VekolBass

Sam, Sorry for your loss. I won't say the pain gets better with time, because it doesn't--but as time passes the good memories do get better. Jon

I asked the question "spinning or casting" because I haven't used the spinning reel, and I don't comment on anything I haven't tried. The casting reel is excellent. I've been using it since Christmas, and have had not problems. Very smooth.

Spinning or casting?

I use generally use either a Senko or a Mann's Hardnose Lizard. Brass weight, glass bead, and a brass disc thingy that I think is called a clacker, ahead of the barrel swivel. Generally use between 18-24 inches of mono leader.

In the spring, before the vegetation emerges on the surface of the water, a good technique is to run the trap just fast enough that you feel it occasionally hang up on a weed. Then sweep your rod tip sideways to free the lure. A lot of strikes come immediately after you jerk the lure free.

Legend is that the first bass lure was invented when some guy in the late 19th century was eating lunch on a boat, and accidentally dropped his spoon overboard. A fish came out of nowhere and whacked it. And the bait monkey was off and running.

Ditto. Tuesday morning I dropped my son left to attend the Fort Benning School for Boys. Fortunately, we had the chance to catch a few on the Rappahannock on Monday.

Minimum wage was just raised to $5.85 per hour (or something close to that.) Always opt for the job you really want over a dollar or two extra per day in gas money. Life is too precious to waste it doing something you are not interested in.

I agree with Avid on this. As far as being overpriced, perhaps, but I decided to try some of the knock offs lately like the Yum Dinger, and have not caught a fish yet on them. Could be just a matter of time and place though. My observation is that if you throw a bait with a proven reputation, learn to work it correctly, you will catch fish on it. I have never caught a fish on top water yet, but that is because I use them only occasionally, and only until I get frustrated and start loosing confidence. Then I give up and default to something I have confidence in. My son, being more adventurous, is becoming proficient with top water, and routinely catches fish with them.

For most of my life, I was generally on the water at sun up. I started keeping a fishing log in October of 05. At the end of last season I reviewed the log, and discovered that I caught about 10% of my fish between sun up and 10AM. The bulk of my fish were caught between noon and 4pm. This year, I've been getting on the water around 9am and fishing until dusk, and I've been doing fine.

That's why I love this site, in less than 24 hours you have the answer to any fishing question you can possibly dream up. What kind of retrieve do you use for the rope lure? Steady or intermittent?

There are a lot of gar where I live, and some of them get pretty big. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for lures/bait for catching them. Thanks.

Stung in the foot by a stingray while attempting to launch a boat in the Gulf of California--then having to sit in the boat for two hours while my dad and his buddy were having fun catching fish. Fortunately it was just a baby stingray with a 1" stinger.

Yes, I've had days like that with Senkos. Along with just about every other lure known to mankind. :'(

If you want to get rid of them let me know--I've found them to be a great river bait--particularly in and around grassbeds, as others have mentioned.

1 hour on the water = 8 spent reading about it.

Great story. I guess the moral of the story is that if you are not catching fish where you're at--move! Move either to a different part of the lake or river--or to a different one entirely. Congratulations on the hawg.

Great video, outstanding tune for the background. You used my kid's pic--which was entirely appropriate since he is a lot better looking, and had a better fish too. my mistake, I sent two without thinking.

Fully agree with this. I replace mine with Gammy red trebles. I don't think it helps me catch more fish, but with the red trebles I'm always aware of where the hooks are when I'm getting the bait out the fishes mouth so as not to hook myself.

Don't let the timber distract you from the basics of bass fishing. Structure is still important, creek channels, points and flats. Try fishing "edge" areas where several elements meet. For instance a point with grass on it that is surrounded by the timber. Or perhaps try fishing an area where there is no timber, like a flat. As some others have mentioned, time on the water is the only way to go through all the possibilities. Also, make sure the body of water where you are at has a good bass population. There is a river close to where I live that is a good example. It looks like ideal bass habitat. Laydowns everywhere. I spent at least 40 hours fishing this river last spring without a single bass (plenty of catfish hit my lures, as did a bowfin). I was beginning to seriously question myself. I started fishing another body of water and had immediate success doing the same exact things that were not working on the first river. When all else fails--go somewhere else.

Lower life forms.

Back in the early 90's there was a tavern in Round Rock TX that did not allow women. They only one I'd ever heard of. The owner justified it be saying that there had only been two fights there in the several decades he had owned the place, and on both of those occasions he had made an exception for a woman being present.

It depends on the specie you are interested and if you want to just catch fish or you want to catch big fish. If all you want to do is catch fish then just about anything will work I prefer night crawlers and/or stink bait on a treble hook (the kind with the wire coil.) For big fish you want to use either live bait (large shiners, gold fish, small carp, bluegill). Blue catfish will also take cut bait from any of the above species. Just make sure to check your local regs to make sure what you are planning to use for bait is legal in the water you are fishing.

Great looking fish.

Review my journal entries from last year's trips.