fishballer06

I would show this to your local fish commission/DNR.

St. Croix makes great rods (here in America) and has a good warranty program as well. I own 5 or 6 myself.

One would think that... But it's been over 80 degree's for the past week, so the water is still warm around here.

I'll 20th TackleWarehouse.com. So... What's your company and are you hiring? I'd love a boss like you.

Electronics can be your friend. If they're not around the weeds, there's a ton of underwater structure/cover in Raystown. Bridges, roads, houses, culverts, etc. If you have a Navionics chip, study it.

Around here, most lakes only have 1-2' of clarity. Having lots of farmland and mountains, means there's lots of runoff going into our lakes, making them very dirty. It's not uncommon to have water with less than 6" of visibility. So if I find water that has 3-5' of clarity, I consider that clear for around here. We have one lake around 300 acres in size that's on top of a mountain, so it doesn't get any runoff, and the clarity in that lake is around 6-8', so that's crystal clear for around here. However, up in Canada where I go, 3-5' of visibility is common, and I've seen area's where you can see rocks on the bottom in 10-12' of water. However, the water is more of an off color tea color, so it's a different kind of clarity. So like you said, it's all relative to the area you're in.

First off, congrats on the purchase. Owning your own pond will make you the envy of many fishermen on here. As a novice fishermen who is just learning Senko fishing, the combo you state will be perfect for you now, and down the road in the future. That rod/reel is extremely versatile and will cover almost any presentation you want to fish on your new pond. Do some searching around on this website and Google. You'll find lots of information on how/what/why bass can get stunted in a small body of water like your pond. Over competition for food in the main problem, which leads to the fish not being able to grow past the 12-13" range. Your best bet is to keep a few of the long/skinny fish in the 10-12" range, and if you want, go buy a pound or two of minnows (fatheads or shiners) and put them in the pond every month.

Your best bet is to sit at home and practice tying your knots until you get really proficient at it and your knots look uniform every time you tie them, and you're able to tie them very quickly every time without error.

No red crawfish around these parts... Most are a green pumpkin/brown color, with orange or grey highlights.

I've done a week straight on a few trips to Canada, and in the past few years, I've spent 9-11 days up there. Even at 29, my shoulders and wrists start to feel it after that many days on the water casting and fighting fish. I could only imagine what someone twice my age feels after that many days on the water in a row.

That clear/black/pumpkin looks killer. I wish I had a few of those skirts.

First off, that foot pedal is absolute garbage. Ditch it and use the key fab. Secondly, take the batteries out of the pedal after each use. This should prolong battery life.

I fish from a boat primarily, and from shore from time to time. When I'm in the boat, I usually have between 5-12 rods with me, and around 4-10 plano boxes of tackle, all my tools/scales, attractants, and a big bag of plastics. If I'm fishing from shore, it's because I want to work on a technique or lure so that I'm more comfortable using it on the boat in a tournament situation. Or, I just got a new rod/reel and I want to break it in. So when I'm on the bank, I'll take whatever fits in one pocket.

My first question would be "Is there a thermocline?" Being that the lake is 30-40' and water in the mid-upper 70's, there is likely a thermocline at some depth. I've seen it anywhere from 10' down to 25/30' around here in PA. From there, I'd want to know whats under the water. Just because the trees standing out of the water looks good to you doesn't mean jack to a bass. I don't see any tops or branches to those trees, so there's probably a brush pile or two under the water somewhere, or perhaps tree's that aren't tall enough to reach the surface that have branches on them still. At first light I'd be throwing a buzzbait or spook, or perhaps a swim jig or Fluke if they won't commit to topwater. After that first light, go with your deeper baits. Texas rigs, shakey heads, crankbaits, swimbaits, etc.

Interesting... You can win an Elite event and not get in, but winning an open does get you in...

Who else is watching the Bracket Shootout today? And can anyone explain why Steve Kennedy is in this? He won Dardanelle back in June.

We had 52 members this year play, 28 of which played every tournament. If you want to go complicating it by bringing money into the equation, you're going to have 4-5 guys willing to do that, and you're going to create bad blood between members. So to that, I vote "nah".

Flukes (soft jerkbaits) don't go deep, unless you're really willing to sit and wait for them to sink. I've found that the Strike King Caffeine Shads sink a little quicker than the Zoom Flukes. As for a weighted hook, I really like the VMC Drop Dead screwlock hooks. They're weighted a little to help with the sink rate, and they have a longer shape that is helpful on a longer bait like a fluke.

It's been a fun season guys. I enjoyed playing along with you all. Congrats to ALK for an amazing season. I'm amazed at how skilled of a group of guessers we have here on BR. I finished in the 95.2 percentile, and I was still 6th in the group. On another note, John Crews killed me this event. He was 21st after day one, 44th after day two, and 47th after day three... All of my other picks finished between 2nd and 20th.

Put it on a jighead and swim it. It will get bit.

If you're that concerned about breaking a rod outside of a manufacturer's warranty period, you should call them up and talk to them about what would happen should that issue arise. It's always best to get your information straight from the horses mouth rather than asking for the opinion of people who have no affiliation with a business. Megabass USA: 650-637-1617

I say go for it! Report back to us with your results.

I generally keep to myself. I'll give the most basic, broad answers that I can. However, my tournament partner tells people exactly what we've caught, what size, what we're using, and locations. Drives me nuts when he does that.

1/2oz below 10 feet, 3/4oz for anything deeper.

Both. I own the high end reels from both companies.