Christian M

I've literally had my best, and worst days in the rain. One tournament was a non stop down pour from 5:30 am to 1pm, I went skunked except for 2 shorts, no one got a limit, and the "lunker" weighed in at a whopping 2.03lbs. Another tournament started as the rain came down on and off, everyone was catching limits and we had 4 people catch fish over 5lbs, I walked away with the win and the lunker at 6.45lbs. A few years before I started fishing local tourneys I was night fishing off land when storm rolled in. I was throwing a chatterbait and around 2am it started coming down. A few minutes into the rain I hooked something and thought I was snagged. I gave it a tug and ended up landing a bass well over 8lbs. This was before smartphones with flashes, and my scale was in the truck. I decided it was more important to keep this beauty alive and well than carry it a half mile for a pic and risk its life. Even though I dont claim it on my profile, It's the biggest fish I've caught BY FAR. Another habit I've gotten into is fishing drain pipes and any sort of pool that water drops down into AFTER lots of rain. Most of the time the big fish will sit in ambush while the water drops meals in front of their face. IMHO, the fish love the barometric drop, but the rain also breaks up the surface, reduces visibility, and makes so much commotion in the water that the fish let their guard down. They can't see or feel your lure hitting the water, and when it passes by they're much more willing to bite. Either way, when it rains, I'm usually out there catching fish!

There are a few companies that make those two man pontoon style boats, the most common is the Pelican Bass Raider.

I've had a few interesting sights and interactions. Birds galore, herrings, turkey vultures, humming birds, owls...NJ has a lot more wildlife than most people would think. I was fishing a pond near my home one day with a friend and we saw a couple Redtail hawks flying above. Apparently they didn't take too kindly to us fishing their pond because one of the hawks swooped down and dropped a half eaten squirrel about 2 feet in front of us. Another time I gut hooked a perch and it was going belly up, about a minute later a Bald Eagle came down about 10 fet away from the boat and took the perch for lunch. While surf fishing for Striper I've had red foxes come up and try to steal our bait or our catch. I came down a trail once and found myself facing a 30lb+ Beaver with its babies. We've had Coyotes yipping on the bank while we were night fishing tons of times, but the scariest was when I was wading the bank fishing and a water moccasin passed in front of me and went up on land behind me. I love every minute of it though.

I purchased the Smoke 100 when it came out for $200 and it was well worth the money. If you do buy it, get some quantum hot sauce and put a few drops in the reel before using it. I caught my PB with mine, one of the best reels I own.

Rod- 6'10" MXF - 7' MHF, It depends on conditions. Hooks- Ditch those swivel hooks, they stink, get some Gama drop shot hooks and use a palomar knot, you can go all the way down to a size 1 or 2 with a small soft plastic bait and still land a beast. Hook size really depends on bait and weight size. Weights- This depends on water depth, thickness of cover, type of structure, wind speed, current speed. You basically want to make sure you have constant bottom contact, but can still feel whats on the bottom, and feel when you get a strike. The best bet is to get an assortment of shapes and sizes. Reel- Spinning, Make sure your reel has a super smooth drag, and plenty of line spooled up. Line- A lot of guys like braid, and I guess it's a personal preference. The way I see it is if you're using braid, you have to tie on a 2'-6' flouro leader anyway, then worry about your tag end length. So why not just go with flouro all the way and make your life that much easier. I've tried both and for me its flouro (4-8lb) all day. Hookset- With just a lift of the rod and a few cranks of the reel you can bury that little hook deep. The strikes are totally different, most of the time its quick, light tap tap taps, sometimes you'll get a bang, sometimes it can even be spongy weight. I've landed bass over 6lbs that felt like a 6" bluegill hitting my line. Be safe and give the rod a lift when you feel something. Be prepared to lose a lot of rigs, especially in deep water. Make sure you use those electronics!!!! That will make the difference between going skunk, catching a bunch of sunfish, perch, & bluegill, or hooking a trophy beast Tight lines and welcome to the yuppy club

Fishing deep diving cranks its all about balance. You need a rod with a soft enough tip to load up and launch the bait, usually the first 1/3 of the rod needs to be soft. The soft tip comes into play when the fish grabs your lure, between reeling, and your reaction to feeling a bite, plus the weight of the fish, the hook gets set pretty well. You can use a Heavy or Medium Heavy rod as long as you feel confident that it has the backbone and power to fight a hawg without losing it once you get it to the boat and it goes crazy. You're reel has to be able to get that crankbait out there in the wind without backlashing. When it comes to line, braid isn't the way to go for cranks, when you're cranking, usually its around, through, over, and/or around cover. Flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistant than braid, and good flouro is very sensitive.

For me it's Ike. I really admire the fact that he "never gives up". Coming from New Jersey, I've seen so many people chase the dream and end up with nothing but an empty bank account and a broken home. In NJ a trophy size bass is 6lbs, a good day is 4 fish, and you only have 8 months out of the year on the water. Our biggest lakes are measured in square acres, not miles, and the lakes are probably some of the most pressured in the country. For Ike to compete sucessfully on a consistent basis, and win the most coveted trophy in the sport, I think deserves some serious credit. Plus I get a kick out of how crazy he goes when he lands a bass, and I respect how business savvy he is. My #2 is Bill Dance for obvious reasons.

Ill usually try to bring healthy food with me; a turkey sandwich or wrap, trail mix, fruit, and some sort of sports drink to replenish my electrolytes. Usually I dont touch any of it because im too busy fishing!!

Up to 3 hours a day Depending on the day of the week. I have this site bookmarked on every computer, tablet, & phone I own.

There are several reasons spinning setups are used for finesse techniques. Generally, when you think of finesse fishing, you think lighter & smaller. A spinning reel allows you to fish with very light line & smaller, lighter tackle. You can cast light tackle with a spinning reel without having to worry about a backlash. For techniques like dropshotting in deep water, you can open the bail and let your rig sink to 60'easily. You would have a very hard time doing this with a baitcaster. Another advantage to a spinning reel is a smoother drag. When you stick a big fish on a small, light wire hook, the smooth drag allows you to play the fish without risking a line break or having your hook straightened out.

It depends on what technique/lure/rod im using.

I'd go with an AGM Optima. They come with a 3 year warranty and they last 3-4 times that. They weigh less, can be mounted in any position, and are waterproof, which is important on an inflatable

They dont look like LMB, Neither fish has any markings that a LMB would have, the tails are forked, the bodies are long & streamlined, and any LMB of that size would have much bigger eyes. Both really nice fish, maybe snook...

I caught my biggest fish in the rain! I keep my rain gear on my boat. I've read tons of articles about how the rain improves fishing because the fish let their guard down when it rains. They cant see or hear you as easily and they're more likely to go after your lure since they can't see it as well either. Either way the only thing that scares me off the water is lighting.

Over the years I've added a lot of techniques to my fishing arsenal, from tiny finesse to obnoxious power baits, but man I couldn't imagine fishing without my spinnerbaits!

I've got a 20 gallon oil-less Husky compressor from home depot that I got on sale for $150. It fills up then doesnt kick back on for at least 30-60+ minutes depending on how much air I'm using. The most important part is to get yourself a good moisture trap, without it all the condensation from the tank will come through your brush.

I echo what has been said above. I own the last models of HPT TE 7.0:1 reels before they became the KVD reels and it's my absolute favorite reel next to my Smoke SL100HPT. I also own 2 Code reels and as long as I keep up with maintenance, they are workhorses. I even own a lower end Nitro that I use for top-water fishing and I really can't complain about it. The Higher end reels are definitely the way to go and I agree that Quantum doesn't get enough love. IMHO for the price a lot of their reels can't be beat. I think the case with the Smokes is that they need to be lubed before you use them. When I bought my Smoke reel it screamed, but I brought it home, put some hot sauce in it, and haven't had a problem since.

Createx sells a white sealer paint that is formulated especially for wood. If you're using plain old white then the water is probably seeping into the wood and causing issues with coverage and paint running. Whenever I spray a wooden bait I always hit it with the createx sealer, then I hit it with standard white createx. Another thing you can try is using adhesion promoter. It will help the paint stick to pretty much any surface and give you a more even coverage.

This is just MHO...If you're gonna go the cheapest route for airbrushing cranks, you're probably better off just buying some new cranks from the store rather than wasting money on a cheap setup.

I had the same EXACT setup. The 55lb motor pushed the Scanoe with no problem, but I would only use it on smaller lakes (200 sq acres or less). I never bothered to see how fast I was going, but it was about as fast as I can walk at full speed with all my gear. Snakehead is right about getting more torque and speed when you paddle, the only thing about those Scanoes is that they have really wide flat hulls and don't have much of a keel to cut through the water. My question is if you use your Scanoe to fish a 33,000 acre lake, why not just put a 5hp gas motor on it? I don't see a trolling motor pushing 18 miles in one day off of one battery.

cdagget...What kind of airbrush/paint/compressor are you using? Are you running a moisture trap on your compressor? It takes some practice to control an airbrush, especially on a 3D surface, but keep working at it. Learn your brush inside and out, sont be afraid to take it apart, it really helps to see how the moving parts work together. A lot of the guys that you see posting up lures have been doing it for years. I've been airbrushing since art school and I still have trouble getting paint thinned down to where it will spray consistantly. Don't feel bad about the needle, everyone that uses an airbrush bends a needle or two every now and then, but they're only a few dollars and you'll learn to always have backups. It stinks when you get half way done with a good looking lure and you bend the needle or blow out the tip. Think about it like fishing, hooks are gonna bend and line is gonna break. Don't give up though man. Check out some youtube vids, practice painting basic shapes and lines on paper, then move onto basic patterns on lures. There's nothing like finishing that first sweet looking lure and catching a hawg on it. If you need any advice PM me. SnakeheadWhisperer is a MASTER lure maker. Heres a link to a thread he and I posted up a while back http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/116276-intro-to-airbrushing/

Tom, Thank you for your service. My father served in the Army, his brother was a Marine, his nephew is a ranking officer in the Navy, and my cousin was a Reserve. My uncle did a tour in Vietnam around the same time as you and my cousin did 3 tours between Iraq and Afghanistan. I truly appreciate the freedoms that we get to enjoy because of guys like you. Most of us don't think about the sacrifices other people and their families make so that we can do little things like go fishing or watch tv with the family. The least that any of us who hasn't served can do is display our flag proudly and protect it from harm. The flag now resides inside my truck where it can be seen but won't ever be run over again! I'll ask my Dad what he knows about my uncles tour, he passed away about 5 years back and never talked about it. @rockchalk06, the flag is about 4' long, and I was pointing at it, so I would imagine that even at 40mph you would be able to see it and swerve or stop. I just don't think they cared.

I use a detail brush for stuff like thin red lines where the gills are and tiny touch ups. You can use a paint brush, but you're never gonna get that smooth coverage and finish that you're gonna get with an airbrush. Honestly I wouldnt waste the money buying blanks to paint with a brush. If you have a couple old lures that you can sand down then it might be fun to play around with, but any serious work is gonna come with an airbrush.

X2- I ABSOLUTELY agree, the only time I would recommend going out with one type of lure is when you're trying to learn a new technique. If you go out with your "go to" on the boat then without fail you'll put down the lure you're trying to learn and start tossing your favorite bait.

I'll toss a walk the dog bait anytime of day/year, but I have the most success in the summer months when the sun is coming up (Sammy 100s being my personal favorite). You need to have the right equipment if you plan on making this technique a part of your arsenal. First of all you're going to want the right rod, personally I like to use a 7' fast action, M/MH power pole. Your rod needs to have a fast tip with good backbone for a few reasons. You want to be able to load up and cast a long way to cover a lot of water. The fast tip also helps get the right action out of your lure, then when you get a strike it keeps you from ripping the lure out of the fishes mouth before setting the hook. When it comes to reel I prefer a baitcaster with a faster gear ratio (6.3:1 or faster). As far as line goes I always use mono. It floats, the stretch helps the action of the lure and rod, and the line gets caught in the hooks less often than braid. This is just MHO...good luck!