Ozark_Basser

Hand rod wrapper 110v drying motor Epoxy for bonding Epoxy for threads and decal Tip top adhesive Reamers Brushes Syringes for epoxy Color fast thread Reel seat with arbor Carbon fiber handle with arbors Guides with tip top Tape Alcohol torch Blank Buttcap (I plan on getting the CRB balanced butt cap. I wonder if it will fit in the back of the .98" carbon handle) One winding check that fits above the reel seat. I'm not a fan of foregrips. Am I missing anything? Any recommendations?

As far as a pattern goes, I think I'm just gonna have to hop in the canoe and hop from one deep pool to the next till I find some stacked up. Got plenty of jigs since I make my own.

Definitely fast. Don't see how kistler could rate them as mod fast unless they get something different.

Where can I get some cheap blanks to practice on? Like bottom of the barrel cheap.

Around here anything 18" or over is considered a big one. I've only caught two over 20" out of the creeks ever. Its far more likely in Crooked Creek to catch a 4 lber than it is out of the Buffalo National River if you ask me. Although both are supposedly Blue Ribbon smallmouth streams.

You are probably right. What are some other blanks that are good in comparison but are cheaper?

I've been looking at the HM 705

I would use a crankbait or something I could cover a lot of water with. If I was fishing around a lot of rock, it would be a crankbait if I were fishing around a lot of grass it would probably be a swimjig. Color etc. just depends on water conditions etc. You would have to be more specific.

Their website rates them as fast. The Edge line rates them as fast. Kistler rates them as Modfast. For those who own one, what and are the actions like on these blanks? How soft is the tip? Sell me on these blanks.

Learn what is the primary structure and cover in the lake, get a general idea about seasonal patterns but don't live and die by them, figure out what people are catching bass on, get a topo map, and do lots of research.

Shad are definitely predictable, but during the day they are pelagic making them hard to find without good electronics. They may use the same routes to travel from the banks to open water in the morning and throughout the day, but they are a whole lot harder to figure out than bluegill which are generally in shallow cover.

Find some cover and you will find bluegill. Find bluegill and you will find bass. It's that simple. Bluegill will stay in cover to try and hide from predators and feed on all the small minnows, insects, and whatever else is found in cover they can eat. They can generally be found up shallow, but can be found deep especially in grassy lakes. Bass will follow the bluegill. Like bluebasser said, lakes without shad make bass more predictable because bluegill relate to structure and and are not pelagic like shad. As far as yellow perch, I can't help. I live too far south.

Good video. That music truly was epic as well. Pretty gnar.

Jigs: green pumpkin, brown, or one that matches the colors of the crayfish where you fish. If you fish a lot of stained water, I'd look at black and blue. Arky heads are the most versatile and are probably my favorite head. Yamamoto twin tail trailers are probably my favorite trailers. Spinnerbaits: White is about all I throw in clear water with double willow blades. I throw War Eagles and that's about it as far as brands. They have thin diameter wires and just seem to get bit more. But since the swimjig and the chatterbait have came out, I hardly throw spinnerbaits like I used to. Both get me bigger and more bites than a spinnerbait. Indiana blades are what I use in stained water. Throw these types of baits in he thickest cover you can get them through. If your fishing them around or near cover and not in it or through it. You will be missing out.

Conditions were overcast skies with little wind. A cold front just moved in a day before. Water was crystal clear as usual. I expected at least one over the 17" mark but never got it. I need to get the canoe out. Winter fishing in the streams around here can be quite tough, but I have been told by one of the biologists for AGFC that the biggest smallmouth have been caught in the winter in our streams.

True I guess. If I had to narrow it down to three broad rules though, in order of importance it would be 1. Fish location 2. Bait location (getting something in front of their face, at a certain depth, from a certain angle, etc) 3. Bait selection (including color) Speed or whatever else could be thrown in are figured out on the fly as you said. Some are better at one or the other, but a lot of us just overthink it.

In other words. I believe I depth is the first thing I focus on which is also dependant on conditions. Then, I would consider the rest. However in my experience, I find bass are more individualistic than this unless they are schooled up. Solitary bass seem to pick and choose what they want. You learn this from pond fishing growing up along with bed fishing. School fish seem to act more alike in comparison. All in all I generally find it best not to get too complex and start putting too many rules in my head about fishing. However it does spark some interesting conversations.

I agree. It just depends on conditions to me really. Water clarity, water temperature, daytime/night seem like the most important factors off the top of my head.

The reel doesn't necessarily matter in my case. I hold the rod with the trigger between my ring and pinky finger with my index finger against the line right as it comes out of the reel. So I palm the whole reel. I have never understood how someone could hold the trigger between their index and middle finger. Either way I was pretty much just looking for an estimate. Just brainstorming. I would guess around 2 oz if I used a full length arbor under a twelve inch handle.

How much weight do you think it would take on the end of the rod to balance out a 7'mh casting rod with a carbon fiber handle?

What about the tip top? Can you not just epoxy it in or do you have to use that other adhesive they use? I can't remember what its called. The one you heat up with the alcohol lamp.

Thank you.

I love high end fishing equipment. With fishing I have to be careful because I tend to have a champagne taste on a beer budget though, but I rarely regret spending a good deal of money on what I want. Just make sure you actually want it before you buy it. Don't blindly buy something due to reviews and online pictures. Personal preference is different for everyone. It's generally a good idea to test out something high end from a buddy etc. before you buy it. A lot of high end stuff to me has shown little difference in performance compared to something you could have gotten for cheaper, but when you find something that's just right for you, it's worth the extra money.

I can't get my pictures to show up on my posts as big as some people do. I usually just attach them in the message or pull them from my gallery. How are some people posting photos so large?

I went out today for a couple of hours for some bank fishing. Fishing today wasn't too bad given the conditions, but it could have been better. No giants today, but three keepers nonetheless. All three keepers were caught within ten feet of each other, with two of them from the exact same spot which was a deep, still hole with large boulders located where the river makes a 90 degree turn. I couldn't get bit anywhere where current was present. Usual hot spots such as eddies, heads of shoals, logjams, or pretty much any hole without deep water were unproductive. Both smallies were caught on a football jig with a gy twin tail trailer. The largemouth I caught was on a hand poured reaper on a shakey head.