roadwarrior

Rig the Kut Tail with the tail vertically straight. Fish it weightless, T-rigged, shaky head or on a drop shot rig. This is perhaps the most overlooked soft plastic on the planet. It works for me BIG-TIME! 8-)

I think we have had this conversation more than once. Your attitude and arrogance is not appreciated. Have you been ridiculed on saltwater forums for targeting species that most saltwater fishermen consider bait? I'll remind you again, this is a freshwater bass board. BTW, the Florida state record Jack Crevalle is 57 lbs., Jupiter, 5-18-93, Gerald John Washburn. No one with another option would eat this fish. It's primarily used for chumming and as shark bait.

Well guys, just to be clear, BassResource.com will NOT sponsor this program, you are on your own. That means those deciding to participate are responsible for resolving disputes and we are NOT going to allow them to be aired on the boards. -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator

St. Croix Avid AVC66MF is what I would suggest. The rod is great for working both topwater lures and jerkbaits. The tip is soft enough to cushion treble hooks. 8-)

Ya think? :

** MODERATOR NOTE ** This thread is a tribute, not for political discussion. ANYTHING off topic or off color will be removed. -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator

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I married one and we have another, my daughter! My "Best Ever" is Al Lindner, followed closely by Bill Dance and Rick Clunn. 8-)

Herding dogs are a treat. We have a Corgi, our best pet ever! 8-)

Mattlures, Thanks for the update. It just seems like these issues would be resolved by now. At any rate, I think most would agree that George Perry's record has been surpassed a couple of times already, "official" or not. p.s. Here in Tennessee we're still working on David Hayes' record! 8-)

Welcome aboard! 8-)

Welcome aboard! 8-)

844 = 84" long (always the first two numbers); 4 = Heavy Power (always the third number). So, 783 = 6 1/2' (78"); 3 = Medium Heavy Power Now the name of the different series is another issue, Power ratings vary and Action is specific to each model. That's the magic, they make it mysterious! These are the easy ones: BCR = bait casting rod CBR = crank bait rod SMR = small mouth rod FGR = frog rod CR = casting (huh?) and on and on... Their "all-around" rod is the original, MBR = mag bass rod http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/family.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032505&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181201&bmUID=1251233168545

Take it back to the retailer or send it back to St. Croix. I have the same rod, so yours must be defective. Perhaps just talking with St. Croix Customer Service can resolve the issue, it could be something you have done. At any rate, you can get this resolved without much or any cost. 8-)

Hmm... AVS66MLF AVC66MF AVC70MF AVC70MM ES70MF EC70MHF I guess that makes me a St. Croix fan, too! 8-)

Yeah, learn from your mistakes and those of others: HUGE Disappointment David Hayes caught the World Record smallmouth bass in 1955 on Dale Hollow Lake. Some believe the next World Record will be found on the Tennessee River: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/smallmouth_record.html Almost exactly four years ago, November 2004, my fishing partner and best friend, Speedy Madewell, boated a 10 lb beauty. I netted the fish and weighed it, he released the monster! Since that time we have had some luck with other big bass, including the bronzebacks in my avatar (January, 2005). Last Saturday Speedy and I fished the river with limited success: an assortment of species including largemouth, smallmouth, Kentucky bass, striper, cats and drum. We may have caught forty fish or so, but no size and most importantly, no browns of note. Around 11:00 things changed. With poor results off either bank and limited water release by the TVA, we moved to the "middle of the river". Actually, we decided to fish along the river channel, defined by navigational buoys. The drop is well defined, but relatively small, only 3-5' in 15-25' water. Still,this represents significant structure for fish in open water. After landing a few nondescript fish, I got a nice strike drifting along the ridge. I set the hook hard and didn't budge the fish. However, there was very little fight and I saw another drum in my future. After 10-15 yards of retrieve, the drum dove and turned into a big catfish, just digging to the bottom, but no run. As I brought the fish closer to the boat, Speedy asked, "Gonna need the net?" Without any emotion I replied, "Yeah, it's big and ugly." Speedy runs the trolling motor on the forward platform of a BayRanger 2180, center console. So, with the net on the floor opposite me, it takes a minute to get set up. With little current, we let the boat drift. This time of year the water clarity on the Tennessee is about 3, maybe 4 feet. As my partner came over to my side he asked, "What's ya got?" I replied, in a steady voice and without inflection, "The biggest f***ing smallmouth I have ever seen." The fish appeared to be a Trident submarine as it rose toward the surface so both of us could get a good look at her, but then she bolted. She initially ran about 15 yards forward, then after a 90 degree turn, another 20 yards toward the middle of the river. My situation was precarious. I'm in the middle of the boat and have to hustle to get to the front, around and over the trolling motor while at the same time maintaining rod position with a sizzling drag. I was starting to have some fun! The pig came up, but did not jump. I got her turned around, but she had already decided she didn't like the Ranger. When she was halfway back, she bolted again, but this time dove deep. It took a few minutes to get her a little closer. Most smallmouth, especially biggun's, tend to fight the best on the first run after a close encounter with the boat, but even later, they never give up. This fine lady staged at rod length, tugged mightily and would not come up. I asked my buddy what he thought I should do? He responded, "Doesn't matter. That fish ain't ready and she's going to do anything she wants!" Well, I've caught a few big fish and I was in no hurry. My rod appeared parabolic with the line straight down into the river. I said to my friend, "This is when you have to believe in your equipment." And then.......the line snapped. stupid, Stupid, STUPID! We weren't catching anything interesting, so although I noticed a burr on my line before the last cast, I didn't do what I always preach: "If it ain't perfect, it ain't good enough." When there is any doubt, retie your line, leader or hook. So, could that smallmouth have been the New World Record? I don't know, but it wasn't boated, so it doesn't count. You might ask, "Really now, how much do you think she weighed?" I don't know the answer to that either, but what I can tell you is, she was... HUGE!

However, if you want to bring your boat, Pickwick is part of a commercial river system and is very well marked with channel buoys. Maps are detailed and with just reasonable caution, the lake is "safe". 8-)

My dedicated rig is an Avid AVC70MF/ Shimano Metanium. For 3/4 oz Ledgebusters and Mattlures Baby Bass, Legend Elite EC70MHF/ CTE200GT. 8-)

C'mon Mike, don't sugarcoat it! I'll start: Long Mike Lloyd Muddy Me We have a cabin reserved. 8-)

The Legend Elite Series is comparable to G. Loomis IMX series. St. Croix does not promote the rods as "light weight", but they are very well balanced. Components are top notch as is the engineering and design. Quality control is something St. Croix can be very proud of. This is an outstanding rod series. 8-)

6 1/2" GYCB Kahuna Kut Tail My favorite creature bait is the Rage Tail Lobster and the GYCB Flappin' Hog is a close second. 8-)

JJ's Magic for jig trailers. I treat all mine at home, outside. Put them back into high quality bags like GYCB, NetBaits and Rage Tail come in. Soft plastics do not need to be treated immediately before being used. This eliminates the main issue with JJ's (messy). For all other soft plastics and hardbaits, MegaStrike is THE BOMB! MegaStrike is very effective and user friendly. In addition to the attractant aspect, the Vasoline consistancy allow baits and lures to slide more freely through weeds and in a fish's mouth! 8-)

Correct, but if you have the time some of the guys will be coming in Friday or Saturday and staying through the following Saturday. Come in early and you and I can fish Saturday or most of Sunday (Meet & Greet Sunday afternoon). The "official" time frame is Monday through Thursday. 8-)

Oops! That is much better advice and the way it should probably be done. Some of the newer Shimano reels are suppose to be spooled as I described, but most reels probably require spooling as Marty suggests. -Kent

Okay... Long time respected member...but in this case, I think you are wrong. -Kent