hawgchaser

I love Hybrid fishing. I have a place on Greers Ferry which has the world record and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets the next one. The lake is loaded with them and yes they FIGHT!!!! Nice fish.... Yours might be a little bigger than my last 2.

Ill let you know next monday. I am going to Venice, La on fri. for some redfish and speck action. I have spent the last month playing with different rods for this trip. I normally use my extreme rods BUT I decided to treat myself. Anyway, after borrowing a lot of different high end rods from friends, the American Rodsmith Titanium Ultra series was the one I chose. It was between that and a Kistler but my buddy said that the Kistler lacks the sensitivity of any of his Loomis rods. So, I got a 7'M spinning rod and paired it with a new Abu Garcia 702 spooled with 30lb sufix Braid. The rod is light and has good action but haven't fished it. Hopefully it will prove itself on a 40" Red BTW~I called the company to discuss a certain rod and an actual person answered. Her name was Kim and she knew everything about the rods and what would be a good redfish rod that would spend most of the time freshwater bass fishing. We talked for 30 minutes and that is a real bonus to me.

I got a box full of rogues in that exact color stashed somewhere in the back of the shed. I haven't thrown them since discovering pointers and x raps. But I will dust them off. I have about 5 weeks of nothing but fishing ahead of me. Luckily, my job allows nearly all of the summer off. Its a tough life BTW...If the white is anything like the red, you should wear them out. I have been doing quite a bit of fishing on the red and its been really good. You ever smallmouth fish on the white?

I WAS catching a little bit of everything on x raps...blacks, smallies, whites, hybrids, and even a rather agressive bluegill However, i haven't tried evening fishing with them. I have caught some 5lbers by accident on flukes through the years but just don't know them that well. Let me know how you do on Bull Shoals. I KNOW how you will do on the white.

Seaguar is my favorite flourocarbon. I use 20lb on my baitcaster when fishing big bass lakes. The line is a little more prone to backlashes but its not a big problem. This stuff holds up very well against rocks and trees. Right now I have Triple Fish X Rated on most of my reels bc it casts better and i don't need that tough of a line(however this stuff has proven to be pretty tough).

Any walleye fisherman on here? I have a house on Greers Ferry in Arkansas. There are a fair amount of Walleye in the lake but we are known for the big ones. This lake holds the world record and has had numerous 20lb fish pulled out of here. I grew up fishing this lake but have never targeted walleye. Right now the lake is flooded but the fish are very active. This is a fairly deep clear lake. The surface temp is 75 right now. How should I target these fish? What depth? What baits? I bought some crawler harnesses but haven't tried them yet. Any advice?

Early morning i would have to throw a Pop'R right next to those trees. Then I would throw a spinnerbait, TX Rigged Brush Hawgs, and possibly a senko.

Great reviews! Fenwicks seem to be very well liked. I may order a couple to try out. I use mostly extreme rods after trying and buying many higher end rods. They were certainly lighter and a few a little more sensitive BUT to me, they did not increase my chances of catching fish or enhance my experience...so I have stayed with the extremes. The Fenwicks may be another option for me. Thanks again for the info.

You will love Triple Fish X Rated. I have been using 15lb and the stuff is very abrasion resistant and casts like a dream. I love it. The stuff is cheap as well. http://www.triplefishlines.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=92&zenid=2lc5nuluqhashtnp0lnllh78s3 I also have Sufix Siege on a few reels and like it but it does not cast as well as x rated and may not be as resistant to rocks and trees,

The Extreme combos are the best value around. I fish roughly 3 days a week from Jan. through Oct. and many times more than that. I have the bc and the spinning combos (at one point I had 11 but some were stolen) and they have never failed me...bass, hybrids, stripers, cats and even bull redfish. Now, I wouldn't expect them to be quite as good as the Johnny Morris gear but very good non the less. I have tried lots of high quality(expensive) rod and reels, I keep coming back to the Extremes.

Gambler Sweebo worms are fantastic. I use either robo, zoom, or gambler. The Sweebo has a very strong scent that makes those fish hold on just a little bit longer......maybe They have good jig as well called giggyheads.

Topwaters, jerkbaits, and pitching into heavy cover. If you are doing any kind of slow presention NOT in cover, use a leader. Braid will absolutely limit your bites on anything but really muddy water.

Yes, I think that would be a good setup. I have not used that particular rod but the reel is good and a MF is what I would get as well. Congrats! Enjoy it!

Is this line more limp than fireline? IMO fireline is among the worst lines I have ever used. Power Pro and Sufix are very good. Have you tried either of these to compare with Rapala?

Those are both nice reels and will serve you well. Pflueger spinning reels are very smooth and are good quality reels.

Everybody has techniques that work for them. But for me, that is just not the case. I catch the better bass on baits and techniques completely different than in the day. I am sure dropshotting might work at night BUT any finesse technique would be last on my list. Big black colorado blade spinners and 10" worms have produced more 8lb plus bass for me than any other.

X Raps are great. What colors are you throwing. I have caught most of my jerkbait fish on olive but I also have gold and clown.

I have caught 60 smallies in the last 3 days on a single watermelon Magnum Arkansas Warthawg. The fish are suspended in flooded treetops and this crankbait is the only thing I can catch them on. Usually, I throw tubes and jerkbaits but they won't touch those. Luckily, I found this pattern b/c they are hammering it and I am having a blast. Hopefully tomorrow will be no different. Still no Erie sized ones but i did catch my PB(probably) today of a roughly 3lbs. So what other cranks do ya'll recommend? Size and color would be appreciated.

Abu Garcia 702 is $109 and is very impressive. It has the carbon drag system that is unmatched and can also be used in saltwater if you ever do any inshore fishing. I don't know about the symetre but I like them a lot more than my saharas. these reels are built like a tank but still weigh 8oz. Another forum member turned me on to these and I am very happy he did. http://www.abu-garcia.com/prod.php?k=78553&sk=78551&p=PURC701LX%20(1130455)

A little bit of money will go a long way using ***. Must haves and can get from *** for cheap: Disc tubes stick baits 4 and 5 inch finesse worms lizards All in watermelon seed Spinnerbait: 1/4 oz white and chartreuse with tandem blade and one with colorado blade (booyah are not expensive and good) Crankbaits: Not my favorite for bank fishing bc of hangups Red Eye Shad in Sexy Shad, red, or chrome with blue Model A Bombers- Tn Shad or Red Crawfish. RED CRAWFISH catches anything! Catfish, sauger, gar....anything. Topwater: Pop r or Chug bug Norman Top Dollar Jerkbait: Suspending X Rap-Olive Jigs, PB&J Blue/black with a pack of cheap crawtails These baits are not necessarily my favorites but they are proven and budget friendly. Concentrate on plastics as they are cheap and great for ponds.

Congrats! Now you will be broke, too tired to work or go to school on Monday, and will have to acquire an entirely new room for all of the tackle you are about to buy...but atleast you will be tan Seriously though, congrats...Its a great sport.

I have heard a lot of good stuff about Fenwick rods. I need to new spinning rods and was going to get the extremes but may try a Fenwick. I want two 7ft M for my new Abu's.

Hey buddy, When the water warms up a little, you need to fish Bull Shoals. In 2002 the water was nearly as high as it is now. The recruitment of that year's spawn was estimated to be 95% which is virtually impossible and unprecedented. ALL of the smallmouth from that year class should now weigh +/- 5lbs and all the bass I caught that year that have survived are now 6+ for sure! This could be the best year for smallmouth fishing in the lake's history. p.s. My guide is Tim "Hot Dawg" Curtis...870-445-4175. Give him a call. 8-) I am ashamed to say that one of my best friends has a loaded out Triton and fishes that lake every weekend and I have never been!! I have a place on Greers Ferryso it is so darn convenient for me to just go there. BUT you have convinced me. Especially after this morning. My buddy and me caught 32 smallies this morning and not one was 3 lbs. I am not complaining but I sure would like to see some pigs like those above

All things the same, I will always fish the bank that the wind is blowing into. Many fisherman try to get out of the wind bc its a pain to fish in. However, I think that many times that is the wrong move.

I HAVE to take come up there! I fish a lake here in Arkansas that has a lot of smallies. But it is very rare to catch a 5lber. They are the ultimate fish to me. Good job and post some more of those beauties if you catch some more.