BassmanDan

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! ...and bring on the turkey and football!!!

BEEUTIFUL setup Hootie. Let us know how it performs.

Sorry for your loss. It is such a simple thing to say hello and take a minute to talk to someone in our lives whether they be a neighbor or a person we don't know...thanks for the reminder.

I feast upon my partners awesome deer jerky, chips or some other form of salty goodness. ....and an apple to balance it all out.

Next to topwater there is nothing like pitching into a big laydown and getting into a street fight with a seven pounder...you better bring the heavy stick for that kind of fight. Congratulations on a great year. Oh and by the way I've got tackle *** of the equipment you've been buying lately.

X2 on that.

??? Can you repeat the question?

Strike King Rage Blade....definitely a big fish lure Hildebrandt Okeechobee Special Spinnerbait...they love that oversized blade. Red Eye Shad in a now discontinued color that shall remain nameless...

It's going to be 72 tomorrow here in NC so I'm getting one last trip in before the front rolls through. Friday and all weekend when it is in the forties I will be on the couch watching football and staying warm. I've been throwing crankbaits and jigs lately but after the front a dropshot and finesse jig would be on my list...and maybe a lipless crank just in case.

A lipped crankbait that is digging the bottom in weeks or muck is going to foul up...but a lipless crankbait can be kept off the bottom and ripped out of standing weeds to trigger a reaction strike. This technique has been very effective for me lately as the water cools and the bass feed up on shad. Just use a stiff rod and be ready to have a sore arm at the end of the day!

I throw a t-rig 12 months a year. 90% of the time it is a trick worm, mag finesse worm, or a lizard.

I can't add much more than what has already been posted, but I have noticed one thing in the lakes I fish....during early pre-spawn there is a brief period of time when that first wave of the biggest females move shallow to feed. It may only last a few days and then they retreat back or start getting cautious from the angling pressure...but if you can hit it right I feel it is the best time of the whole year to get a DD. I've experienced it many years and on different lakes in my neck of the woods. I know certain baits definitely are big fish lures...jigs, swimbaits, etc. but my last DD ate up a shakey-head with a trick worm on it. A big front rolled in and the lake went from dead calm to rolling waves in a matter of minutes. I saw the wind coming down the lake and hunkered down on my best spot...it seemed the timing was the key element that day because I had been fishing that spot hard for a couple hours already. She took advantage of a sudden change in the environment...or else I just hit her on the head with it LOL.

The 723 is my go to rod for soft plastics. Didn't know they were discontinued...I was thinking of buying another one soon. Congratulations on your purchase, it's a great rod.

Very wise words sensei.

A big part of the fun for me is catching them in different ways...a vicious topwater strike on a buzzbait, or the thump of a big fish hitting a jig in the wood, or ripping a lipless crank through the grass and it getting slammed by a five pounder. A spinnerbait is a versatile lure but limiting myself to one bait wouldn't be as much fun for me. But you know what they say about different strokes for different folks.

I looked hard at both reels before buying...and went with the Ci4. I have not regretted the decision as it is my favorite reel now and I had to get a second one. If you can afford it I would go that route. Maybe you can find a deal and save a few bucks.

I went fishing once with my grandpa and uncle but it wasn't until I moved to NC that things got serious. I learned from books, the internet, TV shows and anything else I could get my hands on. Sidebar...I remember catching my first bass on a Heddon Crazy Crawler when I was around ten years old...I'm going to throw one this weekend just for nostalgia's sake.

This won't help you immediately but if you go to the Bass Expo at the Raleigh fairgrounds in January you will find Pinnacle, Kistler and other rods that you don't normally see in the area. I usually prefer to handle the merchandise before buying but sometimes I will buy sight unseen.

A new rod has to have a new reel to go with it doesn't it? I just got the new Lew's lite Tournament Pro and am very impressed with it...or maybe a Chronarch Ci4?

Another vote for reels...nothing like that first cast with a new toy!!

I got one in the spring and like it so much I had to pick up a second one. I like the way it fits my hand and the performance as others have said is fantastic. A can't miss in my opinion.

It was a beautiful pre-spawn day to fish in Raleigh today. Long story short I fished all day with jigs and bottom baits and only caught two. There were only a few boats on the lake but when I left some guys came in with a five-fish limit of 26 pounds...all caught on reaction baits. It seems there are days, especially this time of year when you are crazy not to be throwing moving baits. Anybody else notice this in early spring? P.S. All of their fish were caught on spinnerbaits, shad-raps and cranks.

I feel your pain...a BPS just opened in Raleigh and Cablela's is coming next year, and it will be 5 minutes from my house. I did the only reasonable thing and got a job at the BPS.

My fishing license...I can't afford to replace all of my rods and reels when the conservation officer takes them.

I have mine on a Pinnacle Perfecta 7'6" MH rod. It has become my favorite combo.