fryer...MMmmmmmmm

I appreciate everyone's comments so far.......I mean I kinda knew it wasn'tt user(my) error in casting and I maybe thought it was a nick in my guides or reel, but I think it's gotta be an issue with the flouro pinching down and weakness if I get a backlash........you all have been very helpful and I thank you!!!...FISH ON GUYS!!!! I got this bruiser 2 weeks ago on a LC deep diving jerkbait here in NJ......

I seem to having ongoing issues with my baitcasting reels/rods the past year or so....Randomly throughout the year, on the cast, my lure goes flying along with maybe 20-30 yards of line...it seems to snap or just break for no reason........it's happenned several times the past maybe two years on differant reel/rod combinations...........I use InvisX 12# flouro usually...I checked my rod guides to see if there is a nick or something that may be causing this and nothing...I also checked my reel guide(the hole the line goes through) to see if there is something there but nothing either....It really has been getting under my skin because it happens often enough and line is not cheap.....ihas anyone else had this happen............I thought maybe from a backlash from casting into the wind and the line pinching down while trying to undo it MAY cause this.....that could be but I don't backlash often.........any input would be appreciated because this is driving me nuts

I was out on New Years day also in New Jersey but only could get 6 perch......but still started the new year off w/ a bang!!!..air temps were 35 degrees w/ strong wind and water was 27 degrees........Good stuff and nice smallmouth!!!!

Thanks Heavy Fisher....WOW that is some monster in your avatar picture........

Thanks guys....So far so good this season.......FISH ON everyone!!!!

Nice bass!!!!!

Awesome gentlemen!!!....GREAT JOB!!!

Haven't made a report in awhile so I'm gonna combine a bunch of trips all in one.....Just gonna post pics of some nice ones I caught since ice out......most caught on the usual spring baits including jerkbaits,husky jerks and jigs.......We had a very cold winter here in NJ and alot of snow and ice.....fish just finished first wave of spawning a few days ago.....Usually 80 degrees, weedy, and fishing in shorts and t shirts at this point, but not the case.....here's a wrap up of some spring bass....Thanks for looking...... First open water nice smallmouth of the year First Hybrid of the year(caught 13 that day)....actually this was the very first ever for me.....never caught one...they fight harder than any freshwater fish I have caught in my life..... Nice 4.8# First Walleye of the Year Nice bronze! 4.6# Larry

Nice one and congrats!!!

Way to stick em but good.....

Thank you everyone for your support and comments.......Wishing everyone a great year in 2014!!!