Felix77

Yamamoto Senko - Black last season. I began experimenting with making my own so maybe that will change.

DSP began carrying the Craw and Original scent again.

There are numerous variables to making an effective artificial worm. Among them are IMO ... 1 - texture (soft/hard) 2 - taste 3 - scent 4 - buoyancy 5 - color 6 - flash The one directly associated with toughness is the texture. To keep it simple that roots back to the plastic, softener and the amount of salt you put into the worms. Other variables might affect toughness too like amount of additives (scent, color, flash) you add to the worm but it's minimal to the plastic, softener and salt. Hope this helps ... good luck.

I heard that pink ... I mean Bubble Gum ... flukes are good for Smallmouth. Same with trick worms. I have never had luck with either of them. Anyone else have luck with them? Note: Any association with Valentines Day is solely coincidental!

My choice was easy. Canoe is spacious and holds a chubby dude like me comfortably. :-)

Agree 110%. It's something I had to learn fast. I learned very quickly that you need to pay attention to where they are when they say "Winter" fishing. I live in Upstate New York and I have yet to see an article which referenced "Winter" fishing up here and a bass boat. ;-) The "Winter" pattern here begins right after ice-out (April-ish) and quickly (very quickly) turns to pre-spawn etc.

I'm a huge Seaguar Invizx fan. I used that last season. Just bought the Abrazx (more abrasive resistant) to try it out for the same application.

Thanks for all the responses. Great feedback. Confidence also comes from getting validation on things posted on this site as well. I find that when I post a question out there and get people to support my position it helps me solidify my approach to that topic. Point in mind was my post about "Culling Techniques". I went into that post with a lot of doubt regarding my approach. Second guessing if I should do something different. I ended up believing that what I was doing was not only ok but smart to do. I'm sure that happens to others too so I guess I should say THANK YOU to all of you.

I own a ton of videos. All of "the Bass Pro's" seasons, KVD DVD's, Swindle, Nixon, Houston, In-Fisherman and many more. My all time favorite is the Ike Finesse DVD. It's a very complete finesse tactics DVD and one I refer to regularly throughout the year. http://www.mikeiaconelli.com/shop.php?id=35

Welcome. I visit PA often. Will be hitting Lake Nockamixon some once the weather warms up.

I will be out there from the 21st to the 23rd. I will most likely get some time to fish after work and in between my travels. Any tips on where to go. I will most likely be fishing from shore. PM if you wish. Just looking to take advantage of the trip to catch some fish. The Northeast is still frozen and is 2-3 months away from any real bass fishing.

Trust me ... every year I consider it. Hard to move with 4 kids though. I just need a vacation out there some point in the next month or 2.

Congrats!

That LMB is a beast. Welcome

Welcome

Any members interested in meeting up and going out on the 23rd? I am flying in for work and will have Saturday morning to fish.

One thing I started doing from my canoe (no electronics) is fishing a 1/2oz football jig in areas which I thought had potential. I did it no matter how shallow I was fishing. I was learning to feel the bottom of the area I was interested in. It takes some practice to drag a jig and try to make sense for what you are feeling under the water. On occasion I would catch a fish but even if I didn't I knew there was something there and I could go with another technique. I wish I would have done this sooner.

Everything has to answer to the almighty dollar unfortunately. Tradition doesn't seem to mean as much as it used to.

I know there is no substitute for being on the water but I was wondering if there are other ways you build/gain confidence during those times when you cannot fish.

Trust me ... there were days when any advice on this thread would be totally unnecessary. LOL

Believe it or not our league is each person for themselves. That means I compete with all others in the league including the boater I am with. With that being said he is responsible for his fish and his culling methods. I am responsible for my own. This brings me to why I even posted this in the first place. Most of the boaters I fished with even bothered to tag their fish at all. They seem to cull by eye only. That's what made me wonder if I was being too technical with my approach and losing valuable fishing time in the process.

This is making me feel better about my method. I should mention that I am a co-angler and also have a fear of mixing up fish with my boater. One tournament my boater was culling and pulled the divider right out with the fish. Luckily I was anal about tagging and weighing each fish so we could tell my fish from his. Otherwise we would have had to clear the livewells.

This is exactly what I do now. In retrospect it seems to take too long compared to what I have seen others do.

Just bought 2 pairs of the new Strike King S11's (one amber and one smoke) for $60 and got a free hat at an Expo this past weekend. They are also showing up at WalMart now for $30. Cheaper than TW. They work really well.

I would never avoid fishing due to a cold front having passed through. Set your expectations low. Maybe try a new finesse technique. Anything to keep you fishing. Quick story: My family went on a trip to a lake in mid October. We had a cold front come through. I was upset but made myself practice the drop shot. Caught some real big fish. Not many. About 5 for over 2 days at the camp but each were good sized keepers. Go!