Bluebasser86

Oh Travis, I have a full time job, a toddler, and another on the way. You got to make time and get your priorities strait man!

Haven't had one yet but it's bound to happen as many as I buy.

All times of day. It's the commotion and vibration that attracts them the most.

Hippie rat (morning dawn), has caught all my rat fish but 2.

Why not Google search MS Slammer fish? The rat looks more like a toy to me and I own 2 rats and 2 Slammers. The Slammer gets bit way better than the rat for me even though they both do relatively the same thing. I've got dozens of pictures of Slammer fish I've caught from the many well known big bass lakes in Kansas (heavy sarcasm). If they catch fish here they'll catch them anywhere.

The Rodents are extremely soft. I usually get a fish per bait out of them. They're a little thicker than a sweet beaver and they have bulbous knobs on the ends of the flappers. Something about them, they catch more and bigger bass in our lakes than other beavers for some reason. I could get a picture next to the Rage bug and sweet beaver, I don't own any flappin hogs.

The thing about a bait like a Slammer, it's a topwater and you fish it on heavy gear. I fish mine on 20lb Big Game. Unless I do something really stupid, or just hook a monster in a really bad place, the bait should last forever. Obviously if you live in pike country your mileage may vary. Personally, I'd rather spend 50-100 on a proven fish catcher, than spend $100 on assorted baits looking for the magic bullet that doesn't exist. I prefer the 7" Slammer because it catches Wal-Mart girls, and future Wal-Mart girls.

Never thought of doing that. Those things are everywhere right now. A lot less work than catching grasshoppers or crawlers.

I picked up an Ethos Micro for $35 and a Pflueger Supreme baitcaster for $41 at Academy today. Been working so much OT I haven't had nearly as much time to fish, but I've got money to buy stuff for whenever I get to go again I ordered one of the new Pflueger President baitcasters yesterday as well and it should get here Thursday, hopefully before my tournament that night so I can get some use out of it.

It list them on their website so I'm going with yes they are.

He works hard and I feel he really earned another AOY, even if it took some tough luck from Hackney to let that door swing open for him. I think he exemplifies a lot of the characteristics you'd like to see in a pro in a lot of sports.

I like that the duck can be rigged with the hooks on the back instead of the belly for a little more weedless presentation. Of course, those legs aren't going to work in a lot of weeds, but would also make it come over laydowns and through brush easier. The duck can look like various terrestrial prey items. I imagine it would look a lot like a mouse, rat, frog, bird, whatever a bass might be feeding on. Savage Gear makes proven baits at very affordable prices and are one of the best companies out there at listening to their customers to their wants and needs. I bought one, I'm going to catch fish on it, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me

If you have an Academy close, I use their 7' 3" H/F Ethos Micro and it's been the best frog rod I've ever owned. You might be able to find one of them on sale in store. The one I went to yesterday had Ethos rods on clearance, and anything on clearance was an additional 25% off at the register. I walked out with another Ethos Micro for $35.

I usually chalk that up as natural selection trying to work.

They make rod holders that mount to your boat cleats and ones that go in the seat pedestal holes. I've been looking into the ones for the rod holders for my boat for when I want to fish for catfish, wipers, or walleye.

We do our weeknight tournaments similar to the MLF style, except we still do biggest 5 instead of any bass over 12". I really enjoy it and everyone else seems to as well. It's certainly much easier on the fish to be released almost instantly and it's easier on us not having to worry about fish care all night when temps are sometimes near triple digits. It's an added bonus that we fish mainly lakes less than 200 acres so literally anyone with a boat can compete. We've had lots of 2 man style boats, johnboats, even a kayaker.

Welcome!

They're going to order you baits they don't normally carry? Searching the term "swimbaits" on their website turns up a very limited selection. I've never even thought to ask them if they'd order something they don't carry though.

When my wife and son got home Thursday afternoon last week and I asked what he wanted to do that night, he shouted "Go fishing!" Didn't have to ask me twice. Wife wanted to go to dinner anyways so we went to a city lake in one of the nearby towns. I knew where there were a bunch of bluegills by one of the docks, but man I couldn't get them to bite to save my life. I managed to get him one little palm sized bluegill after I hunted a grasshopper down, and even that was a struggle. We relocated to a rocky point next to a flat where I'm always getting harassed by bluegill while bass fishing. Of course, couldn't get a bite, not a fish to even wiggle the bobber. Son is getting bored, pregnant wife is getting hungry, so I start to just cast the bobber and little jig as far as the little dock demon will cast and let Lake reel it in. Nicole decided next cast was the last one then we'd throw rocks in the water (one of Lake's favorite things to do), and go. I cast it and handed it to Lake who started his uncoordinated 2.5 year old retrieve. I was picking up my stuff when I looked up because Lake stopped reeling, just in time to watch the bobber head down quickly. My wife and I were soon in a chorus of "Reel! Reel buddy!" It was a struggle of epic proportions and I've been less nervous about kickers in a tournament getting off than I was that little bluegill. Finally, the monster lay on the grass and the excited squeals and giggles could be heard across the lake, our son was pretty excited too. Like I taught him last time, Lake lipped his own fish and posed for the camera like a seasoned pro. There will be bigger fish, but that's one I'm sure neither of us will forget.

Go have fun and don't stress. Fish like you'd normally fish. If you go and try to do something different just because you're fishing against the "good sticks", it's not really a very good measure of how you'd do against them. I've gotten the chance to fish against some of the best, it's always a fun experience.

Are they getting down into the cover? Have you bent the hooks out at all to help get some extra clearance for the hooks to clear the body of the bait?

Original, but I can't imagine it's rattling much during the straight retrieve I use with them so doubt ti would make a difference either way.

It's been better than I'd hoped for. I've used mine for topwater and also light T rigs and it's done everything I could ask of it.

I use a 7' 3" ML/F Ethos micro. There's nicer rods out there for a little more for sure, but for the $60 I spent on it, and considering how rarely I DS fish, it's been great.

Where is this magical BPS that carries swimbaits?? I've been to several and the closest thing to a swimbait I've seen is one of the BPS jointed swimbaits. A lot of the baits mentioned are hard to get direct from the maker, how is BPS getting them?