Dwight Hottle

Welcome to the six pound club.

Welcome to BR.

I stand to fish unless I need to give my back a short break.

It's all good usually slightly better than USD reels. And the gear ratios are more diverse.

Congrats for sure.

Welcome to BR Mike.

Mike I went there once with three friends on our way back from fishing in GA. Like you I was not impressed nothing of size.

I have kissed a few dogs but never a fish. I have no intention to kiss one in the future either.

Sounds like you guys stayed persistent. Congrats on the win.

I feel your pain. Erie use to do that to me when the wind was blowing which was always more than appreciated. Like this.

Any Shimano PG model. Some of the PG models are only available as JDM purchases like the bantam MGL 150PG.

Hard to believe that the driver wasn't hurt.

As the water warms & fish get more active I speed up my jerk bait retrieve. Absolutely the fish will react to a faster retrieve as conditions change. I fish jerk baits all year long. When fish are super active I'll switch to slash baits working the bait as fast as I can. Slash baits examples would be rapala x-rap or Ima flit. Don't put them away just adapt your retrieve to what works.

That looks a little cold for the time of year.

I find I need to set the drag differently based on the tackle I'm using. Treble hook baits with braid & fast action rods get looser drags because there is little give in the system. I adjust the drag tension to barely slip on a hard hook set. That's mostly for open water. If I'm using mono or moderate action rod I'll set the drag tighter so it slips on a hard pull off the spool with my hand. When fishing around cover I us a tighter drag. When fishing single hook baits I use a medium heavy to heavy drag based on the rod action & type of line. I just set the drag based on what I'm using & where I'm fishing. It becomes intuitive with practice/repetition.

They are saying this morning after unsuccessful attempts to free the container ship it could take weeks to solve the blockage.

Fingers crossed. Hoping for the best.

Be careful of the stumps while your looking for the mats.

I have done real well in windy conditions fishing the windward side of ponds using a jointed wake bait.

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Overcast all day every day here in SE Florida. I'll take any break from the brutal sun as a plus.

O.H.Ivie X2 This was my choice for Texas.

24.50"x17.25 equals 9.1 using the universal equation of LxGxG/800. Your fish is 24-25" long well supported by the pictures. So 24.50" is a pretty fair estimate. I have measured enough bass to tell you that the girth of 17.25" is also well supported by my experience & the pictures. If you get a replica made of your trophy using those dimensions you can feel confident that you are not over estimating the actual size.

Send a PM to Will Wetline he fishes it regularly & might be able to help you out.

The school could be held responsible because they sanctioned the event allowing participants to fish near the dam. Or they didn't disallow the participants to fish within 5 miles of the dam. Anyone who has ever fished a river system should know the inherent dangers of fishing near a dam. I don't like the crap that goes on with frivolous law suits anymore than anyone else but the law does allow the suit to be filed. When someone files a suit they cast a wide net regarding responsibility & let a judge or jury to sort it out.