powerman970

I picked up a Castaway crankbait rod the other night at Academy for less than $80. It is a graphite composite and appears to contain a fair amount of fiberglass. Appaently glass rods are getting harder to find and many manufacturers are not listing the makup of their rods in fear that others will copy it. I am no expert byany means. This is my fist rod that is dedicted to crankbaits so I did not really know what I was looking for or what I liked. This seemed to be a good option so you may want to look at it.

I have been a big All Star fan for a couple of years. At around $80 they are tough to beat. I just wonder how the quality will be affected now that they have been bought by Shakespeare. As far as reels go I have found it really easy to find a decent spinning reel for under $100 but baitcasters get a little more difficult. I think the best cheap find for me was a few Pinnacle limiteds that I bought from Academy about 2 years ago. Nice reels for the price but I can't find anymore of them.

Went yesterday and loaed up. Well worth the trip and I am going to pull out the bike and head that way again today. It is about an hour drive but on the bike and taking backroads it will be clser to two hours one way. Still well worth the trip.

It is definitely not good to be in the same vicinity with that lure in the condition it is in. You should immediately package it in a secure manner and ship it here where I can dispose of it in the proper manner. :

I was actually rather pleased with the combo for the price. I picked up 1 in a 7' and 1 in a 6'6". Now the braking system is a mystery. I lined the reels and have been throwing them out in the yard and I am pleased with the way the reel handles but am unsure of the braking system. It has 3 settings and what appears to be as free spool setting on the internal braking system which is adjusted externally. BTW I also came home with 42 crankbaits, 20 packs of various soft plastics, 10 Strike King spinnerbaits and 10 of the BPS brand spinnerbaits as well as a couple of shirts and some jeans...Oh yeah, and a hardcase for my crossbow and some turkey shot and a bunch of other stuff. Thanks Bait Monkey! I'm going back tomorrow so I'll check with someone there about the braking system on the combo.

I have to go with the smell of my outboard early in the morning. Overall the first 15 minutes on the lake are the most enjoyable time in the world. Everything just has a different feel and there is usually that little nip in the air. 15 minutes is all you get and you better get there early.

34 on first attempt. That was cool but it moves too fast.

I use them occassionally Texas rigged. The action is very different than anything else that I have seen. I have caught several bass on Bungee worms but they have never produced a bite when others failed.

This is a bass fishing board. The PETA website has moved. It is not snagging to take a bass off the bed. I practice catch and release. The only thing worse than people with opinions other than mine is the self-righteous people who think that just because they do something one way the rest of us should conform to them. If sight fishing bedding bass was a problem it would not be legal. I guess we should not kill a deer during the rut either huh? Maybe we should all use bare hooks when we fish because that would make it fair and ethical. Don't question my morals or ethics just because I and several others here don't share your view.

Mine was a monster that I hung on a Culprit worm late one night. I got her to the boat twice and was not able to lip her either time. I was yelling for my buddy to get the net but we had set a cooler on top of the net. I learned a valuable lesson. Never put anything on top of the net. Needless to say I never got her back to the boat the third time. I think the memory of the fight is probably as strong or stronger than the memory of the catch would have been but I'm still looking for her.

Thanks for the warning. I wonder how they will respond if I pitch a fit in BPS. I guarantee to let them know what I think if this is the case. >

I had seen that the rod was probably not the high dollar one but the reel itself appears to be worth the sale price of the combo. I will definitely check it out before I buy it. Thanks for the response.

Well I am still legal even though the only one of those that has ever been checked is the naked picture of my cousin. I didn't know he was following the law I just thought he was a pervert.

Just checked the regs Burley. You may operate in Alabama for 45 days as an out of state resident without a license.

Alabama requires an endorsment on your driver's license for operating a vessel. I do not know if this applies to out of state boaters but I'll check and let you know.

I have not tried this technique yet but it sounds like a solid idea. When a fish is on the bed and will not hit anything try this and see what you think. Pass your line through a large (3 or 4 oz. sinker) and then tie on a floating crankbait. Cast out past the bed and drag the sinker back onto the bed. Lower your rod to allow the crankbait to float up and then immediately lift the rod to make the crankbait appear to be feeding on the eggs. The sinker will stay in place and the crankbait looks like a small fish devouring the eggs. I have been told that this is deadly.

The only things that I have ever been checked on are boaters license, registration, fire extinguisher, life jackets, throwable flotation device and kill switch. I did get ticketed for running down the lake with my front fishing seat on the pedestal as Alabama Marine Police decided that it obstructed my vision.

I live in Leeds also so send me an email and we'll head up to Neely Henry sometime. I bass fish Neely Henry and Bankhead and also noodle catfish on Neely Henry and Logan Martin.

I usually fish the Canoe Creek area. Permita Creek has shown to hold good bass all year. We have been catching them off rocky points and around riprap with slow rolled chartreuse spinnerbaits. I have also picked up a few nice fish lately on jigs around some of the deeper water boathouses and docks. I would also stress that 12' is "deep" water and I have rarely had success fishing any deeper than that on Neely Henry.

I have decided to eat only fish and to grow my own vegetables. I have also turned off the satellite and am heating my bathwater over a fire. The wife and kids are allowed a single lightbulb and a small portable tv for 30 minutes a day to watch the news. (I only allow that so that I can see the weather). I'm thinking that with all the coin I'm saving I'll be able to really stock up the tackle box this year.

I usually change after every 3 days on the water. If I am fishing around a lot of rocks I'll change every day. Regardless of wether I am changing line after a day or not, I always cut off the last 5 foot of line before I put the rods up for the day. Just a habit I got into.

I am heading to BPS tomorrow to jump all over the sale they are having. I ordered 3 of the 29.99 reels advertised in F&S, have received on of them and am very satisfied with what I got for the money. Browning Midas baitcaster combos are on sale for $89.99 (usually 199.99) so I am going to pick up 3 or 4 of them tomorrow. Anyone used this combo and if so what are your thoughts? Baitmonkey will be satisfied for a day or two. I just looked over my "grocery list" for BPS and it consists of 38 crankbaits, 4 rod/reel combos, 20 packs of soft plastics and a few novelty items that will probably never get used. I can't wait to let the shopping begin!!!!

I fish with Joey Mines regularly on West Point. He is his own boss, owns his own boat and equipment and makes pretty good money for a day on the water. He also has put me on a ton of fish, always has a smile on his face when dealing with my 11 year old son, manages to find a cold beer sometimes, catches live bait himself at 4 am, and didn't charge us for a trip once when we had awful conditions and didn't catch what he considered "enough" fish. He gets 20% on a bad day and I've gone as high as 40% on one occasion when I brought 2 beginner fisherman and he had to fool with them all day.

I'm probably going to get ripped for this, but here goes anyway. Cuda 168 from Wal Mart. CHEAP, no GPS, CHEAP, decent sonar for the price, most importantly on a small boat that you don't have or want a lot of money tied up in....CHEAP! I used one for 2 years before I finally bought a "real" boat and upgraded to Lowrance. I'm not suggesting that a fishfinder is not important. It is. I'm just giving you an option that will save you some bucks and is very simple to operate. You can buy one for about $80 and nearly have enough left for a cheaper handheld GPS. My solution to GPS was to use Microsoft Streets and Trips on my laptop in the boat. The software with a GPS locator is only about $100. There is a fishfinder and GPS for less than $200. Assuming you have a laptop. PS laptops don't like water. :'(

I have started this year. We'll see how it works out. I also have made a few changes to the journal and am applying it to turkey as well as deer hunting. It will be interesting to see how many as well as how many pounds of fish I catch this year.