Fish Chris

first off, it needs to be 3 months long, so I have enough time to do "most" of the stuff I'd want to do ;-) Amazon river for Peacock Bass, Pacu's, Giant Amazon Cats, and anything else, big, strong, exotic, or any combination thereof. Don't forget the large, comfortable houseboat, with a chef, and a maid or two. Two or three fishing guides to cover all aspects of the fish on the Amazon, and some of its tributaries. Oh, and for myself of course, $100k worth of digital photo equipment, and a couple of pro photo instructors, to take my fish shots for me, and for the extra sets of eyes, so we don't miss something cool when I was holding a camera myself :-) Anyway, shouldn't cost much more than a $ million or two, huh ? What a bargain ! ;-) Think I'll start setting this up this afternoon. Don't know why the heck I waited so long ! Doh ! ;-) Peace, Fish

Welcome aboard :-) Since your new to this board, let me first just tell you, when it comes to fishing line, you won't ever meet anyone more opinionated than myself.... So please don't mind me too much :-) That said, neither Fireline, or Fusion, are "braided lines". These are formed by fusing micro-filaments together with heat and polymers. I know a lot of guys use, and like the stuff, but I find these to have consistency of dental floss. Line manufacturing insiders tell me that the only reason this stuff was ever invented, is because its much cheaper to produce, than true "braided lines". Okay so, I've never drop shotted in my life..... But if I ever were to, I'd use braid with it, just like I do with every other lure, live bait, or fishing technique, for every species from Bluegill, to Sturgeon... and of course, trophy bass :-) I think I'd use a light action rod though, with micro braid (2 lb diameter, 10 lb test) seeing as drop shot hooks are smaller, and lighter wire. And I'd make sure my drag was a bit looser too. Anyway yes, a non-stretch line is probably much better for dropshotting, just as it is better for "fishing" period :-) Great fishing to you, Fish PS, But like Jigman and Alpster said > Always with a Fluorocarbon leader.

You said > Only look at bass articles in the In-Fisherman magazine and then I throw it away. < What !?!? The best part of I-F is the muti-species stuff, and scientific fish trivia ! I'd be more likely to read all through I-F, only skipping over the long articles on crank baits, or spinnerbaits for Largemouths.... or other impertinant stuff like that :-) In fairness, I-F does have some Western trophy bass articles once in a while, as well, which I would not skip past. For bass fishing info though, I'd sooner read Bass West USA. 50% or more trophy bass info. Peace, Fish

this shot gives me a better idea of their shape. Peace, Fish

I know you are distinguishing between Zimbabwe being one country, and South Africa being another..... However, here in the US, a lot of people were taught growing up, about the "continant" of Africa, but not so much about individual coutries within it. I have to admit, when I hear about Africa, I think more often, about the whole continant as well. Welcome aboard :-) Peace, Fish Chris

a buddy of mine had hooked a large (I dunno... maybe 15 lb) Carp at the local duck pond, on his micro-light, and 4 lb mono. so he starts running around the pond, chasing this Carp. As he's running, he constantly reeling. Problem is, he wasn't gaining any ground. After about 20 minutes, his line breaks, and instantly shoots up into this twisted bird nest. Years later, I watched an old man fight a big catfish, while making the same mistake (reeling, but not gaining line, while his drag slipped) resulting in the same broken line, and birds nest of twisted mono. Anyway, I've caught some big fish (100 lb'ers) on spinning gear, and either the fish is taking line, or I'm gaining it..... but never at the same time. About that video; That should make anyone else feel like a pro ! :-) LOL Peace, Fish

I guess I've seen a "poor photo" of one, here and their, and I hear mention of them every once in a while..... But I just saw a photo of an Eel Pout, in the latest In-Fisherman mag, and it looks SOOO freaking cool :-) ....so then I read where they can get up to 38" !!! Yea' buddies ! I'd just love to catch, and photograph a trophy sized Eel Pout ! Have any of you caught, or photographed one ? Pictures please... Peace, Fish

The first item of interest for me, was Doug Stange's piece, "Perspectives on Big Fish". I couldn't agree with this article more. I found it hilariously true, when he said > At a Proffessional Walleye Trail Tournament, one of our directors was asked by an onlooker, why an 8.75 lb'er was the biggest Eye weighed in in the tournament, when in practice, the pro's caught all kinds of 9's and 10's. "Because that's what 9's and 10's weigh when they cross a certified scale", he replied :-) Ha ! :-) That's just classic. Of course as a side note, I've always believed that if a guy is always talking about big fish, but rarely backs those catches with certified weights, witnesses, good photos, etc, in the long run, that guy will say, "I caught an X lb'er".... and people will just roll their eyes, and brush the person off. On the other hand, if a guy consistently shows solid proof of big fish, and tells the "actual weights", in the long run, this guy can say, "I caught an X lb'er.... and before he even shows the photo, anybody that knows the guy, already knows he ain't BS'n, and they just can't wait to see it. This kind of trust and respect doesn't come over night, but in the end, people always figure out who is for real, and who isn't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Next page.... That Eel pout is SOOO Cooool ! :-) Anybody ever caught one of these ? Photos ??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Next page; Eat Wild Salmon ? Wow ! Yes, I'm one of the uninformed goof-balls that's been eating farmed Salmon ! .....even though my local Costco often has wild Salmon, for only like a buck a pound, more. Going to get the wild stuff next time. I'm sure you all get I-F mag, right ? Peace, Fish

How is Pickwick doing nowadays ??? I used to hear a lot about it, but hadn't heard any mention of it in a long time, until I read your post just now. Has it been producing any 8 lb Smallies, in the last year or two ? I know our trophy Smallie lake has kicked out probably 20 of them (one of those for me :-)), including our new state record of 9-10, a few months ago ! Anyway, I'm sure you know how lakes go through cycles, and I think Pickwick has been (at one time) at the top of the list..... But I believe our little Lk. Pardee is holding the belt at the moment. Just curious, Fish

Talk about a PAINFUL thread ! :-) I still can't believe that after 40 years of hard-core fishing, I've still never sunk a hook into myself, past the barb. However, one time about 25 years ago (I still remember this like it happened yesterday, if that gives you any indication of how severe this was) I was fishing from the bank, out in the muddy, tidally effected Ca Delta. One time I was reeling in my 4 oz lead pyramid weight, when it got snagged right beyond the water line. The thing was, there was a 25 foot distance of thick, slick mud (low tide) between the edge of the water, and the actual dry, solid shoreline. So I start pulling, and pulling.... but it won't come loose. I must have pulled 10 feet of stretch, out of 25 feet of 20 lb mono..... When ZING ! That freaking 4 oz lead weight came loose, and shot back at me with such tremendous force, I really didn't see it coming ! I mean, I bet it didn't curve down 1 inch, in its 30 foot travel..... and POW ! That thing blasted me right in the middle of my chin ! It didn't knock me down, but it was really close. Immediatly, my chin swelled out to the distance of my nose ! It also drove all kinds of grit and grime, deep into my chin. It didn't really split it open (must have hit on one of the flat sides) but instead, it just kind of turned my chin into hamburger. Took months to completely heal. I still imagine how much worse that would have been a couple inches higher, right through the middle of all of my teeth..... or in an eye ! It was horrible, but it sure could have been worse ! Be careful out there, Fish PS, Freaking stretchy arse mono anyway....... This wouldn't have ever happened if I had been using braid. No stretch, means no sling shot......

Of course just walking down the street, you will always run into an idiot here and there. Their is a lot of truth to the saying, "Their is always one in the crowd". Personally, I would not judge a person by the fact that he fishes tournaments, any sooner than I would judge him by the color of his skin, or his religious beliefs, or the size of his boat. I've got several buddies who fish tournies, who are some of the nicest guys you'd ever be likely to meet. On the other hand, I have absolutely zero desire to ever fish a tournament myself. I think you need to be at least somewhat competitive for that, right ? Of which I am definately not. Personally speaking, I don't believe that I am any better an angler than the next guy..... So why would I try to prove such a thing ??? But, to each their own I guess, Peace, Fish

now if your saying, not neccessarily the biggest bass, but rather, just nice 5 to 9's, I'd say this is a lot less daunting. In fact, besides Clear Lk. Ca, or the Ca Delta, there are certainly a bunch of places in both Texas, and Florida, and maybe a few other places as well, where one could "almost" expect to go stick some 5 to 9's on a short trip, at the right time of year, with a little research ahead of time. An experienced guide would certainly be a good idea, regardless of where you chose. Peace, Fish

the OP said > What state should I start looking into for the biggest largies < No lake in Texas has them. Nor Florida. Nor any other state. Bighead, if I could personally catch a string of bass in 08', like the list you posted, that would certainly be a very good year :-) ....but as for a list of lake records, from any particular state..... Well, let me put it this way, I could show you a list that long, of 17's and 18's from Nor Cal, and 20 plus fish from So Cal. One thing I've learned from chasing our Cali giants, is that if a place has a lake record of "only" 14 lbs or so, it probably won't produce too many 10 plus fish, with an exceedingly slim shot at a "teener". You just have to consider how the population curve works. If you want a good shot at a teener, you need to be fishing a place that has a record of at least 17 lbs... preferably 18 plus. A place like this will also give you a "really good shot" at a 10 plus, although it still won't exactly be a giveaway. Dale Hollow 'used to be' the best place for giant Smallies. So did the great lakes. So did a Nor Cal lake called Trinity. But now its a little lake (or a big pond) in Nor Cal, called Lk. Pardee. Also, California produced the current world record Spotted bass. .......as well as the world record landlocked Striped Bass. Hope nobody takes this personally, but the fact is, Cali has the biggest bass, period. Peace, Fish

Their is no doubt that California has the biggest Largemouth bass on the planet, and probably more of them than anywhere else too {and this includes Mexico. Okay, a few Mexican lakes do have a bunch of 10 lb'ers..... But we are talking about BIG bass, right ? Like say, 13 or 15 plus}. So Cal has a couple pound bigger top end. But then up here in Nor Cal, we have a 2000 acre pond (a small lake) that has probably kicked out more 8 lb plus Smallmouths, in the last two years, as all of the Great Lakes, with their hundreds of thousands of acres combined. However, let me stop right there....... I get e-mails from people all the time, who talk about taking a trip over here to catch some of these fish. Uhhhh..... Okay...... but the last thing I'd want to do, is to mislead somebody into believing, that catching these huge Largemouth's or Smallies is easy. As I often remind people, I've lived here for 40 of my 43 years, and it took me 30 years to catch my first Largemouth over 10 lbs {of course for those first 30 years, I only 'thought' I was fishing for big fish, when in reality, I was fishing for numbers of small to medium fish, and 'hoping' for big ones} ....... and about 35 years to get my first Smallie over 5 lbs. I know these waters like the back of my hand, and yet I probably get skunked more than anybody that visits this forum ! Granted, if I were fishing for numbers of small to medium fish, I'd almost always catch something, but what would be the point ? With nothing worth taking a photo of, I'd still feel skunked. Of course fishing is fishing, and as long as your putting a line in the water, anything is possible. Not to mention the fact that their are probably a whole bunch of anglers across this country, who would pick up trophy bass fishing a lot quicker than I did. Maybe even of bunch of guys like this, on this forum. But anyway, I just kind of cringe a little, every time I hear of somebody taking a trip over here, and 'expecting' to stick a 10 plus bass, in a few days, or even a week on the water. Hmmmm, Fish

When you stick a big one, and your talking to your buddies about it, what do you call it ? I guess I most often refer to a big one, as a pig. But sometimes a monster, a fatty, or a hawg. Of course their is the sow, the lunker, the toad...... Help me out here. I'm sure their must be a hundred more :-) Fish

Congrats on the great catch ! This is "exactly" why I have such a hard time getting off the water ! Because the fact is, you just never know; that "one more cast" might be the "one cast that really counts" ! How bad would it be if you had made 1000 casts in a day..... and then left.... when the 1001st cast was going to be the new World Record ! {of course one would never know.... but that's beside the point ;-)} And this, folks, is where the serious afliction, otherwise known as, the "one more cast syndrome" comes from. Of course ordinary people might chuckle, and downplay such a notion...... But those of us who are afflicted by this, know how serious this can be ! Oh well, once he's hooked, what's a guy going to do ? Fish on ! Fish

You had said in another post > Cant wait till i get a 10#. < But heck, that fish in your avatar has got to be close, huh ? That's just a really cool, healthy looking fish. Would you mind posting the full size shot of that one, and the details ? What on ? Where from ? I'm sorry if you already have... I must have missed that.... Keep stickin' em' :-) Fish

big congrats to you ! I promise this is one memory that you won't ever forget.... even if you were to catch 100 more DD's, theirs just something erxtra special about that first one :-) Continued success to you, Fish Chris

I won't lie to them, but I will definately downplay my catches if I'm on a hot spot when they ask. I mean like, "How you doing" ? > "Oh.... okay. I got two bass" ....of course I might leave out that those two bass were 10.3 and 12.8 lbs ;-) Or... "Catchin' any" ??? "Yea, I got one" ......and I promise you, that if I say this with no excitement in my voice, they will assume it was a "little one".... and NOT an 80", 150 lb Sturgeon ;-) The only time this doesn't work for me, is if a guy says, "Catchin' any" ? And I hit em' with "Yea' I got one"..... and then his buddy says, "Are you Fish Chris" ? And then they are both like, "So how big was the one fish you caught" ? Doh ! Okay, okay...... It was..... Anyway, ususally back at the ramp, I'll tell most of the guys I meet, most of what I know, or how I did. Just when I'm out on the lake, trying to be completely in "the zone", I usually try to avoid any distractions. Not trying to be rude, just doing whatever I can to 'make it happen'. Peace, Fish

I consider myself to about as much of a hard-core multi-species angler, as any still-have-to-work guy you might ever meet......... Yet, I'm also about the least competitive individual you might ever meet, as well. Never had the slightest desire to fish against anybody else. For me, fishing is all between myself and the fish. Now as far as gear goes, I like to have lots of specific tools, for lots of specific fishing situations.... Especially, being a multi-species guy, and living in an area with great fishing for everything from Bluegills, to Sturgeon. However, I'm a poor guy who fishes too much, and doesn't work enough. Therefore, I'm really fortunate to have several sponsors who pretty much give me most of the tackle I ever need. I can pretty much say, any fishing tackle I want, I've got. Then, a couple years ago, I got my dreamboat (my G3) all but given to me also. Now if only I could find somebody to give me a new truck, and a "gas card" !!! :-) Peace, Fish

13's and 14's are considered trophy bass anywhere in the country ! But those have to be within a few lbs of the OK record, huh ? Awesome fish ! Good job ! Fish

It might seem pretty odd to some people, if they were all exactly 12, 14, 16, etc...... However, I think this could have a lot to do with different year classes. A couple months ago, I was trying to catch "the perfect sized" Split Tails, of about 13" (a native bait fish in my area, which are excellent bait for Stripers) but it seemed like I would catch nothing but 7", 11", and 15" fish...... almost certainly 1, 2, and 3 year old fish. Kind of frustrating really. In fact, of the very few 13 inchers that I did catch, I'd have to say they were just fast growing 2 year olds, or slow growing 3 year olds. So anyway, I can see where what your saying might sound unlikely, but I can also see why it could be totally possible. Peace, Fish

You said > I don't know anyone who goes out for a full day (or even a couple hours) of fishing, gets skunked, then thinks, "Well, what a wonderful day that was!" < Well you do now :-) I can, and often do have an awesome time, on a beautiful weather day, under a bright blue sky, on glass calm water, checking out the wildlife, the birds, trying to identify the species of jumping fish, etc, while never catching a fish the whole day ! But the way I see it is, a day of fishing "without catching a single fish" is just WAY better than a day of work....... and ususally, at least a little bit better than most anything else I spend my time on :-) And the older I get, the more true this becomes. As a 'trophy sportfish' type of guy, it used to take ALL of my willpower to be patient, to sit in one spot for as long as I had to, or to cast a swimbait as many times as I had to, to make it work. But I've been around this block enough times to know, that if you can have a good time when your not catching them, then catching a BIG one just puts it all over the top :-) My scale of fishing enjoyment doesn't go from > a bad day to good day < but rather, > from a good day, to a bombastic day ! :-) < Peace, Fish

about 6 years ago, I was fishing one of the trophy bass ponds, and hadn't had a touch. I had just worked around one point, and down the other side, when suddenly, back on the point, about 100ft behind me, a huge commotion breaks out ! I look back to see several big wakes cutting out in every direction, and several hatchery trout running for their lives ! I immediatly spin the boat back around, and with the t-motor on max, I get back there within a minute. First cast, I get slammed, but no hookup :-( Then, one trout runns right up to the side of the boat, skittering down the side of the hull, like it was trying to use it for cover. Seconds later, a BIG (looked to be about 13 lbs) bass runs up and blasts the side of the boat, while trying for the trout ! Talk about exciting to watch ! :-) .......but the cool part was, on my second cast, I stuck a nice one. Should have been a DD, as it had a big enough frame, but ended up going 9-10. Got an 11-3 about an hour later. Isn't it crazy that I remember this, right down to the exact weights, 6 years later..... But often can't remember what I had for breakfast ? :-) Peace, Fish

about 3 years ago, I had been fishing REALLY HARD, specifically for trophy Largemouths, about 95% of my 140, ten hour days per year, for about 7 years straight. Now don't get me wrong, it was fun when I had a good shot, like say, even if I didn't catch a DD bass, I might have a swat or two at my Swimbait, or see some big followers. The thing is though, I used to just keep right on fishing specifically for big Largemouth's, even at times and places when my chances were so dang slim it was pointless. Oh sure, every once in a while, even during the brutal times, I'd pull a big one out of a hat...... But during a lot of those tough times, I was really just spinning my wheels. I'm talking 5 or 10, ten hour trips in a row, with zero to show for it. That burned me out. That's when I started doing photography pretty heavily. That was different, and a lot of fun. No regrets. But I really started to miss my fishing. Not so much "trophy bass fishing", but rather, just fishing in general. Don't get me wrong, I was still fishing about 70 days a year, but that's about half of what's normal for me. So, my answer was, last year I got back to fishing really hardcore, "however" the major change for me was, I decided to just keep it fun, by fishing hardcore for whatever species I had the best shot at, at any particular time. No more beating myself up. Back to my roots ! Sticking a hook in anything that will bite my hook and rip drag ! I'm still after the big ones though :-) {big being relative to the species of course} I mean, trophy bass are great, but so are Catfish, Sturgeon, Stripers, Crappie, Halibut, Batrays, Leopard Sharks, Carp, etc, etc. So, as long as I have a good shot at catching something.... 'anything' that wants to play with me, plus, never staying with any one species long enough to get tired of it, the answer for me would be, no. I won't get burnt out again. Peace, Fish