Mainebass1984

I would never fish with that guy every again. I absolutely hate drinking and driving as well as littering. Drinking and driving is not only putting his life in danger, your life but also every one around you as well. It is just plain DUMB. He could kill someone and would have to live with that the rest of his live. I am not against drinking A COUPLE beers while out on the water fishing. Drinking responsibly is one thing and getting drunk is another. Each persons body digests alcohol differently and at different rates. As long as you stay within in the legal limit I don't see anything wrong in my opinion. If your going to be on the water for an entire day, 12-14 hours, have plenty of water and food, how many beers is too many ? 2 ? 4 ? 6 ? You got to know your limits and be a responsible adult... Getting drunk is not allowed in my boat. I cant see anything good about having a drunk person in the boat. Someone gets drunk in my boat and they will be left on shore until I am done fishing. I really hate littering. It is a mindless careless ignorant thing to do. That guy would have got a piece of my mind for sure. Either he would have trolled over and picked up his litter or he would have been swimming for it. Cigarette butts... man oh man seeing people toss them aside... Nothing will get me angry or in a hostile mood quicker. It is trash. It is littering. They do not decompose quickly. Fish and other wildlife will eat them and it is terrible for them. Don't be a lazy butt faced slob and dispose of your cigarettes butts in the trash. I would never fish with this guy ever again. He probably wouldn't want to fish with me either. I would speak my mind and he would know EXACTLY what I think of how he is acting.

I have had great success using a palomar knot when using mono and braid. Extremely rare to have a knot fail or get broken off and I like to fish the thickest nastiest weeds and trees. I hadn't been broken off this year at all until I started using fluorocarbon for a couple specific situations. Looks like I will be using a new knot for flouro. The Vanish is getting trashed. I am going to pick up some Seaguar.

I was most certainly getting more bites on 8 lb flouro then 12 lb. I can see bottom very clearly in 20 feet where I have been fishing. If there is any small advantage in transparency I am going to use it. As I mentioned before I almost always tie a palomar knot. I do thoroughly wet the line when using any knot. Is there a different knot I should be using ?

Conway Lake ? Why ever would you guys want to have a tourney there ? Surface temps will be at least around 80 degrees by the end of the day. Fish are in their summertime patterns. Bunch of 2-3 lb smallmouth. There are a few largemouth as well. Let us know how you do. I am very interested to find out how you guys do.

I do realize 8lb fluorocarbon is not ideal for heavy cover. Usually when I fish heavy cover I use 50 lb power pro. The particular place where I have been fishing it is in open water right on a drop that goes 8 to 30 feet. The problem is that along sections of this drop off there is very thick pond weed that grows up off bottom 10 feet. I always tie a palomar knot and moisten it before tightening it. I guess this leads into another question I ask myself. Should I cast into that heavy cover which is sometimes woody knowing that I may not be able to get the fish out but at the same time feeling as if the best chance of getting that bite is with the light line and fluorocarbon ? Or should I cast 12 lb mono knowing the chance of landing that fish is better then using 8 lb fluorocarbon ? I do have the utmost confidence if I hook that big fish with 50 lb braid that its coming in the boat even if I am breaking trees on the way to getting it in the boat. Another question. What is your favorite fluorocarbon brand ? I had been using Berkley vanish. I have been using this line for a month or so now. The number of bites I have been catching has dramatically increased over 12 lb mono fishing the same lure. I have caught some quality fish using it too, including a 5-0 and a 5-2, fishing in very thick weeds. I was liking the line very much until it was seemed like it was getting very very brittle. I lost 2 very large bass that broke the line after getting into heavy cover but it seemed to break way easier then it had been. I had been keeping the rod and reel in my truck. Does prolonged exposure to sunlight cause fluorocarbon to break down ?

That lake has an amazing amount of 2 - 4 lb largemouth. There are well over 40 mid lake humps in that lake. Some are rocky but most have weed growth on them. The ones with heavy weed growth seem to be better this year. Got to get away from shore this time of year.

How has that hudd been working out for you ? Have you been getting any big fish on it ?

I recently started using 8 lb fluorocarbon. At first I loved it. I was casting a bit further and getting plenty more bites then when I was using 12 lb mono. I also like how transparent fluorocarbon is in the water. The past couple times I have been I haven't been quite as impressed. I am not sure why but the line seems to be brittle. One little nick in the line and it breaks very easily. I would also say in my opinion so far it isn't the best idea to use it around heavy cover as I have had a couple big fish break me off n some very thick stuff. I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on fluorocarbon and there experience with it.

Lets stock every fish every angler wants every where they want them. Lets just forget about endangered species and let them all die out. Screw it, who cares. No harm can come from it. Its all a conspiracy anyways. Invasive species don't do any harm.

I love fishing pine trees. I have caught some huge fish off of them. I have caught some big big bass off of pine trees that had fallen in the water the day before, still had all of its needles. There isn't a whole lot of cedar trees where I live so I don't have the opportunity to fish them often. If I saw one though I would definitely fish it. I will fish any tree that's in the water. In my opinion cover is cover to a bass. The thicker the better.

Yup Good luck

When trying a new spot I always start by using the lures I have the most confidence in.

Where is the data that supports your claims ? As I have said several times invasive species impact the entire ecosystem and change everything forever. I find it humorous that people think they know how to manage fisheries better then the people that have spent many years in college obtaining a degree and have years of experience in the field. This is a common problem everywhere across the country. In my experience most people aren't educated on the subject or understand it fully. Under most cases I wouldn't point out the fact that I have BS in fisheries biology, a BS in Aquaculture, and years of experience working as a fisheries biologist in Illinois, Florida, Maine, Alaska, and Vermont. Saving endangered species or at the very least attempting to do so is something that we must do. We are responsible for almost eradicating an entire species. Everything must be done to preserve any endangered species population even if it isn't very popular with the public.

1/2 oz jig

I have been getting great numbers of bass, a few 5 lbers and a 6 lb 6 oz. Still haven't seen one over 7 since spring. Pretty good chance I will see several this fall.

Nice trophy fish. I have mounted 2 big bass but neither are the biggest I have caught. They aren't replicas either. A replica mount is nice but can be very expensive. How much did that sea beast weigh ? Where the heck is Oroville ?

Sea beast. LOL What kind of swimbait were you using ? It sucks losing big fish. I feel you pain. Its happened to all of us.

Jigs catch fish ??

Fishing was great yesterday afternoon numbers wise. My friend Nick and I landed 79 bass form 4 pm til dark. A lot of smaller 1-2 lb fish though. It was fun. We had multiple doubles which is always interesting. Caught a bunch of 2 1/4 -2 3/4 lbers. Sadly though I lost the biggest fish of the day. It was just after dark and I was throwing a buzz bait. Had the fish to the boat and my friend also had a fish on. Instead of netting it I tried to flip it into the boat. Big mistake. The fish shook off half way in the boat. It wasn't a huge bass but I would guesstimate around 3.5 pounds. We didn't even break 3 lbs for the day which is pretty sad when you catch 79 bass. Lately I have been having good luck for bigger bass with an old fleck buzz bait. I don't think they make them anymore which is a bummer. Hopefully everyone is catching fish this weekend.

That should work fine. I don't think it matters if its wood or metal as long as you hit them squarely on the top of the head just behind the eyes with a sharp firm blow.

Getting skunked is not allowed.

A small metal 14 " bat. A good whack on top of the head ends things pretty d**n quickly. Commercial and hatchery harvest of vast amounts of pacific salmon is done using this method. It works on all game fish. Be sure to give it a firm hard whack on top of the head just behind the eyes. Instant death. It is quick and effective. There is no bloody mess.I have done this on thousands upon thousands of pacific salmon. It works. The reason this method is used by commercial fisherman and hatchery workers is because it is kills the fish very quickly. When harvesting vast amounts of fish per day you don't want to waste any time waiting for a fish to die. Time is money. Is it the most humane ? I think is up to argument and everyone has there own opinion. You put a fish on ice and it surely will flop around for a few minutes until it suffocates. Cutting the gills is a bit messy and the fish dies somewhat quickly for sure. A forceful sharp blow to the head and it will be dead within seconds if not instantly.

Who is fishing ? I will be out this afternoon. Trying to get my buddy a 5 lber.

Where are you in VT ? I am in Barre. There are plenty of bass and big bass around the state. If you have any questions about fishing around VT feel free to ask. Welcome aboard. Plenty of great info on this site.

I like fishing in the worst weather. The fishing can be amazing in rain, snow, 10-20 mph winds. I LOVE fishing rainy days, I catch a lot of big fish in the rain. I have very good luck during days when multiple rain showers/lightning storms move through. If a lightning and thunderstorm comes in I go to shore until it passes then resume fishing.