Dan:

The gas companies aren't doing anything illegal, they are just making more money because of the way the importation works. It's not like they are increasing prices on their own to make more profits--there are tons of other factors involved ie: OPEC, Conflict in the Middle East, lack of adequate refineries...

Sheesh, look at the mouths on those fish! Even the smaller one could eat my head!

I thought the Japanese hated bass? ;D

You shouldn't have to put the weight through the plastic. You should be putting the weight into the open end of the tube, then, once you have it pushed all the way back into the tube, just poke the eyelet through the plastic then tie it to your line.

Alright, but that still doesn't prove anything definite about these other possible hybrids...

None of the reasoning anyone has done is conclusive whatsoever. Who cares if largemouths and smallmouths "usually" don't breed together. If it is possible for them to make offspring, then who is to say that these fish aren't a hybrid. If you look at the fish, it has characteristics of both species. To me, that would suggest there is a chance it IS a hybrid. Also, RW, the picture you supplied is in black and white. It has the distended belly (characteristic of a largemouth) but we can't see any of its coloration. Is it possible that the WR smallmouth might have been a hybrid as well? I'm not trying to say anything about your fish, Chris. I'm extremely happy that you caught such an amazing fish and hybrid or smallie, it's still a GIANT! I'm honored to have such a big fish expert on the same forum. That being said, I think it is most likely a smallmouth. I just want to make sure that everyone realizes that NOTHING can be ruled out. Wildlife departments should do some tests to see if maybe they need to add another classification in the record books for "meanmouths." Why don't they just test them. Something as simple as removing a scale could probably determine the species. That way, you can tell if there are hybrids in the lake and if so, what they tend to look like. Again, I mean absolutely no harm, bad feelings, or ill will by my comments. My main point is just that we just can't be certain without testing the fish and it would presumptuous to act otherwise.

lol at fish sniffer. congrats though, chris. It's cool to have a fishing celebrity on the site!

Of course he is interested in it. You are his dad, anything dad is interested in is cool.

Nice fish, but most of them are the wrong color! ;D

Sorry for your loss. I hope they find what happened and make sure justice is served. More than that, I hope that whatever happens, you and your family find peace and comfort.

that's a great deal for those jerkbaits! And congrats on getting accustomed to something new. I plan on doing the same this season with jerkbaits and jigs.

anything dark

My nearest BPS is an hour away but I still like them the best. I order a lot online from them and I love when I can make it to the store. BPS gets my vote for selection and the giant fish tank!

yup, largemouth. ANd don't worry about the size, you gotta get started somewhere!

Need some good spring thunderstorms to wet everything down.

That right there is what the anti's want. That kind of thinking. Is it? Because to me it sounds like an excuse for paranoia. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gun rights. I just think it's unrealistic to think that someone is going to take away your gun ownership rights. That would be unconstitutional and it ain't gonna happen, not with the strength of the gun owner voting bloc. That being said, I don't see why it's necessary or fair for people to hunt with assault rifles...or for people to bass fish with casting nets...

Napoleon Bonaparte

I think you could solve your moss problem if you texas rig your plastics, then poke the tip of the hook back into the plastic a little bit to keep the hook point covered.

agreed on the colors of your bass. I've never seen such a distinct top and bottom contrast between dark and light. I need a day like that with a jig to get myself "jigverted"

Sometimes there isn't much of an explanation as to why fish aren't biting on a given day. Then again, there are always factors that can make fish "negative" as Al Lindner would say... I had two trips, one today and one last night where I was seeing a bunch of fish swimming under the surface, but I couldn't get any too do anymore than look at my bait. I figured it probably had a lot to do with the clearer than usual water and the recent cold front that moved in. There are many things that can make fish negative, ie: fishing pressure, clear water, cold water, weather... If it wasn't any of those things, it could have just been one of "those" days.

Nice! I hope it fishes as good as it looks!

If it falls differently because of the weight, you could try these. Never tried it, but it could work.

I've been looking at those jigs, they look pretty nice. I might have to get a couple now.

Nice fish! The one in that second picture looks like it has some gunk in its gills.

To me, that really doesn't look like a smallie pond, but it's hard to tell much from the picture. What type of structure is there? What type of bottom? Are there any rocks? Drop offs? I would probably suggest using normal smallie baits like tubes, jigs, and jerkbaits around those areas.