ww2farmer

Anything SK over Rapala. Especially the KVD squarebills over the over-priced, uber fragile balsa turds.........aka the DT3

Rage tail grub has been working for me.

I'll start June off with an upgradable (I hope) 4lb 9oz. LMB. Caught on Silver Lake , 6-2-13 on a jig

I used to live in Brandon circa 1994-95. I used to have a few favorite, productive ponds, but I have no idea how almost 20 years of time has been on them.

June leaderboard: SMB: #1 ww2farmer 3lbs 12oz. 6-6-13 #2 #3 LMB #1 ww2farmer 4lbs 12oz. 6-7-13 #2 ww2farmer 4lbs 9oz. 6-2-13 #3

Well............wnybassman wins the month of may for BOTH LMB and SMB. Way to go!!! He is also in the lead for yearly LMB so far beating my april winning 5-11 with his 5-13. clayton86 still has the yearly SMB lead. I will have a coin flip between myself and clayton86 for his LMB prize, and myself and rmcguirk for his SMB prize.

Calm = topwater, Wind = crankbait/spinnerbait/swimjig. As the sun starts hitting the water I usually go with a senko or fluke. After that it's time to flip or drop shot. If it stays cloudy and windy all morning I keep fishing reaction baits till they tell me they don't want them anymore. I will fish shallow, deep, and every where in-between till I find a zone that better fish are coming from, and even that changes through out the day.

Fluke, beaver, frog, tube, and yes............a senko.

I break enough just fine on my boat without a pole, but I appreciate the thought.

I have decided that the pole is going to be in my way when I am fishing off the back of your boat, you better take it off and give it to me. Since you rarely fish out of the back of mine, it's a win win situation...................for me. LMAO

All the first generation Vendetta's they have left are marked down to $30. Selection is getting low though. The on I bought was the last 6'9" ML spinning rod, they still had a couple of 7' MH, and 6'6" M spinning rods, and a few 6'6", and 7' M casting rods.

I am going to suggest just the opposite. Forget pre-fishing, unless it's a body of water you have zero knowledge of. But if it's a place you know well, just go out and "go fishing" on tournament day. Fish your strengths, and see what happens. Don't be bummed out if you lay an egg or two, it's not personal, it's just fishing, and you have to realize that some days are just not "your" day. I have been tournament fishing for about 10 years now. The first year, when I didn't know any better............I just went fishing and put no pressure on myself. And we won one, and cashed often. The next few years, I put a ton of pressure on myself to do well, and just struggled. The last two years I pretty much said F-it, and treated tournament day like a regular day on the water, fish the way I want to fish, and have returned to cashing often and winning a few. If I made a living fishing I would worry about it, but I don't.................so I won't.

What crankbaits? I usually replace the stock hooks with the same size, or go up one size on the front. Rear hook always stays stock size, for me.

Local Wal-Mart had Abu Garcia Vendetta gen.1 rods on clearance for $30. I have been wanting a something a little shorter than my 7' Avid "in the cone" drop shot rod, it's not something I do often so for $30 ................why not. Now I will have to get an Abu spinning reel, my OCD will NOT let me slap one of my Shimano's on it. LOL

Just once that I can remember. I was flipping laydowns in a creek, and saw my line tick, so I swing for the fences, and end up, upside down in the console area of my boat with a broken flipping stick, and had to hand line the 4lber in that I somehow got a hook into.

Same, and when the senko bite dies, I flip or drop shot.

I like the R.I. Beavers (sweet, and smallie) and the Havoc Pit Boss. The Pit Boss's side "arms" swim on the fall or when you move it, the R.I. baits pretty much do nothing, but IMHO there is a time and place for both. I do a ton of different things with them, t-rig and pitch/flip/punch into heavy cover #1. But I also drop shot them, use them as jig trailers, drag them on football heads, skip them weightless under docks, and more that I can't think of right now.

I have never had a problem with EWG hooks, in fact I prefer them for just about everything except for really heavy cover, then I go with a straight shank flipping hook.

I always trailer it up with the transom saver that came with the boat/motor. On our rough back woods country roads if I left it down it probably wouldn't be pretty.

The only micro guided rod I have is a St Croix Rage. I like it, but I won't be getting another. Not because the rod is junk or anything, but I fish in a lot of heavy cover/slop those guide gunk up pretty easy with "stuff" and it's just one PITA that I don't need or want to deal with. Normal sized guides are not immune to it either but, it happens far less often, and then usually a quick " dip and swish" under the water clears the crap out....not so much with the micros. I have to stop, pick the crap out, and do it all over again three casts later.

I bought a 6'8" MH/Fast Clarus spinning rod a few weeks ago , and I like it a lot. Compared to the rest of my rods which are St Croix's, I actually think it's better than the Mojo's I have and cheaper to boot. So far I have been using it to skip assorted weightless plastics up under docks/overhanging brush, and fishing shaky heads with it. I also have a 6' UL/Mod fast Convergance spinning rod that I bought a couple months ago, and love that too. I am seriously considering replacing my old 7' ML/Fast St Croix Avid spinning rod that I use for dropshotting, with a drop shot rod from the Clarus or Compre line. Shimano won me over a few years ago with there reels, and that's all I use, now they are seeping into my rod collection too. At the very least I am going to be buying a few more and trying them.

POST OF THE YEAR

For me, bass fishing, it begins, and ends with original moss green Power Pro. Cheap, effective, reliable, and available everywhere. I use 10, 15, + 20 lb test on spinning gear (with 6,8,10, or 12lb. fluoro. leaders as needed), and 20, 30, + 50lb test on casting gear (with 10, 12, 15, 17, or 20lb. fluoro leaders). For pan fishing, I have my UL set spooled up with 4lb Nanofil, and I don't care for it. It freys way too easy, is not as smooth/easy handling as Power Pro, I have broken the 4lb Nanofil way easier than I have the 4lb fluorocarbon leader I tie to it, and it likes to twist and holds memory. It will be switched out for 4 or 5lb test Power Pro when I get a chance.

I am using a 7' MH/Mod St Croix Mojo with 20lb braid, snaps them out of grass great.

I don't wish people happy birthday...............so go to hell............LMAO. J/K, hope you had a good one.