win300mag1

Hey guys. I’m going to be buying my first bass boat here soon and I’m trying to decide if the single axel trailer that the boat comes with is ok or if I need to special order one with a tandem axel trailer. The boat is a Ranger RT198P. The manufacturer specs are 19’6” in length and 1550 lbs. I drive a Toyota tundra. Most of my trips will be about 30 minutes of highway driving to the lakes, I usually won’t ever get over 65 mph. What do you guys think?

Lol ok then. I'll give it a try this weekend then.

Hey everyone, just wondering if you guys know of an optimal water temperature for when the spinnerbait really turns on. The lakes here in NC where I'm at are approaching the 60 degree mark right now. I've caught hundreds of bass over the last couple of years but I'm a slow soft plastic/jig/frog kinda guy. Looking to venture into moving baits this year. Thanks for the input!

I was looking at a lews custom speed stick in 7'3" heavy/moderate-fast. I own a couple other custom speed sticks and like them alot. I'm trying to stay under the 200 dollar mark for sure.

Hey everyone, I'm trying to get a feel for a good frog rod. I've fished frogs for years but mostly on a medium heavy or heavy action that I had laying around. I'd really like a rod this year that is dedicated to just the frog and other topwater. I bought a lews TP1 in a 7' 6" Heavy action but it is just too stiff to throw a hollow body frog well. I thought about just buying another 7' 3" jig rod and using it. Curious what you guys think before I spend another couple hundred bucks on something.

Thanks. That's pretty much what I figured. This is actually a birthday gift for my son so I will probably go ahead and order some 16 lbs test sunline sx1 high viz braid for it.

Hey everyone, I just bought a lews custom speed stick spinning rod in a 7' medium/x-fast. I'm going to be using my usual braid to Fluoro set up but I'm not sure the best pound test for the braid. I will be fishing an 8-12 lbs test Fluoro leader as this will mostly be my shakey head and senko setup. I figured 15-20 lbs braid would be ok but im not sure. Thanks for the input!

Hey everybody! Glad I finally joined the site. I have been hearing about this site from you tube videos forever. I have been seriously bass fishing for about 2 years now alothough i have bass fished since i wad old enough to hold a rod. I have already learned a lot from everyone. I always have questions (sometimes too many and I've really enjoyed reading the forums and soaking up some tips as well as contributing what little knowledge I've gained over the last couple of years. I can't get enough of this stuff and look forward to using this as a valuable resource as I keep plugging away. Heading to GA right now to do some post-hurricane fishing on Lake Oconee and Sinclair. We will see how that goes

I've heard some really good things about those. Supposedly they are designed with finesse in mind. Never tried them personally but I plan too as well.

Makes sense. How about the visibility of say 15 lbs braid? Do you guys think that is blown out of proportion? FYI, I live in NC and I fish south eastern lakes so ultra clear water isn't something I generally deal with.

The triple surgeon knot was the first knot I learned to attach braid to Fluoro. The FG is a new knot for me. I haven't had one let go yet but I suppose we will see. I don't always fish a leader. Like you said, when the water is really dingy or I'm fishing heavy cover I just use straight braid. I've always loved braid, I grew up fishing it upstate NY in clear lakes without much of an issue honestly. I was too ignorant to know any better honestly. I suppose I could put on straight braid and let the situation dictate the leader. Thanks!

Hey guys, so latley I have been thinking about putting braid with a fluorocarbon leader onto most of my poles utilizing the fg knot for my knot from braid to Fluoro. I won't do this for my cranking rods, buzz bait and such but for anything I drag around it seems like a good idea. I know it will be pretty pricey up front because quality braid isn't cheap but not having to change my line so often and the added hook set power and sensitivity seem like a dead ringer. Any negatives that you guys know of when you set up this way?

Sounds like you could end up on finding Bigfoot lol. Not sure if you carry but I would. Obviously i wouldnt empty a magazine into the brush but seeing as I don't have sharp teeth or claws, my 1911 is a huge comfort.

I usually will wait and throw it out a short distance from where I seen the fish. I certainly don't want to throw it right on top of them. All depends on what you are seeing really. If it's just a good ledge or hump or something like that you don't see any fish on but you want to fish the area then sure, plop it right down. I'm no expert though. I haven't had many issues with those practices though. I feel your pain. I have a 14' John boat that I fish small lakes with and I can't stay still to save my life so marker bouys are a must!

Thanks! Not sure if it's a grass is greener type situation with the old trick worm but I've been curious about other things. I will definitely look into some of those.

Ya that that would definitely upset some people. Especially in a club situation. I'm honestly not that guy. I'll be the first guy to point people in a direction I've had success in. I've learned that there is no such thing as secrets on public hunting or fishing land so I'd rather have the satisfaction of helping someone knowing that the key is spending time. If I miss a fish I will tell you to go after it. Alot of people aren't like that for sure though. I would try and teach him to curve that sort of thing before he realizes how some guys are in this sport. It can get pretty ugly. Until you develope some relationships I would be as ettiquite friendly as possible. Not that you should ever be selfish but you can looser with some guys compared to others.

I caught my PB on Shearon Harris reservoir, NC this last May. She was 11 lbs 6 ounces. She was buried in the back of a cove where a small Creek emptied out into it. I walked a frog through an opening in the primrose about the size of the bed of a truck and she came flying off bed and destroyed it. I actually watched it's fin come out of the water like a shark as she chased it down. Needless to say it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

Hey everyone, what do you think is the best Shaky Head worm? I've always just used a regular old zoom trick worm but after watching several videos I learned that maybe there are better choices out there. The zoom trick worms do seem to sink a decent rate. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Depends on the time of day and tike of year for me. This time of year, in the morning I generally will start shallow and work my way out towards the secondary points and main lake points. Especially a point with a decently long transition from shallow to deep water. In the afternoon I generally start in the deep stuff scan for bait fish, check out my favorite ledges and go in from there. As always i keep my head on a swivel and as I see fish activity move in , so do I. As far as what I start with, I've used those combinations in all sorts of variations and had good success. I think sometimes using a noise reduction bait can ignite a school, especially in the coming months. Sometimes you can catch a couple on in a school and switch up and catch a couple more with something else just because you have got them all riled up. This can change from day to day though. You hear it constantly but you just let the fish tell you what they want. Hope that helps.

Thanks! I will give some of those techniques a try. I appreciate the help!

Hey everyone, just joined the site. This is my first serious year bass fishing the hot summer months of NC. I live just about 30 min from shearon harris reservoir so I spend most of my time there. The lake has developed a very pronounced thermocline that I can see on my downscan clear as crystal. It usually shows up in about 30-40 feet of water and it sits at about 20 feet. I cant see just a ton of fish stacked up on top of this band of water but I can seem to catch them. I typically love to drag a Carolina rig, Texas rig, jig, or anything else you can work along the bottom but that bite has gone dead almost completely. Any tips would be very helpful. Thanks guys!