FishDewd

That's great! Always good to have that sort of friendship where you can combine both.

Fishing obviously! Actually this depends upon which friend it is haha. To the OP: does sound annoying. Getting a little help now and then is fine, like if you're using a new technique and know your bud is more versed than you are. That makes perfect sense. But after two years he should have the feel for techniques he uses a lot by then. No replacement for practice. What I would do is what you're doing: tell him he's gotta try it himself. If it doesn't work, before switching baits, try it a different way. Then once again. Give each one some time and effort before you give up on up and switch baits. Could be the fish want it faster, slower, more erratic, less erratic. Maybe they want a zig or a zag or a brief pause. Maybe a long pause. Too many variables and reasons for why they aren't biting a bait. So I'd basically tell him to figure it out cause you won't always be around to help him lol. He should have the confidence to do his own thing and trust his instincts.

Well, ideally... the drag should slip a little. It's kind of a balance. You want a big fish to tire but you don't want to tire it out too much, if that makes sense, so that they can recover. I always reel down when retrieving. Learning this when I was young. Lift pole up, reel down, lift up, reel down... sometimes need to tilt left/right but always reel down. Hardly an expert but 99.9 or so% of the fish I've brought in, unless I hooked them badly, have been full of life and ready to go when I release them. I like them to be lively! Flop around in my hands and try to get away! Way it should be lol. I really respect them a lot.

Well, ideally... the drag should slip a little. It's kind of a balance. You want a big fish to tire but you don't want to tire it out too much, if that makes sense, so that they can recover. I always reel down when retrieving. Learning this when I was young. Lift pole up, reel down, lift up, reel down... sometimes need to tilt left/right but always reel down. Hardly an expert but 99.9 or so% of the fish I've brought in, unless I hooked them badly, have been full of life and ready to go when I release them. I like them to be lively! Flop around in my hands and try to get away! Way it should be lol. I really respect them a lot.

Well, ideally... the drag should slip a little. It's kind of a balance. You want a big fish to tire but you don't want to tire it out too much, if that makes sense, so that they can recover. I always reel down when retrieving. Learning this when I was young. Lift pole up, reel down, lift up, reel down... sometimes need to tilt left/right but always reel down. Hardly an expert but 99.9 or so% of the fish I've brought in, unless I hooked them badly, have been full of life and ready to go when I release them. I like them to be lively! Flop around in my hands and try to get away! Way it should be lol. I really respect them a lot.

Well, ideally... the drag should slip a little. It's kind of a balance. You want a big fish to tire but you don't want to tire it out too much, if that makes sense, so that they can recover. I always reel down when retrieving. Learning this when I was young. Lift pole up, reel down, lift up, reel down... sometimes need to tilt left/right but always reel down. Hardly an expert but 99.9 or so% of the fish I've brought in, unless I hooked them badly, have been full of life and ready to go when I release them. I like them to be lively! Flop around in my hands and try to get away! Way it should be lol. I really respect them a lot.

My local walmart has these reels for $117.95. They look pretty darn good for that price, but I would likely upgrade the drag washers.

Oh this isn't interview yet... nope. Stage one of... 4? 5? Who knows? Lol. After this will probably come another test, assuming I do this one well enough. Then the interview, possibly followed by a panel interview. It's a very competitive field. ><

No that wouldn't be real logical at all. You don't need a license/permit to fish water that you own for one thing. I also don't think you need one for a public park, at least here anyway. Never had any ranger or patrolling officer at a pond ask me for a license (though I do have one, fresh and salt endorsed). I've had them come up and ask how my day was going, but that's about it lol.

I think to some extent it can help a pond to harvest a few now and then... if they are all competing for food then none of them will grow that trophy size. I've raised catfish for a long time so I know what I''m talking about there. The big cats I let go... the ones 10-18" get pan fried and are delicious. I honestly don't see bass being any different. The small mouth taste pretty good fried, not on the level as a catfish or perch, but hardly muddy or anything despite coming from muddy waters here. Like anything it's about moderation and respect for the population. Don't take the really small ones or big ones.

I like one piece... I'm not sure if there is an advantage necessarily, but I once lost the top half of a 2 piece pole I really like in a pond cause it came off. Since then I just don't trust them. Now I use mostly all 1 piece rods that can fit in my car lol. I still have a few 2 piecers but they are all spincast setups that I use primarily for bream/perch.

I dead stick quite a bit, but haven't really noticed a big difference yet when it comes to strikes. It works best for me to pause a crankbait briefly, or pause a topwater for a long time. I've gotten several on the plopper after I let it sit for about 5-10 seconds then made it move again. I'll usually stop it over an area I think is promising and let it soak for a moment. Been pretty effective, caught more that way this year than other way so far. I want to get into poppers. I saw BPS had a nice looking poppin perch that I think would have promise.

Yeah and that's wrong. I've heard marathon is hard to get into anyway. I do have a relative at Lyondell but they aren't hiring right now. And a cousin who has almost worked his way up to operator through contractors. He has no degree but has the intelligence (basically is a genius) to get in. He's been applying too. We're basically having a contest as to who can get hired first but also are helping each other out at the same time lol. We've both recently applied for DOW for the same job :P INEOS is mine though, I don't think he's found that one and I'm not gonna mention it lol.

Well I have to try to catch a bass with a nightcrawler now! Just so happens I raise them in my fridge and have some giant worms to try and feed them!

"Debauchery" is an interesting use of words! Want to explain this? :P Just kidding... welcome aboard!

I've only ever eaten one, and I got my butt chewed out on here over it, but I still think I made the right choice in the end. I am a good cook, so the little guy did not go to waste. Not catfish good, but still pretty good. I won't do it again though. Next time I'll just toss it for the turtles to eat. They are apparently hungry in this pond I like to fish at. I caught a turtle yesterday on a hotdog that had seen better days. Poor dude had two front legs missing, no wonder it was hungry!

Not sure I really do much special... I try to use different stuff than I see others using though. About the only trick I use that I don't see anyone else doing is when catfishing. I will make a carolina rig, but fasten a small lead split shot about an inch above the sinker. To A. keep it from sliding up to far, and B. to make additional noise. Also a bead below. Then I will slide a very small pear peg float onto the leader line, and measure it against the egg sinker so that at it's maximum buoyancy the hook sits just an inch or so above the bottom. This works great when my hooks are getting stuck in muck along the bottom, or during windy days when I want my bait/lure to stay in place, but still wiggle around like it's alive.

I always pick up lots of old lines any time I go somewhere fishing. Once I got my ankle caught up in about 200' of line that was embedded into the grass and nearly tripped and fell into the drink! So I always pick it up for other's safety as much as the wildlife. I just toss it into the nearest trash bin though. I didn't even realize stores had line disposal, can't recall ever seeing one anywhere, but I also didn't really look for it either.

I'm voting for a wacky rigged worm just cause! :P

Ah that might be why then. I normally hook them with the intention of catching panfish, up the shank with just a bit dangling off. That's how I rig my dropshots and use them along weedbanks. Perch destroy it.

I wasn't aware it was possible to catch a bass with a nightcrawler (in theory, sure, but not actually in practice). Whenever I fish with live worms, I get perch #1, and catfish #2. Pretty sure they'll beat any bass to it in most cases, but maybe it depends on what lives in your waters.

Well if I am going to be doing a woods excursion that may change how I dress a bit. I don't do a lot of bush whacking though, not much payoff to doing that here. Not many rivers, the ones I do have are poo rivers with mutated fish. SKin cancer, yeah... little concerning. But my average trip is only a few hours in the evening when the sun's intensity is at a minimum. I'm not going to be fishing when it's 100* outside. Also, I use good sun screen! Very important. You have to block that UVC, that's the bad stuff.

This is absolutely true! There are several factors of course that will dictate where they may be, but a catfish can really be anywhere it wants to be! Sometimes it'll be out in those deep holes where most bankers will be targeting, but I've caught loads just off of the bank in a few feet of water. Think I largest I ever caught, somewhere around 4 pounds out of my pond, was when I was retrieving my bait and the catfish ate it on the upslops going up to the bank. Was less than 3 feet in front of me. That was the day I figured it out.

I do wear sunscreen though, meant to mention that. SPC 70 Sport for longer outings where is no shade. I don't get burned.

I might be one the lone guys out, but I like fishing in shorts and sleeveless tees! With tanned and toned arms and legs like these, why would I wanna hide them? ?