jeosbo01

I have several friends who do the whole nail it to a tree thing...I just bash the head in with a 2X4, it works well, but don't hesitate or try to not hit it too hard...bash it hard and the thing will die quick and easy (though not always cleanly)

Congrats on the fish of a lifetime!!!

Thanks for the info guys!

Don't worry about new skirts...just box them up and send them my way, I'll get rid of them for ya

Just got my first Baby Bass from TW and was wondering if you guys put a treble or a stinger in the bottom of it or just fish it the way it is??? If you put a hook on, what size?

Either way it is a bad idea to keep them for a week and then release them back into the wild...there are numerous ethical issues with this and it may very well be illegal in your area. I would recommend the bream, but in a permanent display, not just short term!

I got one at my local WalMart for around 10 bucks. It works really well for tying lines and unhooking fish, gives enough on the ground to get around but you won't light up more than a few feet in front of you. I keep mine in my tackle bag, the batteries last a LONG time (only has 3 LED bulbs and one Halogen which I rarely use), and it is very handy to have around.

I catch them all year around here, right now I am catching most of them 6-10 feet down on a minnow tipped popeye jig (chart. and black or pink and black). Find deep cover and let the jig slowly fall (no additional weight between the jig and bobber), if they are there they will almost always fall for this!

Here is one I stuck on UL gear with a live minnow last night... (BTW, the pic was taken in a barn for lighting purposes only, the fish was handled carefully and released immediately after the pics were taken) http://www.primareptilia.com/gallery/albums/album123/IMG_4255.sized.jpg

Thats a heck of a kitty...whens the fish fry

When I first started using one I frequently forgot to put it on, I started taking the lanyard and draping it over the throttle handle so I had to either see or touch it to engage...helped get me used to always clipping it on before I started moving.

My biggest 2 bass this year both came from the shore on UL tackle...both on minnow tipped popeye jigs while looking fro Crappie! BTW, I regularly get minnows for under 2 bucks per dozen, 1.50 each is WAY to high for me!

That thing is a beast!!! Congrats to Mr. Healy for a truly special catch!

I have put out Christmas trees in the past, but not for years...they seemed to work pretty well and you can usually get a bunch of them for free in January

Thanks Bobby! My question is this though...what is the best way to deal with a situation like this? I use a kill switch anytime the motor is running, but we all know that many people don't. If this had happened at a busy lake on a busy day (could have...I don't know) there is a chance that several people could have been seriously hurt or killed. Is the best course of action just to notify the authorities and sit back and watch? I fish from a 17' Tracker and would never even try to get close to another boat running all-out, but if I were in a different boat would there be anything else that could be done safely?

I would try a Rebel CricketHopper Popper...I have caught several nice (3-4 lb) bass and numerous panfish on these in just the last month. They are about worthless IMO in larger lakes and such, but deadly in smaller ponds. Find a spot to cast it parallel to the shore, no more than 4-5 feet from the shoreline, and work it slow. I usually throw one out and just let it sit for a minute or two while I do something else then twitch, twitch, pop, twitch and repeat all the way back...I have had more than one decent fish smash it right at my feet!

Think I'll try that when I get home from work today... ;D

I really hope that someday my PB will be as nice as the smallest fish on that site...still hunting a 10 pounder...maybe someday!

I catch most of the above listed (except musky...wish I could accidentally catch musky). I also catch quite a few dinks when bass fishing, they are a different species right I usually don't know what to expect when bass fishing and go in with that mindset, the real fun is catching bass when you are catfishing...a 2' LMB on a jug at 3 a.m. is always a welcome treat!

I've caught some big'uns in the middle of a hot day, but have also struck out more than my fair share. I would think this is at least partially due to the fact that we would focus more on what we are doing because we know going in that the bite will be tough...do you think that is the case, or would you guess it is something else???

Wouldn't have been my first choice for sure but the prospect of a free education apparently CAN make a man swallow his pride :-[

I'm hoping my local BPS gets Eeliminators and Roosters before I head to KY lake at the end of the month...wishful thinkin' I know but fingers are crossed

For Alabama... http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bream/90.cfm "220-2-.90 Use of Game Fish for Bait - Use of Sunfish (Bream). It shall be lawful to use the following species of the sunfish family for bait in the streams and waters of Alabama: bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), green sunfish, and/or any other species of bream; provided, that nothing in this section shall be so construed as to allow any person to have in his possession any sunfish or bream in excess of the daily creel limit, regardless of size. (Acts 1953, No. 644, p. 903; Acts 1967, No. 572, p. 1327.)"

I'm with you (of course I also spent 10 years studying serial killers and reviewing crime scene photos at UofL)...that ain't nothing!

SSSSWWWWWWWEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!