Hyrule Bass

well, i am skipping my tribes Pow-Wow this weekend in NC to go fishing at Smith Mountain Lake, VA it was an easy choice really. go to pow-wow in nc and spend a bunch of money on gas and food and stuff all weekend, drive 5+ hours, and be tired as hell when i get back monday? OR go to SML and fish, spend little money, ride down with my aunt and uncle, 4.5 hours ride, only spend money on beer and bait, relax all weekend, clear my mind, and be refreshed and relaxed when i get back monday?...

i think you should end your debate and go buy some. the rage toad is an excellent bait. many mention fishing them around cover and vegitation and stuff, but i also have killed with them on a clear open water pond. the rage toad catches fish no doubt...

good luck on your trip. ive got a guided trip for stripers coming up myself. my boss is taking a few people on a guided trip on the Chesapeake Bay out of Deale, MD...i cant wait...

^^^this, what i call the fish chris nightcrawler method a live nightcrawler is an easy scrumptious snack for a bass, they will stop, inspect it, see its real and then eat it. take note of the cruisers route, they are often swimming the same route over and over, dont cast right to them, but cast at a spot in their route that theyre not in... of course many of you refuse to toss a live crawler out there for whatever reason. i understand if youre fishing a tourney that you cant. but just fun fishing, everyone should keep a live bait rig ready and a box of nightcrawlers

how often do you drop shot though? and im assuming its a bass only reel? when that 150 yard spool is gone, i still have a spool of mono with several hundred or more yards of line on it. once again, how is it cheaper to use braid?

yep, not all my reels are that big, but most are. i do a lot of catfishing and some striper fishing too, i like bigger lines for those so i need bigger reels unless i want to cast down to an empty spool everytime, which would be foolish. but i also use them for bass fishing at times too. of course, im not so worried about a combo being a few ounces heavier, or line wary fish, or none of that stuff. bass have no problem eating lures on the end of 20lb mono...

Drive it more, a 1/4 tank of gas isnt a very good guage to judge a vehicle...

i think many of you missed the point. its bacon or cheese ONLY you wouldnt have no bacon wrapped filets mignons or any cheeseburgers. or anything else, just bacon or cheese im taking bacon easily

you could also use shrimp for catfish. but dont do like me vietnamese friend and go pay 9 dollars a pound for shrimp that he uses to fish with. i go to the frozen food section at the grocery store and buy a bag of frozen shrimp for like $5-7 with chicken livers, i put them on the hook then wrap a piece of elastic thread around them, they hold pretty well

This is just flat out wrong. Just because some people dont have the luxury of a boat doesnt mean they dont know how to fish and how to fish well, and that they never catch anything. I catch plenty from the shore, though i dont keep fish for myself to eat, i fish for my own enjoyment. your preference is different, youre a trophy hunter, youre out looking for that double digit bass, or those big stripers, or huge sturgeon, or that catfish bite you found that time on clear lake. from shore youre chance of catching or finding those huge fish lessons, which i think is skewing your perspective here. and if bucket fishermen never catch anything, then how come many here are complaining about them keeping bass? hell, even bluegill for that matter...

are you using braid without a backing to preventing it from slipping on the spool?

i only change line when it gets low on the reel or i want to try a new line, but usually just when it gets low, as in i can almost see the bottom of the spool after a cast. which could take several years on my 4000 sized spinning reels. it lasts much longer than 3-4 months. i got one reel going on its 4th year and a couple going on their 3rd. all of them have enough line to bass fish with, and the line is still in good shape, though i probably will fill up the one its 4th year this summer. if you can fish with 75 yards of braid for 2-3 years then i have to say you must manage your line very well. but i doubt many other guys here are getting that out of their braid. i have to commend you for not going overboard either, many guys will change all their lines after a week, a month, or even a single fishing trip and it seems real wasteful to me...

i frog fish with M rods just fine, never seemed to have a problem setting the hook... i use 4000 sized spinning reels for the most part...

i would go 12lb mono, its a good line size for just about any type of bass fishing...

let your bait thaw, its going to thaw once it hits the water anyways...

how do you figure? i seriously doubt this. i can buy a 8 dollar 1000 yard spool of big game that lasts me years, you cant even get a small spool of braid for 8 bucks...

yay, now you can create grooved impressions in your reel fingers

so much about this thread disgusts me. if people are breaking the law, fine, report them. But pulling that hook bending stunt makes me sick. You crossed your boundaries regardless of the situation. Perhaps you try and educate them on the fishing laws theyre breaking, ignore them and report them and let authorities(or land owner) handle it, but sabotaging them is real foul. not all "bucket" fishermen are breaking the law, and just because theyre on the shore and keeping fish doesnt make them bad people either. They have the same rights you do, catch and release may be your choice, doesnt mean it has to be the next persons choice...

i bet many of the people frowning upon live bait are also smearing megastrike, jj's magic, and other bait imitating scents all over their lures. How is that no different? Youre trying to make your artificial baits more life like with the scents...

its not lazy at all, it can require just as much patience as fishing artificials. and it doesnt always guarantee fish either, ive got skunked on live bait. theres times i had bought 2-3 dozen minnows and barely used any, same with nightcrawlers, chicken livers and shrimps. i just wonder why some people take on an elitist attitude over live bait vs artificial. i love using both personally.

i dont see nothing wrong with a guy wanting to keep the bass he and his family catches to eat so long as theyre legally caught. for all the catch and release that takes place, its probably good some people actually do keep largemouths to eat. some people may prefer crappie and catfish over bass, but everyones taste isnt the same, some probably prefer the largemouth.

i dont really tweet out stuff, but i follow some of the major national football reporters and a lot of the local beat guys for Redskins news and thats primarily it. most news gets tweeted before it gets posted to a website or blog, or before it gets put on TV...

why are the 15lb and 30lb bogagrips the same price? and whats the difference between the regular one and the IGFA certified one besides the obvious that one is certified? i mean they still should read the same weights in theory...

i would throw lizards and white spinner baits...

the bluegill idea of speedbeads is a good one. pond bass cant resist it when that bluegill starts jerking on your line. ive seen smaller bass congregate only to watch a big bass swim in and eat the bluegill. this was right off the bank in a clear water pond, the fish could see me but it didnt matter... but if you want to use artificial. try for the reaction bite, just keep reeling a spinnerbait past them. and perhaps the best idea, try what i like to call the Fish Chris method, as i learned it from him, just hope i dont mess it up explaining it. put on a small hook and if you need to no more than as small a split shot as you can get away with. then nose hook on a live night crawler through the that fat meaty part of the nightcrawler. toss it out near the bass. its really hard for a largemouth to resist that long lively nightcrawler. its an easy soft meal, the bass will come over and suck it right up. in some cases they may briefly inspect it or approach it cautiously, but it has worked for me. i have no problem fishing live bait so its a valuable method for me...