Tom Bass

Good Luck Britt! 8-) Have Fun! I hope you do well

Sorry Redcarpet, I guess I missed your point.

Try knockin' on the doors of some of the other property owners. Be nice, ask permission and see what happens.

Hmmmm...and the problem is? Looks like you are doin' just fine. 8-)

Definitely some Go Fast Water Buggies!

It's my opinion that if someone wants to keep fish that are legal and they take the legal limit that is fine with me. We all pay for licenses that the funds go toward restocking and DFG administration. We also buy fishing gear which I beleive the price of gear also includes a federal tax that goes toward the DFGs and upkeep of lakes and lands for fishing. The same goes for guns and hunting gear. I usually don't keep the bass I catch. I will keep a couple small ones once in a while. I also do the same with all other fish species. I do keep some bream and catfish on occassion but the majority are let go. I just fish the way I like to fish and let others do as they please unless they break the law. I will call the DFG if I witness someone breaking the law. I despise poachers and idiots. If someone wants to practice pure catch and release I say "Have fun and go for it". If someone wants to use the fish they catch for food I say the same thing. I grew up poor. Most of the fish I caught as a kid fed my family. I am no longer poor. Like I said before I do a lot of C&R. I love fishing and I want to continue fishing. But, I sure won't begrudge someone that wants to keep their fish. Maybe they are poor and those fish are helping to feed their family. You never know. Or, maybe they just love to eat fish! I love a good fish fry as much as the next guy and I will harvest fish when and if I want to. I also love to fish and let them go to catch them another day. It's a freedom that I and all the rest of us have if we abide by the laws that were made to regulate and manage the wildlife, land and water that we all enjoy. My advice: Go have fun fishin' the way you like and don't let BS screw up a good day on the water. Regards, Tom

Hinkle, I like to cast out and let it drop and rest, then I bring it in with the pole a couple or three feet, let it rest, reel in the excess line and repeat. I will also change the direction of the retrieve by moving my pole from one side to the other. The speed depends on the action of the bait I'm casting. I'm no bass fishing champ but I do catch 'em on the C-rig when they're hittin'. Good luck and have fun. Hey, Where are you goin' fishin'? Maybe someone from that area might have some advice for you.

Fishinaz, Be careful which low ground you pick out west. You don't want to hole up in an arroyo and become a casualty of a flash flood.

It's all fun and games until somebody puts their eye out................. ;D

Wow! I learned something stoppin' by here. Thanks Men. Nobody mentioned WD-40, paper towels or Windex...Also, beef jerky, bottled water, extra batteries (for electronics), bandanas, aspirin, and a host of "What If" things one might need. I would also add a Leatherman and a "Camper" Swiss Army Knife. Strategically selected and stowed many of the items selected won't add too many pounds to your baby but the critical items are the safety items. The rest are good things to have "just in case". It's for you to decide what is important. Be safe and boat safe.

Now I don't feel so bad about some of the things I have done when goin' fishin' ;D If I met Bill Dance I'd just shake his hand and thank him for bein' him!

Very Cool Video. 8-) Very educational too! I'll be more wary of the "wrong" feel of my lures from now on.

One thing is for sure, it would make things alot easier if a person's location was visible in their post without having to go to their profile.

I agree with captgene. Mash the barbs down if you're not keeping the fish on lures with treble hooks. I have lost bass on barbed hooks as well as unbarbed hooks so I am not sure if mashing the barbs down has lost me any more fish than with the barbed hooks. I am going to have to try the circle hooks for my rigged lures.

I fish from shore and boat and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. For pure enjoyment I do prefer shore fishing but the lakeshores near me are getting so developed you need a boat to get better fishing access.

It also depends on the size and weight of the boat. I would check with your boat mech or even e-mail your boat / motor manufacturer. Since you are new to boating if you have a new boat you might want to make sure that a hydrofoil doesn't affect your warranty.

Well Howdy Tre It sounds like you are well on your way to havin' a lot of fun. There is nothing wrong with using Zebco equipment or old tackle. It all works great as long as it's catchin' fish and providin' you with fun, memories and fish. You have caught bass on your equipment, so you are well on your way. Have you ever noticed that shore fishermen cast out from shore but boat fishermen cast in towards shore? Depending on where you fish, the guy on shore might just have the advantage, not to mention less bills. You'll get that boat someday. When you do, you'll cherish the memories of shore fishin'. And, you'll open yourself up to a whole bunch of new adventures in your boat. Enjoy yourself Partner and keep wadin' that creek. Use what you got and have fun!

Rapala floaters. Fish 'em real slow and near death...the action of a dyin' minnow, I mean. Don't over do it. Try a blue / shad on cloudy days.

I have a feeling that your enterprise will be a long undertaking........ Good Luck

Great idea for a thread. I caught my first bass on a 3" silver shad Rapala floater near the dam at Ten Mile Creek in Waynesburg PA. I was 9 years old. That was 36 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. My dad always took us catfishing and one sunny day I got myself a new first lure for my tackle box. I asked my dad if I could try it out and he grunted something about wasting time. I went out on to the dam and my second cast I caught a small mouth that was about 14 or 15 inches long. I was ecstatic. I showed him off to everyone that could see and then I let him go. My dad darn near had a coronary because I let the fish go. You see, he was into quantity fishing, not quality fishing. I will never forget that day. I have been nuts about bass fishing ever since.

Try early morning. The water should be cooler than it is in the evening.

From my experience I can tell you that barometric pressure and moon phase does effect catfishin'. Pressure drop = Good catfishin'. Full moon = Good catfishin' In my experiance Bass, Bream, Crappies and other fish don't seem to be affected. Go figure...

Welcome Guys, There are a bunch of great people hangin' out at this forum. You might say I was hooked the first time I visited this site....pun intended ;D

Nice fish...what lake is that?

I like to drag and pause. I usually drag it at the speed a minnow would swin while foraging. I leave that bait just sit long enough to take up slack. This has worked well for me with salamander baits and flat tailed worms. Matt Fly made a point regarding the size of fish that peaks my interest in looking at my technique. The bass I catch with my standard retrieve are usually 12 to 16 inches long. No smaller, no bigger. Interesting. Thanks Matt. I'll be doing things a little different to see if I get some changes in fish size.