senile1

Thanks, fishfordollars. We all need the reminder. This is the place to go for information.

Off the subject: Burley, your avatar is killing me. I just about split a gut when I saw that thing. ;D

Catt's a structure guru. One can a learn a lot by going back and reading some of his posts. 8-)

I like DTs and the Fat Free Shad. It all comes back to using the lures that work for you. I don't usually go out and buy a lure because a pro states it was his winning lure. That lure may not work for me. We see it all the time in discussions on this forum. Some people love particular lures while others couldn't catch a cold with them. I use what has always worked for me. If something new becomes a trend and numerous people are buying it and successfully fishing it, then I'll try it. Unfortunately, this puts me behind the curve on new lures, but in the meantime, I'm still catching fish.

August, 2008: 7 lb 5 oz largemouth on a 3/8 oz Booyah white and chartreuse spinnerbait with willowleaf and colorado blades.

That is the principle as I have always understood it from my reading. And while it is only a rule of thumb, give or take a few feet, there is science behind it.

Great job, Dominick! I know it took a log of hard work, especially while working full time. Congratulations!

They aren't the only worms I use, but I like Culprit worms. 8-)

I'm not a brand snob, by any stretch of the imagination, but like Cart7t stated, I like for my rods and reels to have a consistent feel that I am familiar with. I'm curious about everyone's take on one of the items that ghost mentioned in his initial post: G.Loomis rods are well-known for their sensitivity. To win an Elite Series tournament, it would seem that an angler would try to use the most sensitive rod for some applications. What do you all think is the reason? (i.e. money from sponsorship of a less sensitive product more than balances out the chance of winning with a different rod, G.Loomis may not be that more sensitive, they use them but not in front of the camera, etc.).

Hey Senile, You must not have been fishing the ditches when you lived in Sikeston! ;D We hit 'em hard in mid-summer with nightcrawlers, cut bait, and live shad. Not uncommon to catch any or all of the following on the same day: White bass Crappie Largemouth Kentucky Bass Sunfish Goggle Eye Drum Channel Cat Flatheads Blue Cats Longnose Gar Common Carp Bowfin I'm probably missing some, but when you're fishing a ditch off the Mississippi with live and cut-bait for more than a few hours, just about anything is possible. The water is almost boils with activity...and many days the bites are non-stop. P.S. Almost forgot about the Asian carp and shad that we catch in the throw nets. That's why I said I could be wrong. When we were kids we fished the ditches all the time with night crawlers and we caught multiple species. I just can't remember how many different species I caught in one day. That was 30 - 40 years ago.

Bass_Akwards stated: Therein lies the conundrum. Some fishermen who have only fished from the bank believe that if they can just acquire a boat they will diminish the days when the bite is tough. Unfortunately, once you have a boat, not only is other productive water accessible to you, but more unproductive water becomes accessible as well. And the majority of the water is unproductive so you must read your electronics well and know what structure/cover/forage combinations to look for, based on the bass season and weather conditions, to increase your productive fishing time. (The larger the lake the more this comes into play.) It generally doesn't come to you overnight even with reading and advice. Time on the water applying the information is imperative. Learning to read your electronics is invaluable. You have to know what you are seeing on your two dimensional screen and interpret it in a three-dimensional manner to know what it is showing you beneath the water. (My experience: I fished small lakes as a kid in a boat. I thought I had arrived. When I bought my own boat and decided to fish very large lakes I received a rude awakening the first few times I went out. You have to learn to fish where the fish are.)

I don't think I've ever caught more than four species in one outing, but I could be wrong. The last time I caught four was at Smithville lake last year. Largemouth Bass Crappie Bluegill Walleye I've caught all of the species mentioned in the previous posts, except for skipjack, at one time or another, and I would add channel catfish, green sunfish (often mistaken for bluegill), carp, and grinnel (bowfin).

I'm with Muddy on this one. I find that those who have reached a certain degree of competence beyond the intermediate level on an instrument, or in composing music, usually have a different viewpoint from the average listener about what constitutes musical genius, but that isn't set in stone. To each his own though. I guess I should add that I have heard a catchy song or two from Jack White's bands. I just don't find much in the major forms of popular music that rises to the level of genius for me. I intend no offense. It's just my opinion and the majority of popular music lovers would disagree with me.

I think everything you said is true, Paul. If one doesn't understand why they didn't catch fish he/she can't make the necessary corrections. The thing is, by the time I figure it out, conditions have changed and I have to figure it out all over again.

I draw another good point from Catt's post. Many of us have mentioned that a great fisherman is consistent on any body of water. Maybe that applies to a tournament fisherman but I don't think it applies to everyone. There are old-timers who have spent the time to learn every nook and cranny on their home body of water. Some guys have done this without the benefit of electronics, yet they are killer fishermen on that body of water. Just because they haven't learned another body of water doesn't mean they don't have the ability to do so. If I can go out to my home water and catch a 20lb plus sack almost every day I fish or a huge tropy now and then, chances are I wouldn't have that much of a temptation to learn a number of different lakes.

LOL. I know if it was my kids I would definitely discourage them from doing these things.

Muddy, I think it is similar to you and I feeling dejected when a musician that we have known and loved for many years dies at an early age. Some of them die young because of the lifestyle they have led. No one forced them to drink heavily or take drugs on a consistent basis but some of them did it anyway and now they are gone at a much younger age. We regret they are gone for a number of reasons I guess. (What could they have accomplished if they had lived longer? We regret they are gone because of our attachment to their music. Etc.)

I wondered how we were being represented. At first I was afraid the part about Ike trying to avoid the skunk was our representation.

Me too. But recognizing who might be adding pressure to the fish is part of that. Regardless, if you are versatile, you can often catch some fish behind almost anyone. That's true, Paul. I just think that in most cases it would be difficult for me to judge if someone is a "stick" without watching them for a period of time. I could obviously tell if someone is spooking fish in an area through minimal observation of their actions and in the case you mention of someone fishing an area and moving on, I could quickly make the decision whether another bait or tactic should be tried while following behind them. I guess it doesn't take much observation to determine if someone isn't the best of bass fishermen as they tend to give that away pretty quickly. But if they are top-notch, I think that would be more difficult to determine without quite a bit of observation.

Thanks, Paul. After reading many of the posts I may have misunderstood the question. When I arrive at the lake I don't worry about who is a "stick" and who isn't. I only worry about what I can control. I haven't really put much thought into gauging a fisherman's ability by his appearance.

Check your field guide. Cottonmouths dont occur in PA. You pay too much attention to wives tales. hJerk24 is right, he said copperheads not cottonmouths. However, an "I told you so remark" would be appropriate regarding the water moccasins which, as previously stated ,don't occur in PA. I know this reply is rather late to the post above, but I've been away awhile. Water moccasin and cottonmouth are names for the same snake.

I don't think there is a definitive answer for this question. Some bass will bite very quickly after being caught. Many will not. Typically, it is the younger fish that will bite more quickly after being released but there is no rule, or range of time, that can be given to cover all situations. Individual bass exhibit different behavior.

I agree with Way2slow. The 285 is a sweet boat in that size. I was in the market a year ago. I ended up buying a 19' 6" Stratos 295 Pro Elite, but not before I had tested the Stratos 285. It has lots of room and rides well. My current boat also has the 200 Ficht engine but all of the recall work was performed on it and it runs like a top. I wouldn't have bought it if the recall work had not been performed. As Way2Slow stated, it does require specific maintenance but it's not that difficult or expensive in my opinion. I read that the 175 Fichts had the most problems (See link below); however, I have no experience with them so I can't speak for them. Just from the information given, I would go with the Stratos. (As for the 275, take the 285. The 275 has a wide beam for a 17 and a half footer but you'll want the extra length.) http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=79617 Quote: CORRECTION, JB,20% of the '98 and '99 150 and 175 FICHT's without the factory fix, were some of the worst motors OMC built, since the 1964 90hp. The 2000 and later series were the next generation FICHT Ram and they have a good reputation. Proper setup by a QUALIFIED tech is the key.If it has not been registered before, it carries a 2 year warranty from Bombardier. Like was mentioned previously, see if it had the injector hold-down upgrade on it. The easy way to tell is to look at the bolts holding the injector flange to the cylinder head. If they have a 1/2" head, they are the new ones. Bolts with a 3/8" head need to have the kit installed at no charge to you.Make sure the engine is propped for 5800 to 6000 rpm, feed it the FICHT Ram oil, and run it like you stole it.

PM sent, Dominick. I hope you and yours are doing well.

Congratulations! Break out the cigars!