bassr95

I've heard it over and over on here-slow down! everybody fishes too fast! but, when you watch footage of pros, it seems like they usually retrieve at mach 5! I'm not convinced that slowing down is the way to catch more fish. Even when I fish a bottom contact bait like a texas rig, I tend to hop, pause, swim, pause, and generally try to cover more water. I tend to use higher gear ratios for almost everything (I don't do much deep cranking, so I don't need the extra torque)

Awesome fish! It sounds like you definitely put the time in to learn that lake, and finally got results!

Try a spool of red label! cheap, durable, not super stiff, what more could you ask for? And if you end up hating it for some reason, you're only out 12 bucks

Nice fish!

Straight flouro is great! i will never, ever go back to braid...unless i move to Florida or something lol

*** *** black + Lews bb1. $269

Congrats on the successful trip! Try to keep a little line tension while your bait is falling/sitting under the tree so that you can feel if you get a bite. Many fish will strike a jig or texas rig on the fall or shortly after it hits the bottom.

Iv'e got a Powerdrive V2, and the foot pedal isn't that bad. I have never used a cable-steer, so it didn't feel clumsy or unnatural at all. the V2 pedal looks a bit different, but it works the same as yours. I can work my way around docks and timber just fine, thank you!

The lake I caught my PB on is definitely my favorite. We don't have many good lakes here in Northern Illinois, so the ones across WI border are my best bet for numbers and size of bass. Plenty of good ponds near my house, but not many hold fives, let alone a 6+ lbr. As far as lure/specific location goes, that is determined by seasonal patterns. It wouldn't make sense to throw a rattletrap in 2 feet of water all summer just because that is how i caught a big one in May.

We got into a big school of white bass at Castle Rock lake this year on vacation. 100+ fish in a few hours was easy. We mostly fished small jigs tipped with part of a night crawler. We filleted and fried them like any other fish, and they tasted great. An ultra-light rod makes catching them even more exciting!

Chigger craws, any day of the week. green pumpkin in clear water, black n blue in dirty water. The only other bait that I use regularly is a 7.5" rage tail anaconda, either to try for a bigger bite or to help visibility in thick weeds.

I love War Eagles, but they are not very tough. Booyahs seem to hold up pretty well.

If jiggling and pulling with the rod to both sides doesn't work, I move the boat to the other side of the snag. On rare occaisons when that doesn't work, I will reel down to the snag and push/wiggle around(assuming you're not snagged too deep). You CAN break a rod tip doing this, I snapped 4" off my 7' MH *** Black this way (completely my fault, I know ), but it just saves so much time that I still do it, I just try to be more gentle. If reeling down to the lure doesn't work, I pull the line until something gives, that something usually being the line where its been rubbing on the rock while you try to work it out.

Nothin but War Eagles for me...and believe me, I have tried them all!

I caught 2 PBs this spring, first on a Bill Norman DD22, (5lb 3oz) and then on a 1/4 ounce red eye shad(6lb 5oz). Since then, the majority of my bass have come on the bottom on texas rigs, usually with either a Rage Tail Anaconda or a Chigger craw. In second place would be mid-running baits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits to be exact. I really don't have much confidence with topwater, other than in the evening when I'm already catching them and want a more exciting strike.

I switched from braid to flourocarbon on my jig/t-rig setup this year, and I couldn't be happier. Every little bump is transmitted to my hand, no matter how slack the line is. When I'm pitching t-rigs under docks, I can let the bait fall vertically (little or no line tension) and still feel a decisive "pop" when a bass hits. I will never go back to braid for this type of application. For what it's worth, I'm just using cheap Red Label flouro, and have had no issues with memory or breakage.

Nice mount! the second pic looks unbelievably realistic!

Red Label is the only flourocarbon I have used as a mainline, and I love it. I have 15 lb on my jig/worm rod. I chose it because its cheap, but it performed far better than i had anticipated. The memory is not too obnoxious and the sensitivity is great (IMO)

Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Tennessee also, Canada

I usually fillet them alive and twitching. call it cruel, but they certainly die pretty quick without their meat!

I prefer to fish with somebody. We can cover more water and try more baits to figure out how to catch them faster. It's fun to turn it into a friendly competition, and I think i fish better/harder when I know i've got to keep up with the guy beside me. Fishing with other dedicated anglers is also a great way to learn new baits/techniques. Seeing someone slaying them on a new bait gives me the confidence to give that bait an honest try at some point.

I Fished lake Delavan for about 4 hours this morning. We were on fish right away, burning rattletraps through scattered grass in 2-4 feet of water. The wind made boat control tough, but everyone was still catching fish left and right. I caught 5 smaller bass from 1-2 lbs, and a northern. I also snagged 4 crappie and 2 bluegill (they must have been schooled up tight!). right before i had to leave, i hooked into something with some weight to it. I didn't know how big she was until my brother netted her, then it was HOLY CRAP! its a 6lber! She weighed in at 6lbs 5oz, with a huge belly full of eggs. Beat my PB by just over a pound.

Thanks! I got the cable and it works.

I agree with the other guys-2.5 ish. The way your left hand wraps completely around its belly shows that it is not a 5er. Nice fish though, and congrats on the PB!

I am looking for a transducer cable extension for my new Lowrance Elite-4 (non-dsi/hdi) unit. I googled around a bit, and this http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-Transducer-Extension-Cable-15-Feet/dp/B000K2MG2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395687400&sr=8-1&keywords=lowrance+transducer+cable one looks like it might have the correct connectors for my unit. However, Amazon does not list the Elite-4 as one of the compatible units, so I am not positive it would work. If anyone has any experience extending a transducer cable or can find a cable that would work with the Elite 4, I would greatly appreciate it!