K_Mac

Sometimes bright colors and noise are good; sometimes not so much. We fished muddy water today for about 3 hours. We caught four 18" plus fish pitching dark colored beavers into brush and lay downs in 2' or less of water. A quiet presentation tight into the thick of it was the secret. This is not my favorite way of fishing, but we had a great time. Drop it on their plate from close range plate and hang on tight!

Logan it would be very unusual for a body of water in Ga to be big enough to support a healthy population of bass and not have some crayfish, and even if the bass there have never seen one, they will bite one or a decent imitation.

I don't have to own or even use something to have an opinion of it. For instance, I do not own Glock pistols. While I have handled several and shot a few, I have not had enough been there done that experience to offer a substantive review. Yet I can tell you I do not like the way they fit my hand and I would not own one. Now this statement will offend many Glock disciples, esp since I don't have a great deal of time using them. So be it. I like what I like. I like BPS Pro Qualifier baitcast reels and own several. Some don't like them. I don't give a rip whether that opinion is based on exhaustive field testing or what they have read somewhere online. They have performed well for me. That is not to say I don't read all the opinions offered here. Just that over time I have come to respect the opinion of some more than others, even though I don't always agree with them, and at the end of the day you pays your money and takes your chances. LMG doesn't like the look and feel of Lews reels. That is not inflamatory, just his opinion. Now if he attacks Pro Qualifiers...

I have a couple of med spinning combos that go with me most of the time. For light line/baits they are indispensible to me. I always have one unless I have limited time on a small lake with decent fish, and know I won't need one. I enjoy baitcast gear better for most bass fishing, although I prefer med power rods for most techniques. I also am one of the guys that SirSnook mentions who wants several combos at hand while fishing. I could easily get by with RW's recommended three rigs or with only one, but why would I want to? I enjoy being able to throw a jig, or a wacky rigged Senko, or a square biil, or a buzzbait, or a beaver, or a shakyhead, or a spinnerbait, or a C-rig... without having to spend time re-rigging on a rod maybe not really suited for the purpose. I am a recreational fisherman. I fish for my enjoyment and having several rods at hand (spinning and baitcast) to allow me a variety of presentaions at a single target or simply ready if I want one, makes me happy. It isn't any more complex than that. I don't care that Ike has 20 rods on deck, or that Ish considers my spinning gear "fairy wands".

I am too old and fat to enjoy fishing in those temps, and if I were living in place that hot I would do most of my bass fishing at night. Day or night I would try heavy cover near deep water, pitching right into the heaviest stuff. I would spend most of my time on deep structure. With a lttle work and your new Humminbird you can find the depth that most fish are hanging out in. Then find where structure meets that depth and get busy. A big jig, or worm (iether T or C rigged) would be my first choices. A single colorado spinnerbait bumped along the bottom would be next, followed by a crankbait running deep enough to bump structue as a last resort. Many would start with a crank, but they don't suit my style much. Wear a hat and drink plenty of water...

A wacky-rigged Senko/knock-off in green w/red flake is a great bait in this situation. Add a little split shot weight crimped near the hook eye to vary the fall rate (I use a 2/0 EWG in all but the heaviest of cover). I have caught many nice fish that were feeding on gills using this method. It is a slower technique that some don't like, but if you have the patience for it you will catch fish.

I found the OP interesting. It probably won't effect any future decissions regarding Lews reels, but what difference does that make? LMG handled the reel and didn't care for it based on that limited handling. Whether it is a review, editorial, commentary, opinion, or essay matters little. This is a discussion forum after all. EDIT: FWIW I base all of my self-worth on the brand name and amount spent on my fishing tackle. I use mostly BPS gear and feel good about it. Please do not tell me I don't measure up because of this. I can't afford the therapy...

Forever is a long time RW. I have 4 Bass Pro Pro Qualifier baitcast reels that I expect to outlast me though, and I expect another 20+ years. I paid $80 each for them. As has been said, how much a reel is used, and how it is treated and maintained will generally decide how long it lasts before it needs repair, assuming reasonable quality. For me reasonable quality starts at $80.

While I am not by nature a morning person, being on the water and fishing at first light is as good as it gets for me. There is something about being on the water at that time of day that makes me glad to be alive. I am not always able to do it for many reasons. I like fishing the mid day hours also, but if I have to choose I'll take daybreak every time, even if that slightly reduces my chance at the biggest fish in the lake.

Redline I don't know nothin bout no second kitchen, but I am (like a hobbit) a fan of second breakfast. It was not until I bought a pickup truck and 4x4 SUV that we were accepted into the little rural community I live in. We have two going concerns in town, a bar and a church...welcome to the country.

That is funny! I like my guns too, but how many hours will you have that used gun in your hand actually using it? I have a good friend that used to give me grief for the tackle and gear I have. He has two inexpensive spinning rigs that he feels are adequate for all fishing. He also has two large gun safes full of a variety guns, some of which are strictly collector pieces. When I asked him why he needed so many guns, he smiled and has never said another word about my fishing gear. I have several guns to meet my needs and shoot them all from time to time, but I use my bass fishing combos on a regular basis.I will take the $200 rod over a $200 used gun every time-unless it is needed for zombie defense or some other urgent need.

Equipment at that level really comes down to personal preference IMO. Those reels should last a lifetime, and quality rods are a joy to use. Welcome to the bass fishing brotherhood and the forum.

Jslacker you can catch fish with your Ugly Stik. What many of us find over time is a little more money money buys a lighter, more sensitive rod that is more fun to fish with and will allow you to feel fish that you will not with your current set-up. Red Earth says the difference is nominal at best. For most of the rest of us the difference in a $30 rod and a $100 is huge. I have several combos in the $200 range. For me that is that is a reasonable compromise of cost and quality. I don't have any $500 combos only because I do not have the dissposable income. Not they would not make me better, they are just more enjoyable to use if you have the cash. Fish with what you can afford and enjoy the process. Good luck. On topic, I agree with Goose52 that a good med spinning combo with 2 spools could work for nearly any bass fishing. It would not make me happy though...

JFranco you are right. It is not my intention to be critical of anyone who is not married for any reason. My point is that condemning marriage in general because the idea doesn't suit some notion of the meaning of life, or that real happiness is not possible when committed to one person till death do us part is insulting to those of us who have been happily married longer than many of the participants in this thread have been alive.

Seacrest a happy marriage is awesome. All of them are not happy for many reasons, usually immaturity and selfishness in my opinion. I think marriage is a serious step that should be entered into only when both parties are ready to commit to each other, willing to put someone else's needs ahead of their own at times. That is an adult concept that can only be understood by a person with enough maturity to recognize they are not the center of the universe. It takes some of us longer than others to get there. Some of us never do...

Grundlelove you are one of the most cynical guys around-not that there's anything wrong with that! At least you’re honest about it. The problem with the, "life sucks, and then you die" mentality is often we will work to create that reality, whether we intend to or not. This notion of living only for individual pleasure is not new. I say it goes back all the way to the Garden, but that is a conversation that we can’t have here. What I will say is the things that bring me real joy today are different than when I was young. The wife of my youth is my life partner, and the thought of living without her, even if she was replaced by Angelina Jolie does not appeal to me. The reason that marriages have shelf-lives is we go into them with that mind-set IMO. I believe that marriage is for better or worse, till death do us part. I know that there are circumstances where this doesn’t work out, but that should be the expectation going in. When we enter into a marriage with the idea that if things get a little tough we can simply move on, that is exactly what will happen. Tough times will happen, married or not. The idea that children are a burden and will reduce ones happiness is not one supported by my life experience. Being able to help other human beings reach their potential, to love and nurture them, to be a part of their lives, is at the end of the day where real happiness comes from IMO. I know some folks who have never really done anything for anyone other than themselves. I can’t say whether they are happy or not. I can say with certainty I would not trade my life for theirs or anyone else’s.

Trying to determine species from the bite will cost you bass in the end. Sometimes when the bluegill are very aggressive I will pause for a second before setting the hook, but most of the time I just set the hook. As BrianinMD said, sometimes the biggest fish will fool you. Release (or keep) your perch, bluegill, crappie, catfish, drum, whatever, and move on. I caught a 36" musky last week that bit just like a bass...I didn't mind though.

Looks like he missed the boat itself. From the photos it looks like no serious damage was done. Backing into the police cruiser was a nice second act. Sounds like his head was elsewhere,and it is pretty clear where, but since this is a family forum I won't say... Hopefully it won't take long for the repairs to be completed. Good luck.

I am three months into a weight loss program and would kill for any on the list. A big Mr. Goodbar and a quart of cold whole milk might send me into a diabetic coma, but I would go happy...

Eric you keep coming back to the idea that it is somehow gear that separates the pros from the rest. How many wannabees are there who have all the hardware, software, and gear used by the pros? They have read all the articles, fished the same waters, cashed a check or two at every level, but fail to ever really make the big time. Why? Some of these guys are very experienced and knowledgeable. Great fishermen. Studs among their peers, yet at the highest level they can't make the cut. Michael DiNardo makes a strong argument that the difference is not physical. Maybe he is right that it doesn't take extraordinary physical ability to make it as pro. It does take something (or somethings) extraordinary though. I think reason may be right: We watch them with all the bells and whistles and say, "I could do that." It's just fishing, right? I don't know how to codify what it takes to succeed at the highest level; what I do know is many talented, knowledgeable, experienced, dedicated guys try and only a handful do. There must be a lesson there somewhere.

Knowledge+Experience=Success. It is a fine formula that is at work in all areas of our lives. Yet it no more defines how to achieve bass fishing fame and fortune than Einstein's e=mc2 defines the workings of the Cosmos.

preach4bass is exactly right. There are tens of thousands of bass fishermen who would love to make a living fishing. There are only a very small number who actually do. Yes there are many that cash a check or two once in a while, but not many that actually pay the mortgage fishing. The ones that do are gifted with physical and mental abilities that most of the rest of us don't have. Yes, maybe it takes a little luck, but luck is more often about hard work than anything else in my experience. It takes real guts to sleep in your truck with everything you own on the line, literally. It takes real guts to put it all on the line to enter a tourney with the likes of KVD, Skeet Reese, or Chris Lane and say I can beat these guys. Sometimes it happens. More often it doesn't, and eventually the dream ends for all but a select few. I don't know what the bass fishing equivalent of hitting the 100MPH fastball is, but KVD can do it. Grab a stick and take your cuts, we are all watching. One more thing; it has nothing to do with the stick...

Logan I am a better husband, father, grandfather, and any of the other parts I play for some time on the water. It's part of the way we are wired. And I agree that numbers of fish caught have only a casual relationship to the joy of fishing.

Traveler2586 you are of course right that good fishermen willing to share their skills and time with others are not that easy to find. They are out there though. Over the last few years I have worked to expand my fishing circle. As a result, I am now fishing regularly with a guy I only knew through a friend a year ago. He has taught me me much about flipping, pitching, and shallow water fishing in general. For those of us who almost always find a way to bring any conversation around to fishing, there are networking opportunities out there. Making a new friend and finding a new fishing partner is easier for some of us than others, but once again paying attention to details is key.

Logan I have health issues that sometimes get in the way of fishing, so I understand having a good day and then some hammerhead wants to spoil it. I have found most fishermen are decent folks and usually enjoy the conversation. Life is too short to pay any attention to the idiots. FWIW KVD has made a huge amount of money finding a spot or two and camping on them. Keep doing what you're doing man. There are few things that make a man feel better than enjoying God's creation with a rod and reel in your hand.