Bubba 460

Have not tried it yet. Maybe this weekend if the lakes aren't to crowded, don't usually fish on weekends because that. This weekend I hope. Thanks

I made this large rat lure and will soon be taking it to the lake for a swim. I carved the two piece body from a block of 2X4. Used inch and a half screws on all the hardware. Glued on the fake fur with white fur on the bottom. The ears are thick leather made from an old belt and the eyes are beads (beady little eyes). Drilled holes and added 4 large split-shot sinkers in the bottom and made a large plastic lip. The only thing I know right now it that it floats the way it should. The lip will certainly make it do "something" ~ swim I hope. One thing I do know for sure is that If a bass hits it she will be big with tattoos and scars and wearing a black tee shirt that reads, "I'M THE BAD BASS YOUR MAMA WARNED YOU ABOUT" Photo of me in my laboratory

Wow, amazing all the different suggestions. There are many I have not used so here is what I am familiar with in that price range. On the Daiwa Revros, I've have or had at least 6 of them. They lasted about 5 years of heavy use before I started having trouble with them such as bails not closing making noise even after cleaning and grease. But for the $60 price I guess they they did OK. The last Revro I got a year ago already sounds like a boat wench and bail is broke so not happy with that. The Daiwa BG Spinning Reel is a very good reel at a tad over a $100. The Pflueger President reels for about the same price of the Revos are great reels for the money. I have a couple of the older ones that I have had for 20 years and still cranking in fish. The Pflueger Supremes spinning reels are even better reels at around a hundred. A fairly new company, Piscifun has some offerings. The Piscifun, Honor XT Spinning at around $50 bucks is a solid reel for the money. The Penn battle reels under a hundred are good but I've had good ones and bad ones so that's all I can say about those... If you get a good one you're set.

I believe, "That something different" a is passion for fishing to the point of obsession where fishing is the focal point of their lives. A driving commitment to push further. The same drive you would find in any sport, be it bodybuilding, golf, baseball, hunting and so on. There are those who stand out through sheer determination, tenacity, drive and talent for the love of the sport. Add that with top fisherman living or moving to the top bass producing areas of the county to better their chances of producing their desired achievements. Fishing becomes their job, their life. Take Pat Cullen of Valdosta, Ga, for example ~"By daylight, he had boated 10 bass weighing 92 pounds, and was permanently addicted to trophy bass fishing." If you don't know about Pat Cullen look him up. This man was obsessed with catching big bass at night on a black buzz-bait and he boated well over a thousand 10 pound plus bass. Who does that night after night for years in alligator infested waters after working all day ~ not your average guy! This man was "driven". Like most others who have made a name for themselves. The world record bass was not caught by a man who was driven, he was just there to catch something to eat. Yet he is world known...These are not the type of people we are talking about. Most people who fish do it because the enjoy it. They may get out a couple times a year or a few times a week but are not driven. The enjoyment factor may vary in each of these individuals but they are not obsessed. On the other hand, some are so obsessed that they use unscrupulousness methods to achieve notoriety. The average fisherman, although one can be "competitive" does not approach "obsessed" and that I believe is the difference. You cant mimic obsession.

Bingo

I know too well the feeling... Had 13+ LM on last summer that jumped all the way out of the water four feet from the boat. Holly cow what a bass... Dove and wrapped around a log. Couple years ago I had a monster blow-up on a 5" Jitter Bug in the James River, VA. (probably a musky but could have been a freak small mouth. Ripped the side hook clean off the lure and gone.

I am ambidextrous, I can throw with either hand or catch with either hand. I bat left handed but would draw a gun on the right... Crazy stuff. But fishing reels... I want handles on the left so my power arm can set the hook. Can't see it any other way and why switch hands casting/reeling? Also, the little, tight turning radius of a bait-caster drives me crazy. I try to get bait casters with a power handles, not the little Jack in the Box winders. But hey, that's just me, everyone is different. Photo for comparison of handle lengths.

That snake at first glance does have the color and somewhat close markings of a copperhead (color variances of the copperhead can be diverse) I can see where you would have thought that it was one. I have seen two copperheads swim across a lake.

Favorite baits?... yes, I think everyone has a few baits that have produced for them over and over and get top billing on their boat. Of course these favorites change with the seasons somewhat but some produce all year. I'll list my go too lures in no particular order and start with the jerk bait because I have so many. The Shadow Rap and Shadow Rap Shad ~ I have two large boxes plus a stash at the house. Probably have 40 or so. I have caught a ton of bass on these, big and small. They work best in colder water but still an all year bait. I have many other jerk baits as well (big and small) but I like the action of the Shadow Rap. The down side of the "raps" are weak hooks (bend or break) and the body can crack easily. Whopper Plopper 130~ Wow, what a killer bait and about as fun to catch a bass on as anything. If your an adrenaline junky this is the one for you. Spinner baits/chatterbaits ~ Old faithful, gets the job done a lot of the time. Cast and reel with a few "pops" thrown it. Slow roll it in cold weather burn it in the shallows. Skinny Dipper and variants to include flukes ~ Meat and potatoes fishing. Must have. Big 10 inch+ Texas rigged worm ~ Down and dirty. When you want a big bass or things are a little slow this set-up has a good chance of changing your luck. Frogs of all kinds ~ In the thick of it, pads, grass, lay-downs or shallow shorelines. Frogs spell fun. Buzzbaits ~ They have their days and cover a lot of water fast. 5" Senko ~ Straight up or wacky, don't leave home without it Ned rig and jigs ~ Probably my least favorite to use but at times that's the ticket. Big swim baits ~ Oh yeah. I throw the ones I can afford. You don't need a $300 bait to catch a fish. There are plenty of good baits for under $50 Anyway, these are a few of my personal favorites... so why do I have all the other thousands of dollars in lures ~ something to do with a monkey I hear.

First photo ~ not near enough line Second photo ~ a tad to much line Third photo ~ just about right

Yep, it's an old med-evil device used to grip fish in the most painful way. They were usually sold with a "fish stretching rack" use for lengthening a fish to braggin' size. All the split-shot was for adding weight, inserted with a "long-neck weight funnel". You could also get the "pendulum decapitator"

OK ~ I've lost too many expensive knives ($70 to $125, for me that's extensive). Now days I carry a clip-on folder in the $25 range. If lost, I don't have to cry and and turn the chairs and couch up side down and shake them or rip the house apart. Or take my metal detector and search the yard for five days. I just buy another and go on. A sharp $25 knife will cut as will as a $300 knife. Plus they're pretty stout as long as you don't try to pry off any hubcaps.

Well, I'm sure no authority on trucks, owned at least one of every major brand but Ford is my chosen chariot. Personally I have had the least amount of trouble with Fords so that's what I drive. I'm sure a F-150 will easily tow any "freshwater fishing boat as well as some inshore boats as long as it's not approaching the size of the Titanic. Here's a couple photos of my last and current boat haulers. My last one a 1995 Ford F-350 Turbo. This was a rare factory special with everything Ford had to offer that year and I had it for 18 years. It had 246,000 miles on it when I sold it. I believe that truck would have pulled the Titanic. The current truck I've had 3.5 years now is a 2011, F-150, Platinum 3.5 EcoBoost. First thing I did was strip it of most of the emblems, decals & badges (Badges?... We don't need no stinking badges!). just to "clean it up". Then bought a custom grill off eBay to replace the wimpy looking factory grill. This truck pulls my boat up steep hills like it's not even there. I've had my share of trouble with Dodge and Chevy. Toyota (the official battle truck of the Taliban) is a dependable truck but anything less than a Tundra for long hauling is a bit light ~IMHO.

I'm up this morning, made it from the bed to the recliner~ there's no stopping me now.

Yep, just wait until these younger guys start suffering the pain of old age with bad hips, bad back, knees shot . Not to mention pain between the shoulder blades, neck pain etc. Then see how long they stand up. Doctor told me 10 years a that my upper spine looks like it has bark on it from all the calcium deposits on the spine~ and hey yo, don't forget, ...."Women weaken legs".

15 hour days?... heck, I don't want to do anything for 15 hours!

There's a time and a place for everything. Blasting or even playing music out across a lake is about as rude and inconsiderate as you can get. I don't want to hear your music. I didn't come to fish and enjoy solitude only to be annoyed by some Idiot with a radio who wants to be Wolfman Jack on the lake. Ever heard of ear buds?... use them, enjoy "your" music and spare the rest of us. I went to a large lake on a weekend once ~ my bad. I don't care for big, noisy, heavily congested lakes with million dollar homes on every acre.There was a guy there with one of those long $170,00 speed boats doing about 90 mph while blaring the song: "Brandy, you're fine girl, what a good wife you would be but my life, my love, my lady is the sea, do do dodo" ~ really? Now I like the song, don't get me wrong but I'd rather hear it in a little restaurant while eating a chili-dog, not while I'm fishing, bobbin' in his 3 foot wake.

When I was in my later teens (driving) my friend and I would make the 70 mile drive to the upper Potomac River. We would wade for sometimes miles in the river fishing for smallmouth bass. This area was about 3 miles below where the Shenandoah River enters the Potomac. The area is prefect for wading even thought the river is a at least a couple hundred yards wide. Most of the time you could pick your way and not get above your waste but sometimes you needed to do a little breaststroke to get were you wanted to go. Being without any monetary means my wading apparel was a pair old cowboy boots, long jeans and a shirt. We used mostly one bait, a Smithwick Devils Horse top water prop bait. On a real good day we would catch over a hundred bass a day. Sometimes you get and occasional 5 pounder but the average bass was in the 14" range give or take. We had small tackle boxes that hooked to our belt with a couple more devil horses in it. When you're young you don't need take water or food. We did this for years ~ miss those days.

Caught a big bullfrog on my frog. A couple of snappers on a wacky, Half a dozen rod and reels. Had an osprey repeatedly try for my big whopper plopper ( had to jerk it away at the last second.

I've heard about those dog days. Caught a big bullfrog on my frog. A couple of snappers on a wacky, Half a dozen rod and reels. Had an osprey repeatedly try for my big whopper plopper ( had to jerk it away at the last second.

Like everyone, I like to see a bass jump... that is unless it's a BIG bass and you don't want to lose it. I watch the line and if she's coming up to jump, I pull her over with the rod just as she breaks water and keep that line tight.

Some of these bass boats have a deck big enough for a barn dance. If I had one I would stand more. I have a 16' Rhino jet boat for river use and being 73 I sit 85% of the time. As you can see there's not a lot of room there for any line dancing.

Thank you One sentence, boy that would be hard. The years go by so fast, you realize just how fast when you get up there and start to realize that you can see that final stop up ahead on the tracks of life. The past is just memories, live for today and tomorrow and try to live life the best that you can. If fishing is one of the things that brings joy into your life then make those memories as often as time will allow. For me, my wife and kids are the most important things in life, followed by health, then bass fishing~ it's part of my life. When I am unable to fish anymore a big part of me has died.

Yes sir, "Second star on the right and straight on til morning" I believe fishing does help to keep you young. For me it's meditation... at least until that big'un hits!

Yep ~ I think they all have their limit.