PhishLI

I had it saved in my favorites, but "page not found" is all I get now. They weren't supposed to ship until spring anyway. Oh well. I was definitely going to try one.

Believe me I've tried, thinking I'd be like a surfer catching a rare monster wave. But then I heard the terrifying report of a tree trunk snapping. That was a clarifying Uh-Oh moment for sure. All at once I realized a mere falling branch could kill me stone dead, or just knock me out cold while I was beans deep in the water only to be ravaged by snapping turtles or whatever slithering karmic vengeance the lake saw fit. By imagining the shame of my wife at my funeral and what the inscription on my tombstone might say, I straightened out my thinking on the idea real fast.

My brother has an Inception, Z, and A3. He loves them, and he has all the good stuff too. I've fished with them, and they're very good casters. Like any centrifugally braked reel you'll need to figure them out a bit as you're accustomed to a mag brake Daiwa. Once you're dialed in it'll be no problem. They're very compact, if you like that.

Got one too last night. It was tough in the cold, but I got the right bite.

Temps made it up to the mid 50s during the day, but that did me no good. By the time I got up to my spot it was a chilly November 44 degrees. Low 30s during the overnights has the water cold. My feet were hurting only two hours in which was my fault for taking the easy route by wearing my PVC hip waders. Even with heavy socks, their integral boots transmit the cold directly to my tootsies. Brrr. Neoprene stocking foot waders with separate boots are so much warmer. Next time for sure. There was zero wind, so even with a moonless sky the baitfish were locked down in place. They wouldn't move an inch even with a bright LED blasting them. Oddly, the Milfoil and Coontail have barely dropped except for right near the shoreline, and they're as crisp as they were in July. Got a few subtle bass bites dragging a Blue/Green -flake fluke where I could find scattered bluegills staged up, but none got the hook. One was heavy for sure, but it just held on tight then let go. I rotated around to the eastern shoreline where I expected the water to be warmer, but strangely it was even colder. At this point my dogs were really barking, so I changed things up for one last go. Tied on a Black/ Blue-Flake-Blue tipped SK Shim-E Stick and chucked it into a long weed bed in about 1' of water. This zone is pickerel heavy, so I knew I was taking a risk with straight 15lb braid, but beggars can't be choosers and I didn't want to skunk. Got a hard bite, which was very pickerel-esque, then some heavy headshakes and wide runs which is very big pickerel-esque, so I was sure I was getting broken off. Once I saw the fat belly and large mouth my fears subsided. No razor teeth and I lipped a well-fed chunk. Skadoosh. Shuffled out of there, unfroze my frozen feet in the truck, and drove home with a smile.

Got it. I didn't see this release from yesterday: NOVEMBER 15, 2023 • MLF • BASS PRO TOUR BENTON, Ky. — Major League Fishing announced today the roster for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour, the sixth season of professional bass fishing’s preeminent tournament circuit. The field of 80 of the world’s top bass fishing professionals will compete across nine states during the Bass Pro Tour season for a total purse of more than $6.7 million. The season starts Jan. 30 at the Bass Pro Tour Stage One at Toledo Bend in Many, Louisiana, and ends in August at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, where the 2024 Bass Pro Tour Angler of Year will be crowned and 40 berths into REDCREST 2025 on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville will be determined. “We’re excited to announce the Bass Pro Tour roster for the 2024 season,” said Kathy Fennel, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Major League Fishing. “The Bass Pro Tour represents the highest level of competition our sport has to offer, and nowhere is that more evident than in the field of anglers who will be competing in 2024. It’s going to be an extremely competitive season.” The 2024 field is headlined by 2023 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Matt Becker, as well as two-time Bass Pro Tour AOY Jacob Wheeler and 2019 AOY and REDCREST champion Edwin Evers. Also returning are multi-time MLF winner Ott DeFoe, REDCREST 2023 champion Bryan Thrift, multi-time Bass Pro Tour winner and REDCREST 2021 champion Dustin Connell, and up-and-coming superstars Alton Jones, Jr. and Dakota Ebare. REDCREST 2022 champion Bobby Lane will also return to the lineup via a champions exemption after a one-year hiatus from the Tour.

Exactly. It bothers me if the other guy is struggling.

From what I understood, JLee said BASS called him and he needed to make a decision pronto, so he did. If that's actually so, then BASS simply lured back some of their talent and JLEE didn't really "use" the exception. They offered it to him. He qualified by winning last year's event. JLee is fishing the Redcrest and heavy Hitters next year because he qualified. So did KVD, so he'll be fishing both.

Every local spot near me has signage clearly posted "closes at dusk". I've been there at 10 pm when DNR officers were checking licenses. They never kicked us out. I've been there when the police swept through in numbers looking for gang-related dumped bodies. They didn't ask us to leave. Their helicopter pretty much blew up the lake, but that's beside the point. Even the bay constables, who are gung-ho, never asked us to leave after dark. Find out if the penalties are steep. If they only kick you out, then go for it. If policy is that they confiscate your gear or ticket you then don't.

Perhaps, but it's more likely he's well practiced at apologizing for how he is. I've crossed paths with a few of these types over time and they're often manipulative. Expert at getting back into your good graces if you allow it, until the next time, and you know there will be a next time because there was a first time so easily. Remember the cues and chalk it up to a life's lesson.

My Daiwa spinners from the mid 70's have reversible handles. Pretty sure this was standard by the late 70's for a lot of brands. Not odd.

This particular DB disqualified himself from that level of courtesy, IMO.

I just picked up my brother from JFK after he spent the past few days in Texas. He met up with a group of dudes from SU on Facebook. They came from Texas, Arkansas, Cali, and wherever. He made a point of saying not one of them was an azzhat. All were cool. He had a blast even though the catching was bad because a cold front dropped down on the very small 25-acre lake they were at. He's going back next year. Without a doubt.

Life is way too short. Ghost this nutjob. Nah. This guy can't be fixed.

Why do you feel that you need the line capacity of a 200 for a general use reel? Yes, the spool of the M is a tad lighter than the K, but because it holds a lot of line it's still heavy compared to other choices,

Those teeth are like razors. They'll cut you deeply in a flash, and they go berserk when you need to take them out of the water for unhooking. Zark got a tickle out of that one.

Pickle-gators on a rampage here lately. They fight hard in these temps.

6" Wacky rigged senko deals well with the current and gets smashed.

For where and how I fish, I'm perfectly happy planting a $350 reel on a $150-$200 rod.

I've never had a Daiwa handle get loose that screws directly into the main gear. Don't worry about it.

Which fish? Are you fishing ultra clear water for smallmouth? If you're fishing for LM in typical lakes don't worry about it. They don't care.

Different people have different preferences and different styles for bank fishing. None are wrong. I don't like leaving a zone not having presented a mix of baits throughout the column. So many times, and often when on the brink of moving on, I chose to throw a hail Mary pass with a counterintuitive bait and it paid off nicely. This happened just last night. I want a minimum of 3 setups; 1) Medium spinning rod for throwing the usual suspects. Probably a 6'6" for fishing through tight quarters and overhanging tree branches. Every place I fish is lined with trees up to the water's edge. 2) Medium Heavy Fast casting/ 30lb braid. Straight braid mostly but add a leader if you feel it necessary. Throw whatever you like within its range. Adjust drag for lighter wire hooks. 3) Heavy Fast casting/ 20LB Mono. Throw baits up to 1 1/2oz. 5"-6" swimmers rigged weedless on a heavy wire swimbait hook, line thru-swimmers, jigs outside of the wheelhouse of the MH rod, heavier chatter baits, and trebled swimbaits/wake baits of which there are many affordable options now that are often the juice when nothing else is working.

Zipped up to one of my local spots after work, just before last light. Temps dropped like a rock after the sun finally set which was just after 4:40pm. Winter is here. Missed a few short strikers over the next hour slow swimming and dragging plastics, so I tied on a treble-y Spro BBZ1 Shad to close things out. Found a juicy lane between two pad fields and it paid off as a solid fish blew it out of the water and fought hard all the way. The wind was blowing, my face was frozen, so I declared victory and bounced without being late for dinner.

In have these: Ima Suspending Vibration Lipless Crankbait | Tackle Warehouse They don't actually suspend, but rather slow-sink, and how quickly depends on water temperature and line diameter. Locally I'm fishing shore to shore weed fields, so these work where they're somewhat below the surface. Otherwise, I can't use standard lipless cranks at all as they'll dive like a rock right into the veg. I treat it like a slow sinking jerk bait but with a different profile.

Yes and yes. I use these rigged with 7" Power worms or BPS knockoffs. 3/8 oz on top and 1/4oz for bottom two. I switch for depth and cover thickness. Very weedless. Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Swim Jig | Tackle Warehouse