BucketmouthAngler13

LOL muddy, those bouncies are mild compaired to some of the other things Troutfisher can pull of. (like lobsters for example) (inside joke with Troutfisher )

out of all the rods i have my Fenwick Venture is my faverite.

It snowed really hard here for a short while, we only got 1/2". Hopefully it is spring from here on!

oooh thats rich. I'll have some fun with that one....

I've printed off one or two articles, but I think bolth printing and buying a book is kinda senseless becuase you can read them online for free.

I stand corrrected.

Well regardless what you call it, a pile of rocks, several big logs, and brush sunk in the same spot will create cover for fish, there for atracting them. I always called any obstructing object in the water structure. And I dont think there is a difference between "cover" and "structure", atleast that is what I've read... Matt

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Nothing beats dropping a senko into the thick stuff. (T-rigged) I like using the longest one I can. (7" BPS Stik-0) Sneak up and drop or show off with distance pin-point casting. This is one way of fishing where accurate casts can be the difference between the hogs or getting skunked. I like using spinning gear becuase I'm more acurate with it than casting, but thats just me. Also, running a SPRO Frog over the top can land some lunkers.

I've fished and swam in this lake for years and I can say I know every sunken log and limb. I doubt there is a snag or structure that I dont know of. It isn't very big, just 24 acres. The place this pile will drop is a completely structureless area with a level mud/sand bottom. (as is most of the lake) There is no plants, just slime from rotting leave gunk. I figured since there is no structure around that adding structure to the area would be good for bolth catching fish and the fish themselves. Am I right or wrong? I'll keep the block company in mind. I'm not sure if there is one ouround here but I'll check. And far be it from me to go out on risky ice. I checked it yesterday and it was about 4" in the middle and over 10" by the shore. The pile is in ice around 6-8" deep. It was warmer today, but tonight and tomorrow will be colder, so I should be ok tomorrow. I'll check first though and bring a friend. Thanks Matt

Welcome aboard!!!!

Over the past week my local lake froze over, and over the past weekend I've been working on some new structure. Me and my friends make a small rockpile and gathered logs and branches and dragged them to one spot on the ice. Today I chained cinder blocks to the wooden structure so it will sink once the ice melts. It took me 2.5 hours attach to blocks to the structure, becuase I had to bring them one at a time on the handle bars of my bike. (that was a chore :) Some of the logs/branches are chained to lay on the bottom of the lake, and others are chained so they will spread out towards the surface. If it sinks within 20ft of where it was put, it will be within casting distance from shore (which will allow me to fish it more often) and be in around 4ft of water. Hopefully the rockpile (not visible in the picture) will atract some crawfish, the brush atract some small fish, and the larger logs give the bass some cover themselves. It will be the only structure for several hundred feet bolth up and down lake, and the only structure of it's size for a good 1/2 mile in each direction. I've got high hopes and cant wait to fish it. Anyone have any tips? I attached 6 cinder blocks, do you think that is enough? The ice is melting fast, but I can probaly add some more blocks or brush tomorrow. Thanks Matt

OK I added the new AIM names to my list. I'll start a chat around 9ish tonight. (maybe sooner or later)

Thats great!

Those are some hogs! Great stuff for this time of year. Good going!

Buzzbaits work great in the spring. I always tie on a buzz and give it a chance, some days you dont get a hit, but other days you slam 'em. Its worth 10 minutes to find out.

I've just started using Matt's swimbaits on a Okuma Guide Select 7'11" Heavy (from tip to tip) with a Browning Siz Rivers LP WS reel. The Okuma rod is great, very light for its size, and its only a hundred bucks. I havn't cought a bass on it yet (havn't had the chance) but I plan to come spring time.

wowzers that thing is the size of the bass that snapped my line last fall!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D Thats crazy. Imagine canoeing along and having that thing snack on you and your canoe. That is why I always have a flipping stick with a 3 oz weight ready, incase something like that comes to the surface.

YUM 4" green tube is near the top of my list along with wirebaits and cranks.

I was the one hosting them but after a few weeks less and less people where online.... We can give it a try again though. I'll add any new AIM names to the list and have a chat tomarrow night. (Cant tonight becuase of out of state guest) If you havn't signed up before, just put "new" next to your AIM screen name. That way I can easily tell who to add to the list. Thanks Matt

Thats a intresting way of looking at things... And I'm sure most of it is correct. But with all due respect I think that sometimes there is such a thing as thinking too much, atleast for me. "Watson, a man's brain is like a attic. Put alot of stuff in there, and there isn't room for anything else." Sir Arthur Doyle speaks for me in this matter. I dont think what, where, how, and when I'm going to fish before I get there. I look at a given situation and take structure, time of day and year, water temp, light condition into consideration and try on a lure I think will work best. IMHO the best time to think what to do is when your doing it. "Dont cross bridges intill you get to them." JMHO Matt

I attepted to fish yesterday, and I had to run the line between my fingers on the retrieve to get the ice off. Only stayed for 15 minutes (10 of those minutes was trying to free a snag) and hurried home for some coffee. I havn't had a hook up since november.

hey muddy, if RW works you to hard, maybe I can be your assistant. If someone asks how to catch fish i'll say "Use a 1/2oz dark brown with red sauce meatball in the big fish tanks at BPS. If you dont live by a BPS, use a 5/8oz deep dish pizza (pepperoni with double cheese) in a tank at Cabelas." RW will have more time to fish, You'll have more time to fish and a part time job, and I'll have a job so I can buy a Tracker, then hire somebody to work for me so I have more time to fish.

Graphite spools are bad news IMHO. They scrach so much easier than the metal ones and that is exactly the last thing you want. Graphite frames are OK as long as you dont mind that your reel bites the bullet after a couple seasons. I always look for reels with aluminum (or better) frames, crank arms, and most inportantly, spools. But if you are a casual fisherman that isn't catching 5lb+ fish reguarly, then you can use a graphite reel without to many problems. After a year or two, though, a well used all graphite reel will sound like Bill Dance snoring into a microwave. Matt

Baitmonkey (bate-mon-key) Baicium Munkus 1. A terrible primate who devoted his existance to tormenting fishermen with a unrelentless urge to buy more fishing stuff. He is native to nearly every body of water, tackle shop, and tackle selling websites. His diet consists mainly of cash, mastercard, check and often gift cards. I human who has fallen victom to this beast will start showing signs of severe addiction to fishing in general, tackle, rods, reels, boats, and anything fishing related. This illness worsens over time, and the victom will start wrapping rods, pouring their own baits, melting their own jigs, and buying more fishing related products than they can afford. After the sickness completely takes control of the fishermans mind, It is nearly inpossible to recover. If seperated from his fishing or fishing tackle, the person will show signs of depression. During the winter when fishing is difficult and/or inpossible, a devastating illness called "Cabin Fever-giteus" will accur and can only be stopped by fishing. Often well fishing in the icy waters, fishermen will drown, get frostbiten, and suffer from another illness know as "being skunked", and this is how the Baitmonkey claims most of his victom's lives. I dont see anything about it's gender, so I guess we will have to go with muddy's sudjestion and usume the baitmonkey is female.