GeneinTX

I recently retired from the army and was innoculated for everything. About a month ago, I buried a treble hook into two fingers. They were so deep that fat and other stuff came ut with the hook barbs. Since I regularly recieved a teneatus shot the se deep puntures healed up with no pan at all.

It would take a really bad hangover for me to choose sleep over fishing!!!!

Pmpkinseed, junebug, red shad in reservoirs. For ponds, I like to throw creme worms with that natural red and tan color .

Flechero, I haven't run into a smallie in a while. What flies did you use? I have used a muddler minnow but have only pulled out bream. Are you working the surface? BTW: I found that grass you were telling me about. We can just keep our fingers crosssed!!!

Another thing to note is that there is alot of difference in fish finders. My boat came with a unit mounted in ythe rear of the hull. I bought another unit for the trolling motor on the bow. My newer unit is much clearer on bttom features, I can pick out stumps, sticks, ect much easier. My other unit isn't very clear on bottom features and has boxy graphics. I mainly use that one to keep track of depth while I am running. nboucher is right about the fish ID. Mine will often depict tree limbs as fish. I took a long time to figure mine out, but if you haev a clear water lake around that you can pick some thing s out and figure out how they look you will go forward in leaps and bounds.

I use a White River 5/6 wt. I haven't caught many bass on it, but I have caught alot of sunfish. Flechero, what rig will you use for smallies? Any pics? What would be a good leader for bass in the 2-3 lb range?

My personal list (of the fish I have caught): 1. Redfish 2. Smallmouths 3. Largemouths 4. Pike and muskies 5. Stripers and hybrids This is based on : first fighting ability, and second size. Who else can put theirs in order? This would be my order that I would fish for them if they were all available around me. GAMEOVER, those are some awesome looking fish there! I hope to get down into central America for some peacock bass soon. I am sure they would be right up there in the top 5 somewhere.

I don't know where you are but here in Texas, if you seine for minnows at night you will pull in 100 crawdads.

quote] How long have you guys been fishing? I myself have been fishing for 7 years, over half my life(im 16) and i have never had a single incident where I got hurt, or any of my buddies.

Bottle me up about 3000 gallons of that please!!!! those that fish in clear water miss it and want it!!!! Iused to fish in KY and NY and loved when the surface would cover with that!

AintTexan, I fish Belton and with our high temps, I have been seeing the normal summer pattern of big schools of shad in deep water. I fished this morning trying shallower and didn't have any luck. I did see whites and hybrids feeding on the surface in the middle of the lake (40+ ft). I was expectng to pick up a LM in the shallows due to the overcast, but didn't find any. The water temp has only droppped 1 degree on Belton this week. There are some huge shad out there as well. Some looked to be 9 or 10". I wouldn't expect them to do anything different for a month if the weather stays the same. Just so you know, sometimes the lakes won't turn over here until December. I don't think there was much of a shad die off last winter due to the mild temps. Just take note of your surface temps now and guage when they start to drop alot. Be prepared for some awesome fishing coming soon.

I pull my 20ft with a V-6 F150 with out a problem. You should be fine.

I had the pleasure of taking 2 Australian Army troops fishing this year. They were both able to catch SM, LM and whites during 2 trips so they were very happy. I was too. I have taken 10 other adults and too many kids to count!!!!

This is by far and without exception the best Bass website there is. I am so glad i found it. So many questions have been answered right here for me. BRAVO!!! You all are #1!!! Keep up the flawless work!!!!

I frequently take all the neighbors kids fishing. I am the only fishing Dad out here, but I love it. When I take non fishers I use a 1/0 eagle claw snelled hook, usually a bobber, and minnows. You can't miss doing this. Try smaller minnows to catch more fish. We use a seine net and catch our own which they love. They enjoy seeing all of the other life that is in the lake as well. I have a boat and take some out as well. If you are lucky enough to find bass feeding on the surface, you can make some fishermen(people) right there. Give them a surface bait and let them have at it. Drinks and snacks are imperative even from the bank. Bug juice too. A word of warning though. I know 2 kids in the central Texas area that are jinxes. Don't let them on your boat.... you won't even see a fish!! They can tangle someone elses line on a different boat. LOL nboucher, I have taken my daughter fishing hundreds of times but she rarely fishes. She likes to read on the boat while her brother and I fish. thats cool too. RULE #1 is PATIENCE and Have fun.

I would say this.... go take some boats for a ride. If a dealer won't take you out, find another one. If you feel the need to push more power then ask for a motor upgrade. take it out on a windy day. They all feel good when the weather is good. That said, I have been boating all of my 40 years and I can tell you this. The bigger the motor you put on your boat, the more fuel you will burn. Even if you are iding!!! A 200 HP will burn more fuel by the displacement of the motor. This is not rocket science. My V-8 car burns more fuel than the same car with a V-6. Ask anyone who runs on salt water and makes a 100 mile run into the gulf with similar boats and different rated motors. The extra horsepower could be a help in certain situations but is not mandatory. I think that the point is that you are trying to get a good fishing rig at an affordable price. Only you can make that decision. It all depends on how fast you need to go. if you aren't fishing tournaments and serious ones at that then the decrease in horsepower can usually be made up by getting up 15 minutes earlier or lauching closer to where you will fish. You will save on your motor if you don't need the biggest motor available. The prerigged electronics however is a major point. I would recommend that without reservation. This will save you money and heart ache later. Some people on here are of the opinion that everyone here needs a top of the line rig maxed out with 300 HP and $4000 sonar/GPS ect. wish some of them would make some payments or put something down for me!!!! Maybe we can start a donate some dollars to our buddies in need forum... LOL As cart7 says... make them work for the sale. They will most likely want to sell a boat and will bend over backwards if they sense that you are serious.

I fully understand where you are coming from. I just bought a new rig this year and with a 14 year old son and 13 year old daughter, I had to consider other uses for my boat. I was not forced by my wife to get this boat, but chose my family and the years that will soon be over, instead of what I was going to pull up in my next tourney with. Do what you need to without regard to whether you have a "Bass Rig" or not. Just look around until you find which one will meet all of your needs. I currently own a Triton 190FS and would highly recommend it. It has ample room for fishing with fore and aft casting platforms. But if you are going to take your family out on it, then you need one of these types for the additional seating. Mine seats 6 comfortably. Alot depends on how it is outfitted. Many fish and skis have seating in the bow which I would not recommend and was the biggest reason I went with the Triton. I often see people with bass rigs tubing with kids clinging to the decks which isn't very safe. The two trade offs I have with the Triton are only one live well and limited rod storage. I have worked out the rod storage thing by placing my rods strategically and my son has yet to break one. We tend to take 4 seven foot rods each with us when we fish. As for speed, my performance with a Merc 200 is pretty respectable about 63 MPH GPS, granted I am not going to be running in 90's but it is all about what you need. It is all about what you and your family want. My boat will also ****** just about anyone out of the water without a problem to ski or wake board as well. BTW I just retired from the Army and this was my retirement present! Keep the family in mind, my wife didn't know what a bass was till she met me! Anymore questions feel free to email me direct. I looked at many different types before choosing.

Thanks for the reply. I will check this one out. I was talking to a guy at Walmart and he gave me some info on another one. He said that they meet in a bar in Temple, but I forgot the name! I'll have to keep researching. Thanks agian.

I fished Lake Fork in the early 90's and the hydrilla was thick there. It made for great fishing though. Any thoughts from anyone on what may be good to plant, yet not so invasive? I am guilty of looking at this from a fishing only standpoint. Although a plant that could swallow up a jet ski would be nice!!

Temple/Belton/Killeen Bass club wanted. I am looking for a chance to meet some local anglers in the area. Anyone have any experience with any in this area. Thanks in advance.

LOL... YEAH what we said!

As Flechero stated, our lake has NO aquatic vegatation at all, not a lily pad.... nothing. The water is clear but nothing grows except algae. I only use hydrilla as an example but any vegatation would be great. We hardly have any timber LOL (but it is a good lake anyway!) Our lake is also very deep, I am sure that 90% of the lake is more than 40 feet deep, so matting across it would not be a problem. Flechero, it would make sense that something keeps anything from growing. That is why I proposed this idea. You know as well as I do how many people fish Stillhouse and Belton and could bring it over as well as the distance for birds to traveland carry it. It never made sense that nothing grows. As for taking on the task of transplanting the vegatation, I would seek permission first. I am sure that the state or COE would be reluctant.

I fish a lake in Texas that has no vegatation. It is a deep canyon lake but has some flats. A nearby lake that is much shallower but still rocky has tons of hydrilla in it. Does anyone have a reason why there wouldn't be any hydrilla in the larger lake. I am positve that birds fly from one to the other and many people fish both lakes. Does hydrilla need a large bed or is it capable of growing in small pockets? How deep does the water need to be for it to start growing? What are the negative impacts on the lake? Why wouldn't the State or Corps of Engineers try to establish some form of vegatation to enhance the resource? Any thoughts? Has anyone been witness to vegatation being added to an existing lake by the DNR's?

Also, as a former Army recruiter I learned to accentuate the positives and ignore the negatives. "You know that those ponds by the sewer treatment plants hold some giant bass" He won't ask you for a honey hole again!!!!!

Okay this applies to all fishing spots....... If you do the work to find them and work them then I think you are fien to not tell everyone where you are fishing and how you are doing there. Follow my reasoning here... the resource is there for all of us, true enough. But here is my dilemma, on Lake Belton here in Texas, there are at least 4 boat crews (I use that term because it is hard to get a count of exactly how many people are on those boats) that just move from spot to spot waiting for yuo to catch a fish and will try to muscle you off the spot if youare catching anything. they just patrol and wait to see someone lift a fish. It is so bad, that I have told my 14 Y/O son not to let them see us pick up a fish. Where is the etiquitte? And oh by the way..... if you tell one they will tell one and you end up with the scenarios that we see here. I say if they are young and inexperienced help them out..... if not let them find their own fish!!!!