nboucher

I use the X-tools scale, which I got on e-bay. This link below is for the same scale, though it seems to come with a culling system, which is of no use to me. Still this is a good price for it; you can sometimes still get the scale without the culling system, which should drop the price some. I think I got mine for about $60, as I recall. http://cgi.ebay.com/XTools-Grip-n-Weigh-Pro-with-digital-culling-system_W0QQitemZ200051781258QQihZ010QQcategoryZ384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Avid, I'm not convincedbut then again I ain't no bass. I still think color matters marginally at best. I really think that the biggest difference between catching and not catching is how the bait is worked; everything else runs a distant second. What do we know about bass's color vision anyway? (I ask this out of ignorance: I really want to know.) Example: I just got back from a couple of hours on a local pond. Water and air temps were both in the high 40s. This pond is stained, tea-colored water; on a sunny day I can't see my lure once it drops a foot down. Today I caught a three-and-a-half pounder on a black-and-blue jig with a green-pumpkin-and-black-flake GCYB double-tail hula grub trailer. I doubt the bass was reacting to those dark colors in stained water. Most likely I happened to be working it in the right way in the right place. Color also wouldn't explain all the bass I've caught on black-with-blue-flake senkos at that same stained-water pond. When I fish cranks and other hardbaits in that kind of water, I use jazzed up colors: silver, orange, gold, blue, and yellow mostly. What I'm after is flash, something to get the fish's attention. I'd argue that bass just aren't that discriminating when it comes to color. I think it's a case where if you think a particular color works well for you, then you work that bait with more confidence. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

I wouldn't get too hung up on color, which may matter more to us anglers than to the bass. Bluegill is also the main baitfish around me, but bass hit perch and shad imitating baits as well. More important than color is how you work whatever bait you are using. When confronted with a properly worked bait, bass think "injured fish a good size for me to eat without too much effort" before they think "now is that a bluegill or a perch?" This all applies to hard baits, not plastics. When it comes to hard baits, I think it's more important to have some flash than the precise color that matches the baitfish. Silver, gold, and Tennessee Shad colors are among the colors that have worked well for me, as well as bluegill. Others also favor crawfish-imitating colors.

What a wonderful day! Thanksgiving & family go together so well; add fishing and, well, it's nirvana!

Absolutely, Russ. Yes, this was the first year in decades that I really applied myself to bass fishing, and my confidence went from near zero to pretty good. With the temps in the 50s over the next two days, I'm going out at least once more. I do think it's all about "feel," about learning over time to interpret the sensations that are coming up the line to your hands. That, and not being too wimpy on the hookset. And learning from my friends.

Maybe it's my underlying insecurity, but confidence comes and goes with me. When a lure is workingmeaning when I'm working it rightI am overflowing with confidence and hoping that others are watching. When I find myself switching lures and speeding up how I'm working them, it's inevitably a sign that my confidence is at a low point, and I hope no one is watching me hack away. :-/

I'm always amused by the variety of responses whenever this subject comes up. I have no idea about the mechanisms through which barometric pressure affect fish--maybe some biologist out there can tell us how this physcially works on a fish. But I do know that wind is a surface phenomenon, and aside from pushing zooplankton around on the surface, how can bass possibly sense wind or wind direction unless they're surface feeding? Go swimming underwater on a windy day. Once you're underwater, you have no idea how much wind is on the surface. Unless you're fishing in very shallow water, how can wind possibly affect bass, except as they chase bait fish in search of shifting zooplankton? And, as Roger said, whether they even do that is far from certain . . .

As someone whose biggest fault to always see the glass half empty, Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is a chance to see it as half full. If your glass is half full on Thanksgiving day, watch out driving afterward.

Fishin49er, that exact combo was my all-around baitcaster setup this year, and as Chris at Tech said, it's one of the best bargains out there. I caught my PB with it in July. I will probably upgrade the rod next year, but it's not urgent. I think you'll be happy with it.

I hear you, Long Mike; I'm not far behind you. :'(

Err, Long Mike, about your suggestion: what exactly does that long in your screen name refer to, anyway? I hope the raincoats you've got in your wallet are more generously sized, shall we say, than your fingers . . ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

What lake is it? (If you don't want to say, I understand.)

How much is the set?

Excellent. I was out for a couple of hours on Saturday down here in southeast Mass. and caught nothing. :'(

Welcome, SkiBum. I'm fairly new to jig fishing myself, and am here to tell you that it's not as difficult as it can sound. Once you catch your first jig fish, your confidence in them will soar. I would keep it REAL SIMPLE. The Booyah jigs and the Zoom chunk trailers are fine to get going and are readily available in many sporting goods stores with a fishing department. A 3/8 jig, as suggested, is a fine place to start, though the weight depends partly on the depth of water you'll be fishing. I enjoy using the 1/4 inch Baby Booyah jigs for shallower water and finicky fish. This is more of a finesse jig, but don't concern yourself with those distinctions yet. About trailers: a trailer is usually piece of soft plastic that essentially gives the jig more action. Everyone has his or her favorite trailer, and the variety people use is mind-boggling. Some trailers are meant to imitate the claws of crayfish; others are more like tails. Most provide a lot of action as the jig falls, and some trailers give off some wiggle even when the jig is sitting motionless on the bottom. Even the Zoom chunk trailers come in four or five different types. (I think the Zoom Super Chunk is a good place to start.) Normally, you try to match the color of the trailer to the color of the jig skirt. Thread it on the jig's hook much as you would T-rig a Senko or other worm and have the hook pop out in the middle of the top flat surface of the "chunk." Line it up so that it's more or less on the same plane as the jig head, and you're good to go. Unlike spinnerbaits and crankbaits, jigs don't look real flashy, but they are often effective when nothing else is. In my experience, the fish they produce tend on average to be bigger than those I catch on any other class of baits--though I've caught some aggressive little guys on them, too. Good luck and be persistent.

Anybody try these? http://www.glacierglove.com/pages/gloves1.htm The 821BK model looks ideal. I've had my eye on them for a while, but haven't bought them.

I really reinforce the idea that there are many many BESTS. An example: In the rods, etc., forum, Avid recently asked what the best handling line for spinning reels is, and I had to laugh at the answers. You'd be hard pressed to think of a line type that someone DIDN'T recommend and the old braid v. nonbraid debate even popped up. Thirty-seven answers, so far. Newbies should keep it simple and find their own bests and favorites, based on what they can afford, and most importantly, TIME ON THE WATER!

Great recommendation, RW. Now all I need is a Stella, and we'll be twins. Oh, then there's that skill part . . . I've got a ways to go there. ;D

riskkid talked me into the St. Croix Legend Elite, which is on e-Bay for almost $100 off list price. So I've got an ES70MF on the way. Hot n Tot, you're right about the baitcasting rod. My next purchase will probably be a Loomis IMX, unless I find a GLX on e-Bay for an IMX price. I'll put my Citica on that, unless I decide the family can go without food for a while, in which case I'll of course HAVE to get a Curado 100 for it. Man, this time of year, when I'm not fishing as much, kills me. I start spending . . .

KB, thanks for the details. LBH, good idea, as I always expect from you. 8-)

National Public Radio just aired an hourlong On Point show focused entirely on Ken Schultz and his new book, Bass Madness. It was pretty good, although Tom Ashbrook, the host, clearly has no clue what bass fishing is. Fortunately, the callers clued him in and he seemed to warm to the subject. You can listen to the show online at: http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2006/11/20061116_b_main.asp

Slightly off-topic, but has anyone read Ken Schultz's new book, Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic? It was just published in October.

kb, what size Fostner bit did you use? I assume the butt ends of the rods sit in those depressions made by the Fostner? Red oak, bird's eye maple: very very nice materials. I'm going to mull this over awhile and think over the design. I'll show you a photo, kb, but you've got to promise not to laugh. I'm an amateur compared to you. Raul, I remember those days. I'm surprised those kids leave you any time to fish! Anyway, soon enough they'll be telling you that hanging around the house is the most boring thing in the world and can they go hang with their friends. . .

I second GMAN's suggestion to concentrate on that 6-10 foot range to build confidence. The value-priced Rapala DT-6 series has been a real confidence builder for me. Bluegill would be a good choice for clear NH water; Tennessee Shad, which has a similar pattern but jazzier color, works well for stained water. Rat-L-Trap in silver-blue would be my second choice, because you can use it at whatever depth seems appropriate.

Good luck, Avid. Get that wing to work one cast at a time, and let us know how you like the rig/line.