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If I'm not mistaken, they've pulled floaters out of a couple of those Cali lakes that would've beaten the record. At this point, it seems pretty silly to argue about the validity of a fish caught that long ago. There's no way to disprove the validity of the measuring techniques nor Mr. Perry's story of the how's and why's of the catch. I'm sure the record will eventually be broken, it nearly has been at least once.

The day my girlfriend (now my wife) was moving from one apartment to another, I left about 4 in the morning to fish a tournament. She was pizzed. ;D

This time of year? The shad die-off is in full swing. If you're not fishing a jerkbait you're probably not catching fish.

Yep, check the thread going about the Hope studies. You're 6lber scenario sounds textbook according to his studies. A more interesting finding was these big basses home point is often very close to the very bank that they were spawned from!

Yes, it's an old book. It's also been reprinted and available for sale for years. It's not really worth anything unless you've got a very early edition or first edition print.

Uh oh, you made this one too easy! Thanks goodness for Google earth. Too bad the lake wasn't across HWY 49, it would've had a little better detail.

Ahh yes, the Hope tracking study. That was originally put out in In-Fisherman many years ago. I believe I have the articles cut out and saved. Interesting material about how large bass spend their day. Much of what was written has tended to be true when I relate my big bass catches to his observations. A must read for anyone.

Actually, you toss the hay bales into the water along the bank. It acts like a filter. I'm not 100% that works and you'd probably want to discuss that with a conservation agent to find out how much and how may hay bales you'll need.

Well, because of the maximum depths of the ponds, it certainly sounds like you have the potential to have a big fish factory. You didn't mention size, any idea's? Acre, 2 acres each? In any case, it sounds like you've got a few possible problems. First, are cattle or horses still using these ponds? That's a no-no. If they are, that explains your turbid water situation. If not, bales of hay, tossed along the banks along with intercepting the incoming water have been known to help water clarity. Another thing, are you and your Grandparents certain that unauthorized people are getting onto the property and catching and taking fish? I have friends that have owned 2 ponds and both authorized and unauthorized fisherman have managed to fish out the ponds. Some folks don't think very clearly, they seem to think the can pull fish after fish out of a 1 or 2 acre pond and somehow the little fish gnomes come at night and replace them. I'd make sure you don't have someone skimming your ponds. Usually footprints and trash left behind will tip you off. Your water clarity could also be fixed with some aquatic vegatation. You'll have to contact the conservation department to determine the best kind. Speaking of the conservation department, Missouri has a good one. They'll come out and access your pond for free and give you suggestions on how to correct your problems. It may be as simple as removing more of a certain type of fish to a complete drain, kill and restock. First, go here: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/MDCLibrary/MDCLibrary2.aspx?NodeID=173 This MO. Dept. of Conservation page has got tons of PDF brochures and booklets on all phases of pond and small lake management for free. Download anything of interest. Next I'd spend this spring fishing the ponds a little more completely. The bass will be moving up shallower and are more eager to bite in shallow water. Write down and record all the fish you catch. Attempt to catch some bluegill as well and tabulate their sizes and weight. Do the same for Catfish. Then call the conservation commission and have an agent come out and access your ponds. You've got good depth to the pond. It sounds like they need some help though. Good luck.

Can't wait for the pictures. A map showing the exact location along with local roads and the location of any and all large dogs in the vicinity would be helpful as well.

Marry into money.

You didn't mention anything about the noise factor. We were talking about the early advantages of 2 vs 4 strokes. I suppose noise could be a factor in your purchase but I'm not paying a couple extra thousand for a few db less noise. Our discussion centered around the extra weight of the 4 strokers, the larger boat necessary to carry that big of a motor. The extra maintenance, some of it not doable by anyone other than a certified mechanic and of course, the gas savings which were the biggest selling point of 4 strokes when they first came out. While they still get better mileage, the difference isn't as great anymore.

There are actually 2 or 3 companies out there making those recessed boxes. I plan to install one when I do my front deck insert. Just make sure the location is where you want it, measure twice, cut once.

A 10 year old boat has pretty much lost the vast majority of the resale value it's gonna lose. Stick with the name brands, Ranger, Champion, Stratos, Triton, Basscat, Skeeter, Charger. All are well built boats that will still be resellable in the future.

I'm a Yamaha owner and am very happy. That said, I was chewing the fat with another bassfisherman at the boat show the other night, we both have owned all the major brands of motors over the years and have had mostly good success with them. What we agreed on were 2 things. 1. We couldn't figure out why Honda hasn't made more of a splash in the OB motor market. With the proven quality of their cars and motorcycles, we're positive their outboards would be no different. 2. The added weight and expense of the 4 cycles along with cost doesn't make them worth the money. Todays 2 stroke technology is superb, the motors cheaper and the gas savings on a 4 stroke no longer justifies the added expense of a 4 stroker.

What do you mean by you feel it's going to flip? Are you speaking of a side to side rocking when you're up on plane? If so, this is called chine walking and is often normal depending on the boat. It can be corrected or kept under control with changes in your boat setup. ie: Engine height, different prop, setback plates.

You didn't state the year of the boat. Anything pre-2000 I'd check the integrity of the transom and floor. First, walk around the inside of the boat feeling for any soft spots. A soft spot could be nothing more than a floor replacement (not necessarily an easy job) to stringer damage (serious damage and a major job that's $$). After that the next place to look is the transom. 2 ways to check, have a person watch the transom while you get onto the cavitation plate of the engine and push up and down on it with all your weight. The watcher should see NO flexing of the transom. You can also tap around on the transom with your knuckle. It should sound "solid", not hollow. Any flexing or hollow sound is an indication of transom rot or a wet transom due to water penetration. A transom replacement or repair is possible for the do-it-yourselfer but it's another major job and you'll need to also find out where the water has been getting into the transom to begin with. Also, check the transom and any inside and outside corners for cracking. Not gelcoat spider cracks, those happen in just about any boat with time, I'm talking about cracking of the fiberglass. That's a sure indication of a structural problem or the boat was involved in an incident. Also check under the boat along the bottom of the hull for cracking or any serious deep gouges, especially along the keel area. Gouges into the fiberglass will cause water to penetrate the glass and can cause problems. Check the trailer for rust and integrity of weld joints. Check the bunks and bunk carpeting. Definitely take the boat out on the water and go through all the fuctions of the motor. If the owner/dealer won't do it I'd shy away from the boat. It's almost expected for a used boat, especially if it's over 7-8 years old to have some problems, you just don't want to inherit someones serious problems which is causing them to sell the boat in the first place.

Yow! No. What happened? :-?

Early pre-spawn, right after a big spring front has come through, with water temps dropping seriously and water clarity muddied up. Bluebird skies, cold water, muddy to very murky water = Sleep in late and do yard work around the house.

The mouth of the bass is acting something like a crusher. It's attempting to crush whatever is in it's mouth. As you pull the line to set the hook, the line and hook slide right through the mouth and the hook will automatically penetrate the soft plastic that the bass's mouth is clomped down on. One of the idea's of the old tru-turn style hooks was that they turned themselves upwards as the bass closed it's mouth down and you didn't have to jerk the hook very hard because the hook was turning itself within the mouth of the bass and setting up to penetrate any soft tissue within the mouth. The only time you may have a problem with hook penetration through a worm might be using too small a hook for the thickness of the worm. In this case, the worm can actually ball up on the bend of the hook and not cause proper hookpoint exposure for a proper hookup. You'd have to be fishing a really small hook, size 1/0 or smaller on a pretty thick worm for this to be a problem though.

I'll have already studied a topo map. Depending on the season I almost always choose an arm or cove on the lake that has an active creek running into it. I'm looking for a creek that meanders and has good interactivity with the bank on both sides, I'm also looking for secondary points and feeding flats created by the creek. That's pretty much were I'll spend the majority of the time. I'll probably run the cove or arm looking for any significant cover that might relate to structure I noted on my pre-scan with the map. After assessing the water temp and clarity I'll then begin fishing area's I think the Bass will be most active in.

Get a lake map and study it carefully. Stop by the marina's and ask where the danger spots are. Try and go out with someone familiar with the lake and learn the boat lanes that way. Other than that, you're going to have to idle.

I only have a single mount. It's a skin mount from the mid 80's back when replica's were very expensive. If I ever come across the elusive 9-10lber and get it into the boat(had a few come off) I'll do a replica. The skin mounts just don't hold up well.

If you're cables are jamming due to crud (rust) inside, it's time to change the cables. First, I've rarely heard of anyone succesfully lubing a cable to get it working, at least not for a long and second, why take a chance of your steering seizing or breaking under power due to an internally rusted cable. Just replace them. If it's a teleflex system, the cables can be found relatively cheap on the internet (around 90-120 each).

V-Max's are solid and dependable. Very nice motor.