Tony L.

The practice is nothing new, I think that it is just the name that is. Obviously, people have been using crankbaits, spinners, and other moving baits for decades- they were just calling it "fishing". Now that more and more specialty techniques and fishing styles are popping up or migrating over from other places, we are starting to categorize the old ones differently to keep them all straight. Not much changing in the way we use these baits, just what we call it.

Haven't discovered it yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. A good solution that I have found so far is to download an amazing app called "Pulse", which organizes news feeds from lots of different sources into one place. I have a lot of news, humor, and hobby websites that I follow so I have used a lot of similar apps. I am also a big fan of one called Feedly, but BR updates don't work as well on that app. In any case, Pulse will display articles and topics from just about any website that has frequent updates, including BR. I have bassresource front and center (along with field and stream, outdoor life, and in-fisherman) on a tab that I have labeled "outdoor". When I find a topic that sounds interesting, I just click on it and post a comment from my tablet.

I'm not even remotely close to what I originally thought I would be doing. To be fair though, I had no idea that the position I am in now (or the entire career field for that matter) even existed when I was younger.

Hey everyone! One of my local sports stores is selling Diawa Lexa reels for 50% off ($69.99). Would any of you that have used them recommend these over any of the Tatula models? I do not have experience with either. I'm sorry I can't be more specific about exact models, but the ad was pretty vague. Any thoughts or reviews are greatly appreciated!

I have been checked only once, and I was carrying my license. Doubt I'll be checked again soon, but to me, the license is cheap and the potential of fines and confiscation of all my gear (which I have a lot invested in by this point) is not worth the risk. I also like the idea of being able to help fund continued efforts to preserve the waterways that I fish so that I can keep fishing them. I actually take it to a point of paranoia and print off at least 5 copies when I buy it online. I keep one in my wallet, one in each vehicle, one extra, and above all, one in my tackle box.

Not going to be a problem at all as long as you have good tie downs. I assume you have a roof rack? If not, you can buy aftermarket "universal" ones that fit on the inside of your door frame. They aren't permanent, and they aren't expensive.

Sure thing. Sorry I was out of town all day, so I just got home to dig it out of my saved "fishing stuff" file. Looks like he used PVC pipe and lobster/crab trap marker buoys. They look REALLY good and I priced the floats at like $18 on Amazon. Enjoy!

I usually use the word "rod" when talking specifically about the stick. When I refer to the rod and reel combo as a whole, I sometimes use the word "pole".

For maneuverability, the smaller kayak will probably turn sharper and get you into tighter spots, but really, each will turn on a dime compared to any full sized boat on the market. This would only be important if you were looking to navigate small streams that have a lot of closely spaced rocks to dodge (which it sounds like you don't plan to do). Since you indicated that you were eyeballing ponds and lakes and you are 6'2" and 240#, I would probably go for the 12ft if you have the means and ability to store and transport it. My personal preference is to sit higher to scout and read the water a bit more, which you might be able to do better from the sit-on too. Sitting higher in the 12 foot raises your center of gravity and increases the likelihood of tipping, but this is offset by the added length of the bigger kayak which gives it extra stability. Just look into stabilizer pontoons to add on. They can be really pricey to order, but are dirt cheap to make yourself. I found a really good link to a website for a guy that did this and kept a running blog of all of the extensive nods he made himself on a canoe. I'll have to come back later to share the link because I am on a really old tablet right now that will only let me open one app at a time. If loading, storing, or the price of the bigger yak would be an issue--go with the smaller one. You'd get along fine with it too. I'm just leaning more toward the 12 from what you described.

I just use the digital food scale that my wife keeps in the kitchen to measure out dry ingredients and meats. They measure in metric and imperial and go as sensitive as one gram on the metric side. Pretty sure it was like 10 bucks.

Welcome Jake! Always nice to meet another Central Indiana angler. Sounds like we share the same home waters! I'm actually about 10 minutes from Eagle Creek myself, and grew up fishing Raccoon Lake. Still have family living on it. All the same, I spend most of my time fishing smaller waters around here. If you are looking for good ponds, check into Washington Park between Avon and Danville. There are two ponds and the bigger one (down the hill and behind the outdoor amphitheater) is surrounded by woods and gets almost no pressure. It has some nice bass (catch and release only), but it is also routinely stocked with eating-sized channel catfish.

Welcome friend! Always good to see another Hoosier on the forums. I'm from central Indiana, but my wife is from the northern part of the state (North Manchester), so I get to fish up there too when we visit her side of the family. LOTS of good fishing in your part of the state.

If you have a google account, you have access to google's "blogger" tool (in addition to gmail, youtube, google+, maps, android /play, and all those other things that go with it). That might be a good place to look as well. Whatever you use, be certain to keep us updated. I'm sure that there are more than a few people on here that would probably follow your blog once you get some posts up and rolling.

What you have is all you need to catch fish provided that you also have the right hook for your soft plastics. Maybe read an article or two on how to fish each lure, and you are good to go. As far as your "old knowledge" goes, all i can say is this... The field may have evolved quite a bit in the last 6 years, but promise you that the fish most certainly haven't. If you knew how to catch them before, you'll catch them again. For us, trends come and go. The inhabitants of the underwater world are completely oblivious to what goes on topside and they simply do not have the mental capacity to care. More important than your lure, because they all catch fish (just some more than others at any given time) is confidence in yourself to know where they are and put something, sometimes anything, right in front of them.

I don't know much about the area of the country that you fish, but that pond looks somewhat similar to one that I might find here in Indiana. Based on that, I know how I would fish it based on your picture. My skills are mediocre at best, so what you choose is up to you, but this is my .02 Three things come to mind: 1 Topwaters- maybe frogs, but I am partial to spooks, poppers, jitterbugs, and buzzbaits. With a body of water that small, water that clear and calm, and limited cover around the banks, I imagine that fish are somewhat easily startled. In my experience, less is more with these lures in this setting. I've had more success by working them subtly because overly aggressive splashing can scare the fish away. 2 Texas rigged softplastics and senkos hooked WEEDLESS. These kinda fish themselves 3 Others might disagree with this one, but spinnerbaits are some of my biggest confidence lures. I would tie one on and tick it across the tops of those underwater weeds. At times, I have had more success by adding in pauses and twitches-- just be extra careful not to let it fall too far into the gunk and your hook should stay clean. If you start your retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water, you'll keep it high enough. You might be able to do the same thing with a shallow running crankbait.

When you do something long enough, you're bound to have some slip ups. I believe that I interpreted your story a bit differently than you did. With age and experience comes not carelessness, but badassery and the wisdom to get yourself out of a nasty situation.

I spend a lot more time prowling around this forum...

For gear I used to go to BPS first and foremost until I moved (but I still make an annual pilgramage during the spring classic). They just opened a gander mtn less than 10 minutes away, so that took most of my business for a while. Now I hear that a cabelas is in the works o the north side of the city.... Since I feel pretty well situated with my current rod/reel arsenal, I lately seem to be making my rounds between Dick's, Dunhams, and Big R to periodically check what lures each place has on sale.

I don't think temperature changes themselves are much of an issue for rods/reels, but accumulation of moisture from said temperature changes can be a huge problem. You could keep things inside just to be safe if you choose, but make sure that wherever you store your gear, it has airflow. The only other thing that I have noticed in the way of effects after outdoor storage is increased memory in the fishing line that is spooled on the reels. Not a problem if you change your line each spring. Personally, I like having everything indoors so I can take apart and clean the reels a couple times over the winter when I am feeling cabin fever. Tackleboxes I almost always bring in because of again condensation/rust that can accompany temperature changes. Also, I have a few jars of Gulp Alive for panfish, which probably shouldn't freeze. Never heard anything about soft plastics before, but what you were saying makes sense.

I don't think that there would be too much stress in your gear so long as you get enough air and keep things free from moisture that could cause rust, corosion, or mold. I imagine that all of that time sitting idle and exposed to temperature extremes would be pretty tough on your line and cause a lot of coiling/memory though. Not a problem if you change it every spring. The only other drawback is that you miss out on the opportunity to disassemble and clean everything during the winter months.

I keep a lightning rod to throw into the suv when I want to fish ponds after work-- spinning version. Not a bad rod at all, though I wish it had just a bit faster action. Unfortunately, you just don't get a choice in that regard. For what it is worth, I hauled in a rather sizeable turtle with it this summer (15 lbs +)… I had no problems whatsoever. I can respect what Daniel L said as well. A few weeks later I did manage to break one off in the last 9-12 inches. I blame myself though. I was testing the softness of the rod tip by tugging on the end of my line, but I made the mistake of having the rod pointed straight up while I was pulling straight down (the line was running just about perfectly parallel to the rod from tip to cork). This put a lot of unnatural strain on the end and it snapped like a twig- maybe a little too easily. Overall, yes the last section is a bit weaker than I would like, and another rod would have withstood it a little better. But that one was still on me because I still bent it in a way it wasn't designed to go. I think that under normal use-- when allowed to fully flex with the entire length of the rod, and at a more natural angle, it will do just fine. Didn't stop me from buying a new one to replace it. Caught several more large fish since then with no problems. Great sensitivity for the price, and I love the overall feel. You will be very happy with it. If you have an extra 15-20 to spend consider the entry level Abu Garcia's as well. I get the vengeance and vendetta mixed up sometimes, but one of the two is near your price point. It feels quite a bit stiffer in hand though, so you'll have to decide if that is a good fit.

^^^^^ This one. Also pay close attention to the cost of shipping. Rods usually cost extra (maybe not this one because it is a two piece) so make sure you are still getting a good deal. Sometimes the shipping costs wind up negating the discount and it is just cheaper to walk into a store and pay full price.

Pro Qualifier

The fall bite is certainly one of the best times of the year, but it is also one of the most unpredictable and difficult to pattern from day to day. At least that has been my experience of it-- I'm sure that other, better anglers than myself have more consistency. No worries, you'll catch them.

I imagine that if a fish were touching up against a piece of cover that both comes up from the lake bottom and also breaks the surface of the water, it could easily be deadly if lighting strikes there. Cool question!