DitchPanda

Most expensive rod I've paid full price for is $150 and I've never even spent that on a reel. There are tons of great quality rods and reels in and around $100. If you wanna go even more budget Daiwa revros spinning and Abu black max casting are both serviceable reels. Plus the Daiwa aird rods are fantastic for $55. With those options I could build a total 7 rod\reel arsenal...5 casting 2 spinning...or a little over 800 bucks.

Nothing so far this year. Last year it was super shallow cranks...kvd 1.5 shallow and strike king 1xs. Also got into flukes last year.

Welcome from a fellow Iowan. I'm in the northwest part of the state.

This is how I feel. You don't get much for $50 but the black max seems to be the best of the bunch. I bought one 4 or 5 years ago to teach my girlfriend how to use a baitcaster. I use it alot and its working flawlessly.

I would say that's a war mouth...green sunfish have a smaller mouth and usually have some blue lines on the face and cheeks. Also they normally have alot more orange coloration especially on the fins.

I'm a bank guy so cranks on offshore rocks or big worms in offshore brush is not possible for me. I'm an early morning guy by about July...this year its already started cuz its been brutal here. My best baits this time of year are super shallow cranks, flukes or senkos, poppers and old school worms.

Also alot depends on body of water and water temp. Case in point the gravel ponds I fish most often the fish are done..every bass I've caught has Bern spawned out for weeks. Talked to a guy last weekend that said the week prior he caught a nice bass in another gravel pond only miles from mine that was full of eggs. That pond has several springs and the water temp is consistently 6-8 degrees colder.

Columbia button up sun shirt, buff,gloves,ball cap, sunglasses..thats my new sun get up. Went to many years not protecting myself.

Well I thought about this position for two weeks and finally made my mind up. I accepted the offer. The money is only slightly better but I liked the idea of no holidays, weekends or 14 hour days during shutdown. Yeah I have less days off but I have a short commute so I should be home by 345 most days so that leaves time in the evenings for mowing, grilling and of course fishing. Things I cant really do getting home at 730 or 8.Also it positions me perfectly for a day shift supervisor position if one comes open and I decide I want it. So yes this is better for growth...I may not want the next promotion but I want to get asked and turn it down instead of getting passed over completely. This unfortunately is not in the cards. They were willing to work with me on money and schedule somewhat but the basis of this job is to have somebody reliable there Monday thru Friday with the management team when the projects are getting done.

Pay will be pretty much the same...within a grand of what I'm making now I don't have kids but I have a live in girlfriend who in all reality is my wife just not legally. She gave me the go ahead to do whatever I want

So yeah this may be an odd question but here is the background. I've been working at a biorefinery for about 8 years. I started as an operator1 and have worked my way up to plant technician 3. The GM recently offered me a chance to work as lead operator Monday thru Friday. No more 12s or weekends or Holidays. Plus ill get to focus more on real plant stuff instead of monotonous samples,trucks etc. Sounds like a no brainer right? The catch is right now I work 7 days out of 14 and this would be 10 out of 14 plus no weekdays off...this is the part I'm struggling with. So for those that have done both which do you prefer and why...shift or mon-fri?

Guess I've never noticed

Shallow cranks, small jigs for swimming and pitching, poppers, flukes weightless, T rig curly tail and ribbon tail worms

In the heat of summer there's A few things I almost always have on: Popper T rig curly or ribbon tail worm Small jig (for flipping and swimming) Shallow crankbait

This is a possibility...hadn't thought of that

Does lure dye count? If so that's one I do to plastics sometimes...dip them in JJs magic. I've also swapped blades on spinnerbaits to better match forage size.

Exactly. Everybody can hate...but most of us wouldn't try to ruin someone's life or wish them dead because they like a different trolling motor then we do.

Yep I've noticed that to..that's why I said I understand people being put off or annoyed by him. But being whiny doesn't make you a bad fisherman or person. As long as he is speaking his opinion and not trying to hurt other people he isn't doing anything wrong. Having a different opinion doesn't give another person the right to publicly tear down or humiliate someone else...but that's what the internet is these days I guess.

I to get fished out sometimes...especially just targeting the same fish in the same body of water. What I do is go somewhere else and fish for something different then normal. Happened a couple summers back...I bass fished a week straight for 5-6 hours a day. By day 7 I was over it. The next week I didn't even fish or have any desire. The week after I felt the same...so I changed it up. Ran up to my dads and caught a bunch of perch and yellow bass. It was a blast and I got a couple big fish fries. By my next days off I was raring to go as I had rediscovered what I love about fishing. As far as being tired of going alone I get that. My old lady almost never goes and I only have 1 bass fishing buddy. He has a wife, A pile of kids and he coaches so we don't get out much. 90% of my trips are solo so I have a few things I do. 1) keep the trips short ...usually 3 hours max...gives me plenty of time to figure something out without getting bored. 2) focus on something I want to accomplish that day..new technique, 5 bass limit, new areas of the lake or pond. Gives me a goal to work towards..keeps me focused on the fishing and enjoying the process.

They are definitely bass...ive lost several and seen several.other bites. Out of the 8 or so bites I can confirm at least 6 are largemouth.

I did state that I don't always agree with his opinions especially regarding electronics. So to the guys that say he's a whiner sometimes I can see that. But saying somebody is a crybaby sometimes is totally different then saying they are a worthless piece of...whatever. Ha yeah I guess I couldn't see or wasn't aware of the greater social impact I was having with my comments. Oh well..if the powers that be banned me for that I guess its a forum I wouldn't want to be part of anyhow!

So ive been watching Randy on YouTube for some time between his channel Intuitive Angling and Johnny Shultz channel Fish the Moment. I find his tips and stories to be helpful and fun...also he just seems like a cool dude and somebody I could fish with and learn from. Now I realize that he has covered some touchy topics and while I'm not saying I always agree with his opinions I agree that he has a right to have them. If people don't want to hear them don't watch his videos. His biggest deal has been his pushback against technology...things like live scope in particular. Some people say he's just old-school and likes a more pure instinct form of angling I can see that point. Others say he is an old man that doesn't want to change with the times and would rather fight the inevitable I can see that point as well. What I can't understand is the hatred I've seen in his comment sections or even in forums. People calling him a talentless hack, A joke, even a dumb a#$...and I'm sure worse. Well here's the deal the guy has made a living fishing as a guide and also winning 1.5 million dollars between BASS and FLW. Also he's A pro staffer for Mega bass and had a significant amount of input on the design of the mega bass oneten...considered by many to be that best jerk bait and maybe one of the best hard baits ever made. So to suggest the guy doesn't know anything about bass behavior or catching them is just stupid. Anyway guys sorry I'm in rant mode tonight...just got alot rolling around in the old noggin I gotta get out. I'm A Randy Blaukat supporter and will continue to be. Guess haters just gonna hate.

This happens from time to time to all of us but its been especially bad for me my past few trips. Whether its dumping fish ive hooked or completely missing the bite its been pretty pathetic. I could make excuses but to be honest I've just been sucking and having a hell of a time landing fish. I think in 2 trips I've caught 8 or 9 but have missed or lost at least that many. A 50% landing percentage is sad. Don't know what's going on for sure if I lost my mojo (no pun intended) or if I'm just in a funk and not on top of my game. I can remember times when I've gone months without losing fish and I can't really see what I'm doing different. Hopefully I can get the train back on the tracks and start fishing clean. Sorry just needed to work that out.

T rig curly tail worm (swimming it as much as hopping) Top water (was buzzbait but switching to popper) That's all I've really got for now...I am gonna throw a light swim jig and a wake crank...i suspect they will both work

We have been in moderate to severe drought conditions for a year here. Our local river and ponds are about as low as I've seen...at least in the last ten years.