paul.

reading through this, i have never wanted to go fishing so bad in my life. awesome catches fellas.

when i was much younger, i lucked up on what was considered the holy grail of fishing tackle at the time - a boron rod at a ridiculously low price at a store that was about to go out of business. to this day, i was more giddy over that purchase than i ever have been over any other expenditure on fishing tackle. and why not? i got a rolls royce for the price of a bicycle. boron rods were the "members only" jackets of the fishing world. and man o man did that rod ever catch fish. very quickly i became convinced that there were magical powers contained within that lightweight super sensitive boron awesomeness. sometimes i wondered if the rod was even crafted by human hands at all. perhaps it was left here by aliens who were watching from afar, conducting a bizarre experiment to see how a bumbling human would react to their advanced technology. in retrospect, i wonder if it could have shot lasers or somehow teleported fish out of the water into my waiting hands if i had only been smart enough to figure out how to harness its full potential. i cherished that rod like it was my only child, even down to polishing my fingerprints off of it after every outing. and i never, EVER let anyone else touch it. it was only natural for me to begin wondering if its powers extended beyond fishing. one day i decided to find out. i had met a girl that i was crazy about. and the kicker was that she actually liked to fish. i decided that she was the only human on the planet worthy of sharing a trip that included my precious magic fishing wand. this was the perfect storm. the girl of my dreams and the rod of my dreams on the same fishing trip. perhaps the rod's powers and luck would extend beyond the realm of fishing. initially, that hot summer day's trip exceeded all expectations with big fish after big fish reeled in, admired, and released. in my delirium, i proceeded to do the unthinkable. i handed her the rod to reel in a fish. biggest fish she had ever caught she said. she offered to go to the store to buy us a couple of cold beverages to celebrate. i wouldn't hear of her buying me a drink. "hold on, i got it, let me give you some money," i said. i laid down the rod and walked to the car, wallet in hand. "be back in a minute", she said with a smile that just made me melt. she turned the car around and headed for the store. too late, i saw it happening like it was in slow motion. she ran right over my precious boron rod!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! i screamed in a pathetic wail that was probably heard in the next county. not knowing what in the world she had done, and probably more than a little freaked out herself to hear a grown man scream like that, she slammed the car in reverse and headed back towards me at the speed of sound trying to figure out what the commotion was about - BACKING RIGHT OVER MY BORON ROD A SECOND TIME!!! i just fell to the ground beside the shattered rod and shattered dreams lamenting this horrible, sadistic twist of fate. why couldn't she just have run over me instead? it was over. it was all over. the mojo was gone. i just knew i would never catch another fish again. i have never felt such rage and betrayal. this woman deserved a fate worse than death. there was no choice. she HAD to be punished for committing this unspeakable act. so i married her. she has been paying for that rod for the last 25 years. and neither one of us could be happier about it.

awesome man. it's a rush ain't it? nothin' like holding a bass that you know is bigger than anything else you've ever caught. the 2 best letters in bass fishin' - P and B.

thanks bud. and right back atcha. maybe one day we'll get to fish together.

when i take a buddy, i feel pressure to put them on fish b/c i want them to have a good time. so i always end up fishing small fish baits and patterns and usually have a great time catching a bunch. plus, when you're with a good friend, you always end up shootin' the breeze, joking around, etc. rather than actually concentrating hard on the fishing. when i'm alone, i can dedicate all my mental energy to the fishing. if i'm by myself, one fish is enough as long as it's THE one.

with all these unprecedented winter storms, there will likely be a huge run on fishing tackle once spring hits. demand will completely outstrip supply in historical fashion. stocks will be completely depleted by cabin fever-crazed anglers. the national guard will be mobilized. martial law will ensue. the cost of even a single pack of hooks or weights may soar in excess of the century mark, even more on the black market. you will have to take out a second mortgage to buy a crankbait. if you think you need one rod or reel, buy 10. you might not see another one on store shelves for at least 3 years after april. anticipate this crisis and get your tackle now whatever it takes. forget bread and milk. get online and ensure your fishing future RIGHT NOW!!! you have been warned. give this a shot with your wife or girlfriend. who knows? it might work.

that is super cool. dude y'all whacked 'em. i wish i could make myself use a suspending jerkbait more cause i know they are great winter lures, but i HATE fishing with those things. just lookin' at those pics makes me cold. no one should question your dedication ever.

super thankful to have a great friend who will take me to the river and let me fish out of his nice boat every once in a while. even more thankful to have a great wife who says "go fishing" on valentine's day. this short lil' cinder block of a bass went over 6.5 lbs. and couldn't have been 20 inches long. that's a good healthy tn river fish for ya right there. but i can almost guarantee today will end my unbelievable run of luck, or at least put it on hold for quite a while. calling for up to 5" of snow, hi temps in the 30's, and lows in the teens for the next week or more. go ahead and laugh at me northern guys, but i gotta draw the line right there. oh well, it was good while it lasted.

very, very nice fish. dude you are a pro with that swimbait for sure. and no coat? no gloves? no coveralls? only one layer of clothes? man it must be nice to be fishin' in fla. this time of year.

yes, although most of these bites came on or very soon after the initial fall into cover. not sure about everyone else's experiences, but i am a believer that the initial fall is the deadliest part of the cast with any jig or plastic. that's why i try to envision where the bass are positioned on the given cover or structure so that i can hopefully make that initial fall go right past their nose.

first one of the yr. is always special. congrats man and may there be many more.

thanks so much guys. for those asking about the slither rig, i described the "version" of the slither rig i'm using right now in one of my last posts. hope this helps. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/150965-winch-em-out-tennessee-style/ but there are many variations. basically a slither rig is just a texas rigged plastic with a skirt on it to make it look like a jig. great for getting in (and back out of ) super heavy or dense cover that presents problems for even the most snagless jigs.

she went 7-11. just like the store she was open for business. and she sure meant business once she bit that slither-rigged rage craw down in that deep timber. but i negotiated with her a little and we both went back home happy.

glad you figured 'em out. that's good thinkin' right there. so many people overlook the shallow stuff in cold water. and if you already got water temps in the 50's, lots of big mamas gonna be spawnin' back there in about a month or so i bet. phenomenal lookin' spot. looks like it was taken right out of a bass fishing calendar.

nah, i was not fishing from the bank. but the wind was blowing so hard is was kinda dangerous to be taking pics in the jonboat (might hit a stump and pitch me out ) so i pulled the boat up to the bank to get the pics. and A-Jay you are absolutely right my man. this rig is a conglomeration of ideas i have seen or heard about for years. certainly nothing new here. i definitely didn't invent any of this and don't want anybody thinking i did . there are quite a few mutations of the punch/slither rig out there. i have run the gamut fooling with all of them anywhere from using weighted swimbait hooks to using the sinkers with the collars to using or making skirt hubs. the one i described is not my favorite, but it is definitely the most versatile and something any of the members here can make using stuff they've probably already got. as far as my fishing goes, that's certainly nothing special or new either. it's winter/pre-spawn transition 101. there are several GOOD articles about it here on BR. and that method will work anywhere a person fishes. you can just imagine where the bass are going to spawn and start working your way backwards using known fish "highways" like weedlines, roadbeds, ditches, or creek channels. if these things are not present, then you can look for the first major drop off(s) outside of the spawning areas. anybody can find (and catch) fish using these methods and a variety of baits will work depending on the terrain. the truth is i just lucked into finding a bunch of nice fish back in December and I've been following their movements ever since. i can't always find them like this and when i can, they are not usually this caliber of fish. i have much respect for the guides, pros, and other skilled anglers who can do this consistently with big fish on huge river systems or reservoirs. it's hard enough on the small bodies of water i fish. but finding them that first time is definitely the hardest part. it gets easier from there. really i didn't want this to be about the fish i caught or the baits i was using. i just wanted to encourage folks to discover or revisit the videos and sit at the feet of a master for a few minutes to learn about getting fish out of bad spots. my pics are just proof that the "winch 'em out" tools and techniques really work. when the bite you've always wanted happens in that big brushpile, tree top, or thick grass it's just nice to know you're ready. watch the videos. when you do i promise my fish won't look that big.

there have honestly been times i've been a lot prouder of ANY fish under bad conditions than a nice one under ideal conditions. way to go out there and smoke one when you got a chance.

jig with swimbait trailer.

sure man. and i'll post some pics of the rig. i have been tweaking on that thing since December. i have used several versions, each with one difference or another. all have worked and each mutation had it's advantages, but each also had a drawback. i've finally put one together with no apparent weaknesses - at least none that i can see yet. you can use any weight or hook with it and the hookup % is nuts - near flawless. there is no need to describe it, the pics are self-explanatory. one note, the little pieces of plastic you see are elaztech, because they are much more durable than regular plastic. that's important, especially with braid. since taking these pics, i have found that the little piece of elaztech i use to support the screw spring is unecessary - especially with a z-bend hook. all you need is a tungsten flippin' weight of your choice, a rubber band for pegging, your favorite color skirt, an offset worm hook of your choice, your favorite soft plastics, and a screw spring from a swimbait hook. a good rule of thumb is a use a hook a size bigger than you normally would for the given plastic. as far as the fishing goes, i am fishing in and around creek channels and channel intersections with tons of timber - standing and fallen in 10-17 feet of water. the big females are moving back and forth on these channels depending on the conditions. a few decent days and they'll start following the channels into the mouths of coves where they'll eventually spawn. a few bad days and they'll back out to the middle of the lake. they bunch up on concentrations of timber along the channel ditches. these fish seem to want a big profile bait like a jig, but no jig i have ever fished would survive in the places i'm casting. and the last thing i want to have to do is pull on top of a spot piled up with big fish to free a jig. water temps are in the 40's so SLOOOOOW is the ticket. big sticks and braid are an absolutely required, and even then it gets dicey sometimes.

awesome brown one man. good job.

cherish any moments you get to fish with friends and family, fish or not. real nice story. always wondered if those cameras worked. that's pretty cool catchin' a bass you see on camera.

that's somethin' i've never really spent much time with. by the looks of your pics, i need to start. awesome!

"there will come a day when you have a 7 1/2 foot rod in your hand and you'll wish it was 8 1/2". today was that day. Big O's words rung in my ears all afternoon as i was fortunate enough to have one of the most ridiculous fishing trips in recent memory. 3 fish. over 25 pounds. 7-9, 8-7, and 9-12. and if not for the techiques in the "winch 'em out" videos, i wouldn't have put a one of them in the boat. if you fish nasty places, you owe it to yourself to spend a few minutes with these videos. when THE ONE decides to chomp your bait down in that deep, gnarly timber, you'll be glad you did. here's the pics. i posted the mouth pic to show the hook penetration. Nasty. http://www.ragetail.com/news/rage-videos/

i think it has more to do with the water temps being cold. all these came out of water temps in the low to mid 40's. most of the fish i catch out of cold water have a lot of red in their mouths. fish out of the same lakes in the summer do not. that would probably also explain why your south fla. fish do not have this trait. that's just my guess though.

the mustad hooks Mike uses could be considered medium wire. he uses 2 types of owner hooks. one is a 2x strong (the 5304 deep throat hook with the square bends). this is an interesting hook b/c the diameter of the wire is actually fairly small on it but it is very strong. the other is a 3x strong (the 5317 flippin' hook). both of these will absolutely impale a fish on a decent hookset and dig a ditch in a fish with a good hookset. i believe he uses 4/0 sizes on his smaller weight heads and 5/0's on his bigger weight heads.

upgrade to the siebert heads with owner hooks, even if you don't use braid or beef stick rods. that cutting point sets easier and better than even light wire needle point hooks. the penetration you get with those is sick. just sayin'