OCdockskipper

The great news is you don't have to make that trade. Large fish are indeed different than smaller fish, but they do exist in the same lake and bite lures that you have on your deck.

No offense Roger, but I am going to disagree with you. Those stereotypes you list are often repeated by the guy who gets skunked every other trip, but rationalizes it by saying "I'm targeting the biggest fish in the lake". Odds are that guy could throw a Ned rig all day and still end up with an empty live well. While it is true that specific techniques or specific places will tend to produce higher numbers or larger sizes of fish, they are not mutually exclusive. On the Elite & MLF tours, how often have you seen KVD have days where he catch's large numbers of fish as well as the biggest five (or has the biggest average)? Personally, last July I had my highest number day for the year (60 keepers). That number included a 8.0 (second largest of the year for me) and a 5.5, which were both caught on what some folks describe as "numbers only" baits (Zman TRD & a GYB 4" Senko, respectively). I fully understand when someone like WRB talks about the methods he used to catch some of the historically large bass in his resume, that is indeed trading numbers for size. However, those were fish of a lifetime, fish that no longer exist in the lakes that Tom visits. I would say that history is more of an exception, a specialty, that most fisherman wouldn't do even if presented the opportunity.

No, once a week or so on a lake that is closed to the public. It is completely surrounded by about 300 homes whose residents all have access to it, but less than a handful of those homes have anyone there who fishes for bass. For 2017 I am averaging about 20 bass per trip. That is down from over 26 bass per trip in 2015 & 2016. Those numbers reflect the fishery more than my prowess...

I never take one, but I fish sitting down, in a small boat low to the water, so I can reach the fish without having to kneel, move or run to the back of the boat like Ike. Lipping the larger fish is easy, however if they are small or there are treble hooks involved I have found that belly landing, grabbing them around the head or lifting the lure (if possible) all tend to immobilize the bass. I do carry a pair of Boga grips that I use for the occasional big catfish, I guess I could use it on a bass if needed.

Numbers caught really is relative, depending on how much you fish, your experience and where you fish. Don't be intimidated by large numbers that others may post, their circumstances may be different than yours. If you like the goal you set, that's cool. That said, my 2017 totals as of today are 349 in California, 52 in Georgia & 11 in Texas, for a total of 412. My California numbers are down about 30% from the past few years, my home lake has been a bit off since a weed abatement program was done late last year.

The Ned Rig got some TV time on the most recent episode, first from Kevin Short & then from Mark Rose. Short kept calling it the "turd bait" and explained that he uses 1/2 of a Strike King Zero, while Rose said he uses 1/2 of an Ocho. No love for ZMan...

It looks like a largemouth bass being held by a Georgia Peach (just a compliment, no micro-aggression intended )

Sorry for the delayed response, I never noticed the post prior to today. I'm not sure why you wrote "Just saying" so many times, it came across as kind of snarky. I will assume it was not meant that way. In any case, let me address a few of your points that I quoted. Glenn, I am not sure where you live, but if you watch any media from most of the the major cities in America, you definitely see a sneer from them towards the lesser densely populated areas of the U.S. It shows up in TV & movies, on the news and online. That is why the term "Fly-over country" originated, the concept that those on the major cities of the coasts summarily dismiss those in the middle of the country as not being as worthwhile as themselves. The culture of these cities is the antithesis of the culture found in most suburbs & less densely populated areas. I am not promoting this and it may not exist where you live, but it is a well known fact. Legislation limiting access to outdoor access is already part of the culture of densely populated areas. Tom (WRB) can testify to the damage that the California Coastal Commission has wreaked on California outdoorsmen in the name of environmentalism. I am not creating this wall, this division, it already exists and is initiated & promoted as part of the culture of those in densely populated areas. To believe that "we can just all get along" is a bit Pollyanna-ish and has led to bureaucracies like this running over the outdoor users. Lastly, I believe your definition of a big city is off. Houston has a population of over 2.25 million, while New Orleans is 385 thousand and Birmingham is 215 thousand. Where I live here in Orange County, we have 3 cities (Anaheim, Santa Ana & Irvine) all with larger & more dense populations than Birmingham and none of them would be considered a big city. Anaheim, the home of Disneyland, has about the same population as New Orleans in an area 1/7th the size (50 sq miles compared to 350 sq miles) and again, it would not be considered a big city. What it comes down to in my opinion is we should go to the places that want us, that rejoice in our arrival and are happy that we are there. If that makes us the big fish in a small pond, so be it - as Mel Brooks said "It's good to be the king"

I have had 50+ fish days on X-raps. Are you suggesting I would have caught more fish if I had used the megabass vision 110 on those days? If so, how can you make that claim not knowing anything about the circumstances of that fishing day?

Picture?

I take the advice of guys like Mark Zona & Andy Montgomery and opt for a shorter rod, not a longer one. The most consistent skipping motion is more of an underhand cast, so a shorter rod allows you to make that cast without hitting the water with the rod tip or having to side arm it. The actual length is kind of determined by your height & the boat you fish from. A boat that sits up high off the water can afford a longer rod while a johnboat or Pond Prowler that sits low calls for a shorter rod.

I can only imagine he needs that table to either chop onions or deal blackjack... Nice boat by BTW, using the trolling motor mount for your rudder is the way to go.

Worse, after it hit me, it fell into the water & a 28 1/2 lb bass inhaled it. Because of the amount of line out, I didn't get a good hookset and lost her.

One time I cast a Senko so far that it circled the earth & hit me in the back of the head.

To help the lures fly off the shelf, I'd recommend either "Stike King" or "Boohah". I'm sure people won't notice the slight difference in spelling. If you are planning on shipping any to North Korea, you could always go with "Super Mighty Bass Catcher".

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite plastics was the Rebel Ringworm. When I came back around to fishing as an adult, the Zoom 4" Dead Ringer was as close to a replacement as I could find. However, when I ordered some 6" models, I was initially disappointed that they weren't just longer versions of the 4" (long body, short curly tail). Instead, the extra 2" were almost all tail & while they looked good in the water, it wasn't the look I was going for. Then last summer a big girl inhaled a 6" dead Ringer in Green Pumpkin & changed my mind about it...

Hey buddy, any more comments like that and some of us just may have to give you the United Airlines treatment... Sincerely, 54 year old metabolism. I chose: A - Christie B - Lowen C - Kennedy D - Browning E - Lucas Apparently Kennedy decided to go trout fishing today, he caught 2 more fish than a dead man. I don't pick him often, he is high risk, high reward and today he tanked. Crud. However, it looks like scores were a lot lower across the board. In the BR Crew group, only 1 person is above 1000 points for this event (way to lead day 1 M.Smith!!). I have a feeling this may be one of those events like the Classic where a handful of people who are in the top 15 the first day end up going south on Day 2 and missing the cut. I think that feeling is based on wishful thinking!!

It wasn't that I was unsatisfied with your post, rather that the circumstances around it made it appear a little fishy to me. That is a "me" problem, not a "you" problem, so don't take it personal. Plenty of others read your post without delving into conspiracy theories as I did. As far as the warm welcome, it was an official city of brotherly love welcome ...

I grew up fishing Canyon Lake (Railroad Canyon Reservoir) in Southern California, the home lake of BR member JustJames. It was (& still is) a private lake, but in the late 70's & early 80's, only about 25% of the lots in the community had been built on and of those, maybe 1/3 had full time residents. Most people would only come out on weekends and use the campgrounds, even during the summer, so as a teenager, we had the lake pretty much to ourselves during the week. In retrospect, what turned out to be cool was not just the fishing, but the few other bass fishermen on the lake (all over 30 years old). They had bass boats, from an older model that looked like the ones used in the 1971 Classic on Lake Mead to brand new Rangers & Skeeters. If I recall correctly, most of them belonged to a bass club called the Ambassadors. Being a teen, I tried to modify my 12 ft (14ft?) Gamefisher from Sears to match their boats, complete with a foot controlled electric motor and makeshift livewell. These older fishermen always treated me very well, stopping to talk when we were both on the lake and always wiling to answer my questions about how to find & catch bass. In fact, I still have a couple of handmade jigs that a man named Bob Dashell gave me over 30 years ago. I have visited the lake recently and it is very different, the community is nearly 100% built out and not near as isolated as it once was. However, based on JustJames reports, the fishing there is still very good.

I may have gotten too skeptical as I age, but when the first post of a new member (who doesn't list any personal info) is to rave about how great a bait or some equipment is and then recites some of the bullet points the marketing department made up for the product, I immediately disregard the testimonial as a plant from the manufacturer. And I like the Storm 360GT!!

Since I fish a lake with no lily pads or other surface vegetation, I can use treble hooked surface lures instead of frogs & other weedless varieties. I prefer smaller topwaters, so the 3 I rotate through are a Zara puppy, Pop-R and Tiny Torpedo. Which one gets to start the day is based on the season and amount of chop on the water. For me, the Tiny Torpedo has been most effective later in the summer into the fall and when the water is calm to a very mild chop, your results may vary.

The team playing the best hockey right now is the Ducks, including their sweep over Calgary they are 15-0-3 in their last 18. Their last regulation lost was March 10th against the Blues, who scored in the final 30 seconds to win 4-3. The Ducks have a good mix of experience & youth as well as alot of playoff experience through their core players. They are one of just a handful of teams to have ever won their division for 5 consecutive years. With Chicago & Minnesota out of the playoffs, they would have to be the favorite from the west to make it to the Finals. Of course, since many people east of the Rockies are already asleep when they play, they tend to get overlooked.

I'm going to give you an opposite experience, not to try to persuade you from going forward & fishing tournaments, but just to give you more information. I am a highly competitive person and have found that when changing any solitary activity, be it fishing, bowling or golfing into a competitive activity, it changes the focus of why I am doing it. When doing any of those for fun, I enjoy the process. Internally, I am most likely competing with myself, but not to the point that I won't take time out to follow some baby swans and take a picture of them or take pleasure in executing s good shot or cast. When competing, the goal changes & I find I don't enjoy the process, just the result. I could bowl a 700 series or putt real well all day, but if I get beat, I am disappointed. That is probably a defect in me, if you don't have that, then you wouldn't feel the same way. Even when I am doing any of those activities for fun, if someone else is nearby, I start competing with them. Instead of just fishing, I now focus on making sure I catch more fish in front of them than they catch in front of me. Most likely, those folks are just great people enjoying a day outside and meanwhile, in my mind, we are battling down to the wire. It is kind of obvious why I enjoy fishing less pressured lakes...

You have lost me, so you may be correct that we need to agree to disagree. However, before we mutually tap out, let me try to understand what you are writing. If one says the "glass is half full", it does indeed mean that the glass is both half full & half empty. However, when one says "the glass is full", he means it is all the way full. Not mostly full, not nearly full, it is completely full, all the way. So, when the OP writes "I find fisherman to be...", his words mean all fisherman. He may not have meant it, but the words he used to communicate do. On a different note, as one who fishes docks on nearly every trip, I most likely took offense to this because I go out of my way to be courteous & respectful to property owners & their belongings. Intellectually I know the OP wasn't talking about me, but I dislike even the hint getting lumped into the disrespectful crowd. I'm probably taking it more personal than I should.

This is a response to your claim, not a "rip". First off, your sentence has 3 negatives, making it very difficult to try to determine what you are trying to say. Reading it verbatim, you are claiming the OP said ("didn't not say") all fishermen were good ("not bad"). I can't believe you meant that, based on the rest of your sentence. I am going to assume you were trying to say that the OP said not all fisherman were bad. The OP wrote "I find fisherman to be very rude and inconsiderate of people who own lake property." There is no way one can read that sentence and infer any other meaning than all fisherman, even if he didn't use the word all. In that sentence, "All" is implied. If I wrote "I find moderators of Bass Resource to be cross dressers", there is no escape clause in that sentence that excludes Bluebasser86 or Road Warrior. I have damned all moderators by not excluding any. The OP did the same, hence the response from the rest of the members.