38 Super Fan

I threw the WP a lot last year and a buzzbait outfished it almost every time. Plus the hookup ratio was much better with a buzzbait too. I like the WP, but I'm not crazy about it, it's probably my fourth favorite topwater.

I still like a graphite cranking rod, just as long as it has that slower taper.

I love a hard jerkbait, but I sure hate it when you catch a good sized fish on one and get him and that bait all tangled up in the net.

Yup.

Backlashes are inevitable. One tip to make them less severe is to make a long cast then put a piece of tape over the line on your spool. Then you at least won't backlash any deeper on your spool.

Luck e Strike Rick Clunn model. Upgrade the hardware, use different trebles and/or suspend strips to get the balance and suspension where you want them, and you've got a poor man's Vision 110.

Might have to try that! It will probably be April before I go back there though. You probably fish the lower end?

Cherokee Lake. No matter what time of year, and regardless of how much I mix it up, I just can't have a good day on that lake.

I love the Vision 110 and 110+1s. I guess I need to try the popmax.

Nice fish! 26 pounds though...

Nice!

Sometimes we forget about the classics, well at least I did anyway. Come to think of it, I haven't thrown a tube in a while either.

Thanks! I didn't measure it either. Probably a 21" fish though, she was built solid too, I figure 5 for sure.

Thanks! Caught it on a 3 inch grub. Which was really odd, because I haven't thrown a grub in years. I just happened to rig one up on a whim the day before when I was getting my gear ready.

After getting skunked the first two trips of the year, I was starting to wonder if I still knew how to catch one. So I went out yesterday to Laurel Lake, I was hoping it still had some clear water after all this rain, and fortunately it did. Still very cold though, water temp was 40-43. For the first spot of the day I ran down to a long sloping point, and on about my 6th cast I ran into this big Smallie: Definitely the biggest I've ever caught on Laurel, and right up there with my PB, I never carry a scale so I couldn't say for sure. Water temp was 41 when I caught it, so it was also the coldest bass I've ever caught. (Well, I fished live bait in rivers years ago during the Winter and caught some, so a few those may have been colder but that's a little different anyway ) I think I fished for about 5 more hours and I didn't get another bite all day, but I was still happy with the results.

The Searchers and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are a cut above the rest for me. True film masterpieces.

They only planned to make 600? That's hard to believe, especially with all the advertising they've done for that boat.

I'm gonna have to add a couple of those. I've been waiting for a good silent jerkbait to come along.

The last Cabelas I was at about a month ago had good selection, but the prices...

I own a 84 Tracker as my second boat, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I think this new Anniversary edition is a really cool idea. A great little starter boat, or a good second boat if you want/need one. That price is great, they're gonna sell a lot of these.

I don't know what the deal is, but Cherokee just has my number. It doesn't matter what time of year, or what the water level is. I keep telling myself I'm eventually gonna have a good day down there, but I never do.

Well folks, I decided to go to Cherokee yesterday, looking for a little redemption. I'd love to say I took everyone's advice and was able to catch a couple, but it didn't go too well. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I didn't get a single bite all day. I'm really ready for some warmer water now.

I was thinking about doing some Damiki rigging next time out, have any of you had success with this?

I've been using 8# on the finesse gear, but I'm sure going to 6# couldn't hurt.

I know that hump, drove right on by it yesterday though. I definitely need to work on my deep fishing. I just got a newer boat and some decent electronics (Humminbird 899 w/ GPS and side scan) last Fall, so I'm still getting familiar with that stuff. I did idle a few main lake points yesterday, didn't find much, but I need to get better at that in the future. Good to know, the low end is a pretty long drive for me, so I don't get down there much. I was in the 33 bridge area yesterday, it did warm up to 43 in a couple areas I fished.