Mobasser

I think Catts idea, with a line through is a good way to go. I remember losing fish because they easily threw the Little George.

I'm behind the times here. St Croixs Victory model is a 6'10 med spin rod. You could use this one for all kinds of stuff.

I've seen some rods listed as tactical. St. Croix's Victory has one in the lineup, and I've seen a couple more. What is a tactical bass rod?

Catt, when my historical tried and true spots don't produce, I don't hang around all day. I'll move on.

Many of us have been fishing for a long time, and, have fished with some of the older spinning reels, from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and maybe older. For me, three of the best all time are, ABU Cardinal 3 and 4. Mitchell model 300, and 308. D.A.M Quick reels from years ago. These were all great reels in they're day. They all had some drawbacks. Mainly, bail springs, no solid AR, and no line roller. They are quite a bit heavier than newer reels, because of metal body construction. What they lack in modern features, they make up for in durability, and toughness. There were other reels which were very good also. I might add that I had great luck with the Japanese made Shimano reels from the 80s. For those that have used or may still use any spin reels from this time frame, what were some of the reels that you liked the most? Which ones seemed to be the best for you?

I believe China Tom

We used to use taillspinners quite often in late fall. The Mann's Little George was a popular bait in many areas. They can be a killer bait at certain times, but have two drawbacks. They hang up easily, and because of they're design, fish throw them easily. As part of the history of this bait, Tom Mann named it after governor George Wallace back in the 60s. Make a long cast, let it drop, and snap the rod tip upward on the retrieve. We had most strikes on the fall. I haven't used one for a few years now. Are any members using a tailspinner these days?

Good post Catt. For me,my history lesson is thinking about mistakes I've made in the past, and trying to correct them. Also, as you've said, remembering good spots each season. Like you, I've caught many bass off the same hump and small channel bend each year. Certain spots never change. Some of these areas can be harder to locate, but I remember where they are each season. Our history is our experience.

Penn is one of the older reel companies. I've never owned any Penn reels myself, and I don't see them talked about much, as far as freshwater- bass fishing. Is anyone using any of the newer Penn spinning reels? Do you like them, and how do they compare with some of the other popular brands?

Welcome to your new job

I don't plan on investing in livescope anytime soon. I'm not sure if it would really help me out all that much. I still enjoy cruising slowly along, casting to visible targets. Many times, I don't even have my depth finder turned on when fishing this way. When the shallow bite dies off, I'll turn on my finder to fish deeper water. This is where I can see livescope helping, for deep water structure fishing. I'm in no way against this new technology, and I think it could be a useful tool. I'm sure as time goes on it will become even better. But maybe I'm just an old fashioned fisherman. How do you feel about livescope? Do you think it will fit with your fishing style?

Here in Missouri, guys used to say" you can't catch em where they ain't". Simple but true. Our job as fisherman is to find where they are. Then , figure out how to catch them. That's what makes our sport so enjoyable.

I tend to think that part of the reason we all love fishing so much, is to build memories. Weve all got many of them.

I don't mind other folks fishing. Lots of them don't catch much anyway. I've had crowds in the spring, when everyone's a fisherman. Come summer and fall many of them are done. As long as folks are curteous, the outdoors is for everyone to enjoy.

I have done well on blk/blue for jigs over the years. Junebug is a good all around color for worms also

I'm not so sure about conditioning of bass with certain baits. It's something I've always wondered about? I fish a 7 acre quarry lake 2 or 3 times a week all summer, and Im positive I've caught the same fish 2 times in a single evening. Maybe they were feeding mote aggressively that night, I don't know. But the same fish hit the same grape worm within 30 minutes. Interesting topic, and something to wonder about.

The " mind "of a bass is the size of a pea. You threw two baits, and got two hits. Fish react out of instinct. That bass was obviously hungry and ready to eat. The same fish probably would have hit a plastic worm, spimnerbait, or other lures. These are the easy fish to catch. It's catching the fish that are not really feeding that's the hard part.

These men and women of this generation are hero's of mine. I admire all of them for the traits they had. Work ethics, patriotism, and a no quit attitude. They've been called our greatest generation, and this is probably true. We should all look up to them. We desperately need more people like them now.

Alex, type in jig fishing in the search bar here. Tons of info to read through. That's a good place to start

Catt, my folks told me about the rationing during those years. Certain things like tires were hard to come by. Everything went towards the war effort. I still have three pennies that are silver in color from 1942. I think they might be zinc, but not sure. All the copper was needed. Lots of folks here at home sacrificed a lot also.

What I think is so incredible about this generation is that they fought and won this war, then, came home and rebuilt the country, making the 1950s a prosperous time for Americans. They were true unswerving patriots. Dad was trained as a tail gun turret gunner in a B24 Liberator, a dangerous job. He told me the Japanese fighter was the Zero, fast and nimble, and the the Japanese pilots were very good. They also had a full on no surrender policy., and would do anything to take out an American bomber. Overall, he never talked much about his war years. I think he spent many years trying to put it behind him and move on.He was the most patriotic guy I've ever known, and he passed it on to me.

Catt, this was a tough generation of men. Some of our country's very best.

My father was a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, stationed at a small air base in Kansas City Kansas. They were having coffee that morning, when a private burst into the room and told of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Six times, they were called to the flight line in full battle gear, then, told to stand down. There was much confusion, and no TV, no cell phones, and only radio to hear what was happening. Dad told me that many of the men begged to go, to do whatever they could to help at Pearl Harbor. They were ready, furious, and wanted to seek revenge for this horrible attack. They never had to go that day. Eventually, dad was sent to the Solomon Islands area, and saw some combat there. He made it back home safely. We can never forget these things, the lives lost, and the sacrifices that were made.

When the Sluggo first came out, pink was a popular color around my area. I havnt used any kind of pink bait for years, but I do know they work.

Since most of my fishing trips are two to three hours, I never carry any extra line spools anymore. I make sure my reels are filled before the trip, and I've never needed to respool my reels while I'm on the water. If I were fishing for a much longer time, I'd probably carry a spool, or if I were travelling to a new lake, or out of town of course I'd pack extra line. But, for trips close to home, I never do. Do you carry extra spools of line as part of your tackle?