bigbill

Ok I'll buy both or a few of each color wise. The crankbaits, spooks, other hard baits have a unique sound to each different rattle. Some have on big ball, some have three balls. The bomber cranks have multiple tiny balls. The bomber gives off a softer, finer rattle sound. Even stuffin a worm rattle inside a money minnow will work too. This is what the electronic sound is trying to mimic the rattle or noise of the fleeing baitfish. Now in the smaller places I fish the most sometimes a new different lure will work.

With 12"+ of snow due here next week I'm bummed. But trout finishing looks good soon. The ice is still on the bodies of water. Haven't looked at the rivers yet.

I'm not sure unless I knew her good as a friend. My wife's girlfriend I would drop him like yesterday's lunch if I seen someone hitting her. She's like a sister to me, like family.

Diabetes? Blood flow? Old age? Riggamortis? I get pre riggamortis if I stay in one spot for too long.

On lillinonah there's a double dog leg near the dam. I was logging near it and watched two big pike ambushing anything in the path. I tried to hit it from zoar but stupid me it's in lilly above the dam. I hope to fish the pads near the Bridgewater boat ramp.Zoar is full of bass along the winding SOUTHBURY,CT road. A split shot rigged black rubber worm from a boat or from shore will keep you busy.

Nothing there's no time for music or to even think. It's me against the fish game on.

Ok have you ever wore out a reel? Have you ever wore out a rod? Reels, I wore out a cheap spinning reel once when I switched from trout fishing to bass fishing. The bearings and drag was questionable quality wise before I started. I won't mention the well named reel company but they did replace it no charge. My $12 on clearance shakespear baitcasters are still working today but haven't seen heavy usage. They were ok to learn with. So have you ever wore out a spinning reel or a bait caster reel due to normal use? Fishing rods, Can fishing rods lose there action if there we'll used or abused to heavy usage? I had my favorite rod split at the foam handle because of the rod bending more than it could handle. This rod caught my PB of #10. It caught most of my bass to date. This tells me cheaper rods work but have a shorter life under real usage. So have any rod stories?

How about hunting in the wilds? Heard tree knocks at 5am coming from two different directions. One was above us up on the mountain and the return sound was from deep in the forest. Since they can't call 1-800-collect you figure out the rest.

My BPS XPS TOPNOCKER lure. They discontinued the hottest topwater lure I have ever used. This turns me off now from purchasing BPS products.

I planned my life right I retired with three incomes. I have time to fish now even more

I have just about every Okuma expitor spinning reel made size wise. They have 10 ball bearings. I've had these for around a decade now. I been only using okuma and fin-nor spinning reels. But on and off I been using globe and viva spinning reels too. No problems yet. I started off with the D.A.M. Quick reels for trout fishing. For bass fishing I found the Wal-Mart quantum spinning reels to work great. I still have them all. My orginal quick reels are now antiques.

I use the small places to my advantage. If I can hit a point that jets out that has a small dog leg I work it. I use the dog leg by casting up into it. I cast across the point to the other side and work my presentation across the open water to across the point then back across the opening of the dog leg. I fish a manmade drainage pond that's full of good sized bass now. The rapala f7 orginal minnow in blue works awesome. I use the joesfly spinflys too.

Mike is the king of jigs for sure. Congrats on putting Mike's jigs to good use. Bigbill

Not when I seen and caught bigger ones there. I don't like killing bass for a mount.

Fishing as a kid got me through the bad times too. I was fishing at a time my friends were doing drugs. I had a choice of drugs or fishing I only had money for fishing. I have no need for drugs. Fishing gives me time to think sometimes too.

My mentor was my older brother he took me first fishing in the pouring rain. I was just 6yo and In my yellow rain coat. This was 1956. Since then we fished together all the time. Then at 14yo he took me bird hunting. This was 1964. Then we were trout fishing every spring. But as the trout season ran down by the time the hotter weather hit we fished for anything that would bite. My cousin who is also an avid fisherman took me to a lake here and we went bass fishing. The average was three pounds on split shot rigged black worms. This was 1973. My cousin also introduced me to Vermont and bear hunting. I purchased seven acres up there in 1986. I took my mentor with me bass fishing, deer and bear hunting. We had a very tight bond. After all we were brothers. Sorry he passed away on April 1st he will be gone for 20 years. I will never forget him. I lost two older brothers at a young age. God does pick his angels first. They were two great guys. My mentor could press 175lb barbell set with one arm. He was awesome to have for a big brother if trouble started. My other older brother was just as strong too. Trust me I lost my two best friends. But bass fishing with my mentor started it all. My mentor taught me to stay fishing and sooner or later they will turn on. One night at a crowded local spot they turned on for me only. I caught around ten nice bass. The people were staring at me. I looked up and told my mentor to knock it off these people were going to throw me in the water. No one else was catching anything. I know my brother had something to do with it. I was hooked on bass fishing. I fished for three months straight 24/7 every spring till I got burned out. Up at 3:30am everyday. In bed by 7pm every night. After a few years of this I caught my PB 10#. Now it's the carrot that's held in front of me. I lost two bigger bass and seen bigger swim by me. My mentor is teasing me. I still fish for the fun of it wether it's a school of drinks to a few decent sized bass. There is no pleasure than watching the night turn to day as the sun comes up. What an awesome world we live in. I love bass fishing. My older brother was a saltwater fisherman too. He showed up one morning with two 60" strippers. He fished from shore but found a hole near the train station in the river. It was very productive. God bless, bigbill

Most of the places I fish are free. The only place were we have to pay is we're people walk there dogs. I had one loose dog go after my spook. I hollered at the dog and the gal got upset. Then I showed her what the dog was going to eat. It's the last time I paid to fish there.

If the small place is pressured I'm earning every fish I catch. This one place wasn't pressured till I took two so called friends there. They told there friends and so on. One caught a big Brown trout and didn't know what kind of fish it was. I hear of a 5# bass being mounted because they think it's big. Now I keep my mouth shut. It tests my skill now to catch fish at this one place. Think about it fishing a place that's unfinished is fun. It's picking the right color and lure size too. It's no different than a heavy pressured place. The unfinished places the fish are very sensitive to noise. Any noise that's out of the ordinary it's over. Once a deer raises that white danger flag(tail) there gone. It's no different than fishing a very quiet place. It takes a different more stealthy talent. To fish from shore.

Yup a big fish may swim in while we reel being coy saving the battle and energy till it gets closer. I've played the bigger ones not to lose them. I don't want to wear out too. The final and one pounders I hold the rod up and land them quick.

Yup go there for one thing, then see the sales and markdowns and I'm like a shark. Broke when I leave but happy I saved.

One time I seen small pickerel eating bass fry. I just had to help my future of bass fishing they were being destroyed. I put on a small rapala in baby bass that matched the little bass fry. Within a few minutes I pulled out six small pickerel. Then released them. Things were calm when I left. My point is look for areas were the water is boiling with the baitfish swimming and jumping out of the water to save there lives.

Are you using a shad scent with it?

This can be confusing to the youngsters who are just starting out in fishing on picking there first rod & reel setup. We all been there, money is tight, yet we want something decent. I actually saved my lunch money to buy fishing tackle. Ok what rod and reel would you suggest for a youngster just starting out. Lets say his first bass spinning outfit? Something that's affordable yet decent in quality.

The toughest time I fished was in the evening when light turns to dusk to twilight to dark. I find this the hardest time to fish. The baitfish eyes take longer to adjust to the changing lighting conditions. The basses eyes change much faster. If we go from using natural lure colors in the light to the stained water colored lures in the dusk and twilight to the brightest colored lures by dark we will land more fish after the lighted bite is over. You have to trust me on this one and try it. If it works from shore for me it has to work for you too. Play with the colors that come to life in the low light conditions. Just don't stay with the dark colors be flexible. Try something out of the norm. I'll have to try these glow colors a shot too. My tip. I used as a kid one night a piece of uncle Josh pork trailer 4" long in white as it got dark. I casted it out when I could just about see it. I made it do its dance on a single hook I watched it being tugged every which way in the water. I landed a few bass inbetween too. I would suggest a glow white grub. The only limits we have we put on ourselves.

The Berkley lightening rod believe it or not feels better than some of the rods in its class that costs more money. To me anyway. Some of them not all of them. You have an array of different prices and quality there all not in the same category quality wise. I just purchased an assortment of the $100 rods and the lightening rod feels better to me. It also depends on what your looking for. And the action and feeling you want.