DaubsNU1

In college, had a professor who was a huge animal rights advocate...didn't like the fact that i hunted because it potentially caused "pain." She did not have a problem with fishing. From her research, she believed based on fish anatomy, they do not feel pain as we do.

Looking to get two fish finders -- transom and trolling motor/bow mount.

I've only been here a short time (summer), but have learned so much! Very much appreciated Glen!!

Never tried the drop-shot before... Rigged one up with just the stuff I had in my tackle box...medium light spinning rod with 6lb mono, small hook, did have drop shot weight. Attached an old green FLW 4" french-fry... Threw it out near timber in 9' of water...next to 16' deep channel. Third cast...BANG! 3.5lb bass.

Read research / book years ago...early 1990's...researcher compared human to hunting dog to LMBass... For comparison: - Human can smell what equates to a drop of vinegar in a 2 liter bottle of water - Bird dog can smell drop in a 50 gallon drum - Largmouth Bass can smell a drop in an Olympic size swimming pool I don't remember the researcher, nor the book...but that quote stuck with me all these years. Oh, and he also said the reason your wife/girlfriend out-fishes you, makeup usually contains fish-oil...and attracts fish : ) I keep a bar of soap in my boat, for when my hands contact gasoline / etc. And to wash off the fish slime (that's for me...not the fish catching).

The world is always doing it's best to separate you from your money...ALWAYS. Bass fishing, hunting, buying a new car/truck, refrigerator, clothing, phones, computers, food...it's all about the latest and greatest...Companies are always looking for the next great thing...to drive more sales. It's all about increasing market share and profit. And that ain't an all together bad thing...drive innovation and creativity. It's a sad thing when a good product is discontinued...I have a bunch of old Cabela's branded hunting clothing (Gore-tex, Cordura, Thinsulate...). They don't make them like they used to...

I think it matters in certain situations...I've been fishing the exact same lure as a buddy, but in a different color...and watched him boat many fish while I got skunked. Could have been presentation, but I tried to mimic him as closely as possible...and when I tied on the same color, BAM, fish(!). My largest bass ever was on a rainbow trout colored Slug-Go in a NE Missouri farm pond. No trout any where near that little pond...go figure. Does color matter...I think the answer is... "yes...and no...it depends..."

Tillers up on plane, depends on the boat. I put Doel-Fin on my 20HP Merc, gets me up on plane quick and I can manage 23 MPH on the GPS with this set up. 14' Rich Line. Stick with a v-hull. My Dad and brother have a tri-hull...it's rough. Get the best boat you can afford...buy once, cry once. Now is a good time to look for boats...people get sick of them, don't want to winterize, don't want to store them. Keep looking...bound to find something that fits your needs.

Medium light spinning rod with 6lb mono...1/4 oz lead head, white power grub. When all else fails trying to catch bass, I throw the white power grub...it catches bass, crappie, bluegill and the occasional pike. Easy to cast and retrieve. If I'm only concentrating on Bass, it's the 6' medium action bait caster with 20lb braid, texas rigged blue-fleck power worm.

I love fishing...but this...yes...

Just got back in to fishing this summer after 15+ of not fishing much. Great to get the boat / rods / reels / tackle squared away. This weekend brother and I made the trip to our waterfowl spot, got the blind moved to the river, all camouflaged, decoys moved, etc. Four inches of snow on Sunday, and temps are going to hover in the low 30s to mid 40s for rest of the week. Nebraska : ) Chasing ducks and geese is my undisputed #1 out door activity...followed closely by chasing Mule Deer. It is time for me to transition to hunting season... When do you typically shut fishing down for the year (I fully understand some in more southern areas fish year round...)

I've been looking at fish finders for my 14v for a while now. Thought I had a good deal lined up, but Cabela's/BPS web site was "out of stock" for the great clearance deals they had listed (well then TAKE THEM OFF the web site and don't tease me!) HA! They lakes I fish aren't huge, so no need for pre-loaded maps. I like the idea of traditional sonar plus the more details of down imaging. Sideview seemed overkill, until friend mentioned what J Francho said above: "sweep your trolling motor head to peek under a dock or overhang" VERY COOL! Okay, gotta have it now : ) Originally thinking of a nice unit that I could have a mount on transom, and another back by the motor...and move as needed. But the way I fish, moving the finder every time I go back and run the 25hp, not a good idea. I've pretty much decided I'm going to go with the Garmin Striker Plus 7sv up front, and either the Striker 4 or Striker Plus 4cv on the back of the boat. Will keep me around $700 total.

Strength to you friend!

Caught my PB largemouth (8lbs) in a small 2 acre pond in NE Missouri. Rainbow trout colored Slug-Go rigged on 4/0 worm hook, weightless. Don't be afraid to try something new...

Best bass: drop shot, pumpkin green fry Best pike: chartreuse spinnerbait Best crappie: white power grub, 1/4 lead-head

Fished local lake today...500+ acres, lots of standing timber, rip-rap, lilly-pads. I feel pretty confident in shallow water. Deep water is a challenge. Today the bite was tough...only managed one small bass and a 13" crappie. This lake has trees in 8-10 feet of water, next to creek channel that drops to 13-20 feet. Talked to an old fishing buddy today while I was on the water...great to hear from him! We talked for over an hour -- family, life, jobs, and of course fishing. I was complaining about troubles fishing deep water...he suggested drop-shotting. I read up on it, but never tried until today. Full disclosure, I had to pull a youtube video and learn how to tie the knot. Rigged it up on my light spinning rod with 6lb Trilene XL. Threw on an old FLW french-fry. Was not expecting much...first two casts...nothing. It was a bit windy, so I positioned myself in the creek channel, facing in to the wind. Cast the drop-shot in to 9 feet of water near some trees...shook the rod tip on cast #3 and I felt something on the line. Have to admit, that's a whole new strike sensation. Set the hook and this nice bass was on the other end. 17", 3 pounds, 9 ounces. Immediately sent my buddy the picture...he was stoked! This 53 year old dog learned a new trick : )

You might explore building your own. I had a buddy back in the 90's who was obsessed with building his own fishing rods. Researching back then was much more difficult -- no YouTube or internet. Give it a try. I've been teaching myself to weld...working on this...

@ 500 yards...I got two things to say.... 1. WOW! 2. Stop while you are ahead That is all.

I find myself over-thinking this very topic a lot. I do have favorite colors and lure. When fishing is good, I tend to stick with my favorite colors... When fishing is not so good, I try different colors...throw everything but the kitchen sink... I'm trying to flip that paradigm...and fish different colors when things are going well...to see what different / non-favorite colors I can gain confidence in. ** yes, I'm over-thinking this AGAIN! **