bigbill

This is why I fish at 4am. Nothing but the wildlife to worry about. We're fishing lake zoar near the Stevenson dam in a cove. From shore. All of a sudden this boater comes in so close he cut all 6 of our lines. I think he thought he had a PT boat. My buddy picks up a rock and hits the guy. Not good. We're fishing saltwater for blues, strippers and weakfish. The baitfish are boiling on the surface. We're circling the school picking off the weakfish one by one not spooking them. A boater flys into the middle of the school shuts off the boat stands up and casts. The school dives down. He got nothing. I shore fishing in the evening. I had a bass strike my mister twister propbait on the surface. He missed. The people on both sides of me cast where I'm fishing. This spot is heavy pressured in the evenings. I switched to fishing it at 4am.

Be very quiet when hunting wabbit. It's ok.

I use weedless hooks. Stealth is the key to fish these non fished places. In vt where the white river comes out of the mountains to catch the native trout in this small running spring u have to crawl up to it and fish. If u can see them they can see u. Move slowly, cast slowly. No bright clothes. Blend in to the surroundings. Keep the flash lite low and hidden. I use to lid on the tackle box with a single aa battery flashlight.

I ordered a 6' med action spinning rod from Hong Kong. I'm surprised at the quality. For $16.68 not bad. More med/lt than med. Too nice for the 5yo grandson. Two rts mice showed up today with two more *** frogs.

I've pulled up rod setups before but they were rusted out glad you got yours back. Maybe a lanyard is in order because these setups cost so much. Great story. Ouch on the hook.

Remember the plastic worm is the number one bass bait. I'm sure we over look it at times we just get caught up using other baits. I was fishing a new spot in a big lake here from shore. About 30 feet from shore is a channel, flowing water. Another man-made lake by dam. I put on a split shot rigged black 6" creme worm. My point of saying about the channel is the backwash. I casted the worm out and slowly moved it in. All of a sudden I thought I hit a log. The next cast I landed a 3lber. My point is worms never leave home without them. There a secret weapon. My cousin took me bass fishing with a split shot worm rig in 1973. It worked then too.

Crankbaits 85% caught bass the others been wet. Topwater 20% caught bass. The 80% I just added, been sick couldn't fish. Spinnerbaits 10% caught bass 80% backup on the bench. Inline spinners 5% caught bass 95% second string. Spooks 5% caught bass 95% get wet or waiting. Now on a tough day everyone goes in the pool. I have noticed that every lure will catch fish sooner or later. If my tune your hard baits. Spinnerbaits must run exactly vertical. Trailer must be installed perfect. Your presentation has to be flawless. Reel, line speed matters. I say 1,000, ( one thousand) slowly in my mind is one turn on the crank. Make sure your hand makes a perfect circle on the reel handle not an egg shape. The bait will go fast and slow with a egg shape movement. With the perfect circle the bait is more even speed wise. Tune your hand to make a even circle not a roller coaster ride of up and down. I carry every,, Bomber FAT A size 05 in every color. Bomber Model A size 05 in every color. spook in every color Norman thin N every color Norman fat boy in most colors Topwater in every color. The bass do not see all the colors all the time

Have to have panfish. Bass eat panfish, crawfish, eels, other bass etc. If u have small bass there's bigger ones making baby bass. Be very quiet get in the zone. Don't talk. No noise.

That's my spot. Try at 4 am. Be very very quiet. Walk softly don't step on roots and rocks. Handle your tackle quietly. No noise. No baitcaster click. Spinning reel and close the bail by hand. I use snap swivels no flashing glare from lights. Keep a one battery flash lite hidden by the top of your tackle box. Don't spook the bass there right at the shoreline feeding. In the dark, topwater, shallow cranks, poppers, hula popper, hitter bug. Rebel crawfish cranks. All sizes match your color. Rapala f7 blue or black Bomber cranks fat a or model a Redapplecraw, browncraw, green craw. Inline spinner mepps Spinnerbaits. 1/8 to 1/4oz. C-rig plastics black 6" worm. Weighted 2" white or yellow grub. Norman thin n chartruese, redear, perch. Daytime go deep to there cover jigs

I like 35# or 40# size for longer casts bigger spools. I have a line up of US REEL SUPER CASTERS but I haven't used them enough yet. With shore fishing the casting distance matters.

With visible line the fish see what we see in the water the split view or screen. I use Excalibur silver thread copolymer line in clear or green. On my c rig plastics rod it's Cajun red line. It disappears, I'm fishing in 10' of water. My point is if I use clear line then a Cajun leader I have a weak link. Why not use the stronger test Cajun line all the way 17lb test.

I don't think it could crack that easy.

Send it back to the manufacturer. Tell them u bought it online. Companies want to hear field reports about there products so they can improve them. I spent 21 years in a r&d test lab for Otis elevator world headquarters engineering. We investigated product failures. Besides new product development. Let us know how u make out. Send it back. Fact; I purchased older new stock quantum baitcaster reels. Both were broken inside. Must of been counter demos. Quantum sent me the parts to repair both reels. One was way out dated a bill dance version. She knew what parts from a newer reel that fit it. That's for the outstanding service from Quantum. I told her I bought them new on online When a manufacturer goes out of there way to fix there product when they could say it's not there fault they made a customer. I even offered to pay. I purchased a expensive fly rod and reel from Kittery trading post in Maine. The first time ever using it with success on panfishing till dark I put the window up on the rod and cut the tip off. It was a $250 setup for $125. Ouch my loss. From when I was 16yo I broke a fishing rod per year till my mid twenties. I'm careless. Now I pay more attention.

OKUMA Epixor way under $100 there at fish USA for $60. Ten ball bearings.

Buy what works. My hottest baits get discontinued.

Well I buy online. I look for bargains, sales or free shipping. If I can't find any and I need it I buy anyway.

I been told by a local ct tornie club guy there's only 6lbers in ct nothing bigger. I say ....... I can't it's a family forum. Prove me right all the way in Maine. There's been bigger bass caught in Maine too. I still say there's bigger bass in every state. They might not be new world records but there bigger than u think. Nice catch brother.

Look at the map of Candlewood fish the stumps. This comes from Jimmy Houston it's where he caught his first double digit bass don't tell anyone. It's passed on from a guide there.

There ya go Glenn. My big puter has been messed up since I bought it. My kindle posted the pic. I owe u guys pics to back up my words. I need to learn how to use my phone pics next. We will see what the fall fishing brings.

Here ya go too. I'm new at pics.

Is your frog new? Maybe a scent or spike it pen garlic scent? I believe since the fish have keen sences of smell there not hanging on long enough to set the hook. Just my thoughts.

Summertime heat plastics deep. C- rigs, senkos, brushogs, worms. Spring and fall bass it's the same lures. Follow the shade cast into it. I use inline spinners/ spinnerbaits. The old timers always told me to fish the rivers in the heat. Don't give up, never give up, it will get better. Every trip is a learning process read the articles here and ask here.

I battled 29" to 32" chain pickerel on my med spinnerbait setup. Play it don't horse it up. Enjoy the battle. The first pickerel this size came out of the water parallel to the shoreline with his head on the shoreline rocks and ripped my newly tweaked spinnerbait off my line and took it with him. It was my very first spinnerbait that caught bass. I upsized the blades added a trailer and trailer hook. I was ripping. Glen here helped me on setting it up and casting it. I was proud it worked on bass. I guess it was more blade thump than the pickerel could handle. What a violent strike his teeth caught the line. I was in shock. For big cats a 7' /8' baitcaster with the larger inshore baitcaster saltwater reel. I have one and the spinning inshore setups. Fish and save has affordable rods. Being close to long Iland sound we fish for blues and strippers. Not as often as I would like too.

I dragged in a snapping turtle the size of my 15" rim tire on my jeep like 30" diameter. My 8lb Excalibur silver thread copolymer line held up. I got it all the way up to me. He was clawing the bottom revolving upside down but I landed him. From him churning up the bottom as it got dark the catfish bite was on. The place nearby has a 4' diameter Snapper with a human size head. Hooked him once but cut the line when he stuck his head out of the water. It wasn't a log.

That's a 6lb 1oz bass on my hand. She was tearing up the pads. I casted 10' to the left of the pads and past her. I did my 1 twitch, 2 twitch, 3 twitch with a pause presentation and drew her out of the pads. I then had her lip grabbed in my hand as I watched the pads still being torn up. There was two ambushing in the pads but I got one. I was close to 400lbs then. Before cancer.