farmpond1

Banging a lure against cover (rocks, trees, etc.) can be effective but it's not the only way to trigger a strike. Especially, as roadwarrior said, if the fish are in an active feeding mode. Sometimes simply stopping the bait momentarily or changing the direction can coax a bite. But sometimes they'll just hit it as it's coursing through the water.

I realize the expression is overused and it isn't always true regardless but try going with Big lure = Big fish. Don't be afraid to tie on something a few inches larger than what you would ordinarly use. Sometimes a big bass won't waste the time or energy on a diminutive snack. In addition, a small bait might be taken away by smaller, more aggressive bass before it's had a chance to be selected/eaten by a big fish. Therefore, a big lure can "weed out" some of the smaller fish. As was already mentioned, not every body of water will hold large bass. If you are catching lots of smaller fish, this may mean that though they're are many, the competition and limiting diet will keep the average size down. Not a lot you can do except maybe keep a few here and there until the number of fish goes down and the size begins to go up accordingly. This would obviously take some time to see meaningful results.

The happiest two days of a fisherman's life are when he buys his boat and when he sells it. They are a lot of work unless you just want to leave things to chance. And they are expensive, too. But if you're tired of standing on the shore wishing you could just reach that off-shore point or steep droppoff, than a boat is the only way to go. And having a reliable fishing buddy who can assist you in loading/unloading the boat is a definite plus.

Hope your condition improves! I'd lay off the soda, though. At least non-diet soda. I've cut and pasted something from the Wikipedia site referred to you by Roadwarrior: "Men who consume two or more sugary soft drinks a day have an 85% higher risk of gout compared with those who drink less than one a month.[1] This is because soft drinks contain large quantities of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common sweetener in soft drinks, which results in Hyperuricemia in blood.[34][35] Hyperuricemia, in turn predispose the body for gout." Source: Wikipedia.org On an unrelated matter: What part of Southern Illinois are you from? I live in Mahomet but use to go to school and work in Carbondale. I miss the region and like to go down when I can.

There's nothing girlish about that in my book! Electricity and lightning are nothing to screw around with. Heck! I might've even let out a shriek or whimper on the way back to the car.

First question- Is this for real? Second question, if so, how did this guy manage to live as long as he did? Stupid is as stupid does.

Nice! Better late in the day than never! Yours was the kind of day I've only dreamt of but never really experienced (certainly not this time of year, anyway). What did you key in on as far as structure? A creek channel? near the dam/spillway? points? Bays? Water inlets? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'm in the process of removing old paint and rust off my boat trailor (before it becomes terminal). Any advice on the best paint for resisting chips and rust. (Especially chips! Most of the rust on the trailor is the result of thrown rocks, etc). Thanks in advance!

You've got a great little landing craft. It'll probably do a decent job for fishin' too! Nice purchase! Hope you get countless hours of great use out of it!

My turn to go, "Huh?" :-?

Sweet! Two personal bests on a new (never been used before) bait. I can guess that you'll be using it more often in the future, huh?! Fishing is like a box of choc o lates-you never know what you're gonna get. Which is why it's so much fun!

If you are fishing the open areas between the hydrilla, you might be able to add a trailor hook. Or, perhaps, use a weedless trailor (the kind with a wire that covers the point of the hook). Just a thought.

Thanks! I appreciate it. Next question: Is it cost effective? Can you repair quite a few baits with this stuff?

Folks, Am wondering if there is a good product on the market for repairing soft plastics. I've a goodly number of superflukes, worms , etc which are perfectly good except the... "holes" which remain from where previous hooks had been inserted. These holes keep new hooks from staying put and allow the plastic to slide down. Does super glue work? Any ideas?

With a little more "MacGyvering", he could tip the roto tiller on its end, mount an auger to it, and drill his holes with it, too. But that might be a bit excessive. ;D

I can usually keep the little monkey at bay until I've saved up enough cashola for a trip to mecca (i.e., Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's). Then the gorilla can run free for awhile. Of course, what I consider a big bite may pale in comparison to those really afflicted with the disorder.

Dude! Let me take you out fishing sometime! The Original Floating Rapala has saved many an otherwise fishless day for me. They may not always produce as well as other lures on any given day but if I were dumped out in the wilderness with only one choice of lures, the floating/diving Rapala would be it. My most useless lure: Anything out of the 50 cent bargain bin at Walmart. But they do make nice key chains.

I bet that sun feels good! Congratulations. Nice catch! As Big O says, it was nice of you to share! That probably says more about you than your own catch!

Oh great! Now you're hooked! You didn't say-did it put up a good fight? Where there is one smallmouth, there will very likely be others. maybe not lots, but some. Beautiful fish. Nice colors on it.

In order for any of the fish I catch to weigh anywhere near 10 lbs, they'd have to have a big bag of lead shot rammed down their gullets. A four lb bass is a real lunker for me. But I wouldn't keep/mount anything regardless of size. A picture (or many pictures) is plenty sufficient for me.

I have a friend who believes in them. But then again, he doesn't like to get up early so if it says the best bite is at 12 noon on a hot august day, he's all for that. I think he ignores the times when it says to get up at 4 a.m. Personally, I don't buy into it.

I promise you will find a pattern. You will catch on what you throw, during the time periods that you go Unless you are constantly switching baits, colors, presentations, lakes, etc,.......your patterns will be predictable. imo, FIND THEM and you can catch them on a majority of baits and colors To make the log worth anything you need to add "percentage of usage" as a criteria. In other words, if I ONLY throw a black spinnerbait all year, guess what the #1 top producing bait will be. BUT if you add that I used it 100% of the time, it now has a more detailed value. another example 5000 casts were made. 1000 w/ a jig and 4000 w a spinnerbait. in the end,.... jig= 50 fish spinnerbait= 100 fish if you don't add "percentage of usage", your charts will show the spinnerbait as a more productive bait. Not true. Another example. Doug Hannon has "X" hundred bass over 10 lbs caught between 10am and 2 pm. Doug does not fish at night. Does this mean bass over 10 lbs only eat between 10-2? Absolutely not. Data is inconclusive without using ALL the criteria Ditto.

Said another way: Confidence sometimes requires that we be patient.

You guys crack me up.

Well, you're doing better than me. I'm not very good with jigs. Not patient enough, I think.