Daniel My Brother

10,877 members, that's a lot of opinions and a lot of emotions. There are members here who's opinion I value and everything else is pure entertainment.

It won't help you this weekend, but take pictures! No doubt you'll see great fish holding structure that will be underwater when the lake gets back to normal levels. Good luck!

Think about hiring a guide. I've got a 4 day fishing trip in October, and we've got an outstanding Muskie guide scheduled for the first day. I've never fished for Muskie in my life and even if we don't catch a fish, I know I'll get my money's worth just by picking his brain and watching him work. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Be careful Bassn Blvd, these things usually come in 3s. By the way, would you be free to take my mother-in-law for a drive this weekend? :

Your logic is flawed. You like Toyotas because you get more time on the road, less time in the shop. Gloomis rods seem to break more often than lesser price rods, which is costing Bassn Blvd time on the water.

It's working. Funny stuff. Did you create that?

Yes, bass will hit topwater at night. Jitterbugs are my personal favorite for night bass.

I would guess part of your problem is the length of your rod, especially if your spinning rods are considerably longer. I know when I switch from a 7' rod to a 6' rod I need to make adjustments to release my thumb sooner.

Ditto. I'll add that if you hear banjo music, just quietly leave the area.

I used it on a spinning reel and it seemed very stiff and it coiled up like a phone cord. I switched to p-line cxx and have been very happy with it in the 6lb test.

No problem. I laughed when I read it. ;D ;D I picked a stupid screen name, but I've used it for so long that I don't even think about it anymore. By the way, 6lbs is a MONSTER fish for as far north as you are! Congrats.

There are a lot of servicable baitcasters in your price range. The Abu Garcia C3 is as durable as a tank and will serve you for years. It is a round baitcaster as opposed to a low profile baitcaster, but it works the same way. Some folks with smaller hands don't care for round reels. I have small hands but they don't bother me. They are $75 at BPS, cheaper on ebay. Right now Bass Pro Shops has all of their store brand reels on sale. The BPS Extreme is a good value for $65. Also, check out the flea market section of this website. If you find a reel in your price range you can look it up at Bass Pro's website and read customer reviews. Or post a question here and get plenty of feedback. Happy Hunting! Dan (not Danielle :)

I like using baitcasters and spinning reels. The biggest benefit of a baitcaster is that your line doesn't get as twisted as it does with a spinning reel. Twisted line is more likely to become unmanageable, or worse yet, break while fighting a fish. I enjoy spinning reels for throwing lightweight lures, but for everything else I prefer a baitcaster. Equipment, and especially line, are so much better today that you could use either one exclusively and still be successful. If I remember right your lake is filled with lilly pads. If so, you might want to consider switching to braided line. It will cut right through those pads and not damage the line. I don't use leaders, except on one rod that I use braid on. I also don't use snaps, but I've been considering trying them on my crankbait rod based on what I've been reading here. I know it's no fun to keep retying every third fish, but you'll be glad you did when that 4th fish is a monster. Good luck!

Ask the fish if it hurts. If he says "yes" then stop fishing. Otherwise I think you're ok.

Welcome to Bass Resource! "Best" is very subjective, but here's a great recent thread that you should find helpful... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1188819028

I AGREE! Last weekend I fished a series of 7 small farm ponds with a friend, and each pond fished differently. What worked on one, didn't draw a bite on the next. We only fished for 6 hours that day, but I leared a lot more than I would have if we would have stuck to the bigger pond. It also confirmed some things I've read here (but sometimes doubted). Color matters. Dark baits really did outperform realistic colors in muddy water (and vice-versa in clear water) Topwater works at midday...if the lake level is low and the water is muddy. Big fish will hit fast moving baits, even when the water's hot. While the fishing was great, It was the first day all season that I couldn't buy a bite on a soft stick bait. That one I can't figure out.

That is just too cool. Thanks for posting it.

Dear NFL, Thank you for the Monday Night Football double header! 2 competetive games in the same night! Some years you can't give us 2 competetive games in the same season. I'd much rather watch a close game with 2 lesser knowns, than yet another Colts blowout.

I think it was Catt who says "Do what you've always done and you'll get what you've always got" I've said that to myself on several occasions as a motivator to try something different.

That's a pretty innovative design. I hope it catches fish!

It happens to all of us. I hope your luck turns soon. It seems like a lot of the Maryland fishermen on this board target smallmouth on the rivers...and do pretty well.

Don't overlook television. It takes a lot of people to make a show on the Outdoor Channel, or Versus, or Foxsports, or ESPN, and it can be tough to find a crew willing to travel most of the year...even if that travel is fun and involves fishing. Entry level jobs in television are numerous (especially in local news) for a willing videographer wanting to make a name for himself. SIU Carbondale has an outstanding television program here locally. I've worked in local TV for 20 years and shot a few fishing shows back in the early 90s. I will warn you, it's hard to run a camera all day just 3 feet away from people who are catching fish like crazy...but you'll learn a lot.

Good advice Fletchero. I hear a lot of people comparing the new Citicas to the old Curados, but from my experience it's no contest, those old green reels can't be beat.

I've got a Shimano Citica 200D that I picked up for $100 new at a show this past winter. The retrieve is not the smoothest, but it felt great in my hand and it casts a country mileat least it used to. After a couple of months of regular use it started making noise on the cast and the casting distance was cut in half. I sent it to the factory in hopes that it would be covered under warranty. It wasn't. They cleaned and serviced the reel and sent it back (along with a bill) proclaiming it repaired. Sadly, the casting distance, while improved, is still poor compared to almost every other reel I use (including an Abu C4 and a couple of old green Curados). I've tried adjusting the centrifugal brake (currently 2 pins out) and the friction knob, but this does not solve the problem. Now I've got 2 questions: 1. Has anyone else experienced casting problems with the Citica? 2. Would you continue to sink money into this reel? Including shipping and repair costs, I've got $140 in this reel. :-[

With $300 I'd buy: 2 x BPS Extreme baitcast rod/reel combos at $100 each (on sale now) 1 x Pflueger President spinning reel / BPS Extreme combo at $100 (Sale price) That's 3 combos that would handle all of my fishing needs for years to come.