ClackerBuzz

ur guide called a 9lb a 'dink'?! awesome trip guys!!!

I would watch golf if they had more shots like this!

also go lighter. a lot of snags/break offs can mean you are using too heavy of a weight for the conditions and lodging between every rock. if casting from shore or wading maybe try 1/8oz or even lighter so you can hop it up and over rocks instead of wedging in them. you just want enough weight to keep bottom contact. also try the stupid tube rig. some guys just cut half the tube open and slide the jig right in. http://blog.***.com/blog/bid/74504/The-Stupid-Rig-Illustrated

couldn't have said it better myself. the BR search engine is without a doubt one of the best I've seen on the web. major corporations like best buy and homedepot don't work as well. I've been recommending it to loads of people. ie Type "jig rod", "drop shot rod", "chatterbait" and you'll have tons to read. once you get comfortable you'll get creative ie wind blown shore, oxygen, subsurface, milfoil, night fishing etc. you'll get some great reads. unsure how ur veritas matches up against another rod? type "veritas vs" for 2 pages of reading material.

no issues here. i initially switched to 6'6"-7' rods but ended up fishing so much clear water (10+ft visibility) that i'm now back up to 7'6" rods for longer casts (they can see you coming a mile away). my rods are behind me in vertical rod holders so they don't interfere with casting. the BIGGEST problem is not snapping them on tree branches when the wind blows me against shore...or when landing for a bathroom break. i used to try and get in 'one more cast' to delicious looking cover before paddling away from a tree. before i knew it the wind picked up and my rods were bent in half and/or line tangled in branches. i skip that 'last cast' now and paddle away in a hurry. trees eat kayak rods

great drag post by RW: Set your drag properly at 25%-30% of the breaking strength of your line, but not more than 3-4 lbs. There are several ways to measure the weight. I suggest putting 3 pounds of weight in a plastic grocery bag and tying your line to the handles of the sack. GENTLY lift your rod tip until the drag begins to release. Tighten the drag accordingly. Now pull your line out with your hand. Over time you will get a pretty accurate feel for the setting. Once set, I NEVER adjust anything when I have a fish on...NEVER. I fish #4 & #6 Yo-Zuri on my spinning tackle. My two main spinning rods are 7' MF. The drag is always set at approximately 2 1/2 lbs. Both smallmouth in my avatar and the Big Bass on last year's RoadTrip were all caught using #4 Hybrid. On baitcasters I am fishing #12 Yo-Zuri Hybrid or 50 lb Sufix 832 for bass, 65 for striper. The drag on my bass rods is 3 lbs regardless of which line I am using, 4 lbs on my striper rig. I'm not going to use "never" because that came back to bite me a few years ago, so I "rarely" get broken off.

small to large: 6 5 4 3 2 1 1/0 2/0 3/0 4/0 etc side note: anyone know the origin of this numbering? i'd be interested in hearing it

wow sounds like an amazing honey hole. so are you and me the only two people that are going to fish it?

well said. you don't want to be that guy that everyone reads about in the newspaper..dead or alive. sounds like ur new to boating so learn how to fish in 5mph..then 10mph..work your way up.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/107444-favorite-river-smallie-bait/unread/

i got one for $8 on ebay

kayak!

feeding fish corn and/or meat bi-products can't be good. you gotta love the short term effect of catching lunkers but the bad news will be told long term.

x2. slack in the line just like you use to 'walk the dog' with a spook that there' is all around great advice, no matter the tactic.

cold water=longer pause no bites=pause longer still no bites=pause even longer

that is disappointing to hear, and totally bizarre bc it doesn't look like there are any houses for 50 miles in any direction. i guess some people don't want anyone on their property, even if its 2 mountain ranges away

I didn't realize Texas has such beautiful rivers. This looks like an amazing trip.

get a kayak! cheap and easy way to get around. its a whole new fishing world once you get off shore. there are BIG fish in ur small ponds, especially if there isn't alot of pressure and no one is eating them. what are you catching them on now? a jig and/or 6"+worm are two proven big fish baits. as a general rule of thumb, a slower presentation (dragging) catches bigger fish. of course you can go much faster and erratic in the spring and fall. cast a jig out and count down. you will be able to judge depth and tell which shore line has the access to the deepest water. work that area. muddy coves generally hold smaller fish. bass like a 'clean' bottom so take note when ur jig hits rocks or comes back with clean mulched leaves. those areas are ariated and fish will relate to them. obiously stumps and logs. and note 'green' weeds. bass love healthy green weeds b/c the small bait fish will be there too. there are tons of threads on locating big fish in small ponds. let me do some research for ya

use google maps and find small/secluded ponds. you will have much more success on unpressured water. it looks like ur area is peppered with great water holes. try this with technique with any soft plastic you have laying around: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

"25 day grace period before the interest starts" ..be careful b/c it might be an 'introductory' offer for the first 6 months. i call my credit cards every year and ask to raise my credit limit (personal and business). after 6 yrs i had more personal credit than i could ever use. it really helped with developing my business credit (when u own ur own business ur personal credit backs the business credit). its good ur tight with money. some people get trapped in the minimum payment black hole. ur jaw would drop if you saw what they end up paying in the end (ex $4000 balance making minimum payment for 8 yrs @ a high interest rate can mean you end up paying $7500)

lots of good threads in the forum (searching 'rod under $100) http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/110525-help-me-pick-a-rod-budget-100-give-or-take/?hl=+rod%20+under%20+$100 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/109205-looking-for-rod-suggestions/?hl=rod+under+%26%23036%3B100#entry1189554 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/108736-new-outfit-suggestions/?hl=rod+under+%26%23036%3B100#entry1184619 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/108736-new-outfit-suggestions/?hl=rod+under+%26%23036%3B100#entry1184619 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/106196-budget-jigworm-rod/?hl=rod+under+%26%23036%3B100#entry1159947 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/105063-most-versatile-rod-under-100-to-pair-with-lews-ts1h/ http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/103249-new-bc-combo-under-200/?hl=rod+under+%26%23036%3B100#entry1133396

i wouldn't bass fish there if i didn't have too. the bass population can't be great if guys are keeping/eating 10" dinks. what is considered a 'big bass' by ur spear friends? ur climate can easily support 12lb+ bass. but if there is no conservation a 3lb can be a monster. what other species are in there? and considered 'big'? are you close to the beach? you probably have some great surf fishing. and a kayak can open a whole new world to salt water fishing. with that much pressure ur land locked lake will struggle with re-population vs. ur salt water.

did you open that reel w/o schematics?! you brave young buck! as stated its the white nylon piece. in ur picture there are 2 small springs sitting on it. try turning it upside down. the pinion gear is the gold gear sitting in the middle of it. it turns ur spool

you are up against a whole other beast. i'm guessing most guys on ur water are using live bait. find out what everyone is using. do you have a throw net? catch some of ur local forage

ur pinion yoke is upside down. it has a 45deg angle on it that fits the 45deg angle on the cam assembly. if it is upside down the pinion gear won't reach the spool shaft pin at the bearing=no turn.