Goose52

For sure. I voted that post up - well said DVD...

Could very well be! I first used a net when trolling triple-treble hook Rebels and Rapalas with my Dad in the mid-60s. Only took one look at a fish flopping around with 9 hookpoints to convince me that a net was the way to go! By the time I joined BASS (the first time) in '68 I was already a "net believer" and couldn't be corrupted by any traditions, protocols, or customs later established by BASS or by bass fishing tournements... I always have a net in the boat...but I'll have to admit that I never have one when fishing from the bank - one of those trebles may still get me yet!

x2 - hope you wear it out. AND, perhaps it will prevent a future trebles buried in the hand incident. On nets not being "sporting" - here's a comment I posted on an earlier thread: Sporting has different meaning to different folks I guess. One thing that has always puzzled me is that some anglers will fish for bass in a fancy bass boat, with side imaging, using uber-sensitive big-bucks rods (often medium-heavy or stouter) with 50-65lb superline, and expensive "this will fool 'em" baits, and ski the fish back to the boat. Hunt them bass down like dogs - no mercy! And all that's OK. BUT, if you use a net to land your fish, it's somehow not "sporting"...... just sayin' Perhaps the only "sporting" freshwater anglers are noodlers...they're also crazy...

Yeah - me too. While I'm pretty sure that I've bumped into these grass carp with spinnerbaits, the only hook-ups I've had have been with lipless cranks. Sorta makes sense I guess. For me, a lipless crank is a primary bait that I use in the same areas that the carp would be feeding, and that has exposed trebles that would snag the fish. Most of the hook-ups only last a few seconds before the lipless crank pulls free. The last 2 years, I've only had 4 hook-ups that lasted more than 5-10 seconds. One I had on for 13 minutes when the fish went to the bottom and bumped the crank off and I immediately got hung-up on rock or a stump and lost the RES. The other 3 times, I landed the fish.

Ours are sterilized and stocked specifically for aquatic weed control. It's a fine balance - the grass carp are in all 11 of my lakes and 2 of the 3 ponds. In some lakes, there is still plenty of cover - in others, many of the coves that would harbor both bass and forage fish have been turned into desolate "mud bowls". The cove that I snagged this carp in had so much weeds and mat 3 years ago that I bought a heavy-power frog rod to fish it. Since then, the carp have decimated the veggies and it's now nearly devoid of cover and few fish hold in that cove. You occasionally connect with something cruising through the cove, or past the mouth of the cove, but there's little holding cover IN the cove any longer...

When I lived in FL, I only fished the neighborhood lakes and canals, and the Glades. Just never came across a carp of any species. Lots of gar though...

I grew up in South Florida and never saw a carp either until I moved to Illinois back in '67. I don't fish specifically for carp here in TN, they just occasionally get between the bass and my lipless cranks...

You bet! I posted a story last year about catching a 37 pounder. RoLo/Roger called it a motorized beer keg. Indeed. That 37 pounder even made 2 jumps - just gets your adrenalin going when a near-40 pound fish comes out of the water...

That's the infrared unit that I have. From the reviews, it seems to be about the best one out there in that price range.

Fat from eating all the bass cover No bass during my evening fishing session - just this carp. That's OK... Thanks SirSnook. Not as big as some of the fish that you catch in the salt...but a nifty fish for my little lakes.

So I'm minding my own business this evening, working some water for bass with a Red Eye Shad and a cotton picking grass carp tried to steal my lure. Of course, I had to get it back. It was sorta a sissy carp as it only took 14 minutes to get the RES back (I've caught two others in this weight range - one took 24 minutes to land, the other 35 minutes). 42 inches, 40.8 pounds. A nice "fish fight"...lots of runs, lots of drag peeled. The fish was foul-hooked in the dorsal fin (see photo) - amazing that it stayed hooked up all that time - had to use my forceps to get the treble out of the fin. Great fun for sure.

I put my wallet and cell phone in one of these: Boat bailer I haven't tested it but it might float with the gear inside...

I fish from the bank a lot and always take the surface water temperature. It probably doesn't matter much during periods when the temperature is relatively warm, or relatively stable, but during fronts and when winter approaches (especially for those of us that get hard water in winter) I think it gives you another useful part of the puzzle. Anyway, I use a thermometer I got at BPS - it is a glass/alchohol unit with a metal outer shield and is relatively rugged. I also have a small infrared thermometer but don't have the same confidence in it's measurement capability as I do the alchohol thermometer. This is similar to my unit: BPS thermometer

Sounds great! I got a Compre for $80 shipped and thought I had a pretty good deal but you really scored. A good rod.

I've only caught 2 LMB over 7 pounds - both on somewhat nonconventional baits in small neighborhood lakes in Tennessee: 7.75lb - 3/8oz Roostertail inline spinner 9.06lb - 3/8oz Chatterbait

X2 on the BPS Excel. Until I got a killer deal on 14,000 yards of Yo-Zuri Ultrasoft, I used Excel with complete satisfaction in 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 17lb test.

Well, it's not nylon mono... but Yo-Zuri Ultrasoft 6lb is gradually taking over most of my spinning reels...

X2 on Pflueger Supremes. The "30" size (140yds/8lb) weighs only 7.4oz, magnesium frame, 10 bearings. Regular price - $100. Available on clearance at FFO for $52.88 (last week you could have got them for $37.88!). These are 2011 reels and come with a spare spool. There is a new Supreme coming but the specs look essentially the same and there's no reason not to get the old model. I just got an 8025, 8030, and two 8035s for about $43 each shipped... Check out: FFO - Pflueger 8030

We had 5.5 inches of rain over two days - it rained for 34 hours non-stop. I was fishing IN the rain each day. I figured the fish would either be hunkered down deep or some might be up and active. So, I fished plastic worms on the bottom - got a few bass including one at 22 feet deep. I also fished shallow with a lipless crank and buzzbait - got a few there. In general though, I really had to work to get some fish the past few days.

Sure - use the TM battery. BUT, if for some reason you did need to have an independent power source - use one of the small, relatively light, 7 or 8 AH sealed batteries like this one: 8AH Battery The same kind of battery is provided by Humminbird with their portable 570 sonar unit. I wouldn't mess with a motorcycle or mower lead-acid battery when you can get all the power you need out of one of the 7/8AH sealed units.

Many don't know it, but the BPS PQ 5.2 and 4.7 ratio spools are also deeper than the spools on the 6.4 and 7.1 ratio reels. I use 17lb mono on my 5.2 reel so the added capacity is beneficial. However, I use 10lb YZ on my 4.7 reel and it's really excess capacity to my needs - although I guess there is merit to the added mass on the spool to add casting distance as this reel is on my deep cranking rod. In any event, this perhaps is another indication of the family relationship between certain BPS reels, and the Lew's reels that are assembled in the same factory in Korea...

To respect the environment and assure proper recycling, please feel free to send those non-Shimano products to me or Grey Wolf and we'd be pleased to take care of them for you... Wise statement indeed. BTW - there are other, less formal "posse's." There are many here that are fans of the other brands. There's even a BPS posse...although that's mostly only me and K_Mac....... Membership is easy - own and appreciate at least one BPS product for it's features and value, AND stand up against the BPS bashers in at least 5 threads....

I keep detailed records. I record each fish as I land it on a pocket card. In the evening, I transfer the data into an Excel spreadsheet. It gives me interesting data to review and it takes little time to collect/compile the data. I probably use my data more for discussions on this site than I do to improve my fishing success. When a topic comes up like "how well have you done on lipless cranks this season?" - Instead of replying "pretty good" - I can reply: "I've caught 184 fish so far this season on lipless cranks, the nicest being a 5.42lb LMB caught on April 5." That info took me less than 30 seconds to obtain from the spreadsheet... BTW - we had a long discussion on fishing records late last year on this thread: Keeping Records post

Hmmmm - I was fishing two days ago in 92 air temp and 88 water temp. Started cooling down a bit yesterday however. Anyway, no fall here yet...

Both. In addition to the reasons listed above for using one system or the other, I'll add wind and darkness. Occasionally, I'll have to cast directly into a stiff wind and I'll usually get more distance, with fewer problems, with spinning over baitcasting. At night, I usually tend to use spinning rather than BC - when you can't see the bait hit the water, you don't know when to stop the spool on BC. You can somewhat do it by listening for the sound of the BC spool decelerating...but you just have fewer problems with spinning gear. BUT, regardless of the technical reasons of why you would use one system over the other, I use what I feel like using. I like variety and using different gear and use of rods/reels can change on a whim, rather than what system has a 3.651% efficiency advantage over the other... EDIT: I just thought of another condition when I favor spinning over baitcasting. Winter - at near freezing (or sub-freezing) air temperatures. The old "educated thumb" gets dumb quick when it's got one or two pairs of gloves on and/or is practically frozen - makes it a bit hard to control the BC reel. Also, spinning rods tend to have somewhat larger guides that take longer to "ice-up" than BC rods - you might get a few extra casts out of the spinning rod before you have to dunk the rod in the water to melt the ice.