boondocks

You can get a nice spinning outfit for a lot less than $75. You should be able to find a real sweet unit for around $40. Go to the local sporting goods store play around with a few. Save yourself some money and use whats left on lures.

They are good whenever topwaters are productive. Morning, evening, nights or cloudy conditions is usually when I use them. A slow steady retreive has always worked for me. When you get the nice steady plop, plop ,plop, plop, plop sound you got it right. I have heard of people using the stop and go technique, I'm sure it works just fine also. I think I'd leave the short random pops for the poppers.JMO

Heck I was happy to hit a hundred. So whats the deal? You get the good smilies when you hit a thousand posts? I always wondered where you guys got them.

I use the MEPPS #3 and 4's in the firetiger pattern at a muddy power plant lake that I fish. I break it out when nothing else seems to work and I always seem to catch a few fish on it. On average they seem to catch smaller fish with an occasional nice one. It seems lately I have been breaking it out a little more than I'd like to. For some reason I would rather catch a bass on a different kind of lure. I think it is extremely underated as a bass lure, especailly in muddy water.

I agree thats why this country we live in is the greatest in the world.

I was waiting to get the Bass Pro Shops catalog so I could order some Fat Ika's. And they wern't even in there. Wus up wit dat? :-?

Where do you live? You can't get into a matinee where I live for $7.50, more like $9.00. Go figure...... Well I must admit its been awile since I'v been to a movie. By the way I live in North Dakota. We are a little behind the times up here if you know what I mean. The other day I passed a covered wagon on the highway.

I have heard this and agree with it. I do the same with duck. You guys can eat your carp. I'll stick to walleye fillets. yum yum yum. I must say bowfishing for them is a hoot, for carp that is.

Go to a movie theater on a Friday night and stand in line for an hour and you'll see why they are making so much. $7.50 just to see a movie. Lunacy.

It depends on a lot of different things like everything else. If I want numbers I tend to fish the smaller sizes. If I would like to catch bigger fish I go a little bigger on the baits. Also in clearer water I go small to medium size. In murky water or at night I always use bigger baits. The bigger baits have a larger profile and displace more water making it easier for the fish to key in on the bait. Here's how I do it; clear water smaller lures murky/night bigger lures big fish-bigger lures more fish-smaller lures

Never heard of anyone using them for bass. I have quite a few that I use trolling for walleyes. I use the Rip Shads and the Deep Little Rippers a lot. When I really want to get deep in the heat of the summer I use the regular deep diving reef runners. Reef Runner lures has the largest selection of colors of any bait I have ever seen. Its unreal.

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I looked out my window this morning and saw a bright, almost yellowish orb in the east, what the heck was that thing? :-?

By looking at all these different replys one would think that any crankbait on the market would work for smallies. I have had good luck throwing the smaller wiggle warts. Firetiger.

I guess I have tried frenzy lures for bass. But only the lipless versions. I have caught some fish with it but seem to do a lot better with Bill Lewis Rattle Traps. Love Rattle Traps.

I haven't tried them for bass.I have had really good luck using these casting flooded timber for walleyes.On one trip it was actually the only bait I could get them to hit. It is suprisingly snag resistent. For the price I think it is an excellent lure. Good action, very durable, and I personally have never had a problen with the paint coming off what so ever.

Giving a speech. Hands down. Skipped a lot of class in high school for this reason. :-/ This is a bit off topic but it got me thinking about high school. Man, you know whats funny? When I was in high school there was nothing I hated more. I couldn't wait to get out of that place. I look back now and think - them were some of the best days of my life. Isn't life GRAND. I love it! Here's a weird phobia. I worked with a guy that had a phobia of large birds. Not the little ones, just the big ones. I think one pecked his eyes out when he was a kid or something.

What is that, A lead ball in that fishes gut? I'm kidding. I'm kidding. It was only a joke.

I read an article once that said that this is a myth and that fish that swallow hooks are prone to infection. That doesn't mean that every fish that swallows a hook is gonna die from it. It just means doctors don't recommend swallowing hooks all that offten if you can help it. I dad caught a white bass this summer that a jighead hanging out of its anus with the hook still inside the fish. I figure after a couple more poops it probably would have dislodged itself. I'm kidding about the poops thing but the fish really did have a jighead hanging out of it. I was amazed that it would actually pass all the way through it system like that.

Redliner, that second fish looks like something out of a horror movie. What kind of fish is that?

19.5 incher in a canal system lined with rocks. In August, very hot and cloudy out. Sent a cast out right along the shore with a skitter pop in frog pattern. Couldn't believe the fight this thing put up. It crushed the popper about five feet in front of me. It actually broke the front hook off the lure. Don't ask me how that happened.

You know, the problem might be the challenge itself. The idea is excellent, no doubt. But I think for them to get 5 Pros to compete might be a bit much. LBH, maybe you should challenge him yourself(kind of a match fishing deal). Or maybe a two man team thing where you and another guy fish against Charlie and his partner. You have to look at it from ESPN's point of veiw. I think the whole idea of getting 5 Pros fisherman to compete on this one episode is just to much for them. We all know how the money factor comes into play when it comes to this kind of stuff. Awsome idea though. Now I have no idea if this is the case or not and I certainly ain't trying to rain on anyones parade just thought I'd throw out some food for thought was all.

FlyPhisher, that has got to be the ugliest cat I have ever seen in your avatar.

Thanks for the info. I know what I'll be doing on them warm summer nights. Another question about night fishing: You hear alot about night fishing in the summer and fall but I don't think I have ever heard anyone mention night fishing in the spring. Is night fishing in the spring a waste of time? Or is spring fishing better during the day?

I just finished reading the thread about smallie fishing at night. Had no idea smallies were such active night feeders(this is why I love this website). Curious, what type of topwaters are you guys throwing to catch smallies at night? Thanks P.S. Starting a smallies forum-EXCELLENT IDEA