Fish Chris

Okay pfluemis, I had that one coming :-) But seriously, I was never really such a hard hook slammer, and so going from mono to braid was not such a tough thing for me to get used to. For guys who really swing for the fences though, fishing with braid might be a little tougher switch. In any case, I did not originally switch to braid, because I thought I had a major problem with hooking fish..... but rather, because I was fishing in heavily timbered water.... and 30 lb mono on spinning gear was out of the question. It just so happened that I inadvertantly increased my hookups, by switching to braid, also. BTW, I still hooked my fair share of them "even when I used mono"....... while even the heavy hooksetting guys, still miss a few on mono, because of not having the rod in just the right position (lowered) when the fish hits, or the fish coming at them during the hit. So for those situations, braid could be a big plus, even for guys who think they can cross a fishes eyes. But for those of you who will always use mono, thank you for giving me the advantage :-) Peace, Fish

I've used nothing but braid for more than 13 years. BTW, I'm a guy who fishes for anything from Bluegill to Sturgeon, with all different methods. I always kind of trip when I hear people recommend braid for just a few specific situations like frog or jig fishing ??? Braid is WAY better, for just about every type of fishing ! Back in the day I tried all different brands. I finally settled on TUF-Line Plus and now, TUF-Line XP. Then, after using the stuff for 3 years, I became sponsored by them. I've never experienced damaged guides due to braided line....... and this is even in view of the fact that I have had some epic battles with Sturgeon on micro-light, Kokanee trout gear (40 minutes... probably 1000 yards of drag pulled) and a whole bunch of 1 hr plus battles of Bat Rays up to 110 lbs, on the same gear I throw swimbaits for bass, with. Those dudes will flat run 300 yards of drag in one shot, and unless you pick up and start chasing them, your going to get spooled ! But no.... never any guide damage, even under extreme conditions. Peace, Fish

You guys ever cut open a golf ball ??? There is this big, long rubberband inside of them....... Since you use mono, you might want to give that stuff a try :-) LOL Fish

They taste like a cross between Bald Eagle, and Spotted Owl ;-) Seriously though, I'm really picky about the fish that I eat. The only freshwater fish that I really like, is Crappie (filleted, soaked in milk overnight, and deep fried) and sometimes catfish..... either farm raised (for a gauranteed consistent flavor) or, when I lived in La, Flatheads. Never had a bad tasting Flathead. Bass just taste "too much like fish" to me. Stripers are even worse. Now Saltwater fishing open up all kinds of choices :-) Halibut, Salmon, Mahi Mahi, Swordfish, Yellowfin Tuna, etc, etc......... All of this said, "IF" I liked the taste of Bass, I'd pick a place which had lots of smaller fish, and I'd bring home a limit every time ! Selective Harvest is where its at. When you see / hear of people getting all bent out of shape because somebody killed a few small bass for dinner, what they are showing, is that they don't understand much about fisheries. Peace, Fish

I consider myself very blessed, and fortunate, to be sponsored by the companies that I am, just for catching a big fish every now and again :-) But seriously speaking, it's like a few of the posters have already said, it's all about marketing. I'd like to think it was just as important for me to be an honest, friendly guy, who's passion for the sport of fishing, always shows. And Bountiful_Waters said a mouthful, when he stated > and (I) would not change to a different brand just to be sponsored < Amen ! With Okuma, I had bought one of their Epixor 15 reels, and took it out the very next day, and caught nearly 300 lbs of big, strong Channel cats on it ! I was so impressed with the reel, I sent them a "Thank you" letter, and a link to my site. I guess they were somewhat interested in me too, as they offered to send me 3 more reels of varying sizes, just so I could see what I thought. I loved those just as much as my Epixor 15 ! Bam ! I'm sponsored :-) I used TUF-Line Plus, by Western Filament for nearly 3 years before I ever contacted them ! Furthermore, I decided the day I sent them a resume' > I sure hope they sponsor me, because I can't see myself using any other brand < Thank God they picked me up, or I'd be spending a good chunk on line (even though TUF-Line is the best value on the market) :-) As for my G3, I had searched high and low for "just the right boat for me". It just happened to be a G3. Called a few dealers..... and Geeeez ! New boats sure aren't cheap, are they ? So I started bugging G3. Bam.... a couple months later, I had "my dream boat sitting in front of the house" :-) Anyway, when I got my first sponsorship, I used to feel like, "Wow ! These people are really nice, to just "give" me this free stuff"....... but the fact is (although all of my sponsors are really cool people who I enjoy dealing with) first and foremost, it's a business thing ! They are gambling that they will give me $100 worth of product, for a sales increase of $1000 or more. And I feel pretty confident that I am making this happen. So, just to reitterate; 1) Be a straight up guy ! No BS ! 2) Be a friendly, outgoing guy, and try to help people as much as you can. Let your passion show ! 3) Turn down sponsorships from companies who's product you would not normally use, and work on sponsorships from companies who's products you use and swear by ! Don't bug them so much your a nuisance.... but don't let them forget about you either ;-) 4) FISH HARD ! You can follow all of the above to the "T", but you still need to consistently make catches that gain attention. Whether it's big limits in tournies, lots of big individual fish for a trophy hunter, or lots of happy clients for a guide. You have got to catch fish ! ......but then, that's the most fun part of all of this anyway, right ? ;-) Peace, Fish If I could do it, you certainly can. PS, Having your own website is a great way to both show case your own big catches, as well as advertise the products or services of potential sponsors.

Yes, 1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs........ However, with a 1 gallon jug bought from the store, the plastic jug will weigh 1 or 2 tenths, PLUS, 8.34 lbs is the "legal minimum" weight of water that can be in this jug. But the vast majority of the time, the bottling companies will put 8.4 or even a little more, just to cover their butts. So that 1 gallon jug of water might actually weigh 8.6 or 8.7 lbs. Best to weigh it on a certified scale, just to be sure. Peace, Fish

Yes, as a matter of fact, I weighed my 8.5 Smallie on my Berkeley 50 lb digital first. It bounced around a bit, but settled on 8.5. I then weighed it on my Salter, and it went straight to 8.50 lbs. I find that digital scales, (at least Berkeleys, which is what I have used the longest) weigh however they weigh, right from the store. If they weigh 2/10's of a lb light, or heavy, they will probably always weigh 2/10's of a lb light, or heavy. You can then scratch a + or - reminder on the front of your scale. And, unlike spring scales, if they weigh 2/10's light with a 10 lb weight, they will probably still only weigh the same 2/10's for a 20 lb weight, or a 30 lb weight. While with a sping scale that weighs 2/10's light for a 10 lb weight, it will usually weigh 4/10's light with a 20 lb weight, and 6/10's light with a 30 lb weight. Finally, I have never expierienced a digital scale which slowly became out of calibration. In my experience, they work great every time, until one day when you hang a 12 lb bass on it, and it gets all stupid and blinky, and says 1.7 lbs, then 8.9, then .8 lbs. Sometimes if you turn that scale off, then back on, then re-zero it, it will then weigh correctly, but if it gets goofy like this more than once, its time to replace it. Just to reitterate; Accuracy of digital scales out of the package may often vary a touch, which is why I always check my new scales against certified weights immediatly. But most digitals are at least very consistent, if nothing else. Peace, Fish

Reading over this thread, several things come to mind; First off, dumbells, 10 lb anchors, etc, etc, etc, will almost never weigh exactly what they are marked as. Simply go to your local grocery store, and purchase a few 1 gallon jugs of water.... but "do not" go by the weight marked on these either. Instead, have them weigh these jugs up at the counter on their "certified scale", then simply mark the weight of each jug on them with a magic marker. You will see that each jug varies a touch too. Now you will have "certified" weights to work with. Go home and weigh one, then two, then (depending on how high your scale weighs) maybe three jugs. Now, that you know whether your scale is weighing spot on, very close, or completely off, you can decide whether or not its worth having it certified. Sure, you can send it to the IGFA, and I believe its free if your an IGFA member. Used to be anyway. But in my mind, it's not a great idea to have my scale drop-kicked all the way from Cali to Florida and back, by UPS, US mail, or Fed-Ex. Heck, even if it made it there, and was certified, who's to say it will even work by the time I get it back. OR, you can simply have it certified by your local Dept of Weights and Measures. Every county in the US has one. The next time your at the gas station, look at the little sticker on each pump. This will have the phone number of "your" local Dept of Weights and measures. Give them a call, and see what their procedure is. Mine required an appt, but was quick, and easy, and they charged me a flat rate of 1/2 hour, for $34. Anyway, I kind of baby my certified scale, and really only break it out for "BIG", or possibly record breaking fish. It's just great insurance to have along on every trip. I typically use a Berkely 50 lb digital, which I have calibrated with the method I mentioned above, but not certified. Anyway, then you will be ready for anything :-) .....plus, you will get a cool little sticker which will make you look "special" :-) Peace, Fish

Yea' buddy ! :-) That's a hawg ! Hey, as a matter of fact, I broke my rod on an 11 plus, once myself.... the first DD of my life :-) Congrats ! Stay on em' ! Fish

If you don't mind wearing one of the vest types that Unnabasser posted, these are probably the safest. But for maximum comfort (like so much so, that you forget youe are wearing a PFD) I highly reccomend the auto-inflatable types like So-Spenders, or the same thing in Cabelas or BPS brands. Lots of choices for auto-inflatables. Just do a Yahoo or Google search. I ALWAYS put mine on at the start of a trip, and take it back off at the end. The SAFEST life jacket you can have, is the one you are wearing ! Ten of them shoved down deep in your rod lockers are probably not going to help you much. Please think ahead ! The best way to catch more fish, is to stay alive long enough. Peace, Fish PS, Each of the people who drowned each year thought, "It couldn't happen to them"......

Sometimes two, ususally three, 8 to 12 hour trips per week. Which works out to about 140 trips a year, for 1200 to 1400 hours. It always gets me when I hear somebody say, "I went out for a few hours today....." Huh ? For me, the only way that could happen, would be if I started at 2pm and the lake closed at 6pm..... Otherwise, no matter how early I start, I just can't drag myself off of the water if there is still enough light to see :-) ..... Just one more cast ! :-) Peace, Fish PS, You ever see little kids screaming and crying as their parents drag them away from the amusement park ? That's me, when I have to quit fishing ;-) LOL

Estimating fish weights by length and girth, is nothing more than an educated guess. Small, cheap digital scales are just too easy to come by. I think a lot of people have taken that thing about holding bass with one hand, a bit too far. I think the rule should be "hold bass with common sense". Torquing them into a horizontal position with one hand, obviously can't be good for them, but I think that many, if not most of these fish, still survive. This said, I do ususally hold my big bass with two hands, for my photos, but then try catching, landing, and photographing a big bass, all by your yourself, and still support the bass with two hands the entire time. Yea'....... Maybe if your Criss Angel :-) Big fish should be handled "with your brains" :-) Peace, Fish

Good thing my buddy works at the Bodega Bay fish market ;-) Geeez was that stuff screamin' on the B-B-Q'er ! The whole story is, I got up early. Made my lunch. Loaded the truck, and drove about 30 miles East, on a 90 mile trip..... at which point the North Wind picked up so strong, that it made the freeway look like a destert storm :-( I called the marina with my cell phone, and they said the wind was already picking up there too :-( That REALLY sucked ! So, I turned around, and drove home, jumped in my brand new car (my new little baby :-)) and went to Bodega Bay. The bad news is, everything is really late. Cold water. Nothing but windy, lousy weather for 2 weeks straight. No Halibut showing yet. Hardly even any Bat Rays or Leopard Sharks.... But hey, at least I didn't drag my boat all the way there to find that out.... Plus, brought home an awesome Swordfish dinner :-) (oh... plus some fresh Yellowfin Tuna :-) Fishing the next two days though. I need my fix. Peace, Fish

I fish by myself 99% of the time (about 138 of 140, 8 to 12 hour trips each year), and MUCH prefer it that way. Main reason for me is, I just can't get "in the zone" if I have somebody distracting me.... or should I say, if I'm distracting myself by socializing with them. Then, on those rare times when I do have somebody with me, it just absolutely kills me if they make the tiniest bump on the boat, or shift one way or the other. I mean, I don't say anything (cuz I wouldn't want to sound like an arse) but I sit there thinking to myself, "I can't wait to get back out here by myself, so I can "really fish". So anyway, don't get me wrong, stop me at the boat dock, and I'm liable to talk fish with you, until you have a headache ! Same thing on the phone. But when I have a pole in my hand, please give me my space, so I can do my thing ! :-) BTW Michbass, you asked > What are you guys fishing alone doing to stay sane? < When did you ever get the impression that I was sane ? ;-) Peace, Fish PS, I talk to myself a little bit I guess..... But more often, I talk to the fish. Especially when they come up to the side of the boat to say hey :-)

I hear ya' West Palm Dude ! Can't wait for some fresh grilled Tuna, and some Halibut sandwiches :-) Oh, and hey you guys, when WPD said "Dolphin", he wasn't talking about "Flipper" :-) Yes WPD, Mahi Mahi is awesome on the grill too ! Peace, Fish

Hey amfyoyo1, I mostly agree. Of course, just to reiterate; Every fishery is different. Their are certainly places with high recruitment, which are subject to over population, and what's cool is, these are the places where a good meal is much easier to catch anyway :-) Nice how that works, huh ? But then their are places (unfortunately, not enough of them, cuz these are the places with HAWGS !) with low recruitment, where it is probably detrimental to keep any bass. I know it's human nature to try to over simplify things, but fisheries are just too dynamic, and variable, from one to the next, to make any broad rules, like "100% C/R", or "catch and kill a limit every time" that will cover all lakes. If a guy is truly concerned with the fish in his waters, he will study that fishery, and follow specific practices, that will help that particular fishery the most. Peace, Fish

Catch and Release is generally a good thing. Problem is, in many cases, people have just taken it too far, releasing small fish back into places that already have "too many small fish" and not enough food and space. Selective Harvest takes it to the next level, although this requires much more thought, and knowledge of each particular body of water in question, as every fishery is different. Just to simply things a bit; If you go to a lake and always catch lots of small fish, but rarely catch (or hear of any) big ones, this lake would likely be a good candidate for Selective Harvest. On the other hand, if you know of a lake where numbers of smaller fish are tough to catch, but every now and again, it kicks out a hawg, it's probably best to C/R from this place {and to send me a PM with directions, and spots ;-)} BTW, I believe that C/R and / or Selective Harvest, are a good thing (which I practice) for ALL sportfish, not just bass. Peace, Fish

Great catch ! Congrats, and continued success to you :-) Fish

Excellent post Randall. I'd just love to fish that place sometime..... during the spawn, OR at any other time too ! And don't worry, I'd release a big one no matter what time of the year I caught it.... And maybe, if somebody easy to find, enjoyed eating bass, I'd donate them a limit of small ones. Peace, Fish

I'm sorry.... I didn't mean to sound cocky. I probably should have said > Personally speaking, I prefer to base my decisions on the hard-core facts, rather than on how things might feel. I do have a question for the anti-bedfishermen though; What would you do if your DFG biologists told you that your particular body of water was experiencing "over-recruitment", and that bed fishing would probably help to reduce the numbers of fry / reduce the problem ??? Peace, Fish

Hello Ozarkie. I LOVE fishing for bedding bass. Quite the challenge. Should we release big female bass caught from beds ? Well, I'd say this was just as important as releasing big bass that were no where near a bed when caught. How many future bass are we killing ??? In California, as well as many other states, the answer would be "apparently not enough", as over-recruitment of juvenile fish, leading to large (and often times over) populations of smaller fish, with not enough food / space for larger ones, seems to be a much more common problem, than under-recruitment. In most states with a shorter growing season, where the neccessary recruitment of juvenile bass might be threatened by bed-fishing, their have already been F&G regs put into place, to protect those fisheries. I will continue to support the belief that killing a big bass, whether it be caught from a bed in March, or no where near a bed in October, is just as detrimental either way, AND furthermore, the individual big bass in question (which has already beaten absolutely incredible odds to get to the size that she has) is of far greater value, than 50,000 fry, none of which carry any guarantees, to ever obtain half the size of the big momma' that produced them. Just a whole lot of "maybes", while big momma is already a done deal. My best advice; Quit making decisions based on "how things feel" (BTW, all of my ex's thought like that :-)) and just go by the hard-core facts. Peace, Fish

That's easy. Any day on the water is a "good" day. One bass over 10 lbs makes it a "great" day. A couple over 10 is a "really" great day. One over 15 is bombastic ! :-) Honestly, if I were to go out fishing for big fish, and catch 5 or 10, two or three lb'ers, I'd feel pretty much like I had been skunked...... Of course getting skunked is a perfectly normal, and acceptable part of the trophy bass game. I'd WAY rather have a skunked day on the water, than to spend the day at work. Unfortunately, that's where I'm headed right now :-( Next three days on the water though ;-) Peace, Fish

Nice fish ! But I'm not convinced it's a hybrid of any kind of cross. I keep saying it, but I don't think too many are listening...... "Coloration should have little, if anything, to do with determing the exact species, among Black bass". AND although hybrids do occur naturally, in many bodies of water, they are not NEAR so common, as one might tend to believe, when many of these so-called hybrids have been determined by coloration alone. ......at least, this is what proffessional biologists tell me..... Peace, Fish

I'd keep it alive, in my live well, and / or on a stringer, while I got some Dept of F&G officials to come to me and the fish. Maybe they could even bring a transport tank truck, if they wanted to check it out "alive" back at the shop..... but only if they promised me that it would be released back to the same lake shortly thereafter. I also have my own certified scale, and with Ca DFG as witnesses to the weighing, maybe this would be enough. Remember, our Ca state record is so close to the world record, that it would be hard to catch a state record "without" getting a new WR. Personally speaking, I'd let the Ca DFG look at the fish, but I wouldn't kill a 22-2, just to have a Ca state record, when I could have a really good shot of catching that same fish the following year, when she weighs over 23 lbs, and was the new all time, all tackle WRB !!! Peace, Fish

Yea' buddy ! :-) Nothing like sticking a double digit bass, to make for a great trip ! Congrats, and continued success to you, Fish