BassinLou

Yeah, I am with Sam with this. I have had 2 major run in's with treble hooks. One of those incidences did require a trip to the ER. Not fun. Fortunately, I had a small wire cutter to the get the bass loose and isolate the hook that drove into my thumb. I use to use treble baits often, but after this last incident, I kind of shy'd away from them for a bit.

Mike, congratulations. That was pretty honorable what you did for the Fellow's family.

LOL.... I can't even tell you the year those lures came out. I know i was kid. Enjoy!!

I triple this..... when you purchased your Shimano, inside the box was a small yellow piece of paper depicting schematically, the importance of keeping the drum well lubricated, the result will effect casting distance.

LOL... my mistake deaknh03, but yes, it looked like the bait on the right. Mine was silver/gray. I have to look for that thing, it has to be in one of my old tackle boxes for when i was a kid. They made that bait look so good!! lol....

The weirdest lure I ever had was this floating plastic fish, with a swivel at its nose. You tied your line directly to the swivel and when you cast out and the fish settled on the surface, you would give the bait a nice jerk and the tail would start flapping on the surface for about 10-15sec. It reminded me of an old school toy where you pull the string and the mechanism would activate the toy to do some kind of movement. Never caught a darn thing on that bait ... lol!!

Nice fish man, congrats on your PB. That's a great feeling right there..

Thanks for the report George. I was headed to the glades yesterday or maybe today for the late afternoon bite, but unfortunately some family issues held me home. I will be going next weekend. I know its a holiday weekend but with this heat I know only a brave few will take on the heat during the day. I am expecting to have the water to myself... LOL...

I have used the crankbait I have a few times. They are pretty big. It's cool seeing the eyes flash in the water and hear the bait croak. As far as success? The conditions that used it on was not conducive for cranking, I just wanted to see how the lure responded in the water. LOL...

Nice!!! Enjoy!! Amazon pea's are no joke.. Eat your spinach.. LOL

I only deal with rain in South FL, not cold and rain simultaneously, so frog toggs does the trick for me. Affordable, lightweight, somewhat breathable. Can't say I wear it often though.

I will also like to add, make sure you grease the bearings often, especially during long road trips. That EZ trailer jack is one handy tool. I recently purchased one and its so easy to use. I keep it in my truck.

Great tips everyone. I don't think if it was mentioned yet. A toolbox with the essential marine tools. Also extra fuses. Spare trolling motor blade and extra prop if you have one.

Based on your explanation of the line I am assuming you are using a spinning reel? With 8lb braid that line should be flying off your spool since its so thin. Make sure you have filled your spool to an 1/8" of the lip of the spool. Not having enough line on your spool will definitely cause distance issues. I usually fill my spinners just like my b/c's with a mono filler and then braid the rest of the way. Your casting distance should be much better than average if everything is done correctly.

Learn form the experience and move on. I have had my heart broken bass fishing several times. Its part of our sport. Sometimes the fish wins too.

I can understand the logic, but I would have to disagree with your statement. You are not giving the bass credit. A bass's eyesight is pretty darn good. They can tell what they are going after especially if they have been tracking it for a while. They know the difference between a frog and mouse. They look completely different. Just my humble opinion.

Nope. 100% artificial all the time. Last time I used a live shiner for bass fishing I was 16 yrs old. The only time I use live bait is when I do offshore fishing.

Boy Squirmin you sure come up with some interesting questions. When do you go fishing?? LOL...... Back to your question. I did some research to answer this question. Mono came out on the scene in 1932. Dupont industries invented nylon and thus mono was created as a result. Its cheap and easy to fabricate. The question to you is do you know what line was used before mono? Braid. Of course its not the same braid we use today however, braid has been around a lot longer than mono. All these fishing lines imho, have there place. However, its the angler that will ultimately choose what works for him or her.

A-jay and a few of the other guys hit the nail on the head. Don't even try to re-spool the line even tighter on the spool. As soon as you snag or catch a decent fish the line is going to dig in itself and the problems will come back. You will be better served by re-spooling that braid on spinner you may have, and spool up the line A-Jay recommended or 40lb braid. Enjoy the new reel.

Burning a bait refers to maintaining certain baits at or just below the surface of the water at a consistent high rate of speed.

I have tons of room for improvement. I have been bass fishing exclusively for 25yrs, and I can honestly say I am no where near the top of my game. That's what keeps me motivated. Every outing is different from the last. The situations and variables change all the time. I absolutely love this game between me and the green fish. Sometimes I win, and sometimes they win.

Congrats!! That is a life changer right there!! Very precious.

My condolences to the Fellow family. I am not in the tournament scene so I was unaware. Very sad, tragedy. Mike I just wanted to comment, since I have been on BR, for a couple years now, I have followed your progress. You step up your game every year. Very impressive. Cashing a check since March is an impressive accomplishment. Congrats.

Wise choice.

I drive in Miami everyday also and its survival of the fittest. I take a vacation outside of South FL, and where ever I drive I find myself driving aggressive, it takes me a little while to acclimate myself in the new non-aggressive environment and relax. LOL...