Goggle Eyes

A few days ago I was excited to post about a trip my son and I had ahead of a cold front on grandpa's pond. It was one of those days when the bite was on. He nailed (3) nice ones including a 3 lber. We returned yesterday afternoon, but found high pressure, heat, lots of sun and not many bass. However my 9 year old caught this beauty (20" approx. 5 lbs) from the dock on a soft plastic frog. He caught another 1 lber, the only two fish we saw the whole day. I said forget baseball, you may have a career on the pro bass circuit!

She's a doll! That's what its all about. I have two boys, the older boy is a big, premier soccer player and he garners a lot of attention. Its natural to some degree, but my younger boy and I have really bonded through bass fishing. Last night "hooked" him forever. I had to explain however that there will be a lot trips where the bass are nibling and we will struggle to see 2 nice ones if at all. He doesnt care, he just likes hanging out.

Are the spring loaded scales very accurate? I will certainly make the trip to get one.

How big are those hawgs? I seldom bring a scale, but I do measure. What would you guess this one weighs: 19.5"

Thanks, man! We will be talking about that for years. 8 nice bass in 3 hours....

I took my boy out to Grandpa's pond last night and he had the night of his life (so far). It was one of those evenings when a front was coming (we had some pretty heavy storms in the St Louis area yesterday) and we were on the southern edge. As soon as soccer training was cancelled I looked at the weather knew we would have a good chance at seeing some fish so we immediately loaded up. My son usually fishes from the bank and has caught many dinkers, perch, small cats, etc. but has never landed a big one. You cant reach the honey hole on this pond from the bank. I put him in the boat, tied on a 7.5" blue worm (Culprit, my goto) and immediately he caught a 2lb fish. Of course my wife had the digital camera so we were left with a cell phone, but nonetheless. For all those dad's out there, I'm sure you know there is nothing better than seeing your boy's first big fish. His eyes lit up and he just started laughing. I would have traded all my big ones, just to see that. He started to lose patience after a quiet spell so I tied him up with a Berkley plastic frog. He had no bites for awhile and he was getting real ansy, then.....boom! 3lb bass took it hard. We both nearly feel out of the boat. What a night!

Its the skill of the presentation, timing, enviornment, maybe a little luck as well, although I know experienced fisherman will argue against that. Fact is, bass have to eat and the quality of the presentation is key, in my opinion. To get the big ones out of their holes and provoke a strike is what its all about. Changing colors, sizes, retrieve is all critical. Thats why I prefer going with another fisherman, so two guys are trying things to see whats working. I have found that 7.5" worms and top water either early or late are the most consistant for big fish where we live. I know other guys who rely on jigs, cranks, etc. and have no use for a jitterbug for instance. My biggest bass was still the one I caught at 11:30pm on a black jointed jitterbug. He hit that thing and nearly pulled the rod out of my hands. I caught another one 5 lbs on the way to the boat ramp that night. My buddy, who wasnt a fan of Arbogast was trying buzzbait, spinner, lizards, everything else and had nothing.

I'm surprised to see only one mention for Culprit....I'll double that. Their 7.5" electric blue original worm works for me when others arent producing.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/hook-and-bullet/ No, thats a nice fish. Too big for the live well!!!

so smaller lures, natural colors b/c obviously the fish can see clearly. I dont think it would have mattered what you threw last night, they werent hungry!

Did some fishing at a lake last evening that was deep (fished in 11' to 25' of water) and featured some pretty clear water. I could see my lure about 5'-6' down as it was coming up. I dont usually fish in these conditions so it threw me off a bit. What colors would you use for spinners? White? What about crankbaits and plastic worms/craws? Would you go darker such as purple, dark blue or black or would it have been best to go light such as light pumpkinseed or something??? Its good to learn new approaches after taking a beating. Heck they didnt even hit the Jitterbug after dark!!! There actually be no bass in that lake . I tried just about everything in my box last night and was officially skunked for the first time in a long time. Not one bass, not even a dinker. Bummer! This is a high pressure lake with lots of recreational boating so I was apprehensive to begin with. Goose Creek in St Francois County, Missouri. Anyone tried this place?

Great job, what did you use to cover your boat with? It looks like fiberglass.

I used to think that I was looking for that one 8 lb bass (I have caught 5 lbrs, 7 lbs, etc) but then I went to Kentucky Lake and now I want a large brownie, bad! I had a decent one hooked but lost him at the boat.....drag.

We were talking, laughing and having fun, no doubt about it... I just happened to have a night where even subtle bites felt vicious. It wasn't a case of concentration or focus. It was the weed ;D

Hey, how about those Devils! They signed Salvador from us, good d-man, nice guy. Thanks for the input, looks like I will pick up this rod. In that scenario I have a fast action for some applications and mod. fast for others.

Aaron is the mod. fast better for crankbaits,spinners and top water than the fast action rods? why is that? Thanks for the input!

What types of lures would you most likely use this rod for (1/4 - 1 oz.) lures? Rapalas and top water? Or soft plastics? I have been using a fast action, MH, casting rod for spinners and heavier jigs but I have a chance to pick up a tad lighter rod but I'm not sure that I have a need for it. Any ideas?

do you have any fear of your leader snapping at the knot? how long of a leader do you need? 25'?

so it sounds like flourocarbon has less visibility. I may try it and see how it goes. The guide prefers it, so I'm comfortable with his opinion.

we're going to kentucky lake so I know it isnt clear. what other reasons would there be. he said he prefered it for jigs

Just got some advice from a friend in Kentucky that for our upcoming trip I should spool my baitcaster with flourocarbon vs. braided, in this case 14 lb. fire line crystal. Any thoughts??

Zoom pumpkin seed no doubt. We throw them near the banks in the evenings, works well. Does anyone fish them on the ledges down deeper?

Well, sounds like I cant go wrong. Cant wait to land some Kentucky Bass with that rig!

Thanks for the heads up. The forecast is calling for mid 90's!!! That kinda stinks, but bass still need to eat! My wife will be happy to hear there is some good bbq.

Thanks for all of the good input. The President seems to have a lot more bearings than other brands at this price range. Is this a big bonus?