VABassin'14

I am the same way when fishing after catching a fish and making the next couple of cast. Especially when fishing in a tournament. It doesn't really bother me, in fact I kinda enjoy it. The day catching fish stops being fun is the day that I stop fishing.

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

I have never used braid backing on a reel in my life. I have always just filled the entire spool with the line that I am using. But after all I have read I figured it is time to try the braid backing technique with a little more expensive line, but I don't want to waste a bunch of the nicer line on the bottom of the spool. Any tips or useful information are greatly appreciated. Thank you

I would say that I usually leave about 1/2'' of tag line regardless of which type of knot I tie. I've never had a any problems with my knot slipping that I can remember.

I just need to vent a little. I decided to drive out to my favorite little bank fishing lake this evening for the first time this year. Lets just say it didn't go as I had it planned. Got to the parking lot at around 6 15 and no one else was there, that was about as happy as I got this evening. I caught a small bass about the size of the jerkbait I was throwing on about the 3rd cast, and after that is when things started to go wrong. About 20 mins later I made a cast and got the lure caught on a limb of an overhanging tree. I had 14 lb test on so i figured I could just pull it a break the limb or pop it free. Well I pulled for a while and the line ended up breaking, which disappointed me but I wasnt too mad yet. Then I started to reline the rod and noticed I had broken off the tip of my best casting rod. I ended up losing another jerkbait and my favorite top water lure after this as well. 20 some dollars worth of lures lost and broke my $70 rod. Not a great evening. Oh well, better luck next time.

Im on the mouse bandwagon as well. This is easily my favorite spinnerbait that I own.

How damaging are birds nest to the strength and quality of your line? Is it something that can really affect the quality of your line, or is it something you don't really need to worry about to much? Thanks.

By the looks of the fish I would say it was attacked by something or was injured in some other way, like chasing bait fish through brush or something like that. I believe that the red mark on this fish is much to high to be spawning related.

Im not a big fan of the scum frog. It may have just been me, or a bad individual lure but I couldn't get the darn thing to run the way I wanted it to. It would take on water and roll over more than any other frog I have used. I personally haven't used the snag proof frogs but my experience with the scum frog wasn't a great one, so of the two I would suggest the snag proof.

When fishing a jerkbait it doesn't take much to set the hook. When you feel one hit, just start reeling and make sure you keep your line tight. Letting slack in your line is the number one mistake you could make, especially right after the strike. Its not something I really think about doing it just kind of happens after a while. I bring the rod tip up and start reeling until I am sure the fish is good and hooked, then you can start playing the fish if you would like.

I'm in

I agree with this statement. Im a college student, I dont have enough money to have a different set up for each technique I use. I use the same set ups for each technique I fish almost all of the time. 90% of the time I am using my 6' 6' medium heavy rod with my 7.1:1 reel. Jig fishing is also what I am going to try to focus on this year myself. Keep with it and good luck!

Jig fishing. It is something that I have done very little of in the past, but something that has caught me some fish in the past. I want to use it much more and get much better at it.

I never used a trailer hook on a spinnerbait until I bought a strike king spinnerbait that already had one on it. There are a few times that I have caught a fish on that spinnerbait that was hooked with just the trailer hook. So I do believe that they can help you catch more fish, but with that said, I have never added a trailer hook to a spinnerbait that didnt come with one on it. Like someone before mentioned, the trailer hook will get caught up in grass and hook onto cover every so often. So it all depends on how and where you are fishing your spinnerbait as to whether or not I would use a trailer hook. Also, I have never used a soft plastic trailer of any kind. No real reason why, I just have never seen the need to use one.

We have a brittany spaniel that is now 9 years old. She is the best dog a man could ask for and an amazing hunter. She has an unbelievable nose on her and is spoiled rotten also. I honestly believe that this dog has taught my family more than we have taught her. There is nothing better in this world than a great dog, and she sure is on.

Im pretty sure what he means by upper end of the lake is the headwaters of the lake, or the river basin that feeds the reservoir. As for my early season pep talk, patience is a HUGE key to success this time of year. My first couple of trips out I don't expect to go out on the lake a tear em' up. Slow your presentations down and really force yourself to fish slower than you want to. I am still relatively new at this bass fishing thing and I really do try to learn something new each time I go out. With each trip I find that I gain more confidence in myself and the techniques Im using, and that's really what I am looking to do this time of year. Experience really is the best teacher, so get out there and learn something new. Good luck!!!

Before this past summer I had never had any confidence in beaver style baits. I have always been a fan of John Crews so when he came out with his own line of lures I decided to give them a try. Long story short I now have plenty of confidence in these lures. I cant remember right off what the black and blue colored ones are called , but they work very well in both stained and fairly clear water. Give em' a try and I'm sure you will like them as well. John is a great guy and has created some great soft plastic baits, I really hope he does well both on tour and with his business in the future.

The Excaliber Erratic Shads are great lures for the price. Hard bodied jerk baits are my absolute favorite kind of lures to throw and I have never spent over $10 on any of them. The Erratic Shads have great action and run true straight out of the box. Get a couple of them and you will be pleased with how well they perform. I am not a fan of X-Raps just because I have never done well with them but I know people who absolutely love them as well. There are definitely good options out there without have to spend the big bucks on jerk baits, but recommend the Excaliber Erratic Shad.

Thanks Glenn!

What is the name of the song that Chris Lane came out to for the weigh-ins at the classic? I've been trying to figure it out since Friday evening and its driving me crazy. Go to the link below and go to the third video to listen to it. http://www.bassmaster.com/video/2012-bassmaster-classic-basscam Thanks for any help

The Excalibur jerkbaits have become my favorite jerkbaits that I own. I haven't been able to make myself spend 16 dollars for a pointer yet, and to be honest I don't see any reason to do so since the mid ranged priced once have produced well for me. The erratic shad model is a great line of lures that produce well and are much more affordable then the Pointers. I also have never had any success with the Rapala X-Raps. I honestly regret spending my money on the ones I own.

This is especially bad when you are fishing on private ponds and other such areas. The pond I grew up fishing and the place that really got me hooked on fishing is a perfect example. Every time my dad took my brother and I down to this place the place was trashed. I didn't understand it at the time but my dad would always make us pick up trash for 15 minutes before we started fishing. When I was about eight years old the guy posted the land and stopped letting people fish it. These thoughtless people ruined it for everyone. You can do everyone favor by clean up after yourself when you are fishing. You never truly know how lucky you are to have something until it is gone.

I would have to take a fly fishing trip for bonefish in the Bahamas. I know a few guys who have done it and they each have gone back or are planning to do so in the near future. This is one of the things that is on my bucket list.

We had an ok evening on the water. We got on the water at about 4:30 and caught a total of 8 bass and 2 crappie. Four of the eight weighted about 2-2.5 lbs and the rest were between a pound and a pound and a half. I caught 3 on a spinnerbait and 2 on a white and black crankbait. My friend caught all three of his on a drop shot 4'' worm. Not an amazing evening but definitely fun and worth the time.

A buddy and I will be hitting the water tomorrow afternoon. This will be my first trip of the year here. I will let you guys know how it goes.