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I just need to replace some guides on some Penn guides. The rods are not expensive. Should I just use Fuji guides? I noticed amazon sells some cheap kits. Where do you get your guides for budget type rods?

I fish Pickwick a lot but have no clue who the good guides are. With father's day coming up I wanted to book a trip for my father.

Hey everyone, I had been having a lot of issues with braid since last summer and have come up with the following suggestions for anyone having similar issues related to: braid digging in and snapping on the cast or at least getting random backlash and the lure stopping dead in the air. Braid doesn't really stretch like mono or fluorocarbon line does. If there are any kinks or the braid has dug in to the spool from a previous backlash, lure getting snagged and pulling hard on the line, catching a large fish, etc., it can snap from too much force applied. This can send your lure flying...but with no line attached. I probably lost a handful of lures before making all of the proper adjustments, so I feel your pain if this is happening to you. This can even happen with 30lb+ braid, but the chances are slimmer than with thinner braids of course. Here are the steps to consider: 1. What kind of braid and what strength are you using? A lot of people recommend 30lb test and up to prevent digging in due to larger line diameter, but this all really depends on brand and type. I'm a big fan of original power pro 30lb, as it has been working well for me after switching from 15 lbs on two of my reels. My other two reels are being outfitted with sufix 832 at 30lb test, which I've heard a lot of good things about in terms of smoothness, strength, and durability. Some guys are happy with lower test braid, and I've seen a few guys say they use 20lb test comfortably. I'm perfectly happy with 30 lbs and might even go higher for my froggin/slop setup. 2. When you tie on a different lure, are you checking your line for dig in spots/kinks and are you readjusting or at least considering your brakes and tension knob? If you switch from a worm to a spinner bait and the wind just started to pick up, you just might get a backlash and lose that spinnerbait. I often start spinnerbaits at brakes set to 2 (especially if it's windy) and tension knob set to a slow fall. I think it's a good idea to readjust brakes and tension knob after any lure change - I usually keep the brakes on 1 and only set to two if it's windy or if I'm using a high wind drag lure like a spinnerbait/chatterbait/something else wide (and even just every so often without changing lures as your tension knob can get looser over time). 3. Check your line every so often. Pull out a few yards after casts every now and then to clear the line from any overrun. When reeling the extra line back in or loose line in general, it can help to hold the line in order to get a tight and even spooling. Pay attention to your spool every now and then before casts. This whole process doesn't have to become a nerve wrecking ordeal either - I've got a system down where it just feels to be a natural routine in my fishing and I can say I feel much better than having to fix backlashes all the time or watching $5-10 (more or less) fly into oblivion with a hopeless jaw drop. 4. Increase casting distance and power gradually from when you start and when you put on new lures, and just every so often. I'll start off with a short and east cast of say 10 yards, and then gradually increase it to 15, 20, 30, etc. This helps to ensure that you're clearing the line effectively instead of going for a 30+ yard cast right away, only to run into a kink or dig in and lose a lure in the process. Also, general reel maintenance is key to smoothness and castability. Keep those reels cleaned and lubed as needed! Also, keep casts smooth and never swing it like you're trying to hit a home run - that's a good way to lose a lure. 5. An additional tip that is not absolutely necessary, but can help with smoothness, preventing backlash, and overall castability is using a line and lure conditioner the night before fishing. I use kvd L&L conditioner every now and then and this really helped me while I was getting into the groove of my routine. Now that I've got things down, I don't feel I need it as much, but is still nice to use every now and then. Using LLC the night before can be more forgiving if you forget to implement the above tips right away when starting your day. I hope that helps for anyone running into this issue. Tight lines!

Hello everyone, My dad, brother, and I have been talking about getting a fishing trip together for years so I want to try and make it happen since the timing might work out for us now. We are thinking about a trip in Minnesota in August and am looking for suggestions for a guide and fishery. I know it's short notice so some guides might not be available but does anyone recommend a smallmouth guide in the Minneapolis area (within a couple of hours)? Also, any recommendations of lakes/rivers in the area would be appreciated. I have been doing some research and waiting to hear back from a few guides but thought I'd see if anyone has any recommendations. Mille Lacs is an option but wasn't sure if that is a good option with all of the attention around it over the past couple of years. Thanks, Tom

I am fishing a tournament coming up at Lewis and Clark Reservoir on July 25th has anyone got any tips?

In the last 3 threads of this series we talked about basic fishing for big bluegill, catching live bait, and creating the ultimate dough bait. In this thread, we'll talk about setting up the ultimate fishing camp. NOTE: I use this camp for 24-36 hours at a time, so I can manage to set it up pretty fast myself. With 1-2 more people, we can get it completely done in 15-20 minutes. FOREWARD: Earlier, I had stated that to catch big bluegills, you need to stay out for a while. You can't go out for 45 minutes and say "it's too hot, I give up". That kind of attitude will never catch you anything. You can't stay out for an hour and expect to have stringer-full of 1-pounders. It doesn't work like that. It's kind of like fishing for 15+ pound bass - you fish all day, and might get one or two (except with bluegill, it's usually more). That is why a good camp is essential for anyone looking to catch big bluegill. THE BASIC RIG: For starters, get yourself a good tent, maybe 1-2 person. I personally prefer a 4-person, but 1-2 works just fine. I like a black tent, as it is stealthy on the shore. Other colors/patterns that work well are light blue, green, and camo patterns. The tent should have good screened-in windows, which you can place a cloth over to close them up. It should also include a waterproof tarp. This stays on top of my tent at all times, because you never know when rain might hit. The next step is to take a tarp, say 6 feet long by however wide your tent door is, and two big sticks, however high your tent is. Put the sticks firmly in the ground 6 feet away from the entrance to your tent, and place the holes in the tarp through the thin part of the stick. Then, place the other holes in the tarp through the tent rods. The last step to create a basic camp is to place a super-comfy chair under the tarp. Now, you have a nice spot to sleep in, sit in, and fish under. FURTHER ADVANCEMENTS: While the basic rig should work just fine, there are plenty more creature comforts that I like to bring with me. A cot is nice. I place a thick blanket over it, and have a pillow too. That makes for a nice napping place, and it's far more comfortable than my chair. One thing I have learned to do is light up my campsite at night. In the summer, I'll sleep for about 6 hours a day, in the hottest hours of the day. Night fishing works well for big bluegill, so I'm sure to be well rested so I can fish all night. To light the camp up, I usually hang lanterns along the tarp, plus a light in the tent. A basic cooking set, with a stove and some pots/pans/silverware can come in handy. Sometimes I bring it, but it adds a lot of weight to my bag. Sometimes, I just use MRE's. But after a long day of fishing, a nice cooked dinner tastes better than you'd think. I bring stuff to make pita pizzas. Look them up if you've never made them. They're easy and good. Another invaluable tool to have is a fan. They feel great when you're napping during the heat of the day. The only other things that I bring are my headlamp, a small first aid kit, and a small survival kit. GEAR TO BRING: You don't want to bring tons of gear to your spot. On any given trip, I have: All the above stuff A cooler, full of drinks 2 rods A tool kit, with a few knives, a multi-tool, duct tape, super glue, and hemostats A landing net Some containers/food/aerators for live bait; plus, some stuff to catch live bait If I'm going to use a boat, it's already at the spot. Carrying a big canoe gets tiring quick, even for 2-3 people Last but not least, a 2-tray tackle box chock-full of lures and terminal tackle WHAT TO WEAR: Camo. The main reason people only catch small bluegill is because they spook off the big ones. How often do you see a little kid wearing something that is dull green/brown/legit camo? They like to wear bright colors, and that's fine. It just means they won't catch big fish. Basic dark khaki cargo pants, a dull green shirt, and a blue hat is my "specially-designed" camo. The dark brown represents the dirt and dead grass on the ground-level. The green represents the trees, a bit above ground level. And the blue represents the sky, way above ground level. I also carry a gray hat and a white hat (white for really cloudy, blue for clear, gray for stormy). From a fish's perspective, you're generally above them. They are looking up on you. That's why this setup works. The other thing I cannot stress enough is to wear boots! I used to wear flip-flops on the trips, until I stepped on a massive fire ant hill. That ruined what was supposed to be the longest, best trip of the year. Also, high socks will help with the boots. BRAVING THE ELEMENTS: Many a time, anglers have backed out on me because of the weather. Usually, they're being sissies, but sometimes the weather can be pretty miserable out there. Light rains are never a problem, and they actually help. Brutal heat can be the most miserable. Occasionally, I'll go for a swim if it's that hot. Heavy, torrential rains are nothing a good angler/outdoorsman can't handle. Even snow can be fished through (that's where a good campfire comes in handy). The only weather I won't fish through are bad storms. That actually gets to be pretty dangerous. One tip I've learned over the years is that you should never cancel a trip until an hour before you leave. The weather can change very quickly, and one minute it may say it's going to storm, and then 15 minutes later it changes to sunny and 80 degrees. You never know, so you should probably go. After all, you can always come home. PEOPLE: Sometimes, having lots of people on a trip can be pretty fun. When fishing for big bluegill, I never have more than 2 more people with me. It becomes too much gear, too many people to worry about, and too much mess to clean up. Also, you have more people moving around the water's edge, which means there are more things to spook off that trophy 4-pounder you just saw. I'd say a two-man crew is best. LAST WORDS: Well, there you have it. You can now (hopefully) set up a simple shelter for 1-2 days, with all included creature comforts. Hopefully this thread has taught everyone something about the enticing world of targeting massive bluegill. See you in our next, and final, thread. Adios!

Well guys, it's time for the final thread in this series. I'm sure every angler has designed their dream body of water, stocked, of course, with their favorite species of fish to catch. Well, today we're going to design one for bullgills. So without further ado, here we go- PERMISSION: The first step is to get permission to build. This is very important! Without permission, you are subject to heavy fines, and possibly worse. You'll also need a nice chunk of land to build on. I'd suggest building right in the center of the land, as wildlife will congregate there. Be sure you have a healthy insect population, and a nice population of frogs is good too. I would, if I had the choice, have it so that a small stream runs into the pond. That way, anything in the stream gets rolled into the pond. SIZE: Any size pond can hold big bluegill. I've caught 1-pounders out of water no bigger than 1/8 an acre. I've also caught them on 680-acre bodies of water. I'd suggest a 5 acre pond. It's a nice size - you can use your boat, fill it with fish, and have plenty of open spots. If you must go smaller, get as close to that size as you can. I'd probably make the pond in a figure-8 shape. DIGGING: The next step is to either rent a backhoe and dig out the land yourself, or pay someone to do it. Neither is that cheap. Unless you can properly operate a backhoe, I'd have someone do it for you. When digging, keep the pond an average of 2-5 feet deep - big bluegill can and will come into extremely shallow water to catch some of their favorite prey items. Plus, they're easier to catch in shallow water. The deepest spot in your pond will probably be around 15-20 feet deep. I'd recommend having peninsulas, as big bluegill like to surround smaller fish against cover (in this case, land) and just pick them off one by one. When building the peninsulas, have it so that they drop off to deeper spots, that can be utilized as spawning beds. Make the beds approximately 10-12 feet deep. In the middle of the pond, have the bottom gradually slope down to a point 15 to 20 feet deep. A useful thing for anglers is a channel dug straight from the deepest points up to a shallow points, as it can be a choke-hold for fish. PLANTING AND DECORATING: By now, the entire pond should've been dug out, and for the most part, the construction trucks are done. There are a few things that you can do to make your pond better, rather than just having open water. That's so boring, and you probably won't catch nearly as many fish (mostly because they'll die off). The first thing to do is create a little bridge going from one side of the pond to the other. Use large rocks for this purpose, as it provide nooks and crannies for small critters, which provides space for the big gills to root around in. When building the bridge, make it so that it is completely out of the water when the water is lowest, but is usually deep enough for a small boat to pass over, with or without a motor. In any area that has a pretty flat bottom, put pea gravel over it, and plant it with grasses. It can hold small insects, which bluegill will greedily eat. Also, tiny gills will congregate near it. Finally, plant any coves pretty heavily, with hydrilla and pads. Plant the middle areas more sparsely with stalky plants and pondweed. Plant the shoreline of the pond with tall grasses in some spots, plus willow trees. If you can get some, plant some cypress trees. Plant the rest of the shoreline with stringy plants. By the time that is done, you can start submerging some trees. I'd recommend chopping down a tree or two and just throwing it into the deeper parts of the pond. Afterwards, you can build a dock. I like the "T"-shaped ones best, but any style will work fine. Make sure you can fish from it, as well as board a boat from it. STOCKING: Before any gills go in the water, you'll need bait in it. Introduce bait species like fatheads, tiny goldfish, golden shiners, mosquitofish, baby bass (not a lot - only about 100 of these), baby bluegill, crawfish, and tadpoles. Let this ecosystem thrive for at least 6 months, but a year is best. By that time, you can introduce big gills. INTRODUCING THE BIG GILLS: By the time all your bait species have flourished, and various other small species have taken up residence in and around the pond, you can introduce the big gills. To introduce big bluegills, first make a list of bodies of water that are filled with big ones. Then, go to a different lake every trip. Catch your limit of big bluegill, and live-transport them to your pond back home. Only go to a single body of water once, so that you don't take all the fish out of a single body of water. That means that you can't fish for big gills there anymore. To live-transport them, you'll need 2 or 3 pickups, a bunch of those gym totes, and a bunch of aerators. Once you catch a fish, simply fill a gym tote with water and hook the aerator up to it. One gym tote can hold about 3 big gills. Once you feel that your pond is well stocked (about 400 big gills, plus a few other fish), stop transporting fish to your pond. Live-transporting is much easier than stocking, and I'd love to see a place that stocks 1 pound plus bluegill. OTHER FISH SPECIES: Depending on where you live, you can introduce tons of other fish species to your pond. There isn't much that will eat a monster bluegill, so your trophies should be safe. If you have a 5 or 6 acre pond, you have a wide variety of options. Maybe you want some more panfish? If so, go for fish like crappie, tilapia, yellow perch, rock bass, oscars, mayan cichlids, pumpkinseed, warmouth, big shiners, or redear. Maybe you're going for some kind of bass? Go right ahead and stock largemouths, peacock bass, hybrid stripers, or even a striper or two. Maybe you would like something with teeth? In that case, cool fish include northern pike, walleye, chain pickerel, bowfin, longnose gar, or even an alligator gar (be careful with this one- he'd have no trouble eating a big bluegill). Maybe you just want something different? Try going with carp, American eels, channel catfish, blue catfish (will also eat your bluegill), or rainbow and/or lake trout. I have only ever heard of one person with a pond with lake trout, it was a 5-acre my friend in Canada has. If you stock a little more than 400, say 500-600, you should have no trouble keeping populations high, even with big gar or catfish. FINAL WORDS: Well guys, I really enjoyed writing this series, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. More importantly, I hope everyone has learned something out of this. It is really helpful information, and can help turn a day full of 4 inchers into a day with a 4 pounder. So, remember these skills, and you may set the new world record! Thanks to everyone who read this far... Drew

For the third thread in the 5-part series, we'll be discussing how to make the ultimate dough bait for big bluegill. This is the only bait that I use for big bluegill that comes from the kitchen(sorta). Well, here we go! FOREWARD: Just a few warnings before you start. The first - wear rubber gloves the entire time. This bait is truly disgusting. I had a catfisherman, who makes his own bait (he literally calls it *****) tell me that this stuff was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. However, I recently caught a few 2-pounders with this mixture, so it's well worth it. The next - do this somewhere outside. I do it in my garage, with all the doors and windows open, and newspaper all over the floor. It's that disgusting. Another - you need a strong stomach to do this. 'Nuff said. One more - go to thrift shops or something and pick up some old kitchen appliances/tools and a few other things, rather than use the ones you use everyday. You'll need A blender, capable of pureeing and blending (get the biggest one you can find) Big Ziplock bags (1 gallon) A meat hammer Small plastic trash cans - get as many as you can get, they'll all come into use sometime or another A big trash can (pretty big) A 15-ish gallon trash can A big spoon. I actually use one of those ones that you'd hang on your wall, as a decoration "BAIT LIQUID 1": Collect a bunch of small critters, either by collecting, buying, or both. You'll need wax worms, red worms, nightcrawlers, minnows, crawfish, and leeches. Feel free to add and subtract these - I support experimenting! Throw all of these into the blender, and puree them. This is one of the nastiest parts. Save it in a small trash can for later. "INSECTS": Collect some more critters. Read above on how. You're gonna need crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and beetles. Take these and place them all into a big Ziplock bag. Using the meat hammer, mash them into a pulp. Save this in another trash can. "BAIT LIQUID 2": This is probably the nastiest part of this bait. You'll need juice from shrimp (I get bags of them from the grocery store, already peeled, and let them sit out a week or so; then dump out the juice), the juice from a can of corn, perch eyeballs, Gulp liquid, the juice/blood from a can of chicken livers, all the juice from a jar of pickles, some vanilla extract, some almond extract, anise oil, the juice from chicken gizzards, and some food coloring. Big gills get ticked off by red. Mix this liquid into a smaller trash can with "Bait Liquid 1". This stuff smells BAD. "MEATS": Get a few cans of baby shrimp, some hot dogs, some chicken livers, bacon, some chicken breasts, some chicken gizzards, and a few raw sausages. Blend this mixture, keeping some chunkiness in it. Once you feel it's done, dump it into a trash can. "RANDOM STUFF": For this mixture, blend the materials like you did the meats. The materials are white bread, american cheese, swiss cheese, corn, and pickles. Once finished, place it in a trash can. "BASE MIXTURE": For your base, take the 15-gallon (ish) trash can, and fill it with plenty of water, and plenty of flour. The amount of flour can be difficult to gauge, so just eyeball it. Use enough that the bait can stay thick enough to stay on the hook, but thin enough that they're not just ordinary doughballs. After you have the flour-water mixture, throw in some garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, and salt. Mix with the spoon. "STARTING IT UP": Once you have the base mixture, mix all the bait liquid into the mixture. Stir again. "ALMOST THERE": Now, simply add in everything else. Stir it for a very long time, and make sure it is consistently mixed throughout. "CLOSER...": Once you have the trash can filled with this mixture (the 15-gallon one should be filled completely), leave it out for 3-7 days and nights. Works best if it's in the sun. I'm just waiting to see what this smells like left out in 100-degree weather. Even in 75-degrees, it smells pretty bad. Once you take it out, if it doesn't smell bad, keep it out. Some people swear by keeping the lid off when doing it for catfish, but I prefer not to. I like to leave the lid on, to hold the scent better. "STORING": To properly store this stuff, it should be refrigerated. The problem it, this would need its own refrigerator. My simple solution is to get a trash can that can easily fit the smaller one into it. Place lots of ice into it. Before placing in the ice, drill a drain hole near the bottom. Attach one of those things that a glass lemonade-serving jug-thing would have in it (where you pull the lever up, and it comes out, and then stops when you put it down) to the bottom, to drain melted ice. Replace the ice as it melts, which should be after a few days. When I need to bring some bait with me, I'll place it in a glass mason jar, and take it with me in my bag. FINAL WORDS: Please post in the comments if you have made this bait, and/or if it has worked for you. I only started developing it as of October of 2014, and the first batch was made in December 2014. First fish caught on it in January 2015. I've caught a decent amount of big'uns on this bait. While it never beats live baits, it works when nothing else will. Thanks for reading, and see ya in the next thread!

Yesterday, I posted a big thread on How To Catch Big Bluegills. I've decided that I'm going to do a 5-part series of those articles. Today's will be on catching live bait for big bluegills. FATHEAD MINNOWS: One of the most popular baits for any fish is a fathead minnow. If you can find ones around 2-3", you can use them for big bluegills. My preferred way to catch them is: The first step is to find a body of water filled with fatheads. You can't catch them if they're not there. Look for a pond with clear to stained water, and a decent amount of vegetation. Go for ones with submerged native grasses, rather than lots of pads or hydrilla. The grass beds make excellent spawning grounds for them. Wade out into the shallows until you find a spot full of minnows. Star by instantly catching some with a shad net. My preferred net to use for all of the bait species is the Shad/Shrimp/Smelt Net, found at Bass Pro Shops. You can also chum them. These fish will eat crushed up crackers, among other things. Once you have caught at least a few in the net, it's time to collect some other types of bait. It's good to have as many different types of bait for big bluegill, because big ones can be extremely picky. While you search for other bait, throw out as many minnow traps as it takes to surround the bed. Fill them with dry dog food, maybe 15-20 pieces. Tie them off to trees. If you need bait now, take a big seine net, and surround the minnow traps and grass bed with it, to keep the minnows in until they go into the traps. MOSQUITOFISH: Mosquitofish are little fish that you find in swamps, ditches, and other stagnant bodies of water. I have ponds filled with them. They like ponds that are stained to muddy, with lots of pondweed in them. They like to hide in the stringy stuff, not the firm, stalky stuff. They are often to small to be caught in a minnow trap. The best way to catch them is to chum liberally with crackers, and then scoop them up by the dozens with a net. SHINERS: Golden shiners can work, so long as you use ones 2-3" long. They are often found in shallow water of all qualities, often around grass beds (robbing fathead eggs), or lily pads. You can usually catch them around the same place you'd catch fathead minnows, and you can use the same methods. Traps work better than nets. BABY BASS: These baits are like bullgill candy. The first thing to do is to find a body of water to catch these little guys in. The perfect body of water: Is privately owned, and you have permission to take baby bass Has a healthy or high bass population, including plenty of breeders Has clear to stained water Has plenty of logs, rocks, and stalky plants Has soft bottom Once you've found a body of water, the best way to catch them is with a seine net. The dip net usually doesn't work, because the fish are so fast. Traps don't work because they don't eat "human foods". Be sure not to take too many of these guys. Also, collect them around May to August, right when they are still really tiny. BABY BLUEGILL: Find a lake with stained to muddy water, and stringy vegetation. Make sure it has a good population of insects in/around it. That helps a lot. Find a spot around 3 feet deep, and around structure. Fill a few minnow traps with dog food, and throw them into the spot. If you have a big concrete pipe, like some ponds do, reach the net down into it. You may pull out tons of bluegill. Keep the minnow traps tied up to trees, and check them every 2 hours. GOLDFISH: The only reliable source of goldfish is the pet store. Get bright, small ones. These baits work great in winter. CRAWFISH: Catching crawfish for bass and catching crawfish for bluegill are two completely different things. My preferred way of catching them for bluegill is to find a super stagnant pond, with stain ed water and lots of hydrilla, maybe 2-3 feet deep. Then, just scoop the net right on the bottom, and you'll probably catch some craws. GRASSHOPPERS: Chances are, you've seen some grasshoppers near your fishing spot at one point. However, that may not be a reliable source of bait. The best way to get them is to take a good old net (I've taken a butterfly net, and replaced the wire with a thicker gauge, and replaced the mesh with the stuff in the shad net), and find a big field of green grass. Now, with crickets, you can throw out bread crumbs and stuff. That kind of stuff doesn't work with grasshoppers. To catch grasshoppers, just swing the net over/all around the grass, and you'll probably catch some. The best time to catch these grasshoppers (the green kind) is during the summer. However, the tan grasshoppers you may see work just as well, if not better. To catch those, take the shad net (that thing can take a beating) down to a big pile of rocks. They should be like plain tan pebbles you'd find, just bigger. Kick around stones until you see a grasshopper fly off. Chase it down with the net, and swing it down on top of them. There are ups and downs to green and brown grasshoppers. Green ones are easier to catch, but don't work as good. Brown ones take longer to catch, but work much better. You can be the judge of if browns are worth it. My vote is 'yay' to browns. COCKROACHES: I've never seen, nor heard of, another angler using cockroaches for bait. The idea branched off when I found one in the bottom of my tent, and I had run out of bait. I threw one of those on the hook, and - BOOM! - 1.5-pounder. The good things about cockroaches is that they are easily available. I usually throw out a few pieces of newspaper on the floor in the corner of my garage. The next part of the trap is to place super-thin wire mesh around the edges of the newspaper. On the inside of the walls, line the top of the mesh with petroleum jelly, taking care not to let it get on the outside edge of the mesh. You can nail a bit of wood to the inside, and coat that with petroleum jelly if using mesh is too hard. Next, throw your dinner scraps into the pit, and let it sit over a few days. After a while, it should be full of roaches! FROGS: Using frogs can be a great way to catch greedy sunfish. Naturally, tiny leopard frogs and bullfrogs tend to dive downward to escape prey. They will only dive down if they are too far from shore, though. The trick to fishing live frogs is to use a super long loop for the hook with a drop shot rig. This allows the frogs to dive right down into a bluegill bed. Often times, you'll catch a big bluegill on a frog when nothing else works. To catch frogs, find a stagnant body of water with stained to muddy water, stained preferred. The next step is to take your shad net, and just scoop right along the edges of the water. You'll either scare frogs out of the water, or into it. Once you see the frogs, try targeting them one by one. Use frogs an inch or under. Go for cricket, chorus, leopard, or bullfrogs. Toads have never worked, as they drown rather than dive. TADPOLES: During the summer, take a kid down to the pond with you the day before. Give him a net, and let him catch you a bunch of tadpoles. After he's gotten tired of catching them, go through them and release all of them that aren't between 1-2 inches total length. Save them until the next day, and fish them on a drop shot rig, just like a frog. The place to catch these is preferably in stained water, although muddy water produces lots too. Any type of vegetation is a must. Open ware seldom produces tadpoles or frogs. KEEPING BAIT ALIVE: To fish baits for big bluegill, they have to be alive. I've never caught a bluegill over a pound on dead bait, nor anything from my kitchen. I have been, however, working on a secret bait formula (*hint hint* look for it in the next thread) that has caught me quite a number of big gills. To keep fish alive, I've always taken a 5-gallon bucket, and filled it with pond water. Then, hook up an aerator and you're set. If you're fishing in the heat, keep the bucket in your tent and drop ice in every once in a while. If you're keeping them for a long time, get a bulk can of shrimp pellets from the pet store. To keep craws and tadpoles alive, do the same rig, except feed them something different. Feed tadpoles specialized tadpole pellets, available at the pet store as well. Feed crawfish scrap lunch meat. They like roast beef. I'll take it off my sandwich and throw some in their bucket. Don't add lots of ice to tadpoles' water; quick temperature changes will quickly kill them. Instead, add 1-2 cubes every 30 minutes or so. For frogs, use a bucket, but no aerator, and throw a few rocks in the bottom, so they can leave the water if they want. They usually will be fine without food, but if you want, feed them tiny chunks of earthworms. To keep insects, I've always used cricket baskets for green grasshoppers and cockroaches. For brown grasshoppers, I usually use a critter keeper from the pet store. Handle them in your tent, or else they'll fly off! For insects, throw an assortment of grass and cheerios in the cage. FINAL WORDS: Well, thanks again for reading! It really does mean a lot. In the next thread, we'll be discussing my newly developed dough bait. It may take a while to make, but you can easily make a bulk container of it, and it will last a long time. Well, see you in the next thread!

Hey all... Me and a friend are planning a trip down to Florida to fish okeechobee for a few days. Looking for a good place to rent a "Real" Bass boat. I have looked at Roland Martins place and it looks to fit the bill. I just want to know if they are the only game in town. I take a trip like this every year and finding good place to rent a quality boat is always the hardest part.

So long story short I ordered a Skeet Reese Finesse Tube Jig Rod. I've found that a high percentage of the rods have flaws in them and need to be returned but those that are unflawed are absolutely perfect for my style fishing. Well, I happened to get unlucky when purchasing my second Finesse Tube Jig Rod. One of the guides halfway up the rod was enameled over. Basically what this means is the "glaze" (enamel) that they put over each guide made a connection with the other side of the guide. A lot of people have made this complaint on the reviews and I was hoping I got lucky enough to get a decent rod. Anyways, the enamel bonded to itself completely covering my guide. I couldn't put mono through it, nothing. Completely covered. I used a pocket knife to very carefully poke a hole in the enameling and made a hole big enough to put my mono through. I was rigging up the rod on-site and was my only rod at the time, so I had to deal. Didn't catch any and my line didn't get cut or anything. Is it possible for me to fix it by just chipping off pieces of enamel or will that give the ceramic insert jagged edges. Q-Tip test resulted in a catch on enamel, not ceramic. Can I fix it or should I return it? I've got a fishing event on Wednesday, so should I explain that the rod sent was faulty and I need to get a new one by Wednesday? Got it off Amazon so not sure if they'd fork over expedited shipping to get it by Wednesday. I'm guessing I'll have to mail the "broken" one back? Also, forgot to mention I don't want to have to replace the guide. If I bought it brand new for nearly 100$ I shouldn't need to be repairing it from day 1.

Hello everyone. I'm Jenny and my boyfriend is Jimmy. He is turning thirty next May and I want to give him a birthday to remember. He loves to bass fish, has a bass boat and a few good friends he goes with to fish. While his birthday is a year away, I want to start planning now. I would love to be able to pay for him and a few of his buddies to go bass fishing for three or so days. I am looking for different bass fishing lodges or lakes that would be a real treat for him. We live in Northern Virginia but driving up to twenty hours away wouldn't be out of the question. I know he's been to Okeechobee in Florida and I few places a little south of us but not much. Any suggestions for a great bass fishing trip would be very helpful, thanks!