flyingmonkie

I have the tendency to break the line when I clip them on… I want to cinch them up nice and tight! Gotta be gentle. I like the pencil type the best. I rarely fish for suspended fish with a drop shot, and am usually dragging bottom. Pencil weights get hung-up much less. I suspect round would be better if fishing in open water as you wouldn't have to worry about any "flutter" during a decent. I've also had ok luck with a bullet sinker slipped on backwards. You can cap off the end of your line with a split-shot, or tie on something like a split-ring. Works in a pinch.

Oklahoma!!! The eastern half is loaded with beautiful lakes, and cost of living here is dirt cheap. We also have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and were recently voted the most "recession proof" state. Tulsa is a great city with several AWESESOME lakes, including last year's Classic lake, within an hour drive. Where I'm at, on the other hand, isn't that great. I would love to either be in the NE, or SE corner of the state. Geographic fact, Oklahoma has almost 56,000 miles of freshwater shoreline. I grew up hearing this was more than any other state, but Minnesota has us beat.

And Pintrest... goodNESS!

To a certain extent, yes... that's how I would define a reaction strike. But if you're not trying to get an instinctual reaction, then you're trying to fool the fish into biting something that kinda looks real. And to do this, you need to have some knowledge about what they are eating. This is why the concept of matching the hatch is so important, and why you see pro's turning over rocks to catch a crawdad before a tournament. I'm off to read "Whats for Lunch" now, though, thanks for the recommendation Raul. To answer the original question, I would say "it depends". It depends on where you are and what the forage is. I'd break things down and research the life cycles of specific bait fish in your area.

I've been on a solid 1-2 hours a night for the past couple weeks. So glad I found you guys! It's hard being this passionate about something and having nobody to talk to about it. Even my "fishing buddies" thank I'm nuts. But you guys... you guys are awesome. I feel at home.

Great Classic! I'm happy for Howell - he did deserve it. Maybe E2 can get it next year. Back to the Winter Olympics I guess... wait, what?!?

Evers is within 4 lbs. Clutch!

The difference is that "public" golf courses are still privately owned and not supported by tax dollars - they are public because they don't require a membership. Lake Guntersville is a State Park, so technically, it belongs to the residents of Alabama.

I've got Edwin! Yesterday, I had 4 guys in the top 10... not doing as well now, but I've got numero uno.

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/evers-eases-bassmaster-classic-lead-1-ounce Third to last paragraph. Have fun! Just saw KVD missed the cut by one - maybe you'll run into him at the Expo.

Nope... was just reading on Bassmaster.com an hour ago and clearly remember seeing "All B.A.S.S. events are free".

Dude................................. dude...

I don't see this lasting much longer. I think we'll look back 10 years from now and comment on how weird it was. I think part of the novelty in spectating is that it ISN'T policed, and it's fee - almost too good to be true? You can't keep people off the lakes, but you can keep them away from the boats. I'd be surprised if there's not a lake patrol boat for ever fisherman at Guntersville... there is no reason why they couldn't enforce a distance rule at the least.

I was at day three on Grand last year... there were a lot of boats out, but most of us kept our distance. I remember some floaters getting a little close to Cliff and he had to say something - that was the only problem I recall. The camera boats got surprisingly close, and the low-flying helicopters were annoying as all hell though.

Is it just me, or does anybody else feel like they've waited years for a chance to explain their screen name? When I was a kid, my brother and our friends would frequent the trampoline. We split up into "trampoline teams", and I guess because we thought we looked funny or something, my team called itself the Flying Monkeys. It stuck with me, and my first internet username was Flyingmonkie. I use an "ie" and not "ey" because the correct spelling had already been taken. It's stuck for almost two decades. Tight lines!

Oh, I'm aware! I actually rarely use the A-rig because of this - maybe I'm a purist. I've been watching the War Room live stream all morning, and they were having a good convo about the A-Rig. Mark Zona asked a local Pro (not sure who it was) if it was possible that the Bass at Guntersville had become so accustomed to seeing the A-Rig - the "widow maker" as he calls it - that more traditional baits like lipless cranks and jigs would get more bites. Compelling argument, and conceivable when you consider that apparently EVERYBODY throws the A-Rig on that lake.

I've got 4 in the top 10! It's early, but good start.

I never use any backing with my flouro. I can see how it would save you money, but compared to all the other fishing stuff we "invest" money in, a full-spool of flouro is a drop in the bucket. I've had great luck backing heavy braid with mono - its a miracle cure for constant backlashes. Haven't had a practical reason to back flourocarbon though.

I can usually guess pretty close by biting the line.

Alabama rig! Rippin Lips is on the right track. Might throw in a football jig too.

The separation between your bait and the weight is purely a matter of how much tension you have on your line. There would be separation during the free-fall to the bottom (maybe this is what you are asking?), amount of which would be determined by size of weight, bait profile, and line type. Once you start the retrieve, however, your line will pull through the weight until you've made contact with the bait.

I grew up fishing Burtschi! My first "intentional" bass was caught there when I was 14 or 15. It's really small, but is only about an hour from you. The lake nearest Altus (Altus Lugert) recently had a fish kill... which is too bad because it's a beautiful rocky lake. An employee of mine swears there is some great fishing in the various ponds and small lakes in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge (no big boats, however). It's also worth an hour drive north to Fort Cobb St. Park. I spent every weekend there as a kid and it was killer for hybrid bass and catfish - I look forward to going back someday to fish it for bass. Two of my favorite lakes in the state are less than 2 hours east of you - Murray, and Arbuckle.

I'm a frequent visitor of Murray, about 20 minutes north of Texoma - it too is at record lows. The locals say they've never seen it this low (between 8-12 feet the past 2 years). It's a deep clear lake with very little watershed. The running joke is that it will take 8 feet of rain to fill it up. :/

Speaking of dinks, Felix77, I've gotta say that I've been a fan of your avatar picture since the day I signed up on Bassresource! I have a similar picture from one of my most infamous outings ever. Fished a picture-perfect lake for 8 hours, and only caught one fish... a largie that was smaller than my crankbait.

Awesome, thanks! I was lucky 13.