Goose52

Thanks again. The only spoon that I have any experience with is the Kastmaster - and that was MANY years ago when I lived in Miami and used them fishing off the seawalls around Biscayne Bay.

Short answer........doesn't make a bit of difference. Longer answer.....different spoon types have different actions in the water, my selections are based on the conditions being fished. Strong winds I prefer diamond jigs, tsunami or hopkins shorty, get maximum distance. Calmer weather I like flutter types and weedy conditions j-spoon. For freshwater I use lighter spoons 1/4-1/2oz max, one of my favorites for bass is a Wahoo redfish spoon. Saltwater I use 3/4 oz or 1 oz about 99% percent of the time. The same exact spoons are used for trolling offshore as well, sometimes I'll use a 2 oz out there. Bottom line IMO they all catch fish equally. Interesting stuff - thanks !

You got company - that's why I have a single-seat boat (canoe). ;D That's also one reason (of several reasons) why I don't belong to my local bass club...the tournaments are designed to be social events - 2-person boats with mandatory rotation of all the club members amongst the boat owners...you fish with someone different every tournament. When I fish, I like to fish - not socialize or make small talk. But I love talking about fishing with anyone when I'm off the water....

Almost any fish. fluke popper spoonPretty much all I use and the same exact lures are used for snook, tarpon and cuda, as well as lmb. What kind of spoon(s) are you using?

I'm actually kind of surprised. Silly me, I thought we would see a lot more commonality. I guess I need to print this thread or take some notes! 8-) Me too - I thought there would be repetitive call-outs to the old standbys like spinnerbaits, plastic worms, jigs, etc. But everyone has their unique favorites it seems. I started this thread to prove that you can resist the bait monkey and that with just a few proven baits you can catch lots of fish.......but I'll have to admit that this thread is just giving me ideas for future bait orders and that the bait monkey might win in the end after all.......................... ;D

Something about the word "shipment" that got me. Most folks get an "order" in via UPS. A shipment just gives me a vision of a pallet and a freight carrier....

That's the 4" version, not the 3" version I was using.........but still, that's a great price. Now, do I need anything else at TW...

WOW - I love all these striper photos - GREAT fish...and on light spinning gear too! :D I once caught a 33" catfish on my 5 1/2' light power spinning rod with 6lb test line...so I sorta know how much fun you had!

Well, I'll start off with the "minimalist" approach - I'm well stocked and ready for spring with these three types of baits (which got me 1050 fish in 2010...) : Other folks got lots more tackle than I do, they'll be along shortly I expect... ;D ;D

I like this idea. Is there any reason this would be a bad idea? For bass, maybe not. For larger fish, especially in saltwater - maybe so. Let's say you're using 50lb braid and something BIG is getting ready to spool your reel - if you're tied on, you might end up losing your rig, or maybe just bending the spool shafts on the reel (unless you have a knife handy). If you use mono (lower lb test) backing, or if you use tape to secure the braid to the spool - all you lose is your line...

I use backing to save the cost of expensive line like braid or flouro...but I've never used tape. I'll always use some sort of line. For bass fishing, I won't ever see the backing, but if I hook something big I like knowing I've got some sort of line behind the good stuff. I never thought of this much until I hooked what was probably a 40lb plus grass carp and I watched the 75 yards of the good line go out, then watched about 10 yards of backing go out as the fish was pulling drag...

ROFLMAO .... ;D ;D ;D

My most used plastics are 5" single-tail grubs - Zoom and Gander Mountain brands. How many bags?....Enough to catch 791 fish on them in 2010...

I've never caught a fish on a Senko-style bait either, and I have genuine GYCB Senkos, Yum Dingers, BPS and Gander Mountain clones, etc. in 3", 4" and 5" sizes. I'll have to admit that while I have them, I don't fish them that often. Maybe this year... : Now, when it comes to addictions, let's talk about 5" single-tail grubs.............. ;D ;D ;D

One thing for sure - we're proving that bass can be caught on just about everything! ;D ;D

Thanks Paul. It's not a big honkin' striper like you've been catching in the "big water"...but it's a nice fish for my "small water"!

Very cool - and good pitching! Onward and upward from here !

Yep - I got some of those but didn't fish them much last season...will do better this year...

I'm gonna be using more spinnerbaits this year myself. AND, based on the many, many responses, I guess I gotta learn the jig.............. :

my my my how many times do i have to explain this....................................... I've been trying to help - here's what I posted the last time this came up... : As to who makes BPS reels - a frequent question - with many wrong answers probably. ALSO, the answer would be different depending on the particular reel model. The most informed opinions that I have read were in the below thread. Pay close attention to posts # 14 and 17 from informed board members who work and live in Korea...http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1288744378/0 Regarding this new generation of Lews reels, they DO seem to share some specifications and appearance and design features with certain BPS reels.

A bit cold for you guys I guess but it sounds pretty good to me! I've caught a few down to 40deg water temp and one at 39deg, but I haven't got anything when the water is colder than 39deg (I think I have to learn to just stay home when the water temp is below 40)... :-? Well, I hope your cold front goes through fast and the water temps head back up!

I have no idea what may or may not have changed in the arrangement between BPS and Rick... The BC reel formerly known as the Rick Clunn (blue color), which became the "RCX" in 2010 (purple color), appears to be living on as the 2011 "Carbon Black Bass Caster" (black color) - upgraded a bit with a better drag and 2 more bearings - with a price of about $130. I think BPS is just trying to get as much mileage as possible out of this reel design - after all, they're most likely way past their amortization points for their engineering and tooling costs so they're in the fat part of the profit curve on this reel... : I have 2 of the 2009 RC reels; they're nice, a bit heavy at 9.4oz...but I got them for $72 on last years close-out so they were a great value. If one was interested in a BPS BC reel at the $130 price point - a better deal right now would be the JM Gold reels on close-out, rather than the latest iteration of the RC reel.

Congrats and nice fish! What's your water temp down there?

Thanks! Yep, I have intermittent soft water but I haven't been able to take advantage of it since I got this fish. I've been out a total of about 8-10 hours since New Years day and have only got one tap and no fish. :-? Water temps have been 40deg or colder for the past week and fishing is tough. It's 18 degrees outside right now and falling - I expect the lakes will start icing over again tonight............ :-/

Review this recent thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1293733378 Find some titles you haven't read yet and crack the books until ice-out. I've got 1300 pages of bass book reading to do before Spring!