Ersteman

Looking to make a reel purchase on an older Curado, but need to know the difference between the Shimano Curado 200PG and the 200IPG? I know you guys will know. thanks!

I really admired Johnny "Firecracker" Bazinski. He was known for throwing lure retrievers at nearby boats and also for sneaking up on boats and throwing firecrackers in their boats, hence the nickname. I went fishing with him one day and told me if he got in the way of his back cast that I was liable to feel the power of a real man's hookset. Then, after moving to a deep structure spot, he proceeded to push me off his boat in the middle of a lake for out-fishing him with a drop shot rig. I also found out he won tournaments by verbally and physically threatening people to not weigh in their bags. He won a 3 day tournament on Pickwick with a 5 fish limit of 3lbs-4oz as a result. Truthfully though, I grew up watching Bill Dance and Roland Martin. I ended up liking KVD the most though, probably b/c he won so much. Nowadays I'm a fan of most anglers who are polite and professional.

Awesome fish. Was that beauty released?

Don, How did you do on your Traverse City Smallmouth trip with Tony? We went July 10th with Tony on the East Bay and landed 35 smallies between me and my 2 brothers. Most fish were 2.5 to 3 pounds; only caught 2 dinks. Caught about 4-6 fish around 4 pounds as well. It was a beautiful calm day; much calmer than average days and Tony put us on quality fish. I was amazed at how well we did as these trips are few and far between for me. Tony said that our fishing day was not a typical day, so I'm really grateful and fortunate at the quantity and quality. Needless to say we tipped him very well.

My brother lives close to Watauga and I'm going there in August. We were going to head out and do some bass fishing. I know there are some trees at the end of Roan Creek and a little sunken forest at the far eastern side of the lake. Any tips on where/how to fish Watauga in August? Any help is greatly appreciated. I don't know much at all so we're kinda going out blindly. Would appreciate some Bass Resource advice. Thanks. -Mike

Did I lose more than 5 lures? Did I have more than 4 backlashes? Did I lose a 3lb+ fish? Did I bury a hook in myself? If the answer is no to all of these, then it's been a good day on the water. As for a pure fish count perspective, if I've caught 1 fish, then I have at least proven to myself I can catch 1 and it's been a good day.

I only buy my jigs through Mike and Siebert Outdoors. His Arky jig with the stronger weed guards is the only jig that works on my lake. It's the only jig that doesn't get hung up in the sunken trees. Every time I've ordered through Mike, he's been exceptional.

I have a $200 (sale price) Future Beach Voyager Angler Sit in 9.4 Kayak that I bought from Dunham's like 3 years ago. Still going strong. Got the paddle on sale at Dick's for like $50 and the life jacket from craigslist. Bought the car top carrier from amazon. Put an extra towel in the middle so it doesn't scrape the roof of the car and I tote it with a 4 door sedan. No trailer; minimal fuss. Kayak is 42 pounds so I can carry it myself and not have to worry about it being on top of my car. Yes, it's light and gets blown by the wind, but I don't fish in the wind or if it is windy, I hit the protected banks. Plenty of space for me at 6'2" 240, and room behind me for my backpack that I wear while fishing and room for a small fishing bag in front of me. 2 rod holders and a drink holder as well. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

Captain Tony DeFilippo is top notch and I have used him numerous times in the Traverse City area. He's very professional, reasonably priced, and most important, puts you on fish. I have a trip booked for July and I can't wait. Be sure to hit a few wineries when you're there, for the wine, appetizers, and views. And don't go during cherry festival, unless you like the hustle and bustle life.

I hate polyester stuff (which HUK uses), so I go with Colombia or other brands that are cotton. It's cooler and breathable and feels better on the skin.

Mike makes high quality jigs. To answer your question, What is the hype about", let me tell you. (1) The paint is adhered to the jig optimally. It doesn't chip off like some of the other brands I've used when hitting rocks and trees. Mike uses a solid system of heating the paint on his jigs. (2) The jigs I use (1/2 oz Arky/Derocker) have strong hooks with very little if no flex and when I lean on a fish, I need to move them and can't afford much give. (3) I like the copper wire tie option. On jigs with rubber bands, I hate it when the rubber band breaks and the jig falls apart. Wire ties ensure the jig stays intact longer. I've had some jigs I've used for many months. (4) Mike has been great to work with. He responds to emails and is spot on with his recommendations. I use the Arky with a firm weed guard b/c the area I primarily fish is a flooded forest and your average weed guards don't cut it. I need the firm weed guard to keep the jig out of the brush and maximize my fish time and less snag time. (5)Lastly, for virtually custom made quality jigs, you get them at a very reasonable price.

seriously though, there's going to be numerous options for you. I use the Bass Pro backpack b/c it was on sale. My brothers have the spider wire backpack. Both work well. Most bags are going to have spots for your pliers, line, scents, a place for small items, a large section for plastic containers and another compartment for food/drinks and or soft plastics. Check out some backpacks and check out the components and make a choice. I'll attach the link to the 2 aforementioned backpacks. BPS http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-XPS-Stalker-Backpack-Tackle-Bag-or-System/product/1304050935/ Spider Wire at Dick's https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/spiderwire-fishing-backpack-15spiuspdrwrbckpctbx/15spiuspdrwrbckpctbx

This should do it:

I'm going to fish a small lake in Tennessee with grass mats. No, I don't know what kind of grass it is; I just know the lake has grass mats. The mats go out about 10-20 feet wide from shore and I don't know how thick they are. I've never fished a grass mat in my life, but have watched about 10 How-To videos. I was going to take a variety of punch weights, up to 1.5 ounces. I have a variety of top water frogs and soft plastic punch baits. I was going to use 65lb braid and my strongest rods. I have bobber stoppers, so I was going to go with a palomar knot, unless you guys give me reasons to go with a snell knot. I saw a prior post on this site talking about fishing the edges of the mats by deep water first, then punching through the mat. I'll mix in some top water too to see if they are suspending high in the water column. Am I on the right track? Do you have any advanced tips that have helped you fish a grass mat? I'll take any info you're willing to share with me. Thanks!

Welcome to the forums. Nice fish! Even nicer if they were caught and released!

Thanks for posting. So he was using a white jig and white trailer for the most part. Interesting. He was sure on them. That spot with the sticks coming out of the water looks like the spot Ehrler was fishing on Bassmaster Live.

I enjoy watching the Classic live. I think they need to add camera men so the guy(s) that make a surge on the last day get air time. For the Winner(Jordan Lee) and 2nd Place(Steve Kennedy) not to be on Live is very unfortunate. I would have loved to see the how Kennedy consistently put quality fish in the boat and to have seen the awesome comeback of Jordan Lee. Plus, additional camera men would let us see more fish being caught.

Good share, Tom! My kayak holds 2 rods and 1 in hand, so that maxes me out at 3 setups. I'm forced to keep it simple. Kinda like it that way!

As I was following the FLW Harris Chain tournament, the winner received a check for $100K, and the total value was $125K. Is the trophy valued at $25K? or do they receive other things to get from $100K to $125K? Thanks.

When I started fishing, I used 3 overhand knots to tie on lures. I didn't catch many fish over 12 inches, but the ones I did broke off a lot. I'm left handed, but I use right handed bait casters and for spinning reels I put the handle on the right side. I cut the tail down on a soft plastic lizard and use them as jig trailers. I'm afraid to boat flip fish. Haven't broken a rod yet! I don't know how to use a fish finder. I didn't know what a drag was when I started fishing, but I found out after losing a 5 pound catfish. I bought my first baitcaster reel over 15 years ago. I threw it out b/c I didn't know how to set it up and cast it.

Good Morning Guys, I read Bass Resource posts and watched about 10+ videos on how to repair rod guides before I felt I was ready to try and repair guides on my Veritas 2.0 micro rod. I bent and broke the 3rd and 4th guides, so I wanted to replace them myself. I ordered some micro guides from ebay that looked similar even though they didn't have the zirconium inserts. Mud Hole was out of the exact ones. Anyway, I used the Loctite Epoxy 5 min because it was available at the local hardware store and I didn't want to spend a lot on my first repair. http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/13/6/epxy_qset_s/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Quick-Set.htm My first batch hardened before I could even use it, so I had to try again. My 2nd batch was almost too thick to work with, but I managed to cover the wraps with the sticky gloop. I went through 4 brushes due to them hardening so fast and my epoxy coating is a bit sloppy and uneven. For a first try it's not pretty, but I fixed the guides. Due to the epoxy hardening so fast, my time window for working the epoxy was extremely small. What epoxy do you guys use to fix guides? How much work time do you have with your epoxy? And Based on the epoxy dry time, how much time do you spend turning the rod before you can just leave it sit un-turned. Thanks.

Great work! Thanks for sharing, Mick.

From the videos I watched from the Eastern Tennessee guys, they refer to tight-lining when you use light line (4lb test) on clear lakes with a small jig head and a small (3 inch) minnow. It is cast out and reeled in. The method you mentioned, where they drop it straight down (video game fishing) and leave still is what they refer to as Damiki-ing. Whatever it's referred to, I heard that it works in a very small window of water temperatures when the bait fish and bass are relating to deeper water and are more stationary.

In general, what are the best punching baits, or what has worked well for you? I have never punched through mats before and I have an opportunity to do so this summer on a small lake in the south with grass mats. I don't know how thick the mats will be, so I'm bringing various weights, but would like to hear what you guys use for punching grass mats. And if you have a rigging tip or advanced reason as to why the bait works well, I'd appreciate the tip. Thanks

Going to a new Lake tomorrow to scope it out and wet a line. We've had 60's here in Western PA this week, so I took off Friday to go out and try a new lake. I'll provide an update after my trip. Anyone else skipping/taking off work or school to fish?