Leaderboard

Went out Sunday to a residential lake I've only fished 1 time before and didn't have good results. Heard it has big fish though so I wanted to give it another shot. Water was way lower than last time and there was no grass so wasn't sure what to expect. I saw some brushpiles I couldn't see the first time so I started fishing those with a big Hoodaddy. Caught several small to smedium sized ones and was running out of water and about to turn out of the cove but fired a long cast to one in less than 2' of 85* water. It was heavy when I picked up and a big one boiled out of the water when I set on her. It gave a heck of a fight, jumping clear out of the water and diving under my kayak. I've been in a long dry spell for big fish, haven't broke 5lbs since April, but this one jumped right past that into the 6lb club at 22" and 6.01lbs. I fished all around the little lake, never saw another over 2lbs. As I got back by the ramp and the brushpiles, I was for sure fishing them again. Switched to a homemade jig and fished through them with no bites. Got back to the shallow pile, long cast again, again resistance when I lifted, again a big fish when I swung. This fish got hung up bad twice, but both times it worked free. Got really lucky because she was barely hooked. This time it was just over 5 and 21.5". 11lbs or 43.5" in 2 fish out of 1 little laydown! There was one more big pile by the ramp that I caught one out of earlier. I picked it apart with the jig, missed a couple and caught a decent one. Then my jig just disappeared on me. Another good fish went airborne and when it got in the net, I found out why I just lost my jig. A nice 3.5lb, 19.5" to finish out the day. Not too bad having 15lbs or 63" in 3 fish in a few hours on a lake I don't know 😁

Definitely small fish but the special part is that I caught them on a jig, not my best for the year but it’s helping me build confidence in one that I struggle with. I have already caught 2 4Lb plus fish in one day on a jig. 5/16 finesse dirty jigs canterbarry craw with a rage chunk amber and green, black flake.

The Golden Rule. Tom

So, I solicited advice on trolling behind my canoe and I've tried four of the suggestions so far and they all worked, but what worked best was Dwight Hottie's advice to troll my Whopper Plopper. The very first time I tried this (this morning), I chucked it behind my canoe paddled about five times, heard the splash, and reeled in two bass (This is my second twofer in the last week.). You can see the two bass in the net attached to the Whopper Plopper and then the bigger bass in my hand. Sorry for the quality of the photo. It's a terrible photo, but a nice fish. So, my advice is to listen to Dwight's advice. Beyond the two in the net, I caught another 31 bass this morning, mostly by trolling the Whopper Plopper.

A grown bass had tough life, dodging predators, ect. Treat them with Care, i.e handle them with WET hands as not to remove their slim coat, same goes for laying bass on most anything dry. Also, try not to leave your fish out of water any longer than necessary, they need water to breath, just like people need air. Fishing is about having fun, but at the same time try to hone your fishing skills, and get in tune with the waters and surroundings where you fish.

Bites are slow and sizes are small. Started off fishing in Lake Woodlands (first time). At 200 acres it’s not huge, but substantially bigger than the ponds I fish. Was there for two hours and never got a nibble. Went back to the pond I normally fish. Lake Woodlands is stream-fed so it’s not low, but the pond sure is. Almost a month and a half without any measurable rain will do that. Caught six total. First 3 and last one on a Zoom Z-Craw in California 420 and the other two on a blue/black laminate Senko. No other baits got touched. Had fun regardless, but I’m ready to perform a rain dance or sacrifice a chicken or something!

Before you make such an important decision by throwing a dart. We need to have a discussion about the dart. What brand of dart are you planning to use? The weight of the dart is very important and the material used in the point. It's hard to make recommendations without knowing more about your throwing technique and the distance you will be throwing from. You don't want to be fishing the wrong rod because you selected the wrong dart. Oh and then there's the issue of balance. It's very important to use a well balanced dart. Balance depends on how you grip the dart of course. If you can post some more specifics maybe we can help with your dart selection.

I have never used a bead .

Do not leave fish to find fish.

The best rule is, there are no rules, mostly opinions.

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results” -Winston Churchill Mike

Both are good knots. Tie the one you are more comfortable with and the one you have most confidence in.

My best friend is my wife. We have been together since we were kids. We've seen good times, bad times, health, sickness, celebration, tragedy, youth and now old age. Through it all, our friendship has never wavered. We have been truly blessed. ☺️

Headed to my nemesis lake Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Couple little lmb in the weeds when we first arrived in the afternoon, then headed around the corner to some deeper water. Was still thinking lmb and throwing a T-rigged Bandito Bug when I got a great bite. It headed straight for the sky and a beauty smb threw my bug right back at me (pretty sure I also saw him flip me off. lol). I was both thrilled and disappointed as we’ve not found any smb over maybe 2# in this lake yet after many days’ trying, to the point I had thrown in the towel and just targeting lmb. Went back out in the morning to the same windward shore area, and was throwing a Heddon One Knocker spook only a few casts when this nice smb hooked up from about 18ft. of water (no scale - 19.5” and I’d say a very honest 3.5#). I feel like some of the puzzle pieces are finally starting to fall into place on these pelagic buggers.

My favorite fishing hole at my favorite time of morning .... Lord willing, will be on it Thursday morning.

As asked, not true.

Caught my PB zucchini on Saturday while @TnRiver46 and I were out for a sesh. Couldn't get a weight on it cause it fell apart in my hands, but it was by far the biggest squash I've ever pulled out of the river.

Be a giver and not a taker. Respect the resource. Never think “you have arrived.” Balance fishing with life’s true priorities. Purpose yourself to learn something on every single trip. Wear your PFD when running. Protect your Skin and Hydrate. Don’t do anything to tarnish your integrity. Don’t allow anything to take the fun out of fishing. FREQUENT THIS FORUM.

yesterday. I pause to tie on a LV500 for weeds. in the meantime I pitch out a drop shot to "have something in the water". as I reach back for the other rod, I felt my dropshotrig, lean up against my shin. I grab it and haul back. viola!! it put up an epic fight. I thought I would be bigger. 4lbs

Pulled a long overnight trip last night in the kayak. Not something I would have done if they'd have been even remotely close with the wind forecast. Somehow, 1-4 mph winds had small whitecaps rolling across the lake and pounding into the shorelines I was trying to fish after midnight, good times. Glad some fish were biting to keep it from being a total bust. Last one right by the truck before I loaded up and went home.

My grand dad had a completely different take: Only smoke when you're awake One bottle of Thunderbird every day or more when needed Avoid exercise at all cost

When it comes to catching fish, they aren’t really rules - they are more like guidelines. There are very few hard, fast rules. Thinking outside the box is part of the fun. When it comes to getting along with other fishermen, the Golden Rule is a good start, unless you were raised by wolves, which I think applies to a lot of people who fish around me.

Respect

I applaud you for attempting to apply logic and information gathering to the process. Good luck. I have bought at least two dozen rods over the last 10-11 years. Of the three 'favorites', One was recommended by many here One was an impulse store purchase largely because it was over 50% off MSRP and I'm a sucker for a perceived deal One was recommended by exactly one person on here; someone I knew little about, and I had no good reason to evaluate their judgment So....I guess I am saying is that to me, luck is every bit as important as process

Stripers, Wipers, and Sandies, oh my! My love affair with lake whitney dam continues. I went down with one of my best buds on Thursday, we caught 8 stripers, 8 wipers, and three sandies total in the 45 minutes we had before the school moved into open water. A derby of sorts. Didn't matter what you threw, it was getting bit. I live for this right now. I've been trying to teach him to catch fish, he's been discouraged because conditions have been rough and it's been skunky at the local reservoirs. So I was determined to get him into a fish fight one way or another, this was the sure fire thing. We didn't catch much else after the sun came over the dam, just the one bright photo you see here. And it was 5 hours round trip of driving - but worth the time just to see the water boil with schooling bass. A golden hour indeed 🙏🙏

- The boat ramp is for launching and loading of the boat. Not for prepping to launch. - Turn your headlights off while backing down the ramp, to keep from blinding others backing down. - Start fishing fast and slow down until you find the speed the bass want. - Be observant of wind, mudlines, clouds, birds, baitfish, etc. - Learn to analyze each catch, it'll improve your #'s. - Lure retrievers save money. - Don't be afraid to fish much smaller or much larger lures than fishermen in your area. - Have fun and be safe.

First brownie and first rocky. Also caught his first of probably many gobies.

Relax and have fun! You can fish any style, use any equipment, fish from shore or watercraft, pursue any species, and fish any time of year. But! If you don’t enjoy each experience, what’s the point? Observe nature, learn something from each trip, take a little time to kick back and just immerse yourself in the fishing experience. May not make you a stellar fisherman, but, man, will it make life a little more pleasurable! (This from a guy who is taking weeks to select a rod to replace an old favorite that was broken.)

No watch and no wife. Don't want either (I've had both). I don't even care what day it is a lot of the time, especially when fishing. I tune the world out as much as possible when I'm out.

Boy was yesterday a bit of a heartbreaker. I laid eyes on a walleye that was well over 5-6 lbs, might have been getting closer to 10 lbs!!!!! Argh………… So we fished a while, catching some smaller fish and then I got another decent one on the spro pin tail so once I get the skunk out of the boat, I like trying different stuff. I brought out the big guns, the massive FishLab gizzard shad and that’s where the sea monster walleye came into play. I was reeling the bait on the surface and talking to my wife on the phone. A large fish started following, I thought it was about a 10 lb striper. Then I saw the walleye markings and the teeth and pretty well soiled my linens and hollered out “walleye!” Of course I didn’t continue cranking the handle and the fish took a little dainty nip at the treble and disappeared back into a logjam. And I didn’t even attempt a hook set. I informed my wife I missed a giant walleye and she says “well go back and get it.” So I tried that too, didn’t work

Gotta love it when Wes Logan reveals the way he fishes swim jigs on the pro circuit!

Tragedy struck a couple of weeks ago! I managed to lay waste to one of my favorite fishing rods. (I’m gonna spare myself the embarrassment of explaining how I did it.) So … I began the process of selecting a replacement. And, having a little pride, I refused to come on here and ask, “What’s the best baitcasting rod for under X dollars?” I already knew what I wanted, how I would use it, what reel would be paired with it, and what I would spend. Sounds simple … on the surface. Background: The rod was an older Okuma TCS Frog and Swimbait Rod. It’s 7’2” and rated for lures from 3/8- to 2-ounces and I used it for everything from jigs to frogs to SPRO Frogs to T-rigs to Magdraft swim baits. Even tossed the occasional spinner bait! Was it ideal for everything? Not to a purist, but worked for me. So I figured I’d just get another one - and promptly fell down the rabbit hole! Seems the new version ain’t getting the reviews that I saw for the original; SO, the hunt began. After researching websites and plowing through pages and pages of discussions here on Bass Resource, I finally came up with a list of potential replacements (in no particular order): Ark INVOKER Pro (Mag Hvy) iRod Fred’s Magic Stick IRG754F Falcon Expert (Hvy) Dobyns Sierra (Hvy) Shimano Expride EX173XHA (XHVY) Okuma TCS (New Version) ALX IKOS Thunder IC90F6 Now here’s how I’m getting out of the rabbit hole without pestering the members of Bass Resource! I’m jotting down the names of members who spoke highly of each model. For example, the Okuma has received high marks from @Glenn and @roadwarrior. Dobyns has been espoused by @dodgeguy and @northern basser. Can’t forget that @WRB raves about iRod. Once this process is complete I’m gonna put Post-Its with each rod model on my wall, blindfold myself, spin around three times, and chuck a dart. This way, no matter which rod I select, I have someone to thank if I like the rod and, conversely, someone to blame if I don’t! Problem of new rod selection solved without starting a lengthy thread. (Well, except for this long-winded entry.) Don’t need rod recommendations but comments on the process will be gratefully accepted. Thanks for reading!

Apparently, I work with some bass. 😁

This is an old photo I have from Badin Lake 2020. Shore fishing for catfish overnight… one of my favorite photos

IMO, if I'm fishing braid on a baitcaster, then what I'm doing doesn't require a leader.

I don't understand the distinction between tournament and non-tournament rods. Why not just fish with the gear you like? I mean, my fishing is NO DIFFERENT regardless of being in a tournament or not.

Bullet weights become real bullets when bass anglers insist using the old bubba swing for the fences hook set. Anglers have been blinded from bullet weight taking out a eye. Reel down and swing your rod to one side on a hook set. The serious damage comes for trying to free a snag by pulling with the rod pointed at the snagged lure and the bullet comes back at high velocity. Tom

Wear sunscreen If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it Keep your head in the game. Every bite, every rock, log, weed, is a piece of that day's puzzle. The bites, especially....one bite tells you a lot; 2 or 3 in similar 'circumstances' can put you on course for a successful day....IF you are paying enough attention

Again, there are no rules man. My rivers fluctuate from a raging torrent 5 mph to a calm flow once every day. They go up and down at least 2 feet every day. Fish move around and eat stuff unpredictably. The one thing you can somewhat count on is they seek slow water when it’s ripping, but even then expect the unexpected

My water is in the 90s, put 20 pounds in the kayak yesterday. I'm almost exclusively fluorocarbon and don't break off many fish. So, I reckon my fishing rule to live by is there's more than one way to skin a cat.

No experience with that list but can we all agree that it SUCKS when a company changes/discontinues a stellar product?!

Or change a bait that's working to see if something else works better.

I don’t personally know Matt Newman owner of IROD although he lives nearby. I do know Matt’s customer service is excellent and used his Swimbait and Magic sticks. A friend of mine broke 3 rods when they went under a bock cleat in the wind. Matt replaced all 3 rods with new Gen 3’s for $80. I use tried out the Gen 3 MXF spinning rod the last Thursday and it’s excellent, very light weight with new Gen 3 blank design, very impressed. Tom

Watch your surroundings -keep your eyes peeled for signs of bait fish because bait fish normally means bass Don't leave trash behind- if you can carry it in you can carry it out Go early, often and stay late- nothing beats time on the water Make friends with better anglers than yourself and learn from them Don't roll up on somebody and fish next to them- if you wanna fish by them ask first A skunking isn't a failure it is an opportunity for lots of learning If you go into this looking for return on your investment based off of fish you catch just know you'll never break even- if that's an issue this ain't for you

Many many small small fish on the Charles this morning. These are two of the stupider ones.

-Keep an open mind. -Fish the season, water temps, and weather (recent past weather + current weather), NOT lures. -Respect the fish, the water, and your fellow sportsmen. -Pick up after yourself (and others if need be). -It should mean a lot more to you than catching fish. Find your reason. (I find peace in it)

That Tsu Dragon is a pretty legit rod. From a quality perspective, I'd say they're pretty neck in neck with budget offerings from Lamiglas, particularly the X11. I have the 5' casting and 6' spinning models, they're both great for what they sell for. It is a Chinese Domestic Market rod, but you do get a lot for the money. When I bought mine a couple of years ago, they were only ~$50, but have gone up in price due to the increasing popularity of BFS.

Military service offered me an opportunity to build friendships that have & will no doubt last a lifetime. I had the distinct privilege of serving with quite a few fantastic men & women during various assignments. Many of these bonds are real & deep. There's a sort of 'difference' for me between my civilian 'friends' and the people I served with. There just is. A-Jay