Bluebasser86

I also prefer the 1.5 over the 2.5. I've fished both quite a bit and even when I'm catching them on the 1.5 if I switch to the 2.5 the bite seems to almost stop and the ones I catch aren't any bigger, just less of them. I haven't got to fish the Luck e strike version much yet but it seems very similar to the RC version.

I like their trick worm, they make it in a similar size to the Zoom trick worm and also in a 9" version for a little bigger profile. I've got some 10" Kriet worms that have a really thick body that I can't wait to try this summer for the big bites! I want to try the squirrel tail worm but I keep forgeting to get any of them!

Thanks everyone for commenting. I was as shook up while I was fighting that smallmouth as I have been while fighting a big fish in a long time! Just the top of my shakeyhead was sticking out of her mouth and I was really worried it wasn't hooked good and was going to pop out. I lost a good fish off the same point a month ago fishing with my dad and I could see it happening all over again. When I finally got her my worries were confirmed, the hook didn't penetrate upwards but instead layed flat and skimmed just under the skin on the roof of her mouth for about half an inch before coming back out and the hook had almost ripped free. For about an hour after catching that fish I couldn't concentrate of what I was doing because I was still so jacked up!

Nice fish!

Small bass will for sure hit a frog and might be spitting it out once they realize there is now way they can swallow what they've caught. I've even seen big green sunfish drag a frog down. You could switch baits to try to hookup with more fish but if they're small enough they can't eat a frog do you want to catch them or use up plastic baits on them? That's up to you to decide but personally if they aren't big enough to eat a frog I don't really care to catch them.

I wouldn't be surprised since you're on a river if the large fish you are seeing jumping are carp. They tend to jump a lot all over the place. If you see splashes near cover or the shoreline or several splashes close to each other and baitfish flying then you're in the right spot. I'm with Grey Wolf that reading some of the articles would be a great start for you to get an idea how to go about catching some fish.

Along with the cottonwoods dropping cotton the willow trees around here are dropping stuff that looks the exact same. I can't ever remember seeing willows dropping anything other than leaves and tons of thin branches but they were really bad on a couple lakes I fish. It is a really PITA and you pretty much have to deal with it or go somewhere else, I don't think there is any real way to repel it if you're fishing where it's on the surface.

The baby brush hog in blueberry and blackberry are two of my favorite pitching baits. The full size brush hog is one of my go to carolina rigging baits. I like the green pumpkin/blue flake color on the c-rig. Not a numbers bait but I've caught some really nice fish on it.

Had a pretty good weekend this week. Started early Tuesday morning at Pleasanton City Lake West and got a 5lb 14oz fish. Fried the fuse holder on my trolling motor so we had to go get a new one so we decided to hop over to Pleasanton City Lake East where I got a nice 19 1/2 incher that I forgot to weigh Had a big grin because I was still busy giving my buddy a hard time for losing his LC RC 1.5 right before I set the hook on this fish. She was right on the edge of a weedline on the island and I caught her on a Havoc pit boss. My biggest surprise was this morning. I decided to go out to Wyandotte County Lake to try to catch a few before it got too hot. This lake is not known for big fish and with deep, clear water it gets tough when it gets hot out. I was just starting to think about heading home when I set the hook on what I thought was a drum. When she ran for the surface and I saw it was a smallmouth I started doing a bunch of begging for the fish to please stay hooked. She jumped 3 times despite me having my rod up to almost the top of the cork in the water. She ate a GP/chartruese tail BPS Stik-O on a shakeyhead in about 8 feet of water and weighed 4lbs 3oz, less than a pound from the lake record and number 3 on my all time smallmouth list. 20.5 inches long and 13 inches around, measured her because I'm thinking I might want a replica done of her.

Had a pretty good weekend this week. Started early Tuesday morning at Pleasanton City Lake West and got a 5lb 14oz fish. Fried the fuse holder on my trolling motor so we had to go get a new one so we decided to hop over to Pleasanton City Lake East where I got a nice 19 1/2 incher that I forgot to weigh Had a big grin because I was still busy giving my buddy a hard time for losing his LC RC 1.5 right before I set the hook on this fish. She was right on the edge of a weedline on the island and I caught her on a Havoc pit boss. My biggest surprise was this morning. I decided to go out to Wyandotte County Lake to try to catch a few before it got too hot. I was just starting to think about heading home when I set the hook on what I thought was a drum. When she ran for the surface and I saw it was a smallmouth I started doing a bunch of begging for the fish to please stay hooked. She jumped 3 times despite me having my rod up to almost the top of the cork in the water. She ate a GP/chartruese tail BPS Stik-O on a shakeyhead in about 8 feet of water and weighed 4lbs 3oz, less than a pound from the lake record. 20.5 inches long and 13 inches around, measured her because I'm thinking I might want a replica done of her.

Well I got a good upgrade but not a winner. If it was a lake record we were going for I would be golden because I was only 10 ounces off. Got a nice 4.18 pound smallmouth this morning. State record is 6.88 so 4.18/6.88=.607 so 60%. A ways to go to catch Dwight but at least it was a step forward!

I usually do my best in the marinas by the dam at Perry, you can fish them with about any size boat really because they're protected. There is one stretch of docks in the smaller west arm just past the bridge that holds good fish sometimes. The bridge rip-rap by Slough Creek bridge and then the standing timber up into Evans creek has good fish sometimes. I haven't fished up north very far but I did put in at Old Town one time and did pretty well. By far my best bait is a blackberry or blueberry colored baby brush hog but any dark colored soft plastic can be good. I've also done well with square bill cranks and occassionally spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

Guess that makes sense, same colors I usually fish in the beaver baits minus junebug. Guess I already knew the answer to my question!

I'd get the 51E for what you are wanting in the reel. I have a 50e,E5, and a couple E7's and I can't think of any reason I'd need to use one of the bigger reels for topwater or weightless plastics other than if I really thought I needed a faster reel. I use my 50e for topwater and jerkbaits and that little reel casts a mile!

3 or 4 brakes on is probably not a bad idea for learning and just set the tension knob to the bait you're using like you said. Most people would probably give up on learning a baitcaster if they had to learn with it set wide open. As for the drag, I think it is kind of a personal preference thing. I set mine pretty tight because I want solid, no slip hookups and if I need to give a fish line I release the spool and thumb the line. If you are fishing braid you want the drag to give a little easier or you'll rip the hooks out of the fishes mouth farily easily with some baits.

Sounds like a tough day on the water Good call on changing to a slower bait and getting the big ones to eat!

Try posting in the Western bass fishing forum under local fishing forums, you might be able to get in touch with someone that well. Welcome to the forum btw!

Just a strange colored largemouth. I've caught them with black marks all over them before but not quite like that one. Almost looks like the color the turn when they die but that fish certianly doesn't look dead!

It is hard to judge with nothing to compare it to. Might be 4lbs, might be 8lbs depending on how you hold it. I've got pictures of me holding 2lb fish way out to the camera and they look like 5lb fish (I always delete those and never try to pretend they really were 5 pounders ) Like others said, buy a scale, it's a very worthy investment.

The newer model Chevys and Fords are supposed to get good gas mileage when they aren't pulling anything. That is how I do most of my driving (unfortunately) so seems like a vehicle that saves gas while not pulling would be spending less on gas for you anytime you aren't pulling, leaving more money for when you are, just a thought. I have an '06 F-150 and I pull a 16' Lowe aluminum bassboat, it gets 14mph with or without the boat.

I had a couple small gar in an aquarium for awhile, man do they eat a ton! I couldn't keep enough minnows in the tank for them it seemed like. They are pretty cool to watch stalk and catch the minnows though.

retro-don't feel bad about not doing good at Leavenworth. I can usually go out there and come away with a bunch of dinks at least. What made it worst is I took my father-in-law and brother-in-law with me because I thought for sure they could catch some fish also. Well about 4 hours into it we had managed maybe 10 dinks (less than 12" fish") on several techniques. I couldn't believe how bad the fishing was and other than a 3 or 4 pound wiper that smacked my jerkbait, we caught nothing even big enough to put up a fight on anything other than ultralight tackle. It's pretty sad to see how far downhill that lake has gone. When it re-opened it was amazing. I guess all the catch and keep fishermen and the lack of patrolling the lake has really taken it's toll.

I either take my boat to the car wash or spray it down with a bleach and water mix after fishing Perry. It's too good of a lake not to fish it in my opinion. I just try to be as careful as possible to not spread them but I'm afraid there may be too many people who either don't care or don't know to stop them from spreading.

Truman certainly has fish in the 7+ pound range, I've even caught one myself. I'd read up on some of the articles on the site on how to go for bigger fish. Personally I'd get a heavier setup and try some bigger baits to increase the appeal of your baits to bigger fish and then your chances of getting them in once they bite!

What jigs do you fish on Cedar? I usually fish a beaver type bait and do fairly well. Never have had a good spinnerbait bite despite the shallow, muddy water seeming to be perfect for one. Had one really good day with a crankbait, since then I can't hardly buy a crankbait bite. I keep going back though because when you get bit a lot of the time it's a quality fish.