the reel ess

That right there explains why I fish when others are hunting. I can release a trophy bass but not a trophy buck. I see no wrong in keeping fish, but I do like to catch the big ones. If I catch a 5 pounder this year and the same fish next year at 6 pounds, that's two trophies to me. If I killed the 5 pounder another has to grow up to take its place and that might take 4-5 years. People who keep EVERYTHING don't realize what a miracle a 6 lb bass is compared to the average dink. 99.6% of those hatched don't have a birthday. So I'm going to protect and release the big ones. My family's not starving.

That's like telling hunters to stop shooting wildlife and go buy some steaks. Harvesting some of earth's bounty is how nature intended it. It's usually healthier, cheaper and environmentally friendlier. A lot of that fish in the grocery store was caught with a net by people who were "keeping everything" on a huge scale. If it wasn't wild caught, it's farm raised and probably lacking in nutritional value. Some lakes that are designed and managed for trophies, the owner will pay someone to shock up fish and kill a portion of the smaller ones to maintain trophy size. If you're a bass fisherman, you need to see this video. It's the besat video I've ever seen about fact/myth regarding the largemouth. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=facts+and+myths+about+bass&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=648612463D2D8FA8DECA648612463D2D8FA8DECA

I always wonder about this. Why makes a bass's life more valuable than the crappie's? Just because we think it is and we want to catch more. I like the taste of bass from clean ponds and they do need to be managed by thinning the herd of dinks to improve size. The C/R at all cost mentality doesn't apply to ponds. This isn't an opinion, it's documented by fisheries biologists. They say to remove 20 lbs/acre/year of bass min. even if you just turn them into fertilizer. If you don't, you run the risk of overpopulating the bass and stunting their growth. Most owners need help to accomplish that. I know my buddy does and I help him whenever I can. I take half of my catch and leave him half in a wire basket. http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/slot.html

Not mad, but it does resolve me to be responsible. But I'll keep some fish from private places if I'm in my buddy's boat. I can clearly see it's not harming the fishery and I always let anything over a three pounds go. Plus it's very healthy meat. I'm keeping a small slot from 1-2 lbs. only when I'm not in the kayak. It makes me madder to see people abuse one dragging it on the bank, carrying it around for 10 min. and let it go. And don't keep it in the livewell for hours for the video and then release it. Take the pic, weigh and release it. Act like you've caught a good fish before.

Rebel Wee Craw This thread should have been a poll

There you have it: No consensus whatsoever. That's a very common question that I've asked on here before. It seems to boil down to personal preference. If you feel you need one or it gets more bites, that's your decision. It seems to me (just a personal observation) the dividing line is very clear water. We don't have that so I direct tie. If I really thought it made a difference I'd use straight fluorocarbon except around slop.

Now you need him to take you on a peacock bass trip in on the Amazon. That's a dream of mine. Maybe one day before I'm too old to enjoy it.

I do. But talk to others that fish where you do and you'll get a list of things to buy. Look at the videos on this site and YouTube and you'll get a feel for the seasons to use them in.

Me either. There is a video about how to rig assist hooks for jigging spoons. I imagine it's the same but a smaller hook.

I guess it depends on whether the body of water in within the borders.

Check this video out. Using a wrench to catch largemouth bass. I definitely want to give this a shot next time I'm at my buddy's overstocked, stunted pond. Palm Beach Pete promises a follow-up with a larger wrench to see if he can get some bigger bites.

I don't. But I'm always open to new ideas. Last time I used a leader for no good reason I broke the line-to-line knot setting the hook. Probably something I did wrong tying, no doubt. But I just figure if water clarity is not an issue and fish will bite a Bama rig, why tie another knot. I also changed out my FC line for heavy braid so I could use it as a frog rod.

Most fish species can be eaten raw as long as there are no parasites present.

Striped bass, white bass and white perch are all cousins of the temperate bass family. Genus: Morone. Stripers grow huge. The others are small to maybe 2 lbs. White perch are the smallest and have no lines. Do you have a picture?

Stripers are all the same. Even if they're landlocked, they're the same fish. But they can't live in ponds because the oxygen level present is not good enough nor is the food supply adequate. They'd eat everything in the pond. For that matter, white bass and hybrids can't live there either unless the water is aerated and there's a lot of food (shad). Adding bait might be necessary. http://www.pondking.com/fish-stocking There are some people stocking ponds with hybrids (wipers) nowadays and they can be bought from hatcheries. But those people have a pond dedicated to hybrids. They aerate it. Hybrids can't reproduce, so restocking is necessary. Hank parker did a show where he took his grandchildren fishing at his own ponds. He had a hybrid pond where he talked about doing this.

"Some people think of eating a bass like they were eating the family dog." Zing!

When I used to lake fish more, I'd throw a cast as close as possible. Often it was stripers busting bait. If stripers are biting, I'll abandon bass as long as they'll keep it up. .

I think the answer is somewhere in this video because I Googled the question and this is the first return on the list. It's long but it's the most informative bass fishery video I've ever watched. It's essential viewing for bass anglers even if it doesn't answer your question. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

That's not a dumb question. Bluegill and other sunfish can and will spawn 3 times during the late spring/summer if conditions are suitable. Bass are big sunfish. But it's believed they overwhelmingly spawn once and go back to their summer hangouts. There are always exceptions to the rule. Maybe a big cougar mama bass with a voracious sexual appetite might spawn more than once. Hey, there are fish being born with both male and female parts, so why not?

How many of you have caught half a fish? My dad and I did. It bit my worm and I gave it a second to take the bait. By the time I set my hook my dad had one too. We reeled them up to discover it was the same fish. The only time I've ever caught half a fish.

I think a lot of people forgot it because it's difficult to cast with a BC reel. I have an 11 and a 13 that I still use.

Hah! Good find. Why didn't he tell the kid not to fish the bedding bass? I would have told the kid to throw that Trap past the bedding bass and reel back very fast. After all, it's the best time of year to catch the big ones. Sincerely, Alpo Rosenkrantz

No Tom, if you give the female a toothache she won't be in the mood to spawn. Then the population will be completely wiped out forever.

I have no glass rods for bass so, yes, I'd throw them on the same rod if I didn't have enough combos to cover both techniques. You gotta use what you have. In fact, I do use a 6'6" MH, mod-fast for spinnerbaits. But it's a cheaper $40 Lightning Rod. Sensitivity isn't crucial for SB's but backbone is preferred. .

NM