Sam

Never had this problem with my Shimano's. ;D ;D ;D

Now I think I have seen it all. Good invention. Guess it will work. Give it a try and let us know if you do better with the rock or a regular weight system.

USE A TRAILER HOOK ON SPINNERBAITS AND BUZZBAITS. One size smaller than bait's hook size. After you catch some using a trailer hook you can the decide not to use one and see how that catch ratio compares to the ratio with the trailer hook. Now, with that said, I must admit that I use trailer hooks in tournaments and not when fun fishing. So how do you set a spinnerbait hookset? Cross their eyes. Yes, point rod tip towards bait and pop those wrists and bring the rod over your head with a lot of tension on the line. Be sure to reel in the flourocarbon line to remove the slack before you set the hook, if you have any slack in the line which you should not since you are reeling in the bait. But it does happen. And keep the line tight throughout the enitre fight. Check your drag and make sure it is set, correctly. You will be standing there, bored, just minding your own business, after make about 10,000 casts with the spinnerbait and then, out of nowhere, you will feel the tug and weight and you better be ready to set that hook. So no day dreaming when you are fishing a spinnerbait. Be alert and yo-yo the bait; let it drop and rip it off the bottom; have it hit some cover or structure; reel it through and over wood, grass, pads; try to skip it under a dock or a pier (and be ready to get out of the boat to retrieve it when it lands on the dock or pier); reel it fast and then slow; stop it in the middle of your retrieve and let it helicopter down to towards the bottom. Just don't throw it out and reel it back. Do something with the spinnerbait to make it do crazy things. And use a trailer hook to get those rascals that short strike or hit the spinnerbait to kill it. Now go out and have some fun with spinnerbaits.

So why is he not with us? Tell him to join us. And congrats on the beautiful lady to him. Now, we await your turn to catch a big one.

Tie the line via an Arbor Knot or even a Granny Knot and then put correct pressure on the line and spool reel. It is very easy. You will get the hang of it immediately.

I thought you were going to Ebensburg. Change of venue????? I can ask my brother-in-law in Indiana, PA, but I doubt he knows the Altoona area. Let me know.

Spoke with brother-in-law who has an office in Ebensburg and this is what he suggests regarding bass fishing in the area: Yellow Creek State Park which is about 15 miles towards Indiana on Route 422. Turn off Route 422 West towards Indiana and turn Left onto Route 259. Stop at the Park Office for suggestions where to fish. Wal-Mart on Route 22 in Ebensburg sells weekend fishing licenses. Yellow Creek holds bass, bream, bluegill, walleye, pike and maybe some muskie. Go on-line with the Pennsylvania Fishing and Boat Commission for more details about Yellow Creek and other fisheries in the area. Have fun.

The heat had to come from some outside source. I never heard of a largemouth bass running a fever. Maybe Micro or other bass biologists can give you a good explanation. All I can do is agree that the fish may have been staging in direct sunlight for some reason and just absorbed the heat.

Any vegetation around? Any deep water that is cooler and will hold more oxygen? This is what the bass are seeking this time of year. Read the posts and do as Road Warrior says and sooner or later you will hit some nice ones. Just think grass and weeds and pads and cooler water.

When the gentleman who build the pond put it together he pushed a lot of wood into a part of the pond and it is still there today. And I mean lots of wood. We always fished the wood under the water and of course, we caught a lot of beautiful bass and lost a lot of beautiful baits, etc. Now, with the pond so low, we can actually see the wood. And it is massive. The bass just swim up to the wood area and stage. I see them just sitting there, minding their own business, and throw out to them and wham! the hit the bait. I also cast all around the wood, left, right, far and short, and they seem to love everything I throw. I caught them on these lures: Buzzbait 6-inch Senko 3-inch Senko 2-inch Senko (special order from GYB) Pink trick worm (drove them nuts) Rage Tail crawfish Jig and Pig Spinnerbait Various Zoom finesse worms in different colors *** worms I was going to throw a Chatterbait but it got too hot so I left around noon. Plus the fact that I was covered in mud from falling down. Sorry about the pics. I sent them to rondef as requested but I can't seem to get the hang of posting them. Will go back after we get some rain and the pond fills up. Or, just go back and have some more fun. Thanks for all of the nice comments.

Every one counts. Every one is a learning experience. Every one is makes you get a little closer to that lunker. At a "double secret" pond near where I live I have a blast catching dink after dink after dink. One afternoon I threw out the dreaded pink trick worm and guess what? The six-pound mama inhaled the bait and the fight was on. She in the water and me on shore with my little ultra-light. I won. I know she is still there and every time I go back I am still trying to catch her again. So keep on chunking those baits and sooner or later we will see a picture of you and a lunker. Have your tried any of the Rage Tail baits? Get some crawfish and give 'em a try. You may be surprised at the results.

I have the $29.95 version and it works great.

ALC, Do you think the hits are from bluegills and bream? Or small bass? They can drive you crazy when throwing a plastic or a Gulp! product. All I can add is to experiment with the type, size and technique you are using to try to catch whatever is hitting your plastics. This is why we call it fishing and not catching. ;D

Jason, Are you talking about the Ebensburg just off Route 22 and then Route 422 towards Indiana, PA as you cross Cresson Mountain? This is the way we go to visit my wife's family in Indiana, Penna. There is a big pond in Ebensburg. You can't miss it. It looks like a nice place to fish from the shore, too. You can't miss it. Just look to your left as you get off Route 22 going into the town. It is before the first red light. We usually do not stop in Ebensburg other than for a few times to shop the antique and junk stores. I have never fished the pond. But the pond looks nice. I know there are some lakes up that way but I never fished them. Be sure to double check about a Penna. fishing license. Have fun and PM me with your results.

Wow! Those pics are awsome. Beautiful place. The catfish are so different then the ones we have up this way but you can tell they are catfish. Beautiful Peacock Bass. Coloring is outstanding. And the jungle and forest and birds, etc. are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Muddy, This shows that the higher priced gear is great to own and use but it does not matter to the fish. Good report. I would have thought you would have gone overboard to retrieve the lost rod and reel.

You all would have looked better by having some rods sticking out of the rear windows or a buzzbait hung on the antenna when going down the road. Beautiful car. Glad you got a chance to ride in it.

Scratches on reels are a test. Just like when you are behind a slow driver on the interstate and about a mile later you go by a State Trooper in the bushes. They are there for a reason. Maybe it is to have you use another reel. Or to be cognizant of the damage so you will take better care of your equipment or not loan it out to others. The scratches are there for a reason. Now, it is your job to figure out the reason. ;D As for me, they do not bother me. I look on the scratches and chips as battle scars from many hours of fun fishing.

Fret, Yes, it is similiar to a Robo Worm but I don't think a Robo Worm has the same action. The Rage Tail looks like a crazy trick worm/Zoom Ol Monster combination which looks fantastic. Can't wait to try each one as soon as they come out.

Great! Keep throwing those plastics. Don't forget your Senkos, too. And if you go to the General Forum section and view the nes Rage Tails I think you will be throwing more plastics in the future. Consider using attractant on your plastics. JJ's Magic and Megastrike are excellent. Have fun now that you have found a whole new world of bass fishing fun.

Some are good and others are not. Some are TV shows while others are excellent productions. May I suggest purchasing the Kevin VanDam 3 DVD Set if you do not have it? They are outstanding. The 3 DVD Set are a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Video Library series. You will learn a lot from each production so you can't go wrong it purchasing them. And they are a great way to pass the time during the winter months.

Big-O, Put on a Rage Tail crawfish at a local pond and it never made it back to me. A beautiful bass hit it on my first cast. The action is fantastic. Can't wait to throw them in an upcoming tournament. Also will be sure to purchase all of the new selections. I have never seen such action on a plastic. These baits are beautiful.

Cry, The Berkley spooling machine is very good. Get one as it makes spooling reels easy.

I have the Berkley, too and would like to have an electric spooling machine. I need to take line off and also spool it on my reels when I change out line. Anyone know who sells the electric model? Thanks.

I put two 1/0 hooks in finesse worms so they will spin. First one at the head and the second in the body. Connect second hook to the first hook with 12 pound mono. Then, use a barrel swivel and a 1/16 ounce pegged bullet weight so the worm will spin and the weight brings it down under the surface. It looks goofy but it works. Caught one on this rig yesterday.