Fury

Thanks Fanatic.

Heading out to the Bend this weekend for some recreational fishing. I dont spend much time out there and it has been 2 months since my last trip. Staying at Big Bass but may trailer down South so if anyone has any helpful pointers or areas where we can catch a few fish I would be most appreciative. I have a few spots in the Mill creek area that has produced in the past and have some other areas that I pulled from Acme and Google but other than that I am open to suggestions. Thanks! Scott

Well, not too bad a trip for the first of the year. We got on the lake between 230 and 300 Friday afternoon. We started out around Texas Island fishing grass but we didnt have any luck. Moved into Mill creek area and picked up two quick fish off a point next to a stump flat in 8' of water. Both fish were between 2 and 3lbs and were caught on a Chart/White spinner bait with dbl gold willow.. We moved into the flat a ways and found some good water with grass/stumps (4-8') that had a ditch running towards Mill creek and caught (3) 2.5-3lb fish on a 1/2oz crawfish rattle trap. Saturday started with a 2 hours boat ride (idle speed) due to the fog and we got fishing at 830. By 1030 we had three solid keepers (2 on a chart/blue bandit and (1) on a Lake fork special 1/2oz trap) and 2 short fish (both on the chart/blue crank). Then we made the mistake of making a move. We hit a couple other spots without any luck. At 200 we decide to go make one more lil round in our hole. As soon as we get there I pick up a 3lber on a 1/2oz craw trap and we packed it in for a 300 weigh in. All in all not too bad of a first trip and it sure felt nice to rip a couple lips! I'll be back in 3 weeks for a tourney on March 12th......unless I can slip away before then.

Heading out for our first club tournament of the year this weekend out of Negreet. This will also be my first trip on the water after switching gears from hunting to fishing. Hopefully this warm weather will make for a good weekend of fishing and I'll be sure to post my report on Monday. If anyone has any helpful hints on what to key on I am all ears.

Last pic is great!

It is amazing what a balanced flipping and pitching rod will do for a lot of people. There is a story of two identical blanks built for two bass pros. One wanted his rod as light as possibly and the other let the builder build it his way. After a long day of flippin and pitchin the guy with the lighter rod was burnt out and asked to see the others rod. When he put it in hand he was amazed at the feel of the rod. After the trip they brought both rods back and the guy with the lighter rod was sure that his rod was heavier. When the scales settled, his rod was a full 2.5oz lighter than the balanced rod. I have also giving guys the same rod balanced and unbalanced to test and see there reactions. Most times I give it unbalanced and they like the way it feels. Then I add weight to the back of the rod without them knowing and give it back. In most cases they are very surprised. In some cases I give them the rod balanced and they usually like when a 7'6" XH rod float in there hands. I then take the balance away and give it back and some sware that I added weight to it. I find it very important to take away at least a little bit away from the super tip heavy broom stick rods. For other rods like standard worm and jig rods I do not find it all that important or noticeable or for rods with tip down applications it is not necessary. IMO Scott

I agree. A MH power fast action rod (6'6 or 7') is about as close as you are going to get to a all around rod. Good Luck

I take a 6'6 blank and cut it down to 6'2 and use a 6-7" rear grip. The shorter grip (like the pistol) allows for easy rolling of the wrist without getting hung up on cloths. For this style of fishing I assume that heavy cover will be involved so I like a Fast action MH power rod for 3/8 and 1/2 oz spinners. #4 Micro guides all on top with a #5 butt guide. Scott

Luke, do a google search if possible and there will be gobs of info. The short of it is X-Fast Action bend mostly just at the tip at a giving weight (enough to load the rod but not over power it) Fast Action bends at the last 1/4 of the rod at a giving weight Mod Fast Action bends at the last 1/3 or the rod Mod bends at the last half Slow starts bending just after the handle Put any of your rods in a rod holder (PVC pipe works for me) at a 45 degree angle. For most bass rods I hang a 12 or 16oz bottle of water from the tip and mark where the rod first starts to bend. Measure that distance and divide by the length of the rod. Example. If a 7' rod that starts bending about 2 foot from the tip (2' / 7') = .28 or roughly the last quarter of the rod making it a Fast Action rod leaning a little towards Mod/Fast. I hope this helps, Scott

Check out basslore on the web I am in a club in distric 4 (Yambassadors) and I really like the ALBC. Click on the different zones on the Louisiana map and it will give you a list of all the clubs. Enjoy! Scott

Heading up to Negreet Thursday March 18th for a little pre-fishing and then a club tournament on Saturday. We usually do pretty well this time of the year as most. I will report the outcome of my trip when I return.