Daniel My Brother

GRRRRRReat Pix! That's a day I'm sure they'll remember...and some of those big 'gills look positively ready to pop!

Excellent Fish!

As Homer Simpson says "It's funny 'cause it's not me". ;D

Right now, here's what I like: 6lb Pline CXX for spinning 12lb Berkley Big Game for most baitcasting (good and cheap) 40lb Power Pro for heavy cover

There's a store in Dexter, Missouri that sells All-Star Classics, 3 for $100 (or $39 / each). No warranty, but still a great rod for the money. I also have a Quantum Tour Edition IM8 that retails for about $25 that I still use often. And I'll agree with others that Lightning Rods catch a lot of bass.

GREAT story...and I dig the outfit.

Congrats on your tourney. I'm originally from up around that way and I'll say that's the biggest bass I've seen out of Mark Twain. I'd love to hear some details about that catch.

Quality and quantity! Sounds like a perfect day to me!

Before I offer my opinion, I'll say that I don't think you can go wrong with any of the reels suggested. Over the past couple of years I've bought a Citica, a Prodigy, and an Abu C4...all under $100 and all are good reels for the money. But the Cabelas Prodigy is my favorite, and since it is a store brand reel it should go on sale before the end of the season (I picked mine up for $69.99 in the fall). Here's a review: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewcabelas2007reelpreview.html Good luck with whatever you choose! Dan

Mike, I'm a transplant to Cape, and Duck Creek is one of places I haven't made it to yet. I've heard great things about it and I hope to get there soon before the weeds take over in the summer. So many good lakes, too little time to fish 'em all. Take care, Dan

Great fish! I can't believe there are still places that are so cold you need a heavy jacket! It's in the 90s here.

Cool story and GREAT pictures. Gotta love it!

Great fish!

I can't imagine having to leave my family. I feel for you. Stay safe and know that we're all proud of what you do.

State record? I'm more likely to win the lottery. But to answer your question: I'm keeping it.

It's a lot easier to spot a population of stunted bass than it is to fix the problem. If I were you I would start with a call to the owners of the lake, then follow up with a call to the IDNR. There are a lot of good articles on the subject here at Bass Resource... Here's just one http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/forage_bass_balance.html

This is good advice. Is there an owner to ask, or is the pond still owned by the company that mined it?

Any time of year, any time of day, you can catch fish on soft plastics. Some days there may be a better choice, but a plastic worm is never a bad choice.

I dig that carp on a crank. I spent an entire summer as a kid fishing for carp at the local high school pond. I never once thought to try a crankbait!

Great catch and picture! Congratulations to your son. :)

Good catchin'! Sometimes a lake that hasn't been fished in a while gets overpopulated and the bass become stunted (all small, all about the same size). Another sign of a stunted bass population is a good population of big bluegill (too big for the little bass to eat). That said, if the bass are as fat as you're saying, then they're getting plenty to eat and there are probably big ones in there. Just keep plugging away. Big worms, texas rigged around the weedlines always seem to produce something. And don't forget about the night bight. Big fish will often come shallow to feed at night. Good luck! Dan

Regardless of the weight, that is a nice Walleye. Congrats.

Thanks Senile! It's way more luck than skill (and of course access to some great ponds). It's been a fun spring, I just hope it continues. Give me a holler if you're ever down this way visiting.

I fished Thursday and Sunday evenings. On Thursday I couldn't buy a topwater bite. On Sunday I caught several nice fish on topwater. As a general rule I'll try topwater anytime between Memorial Day and Labor Day, usually in low light or dark.

Another EXCELLENT choice. Congrats CJ!!! :)