K_Mac

The people who fish for sustenance don't care if you approve of the practice or not. The idiots who have no regard for the law don't care either. If legal, I would either keep it myself or give it away. I would not leave it for nature to reclaim unless I had no other option.

Redline if I had your money and the itch for something special, the new Signature Range Rover would be my choice. You can't tow a boat with a Ferrari!

If the wing-nut was a little loose that could be the problem. A loose connection along with a heavy current draw will generate a lot of heat.

There is a bait shop in St.Charles county near St.Louis that has a special "Lake of the Ozarks" color Senko that is reputed to only be sold there. Maybe this is one of those? I have been there with a friend twice, and he has the biggest selection of GY baits I have ever seen. PM me if you want me to get you a number.

I agree that fluorocarbon is not forgiving of kinking and is a tough lkne to learn on. I do not like braid and do not recommend it. That is a personal preference though. I would also agree that spending some time making sure your reel is setup properly and practicing is vital. I would buy some copolymer line while you figure out what works and what doesn't. Yozuri Hybrid or PLine CXX is my choice. Even better for learning is a nice manageable mono like Trilene XL. Good luck

Raul that quote should be put on a banner at the top of this page! Many of us have wasted many dollars trying to prove otherwise. Fishing time is too valuable to waste messing about with lures, line, or equipment that does not work properly. You can take this from me...a guy who has been there and done that.

I have bought many low-end hardbaits over the years including the cheapest BPS baits. I would now rather have one or two quality baits than a box full of these baits(I have a couple). I still buy baits that are not at the high-end, but it takes trial and error to figure out which ones work. The variance in cheaper baits probably makes them a bad value most of the time IMO.

When my wife and I were first married we rented an old brick and stone farm house. It had a rough basement that would occasionally be visited by the local black snakes. I would relocate them to the barn when I could. I tried unsuccessfully for the year we lived there to find and patch all the holes to keep them out. My wife would not go down there without me checking first. We never saw one upstairs, but my wife was never very comfortable about them. I loved the house; my wife not so much.

The last thing I would want from a guide is him worried about putting a dink in the boat. I can find dinks. I have only fished with a guide once. He put us in the right spots, gave clear instructions, and worked hard to give us a great shot. Catching fish was up to me. He was worth every penny. I have learned over the years that there are few guarantees in life. I have been silly enough to "guarantee" fish to non-fishing friends on lakes where I knew that fish were biting. I no longer do that! There are times when I am confident I will catch fish, and if you're with me I will work harder putting you on fish than me. If you are a skilled fisherman in those situations we will both catch fish. If you are not...

I would agree that with rare exceptions the guide should be paid. What the policy is should be settled before the trip. Dwight's example is one where the guide went the extra mile after 3 days of paid service. It made a loyal customer, and is good business.

The guy might be a great fisherman. He may even be a great guide. If I had a date scheduled I would cancel and make sure he knew why. Smokinal explained clearly how a professional handles a full calendar. This guy has a lot to learn about how to treat people.

It just depends on the rod in my experience. It also depends on how you're using it. With a gentle lob cast or pitch you can get away with far more weight than really going for distance with a big two-handed overhead cast.

I've spent many happy hours pitching under and into a wide variety of targets. I would rather figure out how to make accurate and quiet presentations in the yard anyway. Gives me more time to fish and puts more fish in the boat. Many of my neighbors don't quite know what to think of me as a result. That is a great unexpected benefit!

None of them are very good in grass. They do work well in wood though. I will usually work pockets and the weed line or above submerged grass wacky. In the grass I will go weedless with an EWG hook.

I am sorry to hear it also. She was loud, sarcastic, opinionated, outspoken and funny. What's not like?

I wonder what the guy told his friends about the bruises? I doubt he confessed to be beaten up by Sponge Bob and freinds!

I do not suggest that big bass or anything else can't be caught on mono, or that coloring it is a bad thing. If that makes you happy or confident then by all means do it. My guess is that Hannon would recommend using the best tool for the job available today and that really isn't camouflaged mono in my opinion.

When his book was first published mono was as good as we had. Now we have fluorocarbon that is thinner and better camouflaged by its nature. We have braid that is much thinner. Advances in materials and technology make this recommendation moot IMO.

I had a reel with it 20+ years ago and it was not really a feature I liked. A far better option is being able to re-engage the reel by lifting the release button with your thumb without turning the handle as some reels do. I pitch with a baitcaster all the time and engaging the reel with a turn of the handle is simply second nature.

When using an octopus hook a sweeping hookset or a reel set is the way to go. Those hooks are designed to grab with steady pressure. Just apply pressure...good luck.

You know now that you mentioned it I missed a couple of fish on my last trip. Do you think I'm fishing in the right spot? I wonder if it might be my wife's fault? Thanks for the informative post!

A great post Tom. Some fine suggestions closing with the best of the bunch. In my experience when I relax and enjoy, my fishing (and catching) improve!

Mike at DVT is a site sponsor. He is good guy who has done great work for many of us at reasonable prices. He is always willing to answer equipment questions. Give him a shout.

I have not yet mastered skipping, especially with a baitcaster. I do know that just like skipping a stone, speed and angle are the essential elements. Of course you then have to add spool control...good luck!

Nice fish! Congratulations on the new PB.