roadwarrior

Bomber Square A Norman Fat Boy Mann's -1 For a bigger profile and just a bit deeper, Bagley BII 8-)

I know... I'll get some pictures next time. I'm pretty excited about the pond, it really has some potential. Now that I know what to expect, I'll be a little better prepared. The biggest surprise wasn't the fish themselves, but the bite on Sunday after a huge storm came through Saturday night. Fish are usually negatively affected right after large quantities of water come into a pond: cooler water, visibility, lack of dissolved oxygen, etc. To have a big day in terms of both quantity and size is unusual. I'm really anxious to throw a Mattlures Baby Bass at these fish. 8-)

Please Release Me: http://www.sure-life.com/ 8-)

Welcome aboard! This might help: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1196114229 For an all-around rod, start with Medium Power/ Fast Action. 8-)

I don't think there is a "best", just "favorite". For me: Spinning tackle: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #6 (.010" diameter, 11.9 lb test) Baitcasting gear: Ultra Soft #12 (.013" diameter, 19.5 lb test) 8-)

Nope. :

I fish the Double Wide as a trailer on a 1/2 oz jig. 8-)

Why do you ask now? You already bought the reel. Okay, for the same price on e-bay you might have been able to buy a Chronarch 50MG. 8-)

Guys that like it, love braid. The rest of us hate the line. There are a variety of issues, so maybe it works just fine for you, but not for others. However, if I recall, you fish mainly from the bank. If that's the case, braid is probably not for you unless you start fishing $40+ swimbaits. Braid is very difficult to break, which is not always a good thing. 8-)

Ahhh... I have been married 31 years, 32 if I make it to October. Calm down and explain yourself. I promise, after a few years she will be glad to be rid of you for a few days! 8-)

Welcome aboard! 8-)

Not for me. My favorite technique is fishing jerkbaits. My most productive lures/ baits are soft plastics and recently jigs. My "favorite" and my "most productive" have nothing in common. 8-)

I agree. In this day and age, ya gotta have the pic! That's why I make no claim to weight. If I get lucky and catch another, maybe I'll have a pic to share. :

Well, I recall an article by In-Fisherman that expressed an entirely different view. The clearing water (zebra mussels) combined with a new and abundant food source (goby) has resulted in a smallmouth population explosion. For the foreseeable future, your numbers will continue to grow exponentially and size should improve. I hope they are right! 8-)

Welcome aboard! 8-)

Yes, I landed the fish, but I had much better luck yesterday! I had a trip to make on Saturday and only fished for two hours. Yesterday, Mother's Day, I snuck in a couple more hours. Nine fish, five nice ones and four tournament bass (under 5 lbs). All of the other fish were caught on an Evolution jig and Baby Paca Craw, coated with a dab of MegaStrike. 8-)

Isn't it odd to find just what you are looking for, right in front of your nose? I have lived in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis for eleven years. My daughter attended both middle-school and high school within minutes of our home. Unbenounced to me, just a few blocks off the beaten path, a fifteen acre pond was waiting to be "discovered" virtually, behind the middle-school. The pond is actually about ten years old and has always been part of the city park system. Surprisingly, only a very few "neighbors" are aware of this particular body of water. I "found it" this weekend. With recent heavy rainfall, most of our ponds are flooded and muddy, but the new pond is simply full and stained. As is typical in the area, there is very little vegetation and no noticable structure. So, fishing the pond without any guidance or focal point was to be expected. On other posts I have suggested that people fish the entire shoreline, regardless of appearance until you can determine good and not so good areas to concentrate on. Although I would normally start with a 6" Senko or Fat Ika, the slope of the bank indicated deep water immediately off the shore. I decided to start with topwater early and when I came back later, a jig. Without high expectations, I arrived at the pond around 6 o'clock Saturday Morning. The weapon of choice was a 3/8 oz Cavitron Buzzbait, black on black. I started on a section with a flat profile, thinking relatively shallow water might be the ticket early. I was wrong. After forty-five minutes of nothing, I moved to the steep bank. Another fifteen minutes and a hour into the trip...nada. As I moved down the bank, footing became an issue. I was paying more attention to position than presentation. Although I was beginning to lose enthusiasm, I still had fresh water ahead. The bank is boringly uniform except for an occasional ridge runing into the water. I noticed what appeared to be an extended ridge just ahead. Approaching this hump, I stopped about ten yards inside casting distance to place the buzzbait well beyond the ridge and establish good footing, and it's a good thing I did! My cast was a bit errant, further out from the bank than I had planned. As I brought the Cavitron across the open water, big momma attacked! Buzzbaits aren't slapped, they're eaten. The fish created an incredible swirl, but I didn't make a move. The equipment I use for buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and most jerkbaits is a St. Croix Avid AC66MF with a soft tip. The rod loads up quickly, but you don't set the hook until that happens. It seemed like an eternity as the fish headed down with the lure, but she didn't know it had a hook in it for several seconds. When I set that hook, she bolted for deep water. No "big fish" story is complete without a picture and since I don't have one, I'll just call her a good'un. 8-)

Welcome aboard! Try a Slug-Go in the pads. In deeper water, I would fish a jig- slow. 8-)

Welcome aboard! Hybrid compares most closely to P-Line, with less memory. Buy some KVD Line & Lure Conditioner and apply this to your line the night before fishing to further reduce memory. Hybrid is somewhat stronger than P-Line, highly abrasion resistant, impervious to water & UV light, nearly invisible in water and it floats! For future reference, the Hybrid Ultra Soft is what I consistantly recommend. In use, Ultra Soft has virtually no memory and still has most of the favorable attributes of original formuls hybrid, but is somewhat more visible in clear water. 8-)

This might help: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1180909581 8-)

I say, try some other brands (*) and see how they work for you. We have had way too many heated discussions to go through this again. Somewhere in this thread I posted the results of my experiment, but your results may be different. The concensus of the members of this Forum overwhelming support Brent and the soft plastics available through his company, http://*.com/ I suggest you give them a shot. 8-)

Congratulations! 8-)

Dwight Hottle, Welcome aboard! Your PB is one of the most beautiful smallmouth I have ever seen. Congratulations! 8-)

Great story, great fish and great pic. Congratulations on one heck of a day! 8-)

PB largemouth March 27, 2008. PB smallmouth May 10, 2008. Man, you are on a roll, congratulations! 8-)