cato

BTW, I could be wrong but I dont think that is a black rat snake.

Its possible I guess that maybe there is some restriction but not where I can see it. I may need to pull the pitot tube completely out and re-route it. I took it off and blew through it and it seemed clear but I'm lost at this point.

My biggest weakness at fishing is patience.

This guy thought he would swim over and check my boat out yesterday while I was on the hunt for largemouth. After he finally noticed I was on the boat he quickly changed direction headed for dry land. He was in the 5ft range. Black Rat Snake the best I could tell.

Top water and shallow water soft plastics. I suck at deep water and open water tactictics.

Jitter bugs work really well at night. I like to just slow retrieve them down the bank bretty much anywhere. I also really like tiny torpedo's and have had the best results in red and white. I change up my retrieve with them just depending on the strike. I usually start out with the tiny torpedo similar to the way a frog swims. 3 or 4 short jerks and let it sit for a few seconds then 3 or 4 more jerks. If that doesn't work after a while I will contiue the jerks with no pause all the way back to the boat. You will have to try a few different retrieves until the bass let you know what they like. This goes for most top water baits. Early morning and late afternoon and nights really produce for me with top water.

I have no desire to mount a bass period. If the fish is big enough that I feel the need to show it off then some pictures will do and if its REALLY big I will dish out the money for a replica. I have seen so many people around here keep every single thing they catch and that just pi$$es me off. On a side note I do believe that if someone's kid catches a very nice bass and wants it mounted I couldn't argue with that.

Lake Norman only has Spots and Largemouths. All of the other lakes you listed have smallmouths though. I have never fished Norman but I was going of of this site that talks about the species found in Lake Norman when I was thinking about planning a trip there. I'm not sure how they obtained this info. http://www.denvernc.com/fishspecies.htm

That was my thinking as well.

Northern Illinoise? You sure?

When I take people fishing that just want to catch fish I'll take them to chase the schools of white bass. They never dissapoint! Good to eat too!

We have smallies here in NC. I am in western NC and the water is deeper and colder. I dont think there are any in eastern NC though. Lake Lure, Lake Norman, Lake James, Linville River to name a few.

I've been a member for a short while now but never really introduced myself, so here goes. My name is Jesse and I'm originally from just outside of Raleigh NC but I moved to Western NC about 2 years ago. I'm 32 years old and I've been fishing and hunting since I was old enough to walk. Until last year I've always fished rivers and farm ponds from either the bank or on a small boat, but finally bought a bass boat last year and love it. Although bass fishing is my favorite, I will fish for other species for fun now and then. I will ask a lot of questions on here not because I'm clueless but because I really respect other peoples opions and feel I can always learn something new. I look foreward to getting to know you!

I cant remember the exact number because it was several years ago but I caught 75 largemouth in about and hour and a half at a large farm pond. most were in the 1lb range but also caught several 4-5lb and 2 over 7lb in that time frame. The owner has since passed away and his son will not allow fishing anymore!!!!

I would have bought it too!!!! I love projects like that, you get a real sense of satisfaction after its complete. Be sure to take lots of pictures while you fix her up and keep us informed.

very doubtfull

I personally like mine because I like to stand 99% of the time to fish and it is just right to take a break for a few minutes and have something to prop on and give my legs and feet a rest for a bit.

I just started using jigs recently and absolutly love them. I've been fishing with KVD swim jigs and booyah lately because I lost my favorite one over the weekend but I cant remember the brand from the local tackle shop. I'll be replacing it Friday though. I personally like anything that resembles crawfish because thats whats I've had the most strikes on. I've only used a couple of different trailer but plan of experimenting over time. You really have to watch your line though, you have probably had strikes and not realized it.

OK I've got to chime in on this one. First things first, If you cant afford the more expensive stuff there is no shame in fishing with whatever you can afford. Afford here being the key word! spending $20 on a lure for one person is not as much of a burden as it is for another. I will buy whatever I thinks works. I have some $2 stuff and I have some $20 stuff and I am fortunate enough to have a great job that allows me to try out new lures even if they do cost $20 each but its not something I choose to do often. I gaurantee you that there are people on this board with very limited budgets with the cheapest equipment that will outfish me and lots of you any day of the week.

It is a Lowrance X51 240x160 pixels. This is not a very expensive unit but it is what was on the boat when I bought it. I will eventually upgrade as I learn more and more.

Thats easy....pay off my current boat!!! hehe ;D

I have heard several people talk about seeing catfish, bass, stripers, etc on their fishfinders. I haven't personally had a lot of experience with sonar so how does a person identify and detach different species of fish on their sonar? Just yesterday I was on the lake and saw a lot of fish arches on the screen. for instance in 20ft of water I would see fish at 10ft and fish on the bottom. I saw several instances where baitfish (which I can identify) had some fish arches around them but I couldn't get them to bite anything I threw at them. Can you tell what species of fish is on your sonar? If so, how do I learn this?

Thanks, I've scratched the surface a lot but thats my first breakthrough. Many times 2 or 3 under on the front and lose it on the back! I think my lack of concentration hurts my fishing too!!!

Depends on the weather....time of year.....day of the week...etc lol.... I am an avid golfer and I would say thats my first love. I put a lot of work into it so it takes up a lot of time. I just shot my first round in the 60's a couple of weeks ago so that gets me pumped up just as much as a lunker bass. I would say after that in warm weather comes fishing and in the cold winter months I'll be deer hunting. I'll be fair and split the three 30/30/30.

I usually get my things together after my fishing trip so the next time I go its just a matter of hooking up to the boat and taking off to the lake. 10mins tops for that and then anywhere from 20-45 minutes to the lake depending on which lake I decide to fish.