Jar11591

We got ourselves a ballgame fellas!

That is definitely a smallmouth bass.

Well now you can't just not post a picture! We gotta see this!

What a start!!

Definitely pulling for GS, mainly because I don't care for LeBron's antics. But there is no denying him and Kyrie were absolutely feeling it the last couple games. Its gonna be tough for GS I think. And I have taken a liking to the whole Warriors team. Curry, Thompson, Green, Kerr...just a fun team to watch. So much chemistry and fluidity in their offense. I think the X-factor of this game will come down to Klay Thompson. Nobody in the league can catch fire like Klay Thompson, and if he is knocking down shots I think the Warriors roll right along with him. But without Bogut defending the rim, they are a little thin on the C position. Ezeli isn't terrible, but Mo Speights is really a non-factor on defense. He has become more of a 7' spot up 3 shooter. We are in for some good basketball!

No picture posted, but I am going to take a wild guess and say it was probably a walleye. They have a similar color scheme to smallmouth, fairly large teeth and often inhabit the same areas as smallmouth. I know the Susquehanna is full of them as well.

I'm right handed, and I reel, cast, and hold the rod with my right. Both bait casting and spinning. As far as the "switching hands" thing goes, I do it without even thinking. It literally takes less than one second to change a rod from left hand to right. Reeling with my left hand, (or anything for that matter) feels like I never developed my motor skills properly lol. I have been fishing this way my whole life. I think this is due to my father being a lefty. He taught me how to fish, and him being a lefty, he would reel with his right. Yup! This is me too.

Did you eat the gator? I have heard that alligator is delicious but have never tried it. I want to though!

While an east wind won't stop me from going out, I have seen situations where the east wind may have affected the bite. A couple years ago I was fishing for smallmouth on an offshore rock pile. We were destroying the smallies, like boating 50+ in just a couple hours. We did this for 3 straight evenings. On the fourth day the wind changed from W to E, and that night we only boated 1 or 2. It was like a light switch. Went from 3 days of incredible fishing, to slow as can be and the only thing that changed was the wind direction . Take that for what it's worth. Don't let a little east wind stop you from going out though!

A couple shots from the recent fishing/camping trip. Great fishing all weekend. Top-water bite was ON FIRE! Got these guys along with 99% of the bass on a Rapala Skitter Walk. Pictures of the best fish are on a camera which now resides at the bottom of the lake Most fish were spawned out and skinny, but wanted that Skitter Walk!

Testing out the new tripod. Gotta move it back apparently lol. I did okay this morning. Once I found the bluegill spawn beds, I found the bass. Even sight fished a couple. Best was 18". I forgot my sunglasses, and got a headache from squinting which forced me in earlier than I would have liked.

Braid has almost ZERO sensitivity on a totally slack line. However on semi-slack line, ( a slight bow in your line, not just laying limp on the water) to me there is nothing better. Mono and fluoro still retain some of their sensitivity when totally slack, braid not so much. Just remember to keep the braid just slack enough to let your baits fall naturally, while not having it lay on the water.

With braid, I would use a 10-12lb mono leader for all trebles. This is a personal preference. And a fluorocarbon leader isn't a must, but does offer a few advantages. When I tie on a fluorocarbon leader, I go 17-25 lbs. More often its 25lb.

20lb braid on the spinning 50lb braid on the casting Power Pro is my braid of choice.

I get all my tungsten weights from www.SiebertOutdoors.com Once you try tungsten, you'll never go back to lead!

All the other scratches are from bass, they were destroying the lure all weekend. The only reason they're so visible is the chrome color of the lure. A lot of my chrome colored or shiny lures have scratches from bass teeth, which are a lot like sand paper. I'll have to look closer at some of my lures. I've never noticed the U-shaped hook rash, even on lures that are years old and have caught tons of fish.

I have a ton of lures that are scratched up, but I've never seen hook rash so perfectly shaped. This must be due to the side-to-side walking the dog action of the lure. But even then, I have a bunch of Skitter Walks I have used for several years and don't have such hook rash. Covered in teeth marks and hook scratches, but not such perfectly shaped hook rash. Pretty cool!

I knew there had to be a cause. I really had a hard time believing it could have been from a pike or muskie, but I had absolutely no other ideas. Wow do I feel dumb! I don't know how I've never seen that before, and I use Skitter Walks all the time! You learn something new every day I guess! Thanks Fellas!

@A-Jay, I think the punctures are actually just a reflection or glare as the bait doesn't have any holes. Just looks that way. I had a hell of a time getting a decent picture of the mark I am reffering to, because this bait is so shiny. I realize now they still aren't the best pictures. I circled it on these pictures. All the scratches are definitely bass, but this mark I circled looks totally different. Its duck-bill shaped like a pike or muskie and is made up of what look to be tiny teeth marks. That was it! LOL Thanks! I have never seen that before!

There are 2 places I don't mind having bass teeth marks. My lures and my thumbs! Both have been taking a beating lately! Check out the back treble. (Yes that is a dried bass lip ) What would you say about the gouge in the middle of the lure? Have you ever seen a pike or muskie leave a gouge like this? I just have no idea what it could be from!

Last weekend I went on a fishing/camping trip to a lake that is stocked with tiger muskie every year. I wasn't fishing for tiger muskies, I was targeting bass and doing very well. I was crushing them on a Rapala Skitter Walk in chrome color. In the pictures below, you can see the lure is covered in teeth marks that look like scratches.These are from bass destroying the lure. But there is also a perfectly duck-bill shaped gouge right in the middle of the lure that looks completely different than the bass teeth marks. I'm really having a hard time figuring out what this could be from. Is it possible this is from a tiger muskie? I did have a couple missed strikes and also had 1-2 come unhooked that I assumed were bass. No pike or pickerel are listed in this lake. I just have no idea what else this could be from. What do you guys think?

Awesome videos, and beautiful fish. That place really seems unbelievable. If all goes to plan, I'll be making the trip late this year or early next year!

Maybe take an hour to practice your leader knots. Cut off a few yards of each line you'll be using, sit at the kitchen table and just tie your knot over and over until you get it right every time. I know I've been saying it a lot lately, but getting good at tying leader knots is important, and having confidence that they will not break is just as important. I use the Albright special knot, but there are several knots that will work, including the one you use. Leaders can be advantageous in many situations, and I use them a lot, from 8 lb mono to 25lb fluoro. I have 100% confidence in my leader knots holding up, and I got that way by practicing.

I'm gonna have to pick up a Mojo. I still have a first generation Mojo, and while it is an ok rod, I'm not in love with it. I have heard a lot of good things about the Mojo 2s. It's about time to buy another rod anyway...

Some people will say a fluoro leader is necessary in clear water, some say it isn't. I'm not convinced either way, but I often tie on a 6' 25lb fluoro leader just for the confidence while flipping and pitching. Either way, getting good at tying leader knots is something I highly recommend. Leaders can give you an advantage in a lot of situations, and having confindence that it won't break at the knot is huge. I have 100% confidence in my leader knots and can't remember ever having one break on me.