Dwight Hottle

I kinda resemble Reggie Jackson always swinging for the fences but holds the record for the most strikeouts.

I don't think using live bait is unethical any more than using artificials. Some times it is more effective & sometimes not. We all know that big bass eat little bass & the primary food source in most Mexican waters is tilapia. But if catching them in the size you want to use is not easy then the easy caught small bass would be the ticket. As long as your not breaking any laws & the owner has said he would prefer you kill all bass I say go for it. Some people look down on live bait catches versus artificials but only your opinion matters. My four biggest largemouth have been caught equally between lures & live bait so I haven't found one method more productive than another for PB's.

I can think of several bass that changed my life but only two in my formative years. I first started fishing with my dad & brother using a row boat on a local lake in NE Ohio. Our equipment consisted of store bought cane poles that were prerigged with some kind of twine on it and a hook & a bobber. Our bait were red worms that bled mustard when you impaled them on a hook. We caught bluegills, perch & some small bass. I enjoyed the experience & wanted to upgrade my equipment as I matured. I was not satisfied with just a cane pole for equipment. After saving for a while I got my first spinning rod & reel, a small tackle box & a few local lures made by the Fred Abrogast Co based out of Akron Ohio. I vividly remember catching my first bass on an artificial lure. I was casting a hula popper In an area of lilly pads near the shoreline. The instructions were to cast the bait out & let it sit until the ripples from the bait landing disappeared. Then you were supposed to pop it & wait again & repeat. After two pops or so a chunky 2-3 lber inhaled it & I set the hook & both the bass & I were hooked. That bass was one I will always remember because it was a good size trophy for me at that time & was my first bass on an artificial bait. The 2nd bass that I vividly remember occurred when I was in high school. A buddy & I headed to a local reservoir that was the main water supply for the city of Akron. We rented a row boat because gas motors were prohibited. We had heard that the reservoir had been stocked with tiger muskies for the last few years to help control the local pan fish population. Back in those days after reading Field & Stream & Outdoor life magazines for several years we knew that muskies were highly prized game fish & a fish of a thousand casts. So the plan was to alternate rowing by trolling for them on the outside of the weed beds in open water. I had a large brass June bug spinner tied on with a trailing night crawler on the long single back hook. I had read that muskies liked night crawlers so I wanted to increase my odds as best I could. We row trolled for about an hour & a half before the big moment occurred. I suddenly got bit, set the hook & the fight was on. The fish at the other end of my line felt really big & I was sure it was a musky until it jumped out of the water behind the boat. We both saw it was a bass & excitedly exclaimed how big we thought it was. I finally got it back to the boat & netted it. We both thought it was bigger than it actually weighed. We took it to the local bait shop to get it weighed. It weighed 5.5 lbs & it was going home with me to get mounted for the wall. It was a PB that lasted for many years before I got one bigger. It's the only bass I ever got mounted.

As mentioned fish after dark from rip rap shorelines & marinas. Look for bait fish & usually when you find them the walleye will be there.

Original luhr Jensen hot & tot with the metal lip. The Storm/Rapala version also works well.

Good luck with your new boat.

I prefer to see it that way I don't have to suffer as much. I also know from past experiences that a foul hooked bass in the 5 or 6lb class can make you think you lost a monster when you never get to see it.

Welcome to BR.

@ol'crickety @A-Jay My wife recently was in to see an orthopedist & he noticed something about her hands that he didn't like. He suggested she wear carpal tunnel braces only while sleeping to prevent further damage. So wearing them at night is probably a good idea.

@king fisher I think you found your answer with the jerk bait. You need a deep diver plus a normal suspender. Smithwick makes both in the rogue series. You can try spinning tackle with light braid & mono leader to get more distance or try strooling to get more line out.

X2

Some musky guides consider raising a fish or a follow as not a skunk.

The weight of the reel affects the sensitivity of the rod especially when it perfectly balances the combo.

I totally understand your affinity for the NRX+ but have you compared one to the Edge Epitome or BWS MBR series? I have and you owe it to yourself to do so. If you’re willing to wait the quality for the price is overwhelming.

Take a day of rest do you font burn out. That’s a great day for sure.

Not a snapper but I hooked a big Florida soft shell. I have been told they are extremely aggressive & worst than a snapper. Plus they have really long necks which they can stretch around to bite where you don't think they can reach. Had a guide tell me they caught a big one which they brought into their bass boat & it created havoc & bite up several seats.

@Blue Raider Bob They are eating whatever they can catch. Smelt, shad, shiners, emeralds. perch, other minnows plus crawfish. But the gobies are the primary source up to 75% of their diet according to a recent study.

My pike fishing buddy and I have caught several large pike from the same area or weed bed. I’m talking a 29 lb & two 27 lb pike. So I guess it all depends on your definition of what size a really big pike is. For me & my experiences it has to be over 25lbs. 30lb plus fish are solitary. And we are talking about pike not muskies.

That’s because you’re on the coast. Ocean breezes versus middle of the state. I like the way you think.

They congregate in similar areas but are not schooling fish per say. They will feed in small wolf packs of 2-4 when hunting for food. The big ones are always solitary.

Negligible in my opinion.

Heck of a day. Congrats

Duo is not charging enough for their baits after watching that video.

I still can't get past applying cologne to your wrists.

In Florida it's fishing pressure.