BassNJake

I grew up reeling left handed on a spinning reel So for me it seemed like a natural thing to do when going to a baitcaster, until I tried it Reeling a casting reel with my left hand almost seemed as if I suddenly became a newborn deer It was awkward, unbalanced, didn't feel the same at all and was definitely not smooth After a few trips that changed and it was just a smooth feeling as a spinning reel Then I got tendonitis in my elbow - had to learn how to cast left and reel right Now I miss fish with both hands!!

When I first started fantasy fishing a few years ago, I would create different accounts for different picks So my main account I would pick all events But for other events I would create a second account (use a different email address to register) mainly because there were several guys in buckets a and b that I liked This allowed me to pick a combination of the guys I liked just for that 1 event. I never checked to see if there was a rule against multiple entries

Finding fish is great but if they are not feeding your just practicing your casting Like others have said weightless wacky worm, neko rig or a ned rig would provide a more finesse approach. There is a reason they are holding somewhat close to this area at this time of year. It's either to eat or to breed. I would try finding the transitional area that they used before moving up to these weeds. Some sort of drop off, point, ditch, drain, slough.... whatever they call it in your area Another approach is to keep moving until you can catch a couple fish in an area this will often lead to finding areas where the fish are more active When the water is really clear, the wind and the sun are your friends The wind will break up the surface a little allowing for you to not be seen as easily The sun will heat up the shallower areas making it a more viable option for spawners and will also position bass in the shady areas

Here's a link to part 1 from youtube Google videos are are good source for finding shows he was part of

Carolina rig- We fished a tourney and it was really hot out, mid to upper 80's at launch. We passed a team and the older guy in the back said next time we see them he might be taking a nap. Fast forward a couple hours and we see the same team again Older guy in the back is in the seat, hat over his face, fishing rod between his legs and propped on the outboard My dad says looks like your getting that nap Older guy says ," Nope, still fishing" They ended up catching the lunker for the day and the older guy explained to us back in the day this is what his dad called the carolina rig ... still fishing'. He said he never knew if it meant Yes, I'm "still" fishing or he was being "still" fishing

Wow, Pipkins just slayed em' That's running into a school - he's got an 18lb lead with over 60lbs now

The sponsorship money is the big question and I dont think we will realize how successful MLF can be until we see what the discovery channel puts out. If there show is remotely successful then the non-endemic sponsorships will become greater. MLF starts landing some sponsors like Coke, Pespsi, Tide and they will bury BASS with the money they will be able to wave at the anglers. Until the next market crash

I'll present the flip side of this: the second biggest bass I have caught was a 6lb15oz log I hooked it and my partner asked if I needed the net. I said no I'm just hung on a log. As I cranked her in she even came up sideways like a stick or log will do. As soon as I saw it was a fish I steered her towards the boat and flipped her in. Even in the boat there was not much movement as we measured and weighed her. I set her in the water and she just swam off like she had done this before. Maybe she was raised by walleyes?

Very nice!! Keep the pics coming, love seeing those fat brown ones.

So I picked my lineup .... I just picked the first guy in each bucket. Cant do any worse than I have been. Good luck!!

Exactly, everyone gets a feel for how they like things. I like using braid - therefore I have to have a rod with a little more flex than a guy using mono when it comes to treble hooks

Tuning is also not limited to hard plastic baits either. If when placing a toad on the hook, place it at an angle instead of hooking it directly in the center of the back. This will let it run left or right depending on which way you rig it

They have these fancy applicator tools that allow a small plastic disc to be placed on the hook. It snugs up to the bait and keeps it in place. This works better than the fishing line IMO. A DIY version can be made with pretty much anything and I have not had to use any special tool to get them on

The next BASS event is the Texas Bass Fest and they do exactly that. They weigh all the fish only counting the largest 5. I think they let them keep one fish in the livewell to show off at the weigh in

I like throwing a toad around docks: they skip really well, dont catch cables or ropes and it can be worked a variety of ways.

This topic reminds me of this old Quantum commercial

They already have a meme for you:

I've been down to the chick about a dozen times the last couple of years. The amount of fishing traffic is insane on that lake. I've had some success running the Hiwassee, there are lots of smaller bays and sloughs back there. Like TNRiver46 has said, a lot of people will spend all day in the Chester Frost area or across the river in the Harrison Bay section. I keep going hoping to catch one of those giants, hasn't happened yet........

Very nice!! I loved fishing Lake Erie when I lived in Ohio, hated the huge waves though.

Just trying to be honest here and give my perspective ... You are giving control to others by letting their words affect how you feel. Whatever was said to you had such an impact, that not only did you allow it to bother you at that time, you thought about it later probably with the same if not a more intense feeling and then you typed out a post to vent about it. I'd bet its fairly certain that whoever said these things to you never gave it another thought since that time. Yet, here you are letting it affect you. Reading your posts and you seem like a very decent young man with goals and are driven. Just keep doing what your doing you're on the right path.

That stinks about the boat. I hope they can figure it out and get it right. Good luck in the big tourney!!

My home lake is 95% rock. Many people spend all day trying to find where amongst all the perfect looking rock the fish are at. I spent a lot of time chasing rocks instead of chasing fish. I started having much more success by targeting the isolated rocks/laydowns along the mud/clay banks. Which led to finding the better spots are little turns or breaks where the isolated rocks are located. Now if I can find a small bend on a clay bank, with a few isolated rocks or a laydown and a slight change in depth; thats getting a waypoint dropped. Try to find the subtle differences near the stumps - changes in bottom composition or bottom depth. Try targeting the stumps in the shade lines or in your case in April in Ohio try targeting the ones that are in the sun. Some days it could be the stumps that are at an angle as opposed to the ones that are straight up and down.

Yep, that was me. Forgot to set my lineup.

Very nice and thank you for sharing!!

One of my favorite movies growing up!! Thanks for the flashback!!