Laggyman

First things first. I think I need to spool up on Fluro or Braid. Nylon just doesn't do the magic. I haven't used braid, and am much more comfortable with Fluro so I think I'll go with that. The new rod I got is a great help. Much better than the telephone pole I was using until just recently ;D I can pick the bites pretty well, and spooling up on Fluro might just help me a bit more. It's just that the hook doesn't want to go IN!!! The Hooks are very sharp. I tried running them across my nails and they dug in enough to convince me they weren't the problem. I was quite sure the problem was with the weedguard as I have no trouble hooking up on Texas rigs.... I'll try Rolo's advice and go with a quick snap and see how it works. Thanks guys!! 1 more question. I need help setting up Uncle Josh's Pork trailers. How should I set them??

Hmmm... fiber??? I don't know if mine is wire or fiber ;D Never gave it much thought. It's the brittle plastic-ish black sticks that come out from the head in bundles. Probably fiber? I always thought I was too early to strike if the lure came right back at me. Does a Bass spit out a jig fast?? If so, does using a Pig (Uncle Josh?) give me more time to hook 'em? WIth the cold months coming I need a crash course on Jigs!!

What is the proper way to set the hook when using Jigs with the wire weedguards?? I only got 2 bites but I pulled the jig out of the Bass twice in a row... I saw the Bass bite and watched as he took it and turned around. I felt some weight on the rod so I snapped the rod up. The Jig came flying right at me. I can't seem to get the hook out from the wire. Should I cut the wire a bit?? I'm using a 6'6 MH/F rod so I don't think it's a power problem...

If it were true all the 'lil pond fish would be "unfishable" I estimate about 20 to 30 fish in a tiny pond I go about every other week. I can fish about 10 of them... And I'm sure I'm fishing the same ones.... Poor Bass...

These Cell phones we get in Japan are really awesome for this task. Can't beat 2 Megapixels all crammed into a Cell Phone!!! Pretty darn good pictures up to B5 size. We ain't paying 30000Yen (Roughly 300$) for nothing! ;D

First time I saw a Bass was when I was about 10. I went along with my family to a lakeside lodge and had some fun with Canoeing. I found a lure snagged on the dock, and remembered I found a stick with some line and hook attached so I dug around for some earthworms and put the line in the water from a dock. I really didn't expect to catch anything... Anyways, I ended catching about 5 Smallmouth bass about 10in. More than enough to hook me ;D It turns out that the particular lake was 1 in 2 lakes in Japan where we can catch SmallMouth. Once I got home I started gathering money to buy me some tackle. I guess it's just the fact that I was in awe looking at the SM Bass..... It looked sooo... cute.... Ever since then, Bass Bass Bass!!! But only LM.... That Lake is too far away from where I live... About a 5 hour drive..... Wish I could go there every week though... I haven't caught any SM ever since and I just can't wait 'til the day I get back to that lake and hook up some Smallmouth. Wish I had some good ponds nearby....

Darned Apes

From what I can see, All efforts to exterminate the Bass is failing. And I have suspicions that trying to take away the Bass will further damage the Eco system that has successfully adapted to the introduction of Bass. I just close my eyes and the fish "somehow gets away" from my hands. I will never kill them. Not because they are bass, but because I believe they have the right to live... Hey even roaches 'n rats have a right to live.. As long as they aren't in my house! Sounds like some great fishing over there in Cyprus! 12in Plastic worms... LOL Are bass still fairly new to Cyprus?

So a Bass knows it's way home?? HA! Smarter than my Dog! ;D

Ok, I'll straighten this out a little. Bass were first introduced to "Asino-Ko". A Natural lake near Mt. Fuji (Japan's Highest Mt). I think it was around 1925 or something. First imported as food, If I read the documents properly, I think it was because they are easy to stock. Bluegill was introduced a little while later. I think it was a gift to the Emporer back then. The Bass and Bluegill spread rapidly. Both Natuarlly and by Man. But I think the Sport Fishing really didn't take off in Japan until the '90s. But that's when guys started fishing some out of a lake and illegally transporting and releasing them in local ponds and such. That made huge headlines back then. Now, people are concerned about the damage to the Eco system. Especially citizens who made a living out of fishing/catching local fish made a huge problem out of the Bass and Bluegill. Their problem was that the Bass and Bluegill would literally eat "Everything in sight". I don't know how much of this is true, but it's hard to believe it when Snakeheads were introduced to Japan a lot earlier than Bass and also spread wildly but nobody notices them... So, the government stands up, and says "No more C&R!". Ok, No more Catch and Release..... What's being done is quite horrible IMHO. Because the government put the new law in effect, people without any knowledge of the spieces would just kill the fish on sight. They throw them into the ground, step on them, etc. Lots of hatred against them. Of course, the Bass Anglers are trying to stop all that from happening, but bad manners (Garbage, Smoking) on their side really dampened their image and Bass Fishing has a bad image over here. Last time I went fishing to a pond, an old geezer was watching me as I pulled in a small Bass about 10in. He came over to me and told me "That fish should be killed". I would never do that so I took the time to gently lower the fish back in the water and the bass swam off. That old geezer was plenty mad at me ;D Other Lakes and Reservoirs are doing more to take them out. They'd put out nets on spawning beds and litterally "catch" them. There are "garbage cans" located around the lake that says "Bass and Bluegill go here". It's really sad. But I doubt the population of Bass and Bluegill is decreasing. I just think it's a mean way to handle the situation when it was the humans who brought them here in the first place. Just trash them once they aren't neccesary?? This is plain stupid. The fact that only "American" Blackbass and Bluegill are the problem is also wierd. Snakeheads that came from the Korean Penninnsula are ignored. Crucian Carp that have spread around are being ignored, actually being protected. The popularity has died down somewhat for Bass Fishing, and I doubt it will regain popularity. Nothing is being done to create a better enviroment for both fish and anglers... Nothing for Kids, nothing. It's like this country wants to forget about fishing, and already forgot about the outdoors in the first place :-/ I do not fully understand the exact law that was put in place, but it does include not being able to release the bass. You can fish as long as it isn't prohibited on that piece of land. Just can't release. I don't care ;D Away goes another healthy bass to live and fight another day!! Either way, in about 10 to 20 years, everybody is going to forget about this silly thing, and I'll still be fishing for Bass and that's what counts

It is illegal to catch Bass in Japan now. Much less transport them.... Better bet would be South Korea. Aren't there any Bass in China??

You throw a weightless plastic in from of him and chant "Here fishy fishy fishy......" ;D

Understand, snagged fish = deadweight. Now I understand the importance of "steering" a fish. Hmmm but compare a 2/0 ~ 5/0 Hook with the size of the Bass... That's going to be a huge hook run into our legs ;D

General Question. Why do snagged fish feel heavier??? Do fish snagged in the belly/eye (Anywhere but the mouth) have a chance of living after release? Worried about the parasites forming on the "wound"...

You guys might think I'm out of my mind!! I wait about 20min for my girl to get ready everytime I go fishing. And I'm willing to wait patiently because I think fishing is no fun without a great partner. I'm just a fun-fish kind of guy and it's OK because I fish 1hr more after we call it quits anyway ;D Worst part is not waiting for your partner, but getting past the darned traffic jams..... This summer I managed to get myself caught in a mess. 40km long traffic jam at 4:00AM!! On the Highway... Took me more than twice what it usually takes.... aaarrgh Those drunk drivers who manage to wreck their cars in ways unimaginable

Deadsticking works well on pressured fish and inactive ones me thinks. I had a time when I was picking out some twisted line from my spinning reel and I had my 3in Senko dipped inside the water. The twist was so bad it curled around and created a couple of knots on my line so I had to cut the line off. As I was recovering the cut line, I felt some weight on it and wondered what the heck I managed to snag myself onto. But then a nice sized one comes up from beneath makes a dash for cover. I hold onto my fluoro line and it makes a nice cut across the palm... YEOW! Those lines must be sharper than razors! I got my fish, but I got a nice cut from it as well.

When using bread, try making it float. The piece you threw was taken down on top, so the fish will probably ignore any subsurface food. I haven't fished for carp for 5 years or so, but the last time I did I just hooked big pieces of bread onto a hook and let it float. They would gobble it down quite quickly.

I love fishing in a light drizzle in late winter / early spring. Why? Its sooo darned cold nobody else is around and you have the whole water to yourself 8-) All I have to do is overcome fear of losing my fingers to frostbite. Can't wait for May.....

Good idea to use it as live bait. But the guys that go after this fish are going to complain Heck these smelly fish have a bigger crowd than Bass in Japan. I saw a huge topwater that looked just like one of these and I started wondering if they ate them. Thnx for the input!!

Thanks guys!!!! I'm still trying to figure out what the primary forage is in a little pond (again...) I've only seen about 5 bluegill ever, and they were already fully grown up. I don't believe they are there in numbers high enough to feed the hunger... The rest of the fish are Koi (Common Carp) and the Crucian Carp. Too big for the bass to eat. Would it be possible for the bass to live by feeding on insects only??

I just found out what they were. "Crucian Carp". Whatever they are called, they smell bad and I'm still wondering if they make up primary forage in the pond...

I dunno what you call these in English... I think it's just a big wild goldfish... But there are tons of them in the pond. They swim in groups of 10 to 30 and they swim slow.... and They are 12 to 15in big... We call them "Funa" in Japan. They get in the way. I was wondering if this fish is considered forage to bass. I've read this type of fish contains stuff that destroys the vitamin in ya body, so predatory fish don't eat these much. I wonder if the bass care about vitamins ;D

Good answers!! Now, how would I fish one?? I bet using Bluegill colors won't work... Maybe throw in a crawdad type worm/jig?? Give him something different than what he usually sees? Or go for the reaction bite?? I'm sure a lion will bite me if I get close and get on it's nerves ;D

Why do I see swarms of tiny bluegill and a nice sized bass around the same cover/structure? I thought bass ate those fish... Would it be safe to say he isn't hungry and would only get bit by getting a reaction strike?? Or does that mean bluegill doesn't taste so good and somethin else is primary forage??

Hmm.. come to think of it... That's true. Thank god the Bass are drivnn by instinct and don't think. I'd hate to see a bass shout "dummy" and fling a plastic back at me Does the laterel line have anything to do with lighter shades of body color? Or is that just the Bass way for camoflauge?