roadwarrior

First time out in your new boat...Pretty cool.

Hmm...Another Shimano guy 8-) Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

dodgeguy, For $6.99 (on sale at BPS) you can buy a 1000 yard spool of Yo-Zuri Hybrid #12 (19.5 lb test). Get the green and you will find this to be nearly invisible in clear water. Hybrid is a bonded (not coated) fluorocarbon/ nylon copolymer. The refraction index of this line is not a perfect match to water, but you will be surprised just how stealthy it is. Most importantly, it is much stronger and much more manageable than pure fluoro.

Hey! Maybe I missed the diss...It's like it always is... CONGRATULATIONS to you my friend... Now show us some fish!

Nope. C'mon now, it's just a bump in the road. NBA rules: No harm, no foul.

Yep... You are ALWAYS wrong. When the hole you dig for yourself gets deep enough, quit digging. When you need to lie, just don't say anything. Register her bithday and your wedding anniversary with a florist who will call you a week in advance to confirm your STANDING ORDER!

This comes under the "No Politics/ No Religion" heading.

Too cool! Reminds me of the definition of golf...Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden

Congratulations! If I make it another 6 months and 10 days, it will be 30 years for me. 8-)

Welcome aboard!

Pretty good advice right there. 8-)

I don't know how "mookey" it is, but it's the damnest redneck thing I ever heard of, short of shootin' yourself in the foot to see how how bad it hurts. Nope... "Rat Fishing." You set up in an open field or pasture, sitting on a lawn chair with a cooler full of ice cold beer. 3/0, 4/0 or 5/0 hook (it doesn't matter) baited with a chunk of meat. Cast out as far as you can, sip your beer and open your bail. When you get bit, let the line run and DON'T set the hook. You'll know when it's time to retrieve. This is NOT catch and release!

I was the guy on the "grassy knoll," too! 8-)

Those are some great pictures and nice fish. Congratulations!

My "preference" is what I consider the best of both worlds: Fast Action with a soft tip! (St. Croix Avid AC66MF).

*** Moderator Note *** This thread has entered the "gray area" with too much potential to move swiftly downhill. It's time to move on. -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator

C'mon guys...we're just here for fun... This thread is about chili. If your post was edited or deleted, don't take it personnally, it was done with a broad stroke.

A typical bass bite is a tap-tap. Lower your rod tip as you reel down QUICKLY and snap your rod tip up, firmly without moving the position of your reel relative to your body. This action will drive a hook home. Regarding your equipment: If you have been fishing with a noodle for catfish, you need a different rod. I recommend a 6 1/2' or 7' Medium or Medium Heavy Power/ Fast Action rod to fish soft plastics. A firm tip allows you to set the hook quickly.

Welcome aboard!

Pretty early to be so witty! 8-) Tobacco and beer are fish attractants. Other so called "attractants" MAY cause a fish to hold a bait a moment longer, but that's about all. I have experimented with a number of brands over the years and still use MegaStrike occasionally, but when I run out I won't be buying anymore. I have never noticed ANY difference in fishing with or without scent. I am 100% sure bass do not care whether you smoke or not. Spend your money on something else.

Regarding smallmouth bass: Something documented by In-Fisherman Magazine. Regarding largemouth: They might be more aggressive for the same reasons, but they seem to be more sensitive to cooler water temperatures. Their natural or original environment was shallow, grasssy, warm water rivers, not lakes. Hence the name, "green trout." Largemouth have adapted to reserviors, but they are still VERY temperature sensitive. If it were all about forage, they should grow just as big in the north. This is NOT the case. Now, California largemouth have the best of all worlds: Relatively warm water temperatures year around; abundant forage fish (trout) that is slow and in human terms, dumber than dirt! Bass, both smallmouth and largemouth, will eat whenever the opportunity arises, regardless of how "full" they might be. California bass are pigs, in both size and eating habits. The relatively even temperatures are favorable for both largemouth and smallmouth.

I'm so old and crusty I remember when the identical bait was a sassy shad. I guess they quit making them. Take a look at these: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0017914116724a.shtml Then take another look at the GYCB Swimbaits.... Dajavue all over again?

Great Post!

Welcome aboard! Now, let's go catch one bass: I want you to buy two packages of 5" Senko (not knock-offs) and one package of Fat Ika, both watermelon with black flakes. Both of these baits will be fished the same, they simply have a different profile and action. You will need Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm hooks, but no weight. If you are fishing spinning tackle, I want the line no heavier than 8 lb test, for baitcasting 12 lb test. Select a pond at least 4 or 5 acres or a defined cove on big water. T-rig the Senko, weightless and weedless. Cast the bait parallel to the bank, offshore 5-10 yards. (Don't worry about cover or structure, but if you notice some, fish it). Let the Senko fall to the bottom on slack line and let it sit for a minute or at least 15 seconds. Move the bait slowly with a horizontal sweep, 6-12". Let it fall again on slack line and sit. Repeat until you feel you are "out of the zone." Move down the bank 10 yards or so and cast again. That's it. NEVER switch baits until you have fished one pack (10) Senko. If you don't catch a fish, fish 5 Fat Ika without swiching back to the Senko. Fish for at least 1 hour at a time. After fishing a total of 4 hours, if you haven't caught a bass you need to find another place to fish. Good luck!