senile1

Avid, I thought you would throw a Senko?

What Roger said.

It's all here under the Tips and Tactics section. This is the link for flippin' and pitchin'. http://www.bassresource.com/fish/flip&pitch.html You'll want to practice before you do this on the water.

Well . . . you got me there, Avid. I have to agree with you.

CJBasswacker is correct. Keep the rod down.

I mean no offense to those who compliment Marcia on her good looks as I'm sure she appreciates the compliments that I've read in these threads from time to time. However, I would bet that she would prefer to be recognized for her accomplishments, and, especially on this site, for her bass fishing expertise. Great article. Keep on keeping on, Marcia.

Good info, bigtex. After all these years of trying to decipher new lakes on my own, you have opened my eyes. You can't be shy. Gotta' talk to the aged locals. Thanks.

Glad you found what you needed. I run a 65 lb thrust motor on my 15 1/2 foot bassboat. It trucks.

This is a fault of mine though I am much better than I once was. The lakes I fished as a child did not exceed a depth of 11 - 15 feet and the average depth of these lakes was 7 or 8 feet, so I was conditioned to fish fairly shallow. Occasionally, I will forget to flip my bail when I'm casting my spinning outfits. :-?

I have a video of me catching 5 - 10 lb'ers all day long but the quality is so bad I look like Bill Dance.

Due to the fact that the lake is unknown, you have to prepare for the worst (i.e. the water adjacent to the bank is surrounded by the worst brush imaginable.) You also need a lure you can fish in other conditions, so a compromise must be made. Since I only need to catch a 1 lb bass, I would go with a smaller worm to increase my chances of catching quantity not quality. Therefore, I would use a junebug Zoom 4 inch curly tail worm, Gamakatsu 2/0 hook, t-rigged with a 1/16th oz bullet sinker, with any quality MH fast tip rod and baitcast reel. Line would be Yo Zuri Hybrid 12 lb test.

When you set the Minn Kota at the highest speed you do run into torque issues but the pedal isn't as difficult to move, at least in my experience. However, the Motorguide I owned came with a used boat. I assumed that the pedal was difficult to operate because it was worn out. After reading some of the responses here, I'm not so sure now. I bought the Minn Kota based on quality for the price, not because I didn't like Motorguide.

I don't know about the latest Motorguides but my last one from the 90s performed exactly as everyone else has stated in this thread. I now own a Minn Kota.

Whether you believe or don't believe that Perry's record is legitimate doesn't matter. It is accepted as the record and it is the weight that must be broken to set a new record. Debating it won't change this. It is what it is. When everyone is finished debating, the record will still be 22 lbs 4 oz and you will have to catch a largemouth larger than this to change that fact. Remember the phrase from the old Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. This record can't be changed so all of us must accept it. Irritation over this record will cut years off your life which means less time to fish for bass.

Largemouth bass.

Good question from the Captain. I've found that there are other conditions in addition to cloud cover that affect mid-day fishing, because I've caught some monster bass and some monster numbers during sunny mid-days. I've also caught nothing under the same light conditions. If a few days of cool weather lowers the water temperature and then a warm sunny day comes along, by early afternoon the water is starting to warm in some areas and I've had a bass bonanza under these conditions. If it's been hot, then some cloud cover is definitely going to help. I think it depends what kind of weather has occurred previously.

Roger, I know you've stated this before and I agree. With any lure, you have two main choices, something dark colored and something light colored. What variations in dark and light you choose is up to you. Choose whatever gives you confidence, but in reality it probably doesn't matter as much to the bass as it does to us.

I usually have my next month's issue by this time. If you guys just received yours in the last couple of days, maybe I'll be seeing mine soon.

Madhouse has a point. Just my opinion, but I would always consider a late model used boat when looking at new ones. Otherwise, Tracker has a great reputation as do many others.

I fish in a 15' 6" Starcraft with a 70 horse Johnson. My trolling motor is the one mentioned in the quote above. I fish Smithville Lake in Missouri alot which catches the wind much like the Kansas lakes just across the border. This motor is great and is hard to beat for the price. When winds reach 25mph, it slows me down when going into the wind, but not enough to be disappointed. If fishing windy lakes, I'd go with at least 60 - 65 lbs of thrust.

Good point, Roger. I try to use some of my fishing days to learn to use particular lures that I'm not quite as proficient with. When your days on the water are limited due to work and other commitments, I can understand how someone would want to stick with their confidence baits to catch the most fish in the small amount of time alloted to fishing. But you have to break this habit and bite the bullet some days if you want to learn to fish new lures. In the long run, it will payoff.

Thanks, cajun. Tight lines.

I have never done anything that was illegal. I also caught a 20 lb bass in Missouri and ran a 2 minute mile. 8-) It was all a matter of miscommunication and misunderstanding and we all played a part.

Fortunately, DarrickP clarified that he is actually fishing legally in his state. Now that we understand him, let's show some understanding for those who responded to him. One last time . . . . No one assumed DarrickP was fishing illegally. His statements logically lead to this conclusion. He stated he doesn't fish legally (1st Post.) This only leaves two other options: fishing illegally, or he doesn't fish, period. Logically, if a person doesn't fish they would make the following statement: "I haven't fished." Darrick's statement was, "I haven't fished legally." So the only option left is fishing illegally. Simple logic.

Matt, guilty as charged. But if he says he has never fished legally, then the only other way to fish is illegally. There are only two choices, legal and illegal. In his later post, he says he was fishing private lakes without a license and if it is legal to do this in his state, then he would be fishing legally. Since his original post stated that he had never fished legally, then the only logical conclusion from this is that he fishes illegally. Hence, the emotions that some of us exhibited. DarrickP, thanks for clarifying that you fish private ponds and lakes. Alot of us here take the issue of illegal fishing very seriously. Tight lines.