frogtog

Being in business for yourself is a 24/7/365 and you never have to worry about going on a diet to lose weight.

Just got back last week and did well in practice, Thanks to Wayne P. First day of the tournament it dropped to 28 degrees and the fish moved from the grass to deeper water. I went to the big bluff wall toward the dam and did well with a 1/2 oz spinner bait w/c. we still got beat pretty bad by the locals. Winning weight was 44lb and some change. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and this place is nice for someone pulling a boat. Also be sure to eat at the Top Of The River restaurant across from the Hampton.

It ain't over till it's over.

Frogtog's Prediction!!! Gas will go backup to 5.75-6.50 a gal with in 8 months.

.38 S&W S/N is all you need. A good Slingshot will work wonders also.

Bubba had long heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on water on their 21st birthday. On that special day, they'd each walked across the lake to the bar on the far side for their first legal drink. So when Bubba's 21st birthday came a round, he and his pal Jim Bob took a boat out to the middle of the lake, Bubba stepped out of the boat ...and nearly drowned! Jim Bob just barely managed to pull him to safety. Furious and confused, Bubba went to see his grandmother. 'Grandma,' he asked, 'it's my 21st birthday, so why can't I walk 'cross the lake like my pappy, his father, and his father before him?' Granny looked deeply into Bubba's troubled eyes and said, 'Because your father, your grandfather and your great grandfather were born in January, when the lake is frozen, and you were born in July, you dummy. ;D

I would have to say someone likes you!!!

Great story thanks for sharing.

Could you just leave Palin in the left upper corner please. ;D

OK now go to bed. ;D

Pros Went "Old School" This Past Season -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story by Pete Robbins Norman, OK - No matter where you fish or how much money you're fishing for, the one question everyone wants answered is What did you catch em on? To casual fans of the sport, the issues of patterns vs. spots, how you found the fish or how you adjusted to changing conditions don't matter there's still a magic lure syndrome. Find the key bait and nothing else matters. Of course, savvier fans of the tournament pros know that's not the case, but they too want to know the hottest lure trends around, most of which are dictated by the top dogs of the sport. Here are the top six lures from the 2008 Elite Series season. They may not have caught the most fish, but they provided the most important trends and stories: FROG No lure is more exciting when it's working that a hollow-bodied frog.and no lure produces more frustrating near-misses. Dean Rojas had turned non-traditional frogging (i.e., in open water and under overhanging cover) into an art form in recent years, but had no hardware to show for it. A couple of top fives, but no victories. That changed in the last event of the year at Oneida, where he flipped and frogged his way to victory with the help of Kermit and Kermit's popping brother. But Rojas wasn't the only frogging winner this year. At Murray, Fred Roumbanis skipped the lower-lake musical chairs. While other anglers tried to time the bluebacks, some of them successfully, Roumbanis went way up the river and targeted bigger fish with his signature colored Bobby's Perfect Frog. Not only wasn't the frog meant to represent a blueback, it didn't replicate a frog, either Roumbanis was using it to tempt bass feeding on bluegills in thick vegetation. He had the area and the pattern all to himself and like Rojas his fish lasted all four days. SEBILE MAGIC SWIMMER Scarcely two years ago, few pro anglers, let alone the every day fans, had heard of Sebile, but at the blueback lakes just about every Elite Series angler had one tied on. It replicated the forage fish perfectly and could be burned back to the boat without compromising its action or rolling. The jointed Magic Swimmer was one of the lures Kenyon Hill used en route to an emotional victory at Clarks Hill, but the real beneficiary of this lure's magic was Todd Faircloth, who rode it not only in the Carolinas but also at Amistad, to tempt sight feeding fish. Supplies were so short at some points during the year that pros would beg, borrow or steal to get their hands on one. Steve Kennedy got one, but didn't like the color, so he painted it himself and went out and whacked some big fish. It was this year's Chatterbait, the lure you had to have, an open secret. BIG WORMS The plain-Jane plastic worm had fallen out of favor in recent years, dwarfed not only by hard baits and swimbaits, but even within the plastics domain by all sorts of wiggly and multiple-appendaged critters. But this year it came back in a big way, and not just on a dropshot. This was old-school worming at its best. Mike McClelland rode a worm to a come-from-behind victory at the Harris Chain, then Paul Elias used an ancient monster Mann's Jelly Worm as part of his one-two punch (with a crankbait) to win at Falcon. In fact, at Falcon, the local stores' shelves were virtually bereft of oversized worms after 200-plus awestruck anglers in town for the derby attempted to buy them all up. One of the beneficiaries of the worm bite was Terry Scroggins, who used his Big Show paddletail to amass a 44 pound plus limit that had Dean Rojas fearing for his single-day record's life. Scroggins used the same worm to take an early lead at Wheeler, but eventually fell behind KVD and winner Jeremy Starks, who used a 10-inch Power Worm for most of his big fish. FOOTBALL JIG The football jig, which produced wins for McClelland and Derek Remitz in 2007, continued strong in 2008. In fact, a prototype Booyah football head contributed to the biggest win of all, Alton Jones's dominant performance at the Hartwell Classic. With the increasing ability of anglers to locate offshore structure, combined with a largely post-spawn schedule, the football head played a role on waters like Wheeler and Kentucky Lake. Even Denny Brauer, arguably the best shallow water jig fisherman around, has incorporated Strike King's version into his arsenal for deeper water fishing. And you have to assume that it played a key role in McClelland's ability to garner 11 checks in 11 events. CRANKBAIT While David Fritts has moved to the FLW side, there remains a strong deep cranking presence on the Elite Series, once again due largely to the post-spawn schedule and the increased importance of post-spawn fish. Kevin Van Dam has ridden his Sexy Shad empire to multiple BASS wins, including this year's event on Kentucky Lake. At that tournament, Timmy Horton used a modified Fat Free Shad to catch 24-plus on the last day and almost spoiled KVD's party. It would have been the second straight second place finish for VanDam, who also used the big crankbaits at Wheeler, where Jeremy Stark barely edged him out. While most of the top finishers at Falcon utilized a Carolina rigged worm to amass their obscene catches, eventual winner and record-setter Paul Elias added in a deep-diving Mann's crankbait in a discontinued Homer color to generate additional quality bites. Just as Bomber is introducing Horton's modified Fat Free Shad to their product lineup, Mann's is bringing back the color Elias used in Zapata. LIPLESS CRANKBAIT The Cordell Spot, the Rat-L-Trap and their brethren have been around forever, but they're often unfairly characterized as idiot baits, good in the pre-spawn on grass lakes, but requiring no special skill. Tell that to Kevin VanDam, who rode a Sexy Shad Red Eye Shad to victory at Kissimmee. He turned it into a science, targeting specific grass clumps and specific current breaks to seine an area while others flipped and pitched their way to also-ran status. But the lipless crankbait didn't stop working once the fish did their yearly bedding ritual. In fact, but for four days of frogging heroics from Dean Rojas, Kevin Langill would have taken home the Oneida crown on the strength of a lipless crankbait bite. It's a tactic he uses at home on Lake Norman, but it worked equally well in New York on schooling smallmouths.

I knew you, Johnny Carson and myself had something in common. ;D

When your fishing every weekend+ most high dollar reels will hold up better. I stay around the 150 - 200 range and even after a while they will wear out also. Don't get me wrong there are some good cheap reels on the market also. It's just something you have to try for your self, I might bad mouth a reel and you go buy one and it lasts 10 years. I know a few reels that use to be cheap and they made modification on them and raised the price. Then there are a few reel companies that just raised their prices because sales were falling off. People just wanted the high dollar stuff and this trend has moved over to the Bait industries now.

Bomber made a top water bait in the late 70's and call it ( Stick Bait ) it hat a prop on each end and three treble hooks. And now you know the rest of the story. ;D

and I'm not telling who. ;D

You think I need to carry my Tungsten weights back? ;D All jokes aside, my wife is two years from retiring from Sprint after 42 years of service. Looks like she is going to leave with what she started with ( Nothing ) :-[

Enhanced looks better.

Congrats RW, wonder how she put up with you all those years

George he wouldn't do that would he? Shame on him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SUMMER-FALL-WINTER TRANSITION by Jim Porter 'Of all nature's forces which affect bass, seasonal aspects have the most pronounced impacts. It can be truly said that the habits and lifestyles of most fish, the bass included, are ruled by the weather. Now this might seem to be a bit of an extreme observation, given that fish live beneath the protective surface of the water. However, it is very true and, during this discussion, we hope to shed some light on the subject. As you go through this material, please keep in mind the number one rule that has been applicable to all fishermen since time immemorial: 'Catching fish is very easy; finding them is the hard part.' In order to overcome that major difficulty of finding the bass, we must first have an understanding of what goes on in his watery world and how he reacts to the various conditions and changes. As with all of God's creatures, the actions and reactions of the bass are controlled by two instinctive goals-- survival (food, comfort, safety) and reproduction of its own kind. The intent of this article is to provide insight regarding bass actions/reactions, as influenced by the Fall seasonal cycles. In order to fully understand what takes place in the world of the bass as he moves from Fall into Winter, we need to take a quick look at the earlier transition from Summer into the Fall posture. Since this transition can support an entire series, itself, we will necessarily be brief and omit going into detail. Summer was a time of heavy schooling, strong movements and much feeding. With the rigors of the spawn left behind, the majority of the bass gathered in open-water school groups and passed the summer months leisurely feeding on the new hatches of bait fish and other food choices. In order to maximize the aspects of comfort (primarily in avoidance of the strong penetration of the nearly-overhead Summer sunlight), Summer bass were generally found on mid-depth structures, rather than in the shallows. Also, these locations were usually near channel edges and other structures influenced, to some degree, by current flow. (The availability of some moving water is a guarantee of additional comfort in continual food supplies and good oxygen content, with the latter often being a problem during the hot months. Current causes mixing of the water and adds oxygen, while preventing stratification layering by temperature/oxygen content.) With the waters warm and, consequently, body metabolism high, feeding was a regular activity. The first cooling days of the approaching Fall season triggered an instinctive reaction in the bass to consider the impending preparation for the winter period. This preparation basically consists of a period of very heavy feeding, attempting to lay in as much strength and body fat as possible to provide sustainment through a generally dormant Winter. It also provides the basic body quality to support the initial internal preparation for spawning, a function that actually begins in mid-Winter in the females. If we will note, this response is not unlike most animals, birds and reptiles. As the waters begin to lose the heat of Summer, the penetrating sun is no longer directly overhead and the oxygen level is again supportive of life in the shallows. The smaller elements of the food chain begin to re-emerge in the shallows. The larger predators, likewise, follow and the shallow zones again become the primary areas of activity. Recalling the food value associated with current flow, we note that the bass initially starts his movements to the shallow zones by entering feeder tributaries and progressing upstream. This movement sequence may not have to take the fish far, in that he is only looking for feeding flats and cover areas in four to ten feet of water. A point to note regarding the actual depth of the feeding locations involves the normal clarity of the waters you are fishing. The four to ten foot range we spoke to is the 'normal' during the fall for most bodies of water in the eastern half of the country, those having some degree of natural coloration. However, on exceptionally clear waters, such as Georgia's Lake Lanier or Alabama's Lewis Smith Lake, the general depth of bass activity and life functions will always be deeper. On those lakes, we would probably extend the expected fall depth range down to 12 to 18 feet. We often refer to this factor as the 'pattern depth', and it provides us with a logical guide and starting point in our determination as to where the bass might be on a given body of water. The 'pattern depth' is defined as the depth the majority of school bass can be expected to be, given the normal clarity of the water and the seasonal conditions. Now the bass is in the Fall posture and we can begin our discussion of his current actions and the later transition to Winter. Once the water temperatures have dropped into the mid-60 degree range, the bass family can be expected to have progressed to the fall feeding locations. As we initially said, these areas are generally characterized as being associated with feeder tributaries, having some amount of cover (to support the smaller elements of the food chain, not to hide the bass), and be about four to ten feet in depth. Normally, these locations will be adjacent to the deepest available water in the area, most probably a submerged channel. Here, we should take note of a 'fine' detail. Recall, if you will, that spawning bass are the least predictable in regards to where they may be found. Granted, they will be on clean, hard-bottomed areas, out of current influence and in fairly shallow water. But, they do not adhere to the primary bass rule of always remaining very near a deep water access, or safety/escape zone. (I suppose love makes all of us do strange things, though.) At all other times of year, deep water is a firm requirement regarding bass locations, the Fall being no exception. Therefore, we are able to make three initial determinations to help us locate fall bass rapidly: Locate the feeder tributaries Look for cover locations along, or very near, the submerged channel edge Key to generally four to ten feet of water (or the appropriately-determined 'pattern depth' for the target waters) Once he has located the proper areas and if the food supplies are there, the bass will remain until the waters cool into the mid-50 degree range. The period is characterized by heavy feeding, a good amount of surface activity and little change of location, save that required to follow the food supply. The peak of this Fall feeding spree usually lasts for about three weeks, with short interruptions by weather fronts. As the nights become longer, the temperatures more crisp and the waters start to cool, the bass' instincts caution him that Winter is getting closer and he must begin to adjust for survival. Suddenly, we no longer are able to find him around the shallow cover. He appears to have 'pulled up stakes' and moved on to greener pastures, wherever they may be. (This particular happening always seems to coincides with the departure of most anglers from the waters for the Winter!) Well, actually, it is what CAUSES the anglers to leave. On the mistaken belief that the bass have 'stopped biting because it is getting too cold', many fishermen winterize their boats and actually miss some of the finest angling of the entire year. The bass NEVER 'quit biting'. That's the oldest and most incorrect notion in the world of fishing. In 99 of 100 cases, fish do not ever fully stop feeding (biting, if you prefer). The reason they are not caught is because they are no longer where the angler is drowning his bait or lure. In response to some influence, they have simply moved. In our case, with the peak of the Fall feeding binge over, most bass are beginning a gradual migration towards the deeper waters. But, they will still be feeding along the way. This migration is gradual and takes place over loosely-defined period, dependent in part upon the rapidity with which full-scale winter sets in and its intensity. As the water temperatures continue to drop, life begins to vacate the shallows and head for the more stable conditions of the deep water. Yes, it will be cold in the depths, but it will still be warmer than the shallow areas and there will be little, if any, fluctuation of conditions. As the fish move deeper, generally following defined, major structure features, the singles and small groups tend to join and form large schools. The school is searching for something and, by understanding what that 'something' is and the associated conditions, the angler is able to find Winter bass nearly as easily as he does at other times of the year. The bass school is looking for an isolated, well-defined piece of hard, clean structure for use as a reference point to hold the school together. The associated conditions required are two-fold: no influencing water currents, and an area deep enough to preclude influence from the volatile Winter weather and its turbulence. I expect the reader, after having it called to his attention, easily recognizes the depth requirement for environmental stabilization and the use of the structure as a reference point. However, the additional desire for an absence of current flow possibly deserves a few words of explanation. Bass, like all cold-blooded creatures, undergo a substantial reduction in their bodily function (metabolism) rate as the temperature of their immediate surroundings drops. Accordingly, there is a corresponding reduction in the amount of food and oxygen intake required to sustain life. Although it is not actually what can be called hibernation, a cold-water bass does enter a state of relative dormancy, during which he moves as little as possible and is very lethargic. During the warm months, current flow was a 'friend' which brought food and insured oxygen. However, those are not primary concerns during the winter. In addition, current would force the bass to expend valuable energy to retain his positioning. Therefore, it is obviously to be avoided. Let's recap where we have been and where we are now, regarding the transition of the bass from a Fall to Winter posture. We discussed where the bass would most likely be during the Fall season and, very briefly, covered how he transitions from Summer into that fall posture. Then, we talked about the characteristics of the fall locations and how those characteristics helped us to identify potential fishing locations with some degree of confidence. Next, our dissertation went into the gradual abandonment of the Fall positioning and the movement to the deep wintering areas. From this information, the reader should now have an understanding of what is happening in the world of the bass and why. He also should be able to recognize the associated conditions and make reasonably accurate assumptions as to where the bass might be at a given point in time. We still should say a few more words about those deep water, winter bass. First , it should be recognized that the deepest we will normally find bass in a given body of water will be during the Winter months. (Although it is a discussion reserved for another day, suffice to say that bass DO NOT go exceptionally deep in the Summer. After the spawn, they leave the shallows and school in open water structure areas, with occasional forays to the shallows.) Second , and understandably so, feeding activity is greatly reduced during the cold months. However, these bass are still cacheable. In fact, the knowledgeable angler will usually catch more bass per outing during the Winter, simply because the fish are schooled in large groups, are easier to locate, and do not move much. A second positive point, and one that most year-round anglers will readily recognize when it is called to their attention, is that bass always average larger in the Winter than during the other times of year. If your average bass weighs in at one and one-half to two pounds nine months out of the year, he will be more like two and one-half to three pounds during the mid-Winter months. Keep the changes of season and their effects in mind and it will help your fishing

It's actually worst than you think, I bought 4 of them. ;D It's a bullet weight so for punching holes would it not be better to rig it with the small end toward the hook ?

or dumb as heck, I just paid $8.00 for one tungsten weight to use at Guntersville. That's what they said I needed to punch a hole in the mats were the Big Girls are. ;D Would you do it ?

Skillet I wouldn't do that, all he is trying to do is lure more fans in. ;D

A stray Cat is one hell of a killing machine, you need to pop everyone you see. Don't get me wrong I love my cat but when it comes to stray cats I'm going to put them out of their meserie. I have trapped for as long as I can remember and the is no better killing machine in the woods. Did I already mention that they are Killing Machines. A 22 short in the head is sufficient.

How about the Dr. Pepper commercial.