614-Bass

Alot of techniques can work with a variety of rods depending of preference. However frogging is not one of those. Regardless of the cover you are frogging, it is critical to have a rod with a lot of backbone. Think about it, you have two heavy wire hooks that you need to drive in along with a frog body in the way. Im not saying you have to buy the exact rod but i have come to love my Powell max 735 frog rod. It has just enough tip to let you skip that frog way back under trees and it has enough balls to pull then out of anything. Ive also found that all braids are not created equal. I used power pro 65-50# for probably 4 years and switched to Sunline Fx2 60# this year. Its much less stiff out of the box and helps with skipping the frog, it used to take me a month or so before my power pro broke down and got nice and soft.

Without practicing you make sure you really study several topo maps and google earth. This will allow you to eliminate unproductive water. Know the seasonal habits of fish and try to follow the path the fish are likely taking according to the time of year. Say the fish are in the summer pattern during your TX, find the best spawning flats where the fish were likely using not to long ago. From there look for good transitional areas using your contour lines that have a creek channel nearby. Points and breaks are good places to start. Remember points don't always have to be visual above water, if you can find offshore points and humps that aren't given away by the shoreline its likely they don't get as much pressure from the guys not doing their homework because they aren't obvious. On tournament day stick to your handful of areas you found from map study. Once you are there pay attention to your graphs. Remember fish are trying to survive they dont just hangout somewhere because they feel like it like humans. In order to survive they need food so use your graph to determine what spots have bait, also a hard bottom, and if you graph fish great but the bait and bottom composition is key. Instead of the old " i threw everything in the tackle box at em" approach, use techniques that you have the most confidence in to fit the type of water your fishing. For me i know i can catch fish on a C-rig when fishing for deep summer fish, if its a shallow grassy lake or one with alot of overhanging trees its a frog. This is important because you will know if the spot you are on is productive, if you aren't getting bit then move. once you start getting bites and locating fish then you can experiment and fine tune your presentation to increase the quantity and quality of your bites. Ill switch from the C-rig to a football jig often because i feel it catches more quality. For example the shaky head you picked up late would have been a good thing to start with because its know to get alot of bites, maybe not the size you need but once you locate the fish you might switch to a jig maybe to find size. Just remember its not about the bait, its about finding productive water first and then dialing it in with different techniques to match the forage the bass are eating. im no pro, in fact im only 19 but lately i have been having alot of success and this is what has worked for me. Good luck and i hope this helps you weigh in more fish come tournament day.

When i was in about the 3rd grade i lived pretty far from all my school friends. During the summer all i really had to do was fish. There was a good sized lake behind my house that i would fish nearly everyday until someone can home from work or i got too sunburnt to fish anymore. I would wake up and try to find bassmasters or flw on tv to get all jacked up. Id grab a banana, gatorade, my 10$ south bend spinning reel and broken casting rod tie on a bomber flat a or 4a in firetiger and run to my pond and sling that thing all day. I just became addicted to hunting bass. fooling something in its own environment is just really exciting to me. also there is nothing like the feeling when you set that hook, you feel a bite and its like the world stops for an hour when in actuality its only a few seconds and then you jack the fish and all hell breaks loose. I just graduated from highschool and played highschool football and that feeling when you set the hook gets my heart going just as much as running onto the field or making a big play in a game. all i know is im addicted and fine with it.

I was planning on getting the underarmour suit but i read it was a little pricey for the features it had, and people said they had problem with the stiching , i ended up getting a pro qualifier suit from bass pro during the spring classic. If its still going on they had them for 150 for the parka i believe and 140 for the bibs. I love it too, wore it yesterday and it is very comfy and had a nice lined pockets and a zipper down the side to get to the pockets in the clothes you are wearing under it.

One thing you might want to look into is a housing for the pump to recirculate int he livewell so you dont clog the pump when fish spit up, if im understanding your setup right. I had a pump to a spraybar in mine and when fish would spit on crawfish it would clog up like crazy

My outboard has been acting up since i pulled it out of storage so i hit a electric only lake today thats a hog factory. Got on the water around 9am and it was about 40deg outside and surface temps where around 45. I saw a lot of fish suspended on the graph on a steep bank, i threw a jerkbait, A-rig, and lipless at them but could not get bit. Started thinking what would hold the most heat so i went to the sunny side of the lake and started flippin wood in about 2feet of water with Venom sweet dream beaver dipped in clear JJ's magic.I think the world of JJ's magic Ive had times when i had a pickup on a bait and it was dropped, then dipped in jj's threw back and caught the fish. Went through about 40 yards and this pig ate it. Didnt have a scale till i ran into a buddy of mine on the water and she weighed 6lbs 10oz my biggest ohio fish from a public lake. Fished the rest of that bank and caught a few more but nothing of size. i tried to repeat it on the opposite bank once the sun had hit it for a while and still nothing had moved up over there, The temps over there where still about a degree or two less than where i had caught fish. I learned alot of information today, just a degree or two can make a huge difference when water temps are cold. Here she is:

id say its good for them when i think about how many times i have been chased by geese when trying to fish a spot around there nest in the spring

I have a couple good smallie rivers near me that i put my yak in or wade and i dont think theres been a time that i havent been able to catch at least a few on a little 3inch tube in pumpkin or one of those rebel craw crankbaits.

Love my rage craws and chunks but my favorite of the rage tail lineup are the space monkeys they did most of the work for me this year this spring and into summer. Also you cant forget the rage toad its about the best toad on the market hands down.

i got my first boat when i was 15 and it was a old jon boat i got for around 300 me and my grandpa fixed the leaky rivets, put in decking with plywood, carpet, a small trolling motor, a older 9.5 hp johnson and a used fish finder i got in the flea market on here. It didnt cost me much and it got me one the water, it was great for all of our 10hp lakes we have in ohio. i hardly had to put any money into it after i bought everything because my grandpa taught me how to keep everything take care of it. I recently bought a new to me boat this past spring on craiglist. It's a 2000 lowe 16ft bass striker (like a tracker) it has a 2000 9.9hp johnson. The guy i bought it from took real good care of it and didnt use it a whole lot. I got a real good deal on it to. With the small motor i hardly use any gas so thats really nice. Check craigslist alot until you find what your looking for at a good price and make sure the previous owner took real good care of it and be patient. If you do this you will not have to worry about the repairs and everything that people talk about. Sure your going to have to put some money into it here and there but as long and you are carefull not to buy a beat up boat you should be fine. Then you can save that money for extra things that you want to put in it like nicer fishfinders, ect. If a broke 18 yr old like me can do it anyone can as long as you are smart and take care of your investment. Btw shoot me a pm maybe we can get together sometime this spring and do some fishing im up in columbus.

the roumba has a really wide wobble and has a different action it kinda rolls side to side more if that makes sense than the Rc i have i think its the one you are talking about it has the joint and feathered treble. i pick up the roumba first always i love it when the gills are bedding.

i would try to find a used SI unit, but that because ive been wanting one for a awhile. if you looked long enough im sure you could find you on a forum or ebay. I saving now to buy one this spring that way. Every sonar ive bought has been used and i havent had any problems with them just make sure the person you buy from is well know on the forum or has good feedback of ebay.

I just bought a 7'1" mdhvy rage, i havent had a chance to fish with it but i have played around with it quite a bit. It feels alot better than a mojo i owned a mojo last year before it was stolen out of my garage. The grip is a personal preference thing i happen to like it but you may not. I suggest going to a store and actually hold one and other rods in its price range. But to answer your question it is a much better rod than the mojo coming from someone who has owned both.

Pitching/fliping: If im around and heavy cover i like to throw it on 65lb power pro. I use green, If you think about all the stuff thats in the water around those fish i cant see how i tine piece of braid in a natural color would spook them. (However i read a article about John Crews win on the Elites last year and he was flipping the first day with braid and was hardly getting bit in thick mats, he said he switch to flouro and that made all the difference, I would think that what was turning the fish off was the sound of the braid on the vegetation rather than the visibility of it but then again im not an elite series pro). IF i am fishing lighter cover i like to use 20-17lb flouro because i like to be able to feel it better if i get it on the fall when i have a slack line. But if you're a good line watcher you can see the bite with braid better IMO. Swiming/ Football jigs: I only use 15-17lb flouro for this unless im swimming a jig through grass depending on the type of grass i will use braid to get them out easier. Hope this helps. Try it both ways and see what suits you best.

Thank you that was quick

Check out the new Luck E Strike square bills they're nice for the price. By Far my favorite is the SPRO Fat and little johns the fat john caught a lot of big fish for me this spring.

Last winter i got into making jigs and ran out of time come spring. Im gathering supplies to start making em again and have a few questions for you guys. 1) Last year i stupidly poured in my basement in a small room with the door open. i thinking this is a little unsafe with the fumes so if i got a fan to blow them away and wore one of those mask things would i be okay? There are to small windows but im not sure if i can open them or not. 2) i planned on tieing all my skirts this year then i got a idea to use zip ties and so far so good. Could you guys see any downsides of using them? 3)When Painting your lead how do you keep the line tie from getting closed up and after heating and dipping i hear i should still put them in the over to cure is this true? If so how long and what temp? Thanks Guys, Dylan

Id imagine you can put other reels on it with no problems. That doesnt sound very smart to sell a rod that you have to buy a 200$ reel for. I dont think they would be able to sell many. Anyway i picked up the 7ft medium model at the store and it feels real nice has a ideal amount of flex IMO. I wish they would offer them with the micro guides tho. But i dont think you can beat it for that price its feels a heck of a lot better then the Skeet Reese rod which is around the same price.

I dont use a spining rod for much but I use one for senkos sometimes, shakey heads, and flukes. Last year i bought a 7ft md hvy Veritas and found that it worked okay for senkos but was too much rod for shakey heads and flukes. Ive been looking around at different rods and i think a 6ft 8-10inch med or md lite is what i want. I held a few at the store today and the top two were a Fenwick Elite tech smallmouth 6' 9" md for 130$ and a old Fenwick Elite Tech Drop Shot 6' 10" md lt for 40% off 230$ which ends up around 138$. I Cant really decide which one i like better the smallmouth rod has a rubber infused grip and has a really comfortable reel seat. The Drop shot has Recoil guides and its original price tag makes me think its a better quality rod overall. Its hard for me to tell which one is the best considering there so similar and not being able to go out and fish both of them. Does anyone have any experience with either of these or another rod similar to these that they like. I actually fished with a loomis shakey head rod a glx i think with a guide in Fl and would love one of those but i just cant afford that being a senior in H.S. so if anyone has any info on any used ones for sale id appreaciate that and any help you can offer. Drop shot (the 1st one on the 2nd page) : http://rod.kvazarvps.com/katalog/rods/Fenwick/Elte%20Tech%20Casting.pdf Smallmouth (i think it was the 6' 9" md that i picked up in the store) : http://fenwickfishing.com/prod.php?k=472010&sk=472009&p=PURESMS63M-F%20(1238595) Thanks Guys, Dylan

id have to say the hookset nothin better that flippin, then you feel that tick and cross its eyes and the fish realizing it just got nailed going crazy. i also love fishing a frog when they bite it you have to wait what seems like a eternity then you finally set the hook and its usually a hawg.

good job! i was down there for spring break on a trip with mark shepard and had a great time caught a ton of fish. i love that place im thinking of going to college somewhere in florida.

1) Zoom super speed craw 2) Strike King Rodent 3) 7in Power worm