Big-O

Nice one and good to see you back!

Yeh, he just laughed when I told him I replaced the lower unit on my Merc Opti max 250 the day before we got on the water

This is the proper hooking instruction for all toads regardless of brand or style... Follow them closely and you're in business! I developed the illustration 5 yrs ago and hope it helps!

Stay away from the Dams on every body of water that has one... No fish ever hang around them and if they do, they're not hungry and nor are they big enough to think about trying to catch! Hope that helps your intentions to fish them... especially on the lakes that I fish regularly Dams present substantial change and normally access to deep water that attract larger than average bass in many lakes. TARGET THEM on a regular basis and throughout the year! You can take that to the Bank.... I mean the Dam

WTG and fine looking water too!

WTG and glad you had a great day!

At first I thought that the grass bed grew some ROCKS during the last two weeks and right in the middle of my normal trail But then again, maybe it was the fact that the water level dropped 3 foot since then and I just assumed it was deep enough to buzz through Either way, I got it repaired quickly and made it back on the water without too much delay. I'm going back to that spot to mark the rocks for future reference... They'll be holding some good fish when the water gets back to normal pool That'll be PayBack Time

Friends from Pa. area are telling me that the spawn is basically done there as well but rest assured, there are some fish that will show up later

Fishing Rhino (Gentleman Tom) recently sent me a message regarding the 4" Rage Grub and I thought his information on presentaion especially in regards to rigging and targeting Culverts when fishing was very interesting! Here are some of his comments... __________________________________________________________________________________________________ For the depth of water I'm currently fishing, four to twelve feet, the 3/32 ounce jig head works nicely with your grub. Yesterday I went to a local pond which is tough to fish, for me anyway. Usually by June I cannot catch a cold let alone a fish on this pond. I found a few here and there using the grub as described above. Then I tried a concrete "culvert" which passed under a highway that was about eight feet wide with a concrete wing on each side that retained the bank. I stayed there for over an hour casting into or near the opening between the two wings, and caught a fish on nearly every cast in four to five feet of water. The odd thing is this concrete tunnel runs from the pond into a smaller pond on the other side of the highway. It's not far from the launch ramp, and I can pass through it with a canoe which I plan to try in the next few days. There was nothing of notable size, the largest being a few around two pounds. Most of them were largemouth, but a half dozen or so were smallies. Why the fish seem to be so finicky everywhere else in the pond is beyond me. It's a good sized pond, about five miles long and two miles across at the widest point. Lots of rocks along the shore and a few rocky shoals. All have deep water nearby. Some of the shoals have short vegetation as well. It looks like it should be loaded with fish, but it's sure difficult to get them to bite, save for that one culvert. Anyway, try your grub as I described above and let me know how you make out.

Rage Rigged Space Monkey.... What's That!!!

They're tail remains bloddy for sometime after bedding and the fish often remain shallow when feeding up immediately thereafter... There are many prey or bait in the shallows during the bass spawn and it's normal for this to happen so FROG'EM HARD

I'll start with "There's this Grass bed that I've Crossed while on the pad , SO MANY TIMES..."

As Scooby Doo would say "Rut Row"... and I have to fish this week... I think I'd better get busy...

Congrats to you both and his smile says it all...Great post and photo!

Color matters most when color matters MOST Especially in clearer water and daytime conditions. All colors catch fish when they are aggressively feeding but the natural colors will trick the finicky fish more easily. Often during an aggressive feed time in clear conditions, the bright off the wall colors that can be seen from longer distances will receive more hits... Darker conditions will call for colors that sillouette better, like the dark or heavier colors. The color flake is an accent that adds some flash for added attraction. Like many fishing experiences, it starts with a guess on where the fish are, then placing your bait with a chosen style of presentation... After this point, it's your opportunity to react to your results You'll continue to improve your results as you try and test new colors, presentation styles etc! Stay after'em Logan!

This is all good info and Thanks BassinNY! For a fact, there are other rigging styles that are effective with RT's and many folks here at BR have mentioned their preferences in a variety of situations that were useful.

X2... IMO, the Rooster is best used for flipping/pitching, C rigged, Rage Rigged, T rigged and mounted on a Naked Jig (without Skirt). As far as castability, I don't advise weightless but if you choose that presentation, using a 5/0 superline hook is the way to go www.ragetail.com

Took my ole Buddy Burl Avery to flip a HAWG... and he DID! He caught her on a Rage Hawg in Falcon Lake Craw color and it was his new PB at 10.24lbs, using a 1/2 oz tour grade tungsten and a 5/0 Moaner Stick'r hook... This old fella is one of the most renown Mechanical Engineers for marine engines in the country... He spent much of his time in recent years working on the development and testing of the new Yamaha 4 stroke. Not only is he a world of knowledge and one of my longtime "OLD CODGER" friends, but he loves to fish too WTG Burl!!! www.ragetail.com

WTG and Welcome again to the BR Family!

Yep, that's a good one there and WTG!

WTG Jeremy, nice one for sure! www.ragetail.com

Good stuff and glad you and your son had such a great time! www.ragetail.com

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your comments for sure!!! And Paul, you know me well having visited my home and family as well as shared a boat with me for a couple of days... I'm just an old guy who's blessed to live in the best state around to chase the bigguns... so I DO I've recently found a groove that is working well and just today, landed a 14.20 while fishing with one of my life long buddy's who is in his mid 70's! He hadn't been on the water for some time, so I carried him out and even got to watch him stroke one that weighed 10.23. He just about pee'd his pants with excitement! Life is GOOD and I'm fortunate to witness some wonderful things along the way... Thanks Again to all of you and I'll try to get some photos of my old friend Burl posted up soon! www.ragetail.com

She's a Beauty Shane and WTG! Awesome photo too www.ragetail.com

There are many days that will cause us to scratch our heads when it comes to fishing... But when a grill fires up, we tend to forget a few of the challenges we might have had on the water www.ragetail.com