Nebraska Bassin

Oakleys are great shades. I had a pair of M Frames that lasted me about 8 years... unfortunately they got something dropped on them and one of the ear stem retainers broke off, but both the frame and lenses were in perfect condition before that happened. I stepped up and got a pair of polarized Half Jacket XLJs last year, and they're perfect for fishing. Having interchangeable lenses is nice too.

That's probably what I'd have done... don't think I'd have wanted that guy in the boat with me.

Howdy neighbor!

I think a Rojo would be a good choice. That's what I have right now, and I've liked it so far. It casts a mile and seems very smooth. I think they retailed for $100 but they can be had a lot cheaper now. Not a high-end reel by any means, but not a low-end reel either.

I've had it happen quite a few times. Bullfrogs must be pretty territorial, it seems like they'll come after anything that isn't bigger than they are if you throw it in their general direction.

I've been told by people who know a lot more about fishing than I do that when it comes to bass fishing, scent is useful more to cover up other scents than by its own merit. For example, if a pike hits a lure, it can leave a scent on the lure that can repel bass. Certain other scents can cover up the pike scent.

I put my index finger on the trigger and wrap my other fingers (and thumb on the retrieve) around the rod handle.

You're not kidding about Nebraska. South Dakota seems to be the same way. We go fishing on Lake Francis Case from time to time with my brother, and he's used to some of the huge waves on that lake, so he'll fly right through everything with his bass boat. I don't think I'd ever try using my dad's 16' aluminum Lund on that lake, though. Some of the waves I've seen on that lake (in days when it's not even that windy) would swallow that boat whole. We've had it on the water in some pretty windy conditions, I'd say as high as 25MPH, but when the white caps start forming, we either get off the lake ASAP, or don't put the boat in in the first place.

I heard that Pflueger and All-Star were purchased by Shakespeare, and both of those brands are usually of pretty good quality, but I'm guessing that the Pflueger and All-Star products aren't coming off the same assembly line the Shakespeare reels and rods are being made on. As far as experience with Shakespeare branded stuff: I haven't used their products for years. I had an Ugly Stick about 10 years ago or so, I ended up giving it to my mother. She still uses it when she goes fishing, but that's only once or twice a year. A friend of mine bought a Shakespeare baitcaster not too long ago, and predictably, it's a piece of junk.

Pistachios are definitely addictive. Like Abby from NCIS said, "Have you ever seen anybody eat just one?" If I get a bag of them, I don't stop eating them until the bag is gone, no matter how big the bag is.

Beef jerky and iced tea

I used to fish a farm pond that had a lot of bullfrogs in it, and they would hit on plastic worms. They never actually tried to eat them, they'd just latch on to them with their legs. I could reel them completely in to the point where the worm was an inch off the end of the rod, and they would still be hanging on for dear life.

Before I learned to catch fish on a T-rig, I almost exclusively used hardbaits and swore that I'd never use plastics. Now it's almost exactly the opposite. I'll still throw hardbaits, but they're very rarely the first lures out of the tackle box.

I've never used a split grip rod, but I don't really see any reason to switch to one. I'm not concerned about weight saving, and when I do need to make a two-handed cast, it's nice to have something for my back hand to actually hold on to.

X2 Jigs seem to work well in ponds like that.

I'm a big believer in plastic, so that's what I'd start with in almost all of those conditions. On a cooler, overcast day, I would probably throw a weedless topwater lure like a Scum Frog if I'm trying to fish through the weeds to the bank.

So far, I haven't put a hook in myself past the barb, but I've watched my dad and brother do it. I was fishing a farm pond with my brother about 15 years ago, and he snagged a Zara Spook in the reeds. He got the lure unsnagged from the reeds, but snagged himself right below the eye doing it. I doubt that he had much fun driving 40 miles to the nearest hospital with that Spook hanging from his face. A few years later we were pike fishing at a local lake, and I caught about a 10 pounder on a Rat-L-Trap. Since I wasn't experienced with catching and unhooking pike yet, I gave the fish to my dad to let him unhook the fish. The pike was about as cooperative as the average pike is, and in the process of flopping around, stuck the front treble of the Rat-L-Trap in his thumb. Luckily the fish freed itself at the same time, but it still put an end to dad's day of fishing.

I always used to just use an improved clinch, but I'm starting to really like palomar knots. They're easy to tie and seem pretty strong.

Spinning: Shimano Symetre 2500 with 14# Trilene XL low-viz green on an All-Star Titanium 6'6" M/F rod. Cheap combo, but it works great. The reel's the smoothest I've ever used and the rod is plenty sensitive for throwing plastic. Casting: I only have one rig right now, it's even cheaper than my spinning rig. ;D Daiwa ProCaster Rojo 100HL with 17# Trilene XL on a Shimano Sojourn 6'6" M/F rod. I'm impressed with the reel so far, it casts a mile if I need it to but works well for flipping as well. The rod seems decent for such a cheap rod, but right now I'm just using the rod mainly as something I can use while I'm getting my baitcasting mojo back, and once I really get into using my baitcaster again I'll get a better rod and use the Shimano as a spare. My dad has a G.Loomis Bronzeback casting rod that he hasn't taken out of the package since he bought it a couple years ago, and I'm trying to talk him out of it, but so far he doesn't want to sell it.

Thanks for the welcome, guys! Hahaha, of course. Weird to say that I'm a Big 10 guy now. We'll be mixing it up with the Iowans and Michigan folks instead of the Oklahoma and Texas fans now.

We did some fishing at the Valentine Refuge lakes in north-central NE over the weekend. We were out in the nasty rain and wind, and figured that with the raised water level and tough conditions the bass would be holding very close to the shore, but we were catching them left and right at the edge of the rushes at least 100 feet from the bank. Our best luck was with brown plastic craws. I'd say your best bet would be to work as close to the banks as you can, but if you have cover that extends out into the lake you'll probably find bass there too. Just my 2c.

Hi, guys. I'm from north-central Nebraska. I'm 25 and have spent about the past 20 of those years fishing. I'll fish for whatever's biting, but as far as I'm concerned nothing beats the thrill of hooking into a lunker bass. My best catch so far is the one in my avatar. As luck would have it, we forgot to bring the scale, so I didn't get a chance to weigh it, but we estimated it at a little over 5 lbs. Fishing's always been a family activity for us, and I'll admit that my dad and older brother are the more avid fishermen of the family. My brother is a South Dakota B.A.S.S. federation member and was a runner-up in a tournament that could've qualified him for the Bassmasters' Classic a couple years ago. As for me, I just get bit by the fishing bug from time to time. I've been hoping to fish some tournaments with him, and although I know he'll pretty easily outfish me, I think it'd be fun and would be a good indicator of whether or not I have what it takes to be a tournament fisherman. It's good to be here. Best of luck to everybody through the rest of the fishing season!