hawgenvy

Thanks! Catch some good ones.

Lew's Tournament MB Speed Spool Casting Reel -- $140. Might be an option. I have one. Like it. Comes in different speeds. Only 6.7 oz. Good looker, too

Everglades water too high and bass still widely scattered out in the inaccessible prairies. They'll eventually be concentrated in the fish-able canals when water levels subside. Okeechobee has been tough with high water levels and frequent small cold fronts. Was on Lake O on Saturday and some boats had only two fish all day. A small club tournament was won with less than ten pounds. And it was pretty darn cold in the morning -- low 50's. Things will improve -- soon. Going back to O in 2 weeks to hassle some big mamas -- I hope!

Just 40 more years of casting and I'll finally stop losing lures in trees.

Those injections you took can cause osteoporosis, which makes bones fragile and they can break more easily. Since you already have fractured several ribs you should look into having a test for osteoporosis. Start vitamin D with calcium now, but if there is osteoporosis present on bone density testing, you should get another important medicine that can strengthen bones a great deal and help prevent future fractures. If you do have osteoporosis, the next fracture could be your hip or back vertebra, so ask your doctors soon about ordering a bone density test.

GLoomis MBR844c + Lew's Pro Tournament + Seaguar AbrazX 17lb 4.8" Swing Impact Fat (usu Bluegill Flash) Gammy 1/8 oz belly weighted spring lock hook in 4-0 size And I count to three before reeling down slowly and setting hard

When I use braid, all of which in my case is green, I have taken to blackening the terminal ten or twelve inches with a Sharpie, as some others also do. I persist in this because when I look down at my line in the (stained Florida) water I can see the green part but not the blackened part. Keep in mind that I am not a bass in the water, so I cannot say if that translates to more bites, or if it is useless folly.

I just got in a Dobyns Champion XP 7' crankbait rod (705 CB XP) a few weeks ago, and am really enjoying it a lot. Using it so far for traps and jerkbaits. Light and sensitive. Probably wouldn't use it for a big deep diving crank, but it suits my purposes perfectly. However, this is my first dedicated crankbait rod, so I'm no expert. But I thought I'd throw my two cents in anyway. Good luck!

I have both a Champ 734c and a Champ 735c. I use the 5 power for frogs and tossing big soft swimbaits, like the Gambler's Big EZ around vegetation. On the other hand, the 734 casts easier and further due to a slightly softer tip, but it has a strong backbone. I use it for jigs, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, tx worms, and its still a good frog rod unless the vegetation is heavy. I love pitching jigs on the 734 along the edge of shore vegetation and around brush. Overall the 734 is easier to cast and more versatile for me and works well around the edge of heavy weeds. But I'll reach for the 5 when I'm tossing a frog, or other bait up into or onto those weeds. Note: If you're looking to punch through mats of weeds or hyacinths, you should also get something heavier and perhaps longer than than the 735, or else pullin' a big mama outta there probably ain't gonna happen.

Have y'all seen mikeybalzz fishing on you You Tube? He's a young guy with a lot of style, and catches a lot of big mamas in the thick stuff on Lake O in Florida.

Gorgeous fish! Congratulations!

Crap! I'll have to build a larger garage.

The "industry" loves "that guy." Unfortunately, to some degree, it's me. But I'm still enjoying trying out new stuff. And I am on a mission to become familiar with how to utilize every major category of bass catching bait. And that's a lot of categories. I've been into bass fishing for only two years, and I'm trying to learn whatever I can about the sport. And there sure is a lot to learn. I believe that after a while the choices will narrow down.

I'll go to a local shop occasionally, and I never complain about the prices there. But they won't have most the items or colors I want. And it's just way too easy to shop on-line at TW and have your goodies on your doorstep in a couple of days. Especially when you know exactly what you want, and you see photos and reviews. Or it's something costly and you can verify the price on-line. I'm glad to support my local shop and pay an extra couple of bucks. But to fight the traffic, spend the extra time, risk not having precisely what I want -- forget it! Sorry!

No, there's one other way: cut the darn hook off. Then fish any brush worry free. (But you can still get stuck in rocks.)

I have around five Lew's BC reels. I start with the brake pins at the factory setting, which I think is half of them up and half of them down, and I crank the casting dial up to about 8 (of 10). I adjust from there, but find I often don't have to -- and I get few backlashes and good distance. With different lure weights I only adjust the friction knob on the handle side. One other thing, keep in mind that the casting dial tightens when you turn it counter-clockwise and loosens when you turn it clockwise. So it is counter-intuitive and really confounded me at first with my first Lew's BC.

Agree with others that Siebert jigs are awesome and a good value.

Hey, where'd you get that photo of the shelf in my garage?

Don't bring anything you haven't used or caught a fish on in 12 months. The exception is one bait that you've gotten into your head that you should bring anyway. Your penalty will be you have to fish with it for the entire first hour even if you don't get bitten once.

There are hollow-body minnows, buggy creatures, lizards, and tubes into which you can insert those widely available compressible foam earplugs to easily make those baits buoyant. You can cut smaller earplugs for less buoyancy. I can be more specific should you desire. But I think you'll figure it out. It's easy. Then, you can put any of the newly buoyant baits on a dropshot, Texas, Carolina, shakyhead, or ned rig or jig or use them as a floating teaser with another bait below that is "interested in" or distracted by the floating morsel. Or make a worm or lizard or some other creature buoyant so you can more easily fish it topwater. And at the end of the day you can put 'em in your ears so's not to hear your loved one snore or complain (use fresh ones from the box fer yer own ears, please). PS: Gene Larew Biffle Bugs and Biffle-O lizards have hollow pockets for buoyant foam earplugs. Strike King, of course has all kinds of ElazTech jig chunks and flukes. Also has the Zero worm, which gets buoyant after the salt is gone after three casts.

I had a pet LM bass in an aquarium many years ago. I used to try out various lures, just by dangling them just outside the glass. He'd go nuts for red plastic worms. I thought he'd get a concussion banging against the glass trying to get at a red ribbon tail worm. Once I had his red worm in my hand when I opened the hood to adjust something in the tank. He jumped clear out of the water and snatched the worm out of my hand and swallowed it as soon as he was back in the water. He pooped it out intact 2 days later. He died a few weeks after that. Keep in mind that here in Florida no natural bass forage is red. The crawfish are brown to bluish. Also, I haven't had particular luck bass fishing with red lures. So maybe it was just him. He liked his victims to be red.

I'm pretty sure I'd forget to tighten them back before fishing, because I'm so used to having them tightened and ready to go from the previous outing. I'd figure it out on the first hook set (i.e., too late).

It is difficult for me to be objective about this since the first time I fished Grid Iron Brush Mata, just last month, I nailed a 5-5 LMB on the very first pitch! Anyway, the Arky's head is a little pointier and may travel better through grass, though may more easily get stuck in crevices between rocks. I would submit your question by email to the nice folks at Siebert Outdoors.

I liked Red Label okay, but eventually thought it had too much memory, too much spiral coming off the reel spool. But it functioned pretty well otherwise. Could your problem be the reel settings?

I needed a crankbait rod too, and so just yesterday, on a whim, ordered from TW a Dobyns Champ XP 705 CB rod, and a Lew's Tournament Pro G Speed Spool reel to go with it. And Seaguar AbrazX 15 lb FC to wind on it, and a couple of LiveTarget Golden Shiner lipless crank baits to throw with it. All those goodies should come in Monday evening. Tuesday I'll wind line and tune. Wednesday I will cast and catch. That's the plan. I hope I will love the new set up. I hope my wife doesn't break it over my head. I do feel much better about just having spent $500 on gear after I saw all the new stuff you guys are buying!