Bass2124

My 12 year old son caught 2 smallies on a kvd 1.5 crankbait on Saturday. I even got it on video and got some pics. Just wanted to know how many people have done this? I've fished my entire life and have never done it. I equate it to a hole in 1 in golf. Was going to have it put in the local paper if it is not that common. Checked it on the web and don't see much mention of it.

I couldn't agree more. We aren't all pro's and unless you are a tournament fisherman (I am not) at the end of the day it's about catching fish. When I get tired it's always fun to troll around a bit. The older I get I'm sure the more trolling I will do!

I was fishing the other day on the river on a cold very windy day and started to get frustrated casting into the wind wit no results. I decided to troll lizards which always produce strikes for me when bites are scarce. I wasn't having much luck with the lizard either so I grabbed my crankbait rod and started trolling a kvd black/chartreuse 1.5 squarebill at the slowest trolling speed my 90 hp merc will go which is 3.5 mph out of curiosity and desperation. Holy crap what a surprise. I caught 5 in a 100 yard stretch that were very good size in aboyt 30 minutes. Thought it might be a fluke so I tried it the last couple of times I have gone fishing and once again had remarkable results. The cool thing is that it is a great search method. Once I catch a few fish this way I plop the trolling motor down and fish the surrounding areas by casting and have produced quite a bit of fish. Just curious if others have tried this.

The lower unit that hold the props on my Brand New Minn Kota Edge started spinning oddly on a recent fishing trip. Come to find out after investigating that the threaded composite rod that holds lower unit came loose. After trying to apply some lock tite on I noticed that the threads just disentingrated as I was tightening it back. I noticed that the adhesive said not for plastics. Not sure if this had anything to do with the stripping of the threads?? Anyway, had to order another rod and want to make sure the adhesive is correct before I thread it back on. Minn Kota reps are clueless and gave me no advice on what to use. They keep telling me to take it to an authorized dealer. The nearest dealer is 5 hours away so that is out of the question. Any suggestions on what adhesive to use?

Going to pull the trigger on one of these 2 spinning reels. My buddy swears by the Smoke but I want to try a Shimano. I have a couple of Presidents that started off smooth but started getting a little grindy. Took them completely apart cleaned them and put some Ardent reel butter and oil on and it it helped a little but they both still have a little clicky feel on the retrieve. Anyway I want to try a little higher end spinning reel. The Smoke is smooth but I don't have any local stores that carry the the Symetre. Any opinions shared would be appreciated.

Ruined a prop today. Had a Spitfire on my 90 hp Merc. Looking to replace. Can only afford a Blackmax or one of those Solas props which I know nothing about. Another Spitfire a little out of my price range right now. Like some opinions on the Solas.

I have had the best luck with Zoom Trickworms in Green Pumpkin. I have tried the Robo Worms (only in Aaron's magic) but have not had nearly the success as I have had with the Trickworms. I also dip the tail in JJ's Chartreuse for a little extra zing. They certainly hold on a little longer with that stuff.

Finally caught a few using my fly rod with a popper. The past few days though it has been very muddy and I can't get anythig to rise and it hit my popper. Muddy River=No fish in my early experiences.

Been fishing the St. John in NB and it has been a muddy mess the past few days after some heavy rains. Been out twice this week and have caught only a few even at my hotspots. Is it pointless to fish after these heavy rains?

I hope you have better luck in Maine's #2 best Bass Lake- Sebago than I did at #1 rated Bass lake in Maine-Cobbseecontee in Winthrop. 10 bass a day is what I averaged, way below average compared to the lakes I fish up North. The only thing I could get a consistent bite was drop shotting a Trick Worm. Caught 80% of my fish that way. Sebago is such a large lake I would check with the locals. I fished nearby Peabody Pond a few years ago. I remember a fisherman who operates Long Beach Marina in Sebago who knows Sebago like the back of his hand. I forget his name but he is a really friendly guy and offered up some great advice for catching Togue. I am sure he could point you in the right direction. I do remember speaking to another fisherman who owned a bait shop in Naples near Sebago who was a big time bass fisherman and winner of several tournaments. He said that carolina rigging lizards was the way to go at this time of year.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll try out the Supreme or stay with the President and buy a few extra lures as suggested.

After having some success drop shotting on a recent fishing trip I think I am going to purcahse a new spinning reel. I have the Pfluegar President but wanted to try to upgrade a bit. I saw a recent review on the mitchel pro 300 but it is about same price as the president but it said it was the best reel under $100. Any suggestions?

I have been using Seguar Red Label. My setup is a 6'6" medium Abu Veritas with a lews speed spool. The break was happening about a 12" below my alberto knot that I use to tie on the leader.

I have only been bass fishing for 2 years and have never caught one on stright braid with any set up. Granted, I have not gone a whole day fishing straight braid but I have given it a fair chance and as soon as I put on a flouro leader I get bit. I know that there is a great debate over whether or not fish are line shy to braid but in the waters I fish there is no doubt they are line shy. In fact I never have any luck when I go over 10lbs even with flouro but I will have to try and get some confidence because as I said I will never let the lack of size be a factor in my loss of fish again. I don't know if I can go right into fishing straight braid though, I wish I could but if I don't get bit in a short amount of time I will revert back to puting on a leader. I love casting braid and the lack of line memory that it gives but I always have to put a leader on it. As I said it is just a confidence thing.

Is 20 lb braid with a 2' 20 lb flourocarbon leader too much for crankbait fishing? I lost 2 monsters on 10lb braid with an 8 lb leader today and I will never let that happen again because I am under size. I'm still sick over it.

I'll check on that. Thanks.

Left my Lews speed spool out in the rain (along with all my other rods and reels) the other night and now I can't the thing to stop squeaking. I put gear oil on the worm gear and took the little cover the exposes the internal gears and placed a drop in there as well and the thing still is squeaking and doesn't feel as smooth as it did. My other baitcasters Pflueger President and BPS Pro Qualifier showed no ill effects so I am wondering if it was the rain or if there is something screwed up on the reel. I have loved this reel so far, have only been using it for a couple of months, so I am hoping that it is something that just needs a little extra lube somewhere that I am missing. Any suggestions?

Both of my Cabela's tourney trail spinning rods broke at the tip while drop shotting on my fishing trip this week. Now I am out of a drop shot rig, at least with my spinning gear. I got the combo package with the Pflueger President. Love the reels but now I have to get 2 new rods. The rods are still under warranty, thankfully, and they said they would give me a choice to get a refund for the cost of the rods or have 2 identical ones sent out. After reading the reviews and seeing that this happened to at least 5 other people breaking at the same location, it looks like a manufacturing defect and I'm thinking about taking the credit and get 2 different rods. Any suggestions on spinning rods, specifically for drop shotting?

Tom, I have tried buzzbaits, frogs (not white) and hula hoppers, and lizards. Caught 1 good one with a buzzbait but that was it. I am up at 5 every morning and am hitting the grass first and then spending the day trying to find drop offs and deep structure. I have to admit I am not very good with my electronics (yet) but I am seeing fish and actually caught one near a drop off that I picked up on the sonar so it was a start. Watching the other fisherman out there they are all slow fishing plastics. There is no fast fishing that I can see and from what I have tried, I can see why. If this is the best that Maine has to offer look elsewhere, at least thjis time of year. The lake I fish back north is a guaranteed 30+ fish a day, even this time of year, and that is no joke. It is LOADED with small mouth. Not huge but a consistent bite with a few 2-3 pounders caught before days end. If fishing were this slow back home I would pick up golf again!!

I think I have a favorite technique over crankbaits (which has always been my favorite and go to lure) after having a tough week on a new lake that I have been vacationing on (Cobbseecontee Lake in Maine Ranked #30 on the top 100 bass lakes in the US ????). I never tried drop shotting until this past week (never really needed to) and all I can say is that it has been the best technique for catching stubborn bass all week. I am still not slaying them like I am accustomed to (the lakes that I have back home have given me a new appreciation on how lucky I am to be able to catch 30+ bass a day no matter what the conditions are) nor are they very big but it definitely has been the only consistent pattern that I have been able to catch fish on. I even caught a 24" pike on it. I am averaging about 8 hours per day on the lake and am only averaging 8-10 fish with 7 out of 10 coming off of drop shots. I am using using 10 pound fireline with a 14 inch leader of 8 lb flouro and 1/0 vmc spinshot hooks. I am using Zoom green pumpkin trick worms. I have tried tubes, swim baits, robo worms, and other plastics on the drop shot but the only thing that has worked has been the trick worms. I am not catching big bass however and that is where I am confused. I have caught them deep, shallow, suspended, top and bottom but nothing with any size?? Spinner baits and trolling lizards have produced the biggest bass with the largest being a Largemouth (18" 3 lbs). But, I have only caught 5 bass over 15" all week. The week before I came here I caught 20 over 15" back home in an afternoon so you can imagine my frustration. If anything, this week has given me a new insight on lake fishing that is very pressured and the patience needed to try and find out what works. I have been very spoiled. I also, for the time being anyway, have found a new favorite technique that I otherwise would have never tried. The fight is amazing even with the little ones on this light gear. I now know why Aaron Martens says it is a bass catching machine. After a tough week and striking out on just aout everything else that I have tried, I completely agree. I have another week on Cobbossee and am hoping that I have better luck. For the upcoming week I think I am going to ditch the cranks and focus all my time on drop shotting to see if I can get a more consistent bite.

Yeh I need to get off shore and know that I have to get slower in my presentation with some of the lakes south. The few bass lakes that I fish on up north are fast and steady year round but do not have the size that these lakes in southern maine have not to mention the pressure that these lakes get. I have been up at 5 each morning and there are already 10 boats ahead of me. I did manage to pull in a 3 lb 18 inch smallmouth this afternoon trolling a carolina rigged lizard. That was an awesome fight as I had about 200' of line out when he took it. I hate trolling but that always has produced the bigger bass and I can cover alot of area in lakes that I am not familiar with.

On my second of 14 day fishing trip on Cobbosse Lake in Winthrop Me, rated #30 for Bass lakes in the US. So far not so good. I have only caught 10 smallies all under a foot. Best technique I have used is with a Trickworm on a dropshot. Nothing on spinnerbait, Lizards carolina rigged (which is my most confident setup) wackyrigged senkos, or jigs. 0 topwater action throwing hula poppers, frogs, and buzzbaits in the morning or evening. I have caught a few on cranks and jerkbaits. Caught a 24" pike on the same dropshot, my first pike I have ever caught which has been my highlight so far. Rumor has it that there are some 8 pound Largemouth in that lake but I have caught nothing with any size to them. Really wanted to target the largemouth but the areas that I have been told that are good have produced nothing. Any suggestions on whereabouts and techniques would be great.

I have been fishing a river in the north for the last month. I am relatively new to bass fishing and for the last few years have been fishing lakes to get my fix. This year I have been fishing the river and have had quite of bit of succes except for catching them on top water. I have tried hula poppers, Pop-r's, frogs, and other weightless plastics with no luck. I love top water and am wondering if there is a technique that needs to be explored for better results.

Cleaned the tell tale out and it was plugged. I got a gush of water coming out after I unplugged it. Been fishing a very dirty river for the first time this year. Must have pulled in some sludge or something. As for starting issues today it started hard again. I have noticed that the bulb does not stay hard after it runs. I have to pump it up almost every time I shut it down for any more than 20 minutes. I'll get a new bulb and see if that takes care of it. Thanks for the advice. I called my local mechanic and he said the water pumps on a 90 hp mercury 2 stroke are very rugged and he doubted that it would be gone even though it is a 14 year old motor which surprised me. He also told me to clean out the tell tale. It is peeing very hard so I think I'll wait before I pull the lower unit off to replace it.

I have a 2001 90hp 2 stroke that is "peeing" very little water out of the tell tale. I have no idea how long this has been going on. I accidently started reading about water pumps going bad when I was researching a spark plug issue. The article said that they needed to be replaced every couple of years. Went out for a ride and noticed very little water peeing from the tell tale with hardly any presssure. I also read that if the motor is running without water it will melt the water pump impellar. I remember when I fogged my motor last fall the earmuffs fell off and the engine must have run a good 30-60 seconds without any water before I noticed. I'm guessing this is what happened. My question is..... Should I just replace the impellar of should I buy the whole gasket water pump kit. I have no idea if the previous owner did anything with the waterpump. I have had the boat for 3 years. Also, could I have done any damage to the motor with having so little water pressure coming out of the Tell tale? It has been starting very hard the last few times out. Not sure if it is a sparkplug issue but I have to keep pumping the bulb everytime I stop for a bit to get it to start. Never had to do that before.