Brian_Reeves

My best advice is find out what works for you. My "pitching" is not very typical. I don't hold the lure, I don't swing it around on a bunch of loose string...I cast the darned thing real gentle like. I get more accuracy and a quieter entry that way. That's just me though. Everyone will find different ways to accomplish the same thing. But when I'm pitching, I loosen the spool up, leave the brakes the same as I would for casting, and crank my drag down a little bit.

Don't be afraid to try something new. You should see some of the crap I've tried that actually worked.

Really, there isn't a problem with the tracker line of boats. I'm just supersticious. I had one flip on me a few years back in some rough water and kinda dread getting back on a tracker. It was a pretty close call. I'd say that the Xpress boats are a little more stable though. Those things FEEL like a bass boat...not a powered hunk of metal. It's hard to explain, but I love Xpress.

In the wind...they suck. If you get a drift sock then it's not too awful, but without one, you really can get blown around. I actually prefer a canoe or kayak because they can handle moe situations, but those pelicans are a GREAT pond hopping platform.

Thank god I pay my truck off this summer and my new job will pay for my gas. Otherwise I'd be up a creek. I'm seriously considering taking my bass boat fund (2 years in the making) and buying a motorcycle with it. I know one thing is for sure, I'm not going to be running a boat engine any time soon. I'm in the market for a tricked out kayak to start my "No-gas Electric Motors Only" (NEMO) Fishing club ;D

Xpress is one of my favorite hulls for a jon boat. I tested one of their SV boats..the 16 and loved it. I'd gun for the Xpress. I'm not much of a fan of Tracker and I no nothing about triton aluminum boats.

I throw a dropshot on baitcasting gear, preferring a 1/4oz weight, 2/0-3/0 hook, and a finesse worm or 3.5inch beaver as the lure. In shallow water, I only use about a 10in-12in leader. Around weedlines, timber, or rocks, is where I prefer this rig. Pretty much I pitch or short-cast it out there and let it sit. This is one of my daylight tactics.

Thank god my new job is paying for my gas. Shame I can't talk about it ;D

I'm not even sure if that is a proper term, but I'm gonna run with it for now. I've been using beetle spins for years and years. The problem is that they target too many fish species. I've caught everything from bluegill to crappie to bass on these things. Granted, I love catching fish, but I specifically want to target bass. I know that with small baits, anything is a possibility, but I'd like to start cutting out 95% of the blugill strikes at very least. I've been experimenting with the beetle spin clip-on spinnerbait blade systems. I've tried them both with a skirt and without, using a vertically rigged 3.5inch beaver, original cocahoe minnow, and 5" * with a little bit of success in the skirtless department. As far as skirted, I've tried my favorite jig colors and a few whites with a little success. Here is my question...what do you all use for finesse style spinnerbait lures? I know inlines are in a lot of people's boxes, but what else is out there that y'all have used with success? I might want to try a little more than an 89cent clip-on system ;D

My beeper. It fell off of my belt when I lifted the trolling motor up and went into the water. I could see it spiraling down and it got ate and taken away by about probably a 2-3lb bass.

Is it just my computer, or did the bassyaks.com site stop working? God I hope not. I was trying to get to their price page because I'm seriously considering their products

paper clips would work fine. I used some leftover speaker wire. I think just about anything will work.

Yeah you probably won't see a rattler around New Orleans. Probably not until you get north and a bit east of Baton Rouge. I don't think they like the swamps and bayous of deep south louisiana.

Thanks. The fishing equipment made it through ok though I lost the cap on the butt of the rod, but other than that, it's all good. I'm not sure what kind of snake that is. If it's isn't a moccasin or if it doesn't rattle, I don't know what it is. I just know to stay away from them unless I"m really hungry ;D

Yeah, but the last thing I want to do is wreck my jigging rod. I wouldn't have minded if it was one of my "all purpose" rods. But my wife bought my jigging rod for our first anniversary. If it dies, I will die with it lol.

Yeah, those things will go out of their way to make you miserable. Thats why I have a 6ft hickory stick. I carry and fire guns for a living and I try to stay away from them whenever I can. That and carrying one on post is a nightmare waiting to happen.

They rejected my solar operated, sonar guided, self propelled, fish tracking, automatic hooking, turtle shelled, weedless swimming crab lure that I designed using top secret technology from NASA's mission to Mars. It also featured an automatic self destruct devise that would ensure you would never get snagged in that snag again!!! That lure was so effective it was going to be banned from tournaments. I can't believe Bassresource wouldn't let me advertise :( ;D

Is it possible to melt tin in the same equipment that I use to melt lead? Obviously I'd have to clean the lead out. Tin is denser and would give my jigs a little bit better feel of what is going on down there. That and I have about 20lbs of the stuff now. If I can even melt it, would it screw up my molds or melting pots. Does Powder paint stick to it?

I think possums freak me out more than snakes. A possum is still grinning when you kill it. Honestly, what smiles when it gets killed? That's just disturbing. ;D

Instead of hanging the jigs upside down to cure, try hanging them from the hookeye with a piece of wire. There will still be paint run-off, but it will be on the hook shank where it doesn't matter rather than looking like a tumor on your jighead.

What part of SE Louisiana joe? I have land in Marksville, near Alexandria, that is full of rattlesnakes :-? I'm from Gonzales, LA and I've NEVER seen one down there though and I've spent many hours in those Amite River swamps and bayous.

You know, I'm in the Army (for another month WOOO!!!) but you'd think that they'd learn a thing or two about camo from reptiles. The diamondback's patterns...both eastern and western make them nearly invisable to their environment. Really I admire snakes until they try to kill me. They are a very well adapted predator and very near the top of the food chain. Very little will mess with a 7ft rattlesnake. Thank god I didn't run into one that size. I've never seen one like that, but I'd probably have a friggin heart attack if one that size bit me. I've done a bunch of research on rattlesnakes since that episode and they are a pretty cool critter. Creapy and has made me really think about how much I appreciate bank fishing, but cool nonetheless. However you feel about snakes or any other critters in your area, it might be a good idea to research them on the internet. Find treatments or learn how to tie up pressure dressings and possibly turnikits (spelling sucks on that word). A good pressure dressing will slow bloodflow and could possibly save your life. Be sure you are aware of what dangers are out there and how to deal with them. NEVER TRY TO SUCK POISON OUT OF YOURSELF OR OTHERS!!! It doesn't work and it could do tons more damage than good. I'd suggest researching some first aid and survival tips. Always make sure someone knows where you are at. I might start a thread specifically for survival and first aid techniques, but I haven't decided if it fits yet. If y'all are interested, I'll share what I know. I'm sure there are guys on here that have tons of knowlege with survival and first aid.

Well, as the magic of post spawn starts to waver in the next few weeks the dog days of summer will be upon us here in the south. While I'm with agreement with many of the summertime tactics, I know that there will be many, many times where I have to break out the little stuff. Here's what I carry -Pumpkin Orange 1/4oz Beetle Spins -Black/Chartruse 1/4oz Beetle Spins -Ball (shakey) jigheads 3/16 and 1/4oz -Zoom Finesse worms (watermelon red and green pumpkin) -1/8, 3/16, and 1/4oz bullet weights -Assorted split shots -* Watermelon Red Small Beaver Craw -Watermelonseed Hula Grubs (various brands) This covers 100% of my finesse fishing. Split shot rigs, small jigs, flipping creature baits, miniature texas rigs, shakey head jigs, and the beetle spins speak for themselves. What's your finesse box look like?

Glad to see you made it back. Live it up man. Good thing is that for you, it isn't much longer til you get that 30 days of leave when you get home for good. Stay safe while you're home sarge and have a good time.

*western diamondback* sorry. No telling where that typo came from. Nah, it was the good ole typical texan western diamondback. Sorry for the mix-up.