BassBeat101

Thank you for the tips - my crew and I are staying at Bee Spring Lodge, near Benton, KY. The last time I went, it was late fall, and fishing was tough. One shellcracker, one sauger. I'm hoping for better results this time, as I've never actually cleaned my own fish - that's the goal. Daryl

Hey everyone, I need your help. Myself and a couple buddies are hitting KY Lake this weekend - our goal is mainly crappie and bass. It seems like the lake is higher than normal, and I've read a few places that the current is not as strong as it normally would be. I went to this lake 2 years ago, and I was completely intimidated by its size. I am used to ponds, and this beast is a million ponds. Other than focusing on fishing deeper (which I did not do last time), what would be the best plan of attack? I've bought a topographical map, so hopefully that will help - now I just need to know how to apply it. Any info is greatly, greatly appreciated. Daryl

Was out at the local Cabela's today, and saw a plastic called Venom Super Do's? I'm a big fan of tube baits, and these look small, sleek, and effective. Anybody use them with or without success?

That's a fun idea - I'm in - just a fun, online Sunday fishing tournament. Best bass wins. I'm on the lake next Sunday anyways, we'll see what happens.

Probably a lot of crankbaits for me, for a personal reason - I don't own enough nor do I fish them enough. I just like soft plastics, but if I had a discount like that, I'd probably grab a handful of cranks for the hell of it and start fishing them. Daryl

Keep in mind that I don't have any major committments holding me down, but I'd drop whatever I have going on right now to be a pro fisherman - I'm a competitive guy, which is probably why I like fishing - it's me against the fish everytime I'm on the water. If I can get my life to the point where one of the few things that cause stress is fishing, I'll be all right. Maybe some days would be less fun - but right now I work at Blockbuster - fun, but not fishing. Daryl

I recently made my first trip into the world of fluoro/copolymo/non-mono fishing line, and on a slightly educated whim I went with the P-Line CXX in moss green for my setup. It handles much better than I thought it was going to- a hair difference at first, since I had never fished with anything but mono before, but I soon realized it was just as smooth as my normal go-to line of Sufix Elite - I haven't caught anything of substantial size on it as of yet, but knot strength seems solid and I like the lack of visibility. Daryl

Like everybody else said, it's more than all right to have an obsession with fishing - too many people are unable to find an obsession anything in their life - and learn about fishing, get outside, and have fun. Friends and family (and females) are in a different category, and should be kept seperate. But a healthy obsession can lead to a healthy and happy life. A few years ago, I was working my deskjob answering call after call about things I didn't care about and was bored with my life, and no direction. Work, go out with friends, have some beers, go to work, and repeat. I had done that nearly my entire twenties. A few years ago I started fishing, and thought about it much like you - my co-workers thought it was ridiculous how often they would see a new picture on my desk of me with a fish or a website on my monitor involving something with rods, reels, or gills. Today, I'm fishing as much as I can, and have returned to school to pursue a degree in Fishery and Wildlife Conservation - and have not been this focused and excited about my future since I was in my early teens. I smile at all the kids in my classes with their heads on their desks passed out asleep - if only they could find an obsession of their own. Daryl

I've always thought it was called a jig simply because of it's traditional "hopping" action - similar to the old school style of dance - or any other quick, bouncing movement. In regards to this topic, I think a jig has to have some type of skirt, be it plastic, hair, etc. Anything else is a jighead (different than a jig) with plastic on it. Daryl

I concur with the drop-shot rig - I have a local pond by my school, and the bottom is completely covered with green gunk. If anything collects on my weight, it's just a quick swipe and then cast again - if even that. You still have versatility in your plastics, and the life-like fall slays bass - I use a drop shot just about everwhere I fish. Daryl

That's a real solid fish man - nice size belly, just a solid chunk. Congrats on your 11 pounder - I'm hoping I catch one half that size this year! Daryl

Good afternoon guys, Happy Final Four to all - went to my local BPS last evening and picked up some P-Line CXX, 4# test. I enjoy fishing with light line, and was looking to delve into my first co-polymer/fluoro line. So after reading all the posts in the past on these type lines, I decided to try the CXX - going to use it tomorrow, weather permitting - My question is, what should I expect from this line? Generally I use Sufix Elite 8# test, and I enjoy its strength and feel. I don't like asking questions before I use a product, but my main questions are directed at those that have had problems with this line, or think less of it than perhaps another type. Thanks guys! Daryl

Was fishing at a city lake in St. Louis, tossing a 4" redbug lizard into some reeds - wham, hooked into a nice 1.5#'er. Next cast, wham, same fish again. The best part was the guy about 50 yards away started calling me Mr. Fisherman as if I had skills. I "forgot" to mention to him that it was the same fish. Daryl

I do like the red/tequila shad colors for worms, especially in darker waters. In clearer water, lately I've been using a lot of redbug - seems to work well for me. Daryl

I'm in the same boat, going to spend around $100 on a rod in a few weeks, and I took my reel with me to BPS to see how each rod felt - still not really sure, I'm going to test it again when I purchase it, but I think matching your specific reel with the rod is important as well. Daryl

I second the tube, with the weight placed inside of it - I like how it gives it a more "back and forth" fall, which I find perfect for a follow up bait - a tad too tantalizing for a bass, I would think. Daryl

Yowza. I enjoy them both - whatever is on TV, I'll watch. It's tournament fishing - I could probably watch a local club tournament if they were catching fish. I liken the BASS v. FLW somewhat similar to the ol' WCW v. WWF matchup. Except without the drama - oh wait, the whole Luke Clausen thing and DQ's every tourney. Daryl

Let's see, I wake up, take a shower, get some grub, get my rod, reel, and tackle, a few beers, a couple friends, and head out to the water. I seem to get on this pattern everytime! Daryl

Welcome to the group! Lots of good info, exchange of ideas, articles, the whole "kit 'n kaboodle"! Yeah! Daryl

Just experiment each day, and learn from that. Somedays the fish may prefer it shakin' on the bottom - another they may want a wacky rigged drop shot - they're both equally good techniques to learn, and both equally good techniques to utilize. Daryl

For me, fishing is the attempt to solve a puzzle - mainly, where they are and what would be the best lure to present them with. Using a bait that is exactly what the bass is looking for takes out half of the puzzle, and for me, half of the fun. But that's just me. If a bass hits my watermelon colored grub, I think "Why did he hit it? Did he hit it on the fall? Was it a fast retrieve, slow retrieve? Did the color have a factor? Would something else catch more/bigger fish?" I think If I used life bait, my only thought would be "Why did he hit...oh wait, it's his main food source." I don't really considering it cheating, but it seems to take away some of the sport. Daryl

I've always thought that the side the handle was on was indicative of the function of the reel. When using a spinning reel, the strong hand (in my case right hand) holds the rod so that the rod fights the fish, and I reel with my left hand after the fish has tired - with a baitcaster, I like to reel with my right hand, as the baitcaster is more of a winch design - I am fighting the fish with the reel instead of the rod - at least this was always my interpretation. Daryl

I generally fish from the shore, and I have a small Wal-Mart FLW type shoulder tacklebag, the size of a small lunchbox - at home I have two larger Plano 7271 which are my boating tackleboxes, plus my tackle "hub". I have enough room in my smaller bag for all the terminal stuff I need, I can slip in a few spinnerbaits, and slits on each end that hold about 4 bags of plastics a piece - I have to be a bit judicial in my decisions, true, but this just helps me focus as an angler. It also helps me focus on a specific technique if need be. Daryl

I fish when the powers that be say that I can fish. I don't necessarily target bedding bass, although in a way I guess I do simply because I always fish where they are, no matter the season. When I started this sport I was very concerned about fishing for spawning bass, however after awhile I came to my personal conclusion that fishing at anytime of the year will eventually do some harm to some of the population - if they're not breeding, they're hunting, or trying to survive. In the wintertime fish are trying to conserve as much energy as possible - catching one expends more energy then it was planning on using - and if I catch a large female in the winter, I may have caused her to use up what little energy she had left, causing physical (possibly fatal) harm - which wouldn't even allow her to spawn in the spring anyways. I just practice strict catch and release, do my best to help the environment/water sources as a whole, and go from there. I don't feel that the buffalo are a fair comparison - few hunters of said species practiced "catch and release" - and our biologists today are much more educated on the possibility of extinction. Daryl

Hey everybody! This evening at my league night I was talking to a teammate of mine who is getting into fishing this year for the first time - and I was telling the story of how I got into fishing. That got me thinking - what are everybody's own personal story about the first fish they ever caught? Mine's really simple, but special to me... It was about three years ago, a noob to the fishing sport. My grandfather had fished his entire life, but I never really got into the game at all. That changed 3 years ago, as I was looking for a new hobby that was a departure from my atypical Miller Lite and the newest Madden combo. On a whim, I decided to try fishing - no particular reason, just thought I'd give it a shot. I didn't really know any fishermen, maybe I was trying to be weird - who knows - so I decide to head out to Wal-Mart to pick up my new "rod n reel". It was a Rhino spincaster, sadly she's gone now but a decent pick up for 30 bucks. So I head out to my local lake, and without really having any idea of what I'm doing, toss my bobber with a chartreuse/red jig out into the middle. It was mid to late February, rather cold as I remember. I had no idea what to expect, but on my third cast (ever) I felt a small 'tick' in the line, and sat there, stunned, and with a naive, subdued feeling of excitement. Next thing I knew, my bobber was all over the place and I was the proud owner of a lovely red eared sunfish. I just sat there and stared at it for a second, not knowing how to take the darn thing off the hook. I finally figured it out, and let the little guy go. I don't think I caught a fish for the next 3 months - but it seemed that every time I was close to giving up, I would feel a slight nibble on my line- and come back for more the next day. It's been my favorite hobby ever since. And while my fishing skills still leave much to be desired, I strive to improve every day, and I have at least limited my skunkings to about a week or 2 timeframe. Daryl