phototex

Original #11 balsa Rapala, buzz bait, Yellow Magic, antique PIco Slasher, Jitterbug.

LM -10 lb, 1 oz, caught on a black/blue flake Ribbit frog. Great fight. Released to fight again. SM - 5 lb, 2 oz, caught at night on a 1/2 oz black single-spin with black Colorado blade and black skirt

Thanks, Y'all.

Bass Baby is ABS-plastic-type pond boat.

I have somewhat of a dilemma, and need some fresh ideas. I fish out of an 8-foot Bass Baby, and want to upgrade to a foot-controlled TM. My problem is how best to securely mount the base. My mind is going numb - Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance for any brainstorms!

Never, but never, go into a tackle shop with a credit card or a checkbook. Carry ONLY a little cash and buy only what what you went in for.

It's also important to remember that in any given body of water, not all bass will spawn at the same time. In my area, the spawn usually starts in mid-March, but can continue well into May. Another point to remember is that some bass, especially some of the biggest, spawn in deeper water than other bass. They can also spawn shallow ON timber standing in deep water.

I stick to timbered or brush-filled water and either use an anchor or a brush hook to hold me in place. Then I normally cast either upwind or downwind and keep my rod tip down to keep the bow out of my line. Works for me.....sometimes.

I've paid for mine, but it's on backorder until (I hope) mid-March. On this unit, does water temp display all the time, or is it necessary to push a button (or something) to see the temp?

A dropoff is not a ledge. A ledge is a flatter surface ON a dropoff...like something on a cliff face that you could walk on if there wasn't any water.

A small drop of solder will keep umbrella rig snaps from opening. Also prevents losing spinnerbait swivels and blades.

Even if a thermocline exists in the summer, the deeper water gets well mixed with oxygen once the lake turns over in the fall, so the thermocline disappears. If the water is really clear, I'd concentrate on that point already mentioned at the south end and the dropoff from 13' into 26' on the northeast end. I would probably use 8-12# line with smaller lures during the day. Try those spots at night during the summer by slow-rolling a black single-colorado-bladed spinnerbait just off the bottom. Also try topwater between dusk and dawn....and good luck.

When I lived in Spokane, Washington where the lakes ice over every winter, I usually spent my free time doing fishing-related things like wrapping rods, cleaning and lubricating reels, sharpening hooks, tightening hook hanger screws, and things like that. Worked on the boat and trailer at times, too. Not as much fun as bass fishing, but it sure beat shoveling snow. Glad I live in Texas now, though.....

Very nice indeed - congratulations to you both!

I used to, all the time. Then I got into tournament fishing, and mostly 'burned the bank' with my TM. Now, after reading Murphy's book, and fishing out of a pond boat in Texas, I find that I often HAVE TO anchor in these ferocious winds. (By the way - "Stitching" works.)

Texas, Minnesota, Washington, Idaho, Arkansas, California, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, + Ontario, CA and Tamaulipas, Mexico

Fishing up in Washington State, I caught a 4+ pound rainbow trout on a 6" live waterdog. I caught a nutria on a Zara Spook. Bullfrog on a frog-shaped flyrod popper, 4-lb Bowfin on spinnerbait, 6+ channel cat on jig & pork eel, etc.

I have no idea - but most of the really big bass that I've personallyl caught hit between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Night fishing for big smallmouths in northeast Washington's deep, clear lakes

Depth.

Can't remember if I've posted on this thread or not. If I have, please forgive an old fart. First of all, I've used the 8' version of both Bass Buster and Bass Hunter for more than 10 years, and have never felt the need for a rudder with my bow-mounted 30# MinnKotas.

I've eaten bass all my life. Bass tournaments give extra points for fish released alive, so a stigma became attached; it's now "immoral" to kill bass. What rubbish! I don't kill every bass I catch, but I certainly keep some to eat most of the time. I, too, dislike the "weedy" or "muddy" taste that some bass in the South have - at certain times of year. For bass caught in those places and at those times, simply soak your filets in milk or salt water for an hour or two, and then rinse and cook them. In my experience, that prevents any "weedy" or "muddy" taste. I now have to drastically limit my intake of fried foods, so I seldom eat beer batter- or cornmeal-fried fish; but my favorite way to cook bass is to baste the filets with butter and then grill them over charcoal. Yum! I think Northern Pike is just about as good as walleye or crappie (both better than bass), but I hate those Y-shaped bones in pike. Remember, y'all - different people have different tastes - which is mostly a sense of smell, anyway. Each to his/her own, I say. If you prefer steak, fish for steers!

This.