Mobasser

Good for you Boomstick! Always like to hear news like this!

Spinnerbait

Our Academy is about 20min from our house. They blow Dicks out of the water on prices, selection, and service.

That any " one" lure is the best. They all have their tome and place

I think lots of us probably don't think about it too much. We cast too much. Probably 8" to 10" works best for me

Very sorry to hear this. Keeping you and your family in our thoughts Tom.

Another big worm that's gaining popularity is the Mr. Twister mag 12" buzz worm. I'm going to order some before spring.

Years ago, I could catch lots of bass here on a chartreuse 4" grub. Now, it never works. The same with worms with bright green tails. They seem to scare more fish away than catch them. Grape, Blue, browns and darker subdued colors work the best here for me. Green pumpkin is very popular with lots of guys, but is probably my least favorite. I've given up on it

Agree. Solid black seems to be the forgotten color now days. The craws around my area are brown, sometimes almost black, and at times with blue craws and blue streaks in the body. I used to try and match this as best I could. But, I know a guy who fishes a lighter green craw bait almost all the time, and catches lots of bass here too. It's a weird thing. I think it pays to carry a few different colors in jigs/plastics from light to dark, but I don't think you need 40 colors of each. A grape worm is still my all around favorite here. If I fished in another area, it may change? Some colors seem kind of universal, others not so much

Day in and day out, I still seem to catch the most fish by fishing lighter colors on sunny days, and darker colors on overcast days. Me niether, but I'd bet most guys would say presentation over color.

Good point J Francho. You may have your boat sitting in the sun, but casting into shaded areas. It makes a difference in how colors look to us. To the bass we still don't know

I have a nice smaller lake within 20 minutes from our house. I can fish it bank or boat.2 other good much bigger lakes are about 45 min away.

Almost 30yrs ago, I was invited by a friend to fish a tournament on Truman lake here in Missouri. My friend worked in the HVAC field, and his company hosted this event each year. Between his company and another HVAC outfit, 35 anglers were fishing in a 2 day event. It was mid April, a time when we can have some bad storms come through Missouri. The first day was slow. We had trouble catching any keeper fish, and only brought in 1 bass between us. Other anglers didn't fair well either, due to a cold front the night before. The second day started out more promising. Overcast sky, humid spring weather. We caught bass on jig/ pig combos. We still needed 3 bass to fill our limit, and we're hoping for a big fish also. A storm had been predicted for late afternoon, and we were to be at Bucksaw Point marina by 2:00, for the weigh in. We found fish at the mouth of a cove, all the while the sky looking more threatening. My partner put on a spinnerbait, and caught a 4lb bass. I was throwing a chrome 1/2 oz rattletrap. The closer the clouds came , the better the fish hit. It was some of the fastest fishing I've ever had. It kept getting darker. A crappie fisherman who was fishing in some trees not far from us hollered" you guys staying out"? We said yes, we'll leave shortly. He fired up his motor and took off. It started raining lightly at first, then harder. I said we better get going! We jumped in the seats, and the storm was on us. We still had to go clear across the main lake to get back in. Large waves smashed into the boat. Two times the boat went vertical, smashing down on the water with a loud crashing sound. Basically, my partner had no control of the boat. We were at the mercy of the weather. At one point, a large log which had been washed in from the storm, smacked the side of the boat so hard I thought it would knock us over. By the time we made it back to the marina, the worst of it was past, and it was raining lightly. Everyone else was there already. They couldn't believe we made it back. I was soaking wet, cold, and exhausted. I had lost a nice rod and reel that went overboard, and, a cheap BPS fishing cap. At that point, I didn't care about my rod/reel, cap, money, fish, or anything else. I realized we were lucky to be alive. We did take 4rth place in the tournament. I received a small 6" trophy, and 50 dollars. The 50 bucks went to help with gas money, and a couple of burgers on the way home. I still have the trophy. It's a reminder to be safe out there, and to never put myself, or anyone else in that position again. It doesn't matter how good the fish are hitting. There's always another day.

Congrats to the KC Chiefs! I'm hoping they play the Packers in Miami.

Catt, another under rated reel: the H20 Mettle baitcast reel from Academy. My grandson has one. I think I gave 40 bucks for it. Works great

I only fish for largemouth so, 6" grape plastic worm.

I think Berkley rods are under rated by many. I've owned a couple over the years that were very good.

Shortly after I joined the form here, WRB tipped me off to Roboworm oxblood red flake. It's been a good one.

I've been reading up on tackle maintenance lately, and found that some folks like to open up a brand new reel, remove the factory lube, and add they're own brand or remove the factory grease altogether. In almost 40 yrs of fishing I've never done this. Any new reel I bought felt ready to go out of the box. I received a Lews LFS casting reel for Christmas and it seems smooth as glass. If you've done this on a new reel, has it made a difference? Has it changed the performance of your reel? Maybe I'm missing something here?

Most of the time, I Texas rig my soft plastics, due to milfoil weed growth in the lakes I fish. I still like to fish ball head jigs, with grubs, tubes, smaller worms etc. I've tried straight wire weedgaurds, plastic V shape, bristle style, and the older wire type that hooks under the barb on the hook. The bristle type has worked best. Some of the thin wire gaurds havnt been much good at all. What type of weedgaurds have you had good luck with on ball head jigs?

I have a nephew who developed a weight problem. He's not active on his job, so that doesn't help. He's lost 19 lbs in 1 month by not drinking any soda. No cokes, root beer nothing. I've lost 7 lbs by having a lighter breakfast, with some exercise too. I've always loved my bacon and eggs, but now, a bowl of oatleal, a bananna, or a piece of toast gets me by. I don't miss a big breakfast much. I can still have one on occasion as a treat, but that's it. And, no more fast food breakfast sandwiches. I didn't realize how much those things slow you down, and your usually hungry again within 2 hrs. Not good food for a long day. I have a nephew who developed a weight problem. He's not active on his job, so that doesn't help. He's lost 19 lbs in 1 month by not drinking any soda. No cokes, root beer nothing. I've lost 7 lbs by having a lighter breakfast, with some exercise too. I've always loved my bacon and eggs, but now, a bowl of oatleal, a bananna, or a piece of toast gets me by. I don't miss a big breakfast much. I can still have one on occasion as a treat, but that's it. And, no more fast food breakfast sandwiches. I didn't realize how much those things slow you down, and your usually hungry again within 2 hrs. Not good food for a long day.

Since I live about 35 miles north of KC, naturally I want the Chiefs to win. Looking forward to Sunday's game. KCs defense will have to play the best they can.

Years ago, I caught what was at one time a pretty nice Resistol cowboy hat. Resistor western hats are not cheap. The guy was probably mad.

I like Kalins grubs. 3" and 5". I've also used Zoom Fat Albert, and Mr. Twister. All have worked, but I think the Kalins have been the best for me. Although I've never tried them, many folks like the Yammamoto grubs also. Owner makes some good jigheads.

A-Jay, I started a workout routine about a month ago. I had put on a little extra weight that I didn't need, and was feeling it. I work out at home, situps, and riding a bike, some light weight lifting also. I'm 62 now, and as you know, it's easy to get out of shape, and harder to get back in. Your thread is inspiring. I've lost 7 lbs, and feel better too.