Brian6428

Just a thought, but sometimes my 30lb trolling motor is too fast if I am trolling in first gear and fishing a slow moving bait (worm, jig). Then again the 45 or 50 lb tm's would get you across the lake quicker. Brian

I have the 10ft bass raider, basically the same thing. If you go through the "Any pelican bass raider owners out there" thread on this forum some people have upgraded theirs nicely there. On mine I have as follows: 1. Bass Pro shops Prowler 30lb thrust trolling motor. This propels my brother and I (310 lbs combined) plus our gear across the lake nicely. It says it is transom mount but one screw removed and replaced makes it a bow mount. 2. Battery. Not sure the exact type, its an everstart 12v battery from walmart. About $80. 2.5. Almost forgot the battery charger. Only about $20 at walmart. 3. 2 Shoreline marine collapsible paddles incase of emergency. 4. One fire extinguisher. My state has a law that says you have to have one if the boat has a motor. Check your state guidelines. 5. Lastly, a 10lb mushroom anchor and an anchor rope. These boats sit high in the water and drift like crazy, even on calm days. If you plan to fish by yourself, make a rudder (see thread listed above) these boats are impossible to control while alone otherwise. If you have any questions send me a pm and I will gladly help if I can. Brian

I would love to make a follow-up cast with my Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill swimbait there. That thing is so realistic the bluegill might try spawning with it lol. No bass on it yet, though. Brian

That's good to know, from what I've read and heard on this thread they sound like a snake that I really wouldn't want to see lol. Brian

Thanks for the replies guys, looks like the smoke would be a good option. Now time to start saving money! Brian

Here is what I would suggest starting with: Pflueger president spinning reel ($60) Berkley lightning rod, 6'6 medium ($37) 8lb Yozuri Hybrid ($12) This setup is cheap, reliable and pretty good too. I don't have a Pfleuger president but their reviews are great on here and every other website. I have two lighting rods and they are great for the price. This combo would provide you with lots of enjoyment for pretty cheap. Brian

I have a 10 ft bass raider and love it. I chose bass raider over pond prowler cause its cheaper and I don't need the add-on functions. If you plan on doing ANY 2-person fishing in it I would highly suggest 10ft model. The 10 ft is as small as I would ever want to go when my brother and I fish together. Brian

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm too young to carry a gun and I fish some residential lakes where shooting would be frowned upon. I'll look into some nice boots, though. Brian

Hey guys, I went fishing this evening and while I was walking up the stairs to leave (it was dark) i was checking where I was going with a flashlight. Suddenly I see a 2.5 ft copperhead 3 stairs ahead of me and nearly crap myself out of fear. I just stood there and waited till it had passed and then got out of there asap. So, do any of you guys have any advice on dealing with (aka avoiding) snakes while fishing? I am extremely afraid of snakes. We see Northern water snakes in the water all the time but this was definitely a copperhead. P.S: A quick google search led me to the "leave them alone and they will leave you alone" idea, but these little fellas are pretty well camouflaged. Any advice there? Thanks! Brian

My dream is to do two things: 1. Catch an 8+ lb bass, with a few stipulations. It has to be from the area that I live in and nobody can help me catch it (a guide). 2. Get a Jeep Wrangler next summer. Brian

Hey guys, I was at the BPS reel counter the other day helping my brother choose a reel (he got the BPS Pro qualifier by the way) and I pointed out the Quantum Exo (baitcaster) to my brother. The employee helping us was young and seemed nice and he offered to let us look at it. The second I felt it i was in love. I am honestly considering saving up the $250 needed to buy one. Do any of you guys have one? Thoughts? Thanks! Brian

Never done it before but I plan on fishing as much as possible this winter. I agree, something about it just sounds fun. The possibility of catching a lunker, being one of few (if any) boats on the lake etc. I am really looking forward to trying it. Brian

Good luck. I always liked seeing your posts and appreciate the help you have given me.

Thanks, you guys all brought up some good points. Very good point, I definitely forgot about that. A banned coat hanger, at that! lol Brian

I recently bought Fly fishing gloves from white River fly shop at bass pro. They are just fleece gloves and I'm thinking I will only be able to use my spinning reel with them, but they were only $5 so it's worth a try. Also it depends on what weather you plan to fish. I got these cause they're a little thicker for some of the nasty winter days we have here in Kansas City. If you're in tennessee you might be able to go lighter weight with more dexterity. Hopefully somebody else chimes in with a glove that meets that bill. Brian

Yeah, i realized it might not be the best comparison right after i posted it. Next time out I'll try throwing the same worm on the same t-rig on both setups and see what the results are. Thanks all for the answers! Brain

I've never heard that before, do you know why that is?

Hey guys, I have two setups I use when I fish. One is spinning with 12# yozuri and the other is baitcasting with 50# power pro braid. I always seem to catch more fish on my spinning setup. Do you guys think this is becase the braid is spooking the fish? Also on the same note, if big bass are supposed to be more likely to see errors in our presentations than small fish, then would more big fish be caught on lighter line (theoretically speaking)? Thanks! Brian

Just wondering, and maybe AK-NJ could answer this too, but is it normal to take pics during a tournament? I haven't ever fished a tournament before so i'm just curious. To the OP: Sounds like a great weekend! Did you tell them what you were using?

Nice fish! I remember when I was a new member on Bass resource this past spring and feeling thankful to the great people here for every fish they helped me catch (just about all of my fish lol) Brian

Forgot to mention this but I do it too. As long as you don't pull up and fish right next to them its fine. I just usually make a mental note of the spot and return later when they're gone.

Nice fish!

I'd say directly to the line. I like the dropshot because the leader can be just long enough to hold the lure above the weeds, and I think a leader to the lure would just make the lure sink down and get tangled up in the sinker's leader. Brian

I am in a situation very similar to you. I have a small boat with no fish finder, and I am working on fishing offshore structure. I have caught a few fish on offshore structure, and here is how I have done it. 1. visit this website: http://www.navionics.com/en/webapp And find a topo map of your lake. If you can't, try to google your lake's name followed by "topo map". If you do use navionics, make sure to click the button on the bottom left of the screen that looks like a wifi signal turned upside down- it makes the map intervals less. If you fish a small lake and can't find a topo map by either of these methods, I know the feeling. I would suggest finding a larger lake to fish in the area that does have topo maps made for it. 2. Spool up one of your reels with braid and tie on a heavy c-rig. Drag this on pre-identified points you found on the map to feel the bottom composition and contour. If you feel any cover, try throwing a texas rig or jig to that area. This is what I did. If you are still confused on what to look for, pm me. I have a copy and paste microsoft word document with 20+ pages about structure fishing all from this website. Some great posts from catt, speed bead and some other great fisherman on this website that i could email you. Hope this helps. Brian

I am still in a situation similar to both you guys- beginner bass fisherman and struggling (though it sounds like I may be a little further along). All I can say is stick with it. If it were easy to catch bass everybody would do it. 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. I have been fishing for a year now, and at times I struggled, but just stick with it, read all you can, keep a fishing log, watch flukemstrs videos on youtube and with some time you'll be catching bass left and right! I can now say that I can consistently catch one or two fish a fishing trip (about 4 hours), which is something I couldn't get close to doing when I started fishing a year ago. Good luck! Brian