Captain Rhino

That thing looks like it has the body size and shape of a carp. Heck of a catch!

My mouth is drooling a little bit looking at that spot. I bet there are some whoppers in there. Congrats on the catch!

Excellent, thanks for the advice!

I only have M and ML's. I know stripers can get pretty heavy, which is why I'm concerned about my smaller rods.

I am looking to buy a rod for striper fishing at Lake Cumberland, KY. I have a large reel already, but am looking for a rod to fit it. I will probably use this rod for a bit of catfishing as well, but the majority will be for striper. I will only be able to go about 5 times a year, so I am not looking for an overly expensive rod. Any advice or recommendations? Thanks, Rhino

I completely agree!

I usually wear gym shoes when I go fishing. It would be nice to wear sandals or go barefoot when its real hot out, but I don't want to take the chance of stepping on a hook or something like that. This is especially true when fishing from shore. I don't trust others to pick up their rusty hooks.

That is an absolute monster!!! I am stunned...

That's a very fat and healthy looking bass! Congrats on the great catch.

x2

x2... Especially in farm ponds, this is the best and easiest way to catch them (IMO)...

It isn't necessarily a jig bait, but a tube that I like to use is the Kinami Palm Tree. It is a solid tube type bait that doesn't require any extra weight to make solid casts. It falls slow, so it is good for dead-sticking IMO. I have caught a couple of 5# on them. Rhino

How would you fish the jig? Would you swim it? Bounce it? Or let it dead-stick off the edge? I have been really experimenting with jigs lately and would like to give that a shot.

I have been fishing at Laurel River-Lake in Kentucky few times this year, and I found a nice dropoff last time out. I am not sure how to approach it. Here is the scenario: Coming out from shore, the bottom has a slow decline to about 25 feet. At this point, there is an extremely steep drop to 150 feet (I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it on the depth finder). I was thinking about using a deep diving crank or spinnerbait over the dropoff. What would you do in this situation? Thanks, Rhino

If you are anywhere close to Dick's, every one I've ever been to have Ika's.

Looks like an awesome time...

What bait did they use? How deep did they fish?

Sounds like a dream I've had... I *** your new spot.

I've been over to Laurel a few times this year, I have not been disappointed with the results. Though I have been catching mostly trout, it is an awesome place to go. I cannot really speak about years past, since I have only recently been able to get down there, but I'm glad to hear about the positive results with smallie sizes. I can't wait to get back and catch some.

I have some deep diving DT's and other cranks, I assume those will work just as well. What water depth should I run the boat at in this situation? And what pound test do you recommend using?

I have done a good bit of searching, and cannot find much about lake trolling. Can anybody give me some pointers? I have a lot of gear, but not sure what is most effective (as far as line size, amount of weight used, and bait presentation). I usually throw lures on the move, and have never really been taught how to deep troll for bass (and possibly trout in the lake I'm going to). But I would like to try it. The lake I'm going to is Laurel River-Lake. It is a man-made, clean lake, with steep drop-offs. Any help? Thanks, Rhino

Look at the mouth and head on that thing! Wow!

I really like the coloration! Awesome job on the rod.

Awesome post J, thanks for sharing!

I like all of them, but those top 3 are sharp...