shanksmare

Especially after watching hockey, watching baseball is a torture. In hockey there is often non-stop action for many minutes at a time. Whereas in baseball the action occurs in 2 to 15 second bursts (mostly 2 seconds) with minutes of dead time between each of these bursts.. Hockey, football, basketball and even soccer are reactive sports. The players react to to situations pretty much instinctively. Baseball players must think about what they are going to do before each pitch. If you wait to decide what to do when the ball comes to you. most likely the game will pass you by. When I was a kid and baseball players salaries were measured in thousands of dollars, not millions, they would sign autographs after games for free. Now that their salaries are in the millions of dollars they charge kids for autographs. Back then most games took 2 to 2 1/2 hours to play (I was a habitual boxscore reader) whereas now they take 3 1/2 hours plus to play. On every pitch it seems as if their is a contest between the pitcher and the batter as to who will take the most time. Boring ....

Way back in the mid 1970's, the Massachusetts F&G Dept used supervise tournament weigh-ins and pump the stomachs of the bass caught. They stopped pumping the stomachs when they found out that 90% of the stomach contents consisted of crawfish. Here in Florida golden shiners and big bass go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Its like most things in life - it all depends. Sometimes and some places they do, other times and places not so much. Naturally, they seem to school up more when there are schooled up baitfish in the area. Sometimes you can catch a lot of bass from a single piece of isolated cover. So I guess the bass were schooled up (to some extent ) in that cover.

Naturally a lot has to do with personal preference. Up North a lot of people love bluefish ,,, yuck! Secondly a lot has to do with how the fish is prepared and cooked. The following are my preferences: Seatrout are OK. Blackened redfish are very good. Tripletail are excellent. But the best tasting fish (in my opinion) is snook. The snook has to be caught in saltwater. Those caught in freshwater or even brackish water don't have the same flavor. Check the regulations in your area before bringing any home!

I fish a lot in a pond which receives a great deal of pressure. Often times I have been able to observe bass in areas where the water was somewhat clear. The fish are extremely wary of that little plop your lure makes when it hits the water. I haved purposely cast a 7" worm with an 1/8 oz weight 60 or 80' away from the bass. When the lure plops down there demeanor changes such that they look alerted. They slowly swim away from the source of the plop. I have seen this behavior repeated many, many times. The fish that are in shallower water seem more affected than fish that are in deeper nearshore water. Along these lines, crankbaits that are noiseless out produce those with BB's in them at least for me. Downsized spinnerbaits also seem to produce better than larger one with large blades. It can be very difficult from the bank to achieve a noiseless lure entry due to the many different angles you must cast from to avoid trees, weeds and other obstacles. I guess the best advice I can give you is to fish the deepest nearshore water with smaller, quiter lures that you mcast well beyond your chosen target. Or wait for a windy overcast day!

I have been using spinnerbaits for over 40 years. I can attest to the fact that the video that Glenn recommends in a previous post is a 'must see' tutorial for buddiing spinnerbait fishermen. Do I agree with every point that is made? Of course not! But the info contained in the video gives you a solid base to get you catching fish. It also contains great info for the experienced spinnerbaiter to profit from. As you gain confidence you can then tweak your own techniques to take advantage of your specific conditions.

This will help with any flat bladed chatterbait.

I learned to use a baitcaster when I was 5 or 6 years old. Those baitcasters had no free spool or anti-reverse. It was a bit of a chore but eventually I learned. Shortly thereafter, spinning tackle invaded the scene. Very few of my compatriots stuck with baitcasting tackle and soon switched over to that new-fangled spinning tackle from overseas (which certainly had many issues of its own at the time).. Years later I again embraced baitcasting tackle (much improve over my original baitcasting tackle). It was like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget. You have received a lot of excellent advice which serve you well in the learning process. I'll give you a couple of pointers from my perspective. I believe the rod you are using is probably handicapping your progress. As you learn to cast and become more proficient it will be less of an issue. In my experience very stiff, very fast rods have a narrow comfort zone in terms of lure weights to use effectively. A certain weight will be the sweet spot for that rod. If you go much above or below this weight, it feels like throwing a potato with a pitch fork. So I believe a rod with a more parabolic action would be advantageous to you during the learning process. Secondly try to keep your rod tip moving in a straight line during the casting process (as opposed to a circular path). This simplifies getting your release point correct and produces more power with less effort. Practice, practice, practice and you will soon be casting like a pro. Don't wait to go out to the lake to practice. Utilize your back yard, swimming pool if you have one, basement. Just be prepared for strange looks from your neighbors and the invariable comment, "Did you catch any yet?". As me why I know! Good luck.

Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a great day (looks like your dog enjoyed it also).

When I lived up north I used 14# mono pretty much exclusively. Upon moving to Florida I soon switched to 17# and finally 20# Sufix Siege. The size of the fish and the density of the weeds prompted the switch. I have tried flourocarbon and braid at various times. I don't care for flouro and reserve thel use of braid for super thick weeds.

Basically I guess you should just use what works for you. There are lots of variables that will influence your choices involved. A few of which come to mind are: the distance of your average cast, how heavy the cover you are fishing is, how fast you set the hook (reaction time), size of the baits, depth at which you fish the baits, etc. Some people crowd the bank, others stay a long cast away from the target. Some have lightning quick reaction speed others are slow or able to control the speed. Some people have to have the fastest, most expensive, cutting edge equipment others not so much. I noticed in shallow, fairly clear water that I was missing quite a few fish using a chatterbait with a fast action graphite rod and braid. I guess the combo was too sensitive and I was too quick on the trigger. I switched to an S-glass rod and mono and my strike to landed fish ratio went up considerably. Visually it appeared that the fish had more time to get the bait further into their mouths and even start to turn away with it. This combo seems to work equally well with spinnerbaits. But as I said this isn't a one size fits all situation. Its still a work in progress for me.

I would use a single spin spinnerbait in the 1/4 - 1/2 oz range in chartreuse/white or golden shiner color. I would be using a large colorado blade preferably in hammered copper or gold finish. I would fish it slowly with a stop and go action.

A good source for info about becoming a Professional Bass fisherman is the book: Catching Bass Like a Pro by Steve Price (from the experiences of Guy Eaker). Guy Eaker was a pro with longevity challenging Rick Clunn. He details what he had to do to turn pro. How he got sponsors and more importantly what he did to keep these sponsors. He explains what the sponsors expected of him and what he required of the sponsors. Deciding if college is for you and what possible path to persue is only something you can answer. Just get as much input as you can from sources that you trust parents, teachers, guidance counselors, ministers, etc). You don't have to go to a college that costs a kings ransom. There are state and community colleges that are more reasonably priced. There are scholarships and grants that go unused every year. If you chose to go to college and get a degree, it will be something that you will always have and may be beneficial to you in unanticipated manners. I look at a college degree as a key. This key will unlock opportunities to you that would otherwise be unattainable. It does not guarantee success, it is just a possible component of it. Most companies will train you to do a specific job in the manner in which they wish it done. They invest tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in this training. The college degree shows them that you have the capability to understand and complete this training. Generally speaking experience and education directly influence salary. Just remember, each time you see a kid bouncing a basketball on a street corner that he has dreams of becoming the next Michael Jordan. Few succeed! So its wise to always have a Plan B.

Way to go Lou! Its tough to get decent bass in parks which generally equate to heavy fishing pressure. Congrats again.

Favorite - spinnerbait (it can be used effectively under a variety of conditions) Most effective - Its situational - sunny vs cloudy, water clarity, water depth, prevalent baitfish, wind, existing cover, mood of fish (active vs not), etc

I generally carry between 5 and 20 safety pin style spinnerbits with me while bank fishing. On the other hand I haven't had an in-line spinner in my bag for years. Why? Well I've caught tens of thousands of bass ( including my PB and probably 8 of my top 10 bass) on the safety pin style versus 4 or 5 on the Roostertail style. Most of the bass I'\ve caught on a SB were in cover so thick that the inline would have been fouled within the first foot of my retrieve. If I'm going to fish an area in which you could use a Roostertail, I'd rather use a crankbait. Your mileage may vary ....

What has been previously stated and the fact that in most locations the prevailing warm weather wind direction is from the southwest. This blows the warmer surface water into the northeast part of the lake.

Awesome start to the new season!

I started out as a Boston Braves fan. I was torn as my Grandfather was a diehard Red Sox fan and my Dad was a Braves fan. We continued to be Braves fans even after the Braves moved to Milwaukee. Somewhere along the line we transitioned into becoming Red Sox fans. It would be nice to see a huge improvement in the team over last season. I went to a spring training game against the Yankees. A lot of players in that game with numbers in the 70's and 80's. Its tough to watch baseball after watching the Bruins. I hope they speed up the game. It becomes a bore watching 4 + hour games. No MLB channel this year. If the Red Sox can;t do it, then I'd like to see a team that hasn't won it in a long time like the Cubs do it.

I have both rods with cork grips and Eva foam grips that I use for bass fishing. At first I preferred the cork grips. But in time after using both I grew to like the Eva foam grips. The Eva grips are smaller and more comfortable to me. But at the end of the day when I'm fishing, I'm not really paying a lot of attention to the grip material ... just too many other 'important' things to think about. For saltwater surf rods I use Eva foam exclusively. It just stands up to the rigors far better than cork. On fly rods that I have made, I always use cork grips. I guess Eva would be too untraditional for me to use although I'm sure that functionally it would be fine.

Last night I visited a local Bass Pro Shop and noticed a new addition to the bladed jig section. It appears that Zman is making Chatterbaits for BPS which is selling them under their own brand. It appeared to be a version of the new Project Z Chatterbait. They looked really well made with some awesome skirt colors. The only downside was the price - $7.99. Maybe I'll pick up a couple to try sometime soon.

As Lund Explorer and others have said - go see a doctor. There are treatments available that can lessen the effects of arthritis. A friend of ours, who happens to be a licensed dietician, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at a very early age. There are at least several different treatment options available. She found one that worked and was able to go to the gym daily and maintain her active lifestyle. As Red Earth stated - Lyme Disease is also a possibility. Its just another reason to see a doctor to find out just what is wrong and how to correct it.

Easy ... just keep your head out of the water!

I have a Boomerang that I found while fishing. I carry it in my bag and use it ocassionally. It works OK. For the past 5 or 6 years I have mainly used a small pair of Fiskars scissors. They work great for braid, mono and flouro.

The FG knot is the smallest and the strongest of all the flouro to braid knots (reportedly). It is rather tedious to tie(at least for me). I have tied this knot 4 or 5 times and have never had the connection break. This is because it always falls apart before it reaches that stage. This knot is a work in progress for me and definately requires a bit of practice if I should choose to use it. The moral of my sad tale is that its always better to tie a knot that you are proficient tieing. A well tied Blood knot is superior to a poorly tied Albright, Bristol or Alberto knot. Practice your knots at home while watching TV and make it a habit to lube your knots with saliva or water. When you are on the water take the time to tie the knot well rather than risk disappointment later.