king fisher

I think in the case of large bass, the reason is simple, I start shaking enough for the both of us.

For the same reason, when flying, I always have a head wind, the big buck will stand out in the open just out of range, and when I was a kid, the walk to school was uphill both ways. No reason, it is just the way it is.

You are well prepared. My only suggestion is, bring your pass port, turn south, and don't stop when you get to the Mexico border.

WRB. To watch and learn jig fishing from the best.

If you bring the Bait Monkey, you can move in for as long as you like.

but can she catch fish with a spinnerbait? I have to wonder, if my wife started fishing, would the Bait Monkey be allowed back in the house?

I had lots of luck this past weekend with a Storm Arashi Cover Pop. Now the Bait Monkey wants me to fill a large box with poppers. I normally use other top water lures,( which I tried with zero success) and am very limited in my selection of poppers. I only had the storm popper because it was the only popper for sale at my local tackle shop. A big bass stole that popper and the shop doesn't have any fresh water poppers for sale anymore. My other poppers are a Pop R and a Hula Popper. Both work, but I was only having luck walking a popper, the Pop R was more difficult to walk, and the Hula popper will not walk for me at all. Casting distance is the other feature I am setting a premium on, with good hooks being a plus.

In the summer when I was a kid living in the country, I went down to the lake almost every day. I fished from a small dock at the boat launch. I would drool when a guy with a bass boat loaded with gear would launch their boat. Sometimes they would open one of their giant tackle boxes, and let me look at the lures inside. I always felt like I was looking at a box of diamonds. It wasn't long before I noticed they had all the gear I dreamed of, but didn't go fishing very often, and usually didn't catch as many fish as my friends and I did. We always referred to them as city anglers. I hate to admit it, but now I am a city angler. I have way more tackle than I need, and I have only been fishing 7 days this year. I wont be bass fishing more than a couple days this summer, and hope to get out for a weekend or two in the fall. I don't know why I let a little thing like work get in the way of my bass fishing, but I do. It's official, except for having a boat, I am exactly like the fishermen I dreamed to be.

It is the dry season here. The rain will start in a couple weeks. By July the lake will be full, and the shore line will be a tropical jungle. I am afraid if I dropped a big Mexico bass in a Maine lake, it would get deported. Thanks, how about a trade for Mexico bass fishing and Maine ice fishing.

I was able to go bass fishing again this weekend. Not the epic trip I had last weekend, but I did manage to get a couple nice bass. My first bass Friday was 25.5 inches, and the scale settled at 10 pounds even. I finished the day with 33 pounds for my best five. The big one was caught on a Storm Arashi Cover Pop, and the others were on a spinnerbait. The pattern had completely changed from last week even though the water temp. 75 degrees, water level, and weather were exactly the same and the same as every day the past couple months. Instead of being on the points and shelfs, they were back in the bays on wood. My big bass Saturday was 24.5 inches, and 8.2 pounds. I caught it on a Pop R. I lost my Storm popper on a giant that rapped me on a tree a few minuets before. I only had one of the lucky poppers, forcing me to switch to a Pop R. Nothing against the Pop R, but the bass wanted the popper walked. The Pop R is much more difficult to walk but was good enough for one eight, and a couple five pound bass. Saturday I couldn't buy a bite on anything other than a popper. I tried everything, but a popper was what they wanted. I was able to fish for half a day Sunday. Not a single bite on the popper, but landed a few around 5 pounds on a T rig, as well as lost a giant in a tree again. When I fish this lake, the difference from being a good day, and a once in a lifetime day can be one cast, and a tree limb. I had seen a big bass two days in a row, next to a lay down in a bay. I couldn't get her to bite both days, so I pulled the kayak on to the shore and climbed the bank, hoping to catch her from shore. I didn't see her, but threw a Mag, trick worm out past where I had spotted her the days before in 22 feet of water. She bit on the second cast, I set the hook, and now I was hooked to a 10 pound plus bass standing 30 feet up a steep bank, wondering what to do next. She jumped, then wrapped me on a tree that was in-between the bank, and the bass. I put the reel in free spool, and let her take line until I was almost out. I finally had to try and bring her back in. It only felt like one wrap on one limb, but I couldn't get to the Kayak, and I almost went swimming trying to get to the shore line. I was debating setting my rod on the ground with a big rock holding it, and getting my kayak, when the line snapped. I lost the bass and half a spool of line. I will think my plan through before I try a stunt like that again. All in all it was a great weekend. The picture of the 8 pound bass is blurred because I accidently splashed water on my phone while trying to take a picture.

I have difficulties with strong winds every afternoon, but after reading these posts, I'm not going to complain.

The Alberto knot is easy to tie, very strong if tied correctly. It will come untied if you make some common mistakes. It doesn't slip ,it simply comes untied because the tag end on the braid works its way back through the knot. You can stop this from happening by simply tying a couple half hitches above the knot. This works, but is not necessary if you tie the knot correctly. Unfortunately those mistakes are made in many instructional videos showing how to tie it. The Uni to Uni know is bigger, and not as strong, but is more difficult to tie wrong. If you have trouble with the Alberto, I recommend uni to uni, or you can watch videos until you find one that specifically shows you the common mistakes made. It is very easy on some knots to think you are tying them correctly when you actually are making a big and costly mistake. I tied the Palomar for years 20 years doing the same mistake without ever realizing I wasn't tying it correctly. One day a friend and had a knot contest and his knot always beat my Palomar. I noticed the Palomar was always breaking in the same place. It was then I realized I was unconsciously making a single twist while bringing the lure back through the loop. This caused the line to cross over itself at the point of contact. After correcting my bad habit, the Palomar has lived up to its reputation as one of the strongest knots. The same is true for the Alberto. A simple mistake that goes unnoticed can give the knot an undeserved bad reputation.

The correct answer can't possibly be something you already have in your box. Look at what you already own, then go buy something you don't have. You may not catch fish, but at least it wont be because you don't have the right lure.

Crankbaits are my favorite. They have been my number one from back in the day when they were called bass plugs, and had metal bills. I have never met a crankbait I didn't like. Doesn't matter how many I own, every time I see a new one, I have to have it. Every time I loose one, it was my favorite and has to be replaced.

Looks like Lake Menderchuck to me.

Do you buy spinnerbaits with the money you save?

Bait Monkey

Oh Ya, but an Osprey doesn't live with the Bait Monkey and post tackle porn all winter while the lake is frozen.

I had the best bass fishing weekend of my life. I didn't get to the lake until mid morning on Friday, but my first bass was a 7.5 pounder caught on a Pop R. starting the trip off with a bang. I ended Friday with two 7.5 pound bass and a few in the 4 to 6 pound class. The two big ones came on a Pop R, and the rest split between a Mag Trick worm, and a 6th Sense Magnum Square Bill. Saturday I got an early start, for the day with a 5.5 pound bass on a T rig mag trick worm. I lost a giant on a Bacca Burrito, then had a dry stretch for an hour with no action. I tried another spot, and had a good one miss a spook, but I caught it with a follow up T rig worm. I guessed the bass to be around 5 pounds. I have marks on the side of my Kayak, for a quick measure. Most days I only weigh the bass that make the 24 inch mark. So anything less is just an estimate. I left that place but decided to go back there in the afternoon, when the wind picked up. There was a shelf that I hoped the bass would move up on with the wind. There was 6 to 8 feet of visibility and the bass were spooky, I marked some fish on the drop by the shelf in 22 feet, but couldn't get them to bite. I went to a bay close by after checking some points while catching a few smaller bass. I managed to catch my first bass of the day over 7 pounds pitching a worm in to a tree. After spending an hour pitching to trees for no more bites I decided to give up on bays for the day. At 11:30 the wind started blowing so I peddled over to the spot I picked for fishing in the afternoon. The day before I had tried to fish some offshore structure in the wind and was not able to stay on the spot. I was happy to find a place I thought I could drift by and still be able to present a moving bait effectively. I fished that shelf with a variety of baits with only one strike on a top water that I missed. The wind kept picking up making it difficult to maintain position, but I wasn't going to give up on the spot. It was then I decided to tie on a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait. I had never had any luck at this lake with spinnerbaits, and I usually like to fish crankbaits on rock, preferring to fish spinnerbaits in wood, and grass. The crankbaits weren't working, and I just can't resist the urge to give a spinnerbait a try whenever the wind is strong. First cast I hooked a big bass. while fighting the bass I looked down and saw 3 other bass attacking the blades on the spinnerbait hooked to my bass. I maneuvered to the lee side of an island where I could drop my anchor, land, weigh, and take pictures of the bass. It was well over 24 inches, and 7.9 pounds on the scale. The wind was getting stronger, and I noticed some current running through a slot on the shelf I was fishing. I had hoped some bass would move up on to the shelf, but didn't notice there was a slot that concentrated the wind driven current, this was only getting better. The first cast in the slot produced my next bass that was over 25 inches and weighed in at 10.1 pounds. After getting back in position, my next cast landed another one over 25 inches at 8.9 pounds. I lost the next bass when it jumped and it was in the same class as the previous fish. Then the bite stopped so I started drifting by wind blown points, and managed to land an 8.2 pound bass, as well as lost two more in the same size class all on the same worn out spinnerbait. The wind died down some in the evening, but the spinnerbait still hooked one more monster bass, but as others had that day, the hook came out on the second jump. The bass in this lake jump more than anywhere I have ever fished. Most days I would be devastated to loose a bass over 7 pound's but It didn't bother me in the least. I also landed a few bass that didn't make the 24 inch cut, that I estimate were between 4 and 6 pounds. I went back to camp with a big smile, and memories that will last forever. Saturday's catch total. 7.9 8.2 8.9 10.1 7.6

Welcome to my world

I would, but the only floro here is for leaders, 60 pound and up. The airlines wont let anyone bring fishing line in carry on luggage. All my friends fly down with only carry on bags. The Sniper I put on will have to live up to its reputation, and last for more than one big fish and a snag. If it doesn't I will once again, be off the floro wagon.

First bass of the day was a good one. 27 inches, 10.76 pounds. It was only the third time I have been able to go bass fishing this year. I tried to go last Sunday to the lake I was at today, but the road was closed to the lake because of a bad buss accident, so I had to turn around and go home. Four hours of driving and I didn't even get a line wet. I planned on going to Trigomil for three days this weekend, but work got in the way of that trip. Finally last night my wife told me to go before I drove her crazy. I left at 3:00 AM and was fishing by 7:30. I Started off fishing a large tree in 25 feet of water with some surface lures, but not much going on the top. Ran a square bill around the outside of the tree nicking a few branches, but didn't want to throw in the middle of the tree until I had tried some more tree friendly lures first. I tossed a T rig Magnum Trick Worm in the middle of the large branches. and Felt a bite on the first cast. I set the hook and instantly new I hooked a good bass, but as soon as I felt the fish, I was stopped cold by a tree branch. I assumed the bass was gone and I was now fighting a tree, but then the line started to give a little, and I was in a seesaw battle with the bass wrapped around one or more branches. I would free spool and let the bass take line hoping he would unwind himself, then I would tighten up and pull all the while feeling the line go back and forth across the tree wondering when the line would snap. I pulled the anchor and tried getting on different sides, at different angles, but after 20 minuets trying every angle, I didn't feel the fish anymore and was sure I was simply wrapped on the tree. I got straight over the snag, wrapped the line around my hand and started to pull hard enough to break the line. About the time I was ready for the line to break, the bass started moving and was suddenly free. I grabbed the rod out of the holder, and faught the bass to the surface. I was surprised at it's size. I have caught bass this big off of the very same tree at the the same water level before, but had assumed if it couldn't be much over 6 pounds or it would have broken the line. I am glad I had respooled my line the night before. I was back to trying floro again, after swearing I would never use it again for the hundredth time, but I will say the 15 pound fluorocarbon was up to the task. Now for the real test, how well it performs next week after being stressed to the limit. The pictures tell the rest of the story. I landed a few smaller bass on a variety of lures, but was forced off the water by 1:30 because the afternoon West winds were exceptionally strong today, with gusts well over 30 mph. I didn't mind leaving early because I was sure I used up all of my luck and them some for one day.

I once fished with a couple of school teachers from Alabama while guiding in Alaska sometime in the early 90's. They paid for their Alaska fishing trip with money made from breaking line class records. Berkley had a promotion where they gave away, money ( not sure on the amount but I think it was $1000.00) to anyone who broke a line class record with Berkley line. They looked at the record book, and found potential records they could break in the area they lived. Some species of gar and other unpopular fish would not even have a record in many line classes. For awhile they were breaking multiple records every time they went fishing. Sometimes they would even let a world record go because it was too big. They wanted to be able to beat the record again, after a smaller one was certified. They fished for records so much they considered it a second job. Some records were ridicules', like the record for a species of sunfish, with 20 pound test line etc. After about a year of setting many records and collecting lots of cash, Berkley wrote them a letter stating that they would only pay for records of the more popular sportfish, such as Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout etc. They considered taking Berkley to court, because the promotion originally stated any IGFA line class record but when Berkley offered to pay them for the records they had pending, plus a lifetime supply of fishing line, they decided to avoid the hassle and expense of going to court, and simply spend the money they had made from Berkley fishing for fun. Sometimes clients can exaggerate a bit, while telling stories, so I didn't know how much of their story to believe. When I got back to town at the end of the season, I looked up their records in a friends IGFA book, ( this of course was before the internet). They had been telling the truth. They had almost every record for many species of gar, sunfish, carp, and other less popular sportfish. I'm sure most of their records have been broken by now, but I would bet my last dollar that Berkley is more careful when coming up with promotions after those two old school teachers took them to the cleaners.

I can't remember names, birthdays, my anniversary, or what I had for dinner, but I can tell you the brand, diameter, pound test, age, and if I have stressed or backlashed every line on every reel I have. Add to that the 30 plus saltwater reels I use for work, and my wife complains about my memory.