Bluebasser86

Pretty much every bass I catch is really shiny? When they're wet and have their slime coat, they tend to look really shiny. Being able to capture that look in a replica mount is truly an art. A good taxidermist can make either version look great. It's your choice if you choose to kill a fish to hang on your wall or take a picture and get measurements so you can let it go and get a replica, but there's no reason to whizz in someone else's Wheaties because you don't like what they want. This is a prime example of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". Besides, the OP clearly no longer has the fish in his possession, so the option to get a skin mount is no longer even on the table. I have 1 mount, a skin mount of a 6 pounder that expired from being deep hooked on a hot summer day. It still looks pretty good, but it's only 14 years old and taken pretty good care of. This is who I had do it, he also does replicas. http://www.donstaxidermy.com/

Welcome!

Welcome!

I guide on my days off and get a lot of people who have very little experience. I have folks that I have to teach how to fish every bait I give them and then I have guys I only have to explain the layout of the lake and the area we are fishing so they know how to present the bait. If a guide isn't willing to teach someone how to fish, they probably aren't going to be in it long.

6' 2" m/xf Avid with 20lb braid on a 100B Curado

24-25 inches is massive for a Kansas fish. You're getting into DD territory at that length with a fat fish. My 7 3/4 from La Cygne was only 22" long. I caught a 24.5" fish from La Cygne but it was very skinny and only weighed 7.51. Usually a fish that length is going to be anywhere from 7 to over 10 depending on the girth.

Get any measurements? I'd guess 5.5-6 by that picture, nice fish. Measurements would help a lot though.

On actual multiple our fishing trips, maybe once a year. If you count my little 15-30 minute after work stops, couple times a month.

I'm seeing it just fine, congrats!

Oh so the bass are eating threadfin. The way I read it you were fishing for Threadfin

I use a snap sparingly, never a snap-swivel. Nothing I fish causes that much line twist that I have ever felt the need to add a snap-swivel.

Never hurts when a rig not only feels nice, but looks sweet too.

I use 8lb braid on a couple rods, but have trouble with wind knots when I've tried smaller pound test braids.

I think it's generally supposed to be females in the body paint swimsuits, but what works for you.

Anyone ever fished one? Even heard of it? Got to admit, I hadn't heard of one, but when Savage Gear sent me one to try, the look of the bait intrigued me. It had a nice baitfish pattern and shape, about the preferred size of shiner or shad that a bass would eat, but what makes it unique is the lip on the bottom and towards the back of the bait (hence the name). It's a pretty heavy bait for it's size and with no lip on the front and the back lip folding on the cast, proved to be a long distance casting bait and the back lip provides a nice roll while lifting the bait, so it doesn't run deep unless you reel slowly despite the heavy weight. Made it really ideal for covering large flats, kind of a replacement for a spinnerbait. I also found that if I stopped the bait, it not only wiggled on the fall, but it also backed up. It comes with really sharp, black nickel hooks that are standard on Savage Gear baits, which held tight to several smallmouth that crashed into it while I was fishing it over shallow rock flats and points. A little pricey at the $10 mark for the smaller one and $12 for the bigger version, but a bait that is worth a look if you need something for covering large, shallow flats, fishing over submerged weeds, or running along docks and killing it at the ends and allowing to wobble down and back up. I was impressed after my first trip and looking forward to getting to use it more and seeing what other uses I can find for it.

We always used them for tool carries/step ladders, never had a lid on them though. Got to where I could walk mine along while I was standing on it so I didn't have to jump down and move it.

Some of my catches from Tuesday. Full report in my kayak challenge thread.

My wife and I fished there Monday for about 4 hours, water was very dirty for that lake, less than a foot of visibility with a nasty brownish-green tint to it. Fish were still very active and mainly on or near points like you found. I did well on a baby brush hog and also a homemade bladed jig. Didn't weigh it, but my largest seemed to be recovering nicely from he spawn. Caught it out of that old water park area that they opened up into the lake now.

I swap mine out to a #4 short shank EWG Eagle Claw. I watch my buddy lose what was probably a 30# bag worth of fish on the stock hooks of a KVD 1.5 one day, even after I warned him about the hooks.

You can get a Berkley Heritage spinning rod from FFO right now for $36 plus shipping in a 6' 9" ML/F that would work well for bass and some crappie fishing. My dad has a Heritage rod and likes it really well and they're normally a $60 rod. If you wanted, they have a buy one get one 50% off so you could get one ML and a second in a M and have a pair of them for about what one would normally cost.

Don't get too hung up about a quiet entry into the water. It may look pretty, but like Catt pointed out, sometimes a little splash gets their attention especially around overhanging bushes or trees where prey is likely to fall into the water.

Some days it doesn't take anything special and they'll literally bite whatever you feel like fishing. Then I've had days fishing where what color flake a plastic has makes the difference between a few bites and a great day. Doesn't mean you have to carry a lot of tackle, because putting the bait in the right place is usually more important than the bait itself, but man when it matters it really matters.

Can't catch them at home, I'd always be willing to give it a shot.

Some of the ones I fish are near large reservoirs. I suspect the bass get in them during high water events. Nature finds a way in these things, or it could be someone catching them somewhere else and moving them, really hard to tell. Don't let the bass population thing discourage you. How many times have you heard of the great bass fishing in Kansas? One of the ponds I found with Google Earth proved to be a gem despite it's tiny size. I almost ignored it, but it wasn't too far out of the way so I gave it a shot. Held some of the healthiest fish I've ever seen. I'm usually pretty open about fishing spots, this is not one of those times.

Hadn't even taken the kayak out since my last entry here until yesterday. Decided to try to cross a difficult one off the list after I heard about a hot walleye bite going on at a small city lake I'd never been to about an hour away. I had spoons, grubs, power minnows, cranks, and some crawlers rigs and a marginal amount of confidence. A 180 acre lake isn't big, but in a kayak with no electronics, it's not small either. I eyeballed the lake when I got there and decided I'd troll a shad rap across the dam and fish a rock/clay/sand looking bank and point on the other side that looked like stuff I'd caught walleye on before. I hadn't paddled far when my rod bucked hard in the rod holder but nothing connected. It happened so fast I was sure my bait hit bottom or a brush pile. I paddled on when it slammed back again and stayed loaded this time. Just a little guy, but man I was pumped to get a toothy fish! There just isn't many in Kansas and reaching them from a kayak any time other than spring is really difficult. 2 bites in 50 yards, so I kept paddling. Got to the end of the dam where it flattened out and my rod was bouncing as the bait was hitting rods, then it folded in half and started jerking wildly into the water, obviously a much larger fish. I tried to tell myself it was a huge walleye, but when it wouldn't move off the bottom and it started steadily dragging my kayak along with it, it became obvious that wasn't the case. I was fearing it was a huge drum, but got the pleasant surprise when I saw this beast rise up from the depths in the clear water with my bait wedged in the corner of it's mouth. Another species on the list, and almost 2.5' more length! Good thing it wasn't any bigger, I about ran out of board. After that excitement I started drifting my crawler and snapping a firetiger 1oz spoon. Quickly discovered the lake was pretty shallow and with the water being so clear, I dropped down to a 1/2oz lavender shad spoon, bingo, first cast. Had a lot of fun catching close to 2 dozen eyes, walleyes and saugeyes, to get 2 more species on the board. My biggest walleye wasn't much, but my biggest saugeye was a dandy. My walleye The biggest saugeye. Spoon eater! I also caught a wiper that was around the 20" mark, which I don't have one on my totals yet, right as I tried to take the picture to count it, the thing flopped and was right back in the water, hopefully doesn't come back to haunt me. I also made a quick stop on the way home to add another species. Wasn't as big a smallie as I hoped, but got another foot out of the deal.