Hog Basser

Broke trying to horse a hung lure off a log. About a year later, broke another one when my boat drifted past a tree and it got jammed between the console and the tree **SNAP**.

Girlfriends/wives don't have to like your hobby, but they need to respect and accept it is something you will do from time to time. You can encourage her to find something, but it isn't a great idea to find a hobby for her, that's up to her and her alone.

I fished almost this exact same setup a few weeks ago and it killed for me. Exact same reel, except with a Lew's Speed Stick 7'6" Heavy Fast and braid. Exact same jig and similar trailer.

I'll second this one. I saw it recommended on here last year and have had great success with them.

I don't keep a firm count, but I would estimate about 30-40 so far this year. Sadly, that was mostly on warm days during duck season in January. I've only been once since then. Just moved into a new house down by the river and hoping I can start slipping out more and doing a little bank fishing out the back door, have to finish moving in first, which is why I've been too busy to fish.

Nice one! And welcome to the forum!

They were flopping all over my pond on Thursday. Some huge ones. Population seems mostly in check by the bass eating their young and they keep the plant level down for us (we have plenty of cover). I may harvest a few with my bowfishing gear just to thin them out a bit, but overall they are good for most ponds as a natural means of weed control.

Agree with all of the above. If you ask in advance you can secure permission for years to come. If you just show up and start casting, you will likely be asked to never come back. You might try searching a county records website to find out who the owner is, you will likely have to input a few of the addresses nearby to find the right one, but the description should include the land with the pond on it. Don't know if they have that where you are, but I use it in Arkansas all the time.

In Arkansas I get a combo resident sportsman license. The hunting license expires June 30th, but you can renew for the next year before that. Just looked at my license (which I always have on me in my wallet) and glad I did because the fishing part of it expires on the date you bought it, which was 5/19 (which I wasn't aware of.) Looks like I will be going to renew soon. Our license system is screwy. I've tried to do it online in year's past, but it is only a temporary license until you get the real on in the mail (deer tags and such need to be mailed). For three years in a row I never received the one in the mail. So I just go to a local sporting goods store and have them print it for me now and I'm done. They're trying to pass legislation to allow for everything to go virtual and you can just have it on your phone. For deer tags they are talking allowing just a piece of paper with the right info on it. I already check deer through the app. I hope it goes through.

If you go with a 2-stroke, make sure you use it a lot. If they sit for long periods of time without proper maintenance and precautions, you start getting trouble real quick. I have a '99 Tohatsu 115 2-stroke that's on it's last leg and it's difficult to get parts or figure out what's wrong...very finicky motor. I don't get to use it as much as I'd like and it gets worse the longer it sits. When it does work, if I'm going duck hunting on a cold morning it can take a long time to get started and warm. I have a 2014 Merc 150 4-stroke on my party barge and it starts like a dream every time. I'm looking for a lightly used 4-stroke for my older hunting/fishing boat now. If you have an old 2-stroke that's working well, make sure to run it a lot and keep it maintained. Mine sat for several years unfortunately when I couldn't use it and even though I cleaned it up from top to bottom and had the mechanics replace a lot of parts, it's just not the same and I don't think it ever will be.

I haven't tried the rat. I have several Whopper Plopper 130's now and it's one of my go-to lures. First time I took it out I caught 4 bass in an hour on it and 3 of them were over 3 lbs. (I fished some other setups during that hour, so it would've caught even more)

I got a buddy who put back crown & coke all day while fishing with me once....needless to say, he didn't feel too good the next morning!

No one's said beer yet? (I fish a private lake and stay on property, so no driving) I really don't drink that much while out (too busy fishing) and usually supplement with some water, fritos honey bbq flavor twists, and a quest protein bar. I've been known to pack an occasional banana or two, superstitions don't bother me.

Fishing during duck season in Arkansas...only near 80 degrees this last weekend, so why not? This is two fish...I did the long arm and the normal pose to show the difference on each one. Both caught on a bladed jig with craw trailer. The big one went 3.98 and the other was about 3.25. Had a business partner I was guiding catch a 4.64 and a 5.6 on Monday afternoon in the same spot within his first 10 minutes of being there on a spinner bait.

entered

Rebel Craw crank in red killed it in January here last year. I will probably fish that and a Seibert jig and throw in a jerkbait for good measure. Going duck hunting by my fishing hole this weekend and it's supposed to be 66 degrees, so guess what I'm doing in the afternoons?

Hmmm..... Let's see....Duck Hunting, Deer Hunting, collecting new gear and still fishing a little bit. I take a little time off from fishing to pursue other hobbies, mainly because my best fishing spot is also my best deer and duck hunting spot and I don't want to mess up the hunting. If it gets warm in the afternoon, I grab my fishing gear and head on out...they just bite a little slower and I'm still perfecting my wintertime technique.

Out of the water and under your full control for long enough to weigh & measure = landed Flops off or breaks line/lure etc. while pulling out of the water and manages to escape = cannot be considered PB or even landed Hard lesson we've all had to learn at some point or another. You'll get 'em next time.

I like your t-shirts, but only see medium available. When do you get more sizes in? Specifically XL.

I fish there occasionally, haven't done it in December before though. Will you have access to a boat or are you bank bound? I don't know for sure if guides operate that time of year, but there are a lot of good guides in the area. I was there in July last and they were hitting medium diving cranks in chartreuse color, I'm sure it will be different in December though. If you have access to a boat, a lot of people fish flats at the mouths of different coves. Sorry, don't know specific areas too well as I'm usually with a buddy who knows the area when I go so I don't study it too much. It is a huge lake. For that time of year I'd stick to working T-Rigged plastics and jigs slow. I sometimes have success fishing a rebel craw crankbait real slow in other parts of the state that time of year. They sometimes get on the craw bite when it's colder, similar craw imitation red cranks work well too. Enjoy your stay, it is a beautiful area! That lake has a TON of islands and is absolutely gorgeous.

Stopped by Academy at lunch today and they've got a bunch of cranks on sale, not just their store brand this time. 6th sense crush flat 75x are $2 off, Bagley's are $3 off and saw a ton more. I needed to reply my 75x's after burning through a few on a hot bite last month, so I'm happy!

Does TW run a big Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale usually?

This one went after a walking bait almost as big as he was. Don't even know how he got on the hook since the treble is bigger than his mouth!

A lot of the talk on here is bucket biology 101, which all fisheries biologists and pond managers warn strongly against doing. Without doing a fair assessment of the overall fish population through something such as an electro-shock survey with a trained biologist, you're really just taking a shot in the dark and could seriously hurt the fishery. I'm no expert, but I've done my fair share of reading on the subject trying to slowly gain knowledge for managing my own ponds. I HIGHLY recommend going over to the pond boss forums and talking to a few of the experts there before you do anything you regret. For example, my family acquired a new fishery a year and a half ago and I haven't made any changes to it yet, other than harvesting as many bass in the 10-15 inch range as possible (per a biologists recommendation to the previous owners). I will not be adding any new fish of any type to it without talking to a biologist first. What I'm doing right now is a long-term assessment of the overall health of the fishery by weighing and measuring every bass I catch and keeping a spreadsheet of those weights compared to the relative weight of a bass that size. This will help me determine if and when adjustments need to be made in our current plan.

I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is perfect for the part after seeing the season premiere. I wasn't sold on him at the end of last season, but now I think he is perfect. He gets his point across in his own way, way more terrifying than just being a huge brute that likes to kill. He toys with Rick and his group in a way that makes them more terrified than if he simply just killed a couple of them.