Goose52

Hmmm - would that be something like....

And this is what was on the linked Tennessee Region 4 web site: What causes the dark blotches (pigmentation) on the skin of largemouth bass? It is possible that this condition is genetic, viral, or related to some environmental factor unique to certain bodies of water that stimulates the increased production of melanin. This unusual pigmentation (melanosis) has been observed on bass within most Tennessee reservoirs and in other areas of the country for many years. The Fish Disease Diagnostics Laboratory at Auburn University is currently investigating the cause of hyperpigmented melanosis in Tennessee largemouth bass.

For me - it would still be a 9 pounder, especially since my PB LMB is only 7-12. Two days ago I got 7 bass for a total of 23.41lbs; best 5 were 19.51lbs; the heaviest two fish were 5.31 and 4.87...........I'd trade 'em all for a 9 pounder ! Now, if I already had a PB higher than 9, I might go for the more action....

Excellent tips - thanks !

Cool indeed! I'm letting my subscription to F&S expire, but I have enough remaining to get that issue. Looking forward to seeing how the vote went...and how many of these baits I have in my inventory... ;D

It's all about perspective for sure! Hang in there, the bigger fish will come along...

Rod first. For a $250 budget, I'd see if I could get a deal on an Avid and grab a PQ at a sale price.

Yeah - I abandoned my ancient 1meg plastic camera and got for cheap a 14mp Kodak ($57). I still have to use it at the lowest resolution and resize the pic to fit under the 150k board limit - but this camera has a better lens so that's helped. Mississippi - where's that? I'm in the north part of the state only about 45 miles as the crow flies from the Kentucky border. Plus, I'm up on the Cumberland plateau at 2,000ft so it's a bit colder here than other parts of the state. There was skim ice this morning on the cove I've been fishing - guess I need some "punching weights" to fish it now... ;D

I live in FFG, but I never say that I live "in The Glade" like it's something different or special from Crossville. As far as I'm concerned, I'm a Crossvillian and I usually don't tell people where I live. I want to get along with the folks here - not make out like I'm something special... : On fishing in the FFG lakes, technically, they're private and you need a FFG card to fish them. It's one of the things I get for my 1k annual homeowner's association dues!

I have a Supreme 8025 - great reel, light, good drag; I have 20lb braid on it. It was actually my most used reel last season and cranked in 423 fish...

Earlier thread in the Tackle forum: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1297196029

Do you mean the Everglades in Florida? If so, I haven't fished the 'Glades since 1967. The fish in this thread were caught in cold water in Tennessee... Nope I meant FairField Glades. Ah - gotcha. Yep - but the folks here that use that term say "the Glade" (not "glades"). I think some of the "Gladers" are a bit uppity and I just say that I live in Crossville...

Do you mean the Everglades in Florida? If so, I haven't fished the 'Glades since 1967. The fish in this thread were caught in cold water in Tennessee...

BPS Pro Qualifier reel in 6.4:1 ratio and the 7' m/f or mh/f rod (m or mh depending on where/how you fish) of your choice...

They work - catch fish. There are 3 Shimanos and a Revo there too... : Man - you young guys with good eyes. My photos are really fuzzy since I had to reduce the res so much to get under 150K and you're still picking out the reels! Yep - those are the "last generation" ProLites (2009 models). I got one new for $80 when they were discontinued; I got the other used on eBay for $50. Fine little reels - 6.7oz - smaller/lighter spools than the Carbonlite and a bit better for lighter baits.

I've been on the Weldbilt site, and well as the Alweld site ( http://www.alweld.com ). You can get wide jons...but you pay for that width. Then add the costs of decking, wiring, seats, etc. and the price adds up. My canoe will do for now - but for the long term I keep looking at the Plan B's ... ;D

Nine-pounder for sure.

Thanks again guys. For those of you with hard water - patience. One thing for sure - as soon as you have ice-out, watch for the warming trends and don't ignore the shallows! I went back to that cove this morning. Air temp was 25 degrees, water temp was 38, and the fish are GONE ! Given the current weather forecast, looks like my next chance will be Sunday and Monday...

It's a nice reel, good quality, casts well. It's just a tiny bit smaller in height than my BPS reels (1/8") so it palms well. However, there are a number of features on the BPS Carbonlite (next to the 50E in the photo) that I prefer over the Shimano... :

Well, this was a fun thread last year so I guess I'll play. I posted a photo of my meager collection last year back in post #119. Since then, I've got some rods down from the attic, bought some new rods, got some new reels, and ended up with a few more combos than I thought I'd have...the bait monkey has been a bit busy. In addition to what's in the photos, I have a fly rod and some spin-cast stuff. No need for close-ups, there's nothing fancy - just tools... :

A squadron of Revos! I guess David wasn't kidding when he said he was clearing out all his Curados and converting to Revos!

I use a 4.7 (19 ipt) on my deep-cranking rod and a 5.2 (21 ipt) on my heavy spinnerbait rod. I use 6.4's and 7.1's for everything else. When you say "deep cranking", do you mean using deep cranks like DD22s, Mann's 20+, 30+, etc.? If so, then these crankbaits, due to the large diving bills, present quite a bit of resistance on the retrieve. The lower gear ratio reels offer a mechanical advantage that makes it easier to crank the reel. You normally don't burn a deep crank anyway, so the lower speed potential of the low gear ratio is not a limitation. While it's true that you could use a 6.3/6.4 or 7.1 ratio reel and just slow down - your wrists may complain about that after cranking these big baits all day.

1. Bow mount trolling motor limited to 43 lb thrust. 2. Transom mount outboard limited to 83 lbs in weight. That's important because the owner's manual claims you need 9.9 to get on plane. The lightest 9.9 I found was 83 lbs dry weight. Now, I'm sure that's livable for some folks or you could exceed the recommendations, have something break and they don't honor the warranty. You can't hold a fire to your chest without getting burned. If this were a second boat or for a property pond, maybe I would go forward with it but ... I saw the weight limit for the rear transom, I didn't know about the thrust limit for the front mount. Bummer. For me, my lakes are 201 acres or smaller, and NO wake. I would only put about a 5/6 horse gas motor on it anyway and would be under the weight. BUT, I would like to have more than 43lbs of thrust up front. Too bad about those limits. I like the beam of this boat and the built in features. Yes, you can get get a narrow jon for much less, but if you shop for a wide-beam jon, and rig it comparable to this boat, that price delta gets much narrower. Looks like I still haven't found the ideal 12-14ft, wide-beam solution...

Pure Fishing Korea hasn't designed any reels yet but the have done a few rods. they are actually working on a KDM version of the Varitas. should be out some time in July if things go well. They do have that carbon handle and they add it to a few od the USDM reels to spice them up like the old skeet reese reel the japanese elite cb and so on they also sell them individually so when i picked up the orra i threw one on to smooth out the reel a bit more. I have had a lot of questions about that handle and where folks can buy them. as of now there isn't any one selling them state side. maybe i should start selling them on ebay. Lotta folks like cf handles....

Can you share what factor(s) lead you to change your mind? As I said above - I'm trying to keep on top of the pros-cons of some of these small watercraft and am always interested in folks experiences with them...