His customized pontoon with a livewell, down imaging on the front and back, 70lb trolling motor with remote control is what we fished out of. I liked their docks on the lake, they're built into the bank instead of being built out into the lake. Lots of fish where pulled from the dock stalls while we were there. 

Arrowhead plants lined the banks everywhere along with cattails and various other kinds of vegetation. Lots of bass came shooting out of these weeds to destroy my frog. I caught more frog fish last week than the rest of my life combined no doubt.

A few of these bridges cross over the lake. Nicole caught a lot of her fish out from under the bridges.

Where do you start when all the banks around you look like this?

Nicole caught a 3 pounder that threw up a foot long eel so I put on a Yum Mightee worm and caught this fish my first cast.

The last day I got onto them good with a 5" Optimum line through swimbait I got from the Fishmas exchange.

Sight fished this one and the next with the swimbait, awesome. 

Nicole and I with our two biggest the last day. Her was her new PB, which beat her previous PB that she'd caught 2 days prior. She caught it on a 5" black blue flake BPS stick O, wacky rigged, which is what she caught all of her bass on. It weighed 4.58 pounds and was the biggest fish of our trip. Probably would have been almost 5 but it threw up an eel that was probably 14" long while she was fighting her.

My biggest was 4.51 pounds and was the very first fish of the trip for me, it ate one of my home made brush jigs under an overhanging tree. 

Trip was an absolute blast and Jack and his wife are the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. You know it was a good trip when you have bass palm! 

 My name is Mark. I'm new here of course. I come from south eastern Wisconsin...Kenosha to be exact. So I've fished since I was a kid but nothing too extreme. Recently I'm becoming more active in the fishing world as I enjoy it a lot! But as any other person new to this, I need some help. I went fishing tonight, just some fake worms and came up dry. I think I'm doing it all wrong between the right colors for conditions to technique to proper bait. I don't if its better to use bait or no bait. More less I need everyone's help!!! lol

I just got a new reel too! kinda excited about it!! It is a Bass Pro Shop's 2012 Extreme Matrix Carbon Fiber Bait caster. I need to find some good line and a nice rod for a reasonable price (some guidance would be great) Sorry If I'm all over the place here I just need a lot of help lol

Other than Fishing I enjoy being a FireFighter. It is a passion of mine and enjoy every minute of it. I also enjoy Cars/Trucks and Harleys. Camping and any other outdoor activities are a blast to me. I'm a young guy, only 22 lol.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Look forward to the help and input! 

Mark

Thanks in advance.

Check them out -  http://www.lurenet.com/videos

I'm lucky in that this essentially gets little to no pressure at all year round with the exception of the occasional bank fisherman.

So yesterday on a windy western blow with lots of clouds and rain blowing in, we hit Clear Lake in Far NW Indiana. I had suggested Pike on another Lake, so when I showed up at my buddies house in SW Mich. with predominantly Pike gear, I was told he wanted to hit the Indiana Lake and see where it was at as far as turning on and weed growth. Naturally my huge selection of walleye gear was in Ohio but I did bring the new 6'10" MXF Legend Extreme that I had just had customized and gave in as I wanted to see how it would fish anyway. I was glad I did. We would have defiantly killed the Northern Pike if we had went on our favorite Mich. Pike waters, but had a ball and caught fish in Indiana. We started the day working some flats and after an hour or so and missing one bite, (probably a shore runner) we dropped out and started hitting drops off points, we got a couple small LM and marked a lot then we got to this one inside drop and started fishing it towards the point and first nice fish was a small Pike on a Rattlin Rogue on my new rod about 30 inches quite a battle on a MXF Bass or Walleye finesse rod. We then ran a long break separating the 2 main Lake basins and started catching everything from Rock bass to Pike and LM only to about 3 lbs. again the big one on the new rod and the Rogue , and finally when we hit the North end of the break started catching Walleye, no big's  10" to 18" but again a nice way on a nasty day to break in a new rod and the biggest of 5 on the new rod,

This Lake is still a couple weeks from really turning on as it was still in the low 60 degree's but the shallower lakes that don't have the cold springs this lake does have to be heating up great. Got the new boat ready and after yesterday will be ready to hit em all, as soon as they settle down from the tree ring circus Memorial day weekend brings!!! Nice to be retired, Tuesday thru Friday are my favorite times to fish, But I hope everyone gets out in the tri state region and has a great holiday weekend!!!! and while your at it, THANK A VET FOR ALLOWING IT!!!!    Tight Lines!!

407-383-6644.100% payback no club dues 

east lake toho

saturday 5/25/13

A few months ago I was browsing the isles at the local craft store in search of wire to hang my airbrushed crankbaits after I apply epoxy. I came across a spool of thin copper wire which is for light soldering & I bought it, hung my baits to dry, then a bulb came on in my head. Heres a quick, inexpensive way to fix those brittle, melting, or torn skirts before they fall off, and if you have a bunch of jigs & spinners that already lost their skirts, heres a good way to bring them back to life. Plus it may add that extra flash or weight that could provoke a strike.

Go to your local arts & craft, or hardware store and buy a spool of copper, aluminum, or whatever thin metal wire you like.

Make sure the wire is malluable and thin enough to wrap around a skirt collar, but solid enough to hold its shape.

Take your lure and expose the collar holding the skirt together, then take the wire and simply wrap it around the damaged collar until the rubber or plastic is no longer exposed, snip it with a pair of wire cutters, and you have a nice neat coil wrap. Press the tag end down so its not poking out.

If you want to take it a step further, get a solder tool. (You can usually find these in the same store) It looks like a calligraphy pen with a wire at the end to plug it in and heat up the tip (a wood burning tool will also work). Take the tag end of your wrap and solder it into the coil, being careful not to melt too much metal. If you're handy with this sort of thing you can use another length of wire and solder the end.

Now you have a metal wrapped collar in the color of your choice (brass, copper, aluminum) If you want a black collar, simply wrap it in black craft or electric tape, if you like the collar to match the skirt, you can always use the small bottles of automotive touch up paint.

I've used the touch up paint on weights, jig heads, & spinners. Its cheap, smooth, durable, dries instantly and odorless.

Just wondering....

Thanks for the help.  

How does a medium heavy have a 3/4 oz minimum when the heavy has a 1/4 oz minimum?

Specifically:

763C: 7'6" 1pc. 8-17lb, 3/4-1oz, Med/Hvy Fast Action 

764C: 7'6" 1pc. 12-25lb, 1/4-1 1/2oz, Hvy Fast Action 

I want the long rod for distance casting 6" senkos which probably weigh 1/2 oz with hook.

Instincts tell me the 763 has a stiffer tip b/c it's minimum is 3/4oz.

My brain goes haywire when I try to process the 764 having a tip capable of casting light 1/4oz lure but simultaneously is stiff tip enough to cast 1.5oz w/o snapping.  

How is it possible?

Side note:

This is not the case when stepping from 733 to 734.  Both minimum's stay at 1/4oz.

Paging Dr Dobyns..

My name is Nick Barr, and I am a Collegiate Angler from Eastern Washington University near Spokane, WA. I am currently a Junior in college and used to be very active on BassResource.com back when I was in high school and had time to be more active on the web. College has now consumed my life and have not been able to be on here in a while.

My partner Jarred & I recently fished the B.A.S.S. College Regional Championship and qualified for the B.A.S.S. College National Championship in August.

The National Championship is being held on Lake Chatuge on the Georgia & N. Carolina border on August 1^st-3^rd.

The trip is completely across the country for us and if we have to tow my boat will be extremely expensive. Also, This lake seems to not be very popular and it has been extremely hard to find anyone who has even fished it, and I have exhausted all my options.

My partner and I are asking for help from the BassResource.com community:

1. Any information possible on the lake, or points of contact down there?

2. Is there anyone within a few hours drive that possibly has a boat we could rent/borrow?

(we are going to try and fly down & rent a truck)

All the time, effort, and help from BassResource.com family is greatly appreciated.

Feel free to message me, email me at NickTBarr@Hotmail.com or call/txt at (360) 485-9462

Thank You, 

Nick Barr

How many of us cross interstate bridges either on the way to work or play?

Glad no one was killed. The three people were very lucky.

Do we have the money to replace or repair all of the interstate bridges?  Don't get me started on the Federal government's priorities.

http://news.yahoo.com/5-bridge-collapse-survivor-hold-084110788.html

For explanation, i like the smallmouth bass so much, but i don't know any country with this spezies in europe!!!Only the largmouth bass exists in europe.

My thought was i cultivate this fish in  a lake here in Austria. But for this undertaking i need  a few smallies

Whats your opinion, do you think thats possible. Do you think that the bass are survive until Austria? Are there some grower who sold bass over the internet in the usa?

It would be great if you can help me.

greetings Oliver

Berkley Lightning Stick   6' Medium Action 

and

Berkley Bionix 6' MH Action

Not too terribly exciting options, but they're lightly used and I got them for free. What I am aiming for is to get some nicer reels for these and as I am able, upgrade the rods to better suit the reels. I'm open to current and older models. I'm not opposed to other brands, but from what I've been able to tell handling other equipment, I am partial to Quantum and Abu Garcia. 

Thanks in advance. Look forward to hearing what some of you think. 

I already have a 7.0:1 Shimano Chronarch that I bought from a previous sale.

I currently have these:

7' M Duckett micromagic (small cranks, jerkbaits, flukes, light worming, small spinnerbaits)

7'2" MH Powell Endurance (spinnerbaits, wakebaits, 3/8oz texas rig, 1/4oz swimjigs, pretty much anything I feel the Duckett is underpowered for)

8' H Dobyns Swimbait Rod (hudds, etc)

I have some small - midsize swimbaits & wakebaits (1/2oz - 1 1/2oz) & jigs (3/8oz-3/4oz) that I was thinking a pitching rod might cover. Its getting into the summer months here in Southern California. I fish in a club at various reservoirs which include: El Capitan, Sutherland, Hodges, Lower Otay, etc. Theres grass, tules, and rocks at these reservoirs. I am interested in what you guys think the next best rod for me to get might be despite what I think I should get.

I was looking at the zombie 7'3" XH pitching rod mainly because of tackeltours review stating that although it is a stout rod capable of pitching heavy jigs it could also be used for some smaller swimbaits and umbrella rigging. I was also looking at the Megabass Orochi X4 f6-72x4 Destruction; again because tackletours review stated this rod is so versatile you can pretty much throw anything comfortably from the 1/2 - 1 1/2oz range. Both of these seem like sweet fishing rods and they are from what I understand extremely versatile yet capable of handling heavier lures.

I was looking at the new xx orochi's and some of the dobyns rods but theres too many options so perhaps you guys have some opinions?

The zombie rod seems nice but what threw me was its weight and its "lack of sensitivity" according to TT. The Orochi x4 destruction seems too perfect. The only thing I am worried about is that it has only 9 guides + tip which seems outdated or like it will not transmit alot of whats going on with the bait. Anyways, I am hoping someone here has experience with these rods or something comparable and can help me decide on the next step. I am going to say my price limit here is at the Orochi x4 which is a $450 rod. This should leave the door open for a lot of suggestions.

Thanks! Hope you guys have some good plans for this coming weekend.

For some background, I currently have a St. Croix Avid (AVC66MF) and a Legend Elite (LEC70MHF) as my baitcasting rods.  I was looking for something to slide kind of in between the two rods, power-wise, and briefly had a new Crucial 6'8"MH rod, but was not a fan of the Crucial's split grip or the foam handles.  Sold the Crucial and an Avid spinning rod to a BR member and I've sold a few other things recently so I have a few bucks burning a hole in my Paypal account.  So it's time for a new toy. 

Anyway, I'm trying to decide between the MBR783 or BCR803.  I will be putting a Lew's Tournament Pro 6.4:1 on this rod.  I'd like it to be as "all purpose" as possible, basically to do everything I can do with the 7'MH but with a little less length and maybe a bit less power. 

The reason for a rod less than 7' is I fish from a canoe and sometimes my fishing buddy comes along.  He rides in front.  The 7' rod hasn't smacked him up the head on a hookset yet, but I've come close a couple times.  So a rod less than 7' is preferred. 

Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated. 

I picked up a few rod holders that i think will work but i wanted to see if anyone out there has done or seen a set up.  There is a decent amount of headroom so i don't see them being a problem in the ceiling area.

Thanks 

Tim

Not enough clearance would be one obvious reason for keeping it up, but assuming you have plenty of clearance  do you trailer your boat with the motor up or down and what is your reasoning?  

I just spent a pretty penny on a Curado 300E and a St Croix Premier PC66MHF2 6'6'' Med-heavy. Eventually I'll be pitching plastics into heavy cover with this using heavy braid and mono or tape backing. I bought the bigger more robust 300E so I can do some occasional pike and muskie fishing.

My question is this: Should I just spool this thing right up with mono to get used to baitcasters, or should I just go right to my final setup? I know the learning curve can be a tad steep.

Thoughts, opinions, advice?

Attached Thumbnails

Thanks. 

Any help as far as colors, lures, times, would be greatly appreciated.

Our setup is very basic and simple. Now that we have learned (sorta) to tow, launch, trailer, and maneuver the vessel in the water, we have to relearn how to fish from it having bank fished almost exclusively. We went out this morning and started casting plastics, jigs, and frogs to the trees and brush along the shoreline to anything that looked like it might hold bass. Did this for a few hours. Felt like there were curious fish at times but no takers. Lots of active bluegill. Tried drop shotting and cranks in deeper water before we left. My brother got a nice rainbow on a fat chartreuse crankbait, but no bass today.

My game plan today was to fish visible cover. Started with the topwater frog into reeds, brush. Then jigs and other plastics into the same cover and towards the dike/rocky bank. none of this more than 10ft deep, slightly stained water. vegetation along the bottom. Temps have been in the 40's at night/60s day lately. Storm passed a few days ago. I'd like to blame it on the weather, but that won't help me next time.

 I've read alot on here over the winter and thought I had learned alot, but I'm finding its hard to put what i've learned into action. However, I did learn today that controlled casts are more important on a boat than distance like bank fishing. lol

How should I approach my next outing? What did I do wrong? What didn't I do?

I bought a Vertias rod (7', med. heavy) and a Chronarch 200E7 (7.0:1).

Walmart has the Veritas Micros and Winch series rods for $72 so I'm wondering if I should pick up a second rod sooner than later since they are on sale and the price is as good as it is.

If so what would be the ideal setup for the second rod based on either another Veritas or Winch series rod?

So, good news is, they're reproducing in my canal :-D Bad news is... where are all the big ones?!?

M.

They weighed between two and four pounds.

Two walked away with the Senko, slowly. The other two just sat there with it in their mouth and I realized the bait felt "funny" so I set the hook.

Don't cost anything to set the hook as Hank Parker pontificates.

Wish I could have stayed but had two other meetings that called me to leave the pond.

Heading back on June 1st and will fish from around 6 to 8 in the morning and expect to nail one on every cast!!