Shaggie

I do my best to buy from my local shops. I live within a mile of a fantastic shop that up until last year stock a ton of bass stuff. They are now focusing more on their fly fishing gear. They've moved out most of their bass stuff and now host fly tying classes in that area. I don't blame them a bit since the best fly river in the state runs right past their back door. The other option I have is the same distance away as a Dicks. I still prefer the local shop. Dicks has a better selection but I've also found myself leaning toward things made in the U.S. rather than imported stuff.

Thanks Glenn. I've watched nearly all of your videos and hope to use what I've learned this season as soon as the lakes thaw.

REI is everywhere.

I've been to 3 Walmarts in the last 24 hours and they are clearing out all of the Abu Garcia Max series reels. The black are $30, silver are $35, and pro are $45. I was looking for one in left hand as a test to see if that is more suitable for me.

How about some of you pros and shmos give up some of your knowledge for fishing with kids. Such as tips you've picked up along the way to make the whole experience a bit more fun so that kids can grow up in the sport and not get bored because they get skunked occasionally. I'll go first, my brother taught me to use a smallish jig head 1/8oz or so with a live worm rather than a straight hook to prevent the fish from swallowing the hook. This has worked well on sunnys, perch, and bass. What do you guys have to add? I'm looking for basics that may not be getting passed on to everyone.

Has anyone used one of these? Are the sounds just a gimmick?

This summer I found a pair of Oakley Gascan sunglasses that sat at the bottom of the lake for a while. I polished the lenses and they're a bit water stained but usable. I found a lure I hooked between 2 rocks. I also found a drivers license with an ATM card that expired in 1997. I called the owner and sent them back to him.

The only Walmart in CT that was closed was a grocery store. Zero fishing stuff.

I just read the article on the main page about river fishing for smallmouths. How shallow is too shallow? In a deeper area of the river how long of a span are we talking. I guess the main question is how much water do smallmouths need to inhabit a river? I've got a few areas near me that run deep 5-10 feet and slowish but they're not very long and the river is maybe 25-50 feet wide. The entire river has large rocks throughout it. As soon as I get my license renewed I'll be out trying it for myself. What do you guys think?

Matt and I have a problem. It's been 72 days since my last bass(mostly due to the water near me being solid this time of the year). I'm relatively new at bass stuff since I live on a river that has a ton of trout in it. I'm trying to get my 9 year old more excited about this sport but he'd rather play video games. I'll typically just be on here reading and not interacting too much. I've already watched most of the videos on the main page. This site has already taught me a ton and answered a lot of questions I've had. Thank's in advance.

Thanks. It struck us as incredibly odd. I'll have to look into Please Release Me.

Anyone ever catch smallmouth in the Farmington? I've caught a ton of trout, never tried for bass.

A couple summers ago my brother and I were out fishing near some tourney guys and we noticed one of them had a bass that was bleeding pretty bad. He dumped Mountain Dew down its throat. We asked him why he did that and he told us it stopped the bleeding. Then the fish went into his live well. Is this true?

I bought one last July and like it quite a bit. I just bought a Silvermax because I got a BC rod from Dicks for $13. Haven't gotten a chance to use that yet since all the water around me is currently solid.

I use this headlamp nearly everyday at work and bring it home when I know I'll be in the woods in the dark. I works very well and is very comfortable. Battery life is very impressive and having 4 modes of light output is helpful. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Energizer-Hard-Case-Professional-3AA-70-Lumen-LED-Headlight-TUFHD31PE/202493491

The only bullet weights I can find locally are uber expensive tungsten, lead, and unpainted steel. I'm not buying tungsten since I'm not made of money. I'm shying away from lead for environmental reasons. This leaves me with steel. Is is worth taking the time to paint them to prevent rust? What's the best way to store these. I try to store all of my terminal tackle in the same box but I don't want everything in the box to start rusting.

Any tips or tricks for Lake Ossippee in early July? I go every year and the most I catch are perch. I Have caught tiny LMB about the size of the Rat-L-Trap is was throwing. Help!!!

Thanks for your concern. You are correct. We do not have Academy stores, but it is the day and age of ordering online. I wish it wasn't true. I'm the type that likes to touch and feel before I buy. So I'll shop locally and if I don't find something that I like I will take the chance of ordering it.

I just picked up the rod from an Abu Garcia Orra SX combo for $13. I need a relatively cheap reel to put on it. I've kind of got my eye on the Abu Garcia Silver Max since they just marked them down. My budget is around $50 as I'm just learning this whole baitcasting deal. Anyone?

I don't intend on breaking it. It was just the rod, missing the reel.

I just swung by my Dicks and grabbed a Abu Orra SX combo rod without the reel for $13 whole dollars. I figure it'll be a good learning rod. Who cares if I break it?

There we no sale signs at the Dicks in Canton CT. They had a bunch of stuff marked with the .97 but no additional markdown after that.

Thanks guys

I've just started getting into bass fishing more and more lately. I've been told in the past that i shouldn't use a snap swivel at the end of my line but I should tie my lures on every time I change them. Since I don't have 20 different poles set up for different occasions I can't see doing this. What I've been doing is tying a snap swivel to the end of the line on my rod and tying about a 12" leader to each of my lures with a barrel swivel. Will this cause any adverse affects? Thanks