Brayberry

I'm just curious of the weirdest place you've caught a bass. I have two: I was fishing on a small reservoir in Virginia during a tournament, we go into a cove and I look over and see a microwave sitting in about 2 feet of water, door open. I figured it'd be fun to cast to, and cast behind it with a crankbait. I cast out the crankbait past the microwave, and start retrieving it, and it starts running over the microwave, banging into the top of it, finally it comes past the open door and a bass swims out to smack it. Caught a 2 lber from the microwave On a trip to Buggs Island in Va, water was around 20 feet high in the spring, and m partner and I found a park that was flooded. We saw a couple of picnic tables with about a foot of water over the top, and we pitched into it. We both caught bass, and spent the rest of the day finding flooded parks to fish the picnic table pattern

There is a state owned area around my area, that has around 15 lakes in it. The lakes vary from 5 - 500 acres. All were old mining pits, and have been lakes for around 30 years. All are very deep (for the area at least) with max depths of around 80 ft, and a average depth oround 22 ft. The lakes all have steep shorelines, where even right next to shore, the depth is 20 feet or so. There is no vegetation to speak of, lots of fallen timber but again it's deep. The lakes have Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Crappie. Bluegill, Carp, and Shad in them. Along the shoreline's in every lake is overhanging vegetation growing over the lake extending to about 6 - 10 feet over the waters edge.I recently talked to the local Fisheries Biologist that checks the lakes, and he says the thermocline in all the lakes is between 10 - 12 feet deep, so my question is how would you fish these lakes? It's my understanding that if the thermocline is at best 12 feet deep, then there would be no bass below there, correct? Beating the bank is virtually non existent with the steep shorelines, the lakes have many big bass in them, but they always seem suspended, not relating to much. I believe the bass generally suspend just following baitfish, with the young/smaller bass occupying the little shallow water available. There hasn't been much activity here lately to read, so I thought I'd add this to gather others opinion.

Redfin Pickeral Goose Duck Bull Frogs Blackfish Trumpet fish (Maui)

1) Slow Down 2) Fish Where Other's Don't/Can't 3)Improve Casting Accuracy Also know the water your fishing, your main goal may be a 10 lber, but on some waters that's just not possible. Take pride in a smaller fish but a more rare fish for the water. For instance, I fish a small like (5 acres) in a very well known area. This lake is known for small fish, typically around a pound. The lake record was 4lbs, but even 2 lb fish here are considered rare. I've personally caught 2 7lb's from this lake, and though the 7's aren't my personal best, I take great pride in knowing I almost doubled the lake record twice. Just establish thru research what's a big fish for each particular body of water, and try to beat it

I buy a good amount of stuff on Ebay. Typically what I get there is: Custom hand painted crankbaits Spinnerbait frames with the head already painted Most of my panfish/trout soft plastics Powder paint, spinnerbait blades, clevis's, ball bearing swivels Bulk Hooks (Gamakatsu)

I had a 12' Jonboat for years and loved it, I took a buddy with me many times before and never had a problem. I'm actually getting ready to buy 2 more Jonboats, a 12' that I'll use for smaller tournaments, and a 8' that I use to fish ponds and such. I personally believe a Jonboat is the most stable boat I've ever been in, other then a $20,000+ boat. In Virginia, the local Game Warden explained to me about registering a boat, his words were, if you chop down a tree and literally nail a trolling motor to it, it has to be registered, but if you bought a aircraft carrier and wanted to row it around, it wouldn't have to be registered.

True Story, and it drives me nuts every time I think about it. About 4 years ago, a buddy of mine asks me to go with him to a local reservoir, we launch and head back in a winding cove. After fishing for about 45 minutes, we hadn't gotten a bite and decided to move down the lake. My buddy tries to start the outboard but it won't start. After playing with it, he asks me to pull the cord on the outboard, I grab the cord and give it a yank, but when I did, the back of my hand slammed into the seat in the back of the boat. It stung like crazy, and that hand just felt week. I could hardly close my hand to make a fist, and it seemed as the muscles there were much much weaker for one reason or another. Anyways we finally get the motor started and head back to a cove we've had success in before. I flip a senko into a sunken tree, and slowly it sinks down into the depths. Suddenly I see the line taking off across the lake. I set the hook with everything I had, but with the hand injury from earlier, the rod flew out of my hand, and I fumble it around for a few seconds. As I'm trying to get control of the rod, this fish comes straight to the surface and clears the water by about a foot trying to shake the hook free. I quickly gain control of the rod, and try to horse the fish in, knowing the hookset was terrible. As soon as the fish felt me pulling back, he shot into the tree, and snagged me up. My PB is a little over 9 lbs, and this fish was I'd say between 10 and 10 and a half pounds. Biggest bass I ever saw. Still makes me sick to think about it

Kauai, I think was the island your referring to. I'm headed to Maui in a month, and hope to find something to fish for there

Kalua I believe is the name of the island, or at least that's close to the name

Thank You, Scott, I know we are going thru Chicago, so I'll have to try out the places you mentioned. Thank You once again

This fall (September) I'll be driving from Alaska to Virginia, and will be hoping to find some Walleye and Small Mouth to catch along the way. I've never caught either before, but hoping anyone could point me in the direction of lake, stream, or river when I could get few from shore with my girlfriend as I drive thru. As of now the route will be the Alcan, into North Dakota, Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, DC, then into Hampton Roads. Anyone have any idea's of places to try?

Let me know when you'll be at Lone Star and I'll get you on some fish. Some of the lakes there are better in different seasons or weather conditions, or even a particular bait/technique. Like I said I've been there more then anyone, averaging 3 days a week there for around 20 years+. My pb came from there at 9 even, but also have multiple fish in the 8's there

What lake did you fish at Lone Star? I personally love Lone Star, I know all the lakes well, as well. Fantastic fishing can be had at most of the lakes once you learn them. As for the Chowan River, It's more of a quantity fishery then a quality fishery. I like catching numbers of fish over a few big ones. What other lakes around the area have you tried?

My Top 5: 1) St Croix 2) Strike King 3) Lucky Craft 4) Zoom 5) Abu Garcia

I always liked Shaw Grigsby (sp), but after watching Major League Fishing, I like Jeff Kriet too, seems like a great fisherman, but always just seconds away from a panic attack

I regularly talk to the local fisheries biologist in my area back home (Hampton Roads, Va), he says 60 years ago everyone kept their catch and ate it and it hurt fisheries, then in the 80's catch and release grebbed everyones attention, and today there is the opposite problem, there are to many bass in most local lakes. I know he practically begs fisherman to start keeping some 12 - 14 inch bass to eat, to thin out the lakes. I know for a fact that the last 3 times he electro shocked my favorite lake, every bass that was shocked up, was weighed, measured for length, then either given to local fisherman to stock a private pond or killed and donated somewhere for food. There is nothing wrong with keeping bass, as long as you are in the legal limit. I personally rarely eat bass, I'd rather have crappie, or bluegill, but I'm all for anyone legally keeping bass to stock their freezer. A lake needs a balance of catch and release fisherman and people keeping their catch (legally) to be balanced an healthy, and I'm guessing for every lake that the OP can think of that has been "ruined" by people LEGALLY catching and keeping bass, I can think of 3 more that has a over abundance of bass that should be thinned out to avoid the bass getting stunted

I love this tourney, all the new rules, penalties, lake being sectioned off, the anglers personalities, etc

I'm subscribed on my ipod for the digital issues, I love it, just wish it was monthly

Don't leave home without Senko's

Bass Pro Shop, Dicks, Walmart

I ONLY use a bait from ***, google it, way cheaper, way more durable, and way more productive, and the colors are amazing

I enjoy bank fishing, its more relaxing to me, more peaceful. No worries about boat control and such. On my little ponds/lakes I use a lot of 1/4 oz spinnerbaits, senkos, small topwater frogs, tx rigged 4" lizards and rc 1.5 crankbaits. Smaller baits, fished relatively quick

The 2 small ponds I fish are packed with small bass up to around 15 inches but not much bigger. So on average, I'll spend 8 hours there fishing, and catch between 40 - 75 bass a trip ranging from 10 - 14 inches. I prefer quantity over quality any day

I understand your pain. I'm 5" 11' tall, and any rod longer then 6 feet feels awkward. I just can't work a bait properly or even set a hook correctly with a longer rod. So every rod I have is between 5 and a half feet long to 6 feet long. The only rod I have longer is my flipping stick.

I have no shortage of square bills, I'd trade for other square bills