Bluebasser86

Not that I get to fish in lakes that have muskie often, but of the 11 I've caught in my life, 9 of them were while fishing for bass. A majority have been on spinnerbaits or crankbaits, but I've caught a few on plastics also.

I only know of one local pond with really big (over 1 pound average), gills, but this is exactly the case for that pond. The bass are stunted with a very dense population. There aren't many bluegills but when you catch one, it's huge. Biggest bass I've ever seen from that pond was 2.5-3 pounds and very skinny/unhealthy looking.

Hard to tell from the picture but the fact that it's a smallmouth makes it even more important to release the big ones. They grow slower than largemouth so it takes even longer for a smallmouth to get big. Did you get a length or girth? That would help as much if not more than a picture.

Do you have a better picture of the sides of the fish? It looks to me like you caught a monster white bass. KDWPT also doesn't list wipers as being in there but they do list white bass. From what I can see in your picture, there's only one stripe running to the tail below the lateral line, a sure sign of a white bass.

Picture doesn't work, but tell me when. My dad had a pair of Brittanys when I was still too little to carry a shotgun. They were great dogs and I watched them work and flush a lot of birds. All the hunting I've done since has been without dogs. It's kind of like trying to fish offshore without electronics.

Hey, a man can dream.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/163677-this-just-in-pflueger-president-limited-edition/

I really did find an older pistol grip rod. Can't remember the exact name but it's a Berkley "Worm and Jig rod". It has a foam handle and was floating along the bank, missing 1 guide and the insert from the tip top. Fixed it up and used it as a spinnerbait rod in my kayak a few times before I found an old pistol grip Lew's Speed Stick that I liked better.

I caught some really large fish early and late in the year with the suspending fat free shad cranking it super slow around the rocks near steep drop offs. I still have some of the original suspending wiggle warts but they only get fished in tournaments, which isn't often for me.

As long as you have a good, limp line you'll be able to handle 1/32oz lure fine on a L or even ML. I fish 1/32oz heads on my ML/XF LTB occasionally without issue. The St. Croix Panfish series has a couple rods that fit everything you asked for, except for the price, although they're close to that $100 mark. BPS has the Micro Lite rods that should work for you that are $50.

That's a fatty!

Problem is there's so many variables. I was the best XXX dollar rod for cranking, flipping, spinnerbaits. I want the lightest XXX dollar rod, best bang for my buck, best warranty, most durable, with a cork/foam/full/split handle. There's just so many different options that the list would be so long and then I think you run into people not wanting to wade through it all.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/161688-whopper-plopper/ Cast it out and reel it in, pretty much like a buzzbait. You can rip it or do stop and go retrieves also, but the straight retrieve has been best for me.

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on this one. A bass that size is terrible to eat, probably one of the worst tasting fish out there. You can get a replica of a fish that will look better (IMO), and last longer than a skin mount, plus you or someone else may have the chance to catch it again even bigger. I get no satisfaction out of killing a fish just to be able to point at it on my wall and say "I caught that!" A good picture or two, couple measurements, and they're on their way and I can still relive the experience through the pictures.

I'm the opposite, I like the 175 more than the 168. There is a huge size difference in the 2, even though their lengths are close. Both are great baits though. I've caught a ton of fish on that Slammer, just not this year for some reason, can't buy a bite on it this year. I think they'll move further to eat those big baits that are moving slowly because there's a bigger reward if they catch it versus a standard sized bait.

Looking for a backseater again Thursday. Not really set on anywhere yet, but the light winds they're forecasting right now thinking either Wolf or La Cygne. I could easily be convinced to go somewhere else though.

Just double checked and the 6' 10" IS an XF, so I guess that makes sense why it feels like one

To me the 6' 10" feels more like an XF than a F and has noticeably more backbone than the 6' 8". Makes it a great shakyhead rod but not as good for an all around rod.

Which Clayton are you talking to? I've done quite a bit of upland bird hunting, but not recently. Our pheasant and quail populations have been so poor here in Kansas that it's really not worth the time and money to go and maybe not even see anything. Cheaper to go to a game farm and shoot farm raised birds but not the same.

I have 2 of those tables at my house, one in the garage and one in the spare bedroom. It's amazing how much of the same stuff is on mine in the garage.

I can deal with walking around with murderers, but don't put me in a haunted house or horror movie. I already have to deal with the real life monsters, I don't need to deal with imaginary ones too.

I do it all the time, especially if I need to use lighter line to get deeper, which is exactly what I was doing when I caught my largest smallmouth of this year.

I use a 6' 10" M/F St. Croix LTB and it is by far the best shakyhead rod I've owned. However, for an all around spinning rod, the 6' 8" M/F "Wacky Style" LTB is the best all around spinning rod I've ever owned.

Homemade brush jig, 1/2oz black and blue with a black and blue Rage Craw trailer 5" Black and blue Senko Homemade bladed jig, 3/8oz green pumpkin with a black blade and green pumpkin Rage Menace trailer SK 1.5 Green Gizzard shad War Eagle Finesse spinnerbait 5/16oz Mouse

I haven't had an issue with stability, but I've always had really good balance too. Being new to it, I've still been able to take my dog (80lb Golden Retriever), and even when she shifts her weight around we've never even been close to tipping over. I'm able to stand up in it and fish as well, even though I prefer to sit since I have an elevated seat that allows me to fish effectively as is. I have an Ocean Kayak Big Game Prowler 2 that's 34" wide and meant to stand up in though and have never fished from a narrower kayak.