senile1

Are we possibly talking about minnow raps here?

WLDCRZYWMN, if you like fishing for bass, stick with this site and you will learn quite a bit. When you run into situations where you don't know the laws in your state you can post it on here, and someone in your area will be able to advise you, usually. Also, you will learn a lot about catch and release and selective harvest which will help you to determine the times when it is good to keep fish and when it isn't.

I haven't read the legal info thread since I posted on it yesterday so I'm not sure if it got out of hand. In my post I believe I walked the fine line between castigating them and educating them. If an angler is within creel limits they are within the law. Otherwise, the courts will punish them if caught, plain and simple. As LBH stated, keeping 25 fish of any species is unethical. If posters gave advice, while at the same time complaining about the anglers' ethics, this would be an appropriate response in my book.

I didn't think this thread was intended to be a debate about Senkos vs "knockoffs." The original poster wanted to know what eveybody thinks about Wave Worms. I catch quite a few bass on Wave Worms t-rigged with no weight. I prefer Senkos for wacky rigging due to the movement that ghoti mentioned. Ghoti, were you wacky-rigging or t-rigging the Tiki sticks?

I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know, but ignorance of the law is no excuse. If the creel limits apply to private lakes in your state, then your friends basically don't have a leg to stand on. They should be cool with the judge and take their punishment, whatever that turns out to be. Personally, I won't take someone to task for staying within the creel limits since they are abiding by the law, though I prefer that most bass and all trophy fish be released for future enjoyment. I only believe in selective harvest to thin out over-populated waters and many people believe in catch and release at all times. Having said these things, I don't think your friends will receive much sympathy. In the future, maybe they should think about the damage they could do to a fishery by keeping so many fish. If someone really needs the fish for food, then abide by the law. Otherwise, keep only what is necessary to help the fishery. BTW, welcome to our forum.

I'm all for laws that protect our waters, but paying $800 - $2000 to permit a bass boat or a small recreational boat is a bit much, IMO. Is this a one time fee or is it yearly? I would like to read other sources on this to make sure there isn't some piece of information that we're missing.

That looks like tremendous fun! I've not fished for saltwater stripers. Nice pics and video as usual.

Great details and beautiful fish!! As RW stated, that's a PB for most of the people in my area.

GMAN stated: I still do this once in awhile also. I always catch it before I take off and I haven't bent a trolling motor shaft, yet. The_Muddy_Man stated: Muddy, in addition to your Mook boating classes, you should add one on how to create structure on the lake bottom.

Hey, RW. Just to let you know you're not losing too many brain cells, I picked up on your humor. You and those darned Senkos, G.Loomis rods, and Shimano reels . . . . . when are you going to learn?

I like Wave worms. I haven't tried their other baits . . . . yet. I do wish they made the worms in a larger size.

Do a search for posts regarding the Symetre on this site. You will find that, in many ways, it is similar to the Stradic, but is $40 cheaper. I would buy the Symetre over the Sahara.

If you're going to spend the money for an Avid, look at Powell rods for the same price. (http://powellco.com/) For the same money as an Avid, you get a rod that can compete in quality with rods over $200, IMO. I own both Avids and Powells and the Powell is the lighter, more sensitive rod, by far. BTW, I'm just an average recreational angler and I'm not sponsored by Powell, or anyone for that matter. I rave about these rods because their quality is exceptional but their price is mid-range.

Here's a nice article giving a proper technique for filleting fish. http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/fishcleaning.php Cleaning fish can be a lot of work if you aren't filleting.

RW's suggestion of the AC66MF is a good one as well as the AC70MF if you like a longer crankbait rod. (I prefer the shorter rod myself.) I have two Powell rods that do exactly what they are supposed to do at a price that belies their quality. I think their quality would justify a higher price, myself. Though I haven't used the Powell crankbait rods I'd suggest giving their 684 CB a look-see as well if you have a Powell dealer nearby.

MDangler14 stated: I was just reading up on the Siege and the Elite Sufix lines. As stated by MDangler14, Siege is made for heavier cover so this could explain the thickness of it, though it wouldn't explain a problem with abrasion resistance. I read a test on the Sufix Elite Brand on tackletour.com and they seemed to love it. Again, I'm just rambling because I haven't used Siege, but considering some of these things, it's possible Siege isn't the line for you, or you may have got a bad spool.

I haven't tried Sufix Siege because I have other mono lines I'm satisfied with. However, don't count out all Sufix lines because of your experience with this one. IMO, Sufix Performance Braid is the best braid on the market and I used to be a Power Pro junkie. As for the line being stronger than its stated strength that is a good thing in my book, as long as the diameter isn't thicker. In your case, it sounds like the diameter was more than the size you would accept for 12 lb line. Maybe someone else can comment from personal experience with this particular line.

Wow, beautiful fish! This is in Rhode Island, correct? Man, she is full of eggs, big-time.

Caught in the act. That's too funny.

LBH, your Skeet Reese comment was hilarious. Cajun1977 stated: [ ;D I do think I catch less fish with no underwear because it's easier for the bass to smell me. : Seriously, I just brought this topic up because I thought it was an interesting idea that we never think about, yet you always here advice to consider the clothing you wear when bank fishing. I've never used boat color as an excuse for not catching fish. I do use the lack of underwear as an excuse.

I'm thinking not anywhere, LBH. I see guys with bright red, white, or blue boats who are good anglers, but the clothing thing makes me wonder. I don't have to worry about it since my boat is a dull gray. Now that I think about it, professional anglers don't wear dull clothing either.

There is another thread about boat coloring, but the question I have is a bit off-topic for that thread so I thought I would start a new thread. I've read, and I believe, that the colors of our clothing, when fishing, should not be too bright as this helps the bass to see us. So what about boats? The wraps on the boats used by professionals would seem to be very bright and, obviously, are not a natural part of the surroundings, yet, these anglers don't seem to have problems catching fish. Many bass boats are colored brightly. Do you think that boat colors have any effect on catching bass?

Avid, I believe this is what he is talking about. Dcl27, if I am wrong about this, let me know. http://www.bassresearch.com/bass_fishing_matrix.html I agree that it could be of some assistance, but if I were a Newbie and I was going to use this I would treat it as a learning tool only. The cost for a soft or hard copy is $29.95 and the program is $39.95.

Specific techniques - Rapala Floater: I don't think there is a bad way to fish this lure. It has been a proven fish catcher for decades. I have two "methods" that I use most of the time. These are not in order of preference. Number one is to fish it as a surface jerkbait. Throw the bait out near cover, or over the top of vegetation, and let it sit for 15 - 30 seconds. Give it a slight twitch. Let it sit again for a few seconds. Then retrieve it to the boat in a jerk, jerk, pause sequence. None of this has to be exactly as I've described it. For instance, try 3 jerks and a 5 second pause. The patience at the beginning is crucial in my opinion. You would be amazed how many bass will strike the lure after that first twitch. Number two begins just like number one. You let it sit and then give it a twitch, and then let it sit some more. Then you retrieve it like a shallow crankbait with a moderate retrieve, giving it a jerk every few seconds or so. Fishing it like a shallow crankbait seems to give me more numbers but smaller fish. Fishing it slow like a jerkbait results in larger fish. Rapala Shad Rap: I fish this similar to number two above for the floater. Sometimes I do it fast with more jerks and sometimes I slow it down. This lure works great when fished through breaks in weedy areas and over the tops of vegetation. It isn't the best crankbait for banging into wood to entice a strike, due to the curvature of the lip, but it can be done with care. Fish the X-rap with a jerkbait retrieve as already stated in another post. One way to fish it is with two or three snapping jerks followed by a pause. Another way is to make the jerks more of a sweeping motion and then again, the pause. And yes, it works in the right place at the right time also.

I agree, although the shad rap isn't far behind.