5bass

Spring = keep moving, too many active fish to be waiting on bites Summer = stay put on spots for longer periods Fall = see Spring Winter = stay put on schools of bait, the bass will be along shortly

Should be a great game no doubt.

They played great for 3 quarters, then the Tebow Show started.

I have some yellows now. They are a little better than the blues in my opinion. I'll send you a pm.

I'd rather just be 19 again. ;D

What kind of rod sleeves do you use to protect these fine rods and keep them from sticking together in your rod box?

TF: I was actually pulling for Texas Tech and they sure were fun to watch this year but OU dropped the hammer on 'em. They weren't "in the game" at any point from what I remember. If TT was truly the better team, the final score would have at least been a little closer.

I throw 'em with a Revo Premier with no problems. I also use a Calcutta from time to time. Either one will do the trick.

I voted Spook just because I've been throwing them for so long.

Sadly, we're going to have to deal with this type of thing until someone comes up with a plan for a playoff system that pays more money than the BCS. My take on the Big 12 situation? Ugly. Very ugly.

In my opinion a Medium is too light for a 1/2 oz jig. Not so much in casting the jig but I would worry about a solid hookset, especially if you had a lot of line out. I like to lay down a rock solid hookset when fishing a jig. I seriously doubt the medium could do that consistently.

42" LCD HDTV

You are correct. I was talking about Utah being undefeated and not getting a shot at the NC.

I upsize front sets all the time but I will leave the back set on. On trap baits, I upsize and take off the back set almost all the time.

As you and all OU fans should. I bet the BCS crew won't be getting any Christmas cards from Mack Brown this year.

On the outside looking in.

Yep. I guess the brainiacs think OU will give Florida a better game in the National Championship.

You're right. Ironic. They even call them "doorbuster deals." The goons thought "Door Buster" was used literally. There might not be too many Door Buster phrases advertised in the future.

I think you have to blame the 'goons' that knocked the doors down. There wouldn't be so many goons if these retailers would have more than 10 of each of the "DoorBuster" items available.

As far as the bluegill/shad debate goes, this is my opinion. In a lake heavy populated with shad, the bass will most likely hang with the shad thru the winter. Typically there are far more shad than there are bluegill, the shad are usually somewhat smaller and easier to eat and shad like to stack up in big groups. It's easier on a fish that is not wanting to expend much energy to feed to run into a ball of shad and get a whole mouthful rather than chase one or two bluegill all over the lake. I'm not saying that if a bluegill came swimming slowly by a bass that he wouldnt get the hammer dropped on him because he would. I just think bass like the convenience of following the shad in the winter. I don't know about ice fishing but you see on the underwater cameras that there are all kinds of species hanging out together in one area whether there is shad present or not. Could be that the lake is not heavily populated with shad or the shad have died off during the icy months (which DOES happen)

If you're going to stir the pot at least have your facts straight Mike. ghoti is not a moderator, he is BR Staff. So, as of right now the count for participating BR Staff is 1, the count for BR Staff/moderators is ZERO. I'll be in by the 5th

He said value over hype. Under Armour does not fit that criteria. Plenty of value there. I didn't get cold at all this deer season. I guess not. Ridin' the roads with the heat blastin' looking for deer is great for staying warm. Maybe if you had actually gotten out of the truck and went in the woods to do your huntin', you might have a different story. ;D

He said value over hype. Under Armour does not fit that criteria.

See if you can locate a Hopkins too, or maybe a War Eagle. Both have just one set of trebles. You really should try a few different kinds or at least have them on hand. Cold bass are picky. That's awesome, especially if they're still in the same spot when you go back. If not, just cruise around til you find 'em again. This past winter we found the mother load of shad piled up in this creek arm right off the main lake. The arm was probably 200 yards long, 60 yards wide and 40-50' deep down the middle. That load of shad stayed in there for about 5-6 weeks straight before moving out. Once we found them again, they had moved up the lake into another cut about 1/4 mile away and they stayed in there for another 2 weeks. Last winter was good times. ;D

Once I find an area that is heavily populated with bait, I watch the electronics for the biggest schools and take note of the depth they are hanging. After I get over top of them I just drop the spoon and try to count it down to the lower depth range of the bait school. (If you find the right school, it can be as 'tall' as 15'- 20', as in, you see bait stacked from 15' down to 30' - 35' down.) I fish the thick schools whether I see any bass on the graph or not. There are so many baitfish in these schools that the bass are often covered up. Once I get the spoon into the school, I just start the up and down jigging. Using the buddy type baits I try to keep the line just tight enough to keep the hooks from fouling while its on the drop. I don't do that as much with the Hopkins types. The main things in jigging spoon fishing is keeping your spoon in the strike zone and keep it moving. Keep an eye on the baitfish on your graph. If they move, move with them. If you notice that the shad are somewhat shallow you can always make the longest cast possible and yo yo it back. If you notice the bait is really close to the bottom, try a drop shot. Jigging a spoon on the bottom can be very expensive. They grab anything and everything when they hit the bottom. Sometimes you get them back, sometimes you dont.