D4u2s0t

I think people rely WAY too much on bait selection and bait color. The best most magical bait in the world in the top producing color ever made will simply not catch fish if there are no fish where you're casting.

in winter, I'm on the ice, catching fish while majority of anglers are home wishing they could be fishing. (boggles my mind) After ice out, I will wake up early to go before work, or when I get some free time. I'm probably out 3-4 times a week, and I definitely don't "have the time" to b out there that much. But like I said, i'll wake up early to get that fix in.

after ice out is a very tough time, I was killing them through the ice, been out about 5 times from shore last week (was still too much ice in parts to get the boat out) and in all that time in the water, I had one single bite. Just a few short weeks till the water warms up, and the fish are biting everything that moves to stock up for the spawn.

I agree completely. any double digit bass is knocking on the state record here, and if I catch anything over 3 lbs, I consider it to be a great fish for my lakes. I'll never forget the guy that caught the "5 lb smallie" or whatever weight he said, I don't remember. But it was MAYBE a pound and half lol.

here's my thoughts on lost, my fiance got me hooked on it I think in season 3. My big beef is they never really tell you anything, and everytime they DO tell you something, they add 5 things that you have no idea about. I'm waiting for the last episode, and the director to come on camera, point, and laugh at us for being such suckers and actually watching a show for 4 years that you have no idea what's happening lol.

I, like just about everyon else, have NEVER seen a fish die due to holding it by the jaw... i've seen fish die from being guthooked, held out of the water too long, dropped on the ground, thingsl ike that. But never because it was picked up by the jaw.

I've been thinking about the strike king sexy swimmer and the sebille one (i forget what the sebile is called) and after seeing them in action at a fishing show a few weeks back, I think i'll be getting both.

yep, i saw that one. I'm sure it was replaced, and how many people can say that ike lost a fish on their rod and broke it lol

this is one of the fishing shows I like to watch, because it's about fishing, it's not a half hour commercial. great show!

why don't you just buy the guy a ring already lol

when reeling, give some pauses to imitate an injured prey. sometimes you have to let instinct take over. If a bass is following, and not biting, and you stop reeling for a second and the bait hits the bass in the face, now it has a split second to make a decision. A steady reel gives it all the time in the world to decide if it will bite or not. (well, maybe not ALL the time in the world... depends how far you cast lol)

Why isn't hunting and fishing the same thing as far as being a sportsman. The DNR makes the rules and I follow them. If they say it's ok to keep some fish, then I will do it. I release most but not all. I still say, if you're concerened for the fish, then don't catch them. Tell me how there is no harm done during catch and release. That's just dumb. There is significanltly less damage done to a fisherie as a result of CPR vs. keeping every single fish you catch. If everyone kept every fish they caught, there would be no fish left. Think of trout. Majority of people that fish for trout keep them to eat, myself included... in my area, a few days after opening day, good luck catching a trout, until they restock. I don't see why people can't just drop this silly subject, if someone keeps LEGAL fish, that's their choice. Just like it's someone else's choice to put a fish back. I don't ever keep bass on my lake, but I wouldn't be bothered by someone who did.

This is a baitcaster, right? don't adjust the drag, adjust the brakes. Also make sure the spool tensioner is not too loose. smooth casts are key, you can cast hard, but has to be smooth. Also make sure you're not releasing your thumb too early. If you release too early, the spool will be spining faster than the bait is moving, and you'll get a tangle. When you get a tangle that won't just pull out, put pressure on the spool with your thumb and reel it in, and try pulling it back out. If you keep doing that, you're almost guaranteed to get it out every time. Start with the brakes fully on, get comfortable with your release time and accuracy, and slowly start letting up on the brakes. WIth the brakes all the way on, distance will suffer, but it's a good learning experience and slowly easing off the brakes will make a smooth transition.

I like them all. some of my best fish have come through the ice. Nothing like pulling out a nice one through that hole. Always amazes me how people don't want to get out there in winter. I get out when I can, regardless of season, and don't have a favorite, because if you know what the fish are doing all year is a great time to be on the water. Only time I don't like is when it gets "hot", but luckily I live on top of a mountain so I stay pretty cool all year.

WHEN are you getting the tangles? Immediately? When the bait hits the water? All the time? Make sure your reel is rated for the weight of the baits you're throwing, and adjust your brakes accordingly. Make sure your casts are smooth. Takes some practice to get it right.

do library's have anything besides the internet anymore?

you would recommend fishing the shore this time of year? I'd bet almost anything there's nothing to be had on the shore this time of year. The fish are still in deeper water.

Burning spinnerbaits can be effective any time the fish are actively feeding, especially when the baitfish are near the surface. I like to give a little pause here and there, crank a few times and then pause, make the bait stand out and seem injured.

it's hard to know distances without a scale, but I would say to the east side of that north point, where it goes from 10-20 feet, looks like the drop offs there will be nice, goes from 10-50 feet in a pretty short distance. The fish will still be a lil deeper in the colder water, (deeper water will be warmer right now) so without any other details I would start at that area. I would try something slow, like a jig or a texas rigged plastic worked very slowly. The fish will be sluggish, and won't want to use any more energy than is necessary to stay alive. Slow presentations will be best.

Only time I have ever kept a bass is at the campsite... i'll bring a few back to cook up. Fishing my home lakes, I have never kept any. Any keeper walleye are going in the pan though, unless it's a monster, then it goes back 8-)

Good luck. My lake is still pretty frozen, but i'll be out tomorrow fishing from shore in a small patch that's open.

I buy bulk hooks, and bring only a few in my box on each outing, I guess how many I will need accounting for hangups that I can't get free, and then take a few extra. Also, wet baits/hooks/sinkers etc. NEVER get mixed in with dry. After doing this, I have never had a rust problem.

if you're responding to me, what I simply meant was that if he was not in a location that held fish, it wouldn't matter what he tied on, because there was no fish to catch. If there's no fish, you can't catch them, regardless of bait. I don't think anyone can argue that statement in any way, shape or form... That's why location is more important than bait selection in my eyes. If you're scouring the bottom in 20 feet of water, and the fish are suspended 5 feet down, you're again not going to catch them. That's why presentation follows location. You pick the location, you pick the presentation based on what the fish are doing, and THEN you pick the appropriate bait.

I'm confused. First off, it's not "One Man" it's the guy who's widely known as the single best tourney bass fisherman in the universe. Secondly, why are you so amazed that people buy a product and have confidence in it, when they see it actually doing something real, like winning the biggest bass fishing tourney there is? What amazes me is that people buy things like cars because they see some pro driver on a closed track in a commercial, making amazing turns and slides and spins. That's not REAL. These people are never going to get in their new car and do what the pro driver did in the comercial. Conversely, KVD winning the Bassmasters Classic is REAL. It happened. He beat other guys who were using different lures the "other" companies make and weekend anglers everywhere will be doing the same thing KVD did in the Classic. Fishing. Not only that, some people got to, and get to fish Bees Wax Creek the day after KVD. I'd say that's incentive enough to go out and buy a couple red eyed Shad. (even though I'm not buying any) If Skeete Reese had won the BMC on a Lucky Craft lure, and kicked KVD's butt while KVD was using the Red Eyed Shad, why isn't it logical for me, or any other bass fishermen to go out and buy some Lucky Craft lures and throw them with confidence, all the while thinking my success rate will skyrocket? the enthusiasts will, and do. For the 2nd highlighted part, I see no problem with confidence, this is more about gullibility, and people put too much thought into their bait selections, and not enough into location. Why did KVD go to the same spot? Because it was a dang good spot. I don't care what bait you're throwing, if there's no fish, you won't catch them. That puts the priority on location. Then you have to factor in what the fish are doing, and pick the appropriate presentation. That's the next big priority. Location, presentation, THEN choose the bait. I don't care who wins what, who throws what, or anything else. But people that went out and spent a ton of money on a bait that has been out for a long time, because they saw the best angler in the world win a tournament (do you think if he used a different bait he would of lost? Doubt it.) when conditions made the bait selection perfect is plain out gullibility. Certain baits are great in certain locations, and bad in others. But anyone that thinks that KVD wouldn't have done just as well with a rat-l-trap or other similar bait is putting too much importance on the type of bait, instead of simply understanding that he's the best, and would have most likely won anyway.

What do you want to know? Wet it down, put the fish on it, pinch the jaws, spread the tail, and read the length. *************************************** You'd think I lost a bet with the hat, LMAO....I actually wear it a lot. i have a flanel clark griswold hat with the ear flaps lol, wear it all the time