Bluebasser86

My PB swimbait fish was 6lbs and came from a tiny puddle I could easily cast across. Very few bass even in it, but they're all super healthy and fat. Lots of sunfish and shiners for them to eat and vegetation to hid in, that's the key. Good food and environment to live in will grow at least a few big ones.

The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds were both here together for a show last year. It was a pretty amazing show.

Whew, SPRO coming with some HEAT!

I saw a recent video of a kid catching a 98lb common carp from a pay lake, I didn't even know they got that big.

I promise he appreciated it. My last trip was a guided shore fishing trips for shark. My guide worked hard for 4 hours, walking baits out into the ocean, in the dark, changing them frequently, telling good stories and his wife even took time to take my boys and wife crab hunting down the beach. At the end of our 4 hours, we never had a bite. I still tipped the man $100, because he worked his backside off and did things I'd never do myself and provided me with the gear and the chance at the fish I wanted to catch, that's all I could ask him to do, it wasn't his fault they didn't cooperate. He refused my tip at first but I told him I've had some horrible trips on my boat, it's a terrible feeling and I knew he probably felt way worse than I did. Part of targeting big fish, it isn't going to happen every trip and I was just unfortunate to have been on one of those nights.

After looking through their colors and thinking back to my past trips the last couple years, flake and laminates have ruled for sure. Colors like green pumpkin/orange, hot snakes, mood ring, the deal, junebug, and twilight have all been big players for me.

Had a big one cut me off in my tournament Saturday. Really thumped a flutter spoon hard, had to be a big largemouth, I'd caught several off that spot already. At the end of the day I needed to cull a 17" fish with a 19" fish for the win and I'd bet that one would have done it. It's going to hurt for awhile.

I get a kick out of sight fishing drum. They're pretty spooky if you make a bad cast and can be selective. Doesn't hurt my feelings as bad when I know ahead of time what I've got either. These went to a long time friend and fishing buddy. I gave another friend a couple catfish last week that has been asking for some for awhile. I like sushi and some saltwater fish, but our freshwater fish just don't do it for me unfortunately.

Out of town for a tournament this past weekend. Lake has one of the best selections of species of fish in the state. I can't help myself but sample some variety while I'm at a different lake. Probably the best walleye lake I've fished in Kansas. I brought 5 home, 1 on a Ned, 3 on spoons, and 1 on a 6th Sense Catwalk. There's also carp everywhere. I saw a bunch surface feeding right by my campsite. A small dropshot hook and a bread ball was too much for them to handle. First one was a mirror carp even, the picture is horrible though. Then I always have my catfish rods out at the campsite. I'd caught a decent channel cat on a half a white perch and only had 1 rod left out when I went to go to the shower house. Came back and my rod was gone. Ran down the bank, my rod and holder had gotten pulled over and the clicker was still going with about 10' of line left on the reel. I thought maybe I'd found one of the rare blue cats that live in the lake, but it turned out to be a 9lb striper, my second ever from Kansas and by far the largest. It was all but dead after the fight so I ended up keeping it also. My buddy and his family will be eating good with that striper and 5 walleye.

So far this year, White Lightning and Coppertruese have been my best colors. Not sure I've even fished Green Pumpkin this year.

Had another kayak tournament this weekend. Got to the lake early Thursday morning to start my prefish. Had my worst tournament of the year out there last year, so I really wanted to do better this time. The water was way lower this time, so it fished a lot different, but I had a fairly good prefish, catching fish from inches of water to out over 50' of water. Funny thing about prefishing, if you do it right, things don't always turn out the way you planned otherwise it would be pointless. This was certainly one of those times. One of those places that I checked out "Just so I can mark it off my list", ended up being the place I had circled for where I was fishing Saturday morning. I was pretty surprised to only have 2 other kayaks at the ramp and had the whole area all to myself when 5:30 first cast came around. First fish of the morning 10 minutes into the morning, was a 20" walleye on a 6th Sense Catwalk, that was a first. Second fish of the morning pulled hard on a Ned and came off. Third one I was instantly cut off on the combination of concrete, metal, and zebra mussels with my dropshot. 4th bite was another 17" walleye that had a 5lb largemouth following it in. A boat cut right in front of me and caught a 5lb largemouth, and I finally boated a 16.25" smallmouth. Next cast was another 16" smallmouth, both on a Ned. A few cast later was a 17" largemouth. Next fish was an 18" smallmouth on the Ned The bite slowed for a minute so I tossed a flutter spoon and whacked an 18.25" smallmouth. Next bite on the flutter spoon was a huge bite, but it was instantly in the junk and the fish and my spoon was gone even on 20lb test, heartbreaker of a loss. I rotated through baits for a bit before picking up another fish, this time an 18.5" largemouth. Another bait change to a tube and I picked up another fish, a 19.25" largemouth. I don't think it was maybe 9:30AM at this point, and I had 91", but that would be it, I had maybe 4 more bites the rest of the day and none were big enough to cull. Ended up in 3rd place, first was 92.75". I knew lack of bites/fish was a potential issue with this spot and it got me in the end. Still, I was going to swing for the fences and I did and it almost worked out.

Welcome!

This sounds like my go to answer when someone ask me what I caught them on and I don't want to tell them. A Carolina rigged, bubble gum colored buzzbait down by the dam.

Tip what you feel the trip was worth. I've had everything from nothing to an extra $100 from both people. I get paid well when I guide, but I also work hard to put people on fish. I'm not going to be mad at a person either way.

That's what the water in most of our lakes look like mid summer. That's when the blue baits really seem to shine.

After fishing some really big topwaters like Lunker Punker, the Mega Dawg seems pretty reasonably sized.

I know this feeling and it does stop your heart for a second. Not sure if it's any better but also had those times when a mucky bottom will grab and hold the pole and I'll lose it when I try to lift it off the bottom to push off the other side and I'm just drifting away watching my pushpole sticking out of the mud behind me.

6th Sense Catwalk

Welcome!

I'm sure I drive my buddies crazy having them switch spots in the boat and adjusting the angle they're holding the fish, but those little things make such a huge difference between a picture of a fish, and a good picture of a fish, it's worth the effort to me.

This is an easy suggestion to give when you live somewhere covered in water. When water is scarce and fishermen plentiful, it's not that easy. I have to make the decision to go to extremely crowded bodies of water with few big fish near by, or make more of a drive to get to better lakes further away. Some days anymore, I get frustrated trying to make the decision and end up just staying home.

Not so worried about my strike to hookup ratio, I'd really like my hookup to landing ratio to be higher. I'm sure I get lots of strikes I never realize are strikes, but I wish more of the ones I hooked up with made it all the way in.

I once slept through a tornado in western Kansas the day before a tournament, in a rented double wide trailer, on a love seat, with about the last foot of my legs hanging off the end. I may have my issues, but sleeping ain't one of them.

So what is the gold standard for what a rod power is "suppose", to feel like? If I've used St. Croix my entire life, another rod is going to feel different to me, so whose rating isn't right? I feel like their ratings are more accurate than other rods I've used. Most others I've used feel like their ratings are higher than they should be.

81lbs completely assembled with a 400lb capacity, that's impressive.