Ratherbfishing

Yeah, possibly a carp. Possibly foul hooked-which would explain why it pulled so hard.

Seems like an obvious solution but unless the banks are steep, if you believe you are spooking the fish, I suggest you walk the banks the majority of the time. And cast from there, too, if you can reach the spots. You'll be a lot less tired at the end of the day, too.

Unless the rod/reel are completely unsuitable for one another (like putting a spinning reel on a baitcasting rod), I don't see what difference it makes. My rods/reels have seldom, if ever, came from the same manufacturer.

If the fish are pressured, I'd use a short leader (18 inches). If they are not particularly pressured and the water is really stained, I wouldn't use a leader at all.

You need to let the fish tell you how they want it. Sometimes they want a steady slow retrieve. At other times, a steady fast retrieve. Still, at other times, they want it erratic and unpredictable.. diving, floating up. Wiggling. Barely pushing water, etc.. Sometimes they won't take until it's at its deepest and other times, not until it rises back on the surface and the rings have had a chance to dissipate. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do- everything works. While at other times, nothing works. But as baits go, it's one of my favorites. The Rapala knot will give the bait the best possible action. It''s a bit of a pain (until you've done it about a hundred times) but it's worth the effort.

Ok, well, at least I know I'm not going crazy(er). Thanks!

I went through a bunch of worm hooks this year and went to the store to replace them. Is it my imagination or is there a huge variation between one brand's hooks and another's? I like wide gap hooks (generally what I would term "4/0") but most of the "4/0" hooks I find on the shelves are more what I consider "2/0" or even "1/0." Is there no actual industry standard for this?

Hang myself! Twice!

"Crippled up, decrepit, fat man." You've just described about about half the members of this forum. Just joking! But seriously, how crippled up are you? Is someone going to need a gate belt to lift you? Or are you exaggerating to make a point? The greater your needs, the more specific your search will need to be. I've already found an "old man" who can go more or less whenever I want. That, I must say, is a real advantage when many working people force you to conform to their schedules (usually on weekends). Only problem is he usually catches more fish than me!

When I was in the Air Force, a coworker told me of a tournament he was in where he and the boater picked up the same bass on their plastic worm(s). An argument ensued over who's fish it was and the boater was shot and killed. Okay, I'm embellishing about the latter part but according to him they did have a rather heated debate over whose fish it was. Doubt there's any rule over this issue.

I wish one of my former roommates had been "only g.a.y." Instead, he was an inconsiderate, slobbish jerk. So, unless your new roomie makes unwelcome advances or drools while you change clothes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You might find him to be a nice person.

My regular fishing buddy and I have discussed this. We make a pretty good team (in terms of styles and temperments) and we rarely catch fewer than 20 fish per outing but we don't go after the big boys (or girls) either. Neither of us like to sit for hours off a deep point or ledge and dredge the bottom for hours for the one or two bites which might result in a big bass. We both need more immediate gratification than that. Therefore, while we usually catch a fair number, we aren't likely to win a tournament or win "big bass." But that's us and we're okay with it. Addendum: This isn't to say we don't catch some quality fish. We've caught a 7 and a couple of 4 lbers this year and in central Illinois, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Only sorta have permission? Is that like being almost pregnant?

Ooh, nice bass!

A panther martin or (ack ack!) roostertail.

Don't know if there is any actual plastic in it but Berkely Gulp is hard to beat.

Gonna need 'em when Y2K rolls around. Oh hey... Never mind.

My 7 siblings and I shared two "after market" bikes of questionable ancestry. One was pastel pink, the other purple. Us boys might've been concerned about these rather affeminate colors but since gravel roads were all they ever saw, we weren't too worried about what others thought. Both were 1-speed numbers with coaster brakes. Like Russian combat planes, they weren't pretty to look at but they were rugged as hell. My one brother, showing off and not paying attention, even rode one "through" a chain link gate. He lost. Ah! Good times!

I don't like tying leaders either (they slow me down and weaken the link between me and the bait) and I definately test them before I use them. I agree, 18 inches of leader is probably plenty.

Unless you leave some property where you are (tacklebox, jacket, etc) and inform them that you'll be right back, they can't know your intention of returning. If you do these things, and they invade it anyway, I think it's fair to confront them. No child is too young to witness their folks being reproached-assuming, again, that it's done appropriately.

Until recently, I always fished braided line for soft plastics-tied directly to the bait. That is until several trips with a friend convinced me of the error of my ways. The story begins about 3 trips back when a buddy and I were fishing from a boat on a favorite lake. While I caught a few bass (not many), my friend caught probably 3 times as many. While admitedly he beat me to some good spots, we generally fished the same waters with identical baits. I tried to emulate his every move but to no avail. He just plain bested me. During the next trip out, he pulled to a substantial lead once again. Fearing a repeat performance of the previous outing, I asked myself, what was different? What was he doing that I wasn't? Then it occurred to me that all his reels were spooled with either mono or flourocarbon whereas I'd been using braided line exclusively. I bummed some flourocarbon from him and tied about a 3 foot leader onto my line. Almost immediately, I began catching bass. It was as if a light switch had been flipped. Both on the lake and in my head. For the rest of the day, my buddy and I pretty much stayed neck and neck . Then, the last time we were out, I experienced something akin to deja vu. We were fishing a deep ditch with crankbaits and I was doing fine with my "beloved" braided line. But that bite dried up so we changed tactics and began casting into and amongst submerged trees with soft plastics. He caught 8 bass while I was still looking for my first. Initially, I attributed his success (and my failure) to the gulp worm (which he was using and I wasn't). But finally, after I'd had enough of a working over, I tied on a flourocarbon leader. Immediately, I caught a fish, and then, in quick succession, two more! And they weren't caught on gulp worms, either! It was the leader that made the difference! I actually wound up catching the big fish of the day. Something, I'm convinced, wouldn't have happened at all had I persisted in using just braid. Now I can't say with certainty why the leader worked better. Probably the fish could see the braid and it turned them off. Or perhaps the braid caused the bait fall slower. I think it was the former. Regardless, it did! Looking back, I wonder how many more fish I might've caught had I used some kind've clear leader. I still like braid because it's strong, has no line memory, and doesn't stretch. But especially on days when the bass aren't jumping into the boat, I'm switching to a mono or flourocarbon leader on the business end of my braid! If, like me, you can't depart from braid, you do the same. Just be sure to use a good connecting knot (such as a double uni-knot) and test it before you use it! And since the knot is likely to rub your guides after each retrieve, retie often.

I once got red spots on my humminbird but the doctor prescribed some pennicillin and it went away.

Yes, I do believe this one should do it.

I don't believe bass make major moves in the middle of summer simply because of a change in water temperature. They may move up or down in the water column but I don't think they "go shallow" simply because the water has cooled off a few degrees. IMO, it takes more than that-a seasonal shift such as cooler temperatures and reduced daylight hours before they move much. I suggest, if you haven't already done so, that you go back to the exact spot where you caught the 4 lber and follow the contours of the drop off more thoroughly. See if you might be able to locate the exact spot and look for any distinguishable trait/characteristic that made it so desireable for a big honkin' bass to be there. There may be nothing discernable but it's worth a shot.

Asking which lures to use (or buy) is like asking which tools to use without knowing what job you are working on. Can you describe the lake?