benito

Great write-up - thanks! I also laughed about the "so-so" day comment....give me a day like that anytime! BEN

Patience, Persistence, "Pulse-stopping-hook-sets" Kinda cheated on the last one, sorry....

By the way, that's a 35 pound Cobia right next to what's left of the Wahoo - show's how big it was (or would have been!) BEN

Here are a few of mine..... First is my PB, 11lb-4oz.... Second is my son's first Bass - priceless! Third is the wildest fishing story I have - spending 45 minutes catching a 100+ pound Wahoo, only to have a Shark attack it right by the boat, 5 feet in front of me, took the entire fish (other than the head) in one bite - never seen anything like it..... BEN

You won't regret Dream Lake....Really, really amazing fishing, you won't catch anything under 2 pounds, and LOTS of 5+ pounders..... Homemade Southern cooking at every meal, great hospitality, big 21-foot bass boats, but quiet/serene/isolated, you can tell I love this place. Best Bass fishing I've ever seen...... BEN

You won't regret Dream Lake....Really, really amazing fishing, you won't catch anything under 2 pounds, and LOTS of 5+ pounders..... Homemade Southern cooking at every meal, great hospitality, big 21-foot bass boats, but quiet/serene/isolated, you can tell I love this place. Best Bass fishing I've ever seen...... BEN

You won't regret Dream Lake....Really, really amazing fishing, you won't catch anything under 2 pounds, and LOTS of 5+ pounders..... Homemade Southern cooking at every meal, great hospitality, big 21-foot bass boats, but quiet/serene/isolated, you can tell I love this place. Best Bass fishing I've ever seen...... BEN

I'd try Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama....just mentioned this on another post as well to someone else.... I've fished all over the South, and it's by FAR the best fishing I've ever experienced! Average Days you'll catch 40-50 Bass per person, many in the 4-6 pound range, with a few 7+.....On a good day, could be 75 Bass per person or more. My first day there I caught 73 Bass, including my PB of 11-04, plus a 9 pounder, and literally lost count of 5+ pound bass I caught. It's a great place, privately owned/managed by a very nice couple, great food/etc.....Website is Dreamlakelodge.com. I'm going back again this February for my birthday. Second choice would be Guntersville....And I'd strongly Discourage Lake Fork - was a great lake in the early/mid 90's, but I think it's gone way downhill. I went there 2 Springs ago, was very bad experience. 6 of us, with a professional guide, flew in from around the country, and first day we all got Blanked! Second day, I caught 3 small fish......Haven't ever seen a lake with so many boats/pressure in my life. Won't be going back..... Hope this helps. BEN

I'd try Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama....just mentioned this on another post as well to someone else.... I've fished all over the South, and it's by FAR the best fishing I've ever experienced! Average Days you'll catch 40-50 Bass per person, many in the 4-6 pound range, with a few 7+.....On a good day, could be 75 Bass per person or more. My first day there I caught 73 Bass, including my PB of 11-04, plus a 9 pounder, and literally lost count of 5+ pound bass I caught. It's a great place, privately owned/managed by a very nice couple, great food/etc.....Website is Dreamlakelodge.com. I'm going back again this February for my birthday. Second choice would be Guntersville....And I'd strongly Discourage Lake Fork - was a great lake in the early/mid 90's, but I think it's gone way downhill. I went there 2 Springs ago, was very bad experience. 6 of us, with a professional guide, flew in from around the country, and first day we all got Blanked! Second day, I caught 3 small fish......Haven't ever seen a lake with so many boats/pressure in my life. Won't be going back..... Hope this helps. BEN

I'd try Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama....just mentioned this on another post as well to someone else.... I've fished all over the South, and it's by FAR the best fishing I've ever experienced! Average Days you'll catch 40-50 Bass per person, many in the 4-6 pound range, with a few 7+.....On a good day, could be 75 Bass per person or more. My first day there I caught 73 Bass, including my PB of 11-04, plus a 9 pounder, and literally lost count of 5+ pound bass I caught. It's a great place, privately owned/managed by a very nice couple, great food/etc.....Website is Dreamlakelodge.com. I'm going back again this February for my birthday. Second choice would be Guntersville....And I'd strongly Discourage Lake Fork - was a great lake in the early/mid 90's, but I think it's gone way downhill. I went there 2 Springs ago, was very bad experience. 6 of us, with a professional guide, flew in from around the country, and first day we all got Blanked! Second day, I caught 3 small fish......Haven't ever seen a lake with so many boats/pressure in my life. Won't be going back..... Hope this helps. BEN

I'd suggest Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama. I've fished all over the Southeast, and Dream Lake is the best bassfishing I've ever experienced! It's a privately owned/managed lake (actually they have 2 lakes) that specializes in BIG bass - Many, many caught in the 8-10 pound range and up. I went for first time last February, caught 73 Bass in 1 day, including my PB of 11 pounds, 4 ounces....Lost count of bass in the 5-6 pound range, also caught a 9 pounder. Simply incredible...... They rent full-sized Bass Boats, and it's very reasonable - $250 for a day, $350 for a day if you stay at the lodge/eat food.....If you want to hire a guide, it's only another $100 for the day. Their website I believe is Dreamlakelodge.com I went back again last month in November, during a cold spell I "only" caught 45 in 1 day, biggest was about 7 pounds It's about 2 hours from Birmingham, AL, and 4 hours from Atlanta, GA. They have a lodge on site, great food/hospitality/etc....I'm going there again this February for my Birthday. It's that good.... I'd also have to give a big "NO" to Lake Fork.....went there 2 years ago in February for my birthday, we hired a guide - 0 fish on first day, 3 small 1-2 pounders on the 2nd day.....Haven't ever seen a lake with that many boats..... My 2 cents. BEN

I'd suggest Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama. I've fished all over the Southeast, and Dream Lake is the best bassfishing I've ever experienced! It's a privately owned/managed lake (actually they have 2 lakes) that specializes in BIG bass - Many, many caught in the 8-10 pound range and up. I went for first time last February, caught 73 Bass in 1 day, including my PB of 11 pounds, 4 ounces....Lost count of bass in the 5-6 pound range, also caught a 9 pounder. Simply incredible...... They rent full-sized Bass Boats, and it's very reasonable - $250 for a day, $350 for a day if you stay at the lodge/eat food.....If you want to hire a guide, it's only another $100 for the day. Their website I believe is Dreamlakelodge.com I went back again last month in November, during a cold spell I "only" caught 45 in 1 day, biggest was about 7 pounds It's about 2 hours from Birmingham, AL, and 4 hours from Atlanta, GA. They have a lodge on site, great food/hospitality/etc....I'm going there again this February for my Birthday. It's that good.... I'd also have to give a big "NO" to Lake Fork.....went there 2 years ago in February for my birthday, we hired a guide - 0 fish on first day, 3 small 1-2 pounders on the 2nd day.....Haven't ever seen a lake with that many boats..... My 2 cents. BEN

I'd suggest Dream Lake Lodge in Livingston, Alabama. I've fished all over the Southeast, and Dream Lake is the best bassfishing I've ever experienced! It's a privately owned/managed lake (actually they have 2 lakes) that specializes in BIG bass - Many, many caught in the 8-10 pound range and up. I went for first time last February, caught 73 Bass in 1 day, including my PB of 11 pounds, 4 ounces....Lost count of bass in the 5-6 pound range, also caught a 9 pounder. Simply incredible...... They rent full-sized Bass Boats, and it's very reasonable - $250 for a day, $350 for a day if you stay at the lodge/eat food.....If you want to hire a guide, it's only another $100 for the day. Their website I believe is Dreamlakelodge.com I went back again last month in November, during a cold spell I "only" caught 45 in 1 day, biggest was about 7 pounds It's about 2 hours from Birmingham, AL, and 4 hours from Atlanta, GA. They have a lodge on site, great food/hospitality/etc....I'm going there again this February for my Birthday. It's that good.... I'd also have to give a big "NO" to Lake Fork.....went there 2 years ago in February for my birthday, we hired a guide - 0 fish on first day, 3 small 1-2 pounders on the 2nd day.....Haven't ever seen a lake with that many boats..... My 2 cents. BEN

12lb, 2oz.... Great fish! BEN

Nice fish man, congrats!

About 2 pounds...Very healthy/chunky looking, but pretty short. BEN

I agree with latest poster - It's a lot of fun, not much work, and on a good day you'll catch tons of good fish. I go to Destin 3-4 times a year, and always go with a Charter-trip with Harbor Charters or something similar....They'll put you on a boat with 5 or 6 others.....Really, really good time, and you can go from anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours, up to you......

Hey Man - Great Fish! I saw your question about size on your other post on my thread.... Honestly, it's VERY tough to make a guesstimate from just a picture - and your picture the Bass is turned slightly, making it tougher..... I would have guessed 6-7 pounds if I didn't know, but could be a bit more or less - Either way, a GREAT fish! Catching a biggun and not knowing can be down right frustrating.....To make sure it doesn't happen again, do this: 1) Buy a Cheap Scale - can get them nearly any sporting goods place or Wal-Mart.... 2) If you don't have a scale or it breaks/batteries go dead, always have a tape measure handy....Measure Length and Girth, and you'll be able to come up with a pretty close approximation later.... 3) If all else fails, and you don't have either, cut some fishing line, and use it to measure the Length and Girth - later, when you get home, you can measure how long the pieces of fishing line is. No matter what, you should always be able to do at least this. Again, with simple length and girth measurements, you can get a pretty darn close estimate on weight.... Bottom line - CONGRATS! Great Fish....... BEN

Hey Folks- Just want to follow-up on my trip to Dream Lake in Livingston, AL this weekend......Was an incredible trip - Caught more 5+ pounders in one day than I have in an entire year before! Paul and Connie (owners) do a first-rate job with everything, from the Lodge to the food to obviously the fishing...... All told, on Saturday I caught approximately 70 Bass, with between 15 and 20 being 5 pounds or bigger (includes 3 over 7, and one at 11-4!) Thanks to Paul and Connie - I'll be back! BEN

Nice one! Congrats....

Thanks, folks....Yeah, still can't get over it. Was an incredible few minutes that I won't ever forget. After she jumped the first time, and I saw her mailbox-sized head, my heart was pounding like crazy, hoping to get her in. I knew it would be tough, considering the thin rod and spinning reel I was using, plus the place has a TON of timber.....Just got lucky to get her into the net. What an experience...... BEN

Thanks, man....It was 10 pound Fluorocarbon.... Ironically, I spent most of the day using Baitcasters with 15 or 17 pound test - was having a great morning, catching bunch of 3-5 pounders, so I thought I'd "change it up" with something a bit lighter.....Of course, that's when Big Bertha struck! Luckily, the line held......There was a TON of timber, so I'm very lucky she didn't get me wrapped up. I'll take it! BEN

Just got back from an incredible weekend of fishing, where I finally broke the hallowed 10-pound mark! Caught this 11-04 beauty on a white fluke on a spinning reel - was tough to get her in, but finally got her into the net. Caught her at Dream Lake in Livingston, AL - Incredible place if you ever get the chance (on Saturday I caught close to 70 fish, with about 15 of them over 5 pounds!) After a few photos and weighing/measuring her, she was released to fight another day..... Still can't get over it.... BEN

It's expensive - Luckily my wife got it for me for my Birthday gift........It's $250 for a day of fishing (includes bass boat....), and another $100 per day if you want to stay the night at their lodge, food, etc....... Haven't ever been either - have heard it's amazing and worth it, will let you know how it goes for me this weekend. Take care- BEN

Just a couple of more days.....Can't wait! Paul also told me about the guy with the 10 fish weighing 90+ pounds.....Amazing! He told me the guy was dead-sticking a big, 12-inch black worm. Just twitching it every now and then.....Can't even imagine that many big fish in one day...... Joe, I'll look out for you....Fishing there on Friday for sure, Saturday possibly..... Good luck BEN