basspro48

Every Spring Break we go down to Florida and fish the canals from a 14ft. jon boat, specifically West Palm Beach in the Mid-eastern part of the state. It's just awesome to be fishing a 30 foot wide canal and be hauling in 6 lbers. I see you're attending VT are you a VA native? I am currently living in Mechanicsville, VA oh and welcome to the forum

I really don't think you'll have problems with 4lb. but if you must go up to 6lb. here's a link to punisher hair jigs, they are handmade by a guy who fishes Dale Hollow lake, I think his name is Stephen Headrick. They are by far the best hairjigs I have ever used. http://www.punisherjigs.com/ Some tips for fishing hair jigs: trailers- I usually use a natural pork trailer because they are smaller and have more action in cold waters. technique- I usually work them with either quick hops or slow crawls, depends on the water temp. tackle- 6'9" or 7' spinning rod in a medium light action, if yer using 10lb. line or heavier go with a medium action line- flourocarbon is a must, let the water clarity and cover dictate your line size. Hope this helped you out a little bit.

Anytime I'm within 10 miles of a tackle shop I black out and wake up in a BPS parking lot with $150 missing out of my wallet... :-?

1. Scott Martin 2. Kevin VanDam 3. Tim Horton

1. bubblegum/white 2. hot bass 3. blood shad very nice job on those baits

I would encourage you to go to college and maybe pursue a degree in fisheries management or Environmental science. Although if you're having money problems I understand, I probably won't be able to go to college either since my brother is going next year, and we just don't have the money.

This article has some great tips on jig building. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.CFPage?mode=article&objectID=28394

Finesse jigging is by far my most productive tactic in the cold. I have actually used line as light as 4lb. when using finesse jigs so you don't need to worry about breakoffs but I need to caution you that you will have a hard time feeling bites, most of them you can't even feel your line just starts moving. I would reccomend you use flourocarbon line and a 6'9" or 7' spinning rod with a medium light action. Hooksets are also different when using small jigs, you don't jerk the rod when you feel a fish instead you wait a second reel up the slack, load up the rod and give a strong upward pull. You might also want to try hair jigs, they have more action in frigid waters and are really fun to tie.

You should try ordering a custom fiberglass mount from a taxidermist. Most taxidermist's offer this service and can custom build it to your specifications.

Welcome back Raul, I was afraid the baitmonkey heard about what you had been saying and had...well...proceeded to "take care of you"...jk ;D ;D ;D

One time me and my buddy were fishing at a local private lake. He was just whacking me with a suspending rogue, we were having a tournament so we were actually weighing our five-fish limits. He already had 4 keepers and I had one that was about 2lbs. So out of desperation I tied on a 1/4oz. pumpkin/craw finesse jig with a tiny trailer and I proceeded to catch 6 keepers in 6 casts. But with 15 minutes to go I pitched the jig way up under a dock and felt a tap..tap...thump. I set the hook hard and this thing just took-off down the lake ripping drag the whole way. It jumped 8 times and I fought it for 9 minutes. I got it to the boat and I go down and grab it's massive mouth and lift it into the boat. But then it clamped down on my hand and fell overboard. It was estimated about 10 1/4 lbs. I actually still have scars on my hand from its teeth. Lets just say I didn't take it very well... > > #**% @%#

Hey muddy-man, one time me and my buddy were fishing a local pond and he hung his jerkbait in a tree so we pull up to shore and this little chihuah comes running down the hill, we didn't think much of it until a big nasty rotweiler about twice my size comes screaming down the hill. Lets just say we put that trolling motor to work... ;D ;D ;D just a funny story I thought I'd share.

Hey pmoravek, I don't like using red trailer hooks because then the fish key on the trailer hook so if they short-strike you'll end-up missing'em. If you're gonna use red I suggest painting the main hook red.

Here's a good link on how to tie a drop-shot rig http://fishing.about.com/od/basicfishinginstruction/a/dropshot.htm Basically a wacky rig is a stickworm hooked through the middle, it is worked with subtle twitches. This technique is very good for catching inactive bass and for skipping under docks.

I fish the Chickahominy river in cantral VA and it is one of the best LMB and Pike rivers in VA. My biggest pike was 28 inches long caught on a Norman Chart./shad little N. My biggest bass caught in the river was 6lbs. 4oz. caught on a t-rigged watermelon/red ZOOM Super-hog.

I'v got to learn how to set the hook when using topwater frogs, I've had about 47 fish blow-up on my frog this year and I only landed 6 of 'em...not a very good strike to hook-up ratio.

Hey guys, I'm happy to report that I now have my most productive technique for winter, a suspending rogue in clown, a drop-shotted watermelon/red GYCB Kut-tail, and a 1/4 oz. pumpkin/craw Terminator finesse jig with a ZOOM tiny chunk.

That was one of the coolest pieces of footage I've ever seen. Can't wait until the dvd comes out.

ESPN, higher budget than OTC... Zebco 33 or Johnson Century... ;D

No ice out in VA... ; 8-) Man I feel sorry for you guys up north hahahah...nanana... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

It depends on where you are. For example, most ponds and smaller bodies of water in the south have panfish, shad or some other type of open water baitfish. While most ponds up north have mostly panfish and perch, which don't usually travel in schools. Hope this helps.

Welcome to the machine... :-? ;D Sorry I was listening to a little Pink Floyd while reading this, Welcome to this great forum.

Well my friend you have just experienced the frustration of trying to catch SUSPENDED bass. Suspended bass are the hardest ones to catch, and it takes a few tricks to haul'em up. Try using a ZOOM super fluke rigged on a Falcon bait jerker hook and give a fast erratic retrieve. Or try a suspending jerkbait but instead of twitching it try ripping it, don't forget to try burning a diving or lipless crank through 'em. If all that doesn't work try slower finesse tactics that put a small soft plastic right in front of their faces for long periods of time, like a drop-shot, they can't stand it. Hope this helps.

I love skipping t-rigged and wacky rigged senkos under docks and trees, I have found that the t-rig seems to work better when the bass are active and the wacky rig works under tougher conditions. Hope this helps.

Instead of jerking it try twitching it with long pauses in between. Hope this helps.