dwtaylor

That is one of the most eye pleasing sights I have ever seen. A true football.

Look for green, for that is where bass will be seen. Basically anything that you were using early in the year would work here too.

Assuming you have the collegiate angler program at your respective college, take a serious look into tackle warehouse. They do a similar deal, but you get everything there at a discount. I tend to drop shot for smallies quite frequently, and I will be one of the first to tell you that an xf rod is one of the worst ways to go. You want that rod to load up so when the fish runs, they cant come unbuttoned. Besides, when fishing a drop shot, it doesn't take a lot of force to set the open hook. I use a 6'6" ML Razr Rod. There are some fenwick elite tech walleye rods that feel very similar to it too, fyi. In the end of it, it all goes by how it feels in your hand. I would match the rod up with the president, because I have always believed that someone should get a better rod than a reel. Besides, a drop shot doesn't use up a lot of line. I currently use a 30 size Patriarch, and I love the reel.

I would say a 6'6" ML Fenwick HMX. I just bought one for fishing the Skunk River here in Central Iowa. There are some smallies in there, but most of them are about 10-13 inches long. I know it doesn't have a split grip, but a split grip actually throws the balance of the rod off depending on which reel you are using. Its a very sensitive rod, and in my opinion, is the best under $100.

rebel craw crankbaits! they are so realistic looking and they flat out catch em. nose hooking a 3in dinger/senko works well too.

I am a current college angler, and I think this is perfectly acceptable. I am very confident that some of our young men are as good, if not better than some of the FLW or BASS guys. Many guys that graduate from the college fishing ranks are actually fishing professionally. I don't believe that fishing is classified NCAA sanctioned sport (at least to my knowledge), so our college anglers can still win some money in bfl's and what not and still be eligible to fish. This gives the opportunity for outstanding young anglers to get major tourney experience under their belts. I have upmost confidence that the guys from the University of Florida and Auburn can fish with almost anybody.

I was wondering what kind of warranty Daiwa rods carry. I had just broken a rod (flippin stick) while fighting a small fish. I did not fight the fish any differently than any other time, and it was not taken out of extremely heavy cover. Also, I was wondering who I should contact because their website is not very specific on rod warranty claims. PS...the rod is just a little over a year old.

I would definitely loosen the spool control knob all the way and turn the brake system as need be. I have been learning to skip cast with a baitcaster and have found that a loose spool with full mag brake works best. My accuracy isn't there yet, but I try several casts every time I go out and I have been seeing improvement. I typically use a 7'6" mh veritas, revo sx left hand, and 50lb spiderwire stealth ultracast. Also, tubes and frogs skip wonderfully.

Looks like a largemouth. I have caught several bass that had large dark spots on it similar to that one. I suppose it is kind of like birth marks or moles on humans. Just something a little different.

I went out today again and I started using some of these tips. I used the suggestion that said to point the rod tip straight to the fish, and it works awesome. I did take a closer look, and I am tearing the lips of the lightly hooked fish. Today: 20 quality bites, 18 fish landed (I lost 2 fish due to line breakage from fishing in rocks).

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc. When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

I wish Kistler would do the same...

I absolutely LOVE my veritas. It balances almost perfectly with a revo. In my experience, I felt that the mojo was really tip heavy.

I was just wondering what exactly this tool does. Does it just use the screw to push out the pin or what? If someone could give me a pretty good description, I might be able to find something that would to the same thing cheaper.

Speaking of geese, i was walking around the bank on a pond today, and I guess I got a little too close to their nest. They were about 20 yards behind me on the bank when I got close to their nest. All of the sudden, I feel something jab in my back (not going to lie, it hurt quite a bit) and wings flapping at me. I have never ran so fast in my life getting away from those geese...

Just wondering, what tournament are you fishing, as far as tournament organizations go and its date?

When did they go out of business?!?

I have both and I prefer a Revo over anything I have tried. I do not like the way the Curado fits in my hand. Out of the box, the Curado will cast lighter lures better, but I have supertuned (just polished surfaces) and now the Revo is hands down better. Shimanos have more parts in the inside, while the Revo is simple and to the point. You just can't beat the toughness of the Revo. Plus it helps that I can get a pretty good discount on them too.

First of all, a baitcaster less than 50 bucks is going to be really hard to handle, at least in most situations. More bearings typically mean a smoother, better quality reel.

Have you tried those reel grips? I have tried them on several of my reels and I like them. http://www.***.com/Reel_Grips_Pro_Series_2pk/descpage-RGPS.html

IMO, the lake has the best population of 3-5 pound bass in the state. The lake has A LOT of timber in it and most of it is deep, actually its a no wake lake because there is so much timber. Its a standard lake as far as seasonal patterns go, but if I were to pick one presentation I would choose a jig. As far as where to fish...I cannot enclose that information lol. Its contour map is on a navionics chip and that gives a pretty good estimate on where to fish. My best advice is to become the most accurate caster you can be. Its very easy to lose dozens of lures in a day if you are not careful. It has that many trees in it.

I typically use braid when I am flipping, but I have tied a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader and I feel that it helps get bites. I have never had a problem with breakoffs. 17 lb would work too, but if you were fishing mostly grass, I would just use braid. It is, however, a little more difficult to tie than other lines.

'>http://www.collegefishing.com/events.cfm?&bTournamentSearch=1&cid=14&t=details&did=27&tid=6728&tyear=2011 This has the map with the gps coordinates of the cutoff line. Thanks for the help guys! I have plenty of time to think and plan for this event, but there are a lot of sales going on now and I could capitalize on them while they last.

I would try a swim jig or spinnerbait. There are many different companies that have great 'gill imitations. Another possibility for an imitator is the Jackall Giron. This bait will turn 180 degrees when you stop it after a jerk. This almost always will catch followers.

I have used a medium action baitcasting crankbait rod for jerkbaits. I feel that it keeps you from over working the bait, which can deter bites sometimes. Sometimes they want that aggresive action. Its all about what the fish want that day. Also, as far as line goes, different jerkbaits suspend differently so some baits like mono and some like flourocarbon. The safe bet is probably with flourocarbon due to its ability to sink.