Tom Bass

I have only caught one Muskie. It was on a purple Lazy Ike flatfish lure. I stuck my fingers too far up into the gills and WHAM. Yeah, it hurt. My Dad was a serious MuskieHolic. He used live bait a lot but his lures were big Mepps spinners with brass spinners in yellow and black. He also used Rapala original floaters in silver and black and fished them like a wounded minnow. He caught some big ones! He used heavy rods with bait casting reels, braided line and steel leaders. That was back in the late 60's. Boy he really used to ***** when he had a backlash. He loved spinning rods but never used them for Muskie.

Captain, The link didn't work. Spotaholic, The bream are on the nest now it seems and in the mornings the bass are hanging out near shore before the heat drives them deeper. Try fishing early and using crankbaits along the shore that resemble baby bass or bluegill. Also, try using silver grubs weightless and reeling fast where you see bass jump. SliderGrubs work well.

I have about 20 LC lures. Some of them do not work for me but 2 really do the trick sometimes with finnicky bass. The 1.5 crankbait that is chartreuse with a dark top and has red spots down the sides is a killer. The other is a 65DD in a Tennessee Shad coloring with a hint of flourescent green on the sides is the other. Forgive me for not knowing the exact names of them. My brain has just endured a very long work day and my tackle is in my boat at the storage facilty. I will say this though. After losing 7 or 8 of the crank baits and a few of the DD's to snags and smart fish that head for under water timber it sickens the heart to lose these lures and then stand in BPS staring at the lure rack justifying buying more.......and then you remember the bass you caught and you reach out and put two or three in your cart and say to yourself "I won't lose these, I learned from the last few fish that outsmarted me"......Ahem! By the way Rico makes a really cool Tennessee Shad Popper at $23 each. They bust fish like no other. They're topwater lures. You'll never lose one of them.....I'm on my fourth one now.

Bream (panfish) are best descaled, gutted, beheaded, rinsed, dipped in a few battered raw eggs and then rolled in white flour mixed with salt and pepper and then fried in a hot skillet of oil. Yummy! In my opinion they are the best eating fresh water fish. Mind the bones and try eating the fins. They're like potato chips.

Sam, Before you use bluegill or other panfish check your local laws. Some states consider bluegill and bream (panfish) to be game fish and using them for bait could get you a hefty fine. When fishing for channel cats I use King Kat bloodbait with chicken blood. Chicken livers also works well but sometimes they fly off the hook when casting. When using these baits you'll need to use treble hooks to keep the bait on the hook but they are a bear sometimes when unhooking the catfish. Night Crawlers also work well but bream tend to attack them and you end up using up a lot of bait...unless of course you enjoy a good panfish fry.... 8-)

Bill, Sam hit the nail right on the head. Take his advise. When I moved to NC I wanted a fishing boat but my wife wanted a pleasure boat. I bought a Regal 2120 Deck Boat thinking I could use it for pleasure and some fishing. It's a great boat but it's not a fishing boat, even though it came with the "fishing package". I knew I needed a boat to fish from so I bought a used "V" bottom 12' boat with a 10hp motor. I fish Lake Norman which is a pretty big lake. One day I got out on the lake and a storm came up while fishing my 12' jon boat. The wind nearly flipped me and my boat a couple of times as I was headed for safe cover. That taught me a lesson. I now have a 2003 Nitro 750 bass boat that I fish out of. If you're fishing small waters a jon boat should be fine. You didn't say where you fish so I'm not sure what kind of waters you're fishing in but as Sam said, Safety is most important. Wear a PFD. Get a comfortable self inflating life vest and always use it. Another thing to think about is are you fishing alone or taking a pal. Two people in a 12' boat gets aweful crowded. If you're fishing alone a 12' is okay but you must wear the pfd. Be careful and weigh your options. Even though I have two boats I still fish from shore and I have to tell ya that fishing from shore is just as fun as fishing from a boat when the fish are biting and you've found the right bait for them. Good luck to you, Tom

Hey, Congrats on gettin your boat. Very Cool 8-) I don't know anything about fishing in your area but I do have some recommendations about boating. Wear some type of personal floatation device. You are not bullet proof and regardless of your body and the shape that you are in having a PFD could save your life should you fall in the water somehow. I recommend a self inflating life vest. They are light and are comfortable to wear. Next, I would check on boating regulations in your area and see about boater safety classes and I would sign up for one. After that, I would go out fishing and have a good time. Be safe. Tom

Howdy I find interesting that I am not the only guy out there chanting "Here fishy fishy fishy" while I'm fishing. 8-) I always talk to my fish when I am unhooking them. I reassure them and praise them. My fishing partners think I'm a little nutty but that's okay...Who isn't "Nuts"that is a Bass fisherman? ;D

Sparse, That's a great shot! I don't know how many times I have wished I had a camera in my hands when I had a pole instead. The other side of that is I have regretted having a camera in my hands when the bass were busting and my pole was at my feet. Usually sunrise shots. Take care and keep fishin'

On this subject everyone should check your state laws to know what your laws say about this subject. In NC you are within your rights to use deadly force to protect yourself and your home from intruders. Some states aren't so generous with your "rights". In California it used to be that you could only use equal force aginst an intruder. I other words if an intruder had a ball bat and you shot him or her you were in violation of using "excessive force" and therefore you would be brought up on charges. The law now reads that anyone not authorized to be in your residence or place of business should be considered to be there to commit a crime and deadly force is within your rights if you are in fear for your or your loved ones lives. A residence is deemed as your home or campsite. I have two dogs and many firearms. I would hate to have to end someone's life for their stupidity or their desire to commit a crime against me or mine but I would if I had to and I wouldn't think twice about it. Tom

I beleive that they think they're above the law. Just as actors, musicians and politicians do as well. It's a shame.

I fish the McGuire hot hole on Lake Norman sometimes and the water temp is always higher there from the nuke plant. In the summer the water would reach 103 degrees but the bass would still feed on the shad there. In the winter it's much cooler water but it's still 20 -30 degrees warmer than the rest of the lake water.

;D You guys are a riot! Leave it or remove just depends on the situation for me. I used to use standard worm hooks and would gut hook a bass on a rare occassion but I have tried a multitude of hooks and the best one for me is Tru-Turn hooks. I have yet to gut hook a bass with those. I almost always lip hook 'em with these hooks. I keep three tools in my boat that help. A sturdy set of forceps, a long set of needle nosed pliers and a set of wire cutters. These help get the hook out. If you really have concerns about removing the hook smash the barb down. Sure, you'll lose a fish on occassion but that helps with hook removal in a guy hooked fish. Tom

Another good one from ol' Ben: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Surveyor, I use these on my bass boat: http://www.boatfenders.com/cgi-bin/guide?type=9&hulltype=2&Size=17

and always use distilled water in your batteries..........

BRG Bassmaster, I sent you a PM. Also, I forgot to ask what lake you fish that's 38,000 acres.

First off, do the research on your boat to find out what the maximum horsepower that the manufacturer recommends for your transom. Exceed that and have an accident then you are liable. If the boat is made to withstand the pressures of a 25hp motor then by all means move up as your finances allow. I really wonder if you are just competing with your brother in law for a few horsepower or do you need the horsepower for a real purpose? If he has more horses and beats you to your favorite spot just cruise in and fish anyway. You are saving more money in gas and you probably will enjoy the ride there just the same. You just don't get there as fast as you like. The price of the 25 plus hp motor probably won't outweigh the burden you suffer being slower. Just my thoughts.

How did it taste?........................Please respond that it was good and you didn't release it.......

Tipptruck, Do what you need to do to feel safe and protect yourself. You are your own man. Buy a gun or don't. That is your decision and yours alone. No one on this forum will be there to help you in the middle of the night if things go wrong. It's on you and you alone. If you feel comfortable calling 911 and waiting for the police to come to help, well, that is your choice. If you want a gun do what many have said and take some courses and get one. If you're uncomfortable with a handgun then get a pump shotgun. Get a small wall safe to keep it in and keep it locked and keep the key handy. If you don't want a gun then keep the ball bat and supplement it with a canister of pepper spray. Buy two and practice spraying with one of them. PM me if you need some advice. Best Regards, Tom

Whether you like it or not the "rod and reel" fishermen do not grease the skids of big money when it comes to harvesting the oceans. When they do it'll mean we are all eating beef and chicken....

Frogtog hit the nail on the head. A mountain lion or Puma wouldn't make all of that noise during the kill. By the way, a Bobcat wouldn't bother with you either. You were probably very safe.

Yep...you are right. If you have lugs to tie off in the front corners of your bed shove the canoe nose into the corner of the bed with the canoe bottom down and tie it securely. After that run lines from the rearmost portions of your bed, probably the tailgate latch holes, to the end of the canoe to secure it tightly into the bed. Tie an orange or red flag to the end of the canoe to abide by law to alert others that you have an obstruction hanging out of your vehicle. Do not haul the canoe in a manner that makes it protrude outside the 8' 6" envelope required by law for roadway safety. I would add some weight inside the canoe for stability on the road. Make sure you tie it securely.

You gotta point there Muddy Man....What really counts is the heart behind 'em... :

Heavy pressure means the latest and newest lures. Why not go for old standbys? The fish probably haven't seen a Rapala floater, a Dare-Devle or a Jitterbug in years....