ClackerBuzz

don't feel bad if you don't kill'm in DR like you did in NC. i have friends from PR, DR and south america. 'heavy pressure' has a much harsher meaning for you. heavy pressure here usually means lots of tournaments, anglers, boat traffic etc but in the end the fish are released. heavy pressure in other countries means good eating . its one thing to be caught and released in NC only to become a big, old, smart bass that is more difficult to catch. in ur next of the woods they become dinner. if a lot of guys eat their fish on ur water you may want to try smaller lures, lighter line, bottom contact baits w/ light weights. big, fast moving/vibrating/bladed bait might just scare them. no matter what, they will be more aggressive during the spawn. and you likely have the benefit of two spawns per year! x2s drop shot (start light@ 1/16oz). slow drag 5" worms; and 1/4oz jig.

try this with ur 7" worm or soft plastic of ur choice: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

did you just try cleaning all the dirt and grease out and putting it back together? i think i remember ur problem being 'dirt grinding'

'hot new lure' ...year after year

on a more serious note, congrats on the new canoe. i loved getting off shore. ur truck will work fine. google 's10 ladder rack'. buy one used off CL or break out the ole' saw, bolts and 2x4's to make ur own. for the portion of canoe that sits on ur truck cab: split a 'wet noodle' half way open and slide it on the canoe gunwales so it won't scratch ur roof (or just use two bath towels). buy a set of ratchet tie down's at wally world. open both truck doors and run the straps thru the INSIDE of the cab. ratchet down tight. should go anywhere. search google images for 'homemade ladder rack' for some good ideas. do you have a trailer hitch? they have special ladder/canoe bar/mounts that fit a 2" hitch. google 'trailer hitch canoe rack'. http://www.carrackadvice.com/yakima-racks/carrying-canoe-on-2005-toyota-tacoma-pickup-truck/attachment/2005-toyota-tacoma-quad-cab-roof-rack-525/

borrow the appropriate vehicle?

isn't fox "news" banned in canada?

very cool. are you going to relocate any lunker girls there or just let nature take its course?

you can ask this question in any industry and your going to get the same #1 answer=word of mouth referral (in the investment industry people were asked why they invested their entire life saving$$$ in a particular stock or bond. #1 answer=a friend, family member or adviser recommended it. i respect word of mouth referral from local anglers on my local water more than forum referrals. those lures are proven in ur fisheries and the ole time anglers don't make any commission/get 'sample products' etc. in this day and age over 33% of online reviews are mere marking company's typing away. 'soft/passive sales' and false reviews make it very difficult to navigate what is real and what isn't. and instead of a fishing company having pro staff they can have moderators plug their product thru ad-vice instead of ad-vertising. second runner up=repetition advertising over multiple media ie hard/aggressvie sales. ie coca cola/pepsi, gatorade w/ ad's in magazines, tv, newspaper, bill boards, internet etc.

x2. i tried the slick but returned it b/c my connection knot kept slipping (braid to fluoro leader).

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1 hmmm don't know why the results didn't post. type 'drop shot rod' ...tons of great info

x's. read and watch. then.. 1-take note of which information you've already learned from first hand experience on the water. (true confidence= success with it and/or can duplicate it). 2-take note of information you touched upon/subconsciously realized but don't have down as second nature. it should be just out of ur comfort zone but familiar enough that a small light bulb is starting to go off. 3-research #2, distill the info down, map out a plan and commit to making it part of ur solid routine this up coming season. 4-only try this with a few things. down go over kill with 10-15 topics or you may up with ur head spinning/jack of all trades/master of none. Maybe you've never had much luck with jigs. you've read and seen alot of vids about how slow dragging a jig=success. you remember that one jig fish you caught last season was when you stopped 'working' the jig to bend down and tie ur shoelace. ie you've been over working ur jig. ((((and possibly other lures)))). commit to jigs this season by slowing down ur presentation. achieved some success and make sure to follow thru with slowing down some other techniques (like slow dragging a senko). once you know how to slow down, its easy to speed up...knowing you have the confidence to slow it back down when the bite is tough.

x2.

wow what a great thread. the best structure and/or cover is the kind that is in close proximity to the deepest water in the fishery (or a migration route). big fish like to be able to escape to the deep water. this is more big bass teritory. dinks and medium size bass will hang on any shallow cover, even a patch of floating weeds or debris. i saw a youtube vid where dinks were trying to take cover under a guy's pelican boat while he was fishing in it! finding structure and/or cover is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. without GPS it takes several outings to be able to return to a spot, if ever. with GPS you can mark 2 way points and almost instantly cast at the same angle to hit same the 4x6' rock, 10x10' weed patch, 3x4' stump. 20' bend in a creek channel etc. after you have points marked, you can go back on different day's to try casting a target at differnt angles. the fish will have a preference

never tried it but on a general note: i'm looking forward to trying a jr frog this season. alot of the time frog fishing can be touchy and i've read so many great posts about jr frogs consistantly working better. ie more committed hits and even big fish go after it. i picked up a jr 1 3/4" 1/5oz frog to try

now that's what i call snow!!! that deserves a good name b/c its making me hungry for all things white. Fluff'zilla

time on the water is invaluable. however there is the ole saying "even a blind hog can find an acorn". if i had to do it all over again i would buy my electronics first. this will be my first season using them and yes i learned a lot the last 5yrs w/o them....BUT i wasted 1,000's of hrs of unproductive fishing, blind casting, beating the banks, casting in all the wrong seasonal places, right lures in the wrong places etc. I could have cut my learning curve in half by starting with electronics first. looking back... i upgraded spinning tackle. then bought baitcasters w/ cheap rods. next season tons of lures for different techniques (head was spinning that year). then a couple nice rods.. a kayak and canoe. next season all nice rods. my sonar unit came last. stupid mistake but hey it was a heck of a fun ride. if i were young like you, had a passion for fishing and already had a BOAT...i'd buy a $300-400 sonar w/ down imaging...make due with all the other equipment i had...maybe get out with shane j a few times to learn how to read the structure on the unit...man ur off to the races

haha theos are some might big fightin' words for a land locked fella! but you'd think homicide is at an all time high, in every state, by watching the boob tube.

Epic advice

Awesome tips. when the bite is tough, consider lighter, smaller and slow moving bottom contact baits (i have to take the same approach in 30 deg winter water here). bottom baits consistently produce for me year round. jig, light t-rigs, senkos, drop shots. if i was in tourny's i'd add C-rig for covering water. after you find a good location, its just a matter of fine tuning the action, weight and finally color. color is the least important for me. (i really just use black and green pumpkin. maybe white if shad present). i came across an old post by A-Jay last year which really helped solidify things i had learned on the water and the direction my fishing had subconsciously taken. ie bigger fish, consistently caught, year round. "As a result, I have changed my approach a bit when it comes to initially fishing a promising spot. Traditionally I would use "search" type baits to find biters and then slow down with a jig to find a bigger bite. But recently I have reversed the order and fished the jig first. Instead of initially beating the water to a froth by machine gunning a spinner bait through it for 30 minutes I spend some time sneaking a jig around the best spots. It's been a good deal for me and sometimes I end up never putting the jig rod down all day." (Tks again A-Jay).

wow you need to send Shane J a pm and ask him to take you out! nothing will help you develop faster than being on the water with a knowledgeable person that can also EXPLAIN what he's doing. bribe, case of beer, hot dinner, gas money...do what it takes to get out with him! you'll probably learn more being out with him 2 outings than a season fishing by youself

i wouldn't fear breaking the rod...but i would fear a possible backlash . just be careful on ur first outing. maybe use more of a tiger woods swing till you get comfortable with how the rod is going to load. why don't you want to throw them on the big cranker?

wacky in open water. texas around weeds and cover. wacky is more about the fall. if you are in 2ft of water just t-rig. it defeats the purpose of a wacky/flutter fall. plus 2ft of water requires more of a drag technique=texas. you can usually bump to 6" in any body of water. i only bump to 7" in 15ft+of water. ie big and deep lakes

i started out power fishing b/c its so heavily advertised on tv, youtube etc. plus chuck'n'reel'n is fun. but it really shines in spring and fall. you get skunked alot in summer and winter. there are exceptions but generally the heat of august isn't a good time to burn a double bladed spinnerbait in a small pond w/ little oxygen. i started looking for better techniques. i can't tell you how many times i walked up to guys on the water and they pulled out their cell phone to show me monster fish. i asked the same question everytime: what did ya get'm on? the 2 most common answers= 2 great techniques: senkos and jigs. most guys told the same story. just cast it out and let it sit. KISS keep it simple stupid. i started catching much bigger and better fish year round. and also came to the realization that big fish are big/fat b/c they don't like to chase down fast moving lures. i now love bottom contract lures. move to smaller plastics and lighter weighs if the bite is tuff or if ur in small ponds. start with dead sticking and very slow dragging, always keeping bottom contact, moving 8-12" at a time. adding long pauses in between drags drives them crazy. sometimes you'll get snagged on a rock and have to pop it free. that will trigger a bite. take note b/c then you know they want a short/violent burst after the pause. dead sticking a drop shot (3" grub) usually gets you bites in any fisher, year round. let the current do the work. you can speed up retrieves from spring thru fall. i'd recommend experimenting with power techniques in spring and fall...and keep bottom contact techniques as a foundation year round. fill out ur profile so people know what region you live and you'll get more replies. and read this: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

very cool. cast along that pipe before you step onto it!