avid

Well thank y'all for the creative replies. WayneP... gotta hand it to you buddy, that was a LOL hoot. I bought a havahart trap, but if it don't work then it's the rat trap fer sure. gotta git them critters outta there. I have killed and eaten squirrels. They are tasty, but these are educated suburban squirrels. I think they have lawyers.

Excellent. I always get a kick out of reading posts from other people that didn't get deleted.

I think the "type A" remark refers to type A personalities. Need to do things fast, so can't take the time to type all this stuff. Solution. Copy and paste someone else's post onto your reply. Then just typeover their reply but leave the bait type. Spinnerbait: Terinator white Buzzbait: berkley clacker type Shallow Crankbait: bagley balsa b Medium Crankbait: Wiggle Wart Deep Crankbait: bagley deep diver Lipless Crankbait: Ratltrap chrome/blue/orange belly Topwater: rico popper and super spook jr Frog: river to sea Plastic Worm: BPS 10" ribbon tail junebug Plastic Creature: GYCB Kreature Stickbait: 5" GYCB Senko watermelon/blk Swimbait:Matlures baby bass Jerkbait: megabass vision 110 Spoon: Johnson silver minnow Jig: 3/8oz. Tru-Tungsten pro model blk/blue See? that was easy !!

I couldn't agree more. Simpler is better. That's why I have simplified my tackle selection. that's why I on any given fishing trip I refuse to carry more than 50 crankbaits, or 25 styles of plastic worms. Simple is totally the way to go.

Yawn.....strettttttttttch, Wha? ... Huh? .....Umm.....what's for lunch?

Swim senko's are great. I was really surprised when wal-mart stopped selling them. I can only guess that people were fishing them weightless like the regular senko. This will work, but not very well. The weight is needed to get that tail wagging. Anyway, when I go to stick marsh I always have one rod rigged with one. It almost always accounts for some fish, and on more than occasion has been the killer bait for that day.

Yep. Confirmed. I have been doing research and think I know how to proceed, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone with experience. thanks,

I had this very badly about two years ago. It was extremely painful. I had a procedure done using ultra sound. The theory is that by inflaming the tendon via the ultra sound, the body sends more blood to the tendon. It was not covered by insurance who considered it experimental. However it did work. Keep in mind though that I had other surgeries performed that year and the next so my fishing time was cut dramatically. but the combination of extended rest and the ultrasound therapy did reduce the pain alot. I get "early warning" signals and unlike before, I listen when my body talks. good luck

I have both right and left handed including a lefty version of the flipping reel. Light, strong, a pleasure. Can't go wrong.

I have everyone of the baits you listed and more. Guess what? These days I rarely fish more than a dozen different baits. senko's, swim senko's, horny toads, rico popper, spinnerbaits, big ribbon tailed BPS worms, and ratltraps make up 90% of my fishing time. Add in trick worms, finesse worms, flukes, bagley crank, a LC pointer, and a spook and you've pretty much covered everything I throw. The other baits I own will get wet once in awhile and do catch fish, but simpler is better I have found.

I only use trick worms one way. I fish them weightless and swim them in the back of coves. For this application I only use one color. Merthiolate. Makes no never mind to me what the water clarity is. The bass will see this bait from 50 feet away and do the "torpedo" thing to smash it. Totally cool.

kudo's to you for a great outing. Really cool catching some nice bass on a bait you made yourself. I also want to compliment on the post. Great pictures, a video, and informative narrative. Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Night fishing for me is all about topwaters, with one major exception. A big, black single Colorado bladed spinnerbait will tear em up.

I agree. No doubt it hurt the fish. by this I mean "did damage" as opposed to pain. We could debate endlessly (and have) about the pain , but there's little doubt that a piece of sharp steel piercing a bass' eye has to do some damage. Like the other posters, I don't believe that this is an automatic death sentence for the fish. I too have caught numerous bass over the years with one good eye and the other in some kind of major distress. It's an unfortunate outcome that can't be completely avoided. Sort of like "collateral damage".

I would say two rods will do fine. A medium power and medium heavy. The medium would be for treble hooked lures. The ratLtrap in chrome/blue/orange belly is a Florida standard. I know guys who catch plenty of bass, including big ones who only use ratltraps. Wider wobbling crankbaits like series 4 strike kings work well. Of course you need a couple of topwaters. Chug bugs are another Florida standard. and a jerk bait like a pointer or rogue. The medium should also work well for spinnerbaits.For the MH buy a bag of watermelon/black senko's and some dark colored horny toads for fishing right in the grass. No kit would be complete without some plastic worms. They all work at one time or another, but you will need some light, say 3/16th bullet sinkers. If I could only buy one rod and one bait, I would get a 6 1/2 foot MH baitcaster, some quality worm hooks, and some senko's. I will sometimes walk a bank or launch a canoe for an hour or two and can usually catch a few doing this and nothing more.

I get alot of hits on salty super flukes and sluggo's. Due to thier light weight I usually throw them with spinning gear. I typically use a circle or possibly a mosquito hook. I tried skin hooking a light offset worm hook but had trouble getting a solid hook set. The exposed circle hook usually works well, but in the summer there is alot of loose vegetation and so the exposed point will pick up debris. Anyone care to share their experience with flukes and sluggo's?

can someone post a picture of the ninja worm? I can't seem to find an image. thanks

Had a nice thunderstorm this afternoon. It cooled things off enough for me to go out on the water and catch a few. got this bad boy on a BPS 10 inch ribbon tail

Depends on the size of the worm or what ever bait your using. the above statement cannot be overlooked. but that being said, I have settled on a small selection of hooks that pretty much covers all my needs. The main one is the 5101 style owner worm hook. Size is 4/0. Note that this is NOT EWG. It is my main hook. I use it on senko's swim senko's, culprit worms, trick worms etc. then I use the owner 4/0 riggin hook for fat ika's, horny toads, and other fat bodied plastics where the worm hook is too small. Last but not least is the #4 owner mutu light circle hook that I use for finesse worms, flukes and other light plastics thrown on spinning tackle. I never believed these would work, untill I saw a florida fishing show where a guide was catching redfish by the dozens with them. They are especially good for me because my spinning outfit is a light BSR 852. Not the best for "setting" the hook. but with circle hooks there is no setting the hook. You just reel. Yup. Just start reeling. Once I feel the rod load up, I sorta make a half turn and kinda "lean" a little to get the deepest possible penetration without pulling the hook out. It works really well for me. So those three hooks with rare exceptions cover all the bases for me.

One of the benefits of being disorganized is the joy of discovery. I find cool stuff that I totally forgot I owned. I can't wait to go senile

Speaking for myself, I find throwing dead bass back into the water repulsive for a couple of reasons. first. It demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the animal. Most bass fisherman value their quarry not just to win a tournament or post on a bragging board, but we have spent many years of our lives pursuing these critters and have developed an appreciation for them. Also it is unsightly to have dead fish floating around a dock. it risks damage to the sport by non fishing types who are rightfully repelled by seeing a dead game fish thrown into the water like the fish was garbage and the lake is a trash bin. I'm sure there are greater health considerations related to rotting carcases and such, but my feeling is, You caught it and killed it, so please eat it. If there is a reason not to eat it, then dispose of it in a manner that reflects some respect for the animal, the sport, and the public.

I don't know if it's a characteristic of florida strain bass or not, but we can have weeks of 90 + degree days. the water can be in the high 80's and the bass in our shallow lakes can bite like crazy. Fast movers like traps seem to work especailly well, but so will a T-rigged worm or senko. Go figure.

Pickerel are alot of fun to catch. They really smash a bait. They are really good eating too. Be careful of the bones, but the meat is very sweet and tasty.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about the grandiose title to this post. It was intended to draw "all in fun" insults. I'm so disappointed. :'(