TBO

so im gonna be getting my first Bass rig this year. not sure what my budget is yet somewhere around 20k where in Ma. or RI. can i go for a Bass rig besides bass pro shops??? what should i look for on a rig and what to watch out for? thanks for the advice in advance!!

i just go through my gear the night before. make sure lures are in the right box and that i have my required tools like braid cutters and needle nose pliers. i have gone out to many times and forgot things at home. like the time i put a hook in my finger i forgot my pliers and wire cutters. (wasnt aware of the line pull trick)

congrats!! you know what those bites you felt were???? they were the fishing bug setting in now haha.. now your addicted to a great sport/hobby for a tip id say be a line watcher to fishing plastics sometimes the plastic never hits bottom before its sucked into a fishes mouth you will just see your line moving.

i have a few times. their was a pond on my way to the shop so i would fish for maybe a half hour. it sucks having to go to work after getting in a few cast. especially when you catch one. i got in trouble a few times for being half hour late haha

only disinfectant i put on is the dew from my beer mug.

think i would like a pontoon plane with a boat and go all over Alaska and fish some lakes in the middle of no where. and the amazon river

do you mean it depends on the weight of the lures i am throwing with it?? i generaly use my BC for swim baits or heavy baits like a arbogast buzz plug. but the other day i tied on a weedless hook and was using it to throw a 5" boot tail it casted fine IMO. but seemed to be loose line on the reel. i have smaller hands so palming the reel with line between my fingers while holding on to the rod was very uncomfortable for me, i felt like if i had a good bight it could easily yank the rod out of my hands. any pictures floating around that shows how to hold the BC, maybe i am just not holding it right?

what clarifies a body of water from a pond to a lake? i always thought to be considered a lake it had to be x amount of depth vs surface water coverage i fish some ponds that are over 80 acres of surface water. are they actually considered a lake?? i was googling and came across this. Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/pond-lake.html#ixzz3HB27tB9f Generally, a lake is an area of open, relatively deep water that is large enough to produce a wave-swept "washed" shoreline, which can prevent vegetation from growing along the shore. Another difference can be seen in the water's temperature. Lakes, because they are deeper, have a stratified temperature structure that depends on the season. During summer months three distinct layers develop: The top layer stays warm at around 65–75 degrees. The middle layer drops dramatically, usually to 45–65 degrees F. The bottom layer is the coldest, staying at around 39–45 degrees F. Ponds, on the other hand, have a more consistent temperature throughout. If the water is deep enough that light does not penetrate to the bottom, and photosynthesis is limited to the top layer, the body of water is considered a lake. A pond is a body of water shallow enough to support rooted plants. Many times plants grow all the way across a shallow pond. There is little wave action and the bottom is usually covered with mud. Plants can, and often do, grow along a pond's edge. Even in cold climates, most lakes are large enough so that they don't freeze solid, unlike ponds. Finally, if the lake is large enough, it can affect the surrounding climate, whereas ponds are usually affected by the surrounding climate. Read more: Pond or a Lake | what do you consider a pond or a lake?

i just recently splurged and got my first abu garcia (first rods not from dicks sporting goods) and so far i love them! good luck with yours hope they work well!

i thought lakes and ponds were distinguished by depth and/or surface space??

when they start annoying me going after baits ill net them up and put them in the canoe after cleaning them of any leaches, then toos em back when im ready to move. when i bring out my buddies kid we use shinners so i net a lot of turtles hahaha

From what i have read. Is sometimes when you catch alot of the same size fish and nothing bigger could possibly be due too to many bass for the forage. For good pond maintenance they say to pull out some small ones to allow more food for others to get bigger. Sometimes to much catch and release is not good. Im not saying to kill fish and waste them. But find somone who will eat them and give them a few bass every month or so.

I have been reading a lot trying to gain more knowledge about my bait caster and my technique. i just got a new abu garcia vengeance 6'6 MF. this rod upgrade has helped me tremendously in casting. the longer handle lets me cast way easier than the short one hand rod i had from bass pro. i learned that when using braid on a bait caster to put it on as tight as possible to where you cant stick your finger nail between the line on the spool. my question is. after fishing my line isn't that tight anymore from casting, so how often do you people re-spool the same line to keep it tight? im pretty new to bait casters so any advice is greatly appreciated. also want to hear what methods and care everyone does thanks for all the help and advice

i have to replace these often as i always break my rod tips for some reason, either closing doors, windows on them or just crap luck. i got tip replacements at dicks sprorting goods. it comes in a pack of a few sizes. i cut where it was broke to make it nice and neat and the heat up the glue it comes with ( plain ol hot glue) then put it on and align it and let it sit for a few. i havent had a problem yet with the replacement. think in all it cost me $7 good luck

i only have a bass pro nearby and have been their 3 times this year. i like going to look at everything, but they are expensive, and dont have everything. but still i have a fun time just made my first online purchase for fishing from TW.

was on walmart website and came across this. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Abu-Garcia-Black-Max-Baitcast-Combo/19716434 think its worth it? i personaly think its NOT worth it.

in the summer i leave sometimes around 3 am. i like to be on the water atleast half hr before sun rise the top water bite is usually pretty good. ill stay out until i feel its time to leave

Sry. What other info could you use? I dont have electronics to pin point the bottom

Im going back out today around four to the pond i skunked at just the other day. ( post titled: skunked) This pond is about 1 FoW for about 20-30 yards from shore. In the center it drops to about 30 FoW this pond looks exactly like a soup bowl with the wide lip and bowl in the center the water is clear for up to 10ft. Their is no structure anywhere on this pond http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dfw/habitat/maps-ponds/dfwmarys.pdf How would you fish it? What would you use ? What colors should i use? Can i use same colors when it gets dark? Thanks for all the advice srry i post so much

wire cutters needle nose pliers, scale my three must have

I havent seen bass spit up anything wierd but i did see a female and male duck drown another male duck. Was interesting to watch

I have read alot about bait color and presentations but not a lot about size. When do you change lure size over a color change? And how do you know what the fish are feeding on or where the bait is without electronics?

Good luck!

I get alot of frog fish at the boat . And this one pond i go to in my canoe i catch fish on my spare poles leaning over the edge. Is scares the witts outa me sometimes. Lol.

Congrats! Frogs are awesome the blow ups you witness are incredible. Like boostr i never go out without a frog setup.