roadwarrior

Great! Now your on the road to "bigger and better." Congratulations!

...and it is NOT pink! A soft, muted or subtle red is how it might be described.

Oops! http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_90416_100005001_100000000_100005000_100-5-1 my mistake...

What took so long? :

That 7 is a nice fish and makes a great pic. 8-) Congratulations!

Welcome aboard! Post your question in the "Northeast" section, too. Someone might see it there that did not notice it here.

I thought KVD was the point man for Lucky Craft crankbaits. Did that change this year or are Strike King and LC just two of many lure companies sponsoring VanDam? I guess you gotta' have a program to keep up with the players. I would like to see Aaron Martens win The Classic and Skeet Reese Angler of the Year.

That's a beauty!

I still have a number of brands that I never use. Sometimes I use MegaStrike, but mostly as a lubricant on soft plastics and Mattlures Baby Bass. In general, I don't think attractants add anything to your presentation, but fish MIGHT hold a split second longer. With swimbaits, the lubricating feature prevents the fish from griping the lure, alowing for a better hook-set.

Welcome aboard! Buzzbaits are designed to be fished on the surface, but there is no penalty for fishing any lure "another way."

A few techniques require special equipment, or makes fishing certain lures easier and more effective. With jigs, sensitivity, backbone and a firm tip are crucial. For big, deep diving crankbaits a rod with Slow Action and a reel with a low gear ratio are required if you are going to fish this gear for hours. Skeet Reese worked with Lamiglas to design the SR705R glass rod. I have this rod matched with a Shimano CTE200GT (5.0:1). In addition to the DD22, I fish Mann's +20 and +25, Lucky Craft Pointer 128 and a couple of other lures with this rig. Although my gear is VERY technique specific in this case, it makes fishing big baits a breeze.

Great story, great fish, great pic! I have caught most of my biggest largemouth bass in the middle of the hottest, bluebird days of summer.

Welcome aboard! Type this same post in the "Northeast" section, too. (I bet you didn't think Kentucky was "Northeast"). Lots of members in the designated regions check those forums frequently. You might get a response there if guys don't see it in this section.

I glad the Ultra Soft seems to be working out for you. Line is something I think that is easy to experiment with, most lines are relatively inexpensive compared to our other equipment. I have fished with a number of brands and a variety of products within the brand families. I'll continue to experiment with a couple of different lines every year, but for now this is my preferred line. Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft is an especially good fit for spinning tackle where memory is such a big issue. I'm more likely to stick with the line on this equipment even if I fish another line on my baitcasters. I fished with Bud in Kentucky last year and tried Sunline Defier on one of his baitcasters. That's a fine line, but expensive. For baitcasters, it is an option I would consider, but my current "experiment" is going back to original formula Hybrid #12. BPS has the orginal on sale, 1000 yards for $6.88. That's a great deal, so I'm giving it another try.

Welcome aboard! I primarily fish for smallmouth on the Tennessee River, October through March. During the spring and summer smallmouth are difficult to find, especially during the day. I also fish Bull Shoals and have some success with jerkbaits during low light periods. Topwater is another option during those hours. Generally, most fisherman targeting smallmouth this time of year (in the South) have their best luck fishing at night.

Yes. You don't have to "over work" a Sammy. It is easy to walk, much more user friendly than a Spook, but more subtle. Stay with the Sammy, you will like it and the bass do, too!

Senko? That's cheating! : Congratulations!

Check the post above. We were typing at the same time and I think that suggestion will work for you.

I fish the river below Pickwick Dam. There is a catwalk for stripper fishermen and they occasionally catch a few stripers, usually smaller fish. They catch LOTS of skipjack and white bass, which is what most of the bank fisherman further down rive are fishing for. Fishing from the bank with cut-bait sometimes produces a catfish, but more commonly drum. If you have access to deep structure, close to shore and in current, you might have a chance at catching a few bass, but it's still pretty rare. Good luck! I don't like discouraging anyone from giving bank fishing a try, but my observation has been that it doesn't work for bass on the Tennessee River. p.s. On Pickwick there is a cove near the dam which is also part of a state park, where all the tournament fish are released. I fish this cove from the bank all year when the water schedule for the river calls for late release. You would be surprised at how productive this water can be. Plus, it's restocked all of the time! Find out where tournament fish are released at Wheeler and try fishing the water nearby.

Fishing from the bank below any of the dams on the Tennessee River is VERY challenging. I suggest finding some coves on the lake that you can access and walk. On the river, your lure choice doesn't really have much to do with getting skunked, the chances are pretty high that there just aren't any fish where you are at that exact time. Generally, and especially with artificial lures, you need to find the fish, they won't find you. BTW, I moved you post here to see if anyone else has advice for you. If your question was directed to Doug Hannon, you need to send questions via our PM (personal message) system: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1165888992

Welcome aboard! You might want to hire a guide. Dale Hollow can be VERY challenging in the summer. I have often heard that your best bet is fishing at night. If that's an option you are interested in, you might give it a try.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! Start by reading the articles here: https://www.bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

I fish all soft plastics with spinning tackle, specifically a 7' MF rod and #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft. I think I get more bites with lighter equipment, but George Welcome and his clients might prove that theory wrong! 8-) I used to fish Senkos and other plastics with my jig rod. As long as the bait doesn't fly off, that works just fine. However, if your bait does go airborne, a baitcasting rig takes on the appearance of cotton candy. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it's a mess.

I think it takes a couple of years for equipment to gain a reputation, good or bad. The Revo may turn out to be a great reel and it sounds like you are very pleased with your others. As Burley said, all manufactures are going to have an occasional lemon. It's still under warranty and chances are the replacement reel will work out fine. Good luck.