Tom Bass

;D I think Avid's post says it all! ;D But seriously, take your friend fishing but first stop by a Teahouse for some warm soothing jasmine tea and then perhaps stop by the salon for a spritzer and some lemon herb sunblock. No, seriously, I'm sorry, I really am. It's a guy thing I guess. Just take him to the lake and throw his butt in. Then take him fishin' and make him take the fish off the hook. If he don't throw him in again and leave him there for awhile..... By the way, he's catchin' fish? What bait's he usin'? ;D

When your freezing to death in a driving rain and can barely tie a knot because your hands are cold and then you land a bass and all seems right with the world and it isn't as cold as it was 5 minutes ago. When you take your wife out for a leisure trip on your deck boat and plan for a day of pleasure and she sees you eyeing a spot just off island and she says "Why don't you try over there, it looks like a good spot." and you know she's on to you but knows that you're hooked but she doesn't mind the detour....that's when you know you're a bass fisheman and you also know that you married the right girl. When you go to Bass Pro and find yourself helping others pick out their rigs and lures and a Bass Pro employee comes up and thanks you for your help......while your wife patiently waits for you and smiles when you apologize for taking so long in picking out that one lure you "needed" When you dream about bass fishing....alot!

I read Bassin', Field and Stream and Outdoor Life. The last two aren't just for fishing but for hunting and just plain nostalgia. They do have a lot of good bass fishin' info though.

You hear your wife tell someone on the phone that "We can't do that in the morning, my Husband is going Bass Fishing" and she says it in a tone that means exactly that and with no malice or hidden meaning.....I really Love my wife!

RL in NH, You and I think alike. I figure that there is no need to talk about work while fishin' or boatin'! ;D Anyone that does needs Keel Hauled....Of course that means I'll need to find a boat with a barnacled keel to haul 'em under : :)

When "lipping" a cat just make sure to reach for the lip from under the fish outside their vision and grab the lower lip firmly. Reaching for the lip with your thumb / fingers to close to the upper lip and in the fish's sight might just give you a lesson in the speed of a cats reflexes and the strength of their jaws, not to mention the skin cutting ability of the little teeth they have. Been there, Done that. Little cats fin barbs are sharper and the "venom" is more painful than older bigger cats. The bigger cats barbs aren't as sharp but they are a heck of a lot stronger. The only times I have been "stung" by a catfish was when I was grabbing it and it flipped around on the line while I was dangling it.

I have always had good like with a Carolina rigged salamander with a Rapala floater coming in second.

Hendrix, You do have a point. It does make one wonder. Most of the bass I catch I release just because I am the only one in my house that eats freshwater fish. I have a few in the freezer and I would hate to waste any gamefish on saving it for a meal that it maight not make it to.

I have named my Deck Boat "No Shop Talk" (I haven't put the name on it yet) I'll be naming my new little john boat, the one my wife doesn't know about yet, "Talk shop and swim!" As you might be able to tell from my boat names I don't want to hear anything about work or work related issues when I am out in my boat. 8-)

Most of the bass I catch I release. On occasion I will keep one for fryin' up. I dearly love a mess of panfish battered and fried. Same goes for good young catfish. I will keep bass for cooking when they are just over 14". Smaller ones are not legal to keep in NC and any that are much bigger don't taste as good in my opinion. But, I do love to fry up some bass once in a while. 8-) I also like to fry up some trout but I haven't done that in a while.

I have used Line-X on trucks for offroading and it is great stuff. Rhino is essentially the same material. It will adhere to fiberglass. I have to wonder why you'd want to put it on your hull? Are you looking to Beach your boat and protect your keel? I would go with something lighter and replaceable. Rhino and Line-X products are very heavy once put on and very hard to repair when damaged.

8-) Man, I just keep comin' back to this thread just to look at that fish you caught. That is one NICE Bass!

Go get 'em Al! Have a good time!

Otters do eat fish, it's what they do. Why not "live trap" it and take it to a local river? Or Don't and kill it. If Otters have bred there in the past I am sure that you may not cure the problem by killing that one. Others may show up and what then? Otters have territories like most animals. I would live trap it and turn it loose elsewhere. You may want to study up on live trapping and let the critters live. It won't hurt none and you might learn something in the process. I would never wound an animal and let it suffer like russ10 said. It's cruel. Period.

Get an anchor for your boat that meets your needs for the area and weather that you may encounter. Whether you use it or not is your decision. You are the Captain of your boat.

Never mind

I do love those original tags.

It may also be a situation where the bass are chasing minnows from a lower depth up to the the top.

In clear water I have had good luck with Rapala floaters in silver / black and with white / silver rooster tales in shallower water. Down deep I use natural colored plastic baits Carolina rigged. On cloudy days the bass seemed to prefer blue colors in the lures. Oh yeah, and light weight lo-vis fishing line.

You have done a very nice job on that boat and trailer. It looks great!

In my opinion you should always have a way to anchor your boat just in case you get into trouble or you just want to hang out somewhere without having to keep moving into position. The style and weight of an anchor depends on where you'd be using it with your boat. I would contact my boat dealer for their recommendation first and maybe do a search on Yahoo or Google for recommendations or suppliers.

I voted Largemouth mostly because that is what I am catching here in the Carolinas. I have to admit that I really have no favorite. I love catching 'em all. Small mouths do have a bit more attitude though.