pawpaw

Thank you

I have gone into many tournaments confident that i was on winning fish only to find that things had changed over night, one way or another. Some days I was able to adjust and get back on them, other days I was not. I would say that most of my best finishes have been on days when I started out not exactly sure of what I needed to do to get on winning fish. I just kind of fished by the seat of my pants, let the day play out and made adjustments as the day progressed. This strategy is not ideal or one I would prefer but is the one I am usually faced with the most. I guess what I'm saying is to prepare the best you can to get a strong pattern and even a back up pattern. Then don't get shook up if you have to throw it all away and junk fish. At least it should be a little easier to find where they went when you know where they were. If you don't get on anything in practice, stay calm and keep at it. Lucky beats good all the time.

My brother in law just bought a Humminbird Helix 5 DI / GPS Combo with Navionics $396.60 w/ free shipping from Universal mania this week. https://www.universalmania.com/collections/humminbird-fishfinder/products/humminbird-helix-5-di-gps-combo-with-navionics-chart That should get you started.

I have a couple Pflueger Supremes and they are great spinning reels.

I have and all went well. Did you check Universal Mania as well? I have used them several times and not a problem. I have found them to usually have the best prices I could find.

Thanks again to all

Not at all. There is definitely a learning curve. I think I would reset factory defaults and see if something in the settings didn't get jacked up or something. I know it's a pain to reset all your views and what not but it could be worth it. Another common problem is during install the transducer was set level with the boat sitting level on the trailer. The problem there is your boat will not be exactly level when your idling at 3-4 mph. The bow will be higher. To measure this I took a 2' level with me in the boat. I laid the level on the floor and while idling my buddy stacked coins under the low side of the level until it was level then noted how many coins it took. When I got home I put the coins back under the level and jacked up the trailer until I had the same pitch again. Then go back and check the transducer for level. If it's not level, correct it. Hopefully one or both of these will help. Good luck

What he said

Can you do a split screen with 2d and D.I.? If not switch back and forth between them before the known objects leave the screen. See if the known objects are showing up on the 2D and not the DI. If you can see them in 2D I would say you do have some sort of problem with something in your DI. Can you post the settings on your DI?

And so it begins. Good job!

SWEET!!!

It looks like those 2 go 8.8lbs by themselves. Awesome!!

Hard to tell in a pic but my guess would be right around 6lbs.

Largemouth

i think one of the most important things for a new bass fisherman to realize is that bass in most parts of the country eat 3 basic things. Those are shad, crawfish and bluegill/green sunfish. Most small private lakes don't have shad so crawfish and bluegill will be primary food sources. I always advise new anglers to try to match those colors with their lures to start. If the bass aren't eating those colors chances are they're not eating. If you are unsure as to what those natural colors are, start with black. I don't think black can ever be the wrong color. There may be many colors that will outperform black on a given day but I don't think black will ever be the wrong color. There are times when a bright loud color may be preferred (muddy water) but to start out I would stay with natural colors. When I first started bass fishing at 5 years old my Grandpa gave me a 4" black plastic worm and an 1/8 oz bullet weight. I caught a ton of fish dragging it on the bottom back then and still do now. There are far too many ways to catch bass for anyone to really teach you on a forum. The hard fact is you will have to put in your time in on the water and figure out just like every one else. You will find it's trial and error. Pay attention to every detail of your cast and retrieve when fishing. Much of bass fishing is about trying to duplicate (pattern) what and where you did to catch your fish. Some times you will catch a bass by accident but most times you caught that fish by putting the right bait in the right place at the right depth with the right retrieve at the right time. Pay attention and do it again. Some times as soon as you think you have them figured out the whole deal changes and the trial starts again. That's fishing. A friend that has bass fishing experience may be able to take you fishing some or you may have a local bass club looking for non boaters. Both will help speed up the learning process. In the mean time, go get some 4" worms and go fishing. Good luck

Do you know the primary food source? Is there a secondary food source? Do you have a topo map of the lake? Are there channel banks/bluffs and/or flats? Drop offs? It sounds like there are a lot of docks so are there a lot of brush piles around those docks? What type vegetation are the weed lines you speak of? Is it still green or dying off? Has the lake turned yet? I think there are many here that would be glad to try and help but we would probably need a lot more info to be of any REAL help with your lake.

Maybe just a little less than 10 but still a VERY nice fish. Congrats.

Other than using the Med Hvy for plastics rather than the Med I think your plan is spot on. That's just me though. I like a rod with more back bone and turning power on the majority of my soft plastic applications. Again, that's just the way I fish. You should do what works for you.

Dragging or stroking football jigs I like 30# Spiderwire Flourobraid and 17#-20# abrazx leader. Pitching docks or wood 15#-17# Invizx.

I've had 2- 6.3:1 Revo Premiers (left hand) for quite a few years. I have had zero problems with them and they skip docks well. I will get backlashes from time to time but who doesn't, right? However, this spring I bought a 9:1 Daiwa SV TW Zillion (left hand) from Japan. I can't speak to it's longevity yet but it skips jigs like no reel I've ever used. You almost have to try to backlash it. Plus, the 9:1 ratio catches up to those fish running at you in a couple cranks. If you can swing the extra cash I think it's well worth it.

I find a pretty consistent post turnover pattern is to fish windy creek channel banks with reaction baits. Wind is your friend! The fish I catch are usually freakishly shallow on these banks. If you can find the big gizzards on the big black rocks eating algae you know you are in the right area. I try not to fish a jig or a worm until I find a stretch that is holding multiple fish. If the shad are not in the rocks or I can't find them i will idle down the center of the creek until I quit seeing the shad then find the nearest windy channel bank and fish my way out. If you can find a creek that has some current or run off coming in the back you may be able to find them in the very backs, (or as far out as you have current), where the turnover has had little to no affect on them. Docks, laydowns, stick ups and current breaks are usually what I look for to hold the fish back there. The weights usually fall off around the turnover so the thing for me is to keep moving and cover water. I figure if I'm only likely to get 1 keeper bite per 1000 casts i need to make at least 5000 casts. Usually, around here, if you can get 5 with one of them being above average you should do fairly well.

Bottom contact baits I always use left hand bait cast reels When fishing reaction baits in open water such as deep cranking ledges right hand bait cast reels When fishing reaction baits parallel to the bank I will use a left hand bait cast for banks on port side and right on starboard. Spinning reels always cast with my right hand, reel with the left.

I would vote fish & ski. My neighbors just bought a Sea Ark Easy 200 Aluminum fish & ski and they really like it.

Thanks again to all you folks.

Thanks for checking it out. I never really considered calling them. Good thinking. "Very soon" is all they said back in July after I contacted them about the possibility of making a 110. Below is all they (Simon) would say; RE: [River2Sea USA] Message from contact form [no_sync] info@river2seausa.com Thu 7/28, 3:57 PM Hi Phil, Thanks for your support! And thanks for valuable opinion! Tell you the truth 110 is under testing right now. It will come in the market very soon. Simon I was hoping they would be out this Fall but it sounds like that isn't going to happen. Oh well. The 130 catches 'em just fine. I just have a hard time consistently getting them under the dock walkways and such without them hitting the water like a brick. Those things are just too heavy for my liking. Hoping they get it right with the 110. Thanks again for trying