Daniel My Brother

A lot of times they just go to Bass Pro Shop and pull the biggest one out of the tank. Then they have to hide the tank by blurring the picture. ;D ;D Seriously, if I were a guide and I had a hot spot that nobody knew about, I'd probably do the same.

I thought he was the guy on "Dirty Jobs" Mike Rowe is quite the talented guy. He stars in Dirty Jobs, but also narrates a number of shows including "American Chopper" and "Deadliest Catch" among others. The guy even sings Opera! No kidding.

Ha! I enjoyed that very much! In fact, I plan to catch an easy 10 pounder tomorrow...or maybe yesterday. :

My problem with this is that I ENJOY using different rods and reels, even if it means my presentation isn't always as consistent as it could be. I would get no joy making a 2 pound bass ski across the water using a heavy rod and heavy line. Put that same fish on a light rod and 6# test and you're in for a good time.

Hi, my name is Dan and I'm a line-switch-aholic. Right now my favorite for soft plastics is Trilene Flourocarbon. Very strong and the clear doesn't turn white after 2 outings like so many other "clear" lines do. Plus, it's fairly cheap for Flouro and you can pick it up at Wally World.

X2 I've got both a new Prodigy and a Citica. I paid $109 for the Citica (bought it before the rebate), and around $69 for the Prodigy. I prefer the Prodigy over the Citica. It casts farther, reels smoother, and fits better in my hand. The Citica is a fine reel, but I would be happy to trade it for another Prodigy.

Dang it RoLo! You beat me to it! ;D

Great fish...but that car in the background looks like a 1950's model, so I'm gonna guess that it's not Perry's fish.

Darren, How did you do?

I noticed you're in New Paltz, which I believe is New York. My guess is that the water temps are still pretty cold, and the bass are holding in deeper water and are not very active yet, especially at 7:30 in the morning. Your best chance at catching fish this time of year is to try fishing during the warmest part of the day, when fish are most likely to be active. Also, as a general rule, when the bite is tough you need to slow down your presentation and downsize your bait. Keep tossing those soft plastics and good luck!

That is just incredible! Well done and congratulations! :o

That is a beautiful little custom boat you made. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the ideas!

I've been told not to screw the seat pedestal directly onto the bench seat as the screws might pull out if you're not careful. I chose to add a 1/2 piece of plywood between my seat and and the pedestal. There are other options, and this website shows a few of them, including a .125 aluminum reinforcement plate for about $20. http://www.akmccallumco.com/store-seatacess.htm (edited to add picture)

You should hook 'em in the armpit.

Darren, I live in Cape Girardeau and fish strip pits in Southern Illinois a lot. A bass is a bass. The water temps should reach the low 50s this weekend. That's ideal for jerkbaits like an x-rap or rattling rogue. I caught the fish in my avatar at a strip pit 10 days ago on a senko, fished like a jerkbait (jerk, pause, reel, jerk, pause, reel...) in 15 feet of water. The only fish we found shallow were on the northern most end of the lake. One last thought. A lot of times we'll troll a minnow behind the boat as we work the lake. It's a great way to locate bass (and crappie) Good luck! Dan

Swiss Cakes and Busch Light.

I only bring 1. If I brought 2, I'd probably lean one against a tree and forget about it. :-[

Don't forget about suspending jerkbaits when the water temp is in the 40s and 50s.

I've bowled in leagues for the past 20+ years. When I was single I bowled 3 nights a week. Now I only bowl on Thursdays. We drink and play cards while we bowl. Great fun with a great group of guys. I hope I'm still doing this when I'm 80... If I'm lucky enough to live that long.

I try not to think about what it's costing...but if I break it down: $15 gas to and from my favorite lake ($3 gallon) $2 gas for the boat (mostly troll, though I fire up the 9.8hp merc a couple times a trip) Sometimes more, sometimes less. When gas is high I'm happy to have a 14' jon and a decent mileage mini-van to tow with. Big Lakes+Big Trucks+Big Boats = Big Money

Yes! I grew up fishing for carp, and sometimes I still miss it. I wish I still had my old carp bait recipes. At one time I remember hearing that carp were the number 1 sportfish in the world.

I like the round weights, mostly because when I'm not using my dropshot rig the round weight stores nicely in my BPS Hook Holder. Here's the hook holder from BPS And here it is at work

Fried chicken and Busch Light.

If I were in your shoes I'd be looking for a jon boat 14' or longer and 48" or wider at the base. I've got a 14x36 that I put a small deck on. It's comfortable for 2 people to fish from seated, or just me standing. If you both want to stand, wider is better.

Cool flounder. I didn't know you could catch them in the same waters as bass (or that they'd eat a tiki stick). Not too many exotic fish here in the midwest.