farmpond1

I don't know, really. My dad, who died when I was 11, planted the tiniest seed by taking me and my siblings fishing at a pay lake for trout. But I think it was sometime in my early teens when I found it was something that I could really call "just mine." (When you have 6 siblings, autonomy is a scarce commodity). So, there isn't any one person I can thank. But I'll thank all of you for sharing in my obsession.

If they'd have seen me in my younger years wading nearly up to my knees through a muddy beanfield to get to my fishing spot, they'd have gotten a lesson in "low fashion." Woodland camo is sooooo last century.

First, count yourself exceedingly blessed if your wife doesn't give you grief if/when you want to go fishing. So don't push too hard (not saying you would). First, make it comfortable for her. Don't fish all day in the freezing cold or blazing sun. Look for shade or put an umbrella on your boat. Don't target one giant bass when a handful of smaller bass will likely pique her interest more (at least in the beginning). Heck, for that matter, start with easier species and use live bait if you have to. If she's competitive, throw that element into it. But don't be a braggard and one-up her (unless she hopes to reciprocate later by outfishing you!). I'm sure I'm missing a lot but this is a start.

Hmm, let's see....how does a wolf sound? Arrooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I have an identical twin brother and while he will occassionally fish with me, he is nowhere as crazy as I am about the sport. I brought him out to a lake on an evening where the the bass were hitting buzzbaits and he was more worried about the bugs biting! There's no accounting for some people!

Goose meet paddle. Paddle meet goose. End of discussion.

This won't help in actually sealing them but for identifying the leaks, fill them with water (being careful to avoid getting the outsides wet) and see where the water leaks out.

This is more than I could've expected! Thanks!

I'm going to (hopefully) reinvigorate this thread. I'm heading down to Orlando in a few weeks. I looked on google earth and found a handful of what appear to be public lakes. Which ones would you all recommend for someone fishing from the bank?

Well, since a 2 lb bass is a respectable fish around here, than I'll definitely take the numbers. Nobody would believe me if I caught a 14 lb fish anyway. They'd say I photoshopped it.

Are you using braided line? It may be "ghost drag" where the spool is actually turning but the "clump" of braided line is not. It only looks like the spool isn't turning. (It's very deceptive). If so, it's an easy fix. Strip off the braided line and back it with some monofilament or tape the braided line to the spool. p.s., This pointer was given to me when I had "ghost drag" and I'm paying it forward. Hope it helps.

On an average outing? None. On an above average outing? None. On a "3 standard deviations above the mean" outing? One.

With crappie and bluegill that size, I could almost see myself giving up bass. Nah, but I'd target them a lot less. Nice fish dude!

If Lowrance simply reverse engineered the Humminbird product, than yes, I suppose a suit is reasonable. But if what is depicted on the screen is arrived at by a different solution, than no, it's not. Since sonar all shares some commonalities, it's the particulars which are important. It probably requires some pretty smart engineers to make those distinctions. What makes me nervous is when it's left up to jurors to decide complicated technical matters. In the court of public opinion, it usually comes down to which product joe layperson is most loyal to.

Er...If you don't mind my saying-possibly about everything. Before you purchase it, have it inspected.

While this site is really great and you can learn a lot from it (and it's members), don't get frustrated if you don't grasp everything or can't afford all the fancy equipment. While ultimately, you are (or will be) powerless against the baitmonkey, you really don't have to have every rod, reel or lure under the sun to catch bass.

I definitely do not want to fish shiners under bobbers-even if that is (sometimes) the best way to catch the really big ones. Here in Illinois the bass average less than two pounds (often much less) so if I could get a guide to put me on fish averaging 3 or more, that would be super. Of course I wouldn't complain if a slob came my way. I am somewhere between an expert and a novice and I'm not afraid of admitting that. But I don't want to be coddled-just put on some fish and shown some useful techniques. Yep, these are things I'd need to communicate to a prospective guide. Is it stupid of me to think I could rent a boat and try to find the bass myself? Or would a yankee like me be gator bait in short order?

Those were/are great reads. Do you think it's safe to say the expression "You get what you pay for" applies to guiding as with most things?

I'll be posting in the Southeast Regional Section in a little bit. Thanks for the advice.

I'm heading to Orlando Florida in the first week of March and contemplated hiring a guide. Googling the topic brought numerous hits with most of the guides charging around $350 for a day. Seems steep but what do I know? Anyway, it got me wondering about what to expect. Are there red flags to watch out for? What should every guide be expected to know/do and what is "extraneous." (I'm a guy who doesn't need chocolates left on his pillow or the end of his toilet paper rolls tucked in silly little triangles. I really just want to catch some nice bass).

Campus bookstore textbooks = sanctioned organized crime.

I would hardly call this cowardice!

Been there, done that. Only it was the outboard and not the trolling motor. Actually, I think I've done both.

Wading in a pond to retrieve a 3 dollar fly-only to ruin a 150 dollar cell phone. Letting go of the outboard motor handle too soon (before the boat had stopped completely) which spun the boat around wildly-nearly throwing my fishing partner overboard. He was kind enough not to say anything but I could read his thoughts. "Repairing" a 12 volt "cigarette lighter" adapter poorly which then (apparently) shorted out and nearly started a fire on my boat. (This is why I now keep electronics and electrical wiring as far away from my fuel tank as possible). The classic "forgetting to put in the drain plug" Forgetting to put 2 cyle oil in my gas and then having to bum some. (At least I remembered before I locked up my motor). I'm sure my buddies could add more but this is the start of my list.

When I was your age I would've killed to catch a bass that size. My homicidal tendencies have decreased but even now that's an awfully good one. Really, really good one. Nice fish!

Remember drain plug!