paul.

i see you're still on the big 'uns as always. way to go buddy!

LOL big time. i can see that now. ragetail *** - "my flapper is bigger than yours." ;D cool trip and post.

and HUGE is right. what a catch! i have heard that the pike over there are a different type than we have in the states. is that true? and congrats bro. that's a real monster.

secret weapon? that's funny bro. ;D not much of a secret anymore. God's swimbait. live bluegill buddy.

in my book you did buddy. those are some fine fish chris. sounds like you had a fantastic trip to me.

went for a while this afternoon and saw this big ol' donk of a bass cruising around looking for something to eat and luckily convinced her to have lunch on me. you can see she's pretty tattered, beat up, and soft bellied from the rigors of spawning, but with a frame like hers, she's probably always gonna be 10+. i definitely wasn't complaining. hopefully i will meet up with her again after she's put on the feedbag at the bluegill buffet. this fish has the potential to be 12+ in premium condition i think. hope y'all are catchin' some too.

matt you are not just a great basser, you are a great fisherman period! what awesome fish and pix! those bass are some absolute monsters. i'd get motivated pretty quick if i stuck a few like that! just another day at the office for you though.

you are just flat wearin' 'em out buddy. this is definitely your year blaine! congrats bro!

how ironic junior. you apparently started this thread to share your wisdom with others, yet more and more the only wisdom i see here is what others are trying to share with you. lots of great advice in this thread, the best of which is found in catt's sig. line.

what a trip! great post randall. i have a feeling you'll be showing us a real giant soon.

i have seen this too in the lakes and ponds i fish. and you are right, these fish are VERY hard to catch. i usually don't even throw anything at them. i just make a note of where i saw them because i will find them on beds in the same general area within a day or so when they are not quite so hard to catch. my experience has been that usually fish like you described are big females, lazily swimming around in an almost trance-like state, waiting to move up on a bed or be courted by a male and herded onto a bed. sometimes, i will see a little male swimming around a big sow when they're like this, bumping or nudging it, as if to say "hey baby, come with me. ;D" sure enough, within a day or 2 i will usually find the same female fish i saw exhibiting the behavior you described on a bed close to the area i saw her suspended. has this been your experience too chris? or am i giving out too much top secret bed fishing info here? :-X ;D and thank you for reminding us that as much as some folks swear it is, live bait is not "legal dynamite" ;D

sounds like a great weekend to me. nice job!

really, really nice. y'all slayed 'em man.

o.k., a little housekeeping here. 8-0 exactly. nice long frame, but she wasn't packin' much on it. not many details really. i got to the lake with just enough daylight to see a few beds. i found a big bed next to a few sunken logs. pitched a tail-hooked bluegill in there. no dice the first time. waited until just about dark before trying it again and she went for it that time. stuck her, played her, lipped her, admired her, photoed her, released her. i wanted to wait to deal with the details question for this reason. i have something to show y'all. i always appreciate y'all's kind words so much. but i don't want anyone out there getting the idea that there's anything special about me or my fishing. my results are special because the places i fish have some special fish in 'em. i am the poster child for, "if THAT guy can catch big fish, anybody can!" ;D there's nothing "new" about what i do. nothing difficult. nothing complicated. nothing technical. i love simplicity. i hate complexity. you might not get a lot of praise or kudos for fishing like i do. matter of fact, sometimes you will be accused of "taking the easy way out" when you sight fish or use live bait. if you combine the two, well that equals little to no real fishing "skill" to folks who don't know any better. and guess what? i don't care. i fish for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of the people i take with me. i'm not interested in a popularity contest or a being known as the most skilled or knowledgeable angler on the planet, or even on my street for that matter. what i am interested in is catching big fish. so i can't promise you that you'll get rave reviews for using the methods i do. but i can promise you that if you do these things even halfway close to "right", you will catch lots of fish. big ones too. this is my baby girl, little emily. age 7. she came with me today. saw me fooling around with one on a bed and asked me if she could try it. i found a fired up male on a nest and handed her the pole. coached her just a little as she watched intently the drama unfolding right in front of her. and within a minute, she catches her first bed fish ever - the one in the pic below. sure she was happy, but y'all know what she said? "but daddy. i wanted the big female!" she's ruined already. ;D thanks again for the nice words y'all.

WOW!!!! after years of rumors, the loch ness monster has finally been catpured! ;D awesome fish dude!!! absolutely incredible. and congrats on your big win too.

amazing!!! fantastic catchin' bud.

rock on jimzee! rock on pitchinkid! congrats big time bros.

somethin' told me there was a good 'un to be had today. problem was, i had business to tend to and i didn't get to fish until it was pretty late. as you can tell by the picture, i cut it real close and it was gettin' dark before i finally sweet talked this darlin' into spending a few minutes of quality time with me. gotta love one like this on spinning tackle. hope y'all are catchin' some too.

you didn't miss anything buddy. i've known that redneck for 40 years and honestly, i haven't been very impressed so far. :-?

man i had a blast chris. i loved every second of it. there is always something special about being around someone new to fishing. it re-energizes ya and makes you remember all the reasons you love to fish. nikki's enthusiasm and excitement is contagious. i guarantee ya chris and i got just as much out of this trip as she did - even though the 2 of us PUT TOGETHER didn't catch half as many fish as she did. and yes, she already has the trash talking part down. look out chris. good times with good friends, that's what it's all about.

great job buddy! and i had a great time talkin' to ya at the roadtrip too.

excellent! congrats to you and your dad both. awesome trip and great report dave.

dude that is just TOO CUTE. glad y'all had a good trip and thanks for psoting this.

just walked in a few minutes ago from visiting with the roadtrip crew up at ky lake. all i can say is what a great bunch of guys! i enjoyed every minute of the time i spent with y'all. thanks so much for the good times and kindness y'all showed me. y'all are even cooler in person than on the board. best of luck to y'all for the rest of the week. catch one for me.

very nice. sounds like y'all had a really good day. i like the picture too. congrats to both of y'all.