craigaria

I had a boat similar to you, and power fished all the time. I would just put the trolling motor on reverse low and go backwards into the wind and steer with my knee. That way the front of the boat stays straight behind you. It works pretty good and you can make corrections in between casts. 8-)

A new 4-wheeler ;D Opening day of bow season is in 3 weeks!!!

At the lake I mainly fish, we have a different problem. The lake is supposed to be private. This doesn't stop some people from sneaking in to fish it. I have caught a few people sneaking in at night and tried to run them off. We have been working with the landowners to lock all of the gates. I don't mind people fishing the lake the same as me, but I am worried about the ones that rape the lake by keeping everything they catch, legal or not... It is allways nice to keep the pressure off of the fish too...

Go at night!

Bass do feel pain! I caught one the other day and when I pulled out the hook it started to cry :'( I felt so bad that I have quit fishing and I purchased a robofish from PETA

Me too!

I just think that it's funny... When I first saw this post, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone started dogging him for keeping the fish.

The way I look at it is that 20 years ago there were no digital cameras or digital scales. Most people kept every fish they caught (even trophys). They sure didn't have replicas back then either. I remember seeing pictures of my dad and grandfather with stringers with 50 fish on them and countless pictures of them holding trophy fish in the driveway. I don't think many people practiced catch and release at all back then. The only proof they had of there catch was to take the fish home and show them off... With that said, there has still been plenty of trophy fish to go around even before catch and release. Personally, I release all my catches (after I weigh it and take a pic). If I catch a record fish, I'll keep it so the record will be official. I think catch and release is definately the way to go and I have nothing but respect for people that return 'monster' trophy bass back to the water, but it doesn't bother me to see him keep that one. What does bother me is to see people that keep every fat fish they catch just to show them off, even if they aren't going to get them mounted. A picture works just fine... Congrats on that bass, it sure is a hog! I bet it'll look great on the wall. 8-)

I try to get on the water everyday. I'd say most of the time I go 6 days a week, but on some of these days I go in the morning and in the evening. 8-)

Buzz outfished me from the back of the boat tonight...

Also, one of the best things I have ever done to up my percentage of getting bass in the boat is to have a net ready at all times... I used to reach down and grab them by the lip. I messed up on some really good bass that shook out of my hand while trying to pull them out of the water :'( GET THE NET!!! ;D ;D ;D

I think the biggest thing is just staying calm. When people freak out or get overexcited, they tend to make bad mistakes.

Rig a fluke weightless, then use a medium size split shot about 12" up from the fluke. This works great for fishing in deeper water. You can work it fast and cover the bottom 4 foot of the water or let it fall to the bottom and work it slow like a worm, too! Also, rig the fluke weightless and burn it on top of the water, almost walking the dog with it, over cover. They will blow up on it like a buzzbait!

I wanted to add something... I do notice that I catch more fish when I am alone, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I can postition the boat with no concern of the location of the back of the boat. I also tend to get real close to the bank and cast parrallel to it when they are up shallow, just to keep the bait in the strike zone longer. It is hard to do this with 2 people in the boat without screwing the other guy. I try not to put my partner in "the desert" while fishing. Although I enjoy fishing alone. It is much more fun with a partner, especially when we are both ripping them! 8-)

I am "that guy" ;D Me and Buzz both fish the same. Covering alot of water with fast moving baits... We try and seek out active bass with fast baits, then slow down and fish the same area with plasics. We have been discussing this topic the past few fishing trips. I have seen it go both ways. Here recently, I took Blueeyedfisherchick out on the boat, and both times she outfished me from the back of the boat. Both of those trips she threw a rattletrap the whole time while I concentrated with a buzzbait and thew a fluke here and there. The same is true for the last few eve trips with Buzz. He concentrated with a buzzbait, while I mainly threw a rattletrap and fluke. The last time I got a few bites on the sammy, but they wouldn't hit the buzzbait. But I know why he is throwing that buzzbait (big fish) When the buzzbait bite is on, it is worth it! The few times we both threw cranks and rattletraps the whole trip, we both boated fish and nice ones too. I have had good and bad luck in the front of the boat. The same goes for the back seat also. Lets go hit the lake this eve, and you can run the motor. It will be a nice break for me, and we can do a little experiment. I wouldn't have a problem alternating driving either. It will be easy to see a pattern if we switch everytime. 8-) Oh, by the way, I got another one on the sammy this morning 5lb 3oz ;D Had 2 others slam it but didn't get it in their mouth... :'(