dougie511

Thanks a lot man that is pretty helpful thats another problem though is i really dont have funds to buy a nice enough boat to get out on big lakes! I know i can find one for a couple thousand which wouldnt be bad but its not in the budget and i cant really afford maitenance on one right now if i do buy one so ive chosen to wait a little while!! And im hoping it all goes well!! Im a little nervous about it all and it sucks that your experience didnt go so well but how did you end up doing bfl stuff as a non boater or did you have your boat for that? and im pretty sure they are affiliated with IBN or at least the club is posted on the illinois bass nation website

Hey just a quick little simple question here! I know it seems like a pretty obvious yes to the question i have but i just was wondering what peoples experiences have been with joining a club for the first time! I have been lucky enough to live somewhere that has a couple different bass clubs and last month i went to the meeting but was late because of it being harvest time so he told me to show back up next month and was super nice and talked to me still about everything for about 20-30 minutes! So heres what i am wondering is it worth joining a club? My experience level is still pretty low being that ive only been bass fishing for a little under 2 years and just buying a jon boat about 4-6 months ago and fishing small lakes since buying the boat, i have had some pretty decent luck especially for not having any electronics and two trips to the small lakes i didnt even have a trolley motor so we paddled everywhere and that was probably our best day out lol! So they were really excited about getting a new member especially a non boater so how i look at it is 1) Spend the day on someone elses boat which they all sound like are really sick boats! 2) pick up tips and techniques from whoever im out on the water with 3) get some "tourney" type experience which is what i really want along with more experience out on big lakes! So i know it sounds like a no brainer just was wondering what everyone thought about the idea! Thanks for your time!!

have you ever fished the olympia dr one my mom works out there and ive seen quite a few different ponds out there in the area! also subdivision ponds are good spots to try to

theres a couple public ponds i forgot to answer to this one! There is one on windsor road where windsor and niel meet head east and its right after the under pass on the south side which would be the right side of the road but i have never fished it! that is public and then there is another one called colbert park that ive seen bass pulled out of or at least pics and i think they have a lot of crappie there but im not 100% sure on that! Theres also another one in north champaign but idk much about it at all lol

oh I haven't even heard of that one yet!

which club are you in? like whats the full name? i met with one club thursday night but i got there late and only got to talk to the president for a little bit outside before he left to go home hahaha

you guys having a meeting this week for the club?

wheres emiquon?

hey lets not hate on cargo vans i happen to drive one and love it hahaha "the raper van" i actually use it to haul my jon boat around to lol

nice well if your around CU maybe we can fish sometime or something my main fishing partner has a weird work schedule so i dont go out as much as i would like to

Do you got your own boat? i seen those pics were on land so i was just curious and also wondering what u use to get around clinton

Those are sick!!! And im the same way i always catch and release unless its bluegill or something that taste good hahaha i dont ever keep bass!! Peninsula do you mean by north boat launch that first little cut in where its real shallow or which boat launch you talking about? And why would you ever move here from cali HAHAHA

Did you catch and release? and also i know of some really good private ponds but a couple i have to be with whoever fishes them but one has an excellent quality and quantity of healthy bass its fun to fish if you wanna go out and catch a lot for fun its almost to the point of needing a few taking out! Id love to slam a big bass at homer ive only gotten a couple 2 lbers and my buddy got a solid 3 lber from there cant wait to slam something over 5 hopefully

ya im interested in what lake hes talking about!! And i really wanna go to Newton lake and scope it out but im scared to go out on bigger lakes only having a trolley motor setup and no gas motor i need to find someone to take me fishin to some of these bigger lakes so i can give it a shot lol and possibly learn some stuff while im out there

Thank you guys so much for all the input this far im really pumped on everything ive heard and liked a few comments on here that were helpful and what not! I now have a better insight and def some new places to look for things and different options for rods that i didnt have before so thanks to all of you!!! Im still open to more ideas because it will be a few weeks before i purchase anything so keep them coming if you want!!

ive been wondering the same thing lol

im not sure but possibly!!

Ya the way it sounds lake mingo is the only one worth checking out in the kickapoo area! Is the bass fishing good at dawson? Ive never even tried to fish for smallmouth honestly i would love to just havent ever tried it. I have exremely solid ponds around me i just get bored throwing out whatever and catching bass i kind of like the challenges a lake brings to the table its much more rewarding when you actually catch fish lol. I went to walnut point today and had absolutely no luck there for the 2nd time now just one baby bass and the time before i got 3 baby bass we got so bored my buddy started throwing out a bobber and wax worm for bluegill and never even got a hit it was a horrible day on the water lol those are always saddening!!

i cant even remember it was over the phone and i think his name might have started with a D but cant rememeber for sure a couple members live in my town and one i have known for quite a while! I could always leave a message on the website again i guess but idk if there is much point sense you guys are probably almost done for the year right?!?!

thanks a lot man!!

nope i forgot which number was his i messaged the fb page and didnt get nothing back so idk i might just keep doing my small lake fishing and try next year or find someone to get me out on a big lake lol

also what im wondering is will my gear ratio matter for the reel? like do i want a 7.1 or a 6.4 or will it matter? i know thats a simple question but ive always wondered what gear ration you want for your setup because like i said i planned on doing the 7'0 med fast veritas and a 6.4 gear ration revo SX unless something else will work better for me

i really like the abu reels and thats why i was thinking about getting one i just havent been doing this long enough to have a ton of knowledge about all the rod and reel options out there! But i really like the reels and everything ive heard about the veritas is a ton of good reviews and one guy that had a fishing and hunting shop on a big lake by us recommended the veritas and said its a super good rod for the price so im gonna do some research on everything and look into stuff a little bit more! By mg do you mean the mgx and all the higher price reels?

oh i thought you guys were doing smithland pool! I cant even remember his name he called me when i was out fishing and said he would email me and call me closer to the time of the meeting and never heard back from him and i was super busy with work and out of town when the meeting happened!

ya thats why i wanna experience and learn from it all i think it would be a pretty cool experience! You guys are coming up on the last tournament arent you?