MendotaBassMaster

As many of you know Illinois was one of the states hammered by rain recently so I haven't been able to get much fishing in so hopefully I will be able to this weekend. I couldn't stand it last weekend so about midnight I went out with my son between storms and made about six casts as the next storm rolled in a bass a little over a pound hammered my little bass assassin white worm. I showed my son and said it is time to go as the lightening was coming and he said it is only a lightening a little bit and I cracked up saying I am only holding a lightening rod in my hand so I thing any lightening is a bad thing. I'm not that die hard. LOL

Keep posting I always like to see the fish everyone is catching. It gives me something to shoot for and I always try to note where and when everyone is catching. Go Cats!

I really enjoyed Ike's book. Once I started it I could not put it down. I really enjoyed how he instilled the confidence level in. I mean how many people do you know that need a boat(like myself) say I am going to go out and win this tournament and this boat and then go out and do it. That is pure and simple determination some luck and some darn good fishing. Never give up is a classic saying. He has done this on more than once. I also read Shaw Grigsby's book Bass Master. I liked it as well but not as much as Ike's.

I would like to personally say thank you to Howard and his outstanding company. I placed an order with them and I got an error after trying to do so and Howard emailed me the next morning and informed me he was sending my order to me at no cost due to the error. I promptly emailed him back and told him he did not have to do that but he would not hear of it. It is very refreashing in this day and age to have upstanding men like this to deal with. I can tell you he will have a customer for life as there are not many that would treat a customer like he did me. Thank you once again Howard.

I am not sure but with this hog my wife surely has the record for futility here on the bassresource boards. I can assure you that she did actually catch this monster as she would never touch a fish. It was absolutely hilarious. I think this is one record she is sure to have for a very long time. At least I hope I never break it. Enjoy the piture.

Wooooooo Hoooooooooo I am so happy you are back up and running! I was having withdraws big time thought I might have to check into therapy somewhere. LOL

Well my wife has outfished me a couple of times but if you want to know a secret on how I can always beat her? I just bet her bathrooms. We have been almost married four years and she has never beat me in a bet for bathrooms. Must put too much pressure on her. LOL..

That is one kick butt bass!!!! Way to go....That will leave you smiling for a long time.

T-rigged because that is how I learned to t-rig and caught my first with. I haven't caught one wacky rigged yet but I do keep trying from time to time but my go to right now is the t-rigged senko. Pure confidence I guess because everyone tells me wacky rigging is easier.

Went to our local lake again this evening and nothing special was happening but at least I wasn't being over run with people or catching any rocks when I hear this almost like scream of help from the right side of me about 20 yards down the bank and I look and my wife is hopping around like she is on hot pokers and there is this commotion in the water and it looks like she has sure enough hooked up to a bass. She is calling for me and my son to come over and I was just kinda watching as it was pretty comical when she pulls this baby out of the water and proceeds to tell me that it was a killer bass that it tried to attack her. She said it jumped right out of the water to get that worm she was offering it and then went back in and she yanked it real hard and it came out of the water again and then dove back in. She was so serious and I was trying hard not to crack up as it was a pretty good fish for our place going one and half pounds. She wouldn't touch it but she did bring it in all by herself. She is so much better at fishing this year than last and it is really nice to have my wife actually fish with me as well. Thought everyone would get a kick out of this story.

My wife and I decided to go out and try and do a little fishing this afternoon on the little 18 acre lake here in town. Sounds innocent enough doesn't it? Well most of you just know me as the guy that asks a million questions but here in town I must either be the most unusual looking person in the world or I must look like I am the next KVD because it never fails no matter what someone has to come and fish right on top of me or they allow their kids to throw these big boulders into the water spooking the fish. I know what you are thinking. I have to be exaggerating but really I am not. We went out at five in the morning the weekend before last and were the only ones there when low and behold here comes one single guy and he stands five feet from my wife and starts chucking into her line. So when is enough, enough? I have politely asked these people not to stand on top of us and not to allow their children to throw rocks and you would have thought I called them everything in the book. Does anyone else have these problems?

Great fish young man. You always look so happy. I cannot wait until I get one that makes me look that happy. Keep up the good work and thanks for all your help as well. I will beat my little lake yet. LOL

Born and raised in Ohio so I am and always will be a diehard OHIO STATE BUCKEYE fan! When I was growing up they had bumper stickers that said directions to Ann Arbor turn left go north and follow the smell.... Go Bucks...

I am looking for both a baitcaster and spinning rod that has a fast action tip. Can anyone give me some good suggestions that I can check out before I make a decision? Thanks.

Our lake is 18 acres and 1.5 miles around. This stuff is all around the lake anywhere from 1 to 2 feet out to about 5 feet. The only way to explain it is this. When you pour oil in water how it sits in the water this is what this stuff is like. I hope the picture comes out but all I know is the fish are not biting at all since this stuff appeared. There is also some dead tiny bluegills and baitfish floating in some of it.

Way to go LBH that is one nice looking bass. Congratulations

I will start by telling you the lake I am in question about is our local lake Mendota in Illinois. The surface water area is 18 acres and the shoreline is 1.5 miles. The max dept is 11 foot. I have looked all over for maps of the lake for the contures and any and all structure. I even went to city hall without any luck. Ok on with my question we have seen all kinds of little bait fish in the last two weeks but the bite has been almost non existant. Can the bass be overfed? It doesn't even look like anything is chasing the bait fish. I was getting really hard bites on the senkos and little four inch whirl tail worms and now nothing. There is no topwater action although some big ones have jumped in the middle after probably bugs is all that we can tell. My wife is not even catching them or getting bites on her pre-rigged worms and you can almost always catch fish on this lake with those. Any and all help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the replies. Our little lake here in town is a really tough bite right now. We went out from 6 to 8 tonight without any luck but I can say I got some good practice casting my baitcaster in. I am getting to where I can cast it really smooth and pretty far with the underarm cast and I am really getting better at casting overhand. I have to concentrate allot on the overhand casts but that is not such a bad thing. I am always learning something when I am out and tonight was no different. Thanks again and when I catch my first big one this year(and I will) I will be sure to post it.

Good luck to you and congratulations. Have fun and fish the moment. We'll be rooting for you.

Yes this is an official club. I am a member of it and receive their magazine as well. Hope this helps enclosed a picture of my membership card.

I am addicted to bass fishing. I know it and those of you on here that I talk to know it too. lol I am always trying to learn and do more and more things. So here is my question. I am beginning to think that I am trying to do too many things at one time and in turn it is hurting my fishing. I will give you a break down and maybe someone can help me put it into a sound plan for improvement as an angler. I have learned to t-rig senkos and catch them. My biggest being a two pounder. We have a tough little lake where the bigger ones seem to be out where I can't get to them. I fish from the bank. No boat. I have confidence in them. I have learned to t-rig super flukes and flukes and have also caught fish with them as well. I have confidence with them as well. I have learned to t-rig lizards and have caught fish on them as well. I have confidence in them as well although I don't use them near as much as I do the others. 3 inch tiki sticks have been good to me as well on my lake here. I have caught a few fish on t-rigged 4 inch whirl tail worms but none with any bigger worm on. I have also taken on trying to learn a baitcaster and doing well with casting it even surprising myself but have only caught three fish with super flukes and a couple with a fat boy crankbait. I switch back and forth from one spinning rod with my senkos on it, to a long spinning rod with t-rigged flukes or t-rigged worms on it to my baitcaster. I think I am trying to do too many things at one time and not concentrating enough on one thing and mastering it. Can someone give me a plan of attack so that I can master these elements. I know my fish numbers will go down but I want to become a better all around angler. Thanks my friends.

In the last two weeks our lake has taken on a grayish brown film on top of the water and the bites have been hard to come by. Can anyone give me some good colors to throw at this stuff? What would be some of your go to colors and baits if I might ask?

Alright guys I am bound and determined to learn the t-rigged worm. Ignore the color of the worm in the picture. It is rigged with a Bass Pro Shops super lock 4/0 offset worm hook. My question is this. Did I rig this worm correctly and is this a good hook to be able to feel the strike or should I be using a different hook? As always thanks for the help.

The results are in. I won the bet with three dinks to her one dink. It was kinda funny though as the water was really stained green and the fish weren' really biting but more like nudging the baits. I only had one good hit all day but I think the thought of losing those bathrooms ruined my patience and I fished too fast today. Oh well it was fun and I learned alot about patience today.

My wife has challenged me to a good ole fashion fish off tomorrow. It is Bassresource teachings against her Bill Dance teachings. She has made fun of me for running to the forums and low and behold while I am at work she is on the internet cheating on me with Bill Dance. It is a matter of shear pride now and she even conned me out of one of my spinning reels. I will post the results of this tomorrow and since I told her she better pack a lunch if she thinks she is going to out fish me I hope not to have my hat handed to me. Win or lose I will let you all know the results. Here is the kicker. The loser has to do bathrooms for a month. Tell me the pressure is not on guys. I have never lost a bathroom bet to her yet so the pressure is on. She just informed me she is wearing tennis shoes tomorrow if that is suppose to scare me. LOL