BigAngus752

I am 6'4, 240. Bass Pro makes rain gear in tall sizes. My wife bought me bibs and a coat a couple years ago and they are spectacular. I wear them at work as well as fishing and I have worn them in some ridiculously rainy, windy weather and I have always remained dry and toasty. I highly recommend the Bass Pro Gore-Tex rain gear.

You won't know what they want until you go out and throw some stuff. IF the temps have been stable and you have some sun try to find some rock or concrete and throw some movers. Rip rap and concrete boat ramps are great for me early in the season. Look for any area that has something that holds heat or is warmer than other water. If you can find a "pinch point" with rock or concrete you may be in for a good day.

Well, the only day I had to fish was today...which was right after a cold snap that resulted in an 8 degree drop in water temps AND it was a totally windless, bright, sunny, bluebird day. I only managed three bass and none were worth taking pics of. I also caught these three guys that would not stay off of my lipless crank. The middle pic is the biggest at 1lb 4oz, which is only a pound off of the biggest bass I managed for the day. Sheesh. I need to start eating them.

Darn right. That's a good deal. And to each their own.

That's the way to do it! When it counts! Well done!

^^^There is your blessing for today^^^

Although I keep it to myself on here so as not to offend anyone, I am not a fan of Pflueger...and stop trying to spend my money just because I'm an easy mark. ?

I’m a righty and I fish full lefty. It’s a million times more efficient than switching hands after every cast. @Allen Deris absolutely correct. Sometimes retailers don’t even have LH baitcasters BUT I’m much more likely to get an awesome clearance deal.

Epic fish and great story!

The small ones (Zoom UV Speed worm) come out as soon as the males are guarding. It's a sure thing rigged weightless and jiggled down right on top of them. Later, when the water temps get over 80 degrees, a Berkley MaxScent Kingtail can sometimes be the only thing that will get a bite.

Agreed.

Oh no, no, no...you predicted the tangent would be about a certain group of bait-swilling jerks. This thread has degraded into a completely different, and even more ridiculous, tangent. No points earned!

It's like a fellow I once knew in El Paso. One day, he just took all his clothes off and jumped in a mess of cactus. I asked him that same question, "Why?" He said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time". Nobody is a cool as Steve McQueen...

Okay, you have lots of votes for the Daiwa LT series. I will tell you that the Fuego LT is my favorite spinning reel and I own several. That being said, I recently purchased a brand new Shimano Sahara 1000 to use on a ML spinning rod. I got it half price at a closeout sale and it would be an understatement if I said I was impressed. It's an absolutely fantastic reel even at full price. Just wanted to throw that out there. It's much, much better than my Revros LT. My favorite remains the Fuego LT but Shimano is starting to impress me.

Maybe we should start a sign-up. We don't want 71,000 people bringing potato salad.

I'd like to invite everyone to my house for a cookout. I'm afraid you'll all have to bring a side....

Well...no swimming with your shorts off...

The peace I find on the water more than makes up for it.

There are several makes/models of .410 derringers (American Derringer, Bond Arms). I've shot one with slugs and it's hand-numbing. Perhaps not so bad with non-projectile rounds? Most of them also chamber the .45 Colt.

Excellent. You’re getting good advice already. Personally I prefer a fast tip for bottom contact jigs and t-rigs but a more moderate-ish tip for chatterbaits and spinners. But that’s a personal preference. Many MH rods will fit the bill. When you’re looking remember that your trailers will add some weight to your 3/8 jigs.

Not unusual for the bass to start getting active in the afternoon on a sunny day after the water has been warming all day in the spring and fall. You asked if it's a good sign that the fish you caught was "shallow", did you fish a variety of depths? Perhaps there were more or bigger fish at a different depth if you didn't try that? Congrats on your catch. Don't worry about what the temp is on Tuesday if you're going to fish on Tuesday. The fish don't know what the air temp is. The weather/air temp on Sunday and Monday affect the fish on Tuesday.

What are you going to "flip and pitch". That's just a casting technique. You should choose a rod that is rated for the weight of the lure you're going to throw. We can't tell you if a H/F is too much or too little without knowing that. I actually pitch Ned rigs very frequently because it's great for getting them into pinpoint, tight spaces. Tell us what you intend to throw with that rod and you'll get a ton of opinions!

Ok, having no useful knowledge of this place...and since I do this all the time anyway with lakes near me...here's the first places I would start. Assuming the water temp is lower/mid 50's the first thing I would look for is rock. Especially rock with bright sun shining on it. I would fish the concrete boat ramp, especially the side edges and where the concrete ends in the lake. Is that a sand beach? Does the sand extend into the water? Start on the deepest edges of the sand and throw a mover over the entire sand flat. I would fish the shallow end of that island and the sides and top of any underwater point that extends east. Looks like there are two in or outflows on the east side? I would definitely fish those very thoroughly, especially if the water is moving or has been recently. Most importantly look for rip rap/rock or other objects that warm up in the bright sun. Good luck. I wish I could give it a try with you. I love fishing new places. If you end up catching a bunch of fish in the deepest part of the lake on a dropshot please don't tell me. I don't even want to know.

I think you’ll find the SV shines when used for lighter lures or things you want to use “less thumb” with. I have one of my 6.3:1 SVs on a medium crank bait rod for throwing lighter cranks and another 8:1 SV on a heavy rod for pitching smaller jigs. Both of them excel for these techniques. I prefer Tatula CT-Rs on my chatter bait and spinner rods as they hold more line (the SV spool is shallow) and the R’s profile fits my hand better for hours of casting and hard hooksets. @rtwvumtneer6is right. A lot of it is personal preference.

I feel your pain. My spinning reels get no heavier than 8lb or 6lb Trilene XL or Sufix Elite. Most of them have 8lb or 10lb Sufix 832.