Valascus

No way that is a world record bass. Big bass for sure, but I bet some of the bass Fish Chris and some of our other Cali boys have gotten into are bigger than that one. I agree with Alpster, the guy netting the fish made a very ill conceived attempt on that jump to net that fish. All he probably did was succeed in dislodging the hook and whacking the fish upside his head. That fish should have been played a while longer to tucker it out a bit more. Just my two cents...

I fish from the bank a lot. I use 8Lb Gamma Copolymer line. The line has a breaking strength of between 12-14 lbs (I think...). I have my drag set to almost precisely 33% of 12lb breaking strength, so about 4lbs. The place I fish the most has very very steep banks. To make matters worse, the whole bank I fish has about a foot and a half of weeds from the bank in the water as well as a lot of trees and stumps. Since the bank is so steep and the weeds are so thick, I cannot walk backwards and get the fish to the bank, so my only chance is to wear the fish out a bit and keep it out of the weeds and away from stumps. The way I have always fought fish here is as follows: 1) I make darn sure I get a quick, strong hookset on the fish. This makes me worry less about the fish coming unbuttoned due to the hookset. 2) I keep tension on the line at all times and keep my rod at anywhere between the 10 to 2 'o' clock position depending on the direction the fish is trying to go. I allow the fish to peel a little drag to get it to a little deeper and more open water away from the weedy and stumpy bank. This allows me to fight the fish without having to worry about losing it to the weeds or stumps. If the fish goes straight for the weeds or stumps, I will try to guide it to a more open spot in the weeds by either walking further up or down the bank to a more open position. Once I get the fish to the more open area I'll let the fish have peel a bit of drag and fight it in the more open water. 3) Once the fish is tired enough to take a short break from fighting and thrashing about, I use this window to get the fish to the bank as quickly as possible, before it gets it's second wind. If the fish decides the fight is back on midway through trying to get the fish in, I'll let it have it's line and repat the fighting process until it gets tired again. 4) Here is the crucial part! Once I get the fish to the bank, I will run my hand a little bit up the pole until I can reach the line itself. Instead of hoisting the fish out of the water with the pole, I grab the line itself and support as much of it as possible. KEEP THE LINE FROM SWINGING A LOT IF POSSIBLE. Most of the time when I lose a fish, it is because the line snaps while swinging back and forth. Once I have the line, I gently lift the fish up to lip it. Most of the time, this works. Two weeks ago I got a fiesty 3 lber on (that is a good quality fish for Busch Wildlife). I fought him just like that and was able to land him successfuly. However, once I got him out of the water and over dry land, the fish jerked pretty hard and broke the line about a foot above the knot. But the method still got him in before he broke the line. I also caught two catfish that were in the 3 to 4 lb range that day that were both landed that way without the line breaking. So, I must be doing something right.

Gave the good 'ole BassResource.com a big fat 10. I agree that my only "gripe" is sometimes the slow upload of the site or it's pages. Could just be my internet connection or computer. The only time I really notice it is during "peak" online hours.

Boy...I get a lot of that at Busch Wildlife, one of the places I frequent. I get on a good streak and suddenly I am elbow to elbow with everyone else in the area. I tr to be really discreet when I catch fish up there and release them as soon as possible. I almost never stop to take a picture, cuz it just draws attention. If I am taking a picture of a decent fish, it always seems like by the time I am done, someone has inevitably casted to the spot I was just fishing.

I use the improved clinch knot exclusively. I haven't had a lost fish due to knot failure in a loooooooooooooong time. The key to a good knot is check it often...if it looks like it is in dubious shape, re-tie. If you just got snagged and worked the bait free, re-tie. If you just caught and landed a fish, re-tie. That's what I do at least. I don't wanna have a good fish on and lose it cuz the knot fails. If I lose my first 5lber to a knot failure, I would hate myself for it.

I use Gamma Co-polymer 8 lb on my spinning reels and 12 lb on my baitcaster. I have had zero problems with this line. It is strong, good abrasion resistance, has got a little stretch to it, but not se much were ya can't deal with it, is easy to find, and is priced right. Can't beat it in my opinion. I dn't use fluorocarbon line very much as most of the areas I fish are stained waters anyway. I'll use fluorocarbon in very clear water and thats about it. I have used Gamma, Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultrasoft, and P-line CXX co-polymer lines. I rank them 1) Gamma, 2) Yo-zuri, 3) P-Line. Gamma and Yo-Zuri were pretty close to erformance wise, but Gamma is way easier for me to find, and is a little cheaper.

I like YUM Crawbugs. Very realist looking, and if you fish them on an insertable jighead with rattles...whew...if the fish on on craws they will annihilate that thing.

When all else fails, I stop and try to look at the lake as if I had just arrived there. I try to identify all of the circumstances that are affecting the fishing RIGHT THEN. Sun angle, water temp, water clarity, wind direction, available cover or structure, water depth, available forage, any impending weather conditions (such as incoming rain or pre-front conditions), transition lines and edges (such as where two different species of weeds meet, where sun meets shade, or where two differnt types rock meet). Then I try to think of which bait will meet AS MANY of those conditions as possible. If that bait fails, then I will go to my old standby and biggest confidence bait, my Rapala DT cranks. I will usually fish those until I run out of time or catch something...I'm just stubborn like that .

A 55 Gallon tank would be much better for the bluegill. A BIG bluegill is about 8 to 10 inches...and the chances of one growing that large in captivity are slim. figure 5 inchers per 1 gallon of water...a 55 gallon tank could comfortably accommodate ONE bluegill. I would imagine a bluegill would need to be raised much like a cichlid, they would probably eat retty much anything. What I am unsure of is what is the proper pH, any other necessary chemicals that may be necessary, and how often you would have to do partial water changes.

That is one thing I definately try to educate myself on since it is such a common occurance on the water when you are fishing from the bank. I have tried to make it a point to be able to identify most species of snake indigenous to our area here in MO. One easy way to identify whether a snake is poisonous or not is the shape of the pupils of the eyes, as Long Mike pointed out. All of Missouri's venomous snakes are pit vipers, which means they have an opening on each side of the head, called a sensory pit. A pair of hollow fangs are located on the front of the upper jaw. In daylight these snakes have eyes with vertical pupilslike a catwhile all harmless snakes have round pupils. This characteristic is not reliable for identification at night. Even the underside of the tail is helpful in distinguishing the two types of snakes: our venomous species have a single row of scales, while harmless snakes have two rows of scales. There are only 5 species of poisonous snake in MO. The Osage Copperhead, Western Cottonmouth, Timber Rattlesnake, Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, and the Western Pygmy Rattlesnake. Osage Copperhead: Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster This is our most common venomous snake. Color varies from grayish-brown to pinkish-tan, with hourglass-shaped crossbands of dark gray, brown or reddish-brown. The head may have some pink or orange color, hence the name copperhead. The tail may be yellow or greenish-yellow, especially in young specimens, and the belly usually is a dusky mixture of gray, tan and black. Length averages from 24 to 36 inches. Copperheads make their homes on rocky hillsides and along the edges of forests. They also spend time among trees and in brush along prairie streams. Copperheads are often found near abandoned farm buildings. Copperheads will vibrate their tail when alarmed. There is no record of a human death caused by a copperhead bite in this state, but medical treatment for such bites is necessary. Copperheads eat mice, lizards, frogs and sometimes small snakes. Missouri Distribution: The Osage copperhead is found over the northern two-thirds of the state and is replaced by the southern copperheada subspeciesin the southern third of the state (shown in green on map). Western Cottonmouth: Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma Local Name: water moccasin The name cottonmouth is derived from the white-colored lining of this snake's mouth. When alarmed, it opens its mouth widely, showing the cotton-white lining. General body color is black with little or no pattern or dark brown with darker crossbands on the back. The belly is dark brown or black. Length averages from 30 to 42 inches. Young cottonmouths are superficially patterned like a copperhead and usually have a yellowish-green tail. This species lives in two distinctly different habitats; in south-eastern Missouri, they live in swamps and oxbow lakes, and in the southern Ozarks, they live in rocky streams and river sloughs. The cottonmouth is a dangerously venomous species that can deliver a fatal bite. It is semi-aquatic, primarily a fish-eater but also eats frogs, other snakes, lizards and rodents. Various harmless snakes often are misidentified as cottonmouths and needlessly killed. Missouri Distribution: Southeastern corner and a spotty distribution throughout the Ozark Region. Timber Rattlesnake: Crotalus horridus This is Missouri's largest venomous snake. Generally tan or yellowish-tan, the timber rattlesnake has markings along the back which are dark brown and change from blotches on the neck to bands near the tail. Often, a dark line extends from the eye along the angle of the jaw, and there is a rust-colored stripe down the back. It has a large rattle at the end of its tail. Length averages 36 to 60 inches. This rattlesnake lives on rocky, wooded hillsides. In Missouri, it tends to congregate in selected south-facing rocky areas where it overwinters. Timber rattlesnakes eat a variety of rodents and also small rabbits. It is dangerously venomous, but there are few cases of rattlesnake bites in this state. Missouri Distribution: Statewide. Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: Sistrurus catenatus catenatus Local Name: swamp rattler This snake is gray to dark gray with numerous brown or gray-brown blotches. The belly is dark gray or black, and there is usually a dark brown band extending backward from the eye onto the side of the neck. The end of the tail has a small rattle. Length averages from 18 to 30 inches. This snake lives in marshy areas or wet prairies and may take shelter in burrows of crayfish or other animals. Massasaugas have become rare in Missouri because of habitat destruction and are on the state's Rare and Endangered Species list. Human deaths caused by its bite are rare, but tests show that the massasuga's venom is highly toxic, so it must be respected and classified as dangerous. Massasaugas eat mice, shrews, frogs and lizards. Missouri Distribution: This species is found in scattered populations in the northern half of Missouri. Western Pygmy Rattlesnake: Sistrurus miliarius streckeri Local Name: ground rattler This is one of the smallest species of rattlesnakes in North America. General color is light grayish-brown, with a row of small, dark brown spots on the back and similar spots on each side. Most specimens also have a rust-colored stripe down the back. The belly is usually gray. The pygmy rattlesnake has a thin tail and a tiny rattle. Length averages from 15 to 20 inches. This species lives under rocks on cedar glades and is so secretive that few people encounter it. The sound of the vibrating rattle is a faint buzz like the sound of a grasshopper. Food includes small lizards, snakes, frogs and mice. Although the bite of this species is not fatal, a bite victim should seek immediate medical attention. The pygmy rattlesnake should be respected and left alone. Missouri Distribution: Counties bordering Arkansas and the eastern Missouri Ozarks. The most important thing to remember thatsnake is never striking out of malice...usually out of self defense. The snake is more afriad of us than MOST of us of it. If a snake has an opportunity to retreat the area, it will. Still the best way to handle a snake is keep your eyes fixed on the snake, and slowly back away from it, being certain to not make any sharp movements or loud noises as you back away. Please folks, I ask that we all respect snakes and not do any harm to them. They are a vital part of the ecosystems that we all love to frequent and fish in, and if not for them we would have to deal with more undersireable, disease carrying animals like mice and rats. Just remember to respect the snakes space and that the snake has more right to be there than you, since where you are fishing, is their home after all.

I was watching a two year old in a half asleep daze, listening to her merrily sing to her Sesame Street episode, thinking of possible locations to hold a fishing tournament.

I will stick with my Spro BronzEye frogs for a couple reasons. 1) The spinner and the material the legs are made out of on the Furbit are going to pick up more slop than the Spro. 2) The rabbit fur legs are going to deteriorate eventually, the synthetic plastic strands on the Spro will not. The Spro will easily outlast the Furbit. 3) I can get the same action out of the Spro frog as I can the Furbit for $3 less than the Furbit. Just my two cents. I have never personally used the Furbit, so who knows, it could be the best hollow body frog ever. Those are just some major things I see with it that just do not appeal to me as far as it's ease of fishing is concerned.

Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill is by far one of the best. I have great success with Rapala DT Series cranks in the bluegill patterns. Just be sure when you are looking for a bluegill imitating bait that color and patterns are not the only things you look for. Swimming action and presentation will be key too. There are some cheaper swimbaits out on the market that look alright, but there action is horrible. They will either swim on their sides or unnaturally. I have had ths experience with some of the Storm Wildeye Series swimbaits. Really hit and miss baits.

Boy, those are pretty fair sized fish that you have on that list for my area. Then again, St. Louis fishing sucks. Obviously your tactics, bait selection, location, etc. are working well. Have you considered using larger sized baits of what you have had the most success on? That would help you eliminate the smaller fish while possibly coaxing larger fish into striking due to the prospect of a larger meal.

Definately a bowfin. They are great fighters and are fun to catch in that respect, but man...some of the biats I use, they wreck them something fierce. Balsa Wood cranks and fingers don't stand a chance.

Well...if there are a couple methods that you could use when the bass are busting the shad. If they are hitting schools of shad in open water, I like to try to figure out what depth the school of shad are holding at. Largemouths are inherently lazy fish...especially larger fish. Most bass will hang out under the school of shad and hit dead dying, or injured shad that are sinking below the school. The key to trying to fish a shad style bait when the bass are hitting the shad is to make your bait stand out among the 100's of shad. I like to use Rapala DT series shad colored cranks that run just below the depth the school is at. I will fish the crank erratically using jerky start and stop motions and allow the crank to briefly float up for a bit before giving is a short burst of erratic movement and speed. Another good method is fishing a white or shad colored fluke style bait that is allowed to sink slowly through the school of shad and eventually sinks below the school into the strike zone of a hungry, opportunistic bass. Again erractic, injured movement will be key to make the bait stand out amongst the shad. Another thought process I have seen used is casting a contrasting colored bait, such as a bait that looks like a shiner instead of shad, into the school of shad. The difference in size and color will make the bait automatically stand out in turn casuing fish to strike.

I have kinda found that after I have had a few "bad" trips (by bad I mean skunked or 1 fish in like eight hours and just not being able to figure 'em out at all) in a row, I start feeling kinda burned out and sometimes need to st back for a couple weeks to think or do something else before I get back out there. But the burned out feeling never lasts for long. I get back out there and if I have a good day then that just fuels me even further. Then I want to get on the water as much as I possibly can after the good days. My last fishing trip I would categorize as "good", 4 Largemouth Bass: one 1.5 lber, two 1 lbers (dinks), one solid 3 lb fish, and one 4 lb channel cat. All these fish were caught within two and a half hours and all on at Rapala DT-4 Bluegill crank.

A Rapala DT-4, DT-6, or DT-10 crankbait in shad or bluegill patterns in the spring and summer, and craw patterns in the fall and winter. I always feel like when I have one tied on I have my best shot at catching a fish.

Thanks a lot everyone for the kind words, thoughts and advice. I think everything will be OK. I just think everyone is going to need time...as they say...time heals all. I think it will take a while, but things will eventually get back to the way they used to be (or as close to it as it can be after something like this happens). Last night I got the chance to go out and do some fishing for a few hours. Gave me time to reflect on the whole situation and really give it all some thought. It also gave me a chance to concentrate on something else other than what's happened. I think it was good foreveryone. My wife got some time to herself to think and do some things she likes to do and I got to enjoy myself on the water. Last night every one just seemed to be in a little better mood. Oh yeah...and the fishing wasn't to shabby either. Again, thanks a lot everyone...it means a lot to me.

Well...it has been quite some time since I have last posted much of ANYTHING around here. I have missed this place a lot. It's been about a month and a half I think...it's all been kinda big 'ole blur. I need a place I can air out my feelings a bit. I have been gone pretty much ever since the MO Members Tournament took place. Haven't even been fishing since that time. Things for me have ben pretty bad lately and I am not really sure where all of this is going to land. Since the tournament my life where I worked had become a big question mark. Production and profit in the office I was working in had been down since early April. Management kept on preaching that big changes were going to need to be taken if things did not shape up. Work has pretty much just dominated my life for the past two months, trying to work my hardest and make myself an asset and value to the company. Well...despite my efforts, I have been laid of yeat again as of 6/12/07...thrid time in the last year and a half. I don't know if that's just the way the cookie is crumbling in this job market right now, but finding any sort of job stability seems impossible nowadays. To make matters is the starin it puts on my wife and our finances. I just can't help but feel like I am nothing but a weight around her neck at times, and that if it hadn't been for my misfortune over the last year and a half we would be in a much better place. This family has always been a "team" effort, but lately it feels like she is being forced to shoulder the whole burden by herself. I am looking for work again, and hopefully whatever I find is stabile enough where we won't have to worry about anything like this happening again for a while. Unfortunately, I wish that were the worst of my problems. Recently, my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our second child. We were pretty scared about it, but at the same time pretty excited. Money was going to be tight, space a little cramped, and it would have definately taxed our sanity a little bit. But we were still pretty excited about our 2 year old daughter having a younger sibling and bringing a new baby into the household. Well...last weekend, before I learned I was going to be laid off, my wife had a miscarriage. I can't even begin to describe how I feel about this. I feel so bad for my wife and my little girl...I just can't believe it happened. I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around it all. My little girl doesn't really understand what's going on...she just knows that everyone is sad...I guess that for her it is probably better that she can't understand it. I am not really sure how to help my wife right now...she doesn't really seem to want to talk at all about how she feels...and has been pushing me away lately. I guess this is something she feels like she needs to deal with on her own. I just hope that it is something she doesn't blame herself for. It wasn't her fault. She did eveything right...went to her OB/GYN appointments...took her vitamins...didn't do any heavy lifting...everything you are supposed to do. Not only am I worried about that, but I am also scared about any effects that this whole ordeal could have on my marriage. It kinda hurts that she doesn't want to talk about and share her feelings with me on the subject, and to a point I understand that. I understand that it is hard to talk about, and that she is going to need time to think about it all. But at the same time, I feel like this is something that we should deal with and work through together. I guess all I can do is let her know that if she wants to talk about it I am here, and if she doesn't want to that is OK too. Right now I just feel like I can't ever seem to make things right for myself or my family. On some measures, I feel like a failure. I always here that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", which has kinda been the mantra I have tried to live by and impress upon my family. That no matter how bad things get, that they can't stay this bad forever, and we will just be that much stronger for it in the end. But lately it just doesn't seem that way. Between getting laid off 3 times, my accident I suffered last May during my short stint with the Carpentry Union, numerous little things during all this time (Car issues, house issues, etc. etc.), and now the miscarriage...it just feels like we must have the worst luck on the planet. I try to fight off those kind of feelings by telling myself that we have made it through all this stuff so far and eventually been alright in the end. I just try to tell myself that I am being tested, and that I have to be strong for my family and keep my resolve to get through this test. I just needed to get all that off my chest. Thanks for listening. I really appreciate this place. I feel like I can talk about anything with the folks who reside here. It really does feel like an extension of my family to me. I just want to say how much I have missed being here on a regular basis, and that it feels good to be back.

That's definately a Busch Wildlife lake. Though I can't say which one...I have any idea just due to the background, but I can't be sure. A 5-4 from there is a great fish! Nice job. Maybe I should go out today. I haven't been since the BassResource.com MO Members Tournament...so I am due.

Disclaimer: I know the pics need to be resized. I am working on modifying them now. As soon as I have them all resized I will modify the post! The back of my neck is absolutely fried Harshman...to make matters worse I had to go out and mow the lawn about yesterday at about 11:00am. The sun sapped a ton of energy out of me by the time we had left. I was starting to doze off on the ride home. I am glad to see everyone made it back alright. Man...Dan that sucks about your camera...The last place I remember seeing a camera...dunno if it was yours...was sitting on one of the benches in the pavilion. I don't recall seeing it there when we left though...so I don't know if you picked it up and set it elsewhere. :-/ Anyways...lemme see if I can get some of these pics to post. The prize!! The launch...which was absolutely hilarious. There is a 10 hp limit on this lake. Any engines bigger than that had to go at idle speed. Now...you see the Bassmasters tournament with the huge armada of boats flying at top speed, it was quite funny to watch everyone idle out. GMAN expertly manuveuring his boat during the launch. We had to do some interesting manuveuring a couple times on the lake...which was no one's fault. There are a TON of logs and stick ups that are impossible to see, hence the idle only speeds allowed. We hit one coming off of one point and we couldn't even see over the bow of the boat! No damage was done and no one was hurt, so it was kinda funny cuz we were both like "What the @#$%?" Here is Lizard_Man (Scott) and his son preparing to launch. Sorry the pic may be a litle far away, that was at my little camera's max zoom. Here is NeedEmp looking over a point just across the cove of the ramp. I don't believe he pulled anything off of it...all of his damage came later. Here are Harshman (Jason) and his wonderful wife fishinTracy (Tracy...duh ). Here is our Kansas participant Ring Fry! He did pretty well, but like most of us had small fish syndrome all day! Here is the BEAST! I'll put it to everyone this way...Needemp could have only caught his 6 1/2 pounder and he would have won. then he followed up his 6 1/2 with a 5 1/4....and then finally this monster. He got them all off of working the three same jetties all day. Everyone else did indeed catch fish, but it always seemed like they were about 14 inches. He and Ring Fry were the only to (I think) who got some keepers. But anyway here is the big fish of the tournament...by far! After the tournament ended...we all gathered to see the big girl snap a few pics and see her off. She swam off a little disoriented, but lives to be caught another day! It was great seeing the look on Mike's son's face when his Dad showed that monster off at the launc site. He is definately going to be part of the next generation of bass fisherman and has a great teacher in his Dad. Most of the lures that Mike won he gave to his son. There were a few home mades that some of the guys pitched in that he was interested in, but as a whole his youngster got a good boost to his tackle! I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves. We will definately have to do this again sometime. I think everyone caught something be it big or small. I don't think we had any skunks running about. Most of them were smaller fish though. Nobody cared though. It was just fun to get out and fish some new water and meet some of the folks off the site.

Well folks...I would say that all in all, that was a very successful (for a certain someone) and very enjoyable day for everyone involved. Special thanks to everyone who participated! I was very glad to meet all of you in person and would gladly fish along side any of you! Mike (NeedEmp) waxed everyone and was on HIGH quality fish all day! Kudos to him for an absolutely awesome day on the water. Between the Mike and his son, they were able to boat more than 20 bass...far more than any other participants! I have a few pics, though I will admit, not many...there are many other members that have taken video and pics as well. Chuck (CLTodd), Dan, Mike (NeedEmp), all have some good pics to share! The day was perfect weather wise...got a wee bit windy...and by a wee bit I mean a gale. The fishing was very tough and no one could get a solid pattern going. Everyone seemed to catch fish using a different technique. Jigs, by far, won the day though. I will post more info a bit later...along with the pics I have. I have to save them and prepare them for posting.

I ended up buying Frogg Togg Angler Pro Sport suit...retails for $69.99 usually...I got it off of ebay brand new for $27.99 shipped. Can't beat that. It get's the job done...could it be done better...of course...but for the money and "packability" that was the way to go for me.

Voted a big fat 10!! 8-)