NCbassraider

The Yamamoto Hula is a great bait. I use them as trailers and also will fish them weightless T rigged or on a football jig head.

The lower jaw says it's a LMB but it could be a hybrid

Ned

I own a similar sized pond. There is probably just too much pressure being put on the bass by you and the few others that fish it. It only takes a few people to do this on a 10 acre pond.

Common carp are omnivorous and most carp are egg eaters.

You are probably seeing them because they eat bass eggs. The come into the shallow during the bass spawn to look for beds feed on.

Finally after a 5 week wait because the Pro 120 was back ordered, it arrived from the manufacturer. Got a chance to fish it yesterday and was very pleased. I knew from reviews it was very stable but was surprised how easily two adults could fish the decks and move around with out the fear of capsizing. I am 185 lbs and my buddy is 170 and after 30 minutes or so we moved around freely without any concerns. The current model of the Pro 120 has aluminum stringers and the hull is foam filled which adds incredible stability without adding much weight. There is also a lot of room in this boat even though it is under 12'. Plenty of storage and the you can feel the quality everywhere. The hull is much thicker than the Pelican I previously fished and the decks are very solid with quality marine carpeting over 3/4" treated plywood. I switched out the seats to allow for more room on the casting decks but will probably remove them most days as I don't sit much but you can sit on the edge of the decks to tie on baits and so forth. The built in cooler saves a ton of room on the boat and if you use a Yeti ice brick, you don't need to bother with the drain at the end of the day. Haven't turned on the live well yet but it is big and seems to be a very simple design. I like that it is automatic and works off an electrical panel. The running lights worked nicely coming in at night. The seat pedestals were a concern when ordering but they are rock solid with steel plates mounted on either side or 3/4" plywood. They are not going anywhere. My only complaint is that it is only pre-wired for a trolling motor on the bow as the stern mount was meant for an outboard but with so many people powering it with a trolling motor, you would think they would add this feature. A simple modification solves this issue but I thought I would mention it. From the factory this boat is 238 lbs but loaded with motor, battery, anchor and gear, it is quite heavy so I would recommend a dolly like the one pictured or a trailer if you are transporting to a body of water. Two is the perfect number for this boat but you can easily fish 3 people if needed.

Agreed. And the real big bass are rarely caught simply because they have no problem feeding. They have become better hunters and know where the food is. Also, something that is over rarely mentioned is that they are territorial and when a big female moves into an area to feed, smaller bass move out of her way. I've seen this behavior many times in a smaller pond on my property that I stock. In a body of water with plentiful food source, the monster bass simply don't need your lure.

The Sun Dolphin is a foot longer and has much more room as the Pelican was not designed to fish standing up. You can but it is cramped and you have to watch sudden moves or it can capsize. The Sun Dolphin is made to fish standing and is very stable as it is reinforced inside the hull with pressure treated 2 X 6 and is foam filled. It can fish 3 people pretty easily and you can move around with ease and safety. It is also equipped with an automatic aerator, running lights and lots of storage as well as a cooler. Both fine boats but the Pelican is a pond hopper and not all that comfortable to fish for extended sessions. The Pro 120 is a true bass boat that can handle larger bodies of water but is also easy to maneuver in smaller ponds.

Love the 580G Green mirror. Nothing else at any price point has compared for inshore fishing.

I agree with this except fish it weightless on the 3/0 Gamakatsu. Gary Yamamoto says the 5" Senko is made to fish weightless on a 3/0 and I agree. And fish it SLOW. It will fall about 6"/second so be patient and every time it hits bottom twitch it around gently like a Ned rig before pulling it up again. Almost everyone fishes every bait too fast but especially Senkos. It comes from watching to much power fishing on TV fishing and general impatience, I imagine.

Most big bass, over 3 lbs have bent the hooks on my Vision 110+ jerkbaits in the past. They are very thin hooks and tough to drive thru the mouth, they just seem to skin hook them. The Gamakatsu replacements make a huge difference, give them a try. The #6 Finesse hooks don't change the action or suspension one bit. I fish the Vision 110 exclusively in clear water. The hand painted bodies are very natural looking and really glimmer in clear, sunlit water. I find they don't do as well in stained water at which point I go to the brighter, less natural colored baits.

Agree on the Vision 110. Problem with those is they are made in Japan to be fished on very light tackle and line so the hooks are quite weak. Most tournament anglers switch them out. I recommend Gamakatsu #6 finesse trebles. You won't bend those bad boys out.

If you got him in the water quickly, he's probably fine. Unlike humans, they stop bleeding very quickly under water so getting them back in the water fast is twice as important when they are bleeding. Their esophagus is accustomed to getting nicked and poked by fin spines when they eat so if you rotated the hook and slid it back out easily, no worries. The gills are also tougher than most people think and will stop bleeding quickly after it gets back under water. I usually remove the bait, cut the line, rotate the hook and back it out but an easy way for those not confident in rotating the hook is simply use needle nose pliers to crush the barb and back it out the way it went in. I never understand people that won't ruin a hook barb to save a fish.

I have this Sun Dolphin Pro 120 on the way. Should be here in a couple weeks and I can't wait to get out in it and review it. If anyone else has the Pro 120 I would love to hear your thoughts on it. I was going to keep my Pelican Predator 103 (also pictured) but the wife says it must go. I was going to Craigslist it but if any Bass Resource members in the Charlotte, NC area are in need of a nice boat, please send me a PM and I will discuss a "friends and family" discount.

Not me though, right?

I've had that talk with myself a hundred times. Thought about it last week then spent $75 on 3 jerk baits. Already had one of them but it was covered in teeth marks. It's a relatively cheap addiction...that's the other thing I tell myself a lot.

I'm straight braid as well. No leaders, they're unnecessary and just ad another complication that can go wrong. No backing either, straight braid to reel with a little electrical tape to prevent slipping. My fishing life is so less complicated now and I love it. My hookup rate is much improved, I almost never have a backlash but when I do, it's simple to pull out and I don't worry about lack of stretch. I fish with the drag a little looser, problem solved...if there was one.

It doesn't matter, the fish are not looking at the line and analyzing. I use green braid to blend on every reel but despite what people tell you, they're not looking at line. Just like they're not identifying treble hooks hanging off hard baits. Bass are not that evolved. I love Ned rigging on braid because it floats and you can usually see the line move before you feel the hit, if you fish it with controlled slack. I keep the drag loose on almost very reel to make up for the lack of stretch in braid.

Senkos work in all water temps. Weightless Texas rigged and Wacky are two of the most versatile. Fish them very, very slow.

Nice early March pig on the Vision 110. 5 lbs, 11oz

Yeah, very windy here today so I was pulling it with the wind towards the wind-blown bank so they would be looking straight at it. Had 30 minutes to kill and caught 7 fish in that time. It's tough to spend $25 on a jerkbait but these things are killer in clear water.

Still crushing it on the jerkbaits here in NC.

I've been in about all of them and have a few observations. (I will leave the Sun Dolphin Pro 120 out of this discussion as it is by far the best plastic hulled boat but a big jump up in money.) I currently own the Pelican Predator 103. It is by far the most stable of the boats in it's class and the best bang for your buck. Two big guys can stand up to fish with no issues. It only weighs 140 lbs. They are very durable on the water but pushing them on ground can easily damage them over a short period of time as small rocks and sticks are capable of puncturing the hull. Pushing or pulling them on concrete for even a few inches is a no no. They quickly wear down on the contact points and will crack. There is a good plastic welding kit out there for about $70 that Pelican recommends and works great and can get you back in the water in minutes. You will want to have two people to carry it to the water or buy a boat dolly like the one I reviewed earlier on this page. Academy seems to always beat everyone on the Pelican prices by quite a bit. I think I saw this boat the other day for $800. The Bass Raider is a nice boat too but not quite as stable. The beam is almost a foot shorter so it stands to reason it would be less stable but the fact that the pontoons give only a narrow space to stand makes it difficult. The Intruder 12" Jon boat is spacious but also not very stable with a beam of only 48". The bench seats are very uncomfortable to sit in for any stretch of time and traditional Jon boat seat clamps don't work on the plastic seats so you won't be able to mount swivel seats without some serious customization. For moving it yourself, remember that a battery will add about 40lbs and a trolling motor another 20. Also, invest in a 15 lb anchor as just a little wind blows these boats around like a ping pong ball. If you can back your truck right to the water, any of them can be moved by one guy. You can put the battery and motor in after the boat is in the water, otherwise I would bring a friend.

Deeper is cool and easy to use. You can also buy the boat attachment for like $75.