justfishin

Thanks for the link. Man, what a mess. I would bet the insurance companys are loving that situation. I feel for all those involved. I forget how much I dislike winter until it comes every year. Its cold and blowing up a storm here in Western Maryland tonight. I forgot to remember to add that to my list of dislikes in this post. 1. Braid fishing line. 2. Crankbaits. 3. Winter, cold and snow. 4. My X wife.

No Tat's for Ol Jim,period.

Welcome to bass fishing LL. You are going to have a ball. I am new to this post but, I think you will learn a lot here. Good luck and never quit learning. I hope your rod stays bent buddy.

For my smallmouth fishing on the river I use a 1/8 or 1/4 jighead with a rattle in it and for Flippin for green bass I use a 4 or 5 inch tube and a 4/0 hook that is skin hooked ever so slightly. One neat trick during the spawn is to turn your tube around backwards, tenticals facing toward the eye of the hook, and rig it weedless as well as skin hook it, throw it weightless. After it hits bottom it fills up with some water after a few twitches and gains some weight. It works great in shallow spawning beds. Good luck Note: I am not a big believer in fishing for spawning bass. I fish a lake near me during the spawn. But, I try to leave the beds alone. I gave you this tip if you are fishing a tourney that time of year or if you are on a high pressure lake. Even in a tournament situation my tip might not do you any good because there are a lot of off limits places that time of year around here especially on the Lower Potomac in MD and the Upper Bay in MD. I do fish for them in the staging ( pre spawn areas where they are staging and getting ready to move up on the flats ). but, I just do not feel right fishing the beds for fun. Its just too easy. I am guilty of doing this one time many years ago and a friend of mine and I just caught fish after fish in the 5-7 range. It was ridiculous and even though we had fun because we were younger then I think we both felt bad about it because as we were bringing these fish in we could see pan fish attacking the nest. One particular lake just up the road from me is gin clear and I have seen beds in 15-20 of water and have caught them simply because it was a place I would not figure a major part of the spawners will be. This is a touchy subject, a little like discussing politics and religion. If you are just starting out I know it is tempting to catch these big bass on the beds but, I think you will feel better knowing that you are letting them do their thing and the pay-off for this comes down the road. Good luck.

They sound pretty spooked. Try a Zoom centipede in Green Pumpkin or Watermelon rigged wacky on 8lb test. I bet you catch a few. Good luck.

Hey guys, I use e-Trust Antivirus,Adware,Spybot,Spysweeper and never had a problem---yet--- but, let me tell you, I use Windows and why do you think you have to stay in Auto Update mode with all of the patches and such. I think Mac has less problems but, as long as the net is growing like it is, security is going to suffer, no matter what you are downloading or burning off the net. Crashes happen. Trojans,Worms and such come up a hundred times a day. Its not if, its when nowadays. Also, if you are going to download Internet Exploror 7, before you do I would check into Mozilla Firefox instead as your browser. I had 7 and dumped it for Firefox. It also claims to have a better handle on security than IE 7 I really like it. I really like the tabs a lot. Give her a whirl. Go to www.cnet.com and read the survey and comparison.

Hospital Emergency Room--- to make sure when you wreck your boats, stick hooks in your hands, run into each other in the fog and crash your towing vehicles that your Health Insurance, Medicare,AARP, and Medicaid is all up to date to see if we are going to let you live or die or even if your particular incident is covered,lol. Also, fill in for local Office Managers at local General Practitoners offices. I have been a river guide on the weekends for a little over sixteen years and am still trying to fiqure out how to catch them little buggers,lol.

The one you are the most comfortable fishing with and the right one for the technique and situation you are fishing in. You can own a $1000.00 rod and if it doesn't meet these three criteria it isn't worth 10 bucks. Just my opinion again.

Thats a question for ReelMech, he can certainly give you the correct way to do this job and what to use. As far as the rods go I use Mequires Carnuba car wax on mine with a shamy cloth.

Personaly, I use a med when I do throw a crank ( which is something I don't like to do ). I am talking cranks like a med running Norman that runs in the 2-6 range or say a Bomber 6A or Wiggle Wart. I switch to a MH if I am cranking a deep runner like a DD-22 or a DD-14 as they give you a lot more resistance while reeling them in. I also use a MH for rattle traps, and a Baby 1 minus around the grass. I was never sold on the idea of a whippy tip for cranking myself but, like I have always said, use what you are comfortable with.

SFC_AL, Yes, I certainly understand what you are saying. I am going to let him hold the reins on our conversations. He might not even want to go fishing. He might just need some alone time to regroup and get his thoughts together. I am prepared for that. I am just going to tell him I love him and that I am here when he needs me and go from there. Thanks for the reminder. I am excited to have him state side, thats all. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long process. We are here for him. God Bless, and thanks again for the heads up.---Jim

Outstanding idea. I am taking a soldier fishing real soon. My son. He has been in Iraq for a almost two years. Syrian border, Mosul, and the last eight months in Baghdad. He is in Alaska now for debriefing and should be heading home to Maryland in a few weeks. He was stabbed once, had his ankle fractured by a roadside while on patrol in a Hummer but, he is coming home in one piece. We all prayed for him while he was there and will continue to do so for the men and women that are still there. I am proud of my son. He left as a boy and is coming back a man. Our troops deserve all the support we can give them. Your idea of taking soldiers fishing while they are on leave is just a plain great idea, thanks.

A good friend stopped by whom works for the FLW and said they were invited to Kentucy Lake for smallies. He said they were fishing anywhere from 50' up to 200'. He said it is like a big rock quarry where they were fishing. I asked him if they were catching bass at that depth did they have to take a syringe to their bladder in order to increase their mortality chances? I have fished in 50'-80' of water for smallies here in Maryland and have done well in some of our Lakes but, 200'? Is he pullin my chain? I just can't imagine fishing at that depth. I guess my question is, what is the deepest any of you have fished? Thanks, I am curious. I know, I know, another post from that idiot in Maryland, but, indulge me,LOL.

Thats a fine job Alpster on Ol' Frankenstein. I really think it will be the Cats A**. Keep me informed when you get time as I want to see how it performs and how that first 5 smallie felt on it. You do good work, thanks for the pics. Good luck.

Contact your local BASS Federation Chapter. I am sure they will help or a least put it on the floor at their regional meetings and I would bet you could get some items from the guys. Good luck.

Thanks RoadWarrior, I think I will give it a whirl. I like the line I use but, I thought that I would try it simply because of the abrasion factor. The Susquehanna in PA and the Upper Potomac in MD have some killer rocks and ledges and eat line for breakfast. Now about that dropping your rod and reeling up buisiness...lol. When I feel that tick or mush, I cross their eyes, like, right now!!!,lol,sorry, I just couldn't help myself. We all do it different. Good fishin.

Always be proud of your kids. Those moments will only get richer as you get older. My son is 24 and just got back from Iraq after a year and a half in which six months was spent in Baghdad. He was stabbed once and a Humvee he was in got blown to heck and he had his ankle broken but, he is home in one piece going through a debriefing in Alaska and then home. I am proud as heck of that boy, excuse me, he is a man now. God watched over him and I pray he watches over them all.

You are like the Rodney Dangerfield of this site Avid,LOL, you crack me up. Its nice to see a sense of humor. I'd bet your a hoot to fish with.

One to be proud of, congrats !!! I'll bet when you saw that rack you got the old hand shakes.

Hey Ron C, I told you to check into Gator Rods because I really like them and they have been good to me but, after reading some of the post in here by ReelMech I am very impressed. This guy knows his stuff and I would recommend speaking with him. If you want a true custom rod I would think that this is a guy you want to talk to. Good luck.

I use a 7' H All Star for flippin but, if you are going to use it for both pitching and flipping a 6'6" in a MH, fast to X-tra fast would be a great choice that will work for both.

Oh boy, I would love to help but, I wouldn't touch that question with a ten foot pole and post it,LOL. Good luck !!!

I take care of my equipment at all times and maintain all my rods and reels. I also use them and you can't help but get some battle scars but, you don't have to throw them around either.

I am right handed and have always used a lefty since day one. It is just the most comfortable to me. I guess if you are first starting out you try a R and L you will know. Its just how I fish and is actually more convieniant for me as well. Whatever floats your boat I say.

You are a human being, right? So, we make mistakes. The way the world is nowadays everyone is under some sort of pressure and we simply have bad days. I did the same thing on a post recently as I took what was said to me in the wrong way and made a rude comment. I felt terrible about it and apologized. The internet and writing can change the flavor of what you are attempting to get across to someone and sometimes and we have to adjust. If you are the type of man whom apoligizes and recognizes when he made a mistake then that tells me that you have a good heart. Put it behind you, its over. Good luck on the water.