Brent1

I really enjoy good fishing photography. Sure, you can post up your typical grip and grin shots of the 5lb'er you caught last week, but I also wanna see some of you guy's artistic/creative shots that you know you wanna show off. I've seen plenty of good pics on this site, so I know there are some good ones out there. Post em!

I found one called the Pleasant Hill Bassmasters.. but that's about it.

Bump. I'd love to hear any fishing info anyone can give me on the area.

Just found out that I'm heading to Bigfork, Montana this summer for a little vacation and I was wondering if there was any chance for me to catch a few bass while I'm there? I know the lake is a big Lake Trout fishing lake, but I was wondering if there was a descent largemouth or smallmouth population there? I'm doubting that I will be able to fish from a boat while I'm there. Might be able to take a canoe or kayak out, but otherwise it looks like I'll just be walkin the banks.

I agree. They are great rods for the price. I'm thinking about using it as a spinnerbait rod or a backup worm rod. Thanks for all the help guys!

The rod is a 7ft. Medium action casting rod with the single grip (not the split grip like the new ones). Hope this helps. I've tried throwing some weighted texas rigged worms using my Quantum baitcaster spooled with 10lb. fluorocarbon on this rod and I just couldn't cast the worms very far at all.

I know a Berkley Lightning Rod isn't the greatest rod, but I'm a budget fisherman so I like to utilize whatever I've got. I currently have it paired with a Quantum 7.0:1 baitcaster. I'm looking to make more combos in the near future and so far the only combo I have is a BPS Crankin' stick paired with a BPS Extreme 5.4:1 baitcaster that will be my crankin' combo. I need to find uses for the Quantum reel and the Lightning rod. I'm planning on buying 2 more rods and 2 more reels. I get a discount on Daiwa products so my next rods and reels will probably be Daiwa's. I was wondering what you guys think I could do with the Lightning rod and the Quantum reel. Should I keep them together? or should I use the reel on a pitching and flipping rod and use the Lightning rod for something else? Basically I just need to find a use for the Lightning rod. What do you guys think?

Very good Idea. I can easily rige something up. Thanks for watchin out!

I'll make sure to keep it safe with the flag I'll probably go overkill when strapping it down. Thanks again guys!

Thanks for the help Rhino! You've helped me realize what an inconvenience a trailer might be for us. There are some spots that we would go to that don't have a boat ramp, or a good enough area to back a trailer in. I think we will most likely just load the boat into the back of one of our trucks and hope for no cop trouble on the way. Now all we need to do is find a boat!

I agree! I am just worried about a 12' or 14' boat hanging too far out of the back of my truck. The tool box in my bed takes up a portion of my bed space.

Well me and a fishing buddy of mine are both planning on chipping in to buy a boat together. We're thinking somewhere between $200-300 and probably $400 tops.. We'd love to find something with a trailer considering the distances we'd be driving. I've seen some fairly good deals in my price range for some 12 and 14 footers with trailers that need a little work. I'm not afraid to buy something that looks bad (i.e. peeling pait, fixable dents, rotton wood on the seats, etc.) because I have a sand/soda blaster, tools, and enough mechanical ability to fix that kinda stuff.. I just don't want leaks, because I do not have the resources to weld or re-rivet. We wouldn't need a outboard motor, just a strong enough trolling motor (the trolling motor is not necessarily included in the budget) to get us around small lakes. We're hoping to stumble across something before summer. Fingers crossed! We're working on a pretty tight budget, considering we are both in college, but I have faith that we can find something.

What size of jon do you have? 12 Footer. I've got a standard bed truck. It hangs over a little bit, nothing excessive though. Can you fish 2 ppl out of a 12'? Can you stand in it?

I have a regular sized bed with a tool box... so I was planning on getting one of those bed extenders from Cabela's for $100 that plug into your hitch adaptor and extend out to support some weight.

What size of jon do you have?

I'm planning on buying a jon boat this summer. Somewhere around 12-14ft, but preferably 14ft. Obviously, I'd like to find a good deal on one including a trailor, but I'm doubting that considering the budget that I'll have when it comes to purchasing a boat. My plan, if I can't find a boat and trailor combo, is to try and strap a boat into the back of my truck with ratchet straps and if necessary buy a bed extender that hooks into my hitch receiver. Anyone else on here have to put their jon in the back of their truck? I'd love to see some pictures. Thanks for the help!

What do you guys do when you transport your fishing rods? I know most of you have boats, so obviously you throw them in the rod compartments or tie them down, but what about you guys that have trucks? Do you just put your rods in the bed of your truck? I've been doing this, but I'm worried that my bed liner is gonna scratch up the rods and guides and scuff up my reels. I'm thinking about buying a few pvc tubes and lining them with something to make my own rod tubes. Any other methods?

Dtack, PM sent.

I was thinking about putting the 5.4:1 on a glass rod or a BPS Crankin' stick because I feel like the lightning rods is pullin the cranks outta the fish's mouth. Maybe its just been me. I feel like the graphite lighning rod has too stiff of a tip.

I forgot to mention that I also have a Medium Light browning 7'6" paired with a Mitchell Avocet II Gold Series spinning reel (cheap) that I've been using for small stream and river fishing for smallmouth.

Right now, being a college student, money is a little tight for me. I love fishing but it can definitely get a little expensive. I'm trying to put together 3 different set ups to use for a while, until I have more money to spend fishing. Right now I currently own a 7' medium Berkley Lightnight Rod, a Quantum KVD 7.0:1 baitcasting reel, and a Bass Pro Shops Extreme 5.4:1 Baitcasting reel. I plan on buying 2 more rods (one for the BPS Extreme reel) and one more baitcaster. I'd like to use my existing gear. What kind of setups should I use? What should I use the Lightning rod for? I was going to use the BPS Extreme 5.4:1 paired with a crankin' stick and maybe use the KVD reel for a pitching/flipping setup. What would you guys do? I was thinking about making a cranking setup, a flipping setup, and a worm setup.

I'm making a popper out of basswood. This is my first ever lure build and I was wondering if it is safe to simply screw in the eye screws for the line and treble hooks? Or do they need some kind of glue or sealer?

Its good to see that care is usually given to the fish. I think I would really enjoy fishing tournaments, but I am concerned with the survival of the fish as well. I know not every fish will survive, but I'd hope that a good majority of them do.

Hey guys I've never fished a tournament before, so I don't have any experience at all with weigh-ins. I know that you take your bass from the livewell and place them in a weigh bag then transport them to the scales. But how long do the bass have to stay out of the water? Isn't this hard on the fish? Do a lot of fish not survive after a weigh-in?

Today a friend of mine and I were talking about unfortunate injuries inflicted on fish every now and then when we are practicing catch and release. He told me that if you pour Mountain Dew on the wound the citric acid in the soda will constrict the fish's blood vessels and can possibly help it make it through certain injuries. You guys ever heard this before?