Daniel My Brother

Beautiful fish and nice pics, keep 'em coming!

My best friend lives 10 miles from Coffeen lake, a 25hp limit lake east of St. Louis. He has the same boat you're looking at (I think it's a 2002). He weighs in around 210, I'm about 180. We carry 2 coolers, and plenty of gear and that little boat gets up on plane no problem and peaks out on the speedo at 24mph (I have NO idea how accurate this is). I really enjoy fishing out of this boat, even on larger lakes. If you've fished this long out of a plastic boat with an electric trolling motor, you'll be thrilled with the Tracker. I don't know if it's the best boat for the money, and I don't know what the resale value is, but it is a fine boat for fishing. Good luck!

For me, fishing for crappie means finding a brush pile and figuring out how deep the crappie are holding. I'd get an extra long pole (as long as 12 feet-2 piece) that would allow you to fish vertically, even in heavy cover. A lightweight president sounds like more than enough reel for the job. My crappie reel was pulled off an old Bill Dance $29.99 BPS special. Not much power, but you don't need much to pull in a crappie.

A lot of top crappie fishermen prefer marabou jigs over minnows (most crappie tourneys allow both live and artificial bait). The argument is that minnows are time consuming, re-baiting after every fish. A couple of successful local tourney guys have also determined that jigheads with painted on eyes outperform solid colored jigheads. That said, I am not a top crappie fisherman and I have my best luck with minnows.

Great fish guys! How cold is the water down there this time of year?

I like it all, especially appetizers...Stuffed mushrooms, hot wings, tater skins, it's all good!

Welcome Ashley! I've got 4 daughters ranging in age from 4 to 16 and they all love to fish. Good to hear about other young ladies who enjoy fishing. This is a good site and you'll like it here.

7" and 10" Berkley Power Worms. Usually with a small bullet weight, straight shank hook, texas rigged. Favorite color is electric grape. My next favorite is a 5" Tiki Stick with 4/0 EWG hook, weightless, texas rigged. Favorite color is watermellon with red flake.

1. Jitterbug 2. Stanley Ribbet Frog 3. Hula Popper 4. Buzzbait I've never met a topwater I didn't like, these are just the ones I fish most often. My favorite time for topwater is in the evenings anytime after Memorial Day. I can't wait for spring!!!

1 lb = Large 2 lb = Huge 3 lb = Monster 4 lb = Record

I think a good, sensitive rod will probably help put more fish in the boat than a high end reel. If you're looking to buy both you might want to consider buying a combo when they're on sale. BPS does a nice job of pairing good reels with good rods and selling them at substantial discounts.

Check out Maptech for lots of good, free info. http://www.maptech.com/

God help any child who looks to the NBA for role models. That said, I love watching Iverson play. He always looks to be a step quicker than any other player on the floor. Speaking of practice, lots of veteran players sit out practice. The NBA regular season is brutal and Iverson plays 42 minutes a night...Wait, I can't believe I'm defending AI! Somebody stop me...I...can't...help...myself!

I'm a transplant to Cape Girardeau, MO. I mostly fish Southern Illinois lakes (Cedar, Little Grassy, Devil's Kitchen) and some local farm ponds. In 2007 my goal is try out some of the smaller rivers around here. I don't really know where to start, but I've got plenty of time to research. If the water's not crunchy, I'm willing to fish.

Great fish and great pictures! Bass fishing in shorts in December, you guys are living the good life! 8-)

I picked up a Pinnacle Extant HS Metal baitcaster from Wally World. I'm very pleased with it after 1 full season of heavy use. 1 question, anyone know who performs maintenance on these reels? Not many people talk about Pinnacles.

Hey Jim, I'm sorry if I jumped too quick. You do seem like a good guy and I have enjoyed your contributions to the site. Dan

So Jim, are you trying to be funny or are you just that rude? Our man if feeling good about himself after busting his a#$ delivering packages all day...and the first thing you can think to do is shoot him down? Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas from my 4 fishing buddies and me!

That's not a fish, it's a football! What a fat chunk! Well done and thanks for posting pics. What'd you catch her on?

I Agree, the Jitterbug is definitely a must have lure. It's so old, I think some people forget about it, but it catches numbers of fish and big fish. Excellent evening bait. I like the bigger 3" model in black.

All purpose cool lure? That's easy, Jitterbug. If you don't believe me, ask your grandpa!

Beautiful fish. Good to see somebody doing well!

Way to go Bagwell! Signed, C. Biggio (seriously, WAY TO GO!)

Nice Catching! It's been a lot longer than a month since I've been out in shorts and a t-shirt!