deepsessions

last December I was fishing a local lake in a 12' alum rental and had my jig rod laying across the width of the boat (near the oar guides) while I was landing a 4lb rainbow on a jig! this freakish fighting planter trout created all kinds of hysteria and my Powell 735 with a Daiwa Advantage reel tipped over and slowly sunk in 35' of water....sad part is it was real windy and I was in an alum so recovery was not possible :-[ just few months before I was driving up to Clear Lake with my rods and dropped the passenger window for some air and forgot about my rods > started rolling up the window and at the last second stopped it to remember my rods!! well it was too late my Lami drop shot rod was nearly decapitated and bent beyond repair. None of this happened at night however I did witness a Rogue jig rod almost go to the swim gods on a COLD WET night up at Clear Lake while night fishing, luckily the owner had more heart than brains the air temp was in the 50's

the Shimano Spirex can be fitted to any other Shimano spinning reels? or is there any other double paddle reels out there with no quickfire(reel lag)? I am still getting a Pti

ya I'm kind of stuck in a pickle since I don't have a regular medium setup yet (lost in a move) I was gonna try and squeeze by this season with my 7' Powell as my ML/M setup with a Pti-30 but don't want an awkward feeling combo......I'm still unsure about casting vs spinning in the medium dept..my 702 casts pretty accurate but is a little fast in the tip....the Pti-10 Kinetic I have is on a lami 6'9 for smaller finesse DS,SS,Shaky etc so the Pti-30 will be for rip baits/cranks/small plastics etc.... geez if only I could bring my rod into a local shop.....guess that's what you guys are for keep up the input!

does the added weight of the 30 make up in further casting and a faster retrieve? I use my Kinetic Pti-10 for the DS so this will be for smaller treble hook lures,shaky heads,and some other finesse ...gonna run 8-10lb line WCCT have you run braid on your 30? any wear yet if so?

love my PT Energy Burner and Kinetic Pti 10 and am looking at getting another spinning setup for my Powell 702 ML (for now I'm using a Spirex RE drag)...gonna mainly use this rod/reel for finesse lures and lighter rip baits

ay thanks for the recomendation I will look into it....right now I am reading the In Fishermen's Largemouth Bass book....it is very interesting as it breaks down areas by topography be it a reservoir/man made lake/river etc...

some good and entertaining responses here guys ;D I still haven't gotten any kind of clear response though! main thing I'm looking to find out from you guys is how do you setup to fish schooled up bass in clear deep water....with bluff walls,chunk rock, and boulders bigger than a VW bug....I know clear water fish tend to spook alot easier than fish in stained or dirty water so I'm looking for some methodology on HOW YOU GUYS NAVIGATE IN YOUR BOAT! do you survey for 30 minutes with the big motor chucking marker buoys,make long fan casts with the troller on low, or troll in search of schools.....what is YOUR most productive technique or is it a wash?

I saw that episode I think he's talking about experiments from a padded fiberglass boat I'm sure if you were fishing from either a canoe or alum it may be different..since sound resonates and turns into a vibration through dense material on water....I think he mentioned that bass can hear 30x better than humans because water transmits so much faster.... If you were to drop a firecracker in the water while someone was scuba diving it would either kill them or make them deaf if it was near them. Try a few experiments of your own next time your in the bathtub its crazy. one thing I do remember about keeping fish tanks (both reef and african cichlids) when I would buy fish the first few months the newer fish would be a little more skittish and would hide in either the reef or lava rock when I'd enter the room. After awhile they'd get comfortable and come out thinking it was feeding time. Also with the african cichlids there would always be a dominent male who would scare fish out of his lair if anyone was to come close. He also had the best piece of real estate in the tank. mind you these are domesticated pets that have no fear of predatory fish. my main question has more to do though with disturbing the water with either a gas motor or troller and not so much about conversating. Rivers I understand typically make more noise and heavily pressured lakes make the bass more accustom to disturbances however it has also been said that bass that have been caught can relate engine noise to danger. This easily could be a topic split into two different schools of thought since I'm sure most of us have caught fish behind the boat,after we've dropped something in the boat, after someone has jumped in to go swimming etc. Bass are more reactive I understand and use sight as their #1 source with the lateral line making up for a lost eye, murky water etc. What preventative measures are you guys taking for piece of mind? Most of the lakes/Res. I fish are clear water so fish can quickly associate any noise with what they see.

I know in some cases bass are going to react regardless of the noise going on and some aren't....I've driven through a few points that were loaded with shad up at Clear Lake only to witness 20 minutes of acrobatics while we remained fishless... maybe I should clarify a little bit....what methodology do you use when looking for fish and what seems to be most productive? do you idle with the big motor over a small or big stretch or run with the troller and use search lures? let's say either on a new body of water or one where you know the bass are schooled up

some good input here guys! being at one with the environment is something I really miss about my float tube

I have been changing up my approach the last few months. I've been making fewer casts and have been spending more time surveying with the boat since the winter has had fish schooled up and I've been on deeper water. My question is at what depth do you guys feel you are starting to spook the fish? I have been surveying in my 12' alum with a 6 hp engine. I try to use the troller as much as possible but on a windy day its impossible! Typically I don't scan anything shallower than 15 ft. and rely on fan casting the shallower areas for a period of time. most lakes/reservoirs are different I'm sure with boat traffic,water clarity,pressure,etc.. but as a general rule at what point do you think you are spooking the fish? would it be best to survey and drop a marker and come back? if so how long are you guys waiting? look forward to the feedback guys!

Fatfishfarmer on ebay should have one less then 200 possibly BTW thats what I would get for that price range. JUST ORDERED! what a deal! can't wait to have a Loomis in my hand again it's been way too long! thanks RW and GMan! I will report back after I demo it

MUCH BETTER hmmm......looks like I'll be packing a lunch this month I always told myself I needed a nice fiberglass boat before I dive back into the Loomis category(previous steelhead/salmon fisherman here) looks like some instant "G"ratification is in order ;D thanks guys

thanks RW I've heard about these rods but never felt one.....I have 3 other MH rods all of which are 6'6 and are great all around rods... my fear is that the tip is gonna be too spongey for 1/2 oz jigs/worms. I will be fishing in water up to 40' so I need some good feeling without too much load especially for winter fishing where bites feel like nibbles....haven't owned a 7' MH so pardon the skepticism

I am on the hunt for a good rod under $200 (ahem I mean other than Loomis) this rod will be used mostly for 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs in deeper water with occasional heavy cover....right now I am using my Helium LTA 6'6 md/heavy and want something that isn't gonna load up as fast and is 7' or 7'6 that being said is there a big difference between the telescopic poles and a one piece? I am leaning on a Powell 765 MH or possibly an All Star Big Boy TAS 908BB or TAS 907FSX and then I was also thinking a Daiwa L&T TL-76T ah!! decisions.... this all wouldn't be so tough if the local tackle stores carried these rods and I could actually feel them....I am counting on you more experienced guys to help me out the rod will be outfitted with a low profile reel

California looks to be the next record holder its no secret that trout are fed into many of the lakes and reservoirs yearly and the sunshine keeps away ice and snow for the most part for the ultimate playground. Every local lake within an hour of me has a lake record of 18 lbs + this can be a bit inspiring at times and others misleading as it doesn't justify the quality of fishing just the size that can be obtained. a local live bait shop which catches live bait at one of the big tournament trail lakes has a 30lb monster lurking about....he said he see's many of fish in the double digits and knows from years experience its the next world record. Will it be caught? One state to look out for is Texas they are doing alot of study & research on what it takes to cultivate big bass and also they are experimenting with cross breeding largemouth's with another specie of bass (sorry I forget the strain) they are supposed to gain twice the size in half the time and grow to a bigger size. The program has only been going on for 5 years and they need another 10 to really get a full spectrum of fish. just some fish for thought.....now its off to fishing! gotta love these late winter starts

should find some nice objects and some not so nice.....I remember lifting about a 5lb magnet from Earth Science 15 years ago....thought I'd use it for all kinds of stuff but only used it to fool with company when they'd come over :: hey bet you can't pick up that metal bar off the table....oh yea how much?::

yea the underhand roll is a nice way of casting its one thing I practiced lots in the backyard when I had no boat :'( right now I have a 12' alum and it's impossible to fish out of with my mate who's 6'4 ....me being left handed its not really an option unless he drives(not an option) for the most part I bring 4 rods one 7' med/hvy rod for big jigs,cranks,buzzbaits,,one 6'8 Lamiglass Spinning med/lght for lighter plastics and drop shotting 6'6 Daiwa Procaster baitcasting rod med/hvy for jigs,spinnerbaits,crankbaits,and a Fenwick 6'6 spinning med/lght for lighter finesse worms I've found that my spinning setups have been the go to for the summer since I've been fishing warmer waters....I like the fact that I can cast out and let the line drop as oppose to swinging into me when I am trying to get down deeper...one thing is for sure baitcasters have much more control in targeting specific isolated structure...its weird how so many rods have different purposes at first glance it seems as if we are being suckered in then after trying them out you start to notice the effects of a good rod....less fatigue,more sensitivity,etc

some good stuff there W2S....I've always tried to enter the water as quiet as possible when fishing...I've noticed how bass get spooked when your watchin' over them in the shallows and they hear something drop in the boat.... it's interesting that a majority of people say splash isn't much of a concern but alot of the pro's say its key

that is major! couldn't imagine paying that much for bait! I've been cosidering a few different guides for Clear Lake and the Delta here in Cali. There's too much information I figure I can learn about these two bodies of water and how the seasons,baits,etc effect the fish. I'd be harder pressed to pay these top dollar amounts somewhere I wouldn't be fishing unless we are talking about going Peacock fishing ;D I can't see how you could lose out on going out with a local guide unless you don't have much food on the table

I've watched the Kevin Van Damme dvd collection(3) from BASS and he makes quite an emphasis on entering the water as quietly as possible depending on the water clarity or length of cast. This is a little strange since he's a known spinnerbait assasin. From what I gather you don't want to make alot of noise if you are fishing in a high pressure lake that sees dozens of lures in a day and/or if you are pitching 10 feet away.

some good feedback here.....thanks guys! I will be looking into the Bigmouth Series have heard too much abouth them

anything under 20'? curious to know how much I need to be on my partner about him depth charging the lake more times than I care to tell also how far apart do you guys like to cast away from eachother? I'm sure it depends on the structure but generally speaking here

yea those dumb donaldson trout they stock run up to 15 lbs! no wonder why the bass are such hogs!

thanks Sam I forgot about Bigmouth the movie I remember a friend telling me about it sometime ago....will definetly check it out