Khong

The one that got away! Don't worry kid, you'll get a bigger one one day and she'll be just a memory of the pass.

Judging from the guys fist to the bass mouth. It's heavier than 4.5-5lb. I'm going with you on this because the belly is pretty full. I say it's also a 6 - 7.5lb. Not quite an 8+ lber.

Welcome to the smart fishing. Just wait till you have more $$$ to spend on the I-Pilot Link. Then you can fish contour line back and forth, or run circle in honey hole.

The real reason why you want to go straight to line is so that you are not changing the presentation of the lure. Having a swivel can add weight to the presentation. It can also cause the presentation to swim differently, etc.... Stop being lazy and just learn to tie a knot quick and fast. Beside that, tying a new knot will ensure you that you are getting a good knot before you cast out a new/different lure.

How's the fishing pressure in your lake? You did fish on Sunday and other could have pressure the bass during Friday and Saturday. That can change the striking mood too. I think you should have tried something slow to change up the presentation. Going from something fast like a swimbait to crankbait, etc.. are still identical in presentation. Changing it up to a slow presentation could have show you what the LMB mood were in. You could have even tried a jerk bait. That would have been a lot slower for a swimbait.

I've only seen this happen if they are intimidated by a larger predator in the lake. E.G.: Gar, Stripers, etc... They'll bundle up to protect themselve and ambush shad. Most of the time, they're next to some kind of structure that lets them hide to ambush. Otherwise, i'll normally see only 1 or 2 hang out by themselve being territorial.

Well, I caught 2 over 10lb. The first is a 12lb 6oz and the other is a 10lb 8oz. I've mounted the 12lber though. Although I do have to say, I haven't caught anything that size in a long long time. lol! Everything else have been under 8lb.

Hey buddy, When this happen, you want to fish very very slowly or you want to fish very erratically. A different presentation will get you the strike you want. Remember, there are two type of strike a LMB will do. 1) Hunger Strike. 2) Reaction Strike. Obviously the hunger strike is not an option, so you need to make it react to it. That's when it's the hardest to fish too.

That's about a 3.5 to 4.0 lber. I don't think it's more then 4.0lb.

Hahaha!!! Me too! That foot control is never ever been used again after I got the remote. SPOT LOCK is the best thing in the world! If you have the extra cash, I go out and get the I-Link with Hummingbird. You can fish contour dept or have it run from point A to B and back and forth. That there is the ULTIMATE COMBO!!!!

Animal instinct! You eat to grow so you don't get eat! It's a big lake and you need to be the biggest fish out there.

Any treble hook would be best use with a moderate action because you don't want the hook to fling off. As far as medium power, it depends on where you are fishing at. Bumping rock and stump is fine for Medium power. If you are to ripping through grass, i would recommend medium heavy power. As far as line, I would go with mono because the extra stretch will help the lure not to fling out again. Again, there is nothing wrong with treble hook on fast action. You just got to be careful that's all.

I had mine for 3 year now and it's still running as solid as the day I bought it.

I'm not afraid of Rattler, I'm afraid of Wasp nest that hang themself over dead standing timber over the trees. Even more afraid of Brown Recluse that you can't hardly notice after they bite you. Had a friend that had his leg got bit by a Recluse and he had a hole in his leg as a scar forever. I hit a standing tree that had a wasp nest once and I had to jump in the water for safety. My boat had an I-Pilot so I was able to remote it back to me. LOL!

Straight to line.

Both reels are great, but I think a Shimano reel hold it's value better over time.

If you spot Pike, Gar, or Striper then you should move on. Especially if LMB are not the Dominant species there.

Remember, LMB will strike in two occasion, Reaction and Hunger. If you present it right to the LMB, they will strike it even if they are not hungry.

My wife almost jump into 80ft abyss for an umbrella. We were out trolling for Stripers. I thought to myself that moment, "She cooks, She cleans, She lets me fish." I grab her and pull her back in.

More or likely Stripers chasing Shads. To know if they're LMB, run your boat over and over that spot to see if they are still there. If they are there for more then 5 minute, then it's a school of LMB. You found a honey hole. LMB are lazy like T-Rex, they prefer to ambush not chase. Usually, they're hiding next to some kind of structure. If they are going to ambush, they will swim quickly to hit it and rush back to their structure.

Yes, so the string is spooling at the bottom of the spool first when you retrieve.

Best time to use 5-7ft Cranks and Spinnerbaits.

I'll be honest with you. If it was me, I would never buy a baitcasting reel under $90. The performance on baitcasting reel that cost that low just doesn't out perform a spinning reel at that price. If you are ever going to buy a modest baitcasting reel, go with a Shimano Citica or other reels that are equivalent up.

Here are some recommendation on the type on line you use. Mono = Top water. Mono float so it's best to use on Top Water. = Rocky bottom or shore line. Mono tend to not get cut up by sharp rocks. = Cranking/Jerking, or any treble hook lure. Mono stretches and it will give you that extra rubber effect so your lure won't jump off. Fluor = Drop shot. = Clear water fishing. Fluorocarbons is invisible so it will be best use in clear water. It also sink too. = Great for light presentation and jigging deep. = Single hook swim bait. = Spinner bait = Spoon Braid = Tainted/Muddy water plastic = Punching grass = Pig n Jig timber I'm probably missing some stuff, but this may help you.

Here's how to stop wind knot. Always make sure your spool is at the top and not at the bottom when releasing. This way when you reel it in, it will loop the line at the bottom of the spool instead of at the top where the wind knot is created. Second, always close the bail by hand and make sure it falls into the line bearing before reeling it back. Try that and you'll never get wind knots.