Bluebasser86

I've got a ton of St.Croix rods and I love them. I've got Triumphs, Premiers, Avids, Mojos, LTB, and even a Classic Cat rod before they discontinued them. I've only ever broke one and that was a Triumph when they first came out. I got it replaced with a newer Triumph and have had no problems since. They are a great rod and even if they did outsource some jobs at least they still have some in the US too, that's more than most rod makers can say.

I've had pretty good luck with the xcalibers so far. I haven't got to use the Strike Kings yet but as soon as it warms up a little I've got some ready and waiting!

Looks like a nice healthy fish!

Looks like a good spot, minus the snow!

Most of my fish so far this spring have been on jerkbaits or lighter spinnerbaits with a single colorado or oklahoma blade fished with a slow steady retrieve. Not getting as many fish on the spinnerbait but they have been quality fish for the most part. Most of the lakes around here have too much moss on the bottom and on the cover to fish a jig or worm very much. Anything that touches bottom gets coated pretty fast.

It made my night to see the site up and running again! It's been rough at work not having anything to do but work!

Depends on the boat. If it's a 14ft Lowe Big Jon then they don't make a trolling motor too big. If it's an old no name aluminum jon that weighs 75lbs and is less than 4 feet wide then it doesn't take much to push it. I've been on lots of lakes in my 14 footer and have never been worried. I've even taken it on Lake of the Ozarks and stayed in the coves with no problem from the bigger boats. I'd say 500 acres and under and winds under 20mph would be the safest way to go starting out.

Pointers are worth the money. They last and they catch fish when other baits won't sometimes. I love the American shad color and I'm really starting to like Crack color also. Nishiki can be a killer at times also. I've been doing really well with the Excalibur Erratic shad this spring and the old Rogue is still a killer sometimes too.

That's great! I had an owl pick up a jitterbug while I was night fishing several summers ago. After a brief fight and after breaking my new rod, the big bird came crashing down onto the shore into some sticker bushes. The hooks got tangled in the bushes and when it took off again the hooks pulled free and the owl flew off. Probably only lasted 30 seconds but it felt like forever that I was trying to get that owl pulled back down not knowing what I was going to do if I got it in. In the end it turned out alright though. The owl flew off and didn't seem any worst for the wear.

Some of them were on the voodoo, some were on a 78 pointer, some were on a Bevy shad. All of the baits I was fishing were suspending baits. The trout were all caught on super secret squirrel stuff ;D.

X3 on the Big Cedar Lodge! It isn't cheap but I took my wife there a couple years ago and the place is amazing! The rooms are nice and there is plenty of other things to do around the resort. There's also some good places to eat on the resort. They rent boats or you can bring your own. I took mine and caught an 18 pound limit without ever leaving the cove it's in! If they aren't booked up it is worth the money! We stayed in the cheaper rooms but if you want something really nice then rent one of the cabins. They let us look around one of those and they were really nice!

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1296526066 Entry is over but there's the rules.

Don't fish the Erratic shad in the Foxy Voodoo color, you couldnt' catch a cold with it :-X. The old Rogue is a good bait, just don't try to cast it into the wind.

Get a Kansas fishing atlas from Wal-Mart or sporting goods store. It has almost all of the public water in the state in there with maps of the JOCO area ones along with the ones in your area. Killcreek is one of the best if you're stuck on the bank but make sure you get your Johnson county permit also. Gardner city lake, Olathe lake, and Cedar lake can be ok but they can be a huge waste of time also. Getfished-I harassed the fish at Lake Lenexa Thursday with only 8 small ones to show for a couple hours effort. With me working evenings, having time before work everyday, and having a small jonboat that fits in the back of my truck I can go almost every day. Since I work in Gardner I have several options close to work too. This cold weather is going to put a damper on my plans for my weekend though. :'( Probably go move some deer stands and look for sheds and wish for warmer weather.

Man I've been stuck by catfish fins and if one of my friends did that to me he better be able to outrun me. >

Yes! One of my favorite colors. Not as easy to find a motoroil colored worm as it used to be. I've caught a lot of fish on the 8" black jellyworm, still have some somewhere.

Terrible to hear. I couldn't imagine anything being much worst than losing your child. Can only hope they find whoever shot him.

Best way is the way the fish want it. Best area is where the fish are at. Best time of year is when you are fishing. If you're prefishing just give them a try. Swimbaits can be used so many different ways it's almost impossible to labels "bests." Some days they're best burned like a spinnerbait under the surface, next day cranked mid depth like a crankbait, and next day crawled along bottom like a jig. I'd say if you're prefishing just give them a try and see how the fish respond. Fish the same areas you would fish and try a few different retrieves. As for the rod, if the lure is within the rating of the rod it should be good, as should the 30lb braid. I'd guess that with a 4 inch swimbait it should do what you need it too!

I've got a couple flatfish that I use for trout. You have to reel them extremly slow or they spin out, I imagine the lazy ikes are the same.

I like the bluegill and the regular baitfish shaped swim baits. You can beat them for the price!

My first experience with them was in Canada on Eagle Lake. I couldn't believe how hard the fought and how aggressive they could be. When we got back I looked to see what lakes around me had smallmouth and found we have a few pretty good lakes for them within a couple hours. Now I catch them pretty regularly and still have a blast every time I get one! ;D

The fluorocarbon you got should be alot harder for the fish to see, even if you stuck with the larger sizes you were fishing. Since fluorocarbon sinks it isn't the best option for topwaters though. The thicker line might have been keeping your numbers of fish down on the crankbaits though if you're needing your bait to get a little deeper.

I like the subwart for fishing really shallow water. It's a loud bait with a very erratic action that will bring the fish in out of heavy cover or dirty water.

Yeah, it's the same here. Fifteen MPH is a low wind. ;D I'd never get to fish if I stayed home everytime the wind was over 15mph ;D. It sucks having to deal with it sometimes but the truth is it will help you more than if hurts you most days. If it's bad enough you can't feel a worm then it's time to get out the cranks, rattletraps, and spinnerbaits and cover some water. You can always try to get up a creek and get out of the wind also. I was knocking their lights out on a jerkbait at the south end of the lake with a south wind blowing a staight 30mph last weekend. Riding the waves sucks but it's worth it to be catching fish. When we got out of the wind in a couple different coves there was no fish to be found.

I really enjoy night fishing and it does seem to be a better technique during the heat of the summer months. I tend to fish baits with lots of vibration or big profiles that move a lot of water. Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, jigs, and 10 inch or bigger worms are some of my favorites. Topwater is fun at night but make sure you feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook. If you set the hook on the splash you might be trying to dodge a lure flying back at you that you can't see . I fish dark colors if I'm fishing high in the water colum because the fish will be looking up and a dark bait sillouettes against a light sky better. Lighter colors for baits fished along the bottom to make it easier for the fish to pick it out from the dark bottom. Sapphire blue is one of my favorite jig colors at night, but plain black and blue is another really good option. the fishes use of it's eyes will decrease at night just like ours does. This means you need to be steathly. Keep noise to a minimum, make long casts when possible, and stay off the trolling motor when you can. Night fishing is great because not only will you be dealing with fewer anglers on the water with you, you will probably be dealing with more large fish than you're used to during the summer months 8-).