Tin

So baits that you can cast a mile and catch smallies with... 1/2 oz chrome rat-l-trap 1/2 Winnipausake Special of course, chartruese spinnerbait with 2 small chartruese willow or colorado blades 4" slim senko(junebug or white/chart laminate) texas rigged with an 1/8 or 1/16 oz, depending on wind and depth

Buddy of mine also suggested a good idea. That they allow boats to travel at headway speed throughout the lake. This would take care of the lily pad and paddle boat issue because the lake is not that wide. By the boats traveling through it would make a large path through the pads for the paddle boats to go through.

Ok so chances are this will be the the future AFC championship game. But I was watching sportscenter this morning and if these two are the teams that make it to the AFC championship, History favors the team that looses the regular season game. I know 2 examples Burman gave were the Pats the first time they won the superbowl. They lost to the Steelers in the last game of the regular season, but beat them in the AFC Championship game, they others were the Giants (dont remember when though) and I'm pretty sure the 99 St Louis Rams were the other example. History always repeats itself so hopefully the Pats loose this game, lol. Never though I would say that.

Awsome, its all you really need. One of the best feelings you will ever get it is winning a tourney in that boat, and the guy in second has a $55,000 Triton. 8-)

Real nice smallies. Candlewood??? lol.

I usually fish them as a jig trailer, but I really like the Paca Craws and the zooms ultra vibe speed craw's texas rigged. Just pitch them into the holes in mats of grass and such and they work great. If you use a weight heavier than a 1/8 oz. it gives the claws a lot of action. Been one of my go to's this year.

About the too many tourneys, just imagine 35 boats on a pond that its only 83 acres. But I have recently found that on some lakes in Massachusetts, the DEP is limiting the number of boats in tournaments to 15 or fewer. So maybe there is hope. And about being selfish, sorry if it sounds like it, but people are ruining the place. Shortly after I posted that I went there and I counted over a dozen dead fish over 3 pounds, one was over 7, and 4 dead Canadain geese. We contacted the Park authority and DEM and they said they couldnt find anything but someone could have done something to the water in that section of the lake. I was not just complaining, I was asking for possible management proposals or something of that nature. Its an issue I would like to try to fix.

LBH is the expert on this stuff, he helped me out a lot with my migraines. One thing I learned about the oxygen when I had it, is you you know you have one coming 9 and a half out of ten times it will knock it out and you wont go into a migraine. Even if you have a slight aggravating headache, the oxygen will take care of it. As long as you dont hesitiate to take it, you'll be good. I drove straight thru a stop sign in a UPS truck on Topomax, I will never touch anything like that again. -LBH I left an f-450 in drive and reverse a couple times, and one time when I was on the boat ramp I left the truck in reverse and hopped right out. That stuff just seems dangerous. My doctor told me straight out, that I might get confused or forget some things, I just kind of passed it off and was like, ya ok. But when I started forgeting important things like that I went back and told him to take me off of it. Scary stuff.

Jigs- Terminator Pro Top secret jig and Omega football jig Jerkbait- Rapala Husky Jerk Cranks- Chrome and Blue Rat-l-trap and a strike king series 1 Spinnerbaits- Terminator T1 Plastics- Zoom Super Hog, Zoom Finesse worm, *** stickbaits, GYCB 4" Hula Grub

What can I do? Went out today to Roger Williams Park today and had another brutal day there. Only got 6 keepers, the biggest being about 2.5. All fish on a 3/8 jig, had get real real crazy with it, like putting it in little 6 inch holes inbetween logs or put it through brush to get the fish. Had the have the 30 pound braid to get them out too. But this lake which was one of the best in the state two or three years back is getting extemely tough in the past few months. Usually the bite is the best and to win a 5 fish tourney you need about 12-13 pounds, but this weekend it took four fish for just over five pounds, and thee where no limits with 29 guys fishing. I have noticed my fun fishing days go from 15 fish to 5 or 6 and instead of a two and a quarter average, the new average fish is about 14 inches. The two main things I think are contributing to this downfall is the fact that the Park is spraying the weeds three times a year. They used to spray it once during the third week of May, no its two more times to kill the lily pads so the paddle boats can get through! Also the number of tournaments that are held here is getting out of hand. About 4 years ago there would be 4 or 5 tourney's a year. Now there about 2 or 3 tournaments there that wil have 25-35 boats, 4 or 5 club tourney's that will have about a dozen or so boats, and say another 7 or 8 tournaments for different things. Now people have tried to talk to the Park people and they dont really want to hear it because they make money off the paddle boat deal and make $175 a permit for each tournament held there. So am I out of options or what? I absolutely love this place and it is killing me to see it go downhill like this. Any advice...

Last year I had the oppurtunity to fish with a FLW pro with more than a million in winning in B.A.S.S. and FLW career earnings. He said another one of the reasons more pro's are opting to fish FLW over BASS is the enty fees and "other" expenses. The exact words from his mouth were that BASS Elite Series costs about $40,000 more than the FLW Tour. Now thats a lot of money and unless you are a Skeet Reese or Kevin Van Dam who is bringing in over $750,000 in just sponserships and taking a good amount of money on each tournament you fish, its a "tough" way to make a living. So just in entry fees and such, would you rather spend around $50,000 for the FLW or $85-90,000 in B.A.S.S.? Just food for thought. Like I said I dont know this for sure, but these are the facts I have been told from a guy who has done them both and what he told me. But I really dont think that anglers like Mark Davis and Jay Yelas sweat about that amount of money.

Matty, so we have a winter project??? I have some nice molds and plenty of air-alive skirts.

They work wonders in New England too. Doesnt matter when or the weather conditions. It is my "panic bait" when I need a few 12" 's in my livewell.

Pitching a jig around a laydown or just shallow cover was what came natural, it was how I first started fishing for big bass. Second would be dock fishing. I learned how to bass fish on a lake loaded with docks. They can be deep shallow, doesnt matter. When I'am around them I will either finesse fish them with a small worm, shakey head, or a little jig. If the fish are going nuts, I'll find a stretch loaded with docks, but the motorguide on high and fly down the shore with a crank or spinnerbait.

Depending on the water temp. throw a jig was back into some lilly pads and swim it on top, when it gets to the edge let it drop and give it a few pops. The fish will usually hit it when its going on top of the pads though.

In the average week I can fit in about 40-45 hours a week. But in the next few weeks the boss is out on Cape Cod, and no second job so I'm feeling some 65-70 hour weeks . Its going to be a fun couple weeks. And dont go back to college till late January, which is also whent the ice comes in. My boat is a 1997 Tracker Pro Team with a 40 horse Merc.

American Power

If they make them in 3 or 4 inch, just nose hook them and use them as a dropshot bait. I'm sure atleast one smallie will find it irresistable.

I have been having problems with owner hooks lately. The hooks pretty much fall out once you take pressure off the fish. The ones I have gotten in the boat have a huge tare where the hook WAS (because they always fall off when I flip them in the boat). And I know the tare isnt because of the hookset because I have gone over to 17 lbs. flouro, instead of 30 pound power pro, and went down from a heavy to medium heavy rod. And I'll still bend out a Gamakatsu hook with the 17 lbs and Medium Heavy rod. So it seems like mustad is my last option. Any input?

I mostly do tourneys and time is usually a dominant factor in my head. I f I know a lake good enough I will run and gun. But I really only feel comfortable on a handfull of lakes. Besides that its all about the patterns and the hotspots. You can have all the "hotspots" in the world but if you dont know what the fish want and are doing you cant catch them. I had to learn this the hard way by watching a fisherman pull up to a rockpile I was fishing and I had just left because "they just weren"t there", then he went over and ended up winning the tourney. On most lakes most people know all the "hotspots" anyway, so you need to figure out " the pattern" to get them off that spot.

Green Monte had a 500 lb counter weight in the back seat if you look close.

Most Jigs have an angled line tie and a Texas rig doesn't. The short version is each moves differently and has a different action... --- Randall hit it right on head.

Abu's are just great reels that are built to last. Everything from the old round ambassaduers, to the good old torno, to the new revo. Just cant destroy them and thats what I love most about them.

Zoom finesse, Strike King 3x, and the flirt worm. All on spot removers.

Dont get violent, just start catching fish in front of him 8-)