MarkH024

Awesome! That's a fish to remember!

I fish with 20 (8lb dia) and 30lb (10lb dia.)Sufix on a few of my bc's. Works fine for me. You'll have an occasional nest or over run...nothing you can't fix. Don't be afraid to try it...back your spool with 1/3 mono so you're not filling it with unused braid. Save bucks and your spool of unused line can be put to another reel or for when it's time to respool again. I only put on 75 to 100 yds per reel, the beginning of the reel I use a cheap mono.

Thought I'd share this story. Pretty neat. http://www.toledoblade.com/MattMarkey/2012/07/31/Toledoan-snags-rare-silver-pike-on-Canadian-trip.html

I just use a Rapala brand digital. Scales up to 50lbs I believe, and you can store a few entries. I keep it in my boat or bag and it doesn't really get beat up. If you're just weighing bass, I think something like I have should be good enough. There aren't too many 50lb LMB out there.......if you see anything over 10-12 thats amazing at that.

Frogs always produce quality fish. Granted I was fishing in some thick lilies and vegetation, you can catch them in open water if the circumstances are right. Just like BassinAssissin said, if they're active on the top, doesn't hurt to try it. It never hurts to have a frog or two in your arsenal. I have an entire box of just frogs, along with soft body plastic frogs too. It's an addicting way to fish!

If you like swimbaits, try the Strike King Shadalicous in the Sexy Shad color. It's a hollow body style swimbait so you will end up needing the proper hooks like a Gamakatsu swimbait hook, skin hook the tip when you bring it out the back and you have a perfect weedless bait. They will work anywhere in the country with any forage, I guarantee it. Always try to get close to the natural forage of the water you're fishing.

I like Yum Dingers and BPS. If I want a lighter sink, I use the Strik King Ocho. They're all great products.

I think PRJavelin may have not known that Rage Shad is a topwater/surface bait? Am I correct? I'm using a 5/0 with the Rage shad as well and sometimes I use a really really light weight superline hook without the screw in for the plastic. It just gives it a bit of weight so you can launch it a little further. I've got nothing on the Anaconda, never fished it but I'd use a 5 or 6/0 weightless T-Rigged to start, then experiment from there. EDIT--- HereThis is the kind of hook I like with my Rage Shad and Toad. 5/0 1/16th. Gives it just a little more oomf on the cast and its easier if there is any wind. Try it out.

I'm with Impacto, I'd start with a lipless or a square bill, craw colors. If that isn't working, I'd start working some tubes or texas rigged craws. Anything natural color with reds and orange mixed in. I fish a river here that has about a foot of water clarity and never used to catch anything until I started throwing craw colored cranks or imitation plastics.

Welcome MrPeanut, i'm fairly new here as well. Like you from the burbs of Chicago. Currently reside in Streamwood to be exact. Enjoy the site, it is hands down the best fishing community on the net.

I just had twins in May this year! Identical boys if you can imagine that. I can not WAIT for these moments. I love watching them grow just in the short months of having them but I want them to be at the "fishing" age already. I know, I know, "just wait and you'll be eating your words". I've heard it a 1000 times already.

Wow thats insane. I did hit a 90 or 91 spot in 2-3 foot of water but mostly in the 80's. Hopefully with the cooler temps coming it will chill things out so to speak.

I caught about a 3.5 lb LMB about 3 feet from shore on a lipless crank. Instead of tiring it out some, I wung it in shore and went for the lip. She gave me a shake and put two hooks of 1 treble into my pointer finger and middle finger while she was attached. I lost grip and she was shaking like a salt shaker yanking on my fingers. I had to pin the fish down on the ground to make it stop flip flopping. Was able to cut the hook from the crankbait and then had to remove the hooks. I iced my fingers and started pushing them through. What I learned that day was ALWAYS have a good pair of cutters with you. I had to use the cutters on my needle nose pliers and they were extremely difficult to cut through hooks. I never fish with out cutters and pliers at my side now.

My family has a summer home in the area. I fished Buffalo a lot in the past few years and its a great fishery. They will be doing the draw down this year I believe in September to fix the Montello dam. I'm hoping when they complete it and fill Buffalo back up that they do a hefty restocking of it because the fishing numbers have definitely decreased in the past 2 years. One of my best years was 2009 and I caught HUGE LMB and lots of numbers. Since then it has just been average. Overall still and awesome lake, especially if you love to slop fish. Which happens to be my favorite. I was up that way this weekend on a different lake close to that. Had only a handful of bass and a few pike. Biggest lmb was 3 lb 13 oz. Water is toooooooooooooo hot. High 80's all day long.

I just got back yesterday from a long weekend of fishing at my families summer home in central Wisconsin. My lake is only about 65 acres with an average depth of 3.5-4 feet. A lot of slop fishing. I was getting average water temps of 88 degrees. Some spots hit 90's. Surprisingly, there hasn't been any summer kill due to the extreme heat. Water is about a foot and a half low. Fishing was ok, landed a few largemouth biggest being 3 lb 13 oz. Got a few pike too but the warm water definitely was keeping them all from being aggressive. We need some good cold rain storms to just crush the midwest for about a week straight.

http://www.caneycreekmolds.com/Worm-Oil_p_192.html This is just one product of many. If you google "Worm Oil" you can probably find a few dozen products. Being that you're in South Africa, you might have to battle shipping. Some of the oils are scented, some are not. Best of luck.

You could try buying Worm Oil which is what they put on plastics so they don't dry up in the bags. To be honest if they're really dried up you may not be able to restore them to how they should be. The only thing to do is try it. If not, go buy some new ones.

Man I would only fish a lure like that in a lake with nothing but bass in it. Up here in the North, pike will smash a bottle cap if it's tied on your line. I've lost a lot of bass topwaters, mostly frogs, to 16-20" pike and I'd just be too plain scared to throw a $30 popper thinking it won't get bit off. Hell of a good looking popper though. Maybe if I get down south I'd throw it sometime.