FinCulture

most spinning reels over about 30 bucks will usually be of decent quality, so I wouldn't dump a lot of money into one if I was just starting out. as far as baitcasters, I would say you can find some great starter options for about $100, give or take maybe twenty bucks. Going cheap is kind of the automatic thought by lots of people starting out new things, but this doesn't really even work with fishing. Having said that, you don't need to spend $500 on your first combo, either.

welcome!

a lot of the time people get these confused with snakehead, which are an invasive species, leading them to kill them. ive never caught one but I would love to

I mostly watch fishing on Youtube, whether it's uploads of TV shows or just channels made by people who bass fish. Facts of Fishing with Dave Mercer is one of my favorites, and full episodes of the show are on the official Youtube channel.

I've never bass fished at Houghton's before, but ive hear there are some nice ones in there. I mainly stick to the trout, which has been a losing battle lol. Gotta go right when they stock it.

I've been to Hale before, just wondering if anyone else had. I've gotten a good amount of rainbow trout at storrow pond in there and a dink LMB at noanet pond. My dad ha caught a couple at noanet pond, including one between 4 and 5 pounds.

There's a couple factors involved for me, including time of day, location, and whether I'm on a boat or going offshore. I'll start out with baits that I've been successful at a given location with before. But the time of day is important too. If I have success at spot "A" with a topwater in the morning and a jerkbait in the afternoon, I obviously will be throwing the jerkbait in the afternoon, not in the morning. As far as order goes, just start with the baits you are most confident with and work your way down, unless they're biting of course.

It's really all about timing. 10 seconds of exposure won't effect the slime coat too bad, and it'll get replenished once the fish is back in the water. Throwing the fish in the grass while you grab your camera and turn it on and otherwise not being somewhat respectful to the fish can result in the fish becoming infected. Essentially just keep the well-being of the fish in mind when handling and said fish should turn out fine.

You do learn a lot from these forums, but the best way to learn what the bass like in your neck of the woods is to get out there with all different bait and presentations. So keep applying what you learn to your fishing adventures. tight lines!

I wish we had a program like that up here in Massachusetts! The closest I've gotten to that type of winnings is getting five bucks for catching a tagged rainbow trout in New Hampshire lol! Great fish though!

Just get a new rod. If your budget's limited but you want to avoid this happening again, maybe drop an extra 10 or 20 bucks on an Ugly Stik. They go for around 50 bucks and are impossible to break.

anyone on here ever fished Hale Reservation in Westwood?

welcome dude! -Drew

I tried the FG knot once as of writing this and really messed up on it. It was late at night and after playing around with my knot I just said screw it and went to bed, planning to fish it anyway. The knot didn't break until three trip later when I got caught up on a log. Keeping in mind the knot wasn't even done correctly, that's saying something. I absolutely hate the double uni and have zero trust in it, and I would really like to master the FG.

How are Winn grips? just curious.

My St. Croix Rage has an EVA handle, and I think it's the most comfortable thing in the world. EVA is a lot more grippy and all-around comfortable than cork IMO.

My prayers go out to the victims and their families. It just shows you can never be too careful.

welcome to the forum and good luck on your trip!

Thanks everyone! I have a 6'8" MF that should do the trick.

Braid does wonders if you haven't tried it yet. Thick mono does not get along well with your average spinning reel, and going over the recommendation can lead to tons of problems!

I've never tried the wacky rig but I need to start. This has been a slow season to say the least!

You definitely want a rod with fast action for working the frog so that the tip isn't swinging all over the place, I learned this first hand from trying to work a hollow body with an ugly stik in my earlier days of bass fishing. You also probably want to go with a medium heavy to heavy power, as you're gonna want some backbone when you're trying to set those thick frog hooks.

I'm subscribed to Bassmaster Magazine and I absolutely love it. It gives page after page of tips on bass fishing and bass fishing only from pro anglers and personnel across the country. I've never gotten bored from the magazines that they've sent me so far.

Has anyone ever tried the "Flippin' the Bird" hollow body? I'm curious a to if it gets any good action in the water or if the bass seem to like it.

That's never good!