Bulletman20XD

A few years ago I was fishing a local tourney that no one mentioned or knew had opened up for the Elite practice days. A WELL KNOWN pro approached and basically asked me to move he was practicing for the upcoming Elite tourney. I told him I was fishing a tourney and wasn't moving for him or anyone else. He continued running his mouth until I told him I personally knew a couple of his fellow Elite competitors and Trip Weldon and would make a phone call if he didn't shut his mouth. He moved away! Like most others if an Elite or any other tourney is on a lake I will go elsewhere if I know it. If I'm fishing and a guy tells me he's fishing a tourney I'll give way to him. BUT Mr. NJ or anyone else orders me to get out of their way, move etc... I will get irate in about .2 seconds. Retired Army, Ex Cop, Type A personality what do they expect??? LOL

Marshalling to me was a little boring, especially when it's on a lake you know very well. You just sit there wishing you could fish and dreading the next run! LOL It's hard to keep you mouth shut and not tell them anything. I was a Judge on Rayburn for the TTBC this year, Judging is a little more exciting as long as the pro is catching fish. On Dardanelle I had Kelly Jaye on day 1, he was a hoot. Day 2 I also had Jesse Wiggins. Very nice young man, had to tell him to stop calling me sir. Day 3 I had Cliff Pace (NO Comment). The key to being selected for the 50 cut is to register early. Day 4 cut is almost impossible to get. There is not 12 spots. Camera guys take up 4-5 boats, leaving 6-7 spots. At Rayburn I had Boyd Duckett for day 1 (4-5 foot rollers both days). He was an absolute blast to spend a day on the water with. Day 2 I drew James Niggemeyer. Another very nice guy, very family oriented, very religious, very paranoid. He constantly reminded me I couldn't help him in any way. Anytime I talked he would interject with a reminder. Still a very nice guy.

Bastrop is a privately owned lake and has very limited places to bank fish. North and South Shore parks which charge an arm and leg if you take along the family because they charge by the person. These are the only areas you can actually get to in order to fish. With the exception of the boy scout camp, all around the lake is owned by LCRA and has No Trespassing signs. Make sure you are aware Bastrop is a slot lake (14-21 inches) don't get caught with an illegal fish!!

Not saying its no good/won't work etc.. I love my SD as well as all my Lew's reels. Just saying a Super Duty is overkill for frogs. Others will work just fine. A Super Duty is a little heavier than others as well adding to fatigue. That reel is better suited for large cranks, A-Rigs and large Swimbaits (What I use my SD for). You make long casts and slow retrieves whereas Frog fishing consists of cast after cast after cast which leads to fatigue.

Because of the issues with ethanol most small engine shops will tell you don't use it. Because a small engine sets for long periods of time, phase separation is likely occur damaging the motor. So unless you run a small engine often, it's best to drain the gas out when you're done. You can find non-ethanol pre-mix in a can in many stores for small 2-strokes but it is expensive.

I absolutely agree. Ploppers are a no nonsense lure. Chunk and wind---The 90 being smaller can be thrown with a MH action rod and the 130 requires something with a little more backbone due to it's weight. They now have a 110 that I will be experimenting with very soon.

As you know Allstar isn't new and sold really nice rods back in the early 90's (had a few, thief relieved me of them), an IM6 rod was the Shiznit back then. They sold out and are kinda on the low end of a mid grade bass rod now. Rainshadow blanks sold by Batson Enterprises are fairly new depending on which line, and some blanks alone cost more than anything Allstar has made in a long time. I did a google search for the model number you provided and the only thing that came up was this thread! I found NOTHING on the web that suggests that Allstar is now or has ever made a rod from a Rainshadow blank. I suspect that it may be a custom rod someone built and may have placed that information on it. At any rate, if it is in fact a Rainshadow blank, it may be worth what he's asking depending on which blank it is.

Just as there is a "Happy Medium" with reels (6.2:1 or so) there is a Happy Medium with rods. Many rod companies now sell what they are calling a General Purpose rod. These usually range around 6' 6"-7' MH with a MF-F tip. As you seem to generally just what I call "Fun Fishing" and don't have a single rod for every technique, you're limited on space fishing from a small boat or for whatever reason. These would suit you just fine.

I'd go with the heat shrink as well BUT when it comes to my equipment I want and expect it to work as advertised 100% of the time. I would want to know why it's loose and have the rod company fix the problem. I don't pay $or $200-$300 for a reel for it to make all kinds of noise (I'd take them back if it were $10). Just as you guys would not pay $1500 for a set of tires for one of them to wobble and try fixing it instead of having the dealer replace it! You pay good money for your equipment at whatever the price point is so don't settle for something working as it should!

Mann's Hank Parker Special (No Longer Sold Under that name just "Classic" now) I caught a ton of fish on those things. Still have a couple after 20+ years.

Big DEEP clear lakes intimidate the ***T outta me. I'm not talking "Great Lakes" big---I wouldn't even launch my boat in those! Amistad (TX), DeGrey (AR). I can't seem to get into a groove and find a pattern. Amistad may change soon, it's only 2 hours away and I've been trying to narrow it down. I don't know if it's good that it's 51 feet low or not! LOL

I use the 130 size almost always and have found I don't get a lot of bites but I get more BIG bites. Change color and stick with it. I have won 3 Big Bass pots using one over the last year. They work if you stay with it long enough!!

A LMB will shake his head pretty good along with a pull. A SMB will go nuts and fight like an cat with it's tail on fire. A carp feels like a LMB at first but then almost completely quits. Depending on the size, a white bass fights a lot like a SMB and hard to tell. A blue or channel cat shakes their head from their nose to their tail slowly and feels like a heavy limb that moves. Bluegill---tap-tap-tap bite, I won't even set the hook. Stuck this Lake Falcon Blue Cat with a T-Rigged Brush Hawg last month. Didn't have to tell my partner to get the net he saw me set the hook and the fish didn't come up an inch. After about 5 turns of the reel I told him it's not a bass (as bad as I wanted it to be)!!

Sounds like a hookset or maybe a "Bite Detection" issue to me.

Fishing a tourney on Lake Falcon this past spring. It's almost 2 p.m. weigh-in is at 3 and I have 4 fish in the livewell. Started throwing a deep crank in about 20 feet of water near some trees. Something hits buts did not fight. I told the backseater I had a stick fish. That was until it was right beside the boat and a 4 pounder went nuts. I did manage to land it and finished out an important limit. Finished 3rd but the points were more important for end of year numbers.

Tomorrow at "Midnight" September 1st the 2017 Fishing For Freedom link will be open for registration. The tournament is held on Belton Lake just west of Temple Texas and also borders Ft. Hood. This is a way for boaters to provide an all inclusive guided tournament for those who have given so much for this country. If interested please read the rules!! Fishing For Freedom is a "FREE" tournament benefiting Wounded Warriors. It is sponsored by many boat and motor manufacturers and local vendors with lots of prizes to be given away. This is "THE" benefit tournament of the year. A few pros will even participate. A free dinner is also provided the night before. It is open for the first 300 boaters who register. You will be paired with a Wounded Warrior the night before so arrangements can be made. The attached below is from the website. Note--All Wounded Warriors will be either currently still Active and Medically Retired so the rule below will be fulfilled. Participation is open to all individuals who are 18 years of age or older or who have served or currently serving in our armed forces; however each team must consist of at least one active duty service member or retired veteran. http://www.texasboatworld.com/come-and-watch-pictures-from--fishing-for-freedom

A couple weeks ago I replaced a Quantum PT series reel I've had for about 5 years or so because I found the bail wire broken when I pulled it out of the rod box to use. I have no idea of how it happened, it was not broken when I put it in there. I keep covers on my rods and slide them in the tubes in the box. How could I have not noticed the wire was broken hanging off it the way it was?? I started searching the web for the part and could only find it on an Australian website, even Quantum didn't have it. So, I bought a new *** Fishing ***. Fairly cheap but I don't use spinning tackle much so it's good enough. After receiving the new reel. I just happened on the Quantum website and read where they say the bail wire is made of "Indestructible" Titanium and was warrantied for life! So I called them, and was told send it in and they'll fix or replace it. I did so and today I received a package from FedEx with the new upgraded version of the reel, 8 days from the day I sent them mine!!----No questions asked. Over the years I've owned a few Quantum reels and even bought 3 right out of the factory in Korea while stationed there the "Second" time. None of which held up very well so I switched brands. Not having used them in a while I cannot attest to the quality and dependability of the baitcasters but if my warranty experience is any sign of a change, Quantum may get a second look from me!

I grew up fishing the many creeks around my home town in NE Arkansas and miss it dearly. Back when I was a kid the local landowners could care less if I or anyone else for that matter walked down the creeks to fish and of course you'd end up in jail these days. That is where the bass bug hit me and I've been hooked ever since. I got to wade/kayak fish the Buffalo National River a few years ago and caught so many smallmouth I ran out of bait I took along with me. Sylamore Creek is another great place for bass trout, warmouth, bream. I always used ultralight tackle which only adds to the fun of it.

I've mentioned these in another thread----Pepper Custom Baits Penetr8tor heads. Similar to the Title Shot. I can not put into words how good these things are in any structure especially grass. These heads were key to me winning several tourneys last year and a couple this year. I rig them with a Zoom Trick Worm (Z3 Bold Bluegill) exclusively. http://peppercustombaits.merge2media.com/product/penetr8or-shakey-head/

Many moons ago the walmart in Killeen Texas had a sporting goods manager who actually listened to the local guys and stocked stuff they could sell. Back then Allstar rods were one of the top of the line sellers. Shimano reels, plastics, hard baits. You name it they had it. Now days, as many have mentioned, the selection is crap but do occasionally have some deals. Considering I live within 10 miles of 3 Academy stores and Bass Pro is only 6 miles away, I don't spend much there at all.

Around Lake Fork there are a few bait shops that make and sell some of the biggest chatterbaits you've ever seen, Some were 1 1/2 oz with huge blades. I've "heard" lots of big fish have been caught on them! Being more practical, I use 3/8 almost exclusively but will swap to a larger size when I'm fishing a lake with big fish in deeper water. Here is a link to what one of my sponsors calls their chatterbait--Lunker Thumper. I rig it with a Lake Fork Tackle Magic Shad. http://www.finchnastybaitco.com/Home/Items?type=9

+1---Larger fish on small pressured lakes will hide out during the day and feed heavily at night. They will roam around so you don't have to worry about finding structure as much. Use a UV light and spool up with a UV line to help in casting accuracy.

Watermelon, Watermelon Red, Blue Fleck, Red Shad. Swap a few times and let the fish tell you what they want.

All depends on the rig your throwing----You did not mention for what technique??

Look at near any fish, in fresh or salt water---all are a lighter color on bottom than on top. This is to help conceal the fish from predators and prey. Now look at most store bought cranks--lighter on bottom right. They may also place another contrasting color on the bottom and/or sides. I say store bought because many custom painted baits can be either way. Manufacturers don't just throw paint on baits without testing them. Since cranks have been around the light on bottom darker on top paint jobs have been around--Why? Because it has been proven to work.