Lightninrod

Y'all should have seen the herd of zebras that dropped by for a drink; Whole lotta bitein' and messin' around amongst them More activity during the day.

It's static now as to action but give it a look tomorrow when it's daylight over there. Dan

Then you may like this African webcam which has shown many kinds of animals in their natural state. I've seen elephants, zebras, birds, etc. already. I leave it on in the background and look when I hear an unusual animal noise. Dan

Bet some of y'all think my screen name has to do with a certain fishing rod...............not! Back in 2001, I decided to buy a F150 Lightning. At the time, I was(still am) member of F150online and racked my feeble brain for a "Lightning" related name and came up with Lightninrod. Kept it for all the forums I post on; Bassin', Lightnings, cats, and colognes. My avatar was created for me by Chip of Carolina Chip's Dan

Yea, but I'm lucky to catch a "4.2 lb Bass", much less a "14.2 lb Bass" :-? Dan

Some of the old-timers down here call them "green trout" . Dan

I think the 'heaviness' has more to do with the fact that you're trying to reel in a fish facing 90 degrees from you vs. the normal 180 degrees; facing towards you. There's a lot more water resistance to overcome with a snagged fish. As far as the wound, they'll probably do just fine unless you've ruptured an internal organ and that's not as likely as trying to remove a gut-hooked hook. Dan

California

Butch Brown--Swimbait Bass Another BB Bass One more Dan

I get my Matt's swimbaits unsnagged with one of these. It works for all baits and has saved me mucho $$$. I do not attach a treble hook to the belly hanger on his baits. The stock hook usually sticks them in the roof of their mouth. Dan

Cody: Read this short article a couple of times. It's not "the" answer to your question but it offers some possibilities. Some swimbaiters(as well as non-swimbaiters ) will tell you to look BELOW and then behind your bait as it gets to the boat, looking for a follower(s). If there's one there, pointing your rod downward and making the bait swim in a figure '8' may excite the follower enough to bite. Better have a good rod and a smooth drag reel with stout line and knot if that follower hits though I'd back off on the drag a tad too in that situation. Dan

If any of y'all are serious about "changing the way you think" about big Bass, consider getting a copy of Big Bass Zone. Read it with an open mind and see if what Matt has said makes even more sense . Dan

Some reading on pitching From BR This article has a short video showing pitching. Dan

:-? Anytime I've been asked about swimbaits(tackle, retrieves, small Bass, etc.) on here(and other sites), I've answered to the best of my ability. Matt does too when he gets the time to surf and read. And, IMO, there is no "season" for swimbaits. They can be effective at almost anytime of the year. My PB(on a Matt's Baby Bass) came in the middle of the day during August of last year. Dan

I went to two different ones a few years back. It was great to see and listen to the pros(especially Larry Nixon who I got to talk to and get my hat autographed 8-)) but it turns into a "you better buy these baits"......and I did :-/. Still, you can get some good tips and techniques out of it. Take a notebook and pen along with a camera . Dan

Very nice MM!!! Dan

What LBH said......if there aren't any bigguns, well................... :-[ I've fished the swamp pond(30 years old and about 10 acres?) for about 8 years and the heaviest out of hundreds I've been able to hang weighed just 6.5 lbs :-? I think the genetics of the Bass there don't allow for lunkers. My second heaviest(8/11) Bass came while slow-rolling a 3/4 oz spinnerbait from the shore. 8 lber My current PB, a 9-even hit a Matt's Baby Bass in a 104 acre lake that in known for it's heavier Bass. Most big ones from that lake have come on a bottom-bumping jig or a 10", T-rigged worm. Dan

Both weighted and unweighted worms will catch Bass. From the shore, I'd surely be throwing a weighted(max-1/4 oz) worm so I could cover more water and more deeper water. Many times, a Bass will strike a weighted worm on the fall because it is falling 'fast'. It's called a reaction strike and is triggered by bait movement. And then when Bass are 'moody' , a slow falling, unweighted worm may be what they want. Overall, I'd throw way more weighted worms. Dan

Hmmmmmmmmmm? I believe an ol' Georgia boy caught a pretty BIG BASS on a topwater plug a few years ago......................... Dan

I weigh(Salter digital scale) and started measuring the length(with a 'cloth' tape...thanks to my DW)about a year ago. See my pics . Dan

5lbs, 6ozs--20" in 2 years. 4lbs, 9ozs--21" in two years. Both of those Bass were caught from the same State owned and managed Public Fishing Area lake here in middle GA. The lake was filled and stocked for the first time a little over two years ago. In addition to panfish and catfish, it was stocked with female F1 Bass and females only. The DNR told me they are growing at about 2.2lbs per year and those two give creedance to that. The Bass are 'catch and release' only in that PFA. They hope that the females will grow faster and achieve heavier weights due to not going thru spawns..................lesbian Bass anyone ;D? Dan

8/11--Spinnerbait 7/12--Matt's BB 9 even--PB--Matt's BB Dan

Here is a good source of camera reviews. Here's review of a 'fishing' camera. I use a Canon Powershot G6 for my pics. Dan

For sure and the friends are great here! Dan

I know they can Let me explain; I use a 100% fluro line 90% of the time and I have watched fingerling Bass nip at my line............................where it comes out of the water! Underwater..................well, since fluro has almost the same light index as water, it's almost invisable................underwater. Dan