Columbia Craw

You are not a jerk, period. He is not stupid. You are motivated to learn and committed to put in the time, effort and expense, he is not or at least not yet. There is a big difference in fishing buddies going out together and a fisherman who goes out with a friend. With bass fishing the disparity is even greater because the skill levels required to cast and feel a strike are not like cat fishing or perch fishing. If he has any interest at all, you can choose to be a mentor and help him get up to speed so he's at least proficient. End your outing with a question for your friend. " What could we have done different today to catch em" ? If he doesn't have a response, redefine what activities you choose to share with him. Finally, you're not a jerk.

Don't tell Emma Sasquatch doesn't exist or Papa will be a fibber.

Kiss MY wife before I leave for the lake.

Wonderful catch. A once in a lifetime fish. Congratulations !

Ibuprofen.

Am I the only one who has an issue with the sharp top of the Diawa Zaion Dag Star sticking into the top of their fore finger when pitching? I really climb up on the reel and the rod trigger lays between my ring finger and little finger when I pitch. It was not an issue until I moved to some Diawa reels for pitchin duties. I prefer holding the rod/reel in this manner as it maximized the loop rotation of my wrist and I get power with less effort and better accuracy. I guess i'm the freak on this issue. The platform makes no difference.

Went into my local family owned sporting goods store to pick up some special ordered stuff. I dropped in the manager's office ( friend of mine ) and ended up with a Diawa Zillion HD at cost and two Evergreen CR8 cranks as a thank you.

Sunline Super Natural. I've been fishing it for three years now and it's performed great.

3700 series boxes by DEPTH.

Yamamoto Hula Grub in 176 all day long. Drag, hop, swim it on a football head. Fish it from three to forty feet.

The conditions will first dictate if I think I can get a reaction bite or feeding bite. If the weather and temps aren't conducive to a faster moving bait, vertical or horizontal, I will fish slow. I always PREFER to fish fast to cover water quicker but that may not be the most effective. Case in point: covered a large rocky bottom area with a shallow crankbait last year. The fish were just swiping at the bait or I caught them skin hooked by the rear treble hook. I picked up a wacky worm and refished the area slower and loaded the boat. Another scenario: I fished a jig slow around brush lines and cover and had limited success. I had two bites reeling in. I started to throw a swim jig and spinner bait and did pretty well. I don't know if that helps. If i'm confident I'm around fish, I just do something different if the bass don't cooperate.

Part of a 21.90 limit. Missed big fish by .05 pounds. Got lucky and won the event.

I'm convinced there is a point in which poor performing equipment can be a liability but the stuff is not what makes you a better angler. It's what's between your ears. You don't have to spend a bunch of money to get the gear that will allow you to be efficient on the water.

Never. If were to happen....I would never admit it.

I'm not far behind you guys. Weather in my area has been so inconsistent it's frustrating. Two days in the mid sixties and a week of upper 40's with lows to freezing, winds over 25 MPH and rain and sometimes sleet. I fished yesterday in spite of atrocious weather and my buddy caught two and I managed the lone two pound buck. The water is roiled and dropped seven degrees in 48 hours. It was still better than watching Diners Drive-Inns and Dives !

I'm with J. Franco. I like certain models within three brands. Diawa, Lews and Shimano.

I know, I know. CC posts another Dobyns rod. Big deal. Show us something really cool for a change.

12 feet is not deep. Find em' with a crankbait and catch em' with plastics. 176 If you're fishing the bank, the majority of the fish are behind you. Most of the very best anglers are not pros. You don't have to have super expensive equipment to be successful but it makes the experience a bit more enjoyable. It does no good to have the entire tackle store in your boat if you don't know when and where to apply it. Have fun !! Life is serious enough already.

The TWSV, CT and CT Type R are the closest to the MB. The ergonomics are really nice and they are easy to palm. Pick any one as your budget permits. If you can afford the 140.00 range the SV is an outstanding reel and can be found deeply discounted on line.

Rod get the nod.

I'm with Tom. I try to buy as much from my local family owned business as possible. The fact they special order is handy. Sportsman's Warehouse gets a a small percentage and TW gets the rest. I use any gift cards from BPS or Cabelas to purchase apparel.

734C in the Fury line would be on my list.

Being from the Pacific NW, the guys who inspired me will be no names to you nut they are: Andy Maxon, Jim Conway, Jim Teeney SR and Junior, Larry Schoenborn, and Stan Fagerstrom. Outside of the region, Dee Thomas, Dave Gliebe, Greg Hines, Mike Folkstad, Gary Dobyns, Rich Tauber. Nationally I was and still am in awe of the Hemphill gang. That to me was the heart and soul of what competitive bass fishing has come to. David Wharton amazed me too. Catt was exposed to legends in the making on a body of water I will never likely see. What a blessing Catt !

I built a couple of rods in 81' using boron blanks and both were 6 footers. They were stiff by the standards at the time and were relegated to worm fishing. The supplier I used dropped them because of the rate of breakage. I recall selling both for what I had in them. Back then the myth was, if you store a rod by using nails in the wall, it would break where it rested on the nails. We've come along way.

Political threads are not tolerated.