Bluebasser86

The second one looks longer and thicker throughout than the first one, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was 5.

Anyone been to Hazel Creek lately? I'll be there for the first time in almost 10 years next week chasing the big bass around that I know live in there and maybe some muskie. I know a few things that used to work out there but anyone with more recent info on what they're eating out there would be great. I'm strictly catch and release and I understand if someone has some info and would rather send me a PM instead of posting it on the forum.

I like saltwater hooks for big catfish. They're built strong, sharp, and compact usually to be harder for fish in the clear ocean water that mainly feed by sight to see. I'm currently using 6/0 2X strong Mustad beak hooks for flats and blues and really like them. I've never fished the big gun catfish hooks and have a rough time trying to rod and reel fish with circle hooks. My hookups are just really inconsistant.

I guess at least you got something good to eat out of the Melvern get together and not just a hook in the hand It was unfortunate you had to miss out on the good eats afterwards though.

I'd much rather have my lineup over 10 or so quality rods over a couple dozen Wal Mart combos.

Like I said I'd be willing to pay a reward for it too.

This is a tough time of year to gain confidence. Lots of fish are still in their postspawn transitions and spread out all over different areas of the lake and tough to get to bite. Lakes that normally produce a few dozen fish a trip for me are barely kicking out 10 or 15 a trip now. It's a grind sometimes and some days it does feel like you've forgotten what you're doing but keep studying and absorbing the information on this site and it will get easier.

Man that's a long list for me. Brown trout was at the top of the list until this previous year when I finally caught some on a trip to the White River in Arkansas. Now I'd say either a big striper or tiger muskie are 1 and 2 on my list, I've never caught either. I'd like to catch a shark or goliath grouper bigger than I am. Peacock bass, payara, and giant catfish in the Amazon would be amazing. I'd love to catch a big Wels catfish. Goliath tigerfish, a lake trout, artic graying, brook trout. I could go on and on because I'd like to catch all of them if I had a choice, pretty much every kind of fish has some kind of appeal to me.

I've fished with the Sexy Spoon a little bit and just can't make it work for me. In my head I can understand why it works and have a basic idea of how to use it but I just can't make it work on the lake. White bass love it but the largemouth I just can't get to eat it. Obviously it works though, it's been a part of several big tournament wins in the past year it seems.

Yeah I know where to find them, but like with anything mass produced, they aren't all the exact same. That bait had that special something that very few baits have that just catch fish. I'm just going to have to order a couple of them and hope I get another one that works as good as it did

I was a Shimano diehard myself and almost bought the C14 but wasn't impressed at all after handling one in store, that's what lead me to the Pfluegar. It was way smoother and quieter than the Shimano. I'm thinking I may have just gotten a couple bad ones, sounds like nobody else has had the problem I'm describing. I guess I'll trade it in for a new one and hope that I don't have any more problems.

I think most of Big O's fish would beat our state record. I've never caught or seen a fish that big in person but I'd guess she's in the low 13's, and way fatter than any fish I'd ever call "skinny"

It sucks but it's part of the game. I hooked a monster several years ago fishing with a friend in his 16' johnboat. I thought it was a big muskie because after the light "tap, tap" bite that felt like the muskie that had cut me off earlier, she spun the whole boat around and started dragging us to deeper water. Saw that huge green side and knew I had a monster but right then she dove and and my now straighted hook blew past my head. She was probably in the 12-13lb range and was certianly bigger than my 10.2lb PB. It's what makes you get on the water before the sun comes up

Big lakes are tough from the shore but fish can be caught. I've found if you don't mind getting wet you'll have much better success. Sometimes that may mean wading out on a point and casting as far as you can to reach a drop off or wading out far enough past the shoreline trees to be able to cast. I like C-rigging points from the shore because I can launch a bait a long ways and cover a lot of water but do it very throughly.

I love them around weeds. Lightly weighted keel hooks with a corkscrew, bass will crush them!

When I'm on an unfamilar body of water I look for areas that look like the lakes I fish normally, I have more confidence in areas that feel familar. Other than that do what others have said and look for areas on a map that look like good areas and plan on fishing those. One of the biggest mistakes I always felt I made before a tournament was reading the fishing reports and trying to do what they said, it rarely worked out for me at all. It was better for me to go find my own fish and do my own thing versus doing what everyone else was doing and competing with them for fish.

Jigs will catch all different sizes of bass but the average size for me tends to be larger with many of them being above average.

You can still order them I know but it's the history that bait had and it just had "it", you know, the fish just couldn't turn away from it once they started to commit to it. It's like that crankbait that wobbles just a little different from the rest that you pull out when nothing else is working.

I don't think many types of baits would be able to hold enough water to transfer the mussels. We have Zebs here and they say if you let your boat dry for a week they shouldn't be able to survive. My biggest concern would be something like a tube you pull behind a boat or maybe a lifejacket that soaks up a bunch of water. I spray my boat down with bleach/water mix after fishing lakes with zebras but I doubt anyone would ever think about those little pools of water collected inside a folded up inner tube or lifejacket.

First off, make sure you get the Pro heads with the stronger hooks, you'll straighten the hooks on the regular slider heads with normal bass gear. I'd use the 1/8, especially if there is any current at all. 1 20 pk should be good and if the water isn't too cold and you're shorefishing I'd suggest wading out and retrieving any of the heads you can when they get snagged. They don't snag up a lot, I'd say you should be able to make it through a day and only lose maybe 4 or 5 on a bad day if you're just fishing rocks. If there's lots of log jams and bigger fish you'll probably lose more if you're fishing lighter line though.

I think I only had 27 bass all day. Not sure how many drum I caught, way too many that's for sure. We didn't catch any walleyes and Peter only had 1 big white bass. Melvern doesn't have tons of whites it doesn't seem but man when you catch one it's a nice one.

I'd start fast and see if they'll respond to that. If not then slow down and fish tight to cover.

Dang he must be as sensitive to poison ivy as I was when I was little. I used to be able to just get close to it and get the stuff. Now I can walk through it as long as it isn't cut with the sap coming out of it.

I have 2 BPS, Cabela's, 3 DSG, and a Roger's sporting goods within 30 minutes of me and Roger's is the only one that carries Cavitrons in store around here.

I fish a lake that is a great night fishing lake, as long as you're using a jig. They'll eat a worm but nothing like the jig. I was pleased to discover that they will eat a black and blue chatterbait really well though. They won't touch a spinnerbait but the chatterbait they loved. A blue jig with a sapphire blue trailer is what I fish a majority of the time though.