Lightninrod

Fine Fat Fish Randall!!! Dan

Went to my former boss's pond and tried a few new baits and an old topwater bait I haven't used in a long time. Had heavy cloud cover following some heavy rain the last few days(thank God) with a slight breeze and temps in the lower 80s. It rained a little while I was there too. Got two bites, both on the Tank topwater, one a 1 lber and then the 5 lber from the corner of the dam in shallow water. The 5 lber came off some stickups and sucked the popper in. Click on the pics for better resolution: 5 lbs, 12 ozs--25" Belly shot Another side shot Dan

Thanks y'all. It was a grand time in those gorgeous mountains with their greenery, blooming rhododendrons, great music, fine food(we had blackened Mahi, Mahi on the deck of the cabin as the rain peppered the tin roof), and some fine, friendly folk. Highly recommend it for a vacation to remember. Dan

Hey y'all! It's good to be back. My DW and I drove to the NC mountains(near Banner Elk and Grandfather Mountain) for a few days. We were visiting a couple that have been our friends since the 60s. We got back yesterday. No fishing done while we were there but we had a great time going to bluegrass and gospel sings out in the fresh mountain air. Got some wonderful blackberry jam too ! Here are a couple of pics: A mule and a jack... Great musicians Want a goat? Rapids More rapids Saw mill Kiln She and me Dan

Beautiful BASS T-rig!!! What floating swimbait is that? Dan

WTG young man!!! I'll take a "7" over a double any day! Dan

Very nice, dark green Bass!!! Can't help with getting someone to fish with you but maybe someone here will chime in. Dan

Really like the fish and.....your partner. She looks like she could take care of herself. 8-) Dan

I caught my PB, a 9 lber, in the middle of an August, 100 degree day back in 2005. She bit a Matt's Baby Bass in the middle of 10' of water. Yesterday, I was back at that same public lake and the water temp was at 92 degrees F with air temp at a bout 100 degrees. Sorry to say; no bites, no Bass as I left there after about 3 hours. Very FINE BASS Randall!!! I've got to get together with you soon 8-). Dan

Thanks again guys. kd: Here's my camera/tripod setup: Here, the camera is tilted up for bank fishing pics: I keep the camera level for pics when in the boat. The nylon line is used to tie the tripod/camera to a clamp on the boat. The camera tripod lies on the deck with the tripod collapsed when not in use. Word of warning; Get a quality(at least $40-50) tripod or you may lose the camera when the tripod's clamp(holding the camera's tripod attachment) let's lose and the camera goes overboard. Don't ask :-[. Dan

I'm guessing it's a Rat snake? It's bands/coloring are a little different than I'm used to seeing but that would be my some-what 'educated' guess. Very beneficial in that they eat rodents and the occasional bird egg . I collected snakes from the Everglades when I was a youngster. Kept a dozen or so in cages in my bedroom 8-). My favorite specie was the Indigo. Caught a few 6 footers. Funny thing about them; they will not bite a human. If picked up, they will wrap around your arm and then press their hardened tail tip into your arm, trying to scare you into letting them go. They look like patent leather. Dan

Been using the Crawford Knot for about 10 years; easy, quick, and it doesn't slip. Dan

Good day of catchin' young man! Nice variety too 8-). Dan

Good catchin' Sean! Yes, I believe a turtle will bite soft-plastics. I've had something(?) bite off the last half of a Senko many times and I think it was a turtle as they are in the ponds I fish in. I saw one take a bite right out of a Matt's Baby Bass swimbait as I was lifting the bait up onto the bank. Left a turtle-shaped cut in the 'belly' of my bait :-[. Dan

Great report young man! My hat is off to all(with one or two exceptions tournament Bassers 8-). Dan

Great catchin' FPB!!! Senkos work many times, especially when Bass are spooky . Dan

I'll try to remember to do that kb. Thanks for asking and for the thanks for the Honeybuzz buzzbaits. Dan

If you mean the rod and reel; that's a Megabass Jabberwock Evolution rod and a Daiwa TD-Z Type R reel. Dan

Outstanding report and finish young man!!! Some Mustad Triple Grip hooks will help solve the problem of getting a Trap thrown back at ya! They almost do the hooking themselves. Dan

WTG fb!!! You did a fine job and more, bigger Bass are in your future! 8-) Dan

Yes, the same man invented both but he say's the WR is the Boomer's replacement. Never bought into the Boomer but the WR seem's to work.l djd22: Thank you very much for the kind words. I try. Dan

I'm referring to the Wiggle Rig that someone posted about on BDO. I skunked out at the bigger pond as I motored around in my little boat. High 90's here today with the water temp up to 85 degrees, light breeze, and a bluebird sky with almost no clouds. I had a few hits but no hookups. Went over to the walk-around pond and got a bite on that rig on the first cast from the dam but no hookup. Threw 4 or 5 different baits/plugs from the dam but no takers. Went around to the western side of the pond and threw the WiggleRig/Swimming Senko out quite a ways. Started shaking it(see one of the site's videos if you're interested), pausing, shaking, then hopped it towards me and repeated that sequence. About 20' from the bank, she picked it up and I set the hook. She fought hard, taking drag on 2 or 3 lunges. When I finally lipped her, the GY Sugoi hook was snagged just under her skin, right between her eyes. I was lucky the skin held. Caught a dink on the same rig and missed a couple of bites which was my fault. Then, at about 2 PM, I headed for the AC. Wiggle Rig Again Gut shot Dan

Far from true.... But, whatever works for you is what you should use . I like the feel and the appearance of my rods but just about any rod 'can' catch a Bass but how many soft, subtle bites are you missing? Is the rod balanced with the reel you have mounted on it? Are you tired and or aching from countless casts with an unwieldy, unbalanced rod? There are many reasons for higher-end products but in and of themselves, they don't catch a Bass; we do but I choose to use a rod that makes that 'job' enjoyable . Dan

T-rigging and Tex-sposing are two different things; apples and oranges for instance. Texas-rigging is the method/technique including usually a weight(but not necessarily with a Senko) and an EWG worm hook. Tex-sposing just refers to the way the hook's point is pierced through the worm, etc. I have always used Tex-skin-on-top when using any soft-plastic except when wacky-rigging of course. You should always run the hook's point all the way through the bait and let it lie on top of the bait then pinch the worm's 'skin' a little(1/32"?) behind the point and bring the skin forward and up over the tip. Now the bait is weedless but ready to spring into action! Dan

Thanks y'all. RW: You correct about the Bass in those two ponds. They are very long for their weight. The owner(my former boss) had the ponds electro-shocked(I was the 'net' man) by a management company out of Alabama last year. Their report recommended taking small Bass out along with some panfish as they are out-of-balance. Per the report; he also added auto pellet feeders and new forage fish(shad) too. He is managing them to yield heavier Bass 8-). Avid: Thank you for the compliment. That's a Custom(yellow) TD-Z not my Pixy(it's orange). That's a Megabass Jabberwock Evolution JDM rod: Which translates into a 6', 8" rod with their patented Slant-bridge handle. That's a pic(and quote above from Tackle Tour's review) of their Diablo with a slant-bridge handle but it shows its purpose. Dan