Madhouse27

Man, I wan't to go try for one of these wily brutes. I'm thinking light line with an 1/8 oz jig in a natural color. Bass86 hurry up and catch one so we can see a pic. Keep in mind if they turn out to not be bass we are changing your name to Carp86 lol.

I think I like Chevy's Bass Kickers the best so far.

Come on Charlie, it's for the children. LBH, I hope you hear from the Mad Fisherman. I think a video would certainly help. Maybe even trying to come up with some other entertaining challenge like a baked bean eating contest or a game of street hockey. They seem to like to mix the fishing with some other event. Last week was a skydiving thing. I think the great equalizer will be if Charlie checks out the site and sees what a great vibe we've got going on here. Charlie is all about having a fun time. Hopefully the team from Bass Resource will fit into his plans.

Nice Score Ben.

Low, thats going to make a great screensaver. Glenn you've created something special here. With all the craziness in the world, your site is a great reminder that people can still come together and simply be cool to one another. Keep up the good work.

Looks like Suzuki is trying to let the cat out of the bag. Like you guys, the ones I have seen have mostly been on coastal "working" boats. Some of the lobster and clam guys are also running those Tahatsu motors (if that's how you spell it). I am assuming they are a little cheaper up front than some of the more mainstream brands. Over in Northeast Harbor where the summer money people are you see quite a few Honda outboards. The outboard wars are going to be fun to watch.

Bass, what are you using for line? Also are you being stealthy as your approach them. You might have to go real light and be in absolute stalking mode. I've been in a similar situation while fishing for brown trout. You had to be somewhat camoflaged and blue heron slow in your approach to your casting spot. Low to the water, quiet baby steps. Be aware of where your shadow is falling on the water. Big bass in clear water, what an awesome challenge.

Young, hey I saw your segment on Bass Center. I had it recorded on my DVR and watched it after reading your post. Glad to hear you have it taped. I'll save it for awhile in case something happens to it and you need another copy. This will make a flashback clip once you go pro and they are doing a piece on you.

I just got the latest addition of Bassmaster and couldn't help but notice the Suzuki ads inside. They have a total of three full pages. The first is a Ranger Boats/Suzuki combo the other two are about their new Big Block 4 Stroke. They seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere. Did someone buy Suzuki or are they just making their marine precence a little more known. I've seen a few Suzuki outboards around but this is certainly the biggest ad campaign I've ever seen for that brand.

Way to go Road. Three fantastic choices Glenn.

Congratulations Chris on your promotion.

Ok here's my old Mckee Craft boat with a 1968 Mercury 500. The hull was a complete basket case when I bought it. I touched it up, painted it, put in a floor, front and rear platforms, carpeted it, installed center console, the old merc, steering, finder, trolling motor etc. It was a fun project and I learned alot doing it. It's been a fun little boat that actually moves right along. By spring Madhouse is going to be posting a pic of his new ride! ;D

Glenn, you've made a fine choice. Congrats Low!

Bass Resource.com is what's going to get many of us through the long cold winter.

I try to prepare myself for optimum fishing efficiency. My boat, rods and tackle are all prepped and organized which allows me to fully concentrate on executing my game plan. I also try to dial in what I'm wearing so that I'm completely comfortable regardless of conditions. By eliminating distrations, discomfort and delays I find that I get into the "zone" quicker when I am out on the water.

From what I've heard Lowe makes a pretty tough boat.

Getting your first boat is certainly one of life's more exciting purchases. The first thing I would probably do is determine what the budget is for the purchase. Next I would think about what type of fishing the boat would be primarily used for and the number of people that would usually be fishing from it. Another thing to at least keep in mind is making sure your vehicle is capable of towing whatever you end up buying. Someone once said that your boat is only as good as your trailer so don't skimp there, and the bigger the tires, the better. As far as size and features go, I think a 14 footer might be a bit short to have two guys casting but would certainly work if your fishing is more trolling oriented. For what it's worth I consider my trolling motor to be the feature I could simply not live without. I'm getting ready to upgrade my boat situation and have read almost every post in the Bass Boating section here on the forum. I'd take advantage of the next few months to learn, shop and compare. Once you have decided on what you are looking for be patient and make a smart deal. Good luck!

Good advice from Will. In addition to some of his pointers I would also be conscious of the different bottom textures found in the area that you fish. Sometimes the bronzebacks up here are partial to to one size gravel over another and can be extremely concentrated when they find something they like. You may also find they may have a preference regarding the amount of silt/sediment in a given area. I'd certainly hit any obvious structure and you may find them hanging more on wood than rock or vice versa. Lastly, the river I fish is fairly uniform in temperature. It took a little time for me to get over my usual pattern of trying to locate deeper water and thus the fish. Alot of the fish I caught this year were in tight below overhanging banks, trees and other debris right along the shore. You were obviously on to something working the bank. You might just have to go on a serious wading quest and hit a longer stretch of it. Choose a point a few miles up or down river and arrange to have someone pick you up at a set time.

I guess I am more from the Dave Ramsey school of thought. I'm not into financing anything. Have you thought about finding a great boat for the ten grand you currently have and running that for a few years while you save more money? Then you could sell the boat and step up to a 15 grand rig etc and would never have a payment and your boats would continually get better. I certainly don't have a problem spending money and buying cool stuff, I guess I'm just not into buying on time regardless of how sweet the deal is or how low the interest rates are.

I was shocked that the Penobscot River here in Maine was not on the list.

If you guys were going to fish a live shiner out in some deeper water would you stick with a few split shot or would you go with a carolina or drop shot set up? About the only time I use live bait is trolling for salmon and togue and when I'm ice fishing. I'm pumped about the possibilties that big bait for big fish poses.

Red, I'm picturing myself fishing a seven or eight inch shiner, breaking the Maine State record for smallmouth and going on to fame, glory and full sponsorship. Thanks for the info!

Chris you da man!

Were the guys that were culling fish after the first hour fishing a little deeper than three feet by any chance?

Chris, great post. Cranking is certainly what I consider to be the achilles heel of my fishing game. I know I need to improve on this skill if I hope to take the show further south for the bigger tournaments. I am going to print this one out and put it in my tackle bag. After I have located and caught a few fish with my usual techniques, I am going to take out your tips and make myself switch to crankbaits and learn how to feel what is going on, where the bait is running and hopefully begin to gain some confidence with them. Great work!