FordsnFishin

Freshwater drum. Talk about a junk fish. I've caught a 15 lb one before. Fought like a dead log. Been told they are terrible eating as well.

I'm in the same boat. I'd rather just get rained on and stay cool.

Beautiful place! I'm jealous. That's exactly what the old lady and I will be looking for in several years.

So the woman and I are headed to Texas next week. Going to be there for two weeks and are interested in doing some fishing. From what I've read, Toledo bend is the place to go as we'd like to hook up on some pig largemouth. So, does any one know of any quality guides in the area? Or if any outstanding members in the area would like to meet up, that would be great as well. Would be just the two of us. We are a nice respectable couple looking to have some fun! Thanks guys!

I know it goes against guy code. ... But reading manuals that come in the boxes are very handy.

Had 5 guys for the first time the other day. Burger was great. Their medium fry was about 2 lbs of spuds.

Ayy brother. Ibew local 146 here.

Pretty comedic. Got a few good videos

Swapping out hooks on some crankbaits last night, I thought to myself , there has to be some better than these. For some reason I've been using the same pair of black handled 8 inch rapala pliers for about 4 seasons now. And I must say I really do hate them. The cutting edge has been terrible since day one, and the split ring tip is next to useless. So I'd like to know what you guys are using, as I'd like to upgrade. Something mainly with a good cutting edge, split ring tip, yet long enough to get a hook out of a gut hooked bass. Thanks guys!

I have 2 pairs of costas. Make a huge difference to me. Much easier to spot bait fish. Also I'd imagine it's saved me from buying a trolling motor several times. Able to see tree stumps and logs that are near the surface. I do have a pair of Costa 580 hammerhead series, silver and black in color, for sale if anyone is interested. I found I didn't like how they fit my face after I got them. Worn once, still has cleaning towel in original package and comes with Costa sunglasses case.

Yes. I have a bad habit of accidently engaging or not fully pressing the button down. While in mid cast that is, which runs the drag and usually causes the reels to make a weird noise. Broke the pinion gear on my curado E, a month back doing this. Was during a killer hybrid bass bite, 25+ fish a hour. Burning deep cranks, so I was trying to really wing them out there. Didn't get button fully engaged, and instantly the reel made an odd noise. Able to fish the rest of the day with it. Broke down that night and found I shattered a tooth off the gear. $13 part from shimano and 2 weeks later and reels back in good shape.

Sorry, to hear about your experience. I think you took the right approach. I definitely would have taken my business elsewhere. I see you're from central Illinois, I am as well. I'm in the Charleston/Mattoon area. What about yourself?

I think you are correct on the spotted bass

Is there a website you get your maps from? I'd like to have one of the lake I fish to help me understand it better, plan on where to try, ect. ..

Zebco bullet

Price range?

If you are still wanting to stick to a spinning setup... A few reels to check out: Shimano sahara ** Daiwa exceller Shimano saros Pflueger president ** I suggest spending a bit less on the reel and focus on getting a good rod. St.croix avid or premier series Dobyns savvy series Or shimano crucial series rods Go to tackle warehouse and check things out.

This is fantastic. I'm in exactly the same boat as the OP. (Not literally) These post spawn bass have been tough for me. I have had a very hard time locating any bass. I too realized that these bass have moved into deeper waters. Lately I've been fishing deep diving cranks off large drop off points through my lake. But with limited success. I feel like a Carolina rig might be something I need to focus on using. (Never really spent any time using this technique) OP. That app you used to get your lakes depths chart, does it cost?

I was a member on the old bps website forum. We all found it to start dying down there and a couple people on there brought this place to my attention.

I'm here in central IL. Mattoon area, around 45 minutes south of champaign. Where are you?

To keep the bait off the bottom. You want to put the bait at the depth they are holding at

So, the ol lady and I have neither been to Texas. So we decided to plan on a vacation there this august. We are planning on being gone 9 days. Anyways, we will be driving and I was curious if there are any must go to places, events, ect... We are planning on staying in several places to check out the state. We are planning on staying in Dallas, black Rock by Austin, San Antonio, Memphis as of right now. Any insight would be great! Thanks guys

If you are worried about fish seeing the line you could tie a fluorocarbon leader on to line you choose.

I too get a burning sensation when i... Whoops, wrong forum. I'd bet it's muscle tears if you've been working out 4 to 5 days a week. Try icing it at night, use a towel around a bag of frozen peas or something of the sort. You might also look into taking a multi vitamin and a vitamin called inflavonoid. I've been getting aches and pains lately and my old lady had me start taking these. Literally in 3 days and me trying to drink more water I've felt 10x better.

I almost feel bad already for taking your guys money. .. I'm in. However, I highly suggest making it a PPR league. Makes scoring much more even and less touchdown dependent.