Beastie Bass

all right, that helps alot! I did see the pearlized white at hobby lobby. I think lure painting will become another obsession, er i mean hobby of mine.

WOW! nice work, i love the sunburst craw! I'm just starting out, but hopefully I'll be posting my own soon!

I'm just getting into painting my own cranks. I bought a few airbrush colors at a hobby/craft store, but they didnt have a very good selection. No translucent or metallic colors, just plain jane stuff. Any tips on where to buy good paint? I live in a pretty large city with multiple art supply stores, but figured maybe I could find it cheaper online. Also, do i specifically have to use airbrush paints? If someone has a tutorial or guide somewhere to point me towards that would be great too. thanks all

since I'm pretty much a newb at airbrushing, right now i repaint the cheaper ones, bombers, normans, and a few of my older rapalas. I did 1 spro lil john, then took it to a local tackle shop to show it off. A guy that was shopping there offered me $22 dollars for it. I told him it didnt even have a clear coat on it yet! SOLD! I'm still gonna leave my LCs and other pricey baits alone, until i develop some real skills. I cant wait until they look good enough, i will be postin em up soon hopefully. HAHA i forgot to mention the lil john didnt even have any hooks on it! what a deal

I live southern indiana and we just had our 1st warm week. Friday i went to a small lake,the water temp was 42 when i went back on sunday it was 47! Yep, I'm pretty excited. I caught a few dinks and one 5+ that was stuffed with shad! mmmmm its on boys and girls! oh yeah i also stuck a 14 inch crappie on a large jerkbait and my buddy got a 6-7lb channel cat on a small jerkbait!

My buddy and I both caught the same disfigured, or possibly handicap bass! He was only around a pound but from the rear of his dorsal fin to the tip of his tail was WAY smaller than it should have been and was twisted at a 45 degree angle from his body! Maybe he was mangled as a minnow and managed to survive. we affectionately named him "The bass with no @ss." I hope to land him again just to get pictures!

power pro for this guy!

I have also landed the elusive brown bat! I noticed that when I made a cast, bats would swoop down closer and closer. My buddy was REALLY freaking out! When I started waving my rod in a figure 8 motion in the air,they got closer! They were attracted to the sound of my line whistling. I did this for a few minutes, enjoying watching my buddy squirm on the bottom of the boat. I finally quit and when I made a cast my lure only flew about 6 feet and BAM! I should have taped the whole thing because I was 30 at the time and my fishing partner was 48, but he was screaming like a 16 yr old girl! aaah goood times!

I HATE when that happens! I wish that I'd never seen them sometimes! It's hardly ever a dink, always makes you go DOH! What did I do, or did'nt do?! AAAGH I still think about one of the 1st lakes I fished for bass in, gin-clear water and 5-7lbers just everywhere that were just slamming my spinnerbait burned just below the surface. TWO bass that were at least 8lbs came rocketing out of a fallen tree just as I sped my lure up to clear a branch, it was like you hit a switch. They both turned and swam to open water as my heart about exploded out of my chest! AAAHHH It was love at 1st sight , as they swam away with my hopes and dreams.

I have to agree, some little detail is making these fish 2nd guess striking your bait. When this happens I usually change color, size, or even a different brand of crankbait. You didnt mention the retrieve speed, but I'm guessing it's pretty slow. I love when bass start getting pickier about presentation, cadence, etc. It keeps me hooked, and also stumps alot of my fishing buddies who like to toss the EXACT same lure as the catcher of the fish.HAHAHAHA Good luck figuring it out, this is what makes us all better fisherman/women!

It sounds as if most of the problems come from other recreational water sports, not neccesarily from other anglers. A few wks ago I was going night-fishing at a local FWA. The lake I was fishing has 2 ramps, the 1st on was full of 3 groups of people fishing who had even backed up cars and trucks for a tailgate party. No sweat, I drive to the other ramp where BUBBA and RAY have decided to build a fire in the middle of the gravel boat ramp USING OLD PALLETS! I drive up and just back in-between their trucks and immediately one of them starts giving me lip and asking me why I cant launch somewhwere else! I politely inform him of the rules clearly posted on a HUGE sign 15 feet from the ramp: 1) THIS IS A PUBLIC ACCESS SITE DO NOT BLOCK RAMP 2) NO OPEN FLAMES OR FIRES 3) OUTBOARDS IDLE SPEED ONLY They get so ticked that one of them acts like he is going to smash my head, so I retreat to the truck for a Colt .45 and my cell to call the sheriff. They backed down and I never finished the call. I was worried about my truck the whole time i was fishing and when I got back the fire was still burning in the middle of the ramp! What a bunch of slobs! I put out the fire and cleaned up all of the nails from the pallets I could find. I would never pull a gun on someone unless I felt my life was in danger and I dont condone this behavior either but these dudes were serious. I am never going out there again unarmed.

alot of times when they dont want to commit to a jerkbait bite, i can catch em on a crank.

St. Croix Avid AVC70MHF its the best spinnerbait rod Ive used to date. If I was going smaller I would use the same rod just medium action. At $190 u save some cash for the bait monkey too...

Yes, you have a red-bellied pacu here! Sweet, if you were fishing in Brazil! LOL how do some people release non-native species and not even think about it? Piranhas too, huh? Crazy, I get excited catching catfish while bassin. I might poop my pants if I caught a piranha.

Well, I am a carpenter and the economic hard times have taken their toll for sure. The last 3 yrs I have been laid off for at least 3 wks each yr. I'm lucky so far thats all I have lost. It has only added to my fishing time, especially at night. It's been too hot to go during the day and my local lakes are crowded lately during the daytime. Just today i got 2 new 09 revo sx ($99) and a used st. croix avid for 100, the cheapest combo I've bought in the last 2 yrs. I am lucky enough to fish 3-7 days a week and my wife is still home when I get there. ;D

Yes AVS68MXF is my go-to rod for t-rigs and shakyheads also! I use a symetre on mine. I could fish with this combo for 3 days, its just that comfy. Amazing backbone for a M action.

for the size you mention I would use a MH for sure. Just make sure it a St. Croix Avid 8-) ;D

I own 3 revos, S, SC, & SX. All great reels. That being said I also own 5 silver maxs. I use em as beater reels and they just keep on going. The oldest is about 3 yrs and has no flipping switch, its not as smooth as it once was but it has landed several good bass. I got em cheap off ebay (around $50) and liked em so much I replaced alot of my older reels with these. No, its NOT a revo but its not junk like alot of other $50 reels.

Nice work! You make any other critters? All brunette rat maybe? Let me know

Hey guys I was wondering can I replace the top guide on my Mojo with a fuji alconite guide? I know it has batson forecast guides but i havent heard many good things about them. I also dont want to compromise the warranty. Its only a yr old but its my favorite "beater rod", it gets hauled everywhere in my work truck. I've never broke a top guide before but I guess theres a 1st for everything.

I too do most of my fishing from a 10' jon boat. I find it much easier to stand but I spend a lot of hours doing so and eventually have to cop a squat. I sit on a medium size coleman cooler and it puts me in a pretty comfy posture! I find that I miss more fish on large soft plastics and jigs while seated. Treble hook lures I never have a problem so I sit down almost all the time. I even bought a 6' medium fast Avid just for hard jerkbaits while seated! ;D My newest rod was'nt called for but I had to have it anyway.

Baby got back always brings in some whoppers for me! Downtown, anyway! LOL NO, I do NOT enjoy any other sound except music my jitterbug or buzzbait makes! I need to hear the braid zinging thru my guides and truly enjoy all the natural sounds of fishing. I despise racket when I'm in a boat, but crank that stuff up on the way home! Anyone else beleive that silence is key when bassin' after sundown?

I've been a member since 94 and still have every mag! I treasure my older ones and I admit it seems to have diminished in size and quality. I still would not be without it. As the founding membership organization of the sport we love the price of the publication is well justified. I never got sent anything I had to pay to send back. I even got to test a Revo S and a battery powered cooler. Score! I feel almost as strongly about my BASS membership as my NRA status! Take away my fish or guns? I think not!! ;D

I love my St. Croix's! Cant go wrong for the price, but you could spend a lil more and get a lifetime warranty with an Avid.

St. Croix Avid, best bang for the buck!