Lunker Huntin

I dont know how places like this even compete with online places like TW once i found TW and other various online places bass pro's (even though theres none around me) just became a place to go look and touch things.

Man I hope you dont fish with "that guy" anymore after you made him replace your rod, he would have been thrown off the boat hahahah man i would have been pi$$ed

yep we deffiently fish with the same guy I did a bunch of reading/research for what was working before one of our big long fishing trips, well it payed off and the watermelon red senko was on fire that trip, I was burning through them so fast and couldn't keep the bass off of them (glad I brought a lot of bags) i offered them numerous times and the guy said na ill just keep using this same bait that hasn't caught anything all day. And of course every time i caught another nice bass he was full blast on the TM to a new spot. After a few days just gave up and he complained the whole time, whatever not gonna ruin my trip.

You and me both I used to fish with the same guy all the time I would be killing in on a bait and Im the type of guy that wants everyone in the boat to catch and have fun, but this dude was horrible about using the same lure all the time or saying well at the other lake i was fishing the other day this killed it on a whole different species so it must work. Drives me nuts because then at the end of the day he will complain that the fishing sucked. Oh and dont get me started on the boat moving this dude would put the boat right on top of where you would want to cast and wonder why we wouldn't catch anything. I dont fish with that guy much anymore my new partner is night and day difference, he's in it to win in no matter what it takes if I'm catching he will switch over and vise versa we dont care we wanna stick some fish sure we bust balls on each other but all in all we both swallow pride when it comes to fishing if he's got the hot bite I'm not ashamed at all to ask what he's throwing we have learned a lot from each other and our catches have just gotten better. My time on the water is limited so I want to make it count and heck one day you might be hot and another you may need a helping hand on the hot bait. At the end of the day everyone wants to catch, being a hard head is only going to end up with a lot of days ending in "the fishing sucked" Oh and the best part of the other guy was he never took anything I said worth a dang. I could be wacking em left and right and say dude tie this on, Nope kept fishing the same way as soon as someone else (especially my new fishing partner) would say hey this is working you should try it he would immediately change over. Always made me feel like the guy thought I had no clue which really makes for a hard time when your just trying to help a buddy out and he acts like YOU are the idiot.

2015 was poor for me, spring hit and I was completely consumed in selling my house to upgrade to a new one so fishing took a big hit there I don't think I made it out on the water between Apr- July 8 so that really hurt. Summer was hot and busy with the new house so I didn't make it out much. Oct hit and it was off to clear lake for 5 days of fishing and I was ecstatic well once again 2015 brought doom and gloom, thought that the reports of no fisherman on the water because of the massive fire around the lake meant we would have a great chance at really getting into some good unpressured fish.......didn't see on the schedule that there was a tournament starting 2 days after we got there so for 4 out of the 5 days of fishing we fought with about 180-200 boats to even find a place to fish and the bite was terrible. Got in a couple of good trips before the cold shut it down and the ice hit but all in all the year really sucked for me. Hope 2016 is better getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan for the next 3 or so months so I hope when I get back the spawn is in full swing and fishing is hot. LOL the selfish cynical person inside of me hopes that winter goes long this year in Utah at least so that I can make it home in time for pre spawn. Good luck this year fellas

All depends on the type of lure you are using and the desired depth/speed you want to use it. Also what kind of gear are you using spinning? Baitcaster? Give us some examples of the kinds of baits your looking at and we can better answer your question

Lv-500 best size to weight ratio the 3/4 gets you down quick and it shimmys on the way down, best yoyoing lipless out

x3 on the drop shot, was kind of surprised it wasn't mentioned more in 4 pages of reposes. I'm going to have to agree with BigSkyBasser though its not the technic that I want to reach for, but I would have to agree with what was said I truly believe it would work in almost any situation 365. I remember watching a video the G-man put out and he was talking about a c-rig and he called it the quitter-rig. He said if you see me throwing it then I have given up on everything else, that's kind of the same feeling I get when I reach for the drop shot rod.

Good luck with getting gear there, pricy is all I can say. I was there about a year ago for a military op, thought hey I love lews reels and dobyns rods and they are both made in Korea so I can probably find a killer deal being as I am right where they are made......WRONG! I couldn't find either in very many tackle shops visited. Seemed like other brands were more popular (stocked) didn't recognize most of the reels or the rods, and good luck finding a one piece rod for that matter 2 piece rule down there I guess it makes sense for them for transporting issues (subway/train) the one thing I did notice In my adventures there is there are lots of places that have bass, but bass fishing itself isn't nearly as popular as it is here and in a lot of fisherman circles there viewed as trash and invasive. Bait fishing sure is huge there. Good luck

Dobyns 765 cb, sold my 705 cb glass to a friend to fund the purchase. Hope thus rod will fit me better. Bring on the sales hoping to only have to front $40 to get it

Hmmm thought for sure I would get a little more info on this topic. Daaa no one wants to play with me

Thanks for all the advise so far, I checked out the okuma before in a local sportsmans, it felt like a very stout rod, but I am so used to how light my dobyns are I just couldn't get over how bulky the rod felt. This is why I was more interested in the irod or a Phenix there rods seem to be super light in the hand. I would love to get a dobyns swimbait but the price is just to high for me, truth be told this rod is not going to get a ton of use where I live nothing close to how much I throw my 735 champ, but I was hoping I could pick something that could serve double duty like a heavy c-rig when I'm not chucking bigger baits

First and foremost I have been wanting to get a swimbait setup for a while, I got a few 5-6in baits (top shelfs) and a s-waver that I have been throwing on my flipping rod (dobyns 735). It does the job ok but I really want a dedicated rod for this duty something I can grow into (looking to throw some 68 specials, lunker punker, opspreys 6-7 inch) So far I have been doing a lot of reading but I cant make up my mind so I am hoping for some impute from you guys here. Rods I am interested in -Irod Genesis II 7'8" Jr. Swimbait (like what I have read about this one and with a sale I could grab it for around $120 -Phenix MX-UR80H (couldn't find to much info on this one but I have seen it mentioned and I like the weight range) -St Croix Mojo Bass swimbait (buddie of mine said they are discontinuing this line and found one for $90 online again don't know much about this one) Reels that I am looking at -Shimano Curado 301 E (Pretty easy choice here tried and true but I am not crazy about the price) -Okuma citrix CI-364LXA (good price and great drag/line capacity found one on amazon for $129 shipped) trying to keep my budget close to $300 I know a lot of guys will say get the okuma guide select and a Shimano Cardiff, I am NOT interested in either of these

thank you for the information everything I have seen online was geared towards hitch. It defiantly pays to know the hatch, besides swimbaits does anyone know what else works good around that time of year? I am not looking for your best lures or secret spots just a general idea of what to prepare for.

Hey guys, so me and a my fishing partner have decided we are going to try and squeeze in a trip of a life time (for us at least) before I head off to the afgan sand box again this winter. We are planning a trip to clear lake in October 14th-18th. Being a couple of Utah guys this trip is a chance for us to actually tangle with some really nice bass, around here if you get a 5lb consider yourself a lucky man. My PB is 5 and my partner just smashed his last PB a couple of weeks ago in Idaho on a 6lb. So strap in because I have a lot of questions First and foremost I have been wanting to get a swimbait setup for a while, I got a few 5-6in baits (top shelfs) and a s-waver that I have been throwing on my flipping rod (dobyns 735). It does the job ok but I really want a dedicated rod for this duty something I can grow into (looking to throw some 68 specials, lunker plunker, opspreys 6-7 inch) So far I have been doing a lot of reading but I cant make up my mind so I am hoping for some impute from you guys here. Rods I am interested in -Irod Genesis II 7'8" Jr. Swimbait (like what I have read about this one and with a sale I could grab it for around $120 -Phenix MX-UR80H (couldn't find to much info on this one but I have seen it mentioned and I like the weight range) -St Croix Mojo Bass swimbait (buddie of mine said they are discontinuing this line and found one for $90 online again don't know much about this one) Reels that I am looking at -Shimano Curado 301 E (Pretty easy choice here tried and true but I am not crazy about the price) -Okuma citrix CI-364LXA (good price and great drag/line capacity found one on amazon for $129 shipped) I know a lot of guys will say get the okuma guide select and a Shimano Cardiff, I am NOT interested in either of these Ok now that gear has been covered lets talk baits. I have never been to CL or fished in California at all, I have most technics pretty well covered plenty of cranks/jigs/ jerk baits/spinner baits/plastics/dropshot. I have about 4 top self line through's ranging from 4-6inch and a 168 s-waver in bluegill. I am interested in a huddelston or two but I am not sure about colors (October fishing) I know hitch is a given but which one dark or light? Any other colors I should be considering? I have thought about picking up some osprey talon top hooks, anther couple of s-wavers (warden hitch and party crasher) and possibly some little creeper trash fish. Is there any other baits that you guys would suggest I don't want to break the bank but I want to be prepared? Feeew now that all that's on the table any info you guys could give/share would really be appreciated I really excited for this trip and if I can possibly break that 5lb PB that would be awesome. Thanks as always. Mike

X3 Dobyns 735, I throw all my jigs on this rod, last year it was the 734 and it worked just fine for 3/8 & 1/2 jigs but around here the cover we are flipping to is pretty light. This year I stepped up to the 735 and I feel like its a match made in heaven, that rod was made for jigs. The 734 is a great rod but with a 1/2 or 3/4 jig and a trailer I did feel like I was pushing it a little.

Pretty much self taught fishing, picked up a lot along the way from friends and once I really started to get into it I started doing a lot of research and really trying to learn as much as I can. A lot of thanks to this sight and the members on here contributing I have learned a lot since coming here. Someone on here suggested Gerald Swindel's 5 video conference that he did and I watched them and immediately I really liked him and looked up to him. His message of positive metal attitude says a lot to me and I agree, when I first started getting into fishing I looked at it more like an excuses to go out with buddies and drink to much beer, once I quit drinking fishing became a whole new thing to me, my attitude changed and I had more successful days on the water and the whole process of fishing has become a better experience for me. I truly do believe that attitude is what makes or breaks your day on the water. Thanks to the G-man for teaching me that.

Are the Oldham's sold online anywhere? I hear a lot about them but tracking them down has been tough

where do you get these? I have been reading up about them and they get tons of praise, but I cant seem to find them anywhere online and the store seems to be closed. I am really interested in this Hi Driller rig he makes that I saw online kind of like a swing jig but its more of a bullet weight design with a screw lock.

X3 for dirty jigs, have lots of them and have caught a ton of fish on them. That "no jack hook" is not messing around that thing has some serious meat to it.

X3 Absolutely love this rod for jigs

X2 I originally purchased rage craws to start out with because so many people here spoke so highly of them, glad I did amazing baits. I started looking for smaller trailers and the paca craws came highly recommended, once again great advise as they produced a lot of bass for me last year. Wasn't until I saw the full size netbait craws in a bargain bin for like 1.00 that I realized they make great baits for flipping all by themselves, I really like the big profile they put off and they are very soft so no worries about missing fish with these. Little secret (missing an arm doesn't slow these things down a bit they still produce like crazy) shhhhh don't tell anyone

x4 works great up here and in some Idaho lakes I frequent its a killer for my buddy.

I couldn't agree more, I sadly admit that I sometimes cheat on BR only because another sight has a Hot Deals section where the members post up good finds online and local. I have found many good deals using that sight (which I'm always a fan of) To think we used to make fun of women for going crazy about sales but truth be told guys we are just as bad, nothing will loosen up my wallet faster that a tackle sale

I generally enjoy a subtle touch on my gear, over the last few years I've notices a lot of manufactures putting out blanks that are flat, no high shine to them at all ex(*** and dobyns blanks) many more than that but those are the ones I own. I like the flat look because they pair up with my lews reels very well. Generally if its black Ill like it. A while back I saw a lot of guys promoting the Powell endurance rods so I went on to TW to check them out, god those rods are hideous, purple with pink highlights what the heck where they thinking on those. Ill take a flat black setup all day. So like many have said performance is key but if it pairs up and looks nice that's just a bonus (but you wont catch me with a purple pink rod I don't care how nice it fishes)