Mattlures

When I catch thWR this spring I will keep it. Honestly I wont feel good about keeping it but I wouldnt want to deal with all the doubters. realeasing big fish is soooo ingrained in our heads out here it will just feel wrong to keep it. I know some of the big names have talked to the fish and game about getting a permit in advance for transporting such a fish but they have not been able to get one. If I do catch it I will try and keep it alive but it may not be possible. Just so you guys know there are 3 lakes out here with confirmed live fish in it over 21 lbs. I currently know of 5 fish that should be over 22.4 this spring. I would also guess that there are at least 5 more that I dont know about. The record will fall in the next two years.

I am jelous! I wish I had my own pond! I always thought it would be cool to tag the bass I stocked to check their growth.

I hope those bass have something to eat. I have actualy been paid to stock ponds and the absolute most important thing is to get a forage bass started before you put bass in. I would spend monthes catching bluegill and green sunfish. I would let them spawn once scinse they were adults when stocked. Then I would put in the bass. I never stocked little ones though. I started at 3lbs and up. They breed like **** roaches. I told the owners to remove any small bass they caught. The reason is. I was putting in good fish and you can never catch all the small bass so some get to grow big. Less bass + lots of bluegills = Big Bass. Sounds like you got a pretty cool thing going. It does break your heart when you see somebody keep a big fish from "your" pond.

Kieth those look good especialy the 2nd one. Very nice work. I would like to recomend getting an airbrush. they are actualy very easy to use and from what you can do with spry paint I bet you could do some awsome work with an airbrush.

I aksed about BASS and his show. he told me he is still emplyed by ESPN but he is not sure what he will be doing. He also said that the canceling of his show had nothing to do with Rucks going away. It was a coincidence that they happened at the same time. He said they were cleaning house. Just figured I would share

Maybe you are right. I think I took it the wrong way. After reading it agin it again it does seem prety informative. At first it seemed like he was trying to "correct ' me. I wasnt mad just figured I would "correct" him back I fixed it.

I second ***.com !

George there are exceptions to your definations. My situation may or may not be unique. I am on the "pro staff" acording to Okuma(the second largets reel manufacturer in the world) My main job is to test gear. They send me rods and reels and I use them. I try and break them under normal situations and I give them feed back. I get to keep all the gear unless I actualy do break something or find a problem, then I send it back and they give me a new one. Not a bad gig huh? They also send me all the shirsts, hats, and decals I ask for. They even sent me a professional tournament shrt in case I ever decide to fish tournaments. Oh and guess what else. I have a yearly budget. I can buy what ever gear I want. When my budget runs out I have to use my own money to buy gear but not at a a small %. I get a huge discount. I still havent spent any of my 06 budget because I have so much stuff already. I assume Fish Chris has a similar deal. Like I said before you dont have to fish tournaments to be "sponsered" or on a "prostaff" Its what you can do for the company. I guess according to your difination I would be sponsered, but according to them I am prostaff.

I am also on Okuma's pro staff just Like FC. I also have other companies send me free stuff all the time. Rods reels baits. You name it. I have never asked any of them for it. They came to me. I have actualy thought about asking a few companies that I like for sponsership but I havent got around to it. Here is the funny part. I HAVE NEVER FISHED A FRESH WATER BASS TOURNAMENT! EVER! Its all how you market your self. If you can help them sell products they will want you. Just like FC. catching big bass = big money.

I hate to see a trohy fish killed for any reason especialy to be mounted . but its his right. However if more people were edcated on how superior replicas are to skin mounts I think less big fish would be kept/mounted. tmwadswo cant understand why a replica is a better choice. Let me explain. I was a taxidermist and I can tell you that a replica looks more like your actual fish than the actual skin mount. A replica is more anatomicaly corect. It looks more like a real fish than a skin mount. It is superior in ever possible way. A lot of people dont understand this. Here is why. A replica is a mold of an actual fish, in a natural state. a skin mount is just that, a skin. You take a skin and stretch it over a foam manican. Ther are many places that you have to buid up the manican to replace the flesh that has been removed. If the skin is not put on perfectly it will look wrong. Skin mounts almost always have the mouths set in an unnatural way. Usualy over extended and the gill rakers pushed up into the throught. Fins and tails are usualy over extended and look like overstretched fans. I have seen bodies with a very unnatural bend to them. A skin mount has so much potential for human error. 95% of all skin mounts that I have seen I can pick them apart with mistakes by the taxidermist. Most of them are very obvious. A replica eliminates those before you ever start. Now its up to the paint job. A good artist can paint a replica as good as any skin mount. Something else that is a huge thing to consider is a skin mount is a rottng warping distorting piece of skin. Over a little time it will yellow and crack and twist and warp and distort. A replica wont! You can match a replica to your fishes measurements. check your measure ments on a skin mount and you will see they are not the same as when you caght the fish. Why? because of all the sretching and shrinking and every other negative thing that happens with skin mounts. Another thing to consider is tmwadswo said he didnt like the fins looking to perfect. Any good taxidermist who does replicas can match the inperfections of your fishes fins. Just give them some pictures and request it. As a former taxidermist it is my opinion that there is no reason to get a skin mount. They are junk compaired to a quality replica. Replicas are more natural, more durable and most importantly they are more correct as far as the fish itsself. I have seen a few decent skin mounts. they do exist. unfortunatly only extremly good (skin mounting) taxidermist can do this. most just say they can but they are not that good. I have seen hundreds of mounts done by "profesional taxidermist with many yearts of experiance" that look like junk. at least with a replica all you have to worry about is the paint job. Most of the best Taxidemist in the country wont even do a skin mount for all of ther reasons I have stated above. Guys do your self a favor, when you catch a big fish take a length and a girth measurements. Take some pictures of the whole fish and any identifying marks that you want on your mount. Then dont settle on the cheapest taxidermist. find the best one you can aford. In Taxidermy you ABSOLUTLY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!!!!! and the best part is you can release your trophy fish and maybe catch it again.

Ok Gonzo I'll tell you why up hill. IMO it has nothing to do with how the fish are positioned. It has to do with the fish being aware and scarred of your presence. You can not pull your boat into the back of a cove and catch fish casting twords the shore. They feel the baot aproaching and they feel trapped so they take off around you. Have you ever seen that happen? i have many times. When you work uphill the fish might know your there but there escape route is not blocked and they dont have to leave. Its not that they dont know there is a boat around its just not as big of a threat so they are more likely to eat. I fish swimbaits 70% of the time and 70% of my bites are coming up hill with about 20% in flat areas or over and accross humps and points. and 10% of my bites come from down hill. I am targeting big bass so my numbers are more exagerated because bigger fish are more sensative to boat pressence than smaller fish. If I do fish down hill I cast ahead of the boat where thye fish are not trapped.

I could not dissagree more. Playing a big fish out untill its tired is the old way of doing it. It is the only way if your using light gear but your using 50lb braid and somewhat heavy gear. I fish my gear with the dragg almost completly locked. I hook the fish and horse them in as fast as I can. When I feel them rissing too jump I swing back hard and try to open their mothes and move them towards me. This will creata parachute afect and yu gain control and the fish cant jump. if I know I cant stop the fish from jumping I plunge my rod into the water and reel hard. This will minimize the jump. I have caught a few big fish and have lost some too. These techniques are used by the guys out in CA who catch big bass. I have landed probably 200 bass over 5lbs and believe me a big bass is one of the smartest fighting fish alive. If you give them time they will find a way to get off.

There is a couple guys that I would want to go with. LRod cause I think we would have fun. Road Warior cause I have never caught a smallie and I would get board catching small ones. Raul cause I think we could get some big fish down there. Fish Chris for sturgeon. Now instead of going with other guys, I would rather they came on my boat. I would just love to take out some realy good Texas sticks and teach them how to fish swimbaits. I would open their eyes and they would have a new respect for the Cali trophy hunters. I also think it would be cool to see the look on the east coast guys when I showed them a 15+lber swimming around.

I have added a bunch more pictures to my site. I have over 100 pics of big bass http://www.mattlureswholesale.com/site_map.htm Glenn if this is inappropriate I apologize, I am just showin off a little Delete it if its not cool

I know where a 25lber lives. I also used to know where where two lived that were around 20lbs. I actualy lost one but could never get the other too bite. Now if I would have found them on beds thats a diferent story. I have John Hopes book and it is verry interesting. I also have Bill Murphy's book(The best trophybass book ever writen) and Doug Hannons book. after reading them you would think they were fishing for diferent species. Hannons views and opinons are SOO wrong when aplied to our bass out here. I find it extremely interesting that the same fish have such diferent habbits based on the diferent types of water. But I absoluty believ big bass are teritorial and its just a matter of time before I catch a realy big bass.

I hate spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I have boxes full of them but I wont use them. I am totaly suprised at people saying droshot. That has to be the easyest way to bass fish. Out of curiousity are you guys ds with 6lb test and under? and are you using spinning gear like you are suposed too?

I think CC nailed it. Even though we have giant bass an 8lber is still a big fish. You should see the trout guys look at me when I pull in an 8 in front of them they all think I just caught a 15lber. The bench mark is still 10. Thats where the counting starts. When your at the highest level 15lbs is where the counting starts. I am not at that level.

Ok I'll buy most of that except the part about luck. I dont believe in it. And Yes Mike L is a freak. He is the the best of the best of big bass.

rattletrap I know you are being funny but you are right. That can be a good bed bait.

Thats not the way it is out here. Our females dwarf the males on their beds. Mac's 25lber was bedding with a 1.5ber. and I completly disagree(respectfuly of course) that catching big bedding females is rare. I do it all the time. I do not like to teach people how to do it because too many people will keep the fish and their is so much pressure down here I have to keep my edge. If you need proof I have a lot of pictures I will tell you this. The guys who I consider the best sight fisherman in the world will NEVER and I mean NEVER romove the male. Did I say NEVER? well just in case I didnt......NEVER!!!! I learned from these guys including Mike Long who has caught about 60 bass over 15lbs and at least half were bed fish. Beleive me there are definatly guys who know how to get the big girls to bite on their beds. Removing the male spooks the female. Then it becomes extremly dificult to catch her. Now I am not talking about little females(under 8lbs) Those are easy and will sometimes protect when the male is removed but try that on a big girl out here and its over, you loose.

Out west our bass definatly relate do deep water, however I read Doug Hannons big bass book and I believe he said that it is not an important factor out in FL.

Believe me Ken I and many others are teying to break it. Mike long catches fish every year that are over 18lbs. He will probably be the one

Ken your wrong. I am not asking for 1 in a million. I am asking for reasonable proof. If that was Perry in that pic I would be a believer, period. If they can actualy authenticate that pic I will be undisided. I am not that stuborn. I do not have a problem admiting when I am wrong. Why do I care so much about the record? Good question. maybe because I know it exists right here in my lakes and I am obseesed with trying to catch it. I lost a fish two years ago that I estimate around 20lbs. It could have been 17 but it could have been bigger. I will never know. The record in in my mind each night before I go fishing in one of the lakes I know to have fish in that class. I target big bass its what I dream about. I am addicted KU the editor said his guess was as good as mine regaurding the pictures authenticity. Thats what he told me. So with that I still do not believe. reasonable proof is all I ask for.

janalon, The problem with the picture is that nobody knows anything about it. Its not Perry in the pic. It did not come from his children or brothers or sisters. Someone found it. there is no history with it. Its just a picture of a very large bass. The editor of the magazine that printed it called it alleged and could not authenticate it. As for weakley not in the pic, clever retort! but that is a mute point because the fish was never submitted It was however wittnessed and videod, so there is no question to the fact that Mac caught it. Yes I know he foul hooked it. So Perr's ghost lives on. I am a nay sayer because lack off proof and I will remain one until reasonable proof is shown. If that happens I will admit I was wrong. I dodnt have a problem with doing that. I swear if that would have been Perry in the pic it would have been enough for me. It would have been reasonable proof. But it is not reasonable to find a picture witha huge bass in it and assume it was Perry with nothing else to go on other then the big fish. Like I said before it could have been a floater. They found a 24lber dead and took pics of it a few years agou out here. It could have been from another state. who knows?

Night fishing is on of my strengths.I have have fished thousands of night hours I catch a lot of big fish at night. I will give you a good basic stratagey. Start big and work your way smaller. Start on top and work your way down. This ALWAYS works for me. For instance. I like to start with a large 9-7in waking swimbait. If I get no bites I will throw a 5in waking swimbait, still no bites, Buzzbait. Maybe a spook or jitterbug but usualy the swimbaits and buzzers. If I dont get hit on those than I will fish the mid depths. I start with a swimbait again and usualy 7-5in. I usualy just swim them slowly. Next choice would be a single blade spinnerbait, and then maybe crank bait. If I get no bites on those then I go worming. I start with a large power worm 10-12in next, a 9-7 in worm and finaly a small creature,senko,reaper,dropshot. If i cant get bit on those than I go home. I dont waist all night on a bait either. over time you will learn what should work and when you are waisting your time. Live bait can be deadly at night also. shiners and crawler are my favorites. never had much luck on dads. This meathod may seem complicated or time consuming but In most cases i have figured out a bite within an hour. I have spent many nights rotating rods with identical baits with the exceptions of rattles or scents or diferent colors and these are my findings. the bait does not have to be black. Black is good but pretty much any color works at night except glow. glow is a gimick in freshwater bassin. I like scent and I believe It gets me more bites. Color is not important. Rattles never seemed to help but they didnt hurt either so I still use them sometimes. One thing that is very important is being quiet. If you are shore fishing it makes a ton of diference to walk quietly, like you were hunting. This applies mainly when fishing shallow. I dont use lights. I think it tells the fish I am there. The warmer the water the more pronounced your presentation should be. the colder the more subtle it should be. On hot summer nights i usualy never get past the top water and in the winter I almost always end up slow worming. This should get anybody started.