G3-Basser

I have a few and don't use them that much. I found that 2 of the 4 that I own had extremely dull hooks out of the box. I couldn't even accidently hook myself with these things. The hooks seemed very poor quality. THe action looks great in the water and I have caught fish on them. I just treat it like another spinnerbait style bait that I can tie on and have fun with. -J

I've had the best luck right before a storm front. During an extended storm front I beat my personal best in back to back days. The only problem is that I've pushed my luck too many times and got caught in an awful lighting storm last year. I had to ride it out in my jon boat under a bridge. The bridge was a crappy golf course bridge and I swear that lightning hit the bridge twice. Nice electrical crackling the length of the bridge with plenty of sound to boot. No fun. I really thought I was going to die that day. Water from the bridge kept pouring in my little boat and I ended up with about 8 in of water in the front of the boat. Good news is that I decided not to bring the kids with me that day!! -J

I'm a mean baitcast skipper with the horny toad. That's about it. Anything else and it's spinning gear for me. -J

No permanent damage from this, but it hurt like hell. I was cranking my small jon boat onto the trailer while on a steep ramp. I got the boat fully cranked and let go of the crank handle only to realize that I hadn't clicked it to lock. The handle started spinning a million miles an hour and managed to get my arm tangled up in it. This really hurt and I swore that I had a broken or fractured my arm. After a few minutes though, the pain subsided and I realized that there wasn't any real damage. It did leave one hell of a bruise though!!! -J

That really sucks. Hill was a great player and made me a proud fan while he was at LSU. -J *LSU ALum. 1991*

Much thanks!

If you feel a thud or see a twitch while the lure is dropping--SET IT! If your bait is somewhere it shouldn't be or is moving off to the side--SET IT! If the bait feels like it has weeds on it--SET IT! Set early and often and eventually you'll get more savvy as to what is and what isn't a fish. For goodness sake, don't be afraid to set the hook for fear of losing the bait. You will lose jigs if you are fishing cover....that's part of the game. One other thing, I'd use a leader of mono or fluoro if you are fishing jigs in rocks with braided line. Rocks kill braid. -J

Dudes, I need to be fishing with you guys!!!!!!!!! Great catch! Love catching pigs on jigs. -J

Great job with the video and great selection of music to boot. Looks like you guys had fun! -J

8lb 12 oz on an electric blue tube lure. Knew that it was my PB right after I set the hook! My Dad forgot the camera, even though I had handed it to him as we left the house. Oh well, just more incentive to catch something bigger and get a photo this time!!!! -J

I found these replies to be very informative. Thanks, J

Great job, keep posting! -J

The tongue is a good indication, but I doubt you got a picture of that. You can tell by the mouth as well. Close the fish's mouth and the jaw of the spot will not go further back than the eyes. You may not have a picture of the fish with his mouth closed either. One thing you may be able to tell from a picture is the dorsal fin. I believe this top fin on the spots is clearly connected, whereas the largemouth's appear to be two separate fins. -J

I'm no pro, but here's what I do. In general, I'll trim the weedguard fibers so that they are just a bit past the hook point and I always mash them down and spread them out prior, and during, use. I only thin the fibers if I'm not fishing in wood. My problem with hookups using braided line has always been my overkill hookset. I combat this by setting my drag so it will slip a bit on the hookset. So far so good. Regards, J

yeah, cart said it all. Go slow, especially if it's hot and your tank is nearly empty. I have the same issues with my boat. It will spew like a geyser if I try to fill it like I do my car. :'( --J

D I wanted to see more about the fishing, techniques and stories behind some of the lesser known guys who did real well. There was far too much rehash of the prefab stories on harsh weather, Hackneys' Dad, etc. Often I thought I was watching a recast of the previous day's events. How many times do I need to see the video of Swindle blowing by the boats which led to his DQ? Do yourself a favor and record this, so you can fast foward through all the rehash next time. --J

My wife is more into catching than fishing. That can be a problem when you're fishing for bass. She doesn't usually sweat me for going though. Both kids, 8 and 6, like fishing and I'm sure that they'll be diehards pretty soon. I can't wait!! --J

It's a shame that we all have to worry about getting our stuff jacked. Theives suck!! I try to keep my eyes open for suspicious activity, epecially when the occasional fisherman loses his mind and leaves his rig unguarded in the WalMart parking lot. Don't be afraid to speak up or jot down that license plate if you see some folks acting shady. Most bad guys are counting on you to mind your own business and look the other way while they do their dirty work. --J

Thanks for the pics. Looks like my kind of rig! Enjoy. --J

Enjoy it! Congrats! -J

Thank you all for the information. I really like the bright screens on the color units, because I do a lot of midday fishing and figure that I would be able to see the screen from different areas of the boat much easier. -J

I'm in the market for an upgraded fish finder and seeking opinions on some of the newer units. I was going to get either the Eagle 480 or the Lowrance X135. However, after seeing them in person, I really like the brightness of the color screen on the Lowrance X510C. Anybody using this? Any thoughts on the new side scanning Hummingbird units? At $1000, that's getting to be a real commitment. I already have a color handheld GPS unit, so I can do without GPS capability at this point. --J

Unplugging the lights keeps them from blowing if they are too hot or not completely sealed. It is kind of cool to land the boat at night with the trailer lights on though. -J

DNB, Sounds like my solo launching protocol. Depending on the launch and the number of boats in the area, I sometimes let the boat come off the trailer and then recover it with a rope that I've attached to the trailer. Then, I'll either tie off the boat, or if muddy bottom, pull the boat into shore. After securing the boat, I'll jump in the truck and go park it. Landing goes about the same way, but is actually much quicker than the launching (for me). I found myself using a bumper on the side of the boat that I tie to the dock. I must be the only bass guy using such a thing, but after I nearly rubbed all the stickers off of one side of the boat, I've started using a hull-hugger bumper when launching and landing. --J

Could someone please post a link to the thread? The search function is no friend of mine. :-/ Thanks, J