Mike 12345

Can someone please point me to an article or series of pictures/drawings that demonstrate the proper way to measure the girth of a caught fish? Thanks!

Do bass hang out generally in the same area if pickings are good? Or more specifically, if a bass is in an inlet or creek arm, with plenty to eat and no reason to move, will they move? Do they identify with a creek arm, for example, and generally remain there throughout their lives? Of course, I understand moving between shallow and deep areas, etc.....even out to the river channel on run-of- the -river reservoirs. But, how likely is it, that if I find a few big bass in my creek inlet, that they will still be there a week later? Random chance, provided no other variables have changed?

I have been using either 6' or 6'6 medium to medium-heavy rods. From what I've read, longer rods are recommended for this technique- more spring in the tip? Great tip also to elevate myself while practicing in the yard, fishfordollars.

I have been working on my flipping and pitching technique for a few weeks now, trying to learn a good new tool to use on the lake. While practicing in my yard, I had a heavy lead weight attached to my line, and I was able to flip and pitch well, with distance, and pretty darned accurrately too. However, putting it into practice with a lightweight jig on the water was a different story- with a 1/4 oz jig w/trailer, I had a hard time getting it to the target because of the light weight. I caught a fish the first time on the lake using this presentation, so I'm 'on board' and have been reinforced to do it again....but- I put on a lighter weight to practice in the yard, and have the same results- no distance, overruns, poor accurracy. I chose a lighter weight jig because I was trying for a slow sinking, subtle presentation, but maybe I need to bump up the weight and forget about that. Does anyone have any advice for how to better use these techniques on a lighter weight lure/jig? Thanks

I was at the Day 3 launch as well as the Final Day weigh-in and events. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, and I think that BASS / ESPN put together a good program in very short order. I was speaking with Marty Stone after the final weigh in, and he told me that coming to Old Hickory Lake was good for them (the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers), because they get spoiled on lakes like Falcon, Amistad, etc. Fishing on a 'real' lake, a public, heavily pressured lake like most people have to deal with, helps to bring things back into perspective. Another angler (don't remember which one) made a similar comment on Bassmaster.com during the event. Several pros were out of it early, and the ones who stayed in really had to work to get the weights they did. Just have to say that many preconceived notions that I had about some of the pros turned out to be mistakes of judgement on my part. For the most part, they were really nice, approachable people happy to talk to the fans. I talked with Marty Stone, Jeff Kriet, and Dave Wolak, and then also met Mike Iaconnelli, Bill Lowen, Kevin Wirth, and several others during autographs, and they were all more than happy to answer questions, do pictures, etc.

This is true, it was a quick location selection due to the flooding of the location in Iowa where they were supposed to be. I was there just prior to weigh in today, and I was happy- Course, I'm at my first event-

The current Bassmaster tourney in my hometown has me all fired up. How many pros are generally fishing an Elite series tourney? Tons? I think I read somewhere on this board where most often, a co-angler would not be teamed up with a top-tier name, like Alton, KVD, etc, etc because of the camera guy. Is tha the case? Does the same also apply to FLW tourneys? Thanks

First off, I want to make clear that my intention is to ask about fishing pressure, and not about tournaments, so hopefully it's OK to put this post here. My 'home' lake is Old Hickory Lake, right outside of Nashville, where the WBT tourney was held last week and where the Elite Series tour begins tomorrow. Between the practice pre-fishing that is done by tournament anglers, as well as the tournament fishing itself, does the likelihood of going out and catching a fish go down with all the activity? I'm certainly no pro, and would likely not target the same areas that they would, but I'm just curious if, 'statistically speaking', the increased pressure (pros in addition to the local yokels) would be likely to have any dramatic effect on some guy like me scooting out to toss a few lines in the midst of all the hubbub.

I live on the outskirts of Nashville, and very near my 'home' lake, Old Hickory Lake. Last weekend, the WBT tourney was here, and tomorrow the Bassmaster Elite tourney begins here. Where are all the pros? Do they hide? Obviously, I know they are pre-fishing, etc., but I mean they have to stop periodically and put gas in their boats and trucks. Haven't seen one. What about hotels? Restaurants? They have to stay somewhere, and even plug in their boats at night, presumably..... but I have not seen any of them. I was in BPS yesterday, and saw a couple of them.....not super-star guys on TV all the time, but pros nonetheless, and they seemed like they were avoidant of chatting with anyone. Probably in a hurry, I'd guess. Just wondering....do the pros tend to seclude and insulate themselves as much as possible (to avoid time consuming idle chatter, etc), or am I reading too much into it? Not that my feelings are hurt or anything, just curious-

Years ago, a close friend's grandfather had a bumper sticker that said "It's not how deep you fish- It's how you wiggle your worm" That has stuck with me for years ;D

The batteries would recharge once home, but the issue was that the cranking battery would be depleted enough after getting the boat started initially, running the spark plugs while underway, then running electonics while fishing, it did not have enough juice the get me going again to get home. It was not getting any (or enough) charge back while underway to keep it up. I did get the old part back- it is flat-ish, square, sort of like an enlarged deck of cards with wires, and the box says regulator assy. Long story short, everything seems to be working normally now, and there have been no probs to report recently.

Hi guys......I just wanted to update the thread to include the information that the battery tested fine, and the shop that fixed the boat found that it was a rectifier relay or regulator relay, one or the other. They say rectifier, the parts box says regulator. It was not a cheap fix, but I'm back on the water. Evidently this is a critical part of the charging system that allows the engine to put back charge to the cranking battery while underway. Just wanted to update in the event anyone else witha similar problem was searching for info. Thanks to all-

Ain't that the truth?

Ok, I've fished my favorite local inlet to my neighborhood reservoir for 2 afternoons now, no dice. The inlet depths range from appx 25 ft in the main 'ditch' or 'channel' coming into the cove to about 5 ft in the back of the cove where I have been fishing. Details: ambient temp- 75-80 degrees, water temp right about 60*. May be working some pre-spawn, maybe some spawn, I can't tell. Topwater activity surrounding me.... fish jumping everywhere, some are big splashes. Water clarity: stained at best. I fish open cove, laying trees, boat docks/sheds, etc. I fished spinnerbaits till I broke them all off, small shallow cranks till I lost 'em, lipless cranks, and Rapala jerkbaits for hours. I know there are fish there (although I can't guarantee species) because I see them on my Lowrance hanging out around stumps. Still, no bites. Other guys I pass state they have caught some nice ones in the area, though are reluctant to say more. What would you guys suggest? Next moves? Jig? Thanks- I'd be interested in your opinion. Maybe I move to a different creek?

This is another possibility that has crossed my mind........

I do have a boat now, but I'll be looking to buy a whole separate boat and motor. The boat I have now has an 18 year old Merc XR4 150....when running down the lake, it is great.....but, it seems to need expensive repairs more often than what I would really expect. I don't really blame it on Mercury, but it may just be that the previous owner did not maintain it well, or that it is older, and that parts are more scarce and expensive. Thats really the reason I am trying to find out if any brands really seem to be more reliable / trouble free than another.

The Merc I am currently running is a 150, and I'm happy with that on a 18ft boat. I don't tournament fish, so I really don't need to go 70mph up the lake on a giant engine. That's not to say I would not jump on a boat with a 200 or 225 if it could be had for a good price............ To make a hot rod analogy.......lots of people build Chevy motors, and the market makes tons of aftermarket parts to support that, and those parts tend to be less expensive than parts made for an Olds or Pontiac, for example. Looking for a good solid outboard with strong reliability and readily available, not-as-expensive parts when needed. Those two concepts may not go together in the real world, just checking-

Is there a brand of outboard that is generally accepted as being very reliable, and at the same time is semi-economical to own? By economical, I mean that the parts are generally pretty available and affordable. I have no interests in brand wars with this question, I'm just trying to get a handle on whether there are any 'generally accepted' ideas on outboards and which (if any) seems to offer the best blend of worry free operation and affordability (repar cost, maintenance, etc). The 18 yo Merc that I currently run is OK, but parts are costly and repair bills are making me look hard at trading up at the end of the season- that's why I'm asking-- Thanks!

More specifically, a used boat? I know that during spring boat shows, dealers often offer special prices on boats, but I won't be in the market for a brand new rig. Do prices / dealers get more flexible with prices during fall and winter, once the weather turns and most folks are off of the lake? I really need to upgrade to a more dependable, as -new -as -I -can -afford boat at the end of the year, and am trying to develop a game plan as to how best to plan for a trade and upgrade. Thanks for any advice!

Thanks, good info. I am in an eerily similar situation as the original poster, but don't want to hijack the thread, so I'll watch closely.

When did the hull design change? The original poster I think mentioned an early 90s boat....are ones from the late 90s different?

Thanks for the tips guys, I appreciate it. Here is another thought I had on the matter- since after a couple of ignition attempts, nothing at all happens (no cranking, no noise, just a click) would it seem possible that it could be the starter solenoid that is bad? If it were bad, heat damaged, etc, would that possibly explain why the motor would start at the ramp, but then not after being on the lake? I'm just trying to mentally picture the system, and it would seem that if current was getting all the way to the starter, it would try to turn the motor over. This is an attractive possibility to me because A) I could replace it myself, and they are under $20 Again, thanks ....I'm trying to troubleshoot simple stuff first, as you all have mentioned.

Hi folks- I have a problem starting the 'big ' motor on my bass boat, and wonder if any of you can help me diagnose it. First off, it is a 1991 Merc Black Max XR4 150 HP motor. When you first start it at the boat ramp, you can get it running and move out into the lake fine. It will run great........then you stop to fish. Troll around, fish, trim up when you get shallow, etc. Once you are ready to leave, you position the boat into enough water to safely start and run the big motor....and you engage the ignition and crank. (I don't crank too long- no more than starting a car). No dice. Try again......won't turn over. Repeat appx 4 times, and then it won't even crank at all.......it is as if the battery is totally exhausted, and the engine never even gets close to starting. Thank goodness I was reasonably close to the ramp and I had fully charged trolling batteries. I bring the boat home, put my charger on the starting battery. It charges for about 3-5 min., and shows a full charge.??????? (by the way, it is a brand new battery, on its first trip to the lake....showed full charge when I left home). The same thing happened on the last trip of 2007. I just don't get it......why would it start fine at the ramp, and then no other time? > The previous owner told me to prime the motor before every start, and it used to work fine that way...until the past two trips to the lake. I've wondered if I was flooding the motor, but why would it work before and not now if that were the case? Any help would be most appreciated.

Hi Folks, I was watching an instructional spinnerbait tactics video today, and the topic of trailing hooks came up. I went down to the local tackle store, and saw regular vs. 'bleeding red' trailing hooks. I went with the regular color, because I started to think that adding a red trailing hook might actually cause the fish to bite short of the bait..... I understand the purpose of a trailing hook, but would a red trailing hook cause a fish to strike shorter still?

If line is properly stored (for example, dark and dry), is there a general rule of thumb as to how long line should last? How long does it take for it to weaken or deteriorate, if at all? Thanks