.ghoti.

Not in my opinion, but I'm not much interested in dropshotting. I've spent maybe 20 hours dropshotting over the last two years, and have half a dozen dinks to show for my time. Not the most productive technique I've ever used. I don't understand the idea of buying those special weights, with the clips. Spend a buck fifty for a weight to save a 15 cent hook? Makes no sense to me.

Interesting topic. Looks like a lot of PB's are several years old. This reinforces the idea that a true trophy is a very rare creature, no matter where you are. I've caught two 8 pound largemouth. #1. about 15 years ago 6' Team Daiwa George Cochran model rod Daiwa TD2-Hi reel, #10 or #12 XL line small green lizard on a jighead. #2. last year St Croix Avid rod 6'8" MXF Revo STX, #12 XL blue GYCB Swim Senko Best smallmouth 4 1/2 lbs Crane Lake, Mn several years back caught on a live leech on a jighead, fishing for walleye. Fishing about 45 feet deep when it hit. I thought I had a record walleye. Berkley Cherrywood rod, 7' M ( 10 bucks at wally-world) Symetre reel, 6lb test XL

My classes just started yesterday. I wasn't quite ready for the summer to be over.

I fthey make it past all you guys and get to Illinois, we'll all get out of the way and let them have Chicago. That will send them packing.

Great post, cool pics, wish I'd been there. If I had been there, at least you guys would have had some real beer.

Excellent bait. One of the best for springtime, cool water fishing. I'd never had much success with them in the summer, until just lately. When dusk hits, I use a buzzbait, spook, popper, toad, etc. When I see the swirls after the bait, but no hits, I know the fish are coming up for a peak, but turning away for some reason. When this happens, try an X-Rap. Retrieve with a quick cadence, keeping the rod tip up to keep the bait in the top foot of the water column. Add a long pause every now and then. I use 14lb test to help a bit more with keeping the bait shallow. Don't let it come back to the surface, but also, don't let it get much more than a foot deep. You'll find some X-Raps suspend better than others. Use the ones that tend to rise up more quickly for this technique. Cheers, GK

Falcon spinnerbait and spinnerbait/buzzbait boxes. A little more expensive than the others, but a lot better. I've tried just about everything out there for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. The Falcon boxes are the best, by far.

I have a signature series reel. Had it for three years and have had no problems with it. I have it spooled with #10 XL, and mounted on a BPS Pro Finesse rod, 6'9" ML. Yeah, a medium-light baitcaster. This is the rig I choose when most would pick up a spinning rod. Wacky rigged trick worm, no problem. A 1/16oz jig with 4" power worm, no problem. An 1/8oz crankbait, no problem. Unweighted fluke, well you get the idea. I think you'd have no problems casting anything, including the big, deep diving cranks, with one of these reels. The dual cast control is almost infinitely adjustable. You can find a combination of settings on the centrifugal and magnetic brakes that will accomodate almost any bait. A lot of people will tell you to get a reel with a slower retrieve speed for deep divers. I'm not one of them. You can slow down a fast reel a heck of a lot easier than you can speed up a slow one. I bought a couple of Energy PT 640's thinking I wanted the 4.4:1 ratio for cranks and spinnerbaits. After the second time I lost a fish that ran at me, and I couldn't keep up with it, I ordered new gears and upgraded both reels to 6.3:1. By the way, what line do have on your present reel? I'm not a Shimano guy, but I've never heard anybody complain about casting distance with a Citica D. Cheers, GK

Certainly NOT! I can't tell a male bass from a female. I wouldn't want anybody getting the idea that I play for the "purple" team.

Welcome home. And, I gotta ask, how was that first beer?

I'd send this to Bill Engvall. Sounds like the next episode of Bait Shop.

A man is going to anger management classes because he isn't always able to contain his anger. So when he returns home one night after class, he asks his wife, "How do you stay so calm and not fight back when we have an argument?" The wife replies, "I clean the toilets." Then the husband asks, "How does that help anything?" The wife turns to him and says, "I use your toothbrush."

anybody wanna buy a case of snake oil?

never learned any kind of twit

BPS has what they call oval split rings. They're not really oval, but they do solve the problem. Until then try this. Tie on your line using any knot you like. Now, cut it off, trimming the tag ends very close. Slide the cut-off knot into the gap and leave it there. Now tie again. The cut-off knot will keep the line out of the gap for a while before it wears out. Cheers, GK

You ain't right. ;D ;D ;D Nice looking fishin spot. Where is it?

oxymoron

Who cares about Bigfoot? Anybody wanna see my UFO pics?

I have two thoughts for you. 1. tighten the drag. If it's too loose, the spool will not act is if it's engaged. 2. Look at the schematic. Part #39 may be in upside down.

Hey Muddy, take Bob skiing, you can call him Skip

If nobody else is gonna say it, I will. TALLY HO ;D

For the few times each year I use a spinning rod, I have an Airrus Tradition, 7'2" MH, a Symetre, and 8lb test XL. I filled two spare spools, one with 6 and one with 10. Did that at the beginning of last year, and have never used them. I guess 8 suits my needs. I have been using the "eggbeater" more this year, experimenting with wacky rigging skinny worms on a small jighead. I've done well enough with this rig that I'll be using the spinner a bit more.

If you're going to fish with treble-hooked lures, you NEED a net.

You just made my day. Love the dog on the spotting scope.

My local favorite watering hole has been taken over with duckweed. Just like last year. I hadn't been there for a couple of weeks, and the duckweed now covers the majority of the surface. Which part is dependent on wind direction. Lat year I caucght a ton of fish out of this stuff using floating worms, Super Flukes, and toads. Was out last night and caught one on a Rage Tail toad. Missed about 8. They blew up on the toad and completely missed it. The one I caught went after the toad four times before he actually got it in his mouth. No bites on the fluke or floating worm, so I tried something different. I wanted to punch through the weed, but stay just under the surface. The Super Fluke was just not getting through the weed well enough. Put on a Fat Ika, reverse rigged, of course. I retreived it with a series of fast upward movements. What worked best was pulling the bait up jst far enough to make a disturbance in the weed, but not far enough to break through the surface. Then let it sink for a second and do it again. It took a couple of casts to get the cadence right, but once I did, it worked like a charm. I was letting it sink about a foot, maybe less, before moving it back up. Rather like a vertical walk the dog motion with the rod and reel. It was a fairly quick cadence, slowing as the bait got closer to me. In effect this was an upside down plastics retreive. Instead of bouncing it off the bottom, I was bouncing it off the underside of the weed. Most of the hits came on the fall, and I caught all of those. Some of the hits came as I was pulling the bait up, and I missed about half of those. I greased up the bait with Megastrike to help get it through the weed, and then greased the first two feet of line. Try this if you have a duckweed infestation. It may work for you.