Bluebasser86

Did you ever find a way to make trout edible?

I'd take the LTB, the new handle is really comfortable to me and they're very sensitive. I've got a 7' MH/XF, 7' 3" MH/MF, and a 7' 6" MH/F and all make good jig rods for different situations. If I had to pick one I'd go for the 7' 6" MH/F though.

Black is about the only buzzbait color I use, day or night.

Sometimes a mismatched trailer is much better than a matching trailer. I use a jig trailer 100% of the time and a wide variety of plastics can be used for jig trailers, including lots of things that aren't typically considered jig trailer material.

How are you fishing your jigs? Sometimes it's a amazing the difference you'll see in the size of the fish you catch if you go from a hopping to a dragging retrieve or vice versa. A pork trailer is something else you might consider, pigs love pork!

X1000 The thought of night fishing during the summer makes me as excited as kid on Christmas Eve

Almost all my jig fish from La Cygne have been in wood I catch way more fish on shakyheads, cranks, traps, swimbaits and spinnerbaits out there. I do normally fish a brush jig or finesse jig instead of a football head so maybe I'll have to try a football head instead next time. I can honestly only remember catching 4 fish on a jig all the times I've fished one out there, 2 dinks and a 5 pounder out of the river, then one that was 4 and change off a laydown by the shallow Linn Co ramp. Not like it matters, might not make it to La Cygne much this winter without a boat

I prefer a flat bottom over the V hulls. If you can find a semi V you can get the best of both worlds though but not sure you'll find something like that in a 12' boat. Flat bottoms are much more stable IMO and have a little more room since the front isn't pinched like it is in a V hull. You can buy a nearly new 12' flat bottom in the price range you're trying to stay in.

Sounds like you snagged a carp on the way up or maybe a monster gar caught you on the way in. There's still supposed to be a few stripers in La Cygne that they stocked quite awhile ago. I don't see a big flathead catching your bait as you reeled it back in fast. A big blue cat could have done it though. Big flatheads usually don't take off real fast, just a steady, heavy pull. On a side note I don't understand how you catch fish on a jig out there?! All the times I've fished there I bet I haven't caught 10 on a jig total.

Gizzard Shad

Pfluegar offers some of the nicest budget combos you can get. If you can swing it, the Pfluegar Trion combos are very nice for $60.

Personally would go with a longer rod for football jigs because I'm normally making long cast and fishing them in deeper water. I'd probably look at the 7' 3" or 7' 6" MH/F for football jigs. I like the micro guides and EVA handles but if you don't then I'd go with the regular Ethos. Both the stores by me have the Rod Riot right now, I picked 2 of them up tonight. That makes 7 Ethos rods since the stores opened late last year

I like the G Locks but they do seem to open up a little with heavier rods and line for some reason.

BPS 100mph suit is what I wear most of the time but the Frogg Toggs are great when it's really hot and humid out.

I've had great success with smallmouth in open, clear water. My best bait has been a bright white bait with a bright chartreuse trailer. I also just started making one similar to the coleslaw color that War Eagle makes, down to the painted white blade, smallies love that color around here

I set my drags tight on spinning reels, just tight enough that it will slip a little right at the breaking point of my line. I much rather back reel than depend on the drag, I feel like I have much better control over the fish that way.

Congrats man, that's awesome! I can't wait until my little boy is old enough to go with me. I wasn't ever a believer in pink but I'm starting to get there. I've caught a bunch of fish on a pink trick worm this year and that lead me to making a pink and chartreuse bladed jig. I fished it for the first time the other day and it didn't take long before I was building some serious confidence in it

I have a couple ponds and small lakes I fish often that had the same problem. Started removing every non-keeper sized bass several years ago. Now those bodies of water have much better quality fish and the fish are healthier and fight much harder. As an added bonus the crappie and bluegill got much larger and more plentiful as well.

Rocks are my security blanket, I feel safe when I'm fishing rocks I love fishing smaller docks too, but hate trying to fish the large, commercial docks, unless that's where the fish are

That's the same problem with shad, put them in a tank with corners and they're dead in 20 minutes. Depending on how it attaches to your power source, you may be able to use a power inverter? I use one to keep minnows and sunfish alive in a Rubbermaid tub when I go catfishing. It plugs into my cigarette lighter in my truck and runs aquarium bubbler aerators in both tubs. A smaller lawnmower battery may be an option also.

Kids are the future of our sport. I will go out of my way to help them any chance I get when they have a question. I used to teach fishing classes, have been a mentor to several younger kids, and was a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sister and fishing was about all my "Little" and I ever did. I also credit fishing as being a large part of why I was able to stay out of trouble when I was a kid.

If you really want one for deep cranking, check out the 7' 8" MH/M "Big Crankster". It's a really nice rod that will launch a deep crank a long ways and fishes them with ease. I was pretty amazed how much a difference it made in my ability to feel what my bait was doing. Handled bass up to 7.5 pounds on it so it'll haul the big girls in too.

Not in least. I've had them cooked a bunch of different ways and from several different lakes and streams. I wouldn't feed that junk to a stray cat. Thankfully they fight well, are active in colder water than bass, and the big catfish love to eat cut trout once the water warms up If I'm keeping them, it's either to give away to a friend who wants to try them, or to freeze to save to cutbait once the water warms up.

Costa Del Mar Fisch are the best thing I've found, and I've got a serious dome, like a size 8 hat big.

It's cool but the guys I've talked to that have done it say it's a lot like dragging a 5 gallon bucket in, just a lot of weight and no fight. It happens for sure.