KenDammit28

If George Perry had caught that fish today, there wouldn't be any controversy around it. I don't know how anyone could say that theres ANY evidence that suggests this fish didn't swim in GA waters. The truth of the whole matter is that no one cared about "world record" fish back then, especially during a depression, and this just so happens to be one of the very few catches that were documented AT ALL. If there weren't some truth to the story, we wouldn't be hearing about it today and it wouldn't have been called a record. To me, it doesn't matter WHO caught the fish(which most of the debate seems to be about)..the picture of a gigantic largemouth being held by a man that was discovered in the possessions of someone living in GA...thats proof to me. If you're willing to suggest someone may have photoshopped that picture or altered it or whatever, I think you'll have a long row to hoe.

I think Long Mikes post is kinda the best one out of the bunch. The value curve...when is the price range where you start to get good quality and a good price? Theres a certain sweet spot of price AND quality that I personally feel exists between 100-200 dollars. I would never buy a 200 dollar rod as I feel a 70 dollar Berkley Series One feels just as good. I'd spend up to 200(220 if I'm getting to choose the Quantum Tour Edition PT...) on a reel...but for me, that quality is good enough to get the job done and many of the reels in that price range have been proven over time. Buy what you wanna buy..but I think its a little naive to think that the higher the price goes, the better the quality is.

Bass fishing is huge in Japan, and now the country has a monster record bass to call its own. On April 22, Kazuya Shimada caught a 19.2-pound largemouth bass at Ikehara Dam in Nara Prefecture, Japan. He drop-shotted a 4-inch blue-black and chartreuse Optimum Swim Bait on 25-pound fluorocarbon line. Thats all I could find on it..that came from a San Diego, California e-news site.

there's just so many kinds of P-Line that I don't even know what I really need to buy to fit my needs. CX, CXX, Evolution, Flouroclear, Halo, PF....

the average weight of a Cali fish on that list is 18.08lbs! I wonder how many of the fish are repeat fish...any, ya think?

I personally feel like the Horny Toad works best when fished sub-surface. I'd rather use a hollow frog on top or a buzzbait before I would a horny toad. The best strikes I have had on top with a horny toad are when the legs are not making much of a ruckus at all.....verryyyyy quiet, just stirring the water, no splashing. Its a more intense strike than a top water hit on a pop-r or whatever because everythings so silent..its awesome, especially if you can see the mouth coming up to get the bait.

if the average thing was a reference to what I said....I definitely don't think that Mike Long is average, he's a stud. I was just saying that I wouldn't have a problem saying you could take the average trophy hunter to California waters and their Pounds per fish would probably increase by about 3lbs.

thats a pic(I dunno how recently) of Montgomery Lake(which isn't really a lake, just an oxbow). My understanding of how that body of water got there is that the Ocmulgee River changed courses and left this pool of water behind. This picture probably looks more like it did during George's time He's not alive..I think he died around 30 years ago? In the 70's I think as the result of his plane crashing into a hillside. He wasn't alone...his fishing partner, Jack Page, was with him according to Perry. The bait was a Creek Chub of some kind but the actual lure is up for debate.

how do we know the shakey head is actually standing up under water, anyway? lol.

Flukes are something I gotta get better at fishing. I never seem to have much success with them although this past year I did catch a few fish when putting them on a chatterbait head.

Is it safe to say that California can turn your average "trophy hunter" into a legend? I count 80 out of however many fish are on that list..maybe 110 or so? that came from California waters. Absurd.

one name that sticks out? California

cart, I'd agree with you about the drivers if F1 guys actually drove the car beyond stepping on a peddle and turning the wheel, lol. What they do is more or less riding instead of driving, but this is a fishing forum!

i like my X-rap..caught quite a few fish on the copper color(forget its actual name from Rapala). The trick, IMO, is fishing them considerably faster and more aggressively than you would a normal jerkbait. My pauses aren't as long and its more or less like retrieving a crankbait in a very herky-jerky fashion...almost non-stop, quick, and violent almost.

Matt, the only issue I think anyone can take with what you're saying is that you're also only looking at one of the best of the best trophy hunters. I would venture to say that for every Mike Long, there are at least a couple hundred more who are just average and probably DON'T catch double digit fish all that much or even single digit fish. Further, you're taking his tournament record on his home waters, and trying to say its justified against guys who are fishing different waters almost every day and catching what many would still consider big fish, even if they aren't in the double digits. I'm neither a trophy hunter or a tournament angler and have no desire to be either because to me, it becomes more of a job than a hobby. I think that trying to compare the two is apples and oranges because they are vastly different worlds. A trophy hunter can hit a couple hogs and put some weight up on a tourney board and being as adept as they are, I'm sure there are plenty of tournament fishermen who can go out and fish for a big bite, too.

I make long casts and regular casts with my right arm and switch to my left hand when reeling. For flippin and pitching I use my left arm and have no troubles(I'm sort of ambidextrous...use my left hand for most things other than sports)

sounds less about "teaching" and more about fluffing ones own ego. your last post displays the condescending and arrogant tone I saw in the first post. I didn't think there was anyone alive who knew ALL the truths about bass fishing.

I think Game Wardens can be pretty bad about checking licenses. Either they don't care or they figure if some of the people in a group have them, then all must have them. I remember fishing on Laurel Lake here in KY a year or two ago. There was probably 6 of us fishing(5 doing the catfish thing in a cove...good luck!) and me hunting through some flooded timber for bass. The Warden jetted over in his boat as soon as he saw us putting poles in the water..checked two people for a license..and then said everything was good to go. I didn't have mine on me(forgot it in my wallet at the campsite..since we were swimming I didn't wear my regular shorts, just trunks)....but never even got asked if I had one. Thats the only time I've been involved with a Warden in over 10 total years of fishing in my life so far.

the first lure is a mudpuppy(some people call them waterdogs) imitation.

"the Dickens" is a euphemism for the Devil. "like the devil" "what the devil" "the devil you are!"...that sorta thing many think that "By George" is a derivative of an old English war cry or that its just a short for saying "By God" without being "foul".

mine was definitely at least a 40-50lb largemouth! It was so big it fin probably weighed at least 5 pounds! I don't think I've had very many fish in a fight and lost them (knocks on wood) but the ones I have lost were probably a couple pounds at best.

http://www.2catchfish.com/store/info.php/id/254

I may be crazy but am I the only one that thinks the 1 pounder looks much bigger than the other two?? Nice fishin lightnin

how about this? Spend a day going to the spots he wants to go to, fishing the way he wants to, with whatever bait he wants to. Let him feel like he's making the choices and if he skunks out, he'll understand. If he catches a fish, maybe slide in a comment about something he could do differently that may help even more. Sounds more or less like a new fisherman or in some of our cases, a person who doesn't go very often. Most new fishermen I have encountered say everything sucks if they aren't catching fish every 5 minutes and getting over that phase can really only be done by catching a quality fish and spending time on the water.

I would have to vote no on the rig as well.. Its a novel thought but its not one that would likely produce any more results than normally fishing a spinnerbait. As a couple others have said, they are reaction baits, not necessarily "feeding" baits. Not too many lures really are a "feeding" bait, as it is. The whole method of fishing a spinnerbait, that many people don't often remember, is that being a little erratic helps the catch. There are times when a straight out and straight in retrieve is possibly the best option, other times where it will not produce a single tick.