Red Bear

seems like it would just add more pressure to me, part of why i fish is to escape the pressures of daily everyday life. i dont want to feel pressured to catch more fish than the year before, i dont want to feel pressured to feel like i have to go fishing more than i do go. i always want to get better but i dont want to compete with myself either. and honestly, most of the time i dont care to let it affect me if i catch fish or not, its about so much more to me than that...others may feel different, as you say it motivates you, its just not something im into now or see myself getting into. if it helps you become a better angler by keeping records of your fishing days then thats great, as for me i just choose to work off my memory and instincts as i always have in the past...

dont care to keep count myself

What part of the lake are you fishing? Roanoke River arm, Blackwater River arm, or the main lake around Craddock Creek? either way the lake can be boom or bust, figuring out the fish can be a cruel mystery. you can get some good advice from the guys at Captains Quarters over by Hales Ford Bridge too... as for cranks, i catch them on a 5xd in gray/silver with a black back, same for red eye shads but chrome with black back. one of the hottest producing top waters on the lake for years for bass and stripers is the storm jointed thunder stick in chrome/silver with the black back. if its going under the water even a bit then youre reeling it too fast. green colored soft plastics used to produce for me, lately it seems its purple worms and white anything around the docks for plastics. ive had better luck using weights than weightless, so take Sams advice and try a carolina rig, except that you can catch them shallow. there is a thermocline that forms in the lake. try a bluegill colored squarebill around stumps and downed timber as well. there is lots of structure and cover in the lake, you just have to find it... i stayed home this fourth of july for the first time in ten years or more instead of making the trip down there to SML or i would have some really fresh information for you...

this...the bass will blow up on it

id start around that bridge and hit all them points and pockets on both sides going down that channel with the small island leading into the bigger part of the lake with the two big islands and fish around them as well...

i read that dead decayed body parts washed up on the beach just feet from where the beach volleyball for the olympics will be set up...crazy stuff

i look for something thats going to last a long time. can handle the type of line i plan to put on it. weight is a factor only if i plan on casting it a lot, if im going to use it for something like catfishing then weight is less of a factor. the reel has to feel smooth when turning the handle and have a solid, smooth drag as well. also, the rod i plan to put the reel on has a lot to do with it as well.

i have an abu garcia ambassadeur 5601 bcx and an ambassadeur 6601 C4 that i use for various types of fishing. the 5601 i have used for bass fishing and occasionally still do, but its mostly a catfishing reel right now. the 6601 i use for catfish and stripers. never had a problem out of either of them. other than a couple years ago the 5601 wouldnt cast 10 yards, took it home, took it apart, then cleaned, greased and oiled it, now it casts a mile...

i would take a look at the Pfluegers myself. None of my Pflueger spinning reels have ever done me wrong. I have one older Abu Cardinal that i love as well, but i wouldnt touch the newer model Abu spinning reels, they just dont look to be as good a quality as the older models. Also seen some bad reviews on the Abu spinning reels. I own a Pflueger Trion, Supreme, and two Presidents i just added this year, all going strong, working great. I would say they are on top when it comes to spinning reels in my opinion...I also own a couple Penn spinning reels which are great...

i have both. i have my main tackle bag which carries most of my tackle to cover most any situation. but im not going to carry that around a pond while bank fishing. im going to transfer some stuff from there into my back pack. i carry some hooks, weights, knife, pliers, scale, tape measure, throw in several bags of plastics, and a couple of the slotted tackle boxes for a few cranks/topwaters/etc...its much easier to pick up and move with the back pack, and its much lighter. now when i go to my uncles house on Smith Mountain Lake, im carrying the full tackle bag and the back pack stays at home, as im stationary on the dock most of the weekend, and its easy just to set it in the boat when we go out to fish...

google search about bass

havent hooked any birds but one trip to gaston lake night fishing with my brother in law there was this blue heron that kept hanging around about 25 yards from us, near a bridge. the fishing was real slow that night, we hadnt caught a thing. the bird starts making a ruckus, its under a lamp post so we can see it real well. dang thing grabs a 20+ inch fish out of the water and flew off with it.

you mentioned expense yourself, i didnt just bring it up out of the blue. and correct me if im wrong, if youre fishing current/tidal water, i imagine your line stays pretty tight with the water flow, with only a little actually laying on the bottom or contacting stuff on the bottom. so i picture very little line actually getting frayed/damaged even with a weight. seems to me you could just strip off several feet and still have plenty of line left to fish. maybe my speculation is wrong on that part, im not sure. i guess i hadnt considered factors like how much line your reel spools hold, size of the line, or how often you may fish, but thats only because you mentioned the expense part of it and none of that...carry on...

the N.O. Saints still plan to hold training camp there at the end of the month(July). I believe they also have done or will do something to help out the relief/recovery efforts We had some vicious storms pass through my area of WV, but nothing like the places that got flooded

mono will last a long time, im talking years and still be very strong, IF STORED PROPERLY. i would suggest you dont leave your gear laying around in the back of your truck all the time. not only will it affect your line, but the heat may affect the grease and oil in your reels causing it to "run" inside the reel, leaving less on the parts that depend on it. its your money/line and you can do what you want with it, but you really dont need to change it that often. only reason to change it that often is if your reel is low on line, or you just want to try a different brand or size of line. otherwise, it seems rather wasteful to me. look at it this way, in the end if youre really changing it that often, is it really that much cheaper in the end? youre using more of it at a faster rate than you may use braid or FC...

i love my older model of the cardinal, one of the best reels i own. only paid $35 for it. im not so sure about the newer models that came out a few years ago though, havent tried them...

how far do you typically have to get a cast to go to get down to 15-20 feet? i often use 12lb mono myself for bass fishing, but i actually have no idea how deep my deep divers are actually getting...

and what proof do you have of this? it could be a natural deformation...

definitely the pflueger president

i have a few rebel baits, first lure i ever owned was a rebel crickhopper. i honestly didnt even know they made soft plastics. but ive been using some of their lures since i was a kid. one of my favorite that i cant find anymore is the rebel tadfry, its a great panfish lure and occasionally will catch bass too. i have one that im afraid to throw anymore for fear of losing it...

while trilene XL is a fine line imo, it does tend to fray quite often. thats one part i would definitely change up if fishing a lot of rocks and shells...

theres a few people here that fish lake anna. you may want to look at the southeast section of the forums

it already is in some states, i wonder how often it is enforced though.

buy a nintendo wii or wii-u. there are tons of fishing games for it. sit inside in A/C and fish...lol

how big is the lake youre fishing? it can be hard to catch bass while on the bank in large lakes. maybe try and find a few smaller ponds with bass and get your confidence up and your technique down...