gobig

I understand all about owning a boat, the initial investment, what they cost to operate and maintain. I have owned several boats all of which I paid cash for and I am not talking about a 10ft aluminum. I had a Mastercraft Maristar and I still own a boat rigged for salt water. I have been considering picking up a boat towards the end of the year but for now I going to remain a co-angler. I don't think I was totally clear in my initial post. My issue is not with running the front, I could care less. I was making the point that the option was there. I want to see a level playing field. My issue is the direct competition with the guy in the front can turn the day into the likes of college match fishing, only you never get your turn in the front. I don't want to be boxed out all day and I have talked to enough guys in the club who would be open to a team format if there is a way to do it that works for everyone. So what I am looking for are some ideas as to how different clubs work their team formats. At this point I am not looking for another club nor do I want to. If that is all that you have to add to the post lets not waist each others time. Thanks, Brian, web and DVT for sharing. Lund if you could please explain the way the clubs operated that you fished it would be appreciated. I think we have similar ideas on how it should work out.

I know the feeling... I have dumped three 7+'s and a solid 5 in the last two trips. Sometimes it just goes that way. I think when I am affected most is when I am extremely tired. I think it throws off my timing and my ability to react. Better luck next time.

I use the gami's that are sold by paycheck baits and you have to set your own barb. Sounds like you just need to hit it with a lighter real quick and the problem is solved.

I use the gami's that are sold by paycheck baits and you have to set your own barb. Sounds like you just need to hit it with a lighter real quick and the problem is solved.

What barb issues?

This was the point I was trying to make. Now how can you answer or evaluate a question if you don't know what perspective someone is coming from? I do not understand how the difference between a tournament angler and a trophy fisherman can be denied. To these guys 2lbers could mean "catching big fish consistently", where the trophy angler could care less about those fish. A 5lber behaves differently than a 2lber. Another thing tournament anglers do is try to go catch a limit and then find a kicker fish. To the trophy guy catching small fish is the last thing on their mind. There should be no tournament fishermen VS trophy fishermen, only goals with desired outcomes.

Not trying to sound egotistical or high and mighty but ...Its probably like anything else, we could put our minor league in and dominate. If the money was right our guys would be there.

When I hear the term "catching big bass consistently" I think in relative terms to geographical location. In other words a big bass in California or Texas is going to be different than a big bass in a northern state. A 8lb fish in some areas is just as big a trophy as a 15lber is in others. For some reason we have these idealogical numbers of what a big fish is. It's all relative to where you fish. If a 5lber is the biggest fish in the pond is that not a toad? This can be broken down even further. It all depends on the goals of an individual. If you were to ask KVD this question, I think he would answer it differently than someone like Butch Brown. Two totally different mindsets with different goals. KVD wants to catch bigger fish than his competitors and Butch wants to catch the biggest fish in the lake... or the world for that matter.

Sure you could peg the weight with a took pick but I am not sure why you would want to. Bobber stops are cheap and extremely functional.

Right now the club that I am involved in is on an individual format. The guy in the back is actually competing against the guy up front. This was not a problem when I first joined. I fish as a non-boater and now that I am beating the guy up front most of the time, there is a tendency to get back seated. There is a rule in place that states the non-boater has the right to determine location and have control of the front 50% of the time. However this is a catch 22. When you pull that card all of the sudden you start having trouble finding partners. There are a handful of guys that have no problem with giving up the front part of the time. A club is supposed to be a learning experience. So fishing with the same people over and over sort of defeats the purpose in my opinion. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. So fishing with more people should help round you out as angler and this should be the primary goal. Right now you pair up with anyone in no specific rotation. I would like to see the club go to a team format that is a draw. The club used to operate in a team format in the past. However there were some issues that prompted them to adopted the current format.

Good luck on your trip unfortunately I can't help you with the area but I do know this... the same techniques work all over the country.

Way to work the water columns and find them.

Nice

Feel bad for who?

Powell rods have been around in the fly fishing world forever. I don't think they have made bass specific rods more than about 8-10yrs. They have an excellent product for the money.

The lamiglas SR 705R is the rod I use. It takes some time to get used to a glass rod if all you have fished is graphite. At first I did not like the feel of this rod. In fact I was pretty much ready to sell it. A friend of mine insisted that I give it more time on the water and I am really glad he did. The weight of the line depends on where & when I am fishing. I have gone as light as 6lb test for deep cranking, generally I use 8-10lb test and I always use florocarbon. The key to the lighter line is to constantly check your line for abrasions and retie often.

My opinion is probably going to differ from a lot of people but I like a fast reel. I feel like I have to work way less. It's easy to slow down but when they want it faster it takes a lot of work with a 5 to 1 reel. Throwing a crank bait all day takes a ton of energy and throwing it consecutive days in a row, really takes its toll. There is nothing worse than trying to fight a fish when you hurt or start cramping up.

I guess I am missing the reason for two hooks.

I don't see why it wouldn't work. Start out trying it a few seconds at a time.

There are a few key things I have learned punching. Here is my top ten. 1.Use a strait shank hook with a welded eye and a shrink tube barb. I can't begin to tell you the difference. I lost so many fish with an EWG hook. It's got its place but not when it comes to punching. 2.Use a snell knot, tied right it will cam the hook out. 3.Use at least 65lb braid. 4.The hook set is critical. Do not use a sharp/snap style hook set. Reel up and sweep, the fish will hold the bait long enough for this method to work effectively. Using a sharp/snap hook set you can actually blow the fishes mouth open with the heavy weight and you will miss alot of fish. 5.Use a long rod that has a lot of muscle yet has some parabolic bend to it. In other words you want the power but you do not want a super fast tip. This will give some room for error and you will land more fish. An under powered rod = heartbreak, this is a big fish technique. There are not that many punch specific rods out there. I use a 7'11" swimbait rod made by phenix, it's not my favorite swimbait rod but it is a killer punch rod. 6.Use at least a 6.3 to 1 reel, and lock down the drag. 7.The typical idea is to punch threw the mat let it hit the bottom yo yo it a few times and move on to the next flip. I have found that the bite is sometimes up against the bottom of the mat. So as the bait punches threw instead of letting it hit the bottom all the time, bang it against the mat. There is still a top, middle and bottom of the water column in shallow water. 8.If you hook a fish in extremely heavy cover it is sometimes necessary to go in and get them. To much pressure can tear their mouth. 9.Cover water until you find the fish. Once you have found them then pick apart the mat. 10.If you miss a blow up on a frog, follow up with a punch rig. Here is a link for a modified snell knot. Easy to tie and works really well.

That's a great idea fluke thanks for that.

Nice fish for sure.

I have caught lots of little guys on soft swimbaits. The other day I caught two fish on a trash fish that were about 12 inches. They both had the bait choked including the 8/0 beast hook. The one that really surprised me was a 13in fish I caught on an 8in hud,the hook was inside the mouth. Don't always discount bumps as small fish either. I have had big fish bump a swimbait several times before it commits. Clearlake fish like to do that.

Thanks for posting the article.

All of the frogs I own get modified. The most important modification is to the hooks. Any frog that does not come with Gamakatsu EWG frog hooks... get's them. The reason is simple... hook gap. I truly believe the Gami's hook up that much better and I don't have to bend out hooks to increase the hook up ratio. Here is a owner frog hook Here is the Gami The next thing I do to the hook is wrap the shank with braid. This takes some of the flex out of the hook and really seems to drive the hooks in on the set. Here is how I do it. First I tie a strand of braid to the eyelet. This is going to help in getting the hook back in place. Next pull the hook threw the body of the frog until fully removed. Cut the hook off the braid so its easier to work with. Leave the strand of braid in the body of the frog. The strand is what you will use to feed the hook back threw. Now I take the braid and with a series of half hitches attach it to the shank near the eye. Then sequentially wrap the braid down the shank towards the hook point. Secure it with another series of half hitches. Add a few drops of super glue and its done. Finished product should look like this. Re-attach the braid that is still in the frog to the hook eye and use it to help feed the hook back threw. Once the hook is wrapped you will see how it really tightens things up. This is the best I could do trying to take pics myself while doing something that takes two hands. Hope this helps.