Hot n Tot

I stopped by Gander mountain this afternoon and picked up some Yum Dingers to try out. Also, they have "Black Magic Plastics" brand of "senkos". I got a package of 8 or $1.99 and thought for the price I'd give them a try. According to the package, they are a 'guide series' Gander Mountain brand on senko knockoffs. Has anyone had any luck with them? The sales guy said they were a little lighter than Yamamotos and about the same weight as Yum Dingers. These are also the first Yum Dingers I've bought.

Welcome to both of you. I look forward to read about the different techniques and equipment used for bass fishing in Japan.

Read the post on under this recent topic, and you will find varying opinions on the subject. http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1115867734

I would purchase a low end depthfinder, and fish the big lake. I have a Cuda 168 on my aluminum boat. It is inexpensive and works great. I would use the depthfinder to look for structure and cover away from the shoreline. I'd be willing to bet that most people fishing these lakes are throwing to obvious cover/structure along the shoreline. They are probably keeping the fish run out of the obvious places with their electric motors and other noises.

How deep is the lake? Does it have a creek running into it? What is the average size of the bass caught? Your description sounds very similiar to some water shed lakes close to my house. However, boats are allowed on these lakes using electric motors only. Most are shallow, 4 feet or less, with the creeks dropping to 6-10 feet. In the summer the fish will hold on any cover located on the edge of the creek channels. When no cover is available look for the fish to hold on the bends in the creek. I know this doesn't sound good for someone fishing from the bank, but these are the areas that consistantly produce for me in the summer. Some fish will still be in shallow water after the water temp rises, but they will be holding tight to cover during the day. Early morning or late evenings will be a good time to try a topwater lure. Ask the cons. agent if a float tube or wading (if the water isn't too deep) is allowed. This will allow you to access areas that you can't get to from the bank.

Just finished one of KVD's books. I just started on his other book. At the moment, I cannot think of the titles. Although I haven't finished the second one, both seem to be very good books.

Most of our brushpiles are made from either small cypress or cedar trees. They both seem to last longer than other types of wood. Chain a couple of trees together that are about 10 feet long. Drill a hole through the base of both trees and use a small chain to attach them to cement blocks. Let them sit in the edge of the water until they are water logged. Then drag them out to where you want to sink them. We don't use rope because it wears out quickly from the wave action. PVC pipe will also work, but unless you have some scraps laying around, it could get expensive.

Welcome! You will definitely benefit from the knowledge shared by everyone on this forum. I know I have.

L_B_H welcome to the forum. I fish alone 99% of the time so you won't see many pictures from me. I'm sorry it if that makes me a liar in your opinion.

In-fisherman guys are my favorite. They are informative and very good fisherman.

I can't explain how the fish gets hooked in the eye, but I don't think it is fatal. I have caught a some fish that only had one eye.

I don't troll, but a lot of crappie fisherman troll Grenada lake during the summer. I see these guys catch many different types of fish including bass.

I hate to break the bad news, but the small water will not sustain a population of big bass under heavy fishing pressure. There are a couple of lakes close to my house that were consistantly producing 6+ pound fish. They were closed for repairs to the levies and stayed closed for about 5 years after the repairs were completed. My uncle worked at the lakes and tips me off to the restocking efforts that went on during the repairs. When the gates were reopened it was only about 10 people, including myself, fishing these lakes. Within a year, you were doing good to find a parking stop before daylight. That was about 7 years ago. While the fishing pressure has drops dramatically, the damage was done. Now you are lucky to catch a fish that weighs over a couple of pounds at either of these lakes.

Welcome

I don't have a problem with people keeping fish from the lake to help stock their pond. I've never done it myself, but I know a couple of people who have. I never keep any bass that I catch from the lake. I have a friend whose pond is severally overstocked. It kills me to say that he doesn't fish. He says he's too busy working. I don't see how anybody can have there priorities so out of whack. Anyway, he has had me keep about 150 bass out of his pond each spring for the past couple of years. Most are 10" to 15". I keep what I want to eat and give the rest of them away to mostly older people in the community. If you have a pond that you want to thin out, don't just kill the fish. Give them to someone in your community who will eat them. People, especially older people, are very grateful when you bring them a mess of fillets.

Although I have caught a lot of fish between 5 and 10 pounds, I still get extremely excited when I catch one in that size range. I caught a 6.5 pounder today. While this is not one I would consider mounting, it is still a trophy fish in my opinion. I can't wait to hit the water again in the morning. I have never had a fish mounted, but I have always said if I catch one 15 pounds or better I will get a replica mount. The fish would have to be caught on an artifical lure. I've gotten close with one a little over 13 pounds, which I released. Some of our lakes are capable of producing fish of this size. At a lake near my home a guy caught a 16 plus last year while bream fishing. 7 & 8 pound smallmouths, that's awesome. I've never caught a smallmouth.

Without a doubt, this site has definitely played a big role in shortening my learning curve.

Learning all I can about fish behaviour

Bubblegum is bright pink.

I'd attend a tournament or get together. I say we all go visit Raul.

For me it depends on the depth of the water. If I'm fishing in the open lake I see no need in it. If I'm fishing a shallow or timbered area, I raise the motor to prevent it from hanging on anything.

Welcome to you forum.

Thanks for the tip Raul.;D Now if I can just remember where I put that trolling rig.

Yet another vote for bubblegum.

All of these guys talking about it being give and take are absolutely correct. I've been married for 4 years. Not that long, but we dated for 8 years before we married. My wife works day shift 8am to 5 pm, and I work second shift 3pm to 1130pm. I fish every morning, but I'm home at 12 noon to eat lunch with her everyday. We are both off every weekend. On Saturdays we usually do something together that she wants to do. That might even mean going to the lake. On occassion she will go fishing with me on the weekends, but she usually just likes riding in the boat. When she goes to the lake with me, I'm not that concerned about catching fish. If she wants to fish thats great, but if she just wants to ride around that's what we do. Regardless of what happens the rest of the week, Sunday is our day. We don't make any plans for Sunday that don't involve us being together. If we do something Sundays after church, we do it together. The trick is to find someone who you love spending time with almost as much as you love spending time fishing, and you shouldn't have any problems. My wife is my best friend.