roadwarrior

"I'm not sure what she went, but the picture weighed 3 lbs!" :

Welcome aboard! 8-)

Congratulations! 8-)

Stealthy? http://www.kevinvandam.com/about/ :

This is the solution from one of our new sponsors: http://www.dehooker4arc.com/ 8-)

We have a calculator in the "Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Your fish weighed 14.65 lbs. http://www.bassresource.com/bassfishing/fishcalculator.html 8-)

Hmm... Me thinks you're going to like that combination! 8-)

Thanks! Correction made. BTW, IGFA requires a new record to be 2 ounces above the old record. So, if you catch a 12 lb smallmouth it doesn't count! Maybe if that ever actually happens, they will grant you an exemption. :

Slug-Go is the only soft jerkbait I use. BPS carries them. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=15698&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults 8-)

Smallmouth have dramatically different life expectancies in their southern most habitat. In their northern range, a 5 lb smallmouth may be 10-14 years old and live to be 19-20. In the south, smallmouth can achieve 5 lbs in 4-5 years, but generally only live to be 9 years old, or so. Besides the gross size, David Hayes World Record (11-15) was an annomally. His fish is 1 pound and 1 ounce larger than the next largest fish every certified (10-14). The reason? The Hayes fish was 13 years old or 3-4 years older than smallmouth in the Mid-South are suppose to live. I hope there is another old fart out there, this time swimming in the Tennessee River! 8-)

Last week at Guntersville, Bob Lusk was our guest speaker Wednesday night. Bob is one of the leading experts on pond management. His topic was "Catch and Release, Has It Been Overdone?" Bob pointed out that all bodies of water should be managed by taking into consideration a number of variables. In small bodies, especially ponds, the biggest problem is overpopulation. I see no problem with killing bass on a managed basis, Mr. Lusk encouraged all of us to consider keeping lots of bass when the situation calls for it. So, the fact that you guys kept and ate 100 bass is probably a very good thing. It's just that without an explanation, we did not want to see the pics! No harm, no foul. Please do a better job of explaining the purpose of you outings in the future. Good luck to you all. 8-)

G.Loomis IMX SJR843S http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/alltackle/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760502&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032507&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181201&bmUID=1207140867372 8-)

Brand loyalty is developed over time. Dependability, consistancy and quality are more than "subjective" attributes. To illustrate using the hook example, any hook will work "most of the time". However, when you need the sharpest, strongest hook available, nothing else will do. The question is: When do you need the best? For me, it's when I'm fishing! If I knew when my PB or the next World Record was going to show up, things might be different... Well, probably not for me... : 8-)

Great pics! 8-)

hawg caller, Excellent thread! As George pointed out, "You shoulda been here tomorrow." 8-)

Hmm... It seems to me that companies who have developed a reputation for quality and performance over a period of decades have the edge. Rather than individual "preference" they have built a brand name by impressing thousand of anglers for many years. In the broad scheme of things, that leads me to believe that "long-term performance" trumps preference. 8-)

Well, there are many standards for a "Giant Bass". The ten pounders around here don't really qualify if you have the option to fish in California. In this region, the Mid-South, 10+ is BIG! For this size fish my best advice is a 6" Senko. This is what most of my biggest bass were caught on. My PB was fooled by a Norman Fat Boy, bluegill pattern. I have not caught a DD with Mattlures Baby Bass, but I have caught a few that were close. Still, I think the vast majority of the biggest bass in this area are caught on a jig & pig. 8-)

I'd say, "Great Saturday", too! 8-)

Welcome aboard! 8-)

Nice, fat fish. 8-)

This might help: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

Welcome aboard! 8-)

If you guys were asked to cull some small fish out of that lake/pond, then it looks like you all did a great job, but I would say so up front! A lot of guys (like me) don't like looking at 100 dead bass.

Okay Wayne P, what do you really think? A lot of guys have had bad experience with Vanish. Although I have heard it's "improved", I will never give it another chance! BTW, Welcome aboard! 8-)

Raul & Keith: Can either of you tell me the difference between XT and Big Game. Some guys were discussing this last week at Guntersville and no one seemed to know. 8-)