jwo1124

A lot of anglers swear by ZOOM. I like them because they catch fish and you get like 20 baits to a bag instead of 6 or so with other Big Name sponsored products. I haven't used the tubes, but I catch a lot of fish with the ZOOM fluke. Like they say on the package: "Bass Love 'em"

I think the Winter is a blassing and a curse for us Northern Guys. I know that I tend to get a little, yes I'll admit it, depressed. I hate to see the leaves die off the trees, and the lack of sunlight gets to me. So the initial adjustment to the seasonal change is tough at first, but winter gives me time to build a passion to fish when I am unable to. I think other guys in my situation know what I mean. The 3 or 4 months we are unable to get out on the water, we can watch fishing shows, catch up on reading/blogging, researching etc. Then when Ice-out comes we hit the water full force. But I myself spend a lot of times on forums, watching the new seasons on most fishings shows on VS. and other channels, which usually hit air around Feb. I also spend a lot of time on Cabelas and BPS sites and every time I hit the john I have a tackle catalog in my hands. So if it wasn't for Winter I wouldn;t get that Spring Time Thrill. Hence, a blessing and a curse.

I'm glad I shared this thread too. I think the information struck me interesting because I could start relating more to depth and really start taking into consideration the water column. As anglers we are in a boat, or casting from shore and all we see is a vast blanket of water. Sure we can see under a little depending on water clarity, brightness of the sun, or with the use of polarized sunglasses, but we don;t really know what goes on under the surface as much as we like to think we do. We have to start thinking where we are in relation to the fish, and how we can get to them, meaning get our lure to them. And to do this effectively we must think about where the fish is in relation to us, where they are in the water column, how are they related to structure and cover, what are their activity levels, and what is the best lure to tempt their inner most hard wired predatory instincts. The more fisherman use their imagination and put together an image in their mind about what is actually going on below the surface, the better they will become at fishing. We need to start seeing the unseen. This is why anglers use GPS and sonar fish finders as well as the use of the under water camera. But we do not see in graphs, or sonar blips. We can see these images on a screen and put together what they mean, but they do not immediately translate to how we would see the image with our own eyes. And that is what must be down, we must take any and all raw data we are provided while fishing, and put it into the most understandable image as possible.

Hey BFM thats a d**n good idea. Obviously don;t try that if you're tourney fishing but otherwise why not. It's like chumming. I might have to try that out in the spring. I'm with the other guys though when they say that the sunfish will steal the nightcrawlers. It is fun to bait fish sometimes, especially on hot summer days when you enjoy just being outside in the sun as much as setting the hook on a big bass. I think the older we get the more we look at fishing as a sport with rules and regulations and less as a good clean fun past time we enjoyed as kids. Fishing can become complicated, but the Keep it Simple Stupid approach seems to work: Have a couple rods with a hand full of proven lures and have fun.

WOW, I really didn't think this post would get so much attention. I'm not a very studied fisherman by any means, most of the fishing knowledge I have learned came and comes from TV shows, magazines, and online articles. I haven't read too many books on bass or studied their biology, which I should, so I was just quoting from Bill Dance Outdoors. On the same note, fishing from shore, and not having a boat nor electronics, none of this had every really been a variable to me.

I was watching Mr. Dance the other day on VS and suprisingly enough, it was an episode I haven't seen before.(Cant wait for BDO 2009 this Winter) Anyway, it was more of an informational episode rather than an informercial which tends to happen when BooYah or YUM are trying to push a new product. Bill taught me a lesson that I have never really came across. With a well illustrated diagram he explained that where bass are found in relation to the water column or depth you are fishing is a very strong indication of activity level. If the bass are in the first quarter of the column or the surface, activity level is at it's highest. I have seen this persoanlly at nightfall and in the Autumn when bass will be over 10-15' of water busting bait fish at the surface. If bass are in the section below the surface or the second quarter of the first half of the water column, they are still active, but much less than bass that will be found at the surface taking topwater baits. If bass are lower in the column, suspended but not located on the bottom, these bass are the most in active bass. Bass located on or close to the bottom will be slightly inactive, not as inactive as suspended fish though. I have never given much thought to bass location in the water column and activity level since I maily cast from spots along the shoreline and mostly present my lure within 5' of water. With a better understanding of bass location and their activity levels, choosing baits and fishing spots will be able to be made easier and with more inteeligence rather than tying on a favortie lure and hitting favorite fishing spots.

That never even crossed my mind Fletch...makes perfect sense though. It did say "med. spin/jig" Asked and Answered! Thanks.

I was just browsing the cabela's site, and I was looking at the All Star Instinct spinning rods for $60 and I noticed that one of the models was a 7' Med. power rod with a Moderate action labeled, Medium Spinner/Jig. Is there a reason why a company wpuld make a rod for Jigs with a moderate action. The onyl thing I could think of would be that the Moderate action could help absorb shock during the hook set or fight on a light rod, but being a medium rod I would think you would need to "protect the line" so to speak with a Moderate or more forgiving rod action like in UL's. They also have a MH spinning rod labeled Worm/Jig with a mdoerate action. Could someone help me out with why a Moderate action would be good on any of the applications?

I wore contact lenses for awhile all through highschool and most of college up until abotu a year ago. To be honest, I don;t really miss them that much. I got them in high school to lose the glasses and the dorky look, but now I don;t mind wearing them. But they are a pain to put in and take out, and then if you lose one during the day, or one is giving you trouble you walk around half blind.

I'm not sure how many out there were eyeglasses like I do, but I was wondering if anyone has tried these sunglasses out. They are slightly larger than regular polarized sunglasses becuase they fit over eyeglasses. I am only going to wear these things fishing, and I know they are not going to be too stylish, but I don;t want to buy them if I am going to look like my great great aunt in them.

I was going to pick some of these up for wacky rigging, I used to use a #1 baitholder hook for this app since I thought anything larger 1/0+ was too big for a finesse presentation. ANy reccommendations for sizes for this app?

Thanks, answered everything, lotta help.

Ok, I plan on picking up at least one Casting reel for this upcoming season. I have noticed a lot mroe talk about maintanence surrounding casting reels than I ever did with spinning reels? How often should I oil/lube my reel? How do I do this? Is it easy? SHould I take it to a pro to get it done so if anything goes wrong they will be responsible to reimburse me? Also, what is agood general purpose Gear Ration for most lures. I believe 5:1 is slow, and 7:1 is fast, so should I plan on something with around a 6:1 ratio?

Oh, I like the Berkley Lightin' Rods, I own a 6' MH spinning for a general purpose Bass fishing rod, and a 5' UL i just got for trout. The rods have great strength and feel for a rod under $40. I would like to use my 7' MH Casting rod, but I need to get a quality reel I can depend on before I put much faith into the set up. Also this rod will allow me to fish more presentations, especially in a certain ponds that has heavy underwater brush. I saw the Revo S. on Basspro.com for $99. The C4 is almost that much anyway...so I'll prob just go with the Revo since I've heard good things

I own a 7' MH Lighting ROd that I picked up from Wal Mart liek a year ago, and I purchased with it a chep-o $35 shakespeare off the shelf casting reel. I have practiced with this combo numerous times, and I have became decent at casting from shore with it. I am aware that this rod is a bottom of the barrel model, and I have to upgrade. I was thinking about an Abu Ambass. C3 or C4 for now, and maybe then picking up a Revo in the spring if I take to the casting reel.

I really want to resist using braid since its not only very expesive, but I heard it can be troublesome to work with. Can anyone reccommend a decent size mono for tossing baits in and around heavy cover. I was thinking 20# Berkley Big game or XT in green.

Since I fish relatively small ponds, I would venture to say that the number of fish, or carrying capacity isn;t very high to fish for numbers of bass. Since I also ish from shore, and mainly only during the warmer months Late spring-Early Fall (May-Oct) I am thinking about concentrating on going big when I go out. I'd rather fish all season and only catch a handful of quality fish, one being a new PB, than fish all season and catch smaller pounders and dinks. So, I have the can out, and I am collecting donations...only two cents What is your favorite Big Bass Bait for each season? (Spring Summer Fall) I am thinking about stocking up on heavy Jig and trailer combos, 10" worms, big topwater plugs and buzzbaits, and them some swimbaits for the cooling water period when bass are on the hunt.

Could someone breifly explain to me the importance, or lack there of, lunar tables, and following the moon:New moon, full moon, etc., and the corolation between these variables and feeding activity levels in fish, and other animals. Any helpful links to sites or posts would be great. Thanks.

I'm 23 too, I am a Junior at Salem State College. I still have a few mmore semesters to go cuz I changed majors a couple of times. Better late then never. I'm trying to get invoilved with a Bass fishing club I contacted a while back, but I haven;t heard back from them. I would like to start to get involved with tournament fishing and make the old fishing outings a little bit more exciting then just casting from the bank into ponds. my email is jwo1124@yahoo.com JUst drop me a line sometime and we can keep in touch.

I came to a realization today that having more than one rod can be great to overcome environmetal changes. Today was a raw autumn day, dark gray skies, and a steady cold wind. With the cloud cover and wind chop preventing light penetration, I realized that the smart thing to do would be to switch from the lure I was using, to a bigger and brighter lure. With the low light conditions, and the fact that the pond was very choppy, I figured it would be easier for a fish to see and feel/hear(lateral line and bony ears) a larger lure. FIrst let me say, I was trout fishing, but that is beside to point. The point is I knew that a fish has to be able to track down your lure in order to bite it, and With the low light levels and the wind disturbance meant that the smaller 1/16 and 1/8oz. lures that might be better for a bright sunny day with little wind would most likely go unnoticed by fish in these rougher conditions. This made me switch over from my 5' UL with 4# to my 6'6" ML with 8# and from my 1/8 ounce kastmaster and 1/8 ounce Husky Jerk to a 1/4 Kastmaster(which is about double the profile as its smaller counterpart) and a Larger HUsky Jerk. The overall point I am trying to make is that since day to day weather patterns are going to affect fish mood and behavior which translates into the lures we use(Presentation) and where we fish(location). It makes sense to carry different rods for these different presentations and locations. I now know that stocking up on rod and reel combos isn't just an addiction but a very valueable tool in successful fishing. For a beginner I would suggest two combos. One with lighter line and a lighter lure rating for bright sunny days when fish will be spooky, picky and get a very good look at your offering, and a second with heavier line and a heavier lure rating for cloudy windy days, or night/low light fishing that will handle with bigger lures that will be needed to get the attention of a fish's two most important sense:Sight, and Feel. Fish hunt using sight and feel(feeling vibrations given off by their prey through their lateral line.) So on calm bright days, a small presentation will suffice since a fish will most likely not have a problem seeing or sensing the lure. But on rough days when fish, and your lure, will be competing against low light conditions and the wind churning the water up, using bigger lures will give the fish a better chance at seeing it, and a larger profile will displace more water thus causing more vibration in the water, thus giving the fish a better chance at locating it through their lateral line. I hope people don't view this post as a rant, I tried to keep it as short as possible while still saying what I wanted to say and giving examples to back everything up.

I did a search thinking this may have already been posted about, but nothing came up. Anyway, I just saw this lure on Basspro.com and what I take it as is sort of like a shallow crank/jerkbait/ It's supposed to be a sub surface Spit'n Image, which is a topwater walk bait. It has a small bill like a jerkbait. I'm only asking, because I would like to know the action of this lure before I order some. All the reviews were pleased with this bait.

Thanks for the link lethal. I might take you up on going out on the water some time. I used to go up to NH a lot with friends growing up because a couple of them had summer houses up there, and I did a little bit of fishing, but I was young and dumb. I would love to fish up there now knowing what I know. I love NH, I grew up in the burbs close to urban areas, and getting away to the woods and water is a blessing from God.

Thanks Matt. I actually did check that site out a easrlier this year and got in touch with a couple of guys out of Woburn Mass. Its less than a half hour away, and I'm familiar with the town because I have an Aunt who lives there. The clubs name is American Eagle Bass Anglers. I actually just wrote the guy back again today since I have been busy with school and work, fishing was sort of pushed down on the list of priorities. But like you said, I really want to get into one to meet other passionate anglers, and get onto some bigger bodies of water as a non-boater.

For some reason it makes me want to say that they are the rods that sponsor Fishing U on Versus

Thanks for your time and input. I'll most likely go for a Medium Power just to play things safe. I can't afford a St. Croix or a G. Loomis though. I was planning on The Berkley Series One rods. They got 5 out of 5 stars on Cabelas from over a dozen reviewers, and they're only $70. I'm planning on getting a few in different models for the spring.