VekolBass

My son caught a 6 fish limit today in less than 90 minutes on a white Worden's rooster tail. I caught two fish, including the largest of the day, on a Mepps Aglia.

Connect the 12v power source directly to the unit--just make sure the polarity is correct and you don't accidentally short something out. If that doesn't get it to power up, the head end is dead. If the head is dead, break out your checkbook. Do a continuity check on the wiring between the mount and the battery. If there is no continuity, check the in line fuse for failure. If you draw your power off of a terminal block somewhere forward of the battery, check to make sure it is not corroded or has loose connections. If you determine that the head end is good, and the continuity to the mount is good--then the connection to the mount must be the problem. Check for dirt, moisture, etc. BTW--did you have the head end seated firmly in the mount? I've got a Humminbird too, and have occasionally had problems with it not working when I did not firmly seat it on the mount.

I thought I had cabin fever

I think you are definetly getting somewhere--nice fish. Another sign that spring is here--people are starting to post pictures of fat bass on BR

Bill Lewis 3/4oz chrome with blue back.

I noticed for the first time today that trees around here are getting buds on them. That's a pretty good sign that the land is waking up after it's winter vacation.

You throw your 15 dollor reel for a hour or two and then try it all day long with a good quality reel and you will see the difference. It might be insane to pay more than $100 for a quality reel but I personal think you get what you pay for. I look at it as a kind of an experiment. I'm definitely not recommending this particular reel at this time (at least at any price above $15). I've fished it on a couple of occasions since I bought it with satisfactory results. I will say that the drag is somewhat suspect, and the spare spool was made out of cheap plastic. I haven't bothered to even put line on it. Perhaps after this season is over I'll resuscitate this thread with a thorough review of the reel. Perhaps I've discovered a promising new manufacture of reasonably priced reels. Perhaps they are garbage that won't last a season. Time will tell.

I started using a plastic trailer last year, and am now a complete convert. As some of the previous replies suggested a 3" grub works well. I use one that is smoke with metal flake. A small fluke also is a good bet. I have a feeling that something like a 5" Senko, or other small plastic worm, might work well too. I haven't tried that yet, but plan to once the water starts warming up.

With a new tip it sounds like a good catfish rod.

I just read this in a magazine this past week--unfortunately I gave the magazine to my son, who then took it to college with him. However, I do believe the claim was that brushpiles get better with a coating of algae on them. However, the needles on the tree may compensate for that somewhat.

Feel the Steel is in good company. The Arizona State Legislature refused to adopt DST because they were afraid that the extra hour of sun would burn the crops. Arizona and part of Indiana are the only areas of the country that have not adopted DST to this day.

There is a guy that lives a couple of doors down from me who moved out of his house suddenly a few months ago and put his house up for sale. He has a boat sitting in his back yard that meets the description of the one you want. I have no idea what the condition of the boat, trailer or engine is (it does have a small gas outboard.) I do know that you will definitely want to paint it before fishing a tournament because it currently has a really funky looking design on it that is likely to get you laughed at. However, this could be a distressed seller situation--so you might get a good enough deal to have some money left over for repairs and improvements. If you like, send me a PM with your e-mail address. I do have a mediocre picture of the boat, and might be able to put you in touch with the guy.

In order to catch crappie you have to find them first. This time of year in Texas, my guess is that they are either spawning or getting ready to spawn. If they are spawing you are in luck because that is the easiest time to catch them. They will be in shallow water with gravel bottoms and wood cover. If you can find a beaver hut park in front of it and start there. You'll notice that after a few fish the bite will die down--find another likely area and fish it for an hour or so. When you go back to the orignal site the crappie will be biting again. If they are not spawning start working your way along the creek channel towards deeper water. If you have electonics they will come in real handy at this time. You will also have to determine the depth at which the fish are, this is very important. You must present your bait--live or artificial--above the crappie. Perhaps only a few inches above, but always above. You should also work long tapered points, particularly those with wood (stumps are preferred) cover on them, starting shallow and working deeper if the crappie are not shallow. Gravel, chunk rock, or coarse sand bottoms are key--avoid mud or silty bottoms. Whether you are using live bait or artificial always use the lightest line you can get away with (8lb test max) and as little weight as you can.

Just about the time your checking account balance starts to recover--there he is again!!!

That is a huge fish. Almost looks bloated.

I really think that T-rigging a Senko defeats the action of the bait. I spent some time this past summer learning to fish the Senko, and started out T-Rigging it. In several hours spent fishing it this way I caught exactly one bass. When I started to fish it weightless I started catching fish far more frequently. I also caught a number of fish on it with a C-rig. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, but I was not impressed with a T-rig Senko.

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it. I couldn't find the rodnreel. I tried dragging the bottom in a few likely(?) places but NG. I told my most trusted buddies and will post the sign w/reward, but like I said this cove is big and full of weeds. I'll try again tomorrow. thanks for the feedback. As is my habit, when I feel like I lost something or am otherwised deprived of something I think I deserve, my best medicine is to give thanks. I am lucky and thankful to have a broad selection of high end rods n reels that will continue to meet my needs with the level of enjoyment my lost rig has brought me. This was not a "once in a lifetime" purchase for me. I have other GlX rods and other TDZ's as well as St. Croix Legend elites and tournament bass rods. My other baitcasters are the Fuego and Sol. Both excellent and tuned or modified to perfection. I'm a lucky guy to have the fishing gear I do. If this lost outfit turns up. Then that's great. If not. It's still great. Life is good. This is just a little bump in the road. Good attitude. Stuff can be replaced. When I broke my favorite rod in two a couple of months ago I replaced it with my first St. Croix. Heartbreaking--truly heartbreaking.

Sorry to hear you lost a rod/reel that were that expensive. I would feel ill too. If you have a good idea where you lost it perhaps you could drag a deep running crank bait or something else with lots of treble hoods around, snag it, and drag it up. I've lost a good amount of equipment over the years. A couple of months ago I broke one of my favorite rods in two bringing the boat into the dock. By far I've had my worst incidents at the ramp. The worst was when my son went to change into some shorts to help put the boat on the trailer and dropped his new cell phone into a porta-jon. Needless to say, that phone was gone forever.

Lure: From the menu of choices, I guess I'm a specialist. I don't really want to be either a specialist or a generalist. I think you need to have a repertoire of lures (tools really) that will allow you to cover the water column from top to bottom. Water: Shallow. That is a factor of the water I typically fish. To be successful on the Potomac you need to fish the grass, and the grass is generally in less than 5' of water. When I lived in Arizona I caught most of my fish in the mid-range. Angler: Run and gun, but I made good progress on finesse style of the past year, and am working on power fishing.

No danger of that. The lake is on a military installation, and I think otters are a protected species in VA. Even though I hunt, I'd have a hard time sighting down on an otter or a beaver. They are too fun to watch--beavers help fishing more than hurt it. Best crappie fishing is always near a beaver lodge.

I've gotten pretty addicted to a show called "Fun Fishing." The show is shot in Northern California, and has two hosts. One is a fairly knowledgeable fisherman by the name of Alan Fong. The other is kind of a fishing dunce by the name of Warren Trumbly. Alan gives Warren a constant stream of good natured abuse over Warren's various ineptitudes, like when he let a striper get away with a sponsor donated $500 rod and reel. Sometime during the show, Alan gives Warren--and the audience--a detailed explanation of the techniques and equipment he has been using during the show. This past weekend he explained rippin and jig fishing. Yes, the plugs are there, but at least there is detailed information given too. Everyone has to make a living. The show's only drawbacks, for some folks anyhow, is that it is multi-species, and you will need to recieve Fox Sports West or Northwest to view it.

I was out looking for new water to fish and found a beutiful little lake that is probably in the 50 acre range. I was told by my son that it gets relatively little fishing pressure. The only potential problem that I could see was that the lake has a population of river otters in it. I saw around four of them playing in the middle of the lake. There is likely more I did not see. Any ideas on how this might effect the bass, crappie, and sunfish population? Never fished any water where these critters were present.

I've never tried it myself, but I hear they are pretty good smoked. My mom and her brothers used to fish for them and spear them during the Great Depression--take them into town and sell them. I think the brought in about a nickel a piece.

That's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.