farmpond1

Yes. Sad. All the hype about global warming (which, in my mind anyway, is unproven and harder still to do anything about (if it does exist)), while little is being done to prevent the over harvesting of our oceans.

me :

Can you get your cat to chase it around the room? Otherwise, I think it's a waste of money.

When I was in the Air Force, I once went to my bases "chow hall" to get some lunch. After I sat down, I noticed a group of high school jr. ROTC kids all sitting together at a table. They wore so many embelishments (ribbons, medals, and the like) on their neatly pressed uniforms (no doubt pressed by their mommies) that they plain looked silly. I would've felt embarrassed if I were one of them. It also bred a sense of contempt in me: "Who were these punks all puffed up and pretty who hadn't yet paid their dues?" My point (yes, there actually is a point to this) is this: the general consensus from us old fogies, whether it be accurate or not, is that too many young people have a hyper-exaggerated sense of entitlement and importance. But this has probably gone on since we first crawled out of the water.

I'm jumping on this discussion a little late. The issue, it seems, is whether a young person should "waste their time" trying to be sponsored when they haven't shown themselves to be "good investments." Not to fault young people (I was one once) but the fault generally lies in the fantasy that young, inexperienced people will be place in positions of great responsibility (and compensated accordingly) with little or no practical experience or a track record. It just doesn't work that way. And it shouldn't. If I could, I'd borrow the energy and enthusiam of young people and combine it with the experience and wisdom of seasoned veterans. But barring that, I'll always pick an experienced person who has clearly demonstrated their "worth." Having said this, my advice to young people is that you should not give up. You (young whippersnappers) just need to keep on keeping on until the reach the ranks of veterancy. And if you love what you do, the wait won't seem that arduous.

Why are the ponds frozen over in my part of Ohio and not where you're from ? Exactly what I was asking and I live further south too. :-? If I may interject, perhaps Kickbass's ponds are spring fed. That might explain it.

Exactly! With some exceptions, you'll seldom find a steep drop off near a shore (dry land) which is gradual sloping. Likewise, a steep or vertical shore, (such as a cliff), is seldom shallow (or shallow sloping) immediately adjacent to the cliff. Areas where deep water "butts up against" shallow flats are key places to find bass. You may have to fish one side or the other (or right smack dab in the middle) but usually there are at least a few bass there-especially if there is secondary structure or a good solid weedline. But I digress. It's my observation that few developers of man made ponds get very creative when they dig out a pond. Most are bowl shaped with the deepest area being near the levee. Any deviation from the predictable slope is a good place to look.

Probably not as many as if you restricted yourself to fast moving baits. But why limit yourself that way? While I don't advocate changing baits just for the heck of it, I do believe there is a time to change. Let the location, the time of year, the weather, the temperature (especially water temperature) and, most importantly, the bass tell you when to switch locations, lures and/or presentations.

Unless prices have gone waaaay down or unless your concept of the phrase is different than mine, I don't think you can use "down imaging" and "budget" in the same sentence.

Last year (2010) was so good for me, I can only hope to repeat my success. Disclaimer: I've seen lots of pictures of guys with much bigger bass than what I caught but compared to some pretty dismal years, 2010 was awesome for me (in both numbers and size). But to address the question directly, I am hoping to learn drop- shotting better and to learn deep water bassin' away from the shore and relying on my fish finder. And, finally, to actually catch a bass on a wacky rig.

"Defense"?! Looks like a gun for killing lots of people to me.

As a person who is regularly accosted by homeless people mooching cigarettes or money, I have not always been terribly sympathetic toward this population. Sometimes, I'll admit, I'm outright disgusted with what I see. But I'm 100% for helping people who wish to pick themselves up. This guy appears to be sincere and I wish him the very best. I hope he can stay clean.

Hmm..., I'm torn between crushing all my enemies and buying a small aircraft carrier and pestering small island nations. Just kidding. Actually, I'd travel and fish all 50 states for as long as I felt like it.

Yep, they're changing alright-changed from really cold to just cold. Sigh.

When I was much younger (very early teens), my uncle took me and my brother to Canada. After the first couple of days, I was following my uncle into "town" to renew some tackle supplies and I asked my brother if he wanted anything. He said he wanted a new red/white daredevil spoon to replace the spoon he'd lost. Keeping in mind that this was Canada where everything is overpriced, it was probably 3 dollars (and that was in 1970's dollars!) Back then, for two farm boys without an allowance, 3 dollars was a king's ransom. When I returned, my brother just about had a cow when I asked him to cough up the money for his purchase. But a daredevil spoon was what he asked for and that's what I bought him. Anyway, shortly after we got back out on the lake, the spool of line on his cheapy zebco reel fouled (as they are so want to do). My brother made a mighty cast and I heard this loud "pop." His expensive new lure must've flown all the way to the next province. The look on his face and the stream of expletives that exited his mouth would've made a sailor blush.

Welcome from East-Central Illinois! I went to SIUC and now drop pull down my jon boat every now and again. What are your favorite public lakes down there? I've been to Kinkaid, Little Grassy, Devils Kitchen, Crab Orchard, Cedar Lake and, once, Lake of Egypt. My favorite?...For scenery, it would probably be Cedar. But for fish...maybe Little Grassy. But I haven't done tremendously well anywhere so it's kind've up in the air. I never seem to time it right when I go down. Once, at Devils Kitchen, the bass weren't biting so I pulled out my flyrod and caught some big ol' punkinseeds off a sunny bank. That was as much fun as anything I've experienced.

While the fishing experience is the culmination of many things, some factors weigh more heavily than others. For example, although I enjoy being out in nature, I would still fish if it meant being surrounded by buildings-so long as the fish bite. My very favorite aspect is the satisfaction of figuring the bass out and carrying it through. Hooking into a fish is the apex of my experience. This is why I like fishing soft plastics so much. I feel like I'm involved in the entire process.

Open water? :-? Amen brother! Or, if it can't be open water, safe ice.

I wish I had all the money that was spent on crap by people who either don't know or don't care about what the recipient wants.

I wish I had all the money that was spent on crap by people who either don't know or don't care about what the recipient wants.

I wish I had all the money that was spent on crap by people who either don't know or don't care about what the recipient wants.

If you got ripped off, could you say it was "Stollen?"

This might be one of those times when you enjoy someone disagreeing with you. That bass looks every bit of 6 lbs. Whatever, it's a chunk!

I think the most effective/efficient way to learn a new technique is to shadow someone who has "mastered" it. One of my buddies is a terrific soft plastic fisherman (especially creature baits and stick baits) and I've learned a ton from him just in the past season. The secret, IMHO, is to figure out and use the appropriate technique at it's called for. One should generally fish to one's strengths but the more strengths we possess, the more successful we will be.

I think the most effective/efficient way to learn a new technique is to shadow someone who has "mastered" it. One of my buddies is a terrific soft plastic fisherman (especially creature baits and stick baits) and I've learned a ton from him just in the past season. The secret, IMHO, is to figure out and use the appropriate technique at it's called for. One should generally fish to one's strengths but the more strengths we possess, the more successful we will be.