"hamma"

One thing sticks out like a sore thumb for me that I learned this year is,... being off the water for a long period of time throws you off alot more than one would think. Yeah, of course casting accuracy fades abit, but more important is reaction timing, feel, concentration, confidence, and lure choices, all swirl around in your head. And while these important aspects of the game are doing so. Your actually much more behind in the game as you think, because these things are hindering your attention as to whats really going on at that moment. Putting 2 and 2 together now is difficult Your thinking, and doing what you think may be right, and they actually may be the right thing to do, But with your train of thought swirling around in your head, your subconscious is plagued with decisions that are deterring correct actions. Concentration is off, and the rest just follows, your sense of timing and feel are just a hair off as you try to battle the lack of concentration, with all of this going on, even your lure choices get a second guess, therefore confidence fades, and so on. It rolls like a snowball down a hill,,gaining speed, and getting larger. Before you know it, your lost, catching nothing, and totally baffled How did I combat this?,..I relegated to go back to the basics.,First.. I sat for a moment, cleared my mind, ate a sandwich and took all fishing thoughts out of my head. replacing them with positive thoughts, and good memories of my kids. I enjoying the days weather and watched the wildlife, as I wolfed down my roast beef sub.. Secondly, before I even picked up a rod to continue fishing. I considered the basics. Referring to the six basic lures to use, how to work them, where they can be applied, present conditions, seasonal movements, and prevailing available forage. then I re-tied a bit with all of this new info, and back to fishing I went. Did it work?,..like a wonder. That short "hiatus" is exactly what I needed to get back in the battle, I was back to my old self in a jiffy. And although it took awhile for the fish to agree, when I finally did get a hit, I was on it like a fly on poop. Although I didnt catch any pigs this year in the 6 outings I did get.,..I learned that when the chips are down,...follow your roots, go back to the beginning, rethink everything with a clear mind to start with. almost like your rebooting your computer,...Shut down, clear your memory, then start all over again. When you have almost 50 years of bass fishing knowledge packed into memory. Its a daunting task, but if done right, you will catch up. It takes that moment of absence, the serenity of no distractions, and absolute level playing field, before you can dial everything into perspective. I needed a absolute clean slate,...and for me it worked. Its possible that, all of those years of memory actually helped in the end. Progressing my calculations expedientially. I used to use this tactic when I was tourney angling, and when I came to a day I was struggling, this would get me back on track and put some fish in the livewell. Im just glad it applied this year as well. As I stated above, my injuries hindered outings to only 6 this year, but I made the most of them as I could, and enjoyed each day the good lord gave me to the best of my abilities. hopefully this post will help someone else thats struggling, to get back in the game as well

I have many shimano baitcasters, old, new, expensive, inexpensive. For bass, stripers, trout, trolling etc. low profile, rounds, I think you get it. probably 30 to 40 of them. And every one is a left handed model. I must say that I think there is no better reel than the older, 90's green curados. I have abused, beat up and just wore a couple out while tourney fishing to the point I figured they were about to be shelved just for nostalgia. I sent them to Mike At DVT to be serviced, (they were making a nasty whine when cast) when I got them back? they were as good as new or even better. I re-introduced them into service this year and they seem to cast and retrieve better than the brand new curados I bought to replace them. Is there a "better" reel?,..I highly doubt it,.... my calcutta's, I love, but those curados, just out and out, continue to amaze me

I finally got my helix 9 working and made some tracks last 2 times out, I cant wait to fish those 2 lakes again, so I can push a couple buttons on the remote and allow the two to take me fishing for a day without much from me. I think even if you do bankbeat, this is a godsend to people with injuries hindering trolling motor interaction. I got the ulterra because stowing my old powerdrive was too much for my back. The I-pilot link was and is a bonus.

I dont oppose or advocate bed fishing. I just dont do it anymore as for: 1) its kinda easy pickins 2) they're busy replenishing the lake, so I let them 3) I know I dont want anyone botherin me while in the act,...lol Its enough at that time of year for me to target the females in the manner I do, I just choose to do so away from the beds, If you want to bed fish? go for it, I dont mind, or expect you to follow my criteria. Actually I'd rather find that holding area the females are staging on, and watch the other anglers bedfish,... as opposed to them on my track in my way,..lol. The only time you may see me fish a bed?,..if there's a 15 lber on it.

I dont fish beds anymore, many years ago when I did? I liked a 1/4 oz roundheaded jig with a white grub on it, be it 4 or 3" didnt seem to matter. The color was so I could see it, more,,for it to disappear, as sometimes, they would just stare at it and other times just grab at the tail and remove it. But when it disappears? they've usually sucked it in their mouth for a second or so, just to spit it off of the bed Now, I gave up on bed fishing as I felt it was unethical for me to continue to do so as they are "busy", and replenishing the lakes population.. you can bed fish all you want and I will have no ill feelings towards you about it whatsoever, it's your choice to make so I wont make it for you. But, keep in mind, just as Tom stated above, I also find it more productive to target the staging bass. Thats if,and a big "IF" they can be located. Not all lakes and ponds will have a specific area they stage at. These waters I will pound the shoreline for the cruising females, they usually arent "seeking" food, but at times can be coaxed into a hitting a spinnerbait or jerkbait.

I have experienced a few lakes that "changed",..a couple were chemically treated and another drained (about 75%), then dredged to remove silt, then re-filled. And this happened years ago. The result? in each case the fish responded just as they needed to survive. The chemically treated ponds the fishing died off for a couple years with skinny, or unhealthy looking fish being caught during the "recovery" process. Then two years after, each rebounded back to better than during the treatent process fishing, but nothing like the quality fishing before the treatments. One of the ponds was a pig catching possiblity pond, but no more. The dredged lake? again took a few years to get back to "decent" fishing, but again nothing as it once was. I "believe" that when mother nature produces a place that has good or excellent fish. Mankinds influence and interactions,will generally mess it up as we dont have the experience or "know how" that she does. Things just need to be just right for exceptional fish to be present, for its not likely that you go fish "any" place and the fishing is the same, they all have their own personality, and once altered by man, will all need time to recover,.... however they do.

SWEET! its about time,...lol I understand the issue of available funding to do so, and am grateful for any upgrades the states F&W dept offer. The old maps were a bit outdated, and not really very accurate, I checked out the Chauncy lake map, and it looked 100% better than the older version. Thanks for the link Dogbone.

Sounds good to me Tom,.I'll send you a pm. Hope all goes well with the knee! and when its gets to the cortizone era? you'll welcome the shots, they work wonders for me. Heal well Scott, Ive heard many good things from back surgeries, as long as you dont overdue things right after. Careful out there Bill, balance issues? kayaks? I get the pontoons thing and good idea, but did you ever consider a bass raider? very stable platform to fish from. And Ghostshad? Id have no problem fishing with you, or any other Bass Resource member. And even better? you live in Tenn. its a heck of a commute, but I just loved fishing wilson and pickwick on the TVA chain,....lol As the posts title is "Getting Older" our bodies may be feeling the effects of the torture we put them through over the years. But our bass fishing tenacity proves that we all have one thing in common, and I believe that to be,... we may be getting older, but we aint dead yet, and Im pretty sure we all will fish, till we are,..... I may be the youngest so far in this thread, and can only imagine the detrimental damages you all have put your physical well being through. As for me? heck Im surprised I still wake up every morning, and thank the lord I do, for I didnt expect to live past 45 or 50 considering the lifestyle I dragged my vessel through. But it will be a cold day in hell, when a doc tells me I cant fish anymore and I heed his warning. And although my girlfriend would never tell me I cant fish,(yet another reason I love her so) even her or my kids aint gunna deter me from doing so, cuz they know what my answer will be,. .Id rather croak while out fishing then be prohibited from it! Someone once said to me "Motorcycles are dangerous, you can die riding one of those things" my reply? "Then I'll die doing what I love!"

I dread this time of year, as I wont icefish, and dont hunt. So I usually will restock and arrange tackle, possibly tie up some jigs, and wait for the ice to recede. If the ponds on Cape Cod dont freeze, on decent days I may go try my luck out there if I can get someone to go with. The winter fishing can be great, locate them and you could be on a banner day, If not, at least your not home wishing you were fishing

I prefer shimano reels and have nothing but left handed retrieve baitcasting reels. What works for me? may not work for you. Your best bet? I'd suggest taking the rod in question to a local Bass Pro, or Cabelas, or tackle shop,..etc. and try some reels on it, see how they feel to you. how low they sit on the rod, how it balances out,,... etc. That way you find whats right for you.

Me? have stories? with my war and peace length posts? The hobbit, and lord of the rings trilogy, would have nothing over my "brief" keyboard interactions about bass lures, and stories behind them. I actually wonder if god will allow me the time left here on earth to do so,..LOL!

I have a ulterra I-pilot link, and the "least expensive" compatable was a helix 9, as I needed a ethernet compatable unit for the I pilot link to operate. I found the info I needed on humminbirds site this past spring,.. I do know they just came out with gen2 units and have yet to check them out, there may now be different options now, so you may want to check humminbirds compatability listing on their site

Funny you should post this, I was just talking with my GF last night about this very subject. With 2 degenerated disc's, and a pulled muscle in my hip/butt applying constant pressure on my right legs sciatic nerve, and the discs at the same time. Im not only consistently heavily medicated,with opiods, mind altering drugs,and muscle relaxers,.(which accounts for my long winded posts I believe).. but also receiving cortisone shots regularly. (more monday am) I pretty much spend my time off my feet, in bed. Not that I mind this site to spend alot of my time on, because I actually feel grateful its there for me to divert my attention from pain, to something I truly love,....fishing. Although I do have the drugs? they only do so much But,... not being able to go fish by myself on the boat anymore is quite a bit more debilitating than I had anticipated. I figured that some of the younger guys that dont have a boat would be willing to get out off the shores and fish the whole lake instead of just the public accesses. But thats not the case. I am grateful for the 2 guys I have met on this site that I have fished with. They both not only offered me a chance to get out and fish. But also proved to me that there truly is still some "real" people out there. With morals, decentcey, and integrity.,.. I see my kids, and my girfriends kids, and wonder where this world is headed, But I digress. Im ten years the op's junior and definately dont have the sea legs I once had, I dont cover my decks with rods as I once did, I sit nowadays when just a couple years ago I'd stand and run my trolling motor. And worse of all is I can't just decide to fish and go. My basshunter sits in the yard collecting leaves as I cant be lifting its bow into the truck anymore. And to fish off the tracker I "need" another person with me as I cant climb over the bow after getting it back on its trailer., to pull the truck and trailer out of the water With the injuries I have, I actually "HAD" to re-power the boats manual steer, and trim, tiller motor,.. to a electric start, electric steer, newer, tiller motor.,... And the older power drive trolling motor? I used to manually stow and deploy? gone too,.. as the pain I endure stowing it was too much to make fishing worth while, and it was replaced with the i-pilot link minn kota ulterra, and intergrating humminbird helix 9 di si gps finder up front. I love these new "toys" but they are a requirement now as without them? I fear I wouldnt be fishing at all anymore, And thats just not a option.,..lol. The ulterra tm will deploy and stow with the touch of a button, and I can run, steer, and stop it with a remote control,.... and I have to believe the good lord, and Minn Kota,... provided me with this option as my only salvation.. Yeah, luckily,.. things timed out for me just right, and I do believe things happen for a reason. I wasnt riding my Harley anymore, and wasnt fishing either as I couldnt physically run the boats anymore, so I sold the bike, to pay for the "upgrades" I needed to at least offer chances, to fish off my tracker,.. which worked out well. Now,... I have spent the last year and a half in extreme pain, 95% of the time in bed. Without the options and actions taken within that time, I would be one miserable, angry, and bitter, landlocked bass angler. But, just knowing the upgrades are now in place? Eases my outlook for future fishing ventures,... Bass Resource has been a huge help, in a few ways, as I can spend much of my time with my mind on my bass fishing techniques, tactics, and experiences I have acquired over the years, and share them, other than just laying here grovelling in pain. I have had the priveledge to meet the 2 guys that offered fishing ventures I would not have had otherwise. And to be honest.. being able to help some newer anglers, answer some questions, and just being able to discuss bass fishing stuff, with like minded, or even better, anglers with different views. Is an incredible opportunity for any angler to have at their fingertips. I cant thank you all, especially Glenn and the mods here enough. Getting older does bite, but we do have a venue here that can ease the pains of going even greyer haired, wrinkly, and bored. In my mind? this site and you guys rock. Even enough to make one feel younger than we truly are. Now be careful and go fish as long as you can, I know I will till the day the good lord decides my time here is done. Pain and mobility may hinder, but the true bass angler looks, and rises above that, and finds a way, just like seeking our quarry, when they dont seem agreeable.

Retail environments are what they are. Standard operating procedures for one chain can greatly differ from another, and it takes years for some to just even "keep up with the Jones's" and be a proficient enough to stay in business, without chaos. Many will have processes in place from ordering product, to employee scheduling that vary greatly from anothers. The transition to follow anothers direction after being purchased can be a rocky and difficult road. Changing from what works for one to what works for another isnt easy. Im sure that it will take some time for the two to interact,(if they choose to) and its quite possible Bass Pro may not "change" Cabelas much at all to avoid any "transition" to begin with, in order to keep doors open. Its all about profit, gross margin return on investment, and stocks. If it ends up being a loosing proposition, Cabelas and its brand may be done, or sold yet again.

deep husky jerkbait, and new to me this year kvd's deep jerkbait.,..on a tough day it sqweaked a couple out for me. even a rainbow trout to boot

I have some silver buddies, sonars, and had a couple cicadas. And I will say that at times one will outproduce another. Usually the silver buddy will be my choice as its proven itself over and over,..but If im not getting bit on them i will switch to my painted sonars, I have white and chartruese, and they have worked for me in the past when the buddy fails, usually on dark cloudy days, or right after turnover. the cicadas were nice and casted a country mile, (hence their demise) they did work, but just not as good as the silver buddies do. Dont allow the name to fool you, I have some silver buddies that are gold colored and work just as well, much better on some lakes. These baits can be deadly I just wish I got to use them this year.

LMAO<.... thats awesome! And I totally agree, but whats even better is when you fish a big lake, off your smaller "bass raider" plastic rig, and hear those two guys who were fishing off the huge ranger that kept trying to swamp you all day, complaining the same,...I tell them, "I had a 100 fish day, whatchutalkinbout Willis?",....lol, talk about some evil double take looks.

Although the possibility is there to hurt her, your holding her verticle, and just for a few seconds should be ok, like to remove the hook and such. But extended periods of time, may do "some" damage. What I mistakenly forgot to mention above is, when I do grab the lip at first? I will attempt to remove the lure before lifting it out of the water with my other hand. Standing upright and fighting with pliers and hooks while the fish dangles from lipping it "can" cause damage as well. And to stand holding the fish with two hands does no good for removing the lure. So if I want to "check her out" I will remove the lure while she's supported in the water,.. then lift. If I've already been catching bigger fish,.. I will often not even pull her from the water. Just get the lure free and let her go, unless she's just so impressive I want to gaze in amazement. Heck,..when I hook a pickeral, I will reach down with pliers, grab the hook with them, and remove it without even touching the fish, or removing it from the water. (if possible) I dont like bleeding while fishing. I understand the desire to net a big fish, and don't frown upon anyone who does. I just have "conditioned" myself to grab that huge lip before she gets away. I've heard some big fish horror stories of partners fishing together, and the one with the net accidently knocking the fish off, or "not being quick enough with the net", or the fish jumps out of the net and swims away, and dead fish at weigh-in that has a net pattern plastered on its side. Many of these instances cause aggression between the two, and friendships/partnerships can be lost. Which is tragic, but happens. If I'm fishing with someone, I will ask if they want me to net the fish once they get an idea of whats on the line, and wont get the net wet, till the fish is tired enough to be led next to the boat, and as the fish approaches, then I will quickly and deliberately scoop that fish up as fast as I can. (yeah I "was" tourney angler and learned) This seems to be the best way to avert loosing the fish and causing grief for either of us. Dipping the net before the fish is ready, is a good way to loose a pb. They see that net and will swim right around it wrapping the line up and ,..BYE, BYE! ,.. Wait til she can be "led" by the rod, then scoop her up quick like If Im fishing alone, my procedures are automatic, whether im fishing off my tracker, or basshunter. I don't use a net, and have learned that when a big fish finally is near enough and surfaces, her mouth will usually be open trying to shake the lure as she breaks the surface. And you may have but 2 seconds before she starts thrashing about,.. As soon as I can "safely" grab her lower lip? my fist is in her face before she knows whats happened, as quick as a welterweight boxers jab. I got a strong grip, and she isnt going anywhere I dont want her to. Then I attend to the lure. All of this mentioned,.. is designed for the fish, and is also what works for me. Depending on situations, and fish size, it "may" vary some. Like if Im using treble hooks, It may vary.,..or if the fish is gut hooked, again, it may vary ,.etc. Scaleface doesnt appear to be hurting that fish "in my opinion". Furthermore, as individuals we all have the right to do as we choose with fish we have caught, for all we know, he could be fishing for a meal, and that fish is about to get really hot in boiling oil. So I choose to let others do as they will. BUT,... If this post helps anyone, or any future fish, awesome, thats what this is all about to begin with BTW,...nice catch scaleface!

After buying hooks I take them out of the package and put them in one of two small plano's, one for straight shanks and the other for ewg's (forget the plano model #) then I just match them up to the size bait Im going to use,... Probably have about 150 to 200 or more hooks in each plano, and no reference to what size they are anymore, just match them to the plastic, by sight. From a 3" grub, to a 12" worm, I have whatever worm hook I need, in them. The plano's are about 7 inches long, and 3 inches wide,and maybe a inch tall,... and have a possible 9 compartments when all the dividers are in, which I have done. And these fit in many of their boxes/bags nicely.

I have caught some big fish for around here, and luckily one of the first books I ever read about bass fishing was written by Doug Hannon. I learned that fish over 4 or 5 pounds can be injured by "tweaking" their jaw as you attempt to hold it horizontally by their jaw, If I remember correctly it may dislocate the jaws hinge, therefore locking it open quite a bit. So I wet my right hand first and will lip it, and as i'm lifting it out of the water, I will wet my other hand and slide it under the belly to support its weight by that hand, instead of by the jaw. Wetting your hands before touching the fish will prevent removing the slime coat. So, dont let a fish flop around on your boats carpet, for that will remove the slime coat as well. Wet your hands, lip it, and support its belly if its over 4.5 pounds. The fish will fare better that way. At least,....thats what I do.

Gauging by the hands, fish's mouth size,...id say just about 3 lbs

First thing I noticed was your screen name, I can only imagine what the waters in your part of the states, temps would be. So, with that being said, if you can find them go with the aforementioned pork trailers. They provide a slower fall than a plastic, offer a salty taste, soft feel, and will also reveal a subtle action. Ive found a pork trailer on a jig to be superior in colder waters, but they also work good year round. Just dont let them dry out on the hook, and you should be well off using them.

Thats some quality winter angling right there!, Congrats on the last days success, Im sure its a welcomed scenario as the freeze is coming soon, and it wont be long before winters grip and cabin fever rear their ugly heads. Ending the season as you did, cuts down on both, so kudos to you!

One of my favorite baits for the rivers I fish, which bares mentioning, is a 4" black/chartruese tailed berkley power ringworm. Usually, fished with a 1/8 oz gambler screwlock worm weight and a 1 or 1/0 straight or offset gamakatsu worm hook on a med heavy spinning rod, and a 1/4 oz screwlock with same hook on a med heavy casting rod. The lighter weight is for the slower slack water, and heavier for the current situations. I do use other lures as well on rivers, but this is a staple that I will "methodically" prerig for use on rivers, big or small. I can skip, pitch, flip, cast, and work however fast or slow the fish require. From the instant it hits the water till Im ready to cast again, Im watching the line with extreme attention for the slightest of hits, as sometimes they just crush it, and other times, its a very subtle hit. The largemouth and smallmouth both seem to gravitate to this plastic when others seem to just not cut it. Even the standard green pumpkin spider jig, or yamamoto double tailed hula grub on a jighead, has trouble outfishing this little gem. Which kinda perplexed me as that bait alone is a standard "tough" fishing bait for me and is typically at the ready. Also, a grub on a jighead, is another standard I have ready to go "EVERYTIME" I fish. But on rivers? for some reason, that little power worm is above and beyond, superior by far. Personally I think its the tail, that chartruese inch or so of plastic, with its slight flicker, that follows the black siliouette of the worm, seems to do it,.. as a solid black colored berkley power ringworm gets ignored. And you can bet your best dollar,..I tested that theory. And a larger 7" berkley chartruese tailed power worms? nope, again not so much as a nibble, compared to the success provided by the ringworm. And by the way, Im not sponsored by either berkley , gambler, or gamakatsu. Nonetheless,,.. at the very least, if you fish rivers, give this worm a shot. One bag? isnt going to kill you. I cant speak for your wifes actions,... lol,... but,... I hope it works for you as it does for me. And yeah, I have a few dozen bags in my overstocked plastics tote, just in case berkley discontinues them,. cuz they work that good for me,...

Welcome to what I consider the best Bass site out there. We all get skunked, it happens to the best of us,... but what "you can do", is search this site a bit more diligently. There are plenty of videos instructing anglers of any experience level on how to improve your fishing. And yes, its all right here. Videos, articles, tips and tactics from some of bass fishings best, area specific info, tourney tips etc. Whatever you need to get your bass fishing fix is right here. I'd recommend that you go to the introduction threads and tell us a little about yourself, and fill out your profile,..where you live and fish, if you have a boat,..boat"s", or fish from shore. your skill level etc. This will give us all here a better understanding of your particular questions. Negating alot of undue questions from us all so to speak. Skunked, in Ohio, while fishing what successful anglers are fishing? Could be a number of things, speed, line, cadence, etc.,... DO this,... follow roadwarriors advice, and then continue searching the site some more covering techniques or tactics that you have some interest in. Then check out novice info, may be a good start, or Basics,. these should give you the tools needed to be the successful angler others will be trying to mirror. hope this helps some