roadwarrior

Well, that has been true for 14 out of the 15 years I have lived here. However, I think last year was the exception. Maybe we can go two in a row!

No, that pattern is over. I'm not saying you can't catch a smallmouth on live bait, but the river bite is more of an October - March thing.

Bass are curious, too. I'm not sure a Cavitron Buzzbait represents anything in the natural world.

I have both the 50 and 100. In terms of performance they are the same. I prefer the 50 simply because it is a better fit in my hand. Strong, smooth, silent and reliant, everything you would expect from the top-of- the line Shimano. My 50 is saddled to a MBR842C which is a match made in heaven.The 100 is on a PR844C which I use almost exclusively for topwater. In terms of "value", although I love the Core, there are other options. I have had both my Curado 50E and 200E supertuned by Mike at DVT. These reels have a cost basis of around $185 all-in. They are not quite as tight as the Core, but they are a VERY strong 2nd.

Congratulations!

Great pics, too!

Welcome aboard!

The lake is only 15 miles long, so regardless of where you put in, it's not that far to anywhere. I have not fished Wilson this year, but everyone says the dam is hot. A word of warning: Pick out some other areas to fish in addition to the dam. It can be too crowded up there to have fun.

I have the Optimus XLT. It's a great reel and I have been VERY impressed!

There are two baits/lures that I consider "revolutionary". Original Floating Rapala GYCB Senko

Sounds like someone who has been married awhile and wants to keep it that way! Good post and GREAT advice.

Never fished it, but my daughter lives in the neighborhood. I walk the trails a lot and have never seen anything or heard anything interesting. All I see is kids fishing for gills.

Well, if you scout out your target and use your GPS tracking to get there and back, you are probably okay. However, Pickwick can be a dangerous river/lake, especially at night. If you are going out at night, stay close and know EXACTLY where you are.

Well, back to the golf analogy...Playing from the back tees, Tiger Woods could beat every club chanmpion using nothing but a 7 iron. Back to fishing, who knows about a 1 day contest, the locals might get lucky. However, if it's 3 days, against a top 25 pro, I would bet the professional would win 99% of the time.

Danner http://www.danner.com/boots/?features=79&gclid=CPbY8bSR47YCFfBxOgodfmMA9w

I have one rig spooled with Tatsu #20 and another with Kanzen braid and a Tatsu leader. There is no noticable difference in either presentation, but I still prefer fluorocarbon for the mainline without any leader.

Yum offers several options: http://www.lurenet.com/lures/baitschooltechnology?cn=WB103&att=WB103 I have been experimenting with light options. This is one that has been very effective: On the outer arms LFT Live Magic Shad rigged on 3/0 Gamakatsu Offset Worm Hooks, light wire. No weights. Center wire: Johnson Silver Minnow.

Man, that's a lot of lure! I'm thinkin' striper on the Tennessee River.

Great post!

WOW! That is one heck of a testimonial.

Ugh! That doesn't appeal to me at all. I would only like 5 bass all day for a 40 lb bag!

I think "patterns" are VERY important. The best example occurred the last time we were at Pickwick for the RoadTrip during the Great Flood. Big O and our two Army Sargents caught 144 smallmouth the first day! Some were caught on the Red Eye Shad, but the vast majority on Rage Tail Baby Craws. EVERY fish was suspending at 15'.

Oh my!

Gosh...Looks like I may embark on the journey down this slippery slope. So, I have four rigs to consider replacing. Please tell me the model you recommend and your estimate of the improvement in sensitivity, like 10%, 20%, etc. GLX MBR 844C BCR 854 BCR 893 St. Croix Legend Elite LES70MF (spinning rod) Also, before I put these in the Flea Market, let me know if you are interested in the rods at 70% of msrp.

For my carry-on tacklebag I have separate Plano 3601 boxes for regular jigs and swim jigs. In each compartment I have two trailers and two identical jigs. My "reserves" represent the bulk of my collection and are stored in my man cave.