senile1

This item must have so much good mojo that the next angler just decided to keep it.

I beat the hell out of my Booyahs and Strike Kings. When I get finished with them the wires have bends in them from being bent back so many times. I've tried a few brands that appear to be built of higher quality but I generally stick with these because I have confidence in them. I use the ubiquitous white, white/chartreuse, and black colors.

I second that. When I consider what you guys, and all veterans, do for us it makes me ashamed that I didn't contribute anonymously. What have any of us done compared to you and our veterans? None of us can begin to know the hell that many of you go through for our country. Torrential thanks to all veterans.

;D Thanks for the laugh.

I think Tin would be more interested in Nickelodean.

Randall, as always, you provide a great report, awesome fish, and knowledgeable information about Lake Varner. I hope the DNR doesn't allow this wonderful bass lake to be ruined.

Nice fish! Congratulations on the PBs.

I'm with Randall on the 7 - 8 lb estimate. She's long and lean and somewhat similar to the one in my avatar which was 23 and a half inches but it didn't break seven and a half pounds. Sweet fish! I'm happy for ya'. 8-)

We still have some vegetation in Northwest Missouri but I would say that about 25 - 30 percent of it has died off in the smaller bodies of water. We've had a couple of freezes and this week the lows will be 20s to low 30s with highs in the 40s. I expect quite a bit of the vegetation to begin to disappear over the next couple of weeks. Water temperatures in the smaller lakes/ponds are around 50 while the larger lakes still have temperatures from 55 - 60. And the larger lakes have a good forage base of shad. Due to my work, I haven't had a great deal of time to take the boat out often so I haven't been fishing the "shad-based" water as much as I would like. When time is short I head to the smaller bodies of water and fish from the bank. What are the conditions in Colorado?

Paul, those are some interesting points you are making and my experience seems to confirm what you are saying, though we obviously can't control for all variables. The main forage on one of my ponds is bluegill and sunfish. In comparison to the waters I fish where the main forage is shad, the bite on this pond is affected even more when temperatures near the 50 degree mark in Autumn.

I've watched Bill Dance since the early days and he was an inspiration to fish for bass. That's enough to make him one of my favorites. These days, I prefer watching the guys on "The Bass Pros," especially Kevin Van Dam. Daniel My Brother mentioned a couple of guys that I like to watch as well. Any day on the water is a good day, but when I would have a bad day of catching fish I could just go home and watch Joe Thomas and I would always feel better.

After you've been bass fishing for awhile information on bass behavior and locating fish becomes repetitive. Knowing this information and relating it to others isn't difficult. Applying the information when on the water is another matter and always will be what separates the good angler from those who are mediocre. However, that doesn't detract from the quality of the information in the article for those of us who don't know the author.

Paul and LooksLikeSinbad, I notice a pronounced difference in the bite when water temperatures hit 50 on down. Both of you mentioned using the X-rap which I do like to use, but when temperatures get colder I have more success with the Rapala Husky Jerks. The action is milder and they seem to get a few more largemouth bites under these conditions, at least for me.

Sweet! Happy birthday, Daniel. We celebrated my eldest daughter's birthday yesterday, also.

Unlike some sports where physical attributes such as strength and size can make a huge difference in competition, and in the possibility of injury, fishing can be performed by everyone. I see no reason why men and women can't compete in the same tournaments. I know some women that are outstanding anglers. My wife smokes me the majority of the time when we fish for crappie, her favorite fish.

Sweet! Welcome.

Welcome, Monroe. I look forward to your posts and hope to benefit from your experiences.

Welcome! How big do the bass get in Taiwan?

Welcome, KYbassman67. Since you are fairly new to bass fishing with artificial lures, take a peak at the articles section of this website. You will find answers to most any question you may have, including the seasons and how they affect the behavior of bass.

AARP is sending their junk to people at 50 now. Happy belated b-day, Bass-Brat.

In your list, the Powell Max is one of the better rods in my opinion. I don't know how it compares to the Gblanks, the American Rodsmiths, or the Kistler, but I think it meets or exceeds the performance of the Crucial, the Carrot Stix, and the Cara. I'm not familiar with the traits of the Okuma or the Damiki rods that you mentioned.

Ten to 12 lb test mono will suffice for most of my cranking needs but for deep cranking I'll go down to 8 lb fluorocarbon.

Water temperatures, on the smaller bodies of water here, are in the 50 degree range. Smaller husky jerks, Lucky Craft DD 100s, and slow-rolling spinnerbaits were the ticket this past weekend. Jigs have been good too, but not last weekend.

Yes, absolutely.

If I were in your shoes, I would buy a used boat but I would be extremely careful and check it out from top to bottom. Not only should you take it out for a ride, but you should have a mechanic look at it before you decide to purchase it. If it checks out, you'll feel the benefit in your wallet.