hubshooter

I've been fortunate in the sense that I haven't had any fishing equipment stolen, however, I did have some of my tools stolen out of my unlocked tool box one time. After that, I lock everything down short of a cardboard box when its not in my garage. Hate to hear about your gear though. Hopefully you can replace it at minimal cost.

I own two Quantums myself, one EXO and a Team KVD. The EXO is an overall good reel, however, there are certain features about it that aren't aesthetically pleasing such as the side plate not having the brake adjustment on it. For the money I would prefer to have a magnetic and centrifugal brake (I bought the reel at a discounted price though). Given I do own three Lew's reels and they have aforementioned feature. Plus they just are ergonomically pleasing for me. Just my two cents.

Another tool you can use to learn the topography of your lake is the Navionics web app http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en Then get on the water and find some of the structure you identified on the app and see what shows up on your graph. Good luck man!

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

I know it can happen, but as to will it happen is a different story. IMO it depends on the mood of the fish and time of year.

Originally I always fished my strengths, mainly because I caught fish doing it. However, since I got stationed in Georgia I had to throw that approach out the window, due to the major difference in type of lakes I fished. Becoming versatile feels about the same as college classes, always getting something new crammed into my head On the flip side, it gives me an awesome excuse for donating to the local tackle shop! I really enjoy learning anything and everything I can, which in the long run makes me a more proficient angler.

5 1/2 lb Spotted bass on a 3/8 oz Pop'r

Strike King Swim'n Caffeine shad, Zoom Fat Albert Grub or Twin tailed grub

That is a MONSTER of a spot! My 5lber fought like Mike Tyson, so I can only imagine what that fighting that one was like.

I started crappie fishing with my Dad around 3 or 4, as I grew up a family friend got me hooked on the bass fishing bug. Before I knew it, I was reading every fishing magazine I could get my hands on. Then anytime I got some cash I was buying new gear. I still have a bunch of those lures and can associate a memory with each and everyone of them. However, the biggest thing I have learned is that repeating the same thing over and over yields mediocre results, so change things up and learn new techniques.

Middle of spring, partly cloudy with a front moving in, temps in the high 70s. Those kind of days make me want to quit my day job!