basswest1

Im going to visit friends in texas and think ill stop at Lewisville.........what is usually happening then? Are bass still in spawn mode or predominantly post spawn.....and where is a key place to concentrate on. Thanks.

Im looking to link with someone who is going to be fishing the weekend series as a co-angler. I will be fishing all of the events and need a link for at least the first one which is next weekend on the Harris Chain. Co angler entry fees are $100. For more info go to www.americanbassanglers.com. Please PM me if you are interested in linking.

Yeah, I had it checked out and their tests have come up with nothing abnormal. I hate this mystery crap. It could be the switch on the pedal except it is working for the dealer. Ill bypass the breaker for awhile and try that. Im just hoping this problem wont end up costing a ton of money. I was hoping it was a motor issue because it is under warranty.

I have a 71 lb thrust Bow Mount Motorguide trolling motor with a variable speed. It just recently started to act erradically, ie......the RPM starts to vary at a constant speed. I took it in to a motor guide dealer and they cant find anything wrong with it. They told me it was probably something faulty with the boat. Probably the breaker. Im pretty sure all that the whole trolling motor wiring consists of the female plug at the bow and the main positive and negative wires that go from the plug to the breaker. Has anyone experienced this, and how do I test the breaker to see if it is what is malfunctioning. The breaker looks fine. It is a waterproof breaker and looks like it is alright. If it is not the breaker and not the trolling motor itself how could i eliminate components within the system to find what is at fault?

Im just kind of conducting a general poll on how people are fishing the lakes. Thanks

I just wanted to see how most of you are catching fish on the Kissimmee chain.......more specifically West Lake Toho.

Considering the amount of life around Cochrans I probably could have fished a little more there. I started off on the outside edge with a small Money Minnow and then proceeded inside the grassline with a Toad, a gold spinnerbait, a fluke and then later on a 7" worm. If i had got at least a bite I would have stayed longer. I moved to florida in 2006 and when i got here it was already on the fall, so Ive never really got to fish it this high.........its actually relaxing because you dont have to worry about running it.

I made a trip down to Lake O today, I was anticipating a hot bite with all the good looking water and all the current pushing around. It was an extremely discouraging day, and I only made out with one keeper for my efforts. It looked like everyone was having a tough time......noone could sit still, everyone was moving to new spots, and I never saw another boat catch anything, and everyone I talked to had zip. I even got pulled over by the aqua cop who was pulling everyone over he saw and he said not a single person he pulled over had caught anything.\ I fished observation shoal around Cochran's Pass and boy did it look good. decent water clarity, teeming with life and current. There was all kinds of fish jumping, mullet, mayan cyclids, and who knows what else. I was absolutely amazed that I couldnt at the very least be able to drag one out with a worm. The only thing I can think of is that these fish have gone through some crazy changes......from about 10ft elevation to 15ft in a matter of two weeks............that is a huge amount of incoming water especially for a natural lake. Did anyone else go out this weekend to Lake O........Id appreciate if youd share your experience. L8tr

I have a shimano Cruicial rod and the tip guide ceramic insert has fallen out. Is there a type of glue, epoxy or adhesive that any of you would reccomend? Im not talking about the whole tip guide, im just talking about the small round insert in the guide. Thanks.

Ok Guys, I might........MIGHT......just do some shiner fishing this year......I want to know what you real shiner professionals do to provoke those big bass. What the best tackle is and what the best techniques are. Thanks

Does anyone know if you can get to West Lake Toho from East Lake Toho, or visa versa, by canal? If so, is it included in the Kissimmee Chain during tournament competition, or is it usually off limits by tournaments. I vaguely remember seeing something about Terry Segraves fishing East lake at the 06 Open that Terry Scroggins won. Just wondering if it is accessable in tournaments. Thanks

Im just wondering what kind of liscenses you need to become a freshwater guide on florida lakes. Does the state require a Coast Guard Captains Liscense for freshwater guiding? Thanks.

The rim canal is good, and has been good for a long time, however, if the bite is not happening with the bigger fish there, and it looks like a limit of 3lb fish could do well look to the lake. I fished the last BFL out of Okeechobee (and i know that this was a month ago and conditions change) however I had one spot that I went to on the north side of observation shoal that was not too far northwest of Cochrans pass which had supplied more 3-5lb bass than i could ever ask for. During that tournament my non-boater and I both caught a limit and each culled at least 7 times before 9:30.......and my depthfinder said .8ft! And the best thing about the spot was that it produced more than two limits of fish every day I visited it for a month! Now, clearer water was important.......along with timing.......you cant catch them after the sun gets up out there.......they move too much and you cant catch up with them. Rattletraps caught all the fish. As far as getter out there........take the Sportsmans cut out to the water tower and when you pass the water tower then you can start following Observation down........for your first time DO NOT stop in water less than 4 feet.......and idle your way in........and do not get lower than a mile above cochrans pass unless you know the way to go through Uncle Joes cut from the rim canal....which can saver you alot of time......but ive never tried it but many of my friends have done it RECENTLY.

Ok Florida guys....I just went up to Lake Erie in Buffalo NY to fish with an old friend........and I really didnt want to come back. Now I love Florida, and the fishing can be great...........but lets face it..........it sucks right now. Well anyways I went up and fished for one day on Lake Erie and ended up catching 30 smallmouth.........ranging from 1-6.10lbs. I ended up beating my previous personal best twice in the one day we fished. I ended up catching a 6lb 10oz and a 6lb 5oz. I cant believe the fishing up there.......believe me when i say that they had to drag me away!

The biggest factor is how fast the water has fallen. If it has been falling slowly over a long period of time, the fish are less afected. If it was a quick fall, then the bass would really be doing something weird. I would really try to find some very bluff banks in order to try to catch the fish that arent affected by the falling water. Just find the areas which you were catching them before the fall, and work your way down deeper. Pay attention to brushpiles or outside edges of grass near river channels. Think Funnels.

I had the same thing happen. First I used a light tester and started at the tounge. After finding ample powere there I moved to the back of the swing away tounge.........nothing. I pulled the wires out and that is when I found out that the wires had been cut due to me backing up into them or something.........when you hitch up yourself this is a common problem. However I still wasnt getting any power to the rear lights after fixing that problem........so i had to start the process all over again.......I still wasnt getting power as far as the back of the swing away tongue. I found out that I was losing ground at the pin that hold the swing away toungue in place. So I simply regrounded it. So check all grounds, and check for damaged wires........especially close to the tongue.

Im trying to mount my new Motor Guide Trolling motor on my boat and it came with some rubber mounting isolators, which look like a rubber T. Has anyone had problems using this type of mounting hardware?

Ok........well i found out why one of my batteries wasnt charging all the way........There was a hole in the bottom of the battery!! Im so ticked off. My dealer has made the most stupid mistakes. I took out one of my trolling motor batteries to check to see if their was any damage to it.....and what do i find at the bottom of the battery seat? TWO SCREWS! And every time the boat would hit a wave or move those darn screws would dig into my battery! That was why one of my cells was bone dry.......even after i filled the darn thing. Im so angry right now.......this is not the only stupid, corner cutting, move my dealer has made either. Now ive got to buy a new battery. AHHH!!

Ok.......I was just wondering. Is there any way to buy a bow mount trolling motor without paying for the mount also. I just want to buy a trolling motor and put it on the mount that i already have. I know that you cant do that through the Bass Pro website but i thought i remember the actual store selling the trolling motor alone.

I noticed that I had some condensation on the outside of my trolling motor batteries. I dabbed a little on my finger and it definently tasted acidic. Is this normal? These are fairly new batteries (december), however i have noticed that they are holding less of a charge......but the water is full in each cell. Whats up with this?

Hey guys.....its me again. I made a post asking about my newest claim with my insurance company about my accident this weekend. To put you up to speed......i hit a rock and bent my Stainless prop and my shaft.......and have to replace my lower unit. I was just thinking.........is there any way that my hydrolic tilt system was damaged. I didnt hit real hard...........well i guess i cant say that because i bent my stainless prop. Has anyone had to repair their hydrolic tilt because of a collision? In other words.....have you had to repair your hydrolic tilt system when you replaced your lower unit? The hydrolic seems to be working fine..........it doesnt make noises or has changed, out of water at least.........dont know about it with a load.

I just recently damaged my new Optimax's lower unit......to the tune of $5000.00. :'( Lets just say it hasnt been the best week. Well, Ive never made a claim with a boat insurance company before. I have a $250 deductible and im with U.S. Insurance Services. I talked to them and it seems like everything is in order. My mechanic is going to fax them the damage quote. What I would like to know is if anyone has a bad taste in their mouth about your own insurance claims...........or if you have had good experiences for the most part. I realize that my insurance is problably going up........but what kind of increase should i expect? This is a question that has many variables and every person's policy is different but id just like to know what to expect.

I know that most of us on the forum......and as bass fishermen as a whole, are concerned about the environment. One of the key points i was trying to make people think about is not just throwing away line in the trash..........it was about cutting it into peices too small for an animal to get tangled in. When it goes in the trash it goes to a place where more animals.......especially birds......are susceptible to getting tangled in it..........THE DUMP. Throwing line away is just part of it........throwing it away properly so it doesnt have a chance to harm anything elsewhere is the key. I dont think that most people think about cutting their line.....its just not something that is taught.

Well guys, I want to point something out that we, as anglers, should begin paying attention to: PROPER DISPOSAL OF FISHING LINE I find that for the most part anglers, hunters and other outdoorsmen are very thoughtful when it comes to whats best for Mother Nature.......but i have found that one of the most dangerous materials we use as anglers is also the one thing we dont dispose of properly. My dad used to nurse injured birds back to health when people would bring them to him. He has seen it all when it comes to injuries to wildlife. One day I was re-spooling my spin-casting reel, when i was real young. After taking off the old line I didnt think twice when i took the huge wad of tangled monofilament to the trash can, and when my dad saw this, he was very angry with me. He explained to me that the most common injuries to birds of all species is getting entangled in fishing line. That day my dad showed me the correct way to dispose of line.......he showed me that it is extremely important to take the wad of used line and cut it into sections no longer than 5" each. He told me that even if it goes directly in the trash, it is still as dangerous to birds and other animals...because when it goes to the dump there are hundreds of birds and animals that could get entangled. To this day, i feel that that is one of the most important things ive learned as an angler, because i take pride in respecting nature and doing my part to preserve it. Fishing at Okeechobee the other day, I saw a long, tangled mess of monofilament.......at one end wrapped around a dock.......at the other, a great big, white Pelican........with the line wrapped around its beak.......its wings and its feet. Every movement it made to escape the tangled mess it would cut deeper into its flesh. It was probably one of the saddest scenes ive seen in awhile, and it reminded me of my fathers lesson, and made me realize that others have never even thought of how to properly dispose of line. I really feel that fishing line one of the most dangerous materials to animals. It is so easy to get tangled in......and it is strong enough to cut through flesh easily, yet i see more huge lengths of line hanging from trees........telephone lines and tangled in cover. As Anglers we have a really big responsibility: We are responsible for protecting the environment and making sure that we preserve it for future generations. By taking the time to cut a wad of fishing line, you could really save a life. So please, cut your line, and when you get hung up.......please for God's sake dont cut it at the rod tip.........break it at the lure..........braid is no exception to that either...........it is the most dangerous........for the environment and for our d**n lower units on our outboards!! Please just respect the environment which brings you so much joy.

Sprayed Grass is my all time favorite for clear water.......and vegetation. Penetration is my favorite for muddy water. There is no secret color........but i have the most confidence in sprayed grass.