roadwarrior

Another Classic Thread and Joe S.

I like #4 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks

Sure... I especially like the Norman Fat Boy Redear. I think that pattern rocks and would be great on the 2.5. Also, take a look at the Megabass PopMax and Vision 110. I bet your wife will be inspired by Yuki Ito's work.

St. Croix Avid AVC66MF/ Scorpion/ #12 Sunline Super Natural Monofilament

Nice fish, great pic!

Old news and silly. The retailers killed it on Thursday night....It's here to stay.

GL2 is not a competitive series.

When the hole gets deep enough, quit digging!

Is souse and scapple the same or just similar?

Okay, pinned! The thread is still open for anyone to add their thoughts. -Kent

Is this a great thread or what!

No PB, but I caught the big fish on the RoadTrip this year at Guntersville. Officially 7-7. I think Glenn has a pic, maybe I can get him to post it.

I reviewed 11 pages which took me back four months to the first week of August. There are a total of six food threads if you include Twinkies. Note too that Thanksgiving was during this period. I don't think that calls for a new section being added, do you? -Kent

The answer is The Rig!

This is a "Must Read" for just about everyone, novice to professional.

Fish come unbuttoned for a variety of reasons, but a break-off should be a very rare experience.

7' Heavy Power/ Fast Action Curado 200E7 50# Suffix 832

There are some great deals on rods in our Flea Market. For an "all-around" rod I suggest 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action.

Much of the confusion has to do with terminology. Let's define "power" and "action" first. Power The power of a rod is simply a rating, which describes the overall stiffness of the blank. Power categories include Ultra-Light (UL), Light(L), Medium-Light(ML), Medium(M), Medium-Heavy(MH) , Heavy(H) and Extra Heavy(XH) Action The action of a rod is a rating, which describes the amount of curvature that occurs in the blank due to loading with weight. The faster the action, the further towards the tip the rod bends. The slower the action, the further towards the middle of the rod and so on. Action categories include: Extra-Fast: Bend very near the top of the blank. Fast: Bend in the upper 25-30%. Moderate: Bend near the middle. Slow: Parabolic curvature throughout the entire length of the rod. Action is important because it determines, in part, how much control you have over the fish. The faster the action, the more pressure you can put on the fish (and vice-versa). Many crankbait anglers want more moderate action so that the fish cannot shake free as easily. Another important consideration of rod action is casting distance. The slower the action the better the rod will cast. Rods that have a slower action have a wider curve on their parabolic bend, and therefore can store more potential energy when casting. This is called "rod loading." In effect, the more the rod loads, the more of the rod you use to cast. Fast action rods bend closer to the tip, using less of the rod to cast. Other rod characteristics to note are recovery, sensitivity and brittleness. Recovery is a measure of the time it takes the rod to recover after a cast. When you impart energy to a rod upon casting, it vibrates. You can see the tip shaking. That shaking bats the line as it leaves the top guide, causing friction. That friction reduces casting distance. Faster action rods tend to recover faster, but do not load up as well. More moderate action rods tend to recover poorly, but load up better. If you can find a moderate action rod with fast recovery, it will outcast everything else if the rest of the playing field is equal. Sensitivity is obviously important. You want a rod to be able to transmit the feelings you experience when your lure moves underwater, where you can't see it. Higher modulus graphite is more sensitive, although it may be a case of diminishing returns as you get higher and higher up the modulus rating scale. Brittleness is how easily the rod will break. Most high end rods are brittle, as brittleness and sensitivity tend to be indirectly proportional. That's where a lifetime warranty comes into play! So, all things are not created equal and if you think a $50 rod is just as good as a $300 rod, you're wrong! Buy the best equipment you can afford and focus on quality, not quantity. For an all around rod I recommend 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action. More than 90% of all the bass fishing you will ever do can be done with this rod. Rod power is more about the weight of the lures you use than the fish you might catch. A Medium Power rod will handle most of the lures you will fish and the fight will be much more fun. Now for the details. I'll list the Power and Action and a specific rod: If I were to fish one rod only: 7" M/F spinning. G.Loomis GLX PR844S If I can fish two, my other rod would be: 7' H/F baitcasting. G.Loomis GLX MBR844C For technique specific applications: Light fishing: 6 1/2' ML/F spinning Soft plastics: 7' M/F spinning Crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater: 6 1/2 or 7' M/M or MH/M baitcasting Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits: 7' M/F or MH/F baitcasting Jigs, C-rigs and heavy and/or deep running lures: 7' H/F baitcasting And to break it down just a little further, I fish a Heavy Power/ Slow Action glass rod for big, treble hook lures. Here is the entire thread if you are interested in more: http://www.bassresou...ction- defined/

Although smallmouth are caught randomly throughout the river system, there are certain areas that tend to be better for targeting smallmouth. We will talk about it openly at Pickwick, but not here on the open forum. I share my spots with friends and BR members, but they're still somewhat private. More generally, the main target on the lake will be largemouth. More double digit bass have been caught this year that in all other years combined. A new State Record (14-8) was claimed, but not documented. Here is another fish that did not qualify: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2009/10/22/161452/New-Tennessee-State-Record-Bass-caught.aspx Spring lures and techniques are pretty generic. Actually, almost everything works around here that time of year. Two years ago on the RoadTrip I had a 78 fish day throwing mostly a Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad. My partner did extremely well with a KVD Red Eye Shad. Big O and our two soldiers caught 144 smallmouth during the deluge on day 1, including two PBs! Some of those fish were caught on Red Eye Shad, but the vast majority on Rage Tail Baby Craws. If you are interested in hiring a guide, do it now. Roger Stegall is VERY well regarded, but in high demand, especially in May. I will post a list of some other lake guides here shortly. If you are interested in fishing for stripers on the river, Speedy Madewell is The Man.

Well, as a non-boater I kinda go with the flow. I have fished with a lot of local members and guys on the RoadTrip that take things serious just like everyone seems to be describing. However, most of my fishing partners are Southern Rebels who like their beer cold and country music loud. As a general rule, we don't pop a top until a fish is landed or the sun comes up!

Little George, but if you want to catch 'em on EVERY cast, nothing beats a live baby crawdad, split shot rig.

Check out the Flea Market. One of our members has what you are looking for cheap!

For Cornhusker Fans that was Saturday!