grumpydog

Trailer hook? Stanley makes a double trailer hook that I use if conditions allow. Especially if short strikers are pulling the legs off my ribbit

I have been practice casting in my yard for 2 weeks, and have 3 more to go befor Dr will let me fish. I have not had the first hit, much less caught anything, in my yard. I do have the chance to catch a pb on my very first cast when I get back to the lake. If you dont go, you dont know.

Recouperating from surgery, dr says cant fish for another 3 weeks. So...I'm spending my time on forums reading old posts and making notes of stuff to try when I can get back out. When I get really depressed, I switch to youtube and watch topwater blowups for awhile. That usually mellows me out.

Try bartering? I will mow your yard, detail your car, etc for cash and/or unused fishing equipment. You would be surprised at how much "stuff" people have in closets, cabinets, garages just taking up room. Uh, by the way...youre not clost to Toledo Bend, are you. My truck needs washing. Bad!

I told my wife that I would quit buying reels if she would quit buying purses. She hasn't given me an answer yet. (Been 2 years)

I inherited my Dads tackle box a couple years ago. It sat on the mantle at the lake, unopened, for a year. On the anniversary of his passing, my wife and I took it down and went through the contents. We had a blast, me telling stories about the different lures, and her picking the ones she wanted to put in her bag. She took three Mepps, dont know what size. The first time she tied one on she caught an 8 lb 4 oz blue cat. Then 2 good bass, before hanging up and losing the lure. She wont use the other two.

Hitting aside...one of the best players, and quite possibly the best person to play the game. Never saw any indication that he lost control of his emotions over anything. Players today could learn from his example. His players are better for having been around him. You do not read about them in a negative light. We will miss him

I have been fishing a bass raider on toledo bend for years. At directboats.com I bought an aluminum oar bracket that mounts to the seat bracket. It has oar lock holes on each end so I can row like a regular rowboat, just not as fast. Saves battery, and is easier than one paddle if the battery doesnt last all day. Works for me.

Just had surgery so I cant go fishing, or do much of anything else, for 4-6 weeks. What makes it worse is that I just got a shipment of lures, 2 new rods, and my favorite reel back from the shop. The squirrels are educated and run when I walk out with a rod in hand, the dogs hide, and my wife has stopped talking to me Whats your excuse. What are some good reasons why you were absolutly unable to get on the water. Other than posting to every topic on every forum, how did you cope? .

First off, 57 Degrees!???!!??? Enjoy it, even if you dont catch anything. Supposed to get down to 76 tonight, 80% humidity. Can you say moist? Anyway, the fish are already wet. Throw a large jointed black jitterbug and listen for the fun to start.

First time I fished with my wife (4 months after we met) I tried to impress her with my casting prowess. Ended up smacking her with a weedless frog, the kind with the weighted belly. Left her with a nice bruise on her cheek and some serious doubts. It worked out though, 5 years later and we are still fishing together.

The fish and I are at odds with this. On Toledo Bend, when the temperature is most comfortable in the morning, the fish hit better in the evening. and vice versa. Go figure. One thing I know for sure...the fish arent gonna change their schedule to suit me. So....

Try not to overlook the opportunity to make your cast ONTO the bank if possible. I have had some great bass slam the frog after dragging it from the bank to just barely wet. Especially if there is heavy vegetation very close to the bank. Weightless worm is also good for this.

Ribbit hollow body top toads. Baby bass color, or white and dip the legs chartrues(sp?). They can be buzzed or floated, and inexpensive enuf that I dont worry about tearing them up.

A couple of years ago I inherited my Dads tackle box, found several Hula Poppers that, after replacing the skirts, have caught some great bass. They give a real honest to goodness blurking noise that seems to irritate the fish to no end. Its hard to beat a noisy lure in open water.

The one thing I have found to improve hookup on topwater is to change the rod angle on your set. a sharp sideways hookset seems to work better (for me) than my normal upward sweep. Not sure why, and I dont spend much time wondering, it just works, so I do it.

95% of the time I will start with some sort of topwater...if I get hit in the first 15 casts I will waste the rest of the day on top. I just prefer a visible blast to a hidden thump. Of course, it should be said that I am retired and can fish almost whenever I want (or when my wife lets me). So , I dont feel like I am wasting a day off by catching one fish every 412 casts If I have company who expects to catch a fish though, almost always spend most of the time with a carolina rig worm. And almost always find fish. Its a matter of perspective...do you have to catch fish to have fun fishing?

Sounds like you could start a trend if you and your friends would post your results. It's the same all over, no one wants to give up their secrets, we just want to read other peoples secrets. Take the time to post your report, encourage others to post, it may catch on

Please don't ever anchor on coral. use a drift sock to slow you down, but no anchor. For sand, i build an anchor with a 1 lb plastic coffee can, filled with cement, pusha 4" eye bolt in while its wet. when it dries, cut off the plastic can and you have an anchor you can lose without it ruining your day. Make a few at a time, cause you will lose some.

I caught my wife on a ribbit. Still havnt heard the last of that one. I told her it was nice to find out she wasnt a bottom feeder. Found out she doesnt have a sense of humor about those things either!

Some of my best fish have come on topwater during a summer pop up storm. I always try to fish during the rain, unless there is any lightning at all! Its personal preferance, though, some folks dont like to get wet.

I wouldnt throw on on braid in clear water. I use the lightest mono I can get away with depending on the cover. My favorite is a clear torpedo, start with the tiny, then depending on how aggressive the bite is, I may go to the magnum. Vary the retrieve, with frequent rests to allow the ripples to completely settle. Some of the most violent strikes come while at rest, or on the first movement after the rest.

I had the same problem when I first started using the doubles. It was pointed out to me to run the hooks all the way through the legs, then back them out leaving just the points exposed. You will pick up a bit more trash this way, but my hookup percentage has skyrocketed!

redboat, we spent the first 3 weeks of june on toledo, alpine marina area, fishing from a 10' pelican which gave us limited range. early, 5-8 am, caught lots on topwater and spinnerbaits on shallow grass and shallow stickups. after sun came up, almost every day we chased 2-3 lb schools around our cove. returned to shallows with topwater as soon as shadows hit the water. largest was just over 5, lots of 3lbs. majority was around 2. plus an 8lb bluecat my wife caught on a spinner in 3 ft of grass!