bassr95

My favorite is fishing with my buddy who I grew up fishing with. We always agree on where/how to fish and it's nice being able to try out two baits at the same time to narrow down what's working. I know if he isn't catching them on a senko there's no point in me throwing one. I'ts almost like fishing with two of me on the boat, and that's something I miss when I fish with other people who have different ideas about location and such. Fishing alone on a boat gets lonely for me, but I do bank fish alone fairly often.

IMO flouro is the only choice for bottom contact baits. I go with either mono or hybrid line for moving baits, and braid for frogs

I've never fished from a kayak, but it seems like sitting on the water would be inconvenient for casting and retrieving lures. I hate sitting on my pedestal seat, and that is still much higher than you sit in a kayak.

I have some bass pro neoprene gloves that work pretty well. I put a hot hands handwarmer down each glove if its really cold - something I learned from ice fishing.

Interesting question. I think his knowledge of fish location and behavior would trump the spincaster handicap and I would lose.

A state record fish is probably near the end of its lifespan, so I don't think killing it would have much impact on the population as a whole.

In my experience, bigger fish = bigger fight. I haven't caught any 7+ pounders yet, but I'll report back when I get one!

Haha agreed, but I was just being realistic for the lakes I fish in southern WI

Pike don't really get fun until the low 30" range...but i'd take a 36" over a 4 lb bass any day

I pretty much only buy from TW. I love browsing their site, reading reviews, and taking however long I want to make a purchase. Selection is a huge plus as well

Depends on how heavy my leader is. For drop shotting I usually go with a 8 lb leader on 10lb braid. The knot is so small that I can tie a 20 foot leader and not have to retie it for a long time. For other presentations with a 15 lb leader I make it shorter simply because I don't like how it feels coming thru the guides.

Scales seem to stop lying after you weigh enough fish on them. The other day my scale even said that my 4 lb bass weighed 4 1/2!

I'd count it. I'm sure most people "count" fish that got the back hook of a jerkbait or crankbait in the side. For some reason people view the A-rig differently than other baits that might accidentally foul hook a fish during the fight.

Texas rig with a chigger craw or pit boss Weightless wacky rigged yum dinger in shallow water

I've had good luck using super slick 8 on my spinning rods in 10 and 15 lb test. I run a flourocarbon leader, so I haven't had any issues with the line fraying or breaking. It's really smooth, with pretty much no braid noise coming through the guides

Another vote for braid and a leader. Straight flouro stretches on a long cast and doesn't give a solid hookup like braid. Just my opinion of course

I would think in the 7-8 lb range but it's really hard to guess based on a picture

Make sure that whenever you hook a big fish in a tournament it turns out to be a drum...not that i'm bitter or anything

Just another reason to fish at night!

It's interesting how many people have said they fish reaction baits on bridge pilings. I always pitch a jig or T-rig right up to the concrete and let it fall vertically. Maybe I'll have to try cranks sometime

A Chigger Craw is my go to bait on a Texas rig. Deep, shallow, sunny, cloudy, middle of the night, they always seem to get bit.

I think finding and catching bass from a big lake is more rewarding than catching fish at small pond, but my fishing is probably split 50/50 between big and small water.

Lews makes a couple good reels in your price range.

3 lbs is a good one, 4 is big, 5+ is a giant. I usually seem to catch 5 or 10 three pounders between catching a 4+

I'm in college right now, and money is definitely an issue. For example, I would love to get into swimbaits, but I can't justify the $300+ to buy a swimbait specific setup and then spend anywhere from $50 - $200 per lure. Right now I've got a Huddleston 68 and a mattlures ultimate gill, and that is all the swimbaits I can afford for a while.