buckdawg

Now what the heck do I do with them? ;D I assume a T-Rig with our without weights and hop along the bottom. Any other ideas?

I don't kiss them but I do thank them before I let them go! My wife thinks I'm nuts anyways, if she found out I was smoochin' fish the men in the white van would show up to take me to the rubber room.

I can vouch for this!!! i was hesitant at first to try senko's because i thought i'd screw it up somehow. all i'd ever used was live bait before. bought a package just cause I thought every tackle box had to have one in it. one day i decided to give it a whirl. now it's my favorite. i'll never leave home without it!!

I too am new to bass fishing. Let me tell you this site, hands down, is the best. The articles alone have the most and best information to help you with any topic you may have from rod selection to t-rigging to how to fish a senko. Once you've had your dose of the articles then read the forums. Holy Crap! This site rocks!!!

Yep. I think once you think about it a while you will appreciate your decision. Not only could you possibly catch that fish again when it's even bigger, but keeping that bass' genes in the water is a good thing. Bass that get that big are rare. It has a trait for that and it will pass it to it's offspring year after year thus making the possibility of another fish that size greater. You got the measurements. Pic?? Take all that to a taxidermist and get a replica made. Congrats!!! you can do that? what an awesome idea!!

Ok guys. Took my pole and Zoom fluke (green with black flake) and had a blast tonight. Caught 7 fish in a little over an hour. Some with some decent size too. I was very excited. Thanks for all your help!!!

does anyone use those circle hooks? i've heard those are supposed to be a good choice for wacky rigging.

To be honest, it's a good day anytime I get out. Catching is just a bonus! 8-)

Anybody have any experience with All Star rods? How do you like them? How do they compare against the other brands?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. You've given me a start to my wish list.

Hi guys! I'm curious as to what some of you experts prefer in the way of soft baits. I have in my collection some watermelon/black flake senkos, craws and various colors of grubs. A couple weeks ago I dedicated myself to fishing the Senko's and let me tell you, I'm totally hooked (no pun intended ). Love the action and the success I'm having with those. More recently gave T-rigging a try with the craws and hooked a fish but didn't get him landed. So my question to you guys is, what five or so baits do you consider 'musts' in your soft plastic arsenal? Thanks!

Congratulations!

Great thread! I recently went through some life changes that made things quite hectic. Sometimes I felt as though things were totally out of control. and then, one day, I remembered what is like to go out and drop a line in the water. from that moment I knew what I needed to do. I had gone away from fishing for ten years for various reason and I needed to get back. When I'm out it's like there's nothing else going on. What a healthy retreat. I try to get out every day I can and I usually take one of my kids with me. I wish my dad had done the same. Sometimes I catch fish, sometimes I don't. I just like being out there and experiencing different things. Beats sitting at home. This time of year is particularly neat with all the ducklings and goslings swimming about. They're a blast to watch!

Thank you! That was very informational.

Fair point. The $100 figure I used was based on a lunchtime visit to a sporting goods store. The low-end St. Croix's were about that price. Your response does get to the point in that how does one know what a good rod is? Surely price alone is not the best indicator. If it's a matter of doing my homework and researching this site and others I'm perfectly willing to do so. I appreciate yours and everyone else's help with this. It's quite a formidable mountain to climb for me to climb.

Interesting. I had considered buying braid but was scared off by it's abrasiveness. My rods are old cheapies and i'm sure the guides wouldn't be able to withstand the abuse. However, if I were to buy a decent rod (same price range) with Fuji or other ceramic guides and couple it with braid would this be a decent alternative? I really appreciate everyone's input on this. I know I sound like a cheapskate but like I said I'm just getting into this and can't spend $100+ on a rod right now. The Fenwick option seems pretty decent.

I'm a noob to serious fishing. Like most, money is limited and I need to acquire gear over a period of time. Based on what I've read to this point it seems like it's worthwhile to spend a little extra money on the rod and go more economical on the reel. I totally agree that you get what you pay for however I still have two Shimano reels that have to be approaching 15 years and they still do what I need them to, no complaints at all. I think they were probably less than $20 each when I bought them. The motivation for my question is based on sensitivity. I've been out a couple times jigging and I don't think I'm getting the 'feel' that I want out there. I can't really feel the bottom at all (unless I get snagged) and I'm wondering if a rod upgrade would help. The price range I feel is affordable for me is probably $30 - $40 per rod. Are good, sensitive rods available in this price range? Also when I'm shopping what the heck do I want to look for when I pick a rod up? Thanks for reading. I realize this question is mostly personal preference but as I have no background to draw on. I was hoping you guys could give me a starting point.

I'm a noob to bass fishing as well AND i strongly encourage you to read the articles. My goodness there is a lot of info on this site, more than enough to get you started. I am just now getting back into fishing after a 10 year break and had never fished plastics before either but reading the articles here has at least given me an excellent starting point to try different stuff. I have a bag of flukes, tubes, craws and worms in my arsenal. Haven't caught anything on 'em yet but it's early. Probably go out later today, supposed to be in the 70's here in scenic Central Ohio Also, have you considered a float tube or pontoon boat? A regular boat is definitely not in my budget so I chose a pontoon boat for a little mobility. I've had it out a dozen times or so and it's better than being stuck on the bank if you're fishing a decent sized body of water.

Awesome topic. Why I love this site!!! I saw a couple replies refer to braid. Is braid or flouro better for jigging because of increased sensitivity? I'm just getting back into fishing after a 10 year hiatus and even when I did it was minnow/worm under a bobber so I'm soaking this stuff up like a sponge.

Hi guys! This is my first post here. Great site! This thread has changed my mind from using vinyl paint to powder paint. the fluid bed seems easy enough to make and at a very reasonable cost. I was doing some thinking on the subject and was wondering what you guys thought of this: http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441811415&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030044&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1173462508431&itemNo=5&In=Fish&N=2030044&Ne=2 a circular airstone seems like it would distribute the air more consistently although the 3" diameter might be a problem.