dragger201

For me it was a gear thing. From childhood thru my first 5 years bass fishing I used spinning reels on fiberglass rods. Man a day of tournament style fishing with my BIL my hands/wrist/arms would be worn plum out. My BIL bought me for my birthday a left hand Shimano Citica and an Abu Garcia graphite rod..........best thing that ever happened to my bass fishing............

Don't really care about fame and fortune. My first choice would be my BIL Gerald who taught me the basics and fine points of tournament style fishing. His age finally got him and he's in a nursing home, but d**n could he find/catch bass. My second would be Stephen.......he started me bass fishing, shallow water, slow and steady. My third is my buddy Ken.........we go fishing to have a good time........and we ALWAYS have a good time...........he's truly my brother............

Acapulco.............

Now adays, I'm primarily a bass fisherman............but...............ever once in awhile I'll go for reds and specs south of New Orleans . Sometimes when it's really hot, will sit on the end of a pier, dangle my bare feets in the water and fish for bream. Have done the whole trot line/ limb lines/ jug fishing for cats, but don't really care for it at all.

I'll fish the schooling fish until I get a general idea how big any area they are covering..........once I have that figured out, I start fishing ambush points 5 to 10 yards around them...........using a sinking rattle trap and switching out with a soft lizard. Will also try and fish under the school.........sometimes it works and sometimes it don't..........

GOSPEL!!! I got 3 of those Berkleys and I like 'em.................alot. I gotta get me one more rod and that's gonna be another Lightning.

It all depends..............I like fishing a couple of ponds in my area.....sit on the end of the pier and covering maybe 400 feet of bank. Have spent most of a day doing that. If I'm fishing my jon boat(14' with trolling motor only).....I might get up to covering 1/4 to 1/2 mile of bank. When fishing tournament style with my BIL and his full on bass boat, we have cover as much as 3 to 5 miles in a day........

Hey Dr...............that's kinda what I thought was meant by power or finesse bass fishing. Sometimes I like the tournament style, cover lots of water (power) fishing in a full on bass boat. Mostly I like my little jon boat and "hog" hunting, finessing around structure, bank wash outs, shallow water drop offs etc......working different baits, different angles etc etc.

Come this May..............20 years..................

Hell, unless it's raining/snowing..........the only thing better then going fishing tomorrow..........is going fishing today..........

Haven't used 'em that long. But this year was time to upgrade my gear. Decided to try the Assassin and a Spartacus. Like 'em enough that now have 4 Assassins, 1 Spartacus and 1 Royal Legend. Don't know yet how well they will hold up over the long haul, but so far like them very much. Also got the Fortis braided line in moss green/20lb. Really like the no memory of the braided stuff and it sure is nice when work stumps and brush piles........... Keeping my fingers crossed................come spring will find out just how good this stuff is...........

Hey wdp.......welcome aboard.... What are some of the waters you fish up there? The furthest north I've fished is Grenada and TennTom backwaters around the Aberdeen area. In your reply to my intro, you mentioned Loakafoma, was wondering if you ever got the chance at that little extension on the north end called Doyle Arm? It's hell to get a boat into, but there is some good fishing there because it ain't easy to get into. Nothing monstrous, but a good supply of 3 to 5 pounders. How long has it been since you fished Loakafoma??? I'm really hot to hit it this coming spring. Been a long time(10 years) since I fished it. They did an almost complete rebuild/refurbishment about 15 years ago, and when they opened back up it was fabulous fishing the first year...........but somehow they let some of those d**n giant lilypads get started and also that water hyacinth and between the two it about choked it out. So they drained it again and started over. So looking forward to getting back..........I just loved that place. Oh.................HAIL STATE.............we got the Egg..........

Yep...actually......Adaton. And yes many hours on Loakfoma before they did the "rebuild". And love the shallows on the back of Bluff lake also. You ever fish the slews along the TennTom?? Mine is mostly between the Bevill lock and Waverly......that's some fine fishing.........

Man, I'd hit that with a Carolina rig w/ a worm or lizard.....one that will float...........

I'm not sure..........but looks big enough to make the grease stink........!

Well, they done got you now................

Thanks, Darren!

Thanks, Lanz...........

Hey all.................. Been fishing for 57 years. Started at 5 trolling for King Salmon with my grandpa. After the first time, I scrounged up $.25(soda bottles) and bought a fly rod with a broken tip and started stomping cricks on the island of Wrangell(SE Alaska).........by 8 I had progressed to a spinning rod and moved to crick mouths for Dolly Varden and the occasion Coho Salmon. We also did subsistence fishing for Humpies when they were running. After a couple of moves ended up in the Pacific Northwest where lake and river trout and steelhead fishing....still with a spinning rod, thru my teens. Then the Army for 4 years(not much fishing). After seperation, returned to SE Alaska and took up commercial fishing......salmon(seining, handtrolling, gill net), halibut/black cod(long line) crab/shrimp(pots and trawl) and when not commercial fishing, beach casting for whatever I could hook(young king salmon, coho salmon when running, dolly varden) and till crick stomping plus lake fishing for trout. When I was 30, the cold had gotten to me, so moved to Hawaii. Still crick stomping, but now gigging for freshwater shrimp. Also cliff casting for nanue and night cliff fishing for barracuda and ulu'a(best ulu'a was 67lbs). Still with spinning gear. After 12 years, moved to Mississippi(20 years ago last spring). After a year of no fishing, I bought a Zebco 33 (spinning reel, 5'6" rod) and a hand full of different baits for like $11 at a salvage store called "Walls". A neighbor(who ended up being a great friend) coached on bass fishing. Took me to Oktibehha County Lake...........and just at dusk I was sold on bass fishing. Using a popping scum frog, hooked a 7lb6oz bass. Destroyed my Zebco spinning reel but I was now a bass fisherman. For the next couple years my bass fishing was done with fiberglass rod(groan) and spinning reels. Then my brother in law found me a used Shimano Citica for $10. It was left handed. Got me a Walmart 6'6" graphite rod and haven't looked back to spinning gear since then. The last couple years, been so d**n busy, I would only fish maybe a half dozen times a year. But this year(late summer) I decide that I was gonna make time for serious fishing again. So since early September, fishing at least a couple times a week. That's the basics for me and fishing.

Hey Jordan.............. Been doing a good bit of fall pond fishing. Been using a watermelon lizard with a chartreuse tail, a jig with brown and black skirt with a brown/orange crawfish, a suspend rattle trap and a slow roll spinner with trailer and half a lizard. Heavy stained water(not quit muddy). Fishing very slow. Picking up a couple, three fish an hour but only in the 2 to 4 pound range.........

After 15 years my Shimanos are getting beyond rebuild/repair. Two Bantam Curados and 4 Citicas. Took a chance on an inexpensive baitcaster, the Kastking Assassin. After a couple weeks fishing with one, it will be the replacement for my Shimanos. Cost was under $60 from eBay delivered to my door.