Bluebasser86

If you're just after some channel cats to eat just get some cheap hotdogs. They're easy to use, cheap, easy to get, and catfish love them. Plus if the fish don't bite you can go home and eat your leftover bait!

It's a female bluegill; http://cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/bluegill.html The males generally have orange on the bellies but the females are pretty dull colored, pretty similar to a juvenile bluegill. It's definatly not a warmouth, at least not what I know as a warmouth. They're much more brown and very camoflauged with a large mouth like a green sunfish. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/images/inland_species/warmouth.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/war/&h=303&w=563&sz=53&tbnid=1RAUPg9CrnthFM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=128&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwarmouth%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=warmouth+pictures&docid=08zLxH-wr2LJ2M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i2FHTpSINNGpsAKw3_SRCA&sqi=2&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAA&dur=375

I don't like to use it but like bassin said it shouldn't affect your fishing unless you're in super clear water. I just always figure that even though the water is dirty it doesn't hurt to use clear or fluoro.

I keep my line in the boxes on a pegboard and I have a simple system to have an idea how much line is left. If I've spooled a reel with a spool I tear off the right, top corner of the box. If I've spooled 2 reels I take the top left corner off too. After two reels most spools are going to be pretty much done unles they're 1/4lb or larger spools. So if I've spooled 2 reels with a spool I decide if I could use it for leader material or backing, if not I toss it.

The other downside is that the rust leaves a rough surface that can scrap up your line and weaken it. @clayton86-you might try a magic eraser to get that rust spot off. I've been using them to clean the cork on my rods and it makes them look like new.

Swimjigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and a swimbait. Those are some of my favorite rainy day baits and will catch fish just about anywhere!

Nice bunch of fish, I'm sure they drag that 'yak around quite a bit!

When it gets tough this time of year I go one direction or the other. I either switch to finesse and slow down or power fish and stand on the trolling motor. Looks like you've already tried some power fishing stuff so I'd switch to finesse; shakeyhead, dropshot, or a flick shake would probably be my picks dealing with smallies. Another bait you might try is a fluke. You say they're chasing baitfish so try fishing it fast just below the surface where they're busting bait or slow it down and fish it erratic like an injured baitfish if you don't see schooling bass. You might try really bright colors too, smallmouth are curious and sometimes just hit something out of curiousity.

You need a long heavy rod to fish heavy cover, strong line, and lift big fish out of nasty places. I prefer a high speed reel but since you often aren't even making casts but just flipping, a reel like a Citica or Revo S would probably work fine for you. Get some good 65lb braid and heavy tungsten weights and some big grass jigs and go to work, and sometimes it does feels like work.

You get any good ones? I'd like to tag along with you out there sometime. Seems like that little lake beats me more often than not.

Alright my fellow KC area members I'm looking for some suggestions. My wife just got a new job, part of that new job is 3 months out of state training starting the last weekend of August and won't be back until the end of November. This has left me with the chance to do some serious fishing right smack in some of the best fishing months of the year. No kids and no other other responsibilities so that's all I really plan to do with maybe some hunting mixed in. Right now I'm planning on just camping at different lakes and fishing my weekends away. As of now I have planned to hit; strip pits in southeastern Kansas for big largemouth, Milford for smallies and walleye, Hazel Creek for big largemouth and muskie, Pomme De Terre for muskie, and Lake of the Ozarks for all that wonderful dock fishing for bass. That's 5 weekends, I have 12. I really have no extra time off left because I used most of it for our honeymoon in May so I have to keep it within about 3 maybe 4 hours drive time. I've also considered; Table Rock for a bass mixed bag, Grand Lake because I've never fished it and would like to, and Stockton just because I love fishing that lake despite the lack of larger fish. I like fishing for about anything and probably will fish for a little bit of everything so any suggestions will be considered. So, where would you go? P.S. I have Monday morning to Wednesday night off and will probably be flying solo most of these trips but would be willing to let someone tag along if anyone has time off they want to use or if they're just going to have time off.

Or your baits, and maybe your tournament check

I've caught tons of cats on cranks, jigs, and plastics. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, rattletraps, spoons, and even a buzzbait and frog. I've also had friends catch 1 flathead over 20 pounds and one over 30 on spinnerbaits out of my boat. They are not just scavengers like they are rumored to be and will certainly eat a senko.

Lunker City makes a nail weight just for the Sluggo but it does kill some of the action. You might try putting one on a scrounger head or a belly weighted hook. Won't be the same action but you can fish it deeper and I'm sure you'll catch fish. Thread one on an 1/8oz darter jighead and you might get a more erratic action if that's what you're looking for.

Power worm, andaconda, thumper, and the ol sneaky snake. I like the Zoom Mag II worm also but since it's only 9 1/2 inches I guess it doesn't qualify

I like the Gulp spray and have had a couple times I really believe it made a big difference in the number of bites. I haven't caught a catfish on a bait with Gulp spray but I've caught several catfish on Gulp baits. Catfish fight hard so I wouldn't complain about catching one! I like the Spike it too but not so much for the scent as being able to add so color to my baits.

Looks like a lot of fun to me! There is a monster koi in one of the lakes I fish, I've seen it the last 3 or 4 trips and it's well over 20 lbs. It sticks out like a sore thumb because it's mostly bright orange with a little black. Do they fight like a carp? Nice fish!

That's a massive channel cat Haven't seen one that big in awhile! Did he drag that through the weeds? Nice fish!

I'm sure you will need to buy a regular hunting permit for your state, even to shoot squirrels. If you don't have a hunters education permit you may have to do that also. I would say do some research on pellet guns and decide which one you like best and has good qualities and reviews. I would for sure look for one with a decent scope so you can make head shots. Part of your main responsibilites as a hunter is to make sure you are efficient enough and your gun is powerful enough for a quick and clean kill. You don't want to go buy a cheap gun that takes several shots to kill a squirrel and makes it suffer. I'm an avid hunter and I practice a lot because I feel if I'm going to take an animals life I owe it as quick and painless end as I can. So make sure you sight your pellet gun in well and get comfortable with it. I don't know what rules your state has but we aren't allowed to shoot anything but small game (squirrels and rabbits) with a pellet gun. You can probably put down a rabbit with a pellet gun but I don't know if I'd try. Bowhunting deer is a blast but it's also expensive and very time consuming. I would suggest a couple things before you decide to get into it. First, get that pellet gun and shoot some squirrels. Some people find out they are not nearly as ok with killing an animal once they have done it. Second, find someone with a bow or a bow dealer that lets you test some bows, you may decide you don't like shooting a bow at all. If you get into deer hunting with a bow I'm pretty confident you will enjoy it.

They are pretty tough to raise from the few people I've known that found baby squirrels. They are entertaining, until they chew up something you wish they wouldn't have or crawl into the walls of your house and you can't get them out, then you remember they're a rodent and that's what they do. Since they are a rodent they do grow pretty quickly. I'd probably take it to the local vet and see if they might be able to take it.

One thing I can almost guarantee you if you're going to get into law enforcement is you're going to have to deal with a whole bunch of B.S. If that is something that bothers you then you may want to rethink that career path. Some days it really bothers me but you develop skin as thick as rhino hide and the BS starts to roll off your back like water off a duck and you learn to deal with it.

I have never heard of any muskie or pike biting through a steel leader. Did you get part of the leader back or was the whole thing gone? I'd probably try a longer and heavier pound titanium leader and try trolling whatever muskie lures are popular in your area. If it bites through that leader, I'd get off the water before it decides it wants a bigger meal

Haven't been in about a month, it sucked when we were down there, 1 fish apiece. Caught one flipping in the river and one flipping on the mainlake, both really small. I was on Pleasanton last week and the water was 91 degrees so La Cygne is probably in the mid 90's at best. I rarely fish it except during the cold weather months.

It's not the weight of the fish that is the problem, it's the force and shock of a fish that size hitting the end of the line. If it was a weight thing then in theory any fish below 10lbs shouldn't be able to break that line right? I agree that chances are there was something wrong with the line, mainly because of where it broke, but I've seen enough fish break line that tested heavier than they weighed enough times to know that a fish that size can break even fresh, new line, even if nothing is wrong with it.

I have one of the Skeet Reese crankbait rods, don't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. I just can't seem to feel what my bait is doing nearly as much I used to be able to when I had a St. Croix Premier Pro Glass. Also had one of the original Carrot Sticks, it broke for no apparent reason and that seems to be a common problem with them but I've heard they have that fixed. I haven't fished one of the Abu rods but they look nice and are really light and I wouldn't mind fishing one. If I was going to go with one of your original 3 rods I'd go with the Abu, but I think you can get a better quality rod if you keep your eyes open for a used one.