AlabamaSpothunter

The best conclusion that article could reach is that it's caused by poor handling of fish. I'd have to disagree with this opinion for no other reason than that I only catch black spotted Bass in the cold water months. Once that water cools below 60d, I catch quite a few fish with black spots. Same goes for Bass 'lip stick' or when the insides of their mouths turn red.....again only in the cold water months in the places I fish.

Few things make me as happy in Bass fishing as catching a super fat Bass, doesn't even matter how big. I just love seeing these critters thrive! I actually caught a super fatty this afternoon 😁 I LOVE FAT BASS AND I CAN NOT LIE....... You other anglers can't deny..... That when a Bass swims in with a fat tummy And a round belly in your face You get hooked, wanna get spooled Cause you know that Bass is stuffed Deep in that gut she's wearing I'm hooked and I can't stop staring Ooh Baby I wanna get with ya And take your picture - Sir Bass A Lot

Meh, the schedule is the least of BASS's concerns. At least there's no SLR, or Champlain. Looking forward to the MLF and NPFL though, I'd imagine they realize the importance of holding at least one event in the birth place of pro Bass fishing.

Nice fish @Team9nine! She's got the mark of Dottie.....amazing to me that so many big LMB share that genetic marker across so many different states, and perhaps even abroad.

Same here. The only area I find this line to be lacking is abrasion resistance, but it's managability and overall ease is fantastic. The price is outstanding as well considering you get Sunline's QC assurances. I really only use the green 14lb, but it's perfect for cranking with.

Oh yeah, that's illegal everywhere lol. I read that part wrong.

A lot of states allow you to remove fish from public water and release them in your own private waters as long as you're keeping only your limit of fish. Texas is like this for sure, Milliken has caught a number of double digits and moved them into .5 acre ponds......which I hate to see. Those DDs only become DDs because of a very specific habitat. Those fish will never get bigger, and likely will have rapid decline. Not sure about TN laws though.

Broke an OG Steez rod last year reeling the tip down to a stuck 110jr+1.....the tip somehow got wedged in a rock or something, and snapped the first inch or so off....about as stupid as it gets. Broke another one two years ago during the confusion of catching a big catfish Growing up I snapped three Loomis rods in a car door......those were the golden days of Loomis warranties, and had 3 new rods within a week.

That's awesome about the Shad Bob! Once you get your LMB population dialed in, you can really supercharge those babies with the free unlimited source of Threadfins you have access to. You don't typical see smaller ponds stocked with Threadfins, so your pond is quite unique in that regard. I bet once you get one of our typical southern warm ups where temps get into the 60s, those green tunas will be launching themselves out of the water chasing those shad.

"Tap the slack" is the proper term and technique for cold water suspending jerkbaits. For non suspending or warmer water jerking, it's not nearly as important. The goal when you pause your suspending jerkbait, is that it remains totally motionless and unencumbered by a taught line. If you don't have slack on the pause, you'll drag that bait forward. A slack line jerkbait bite is about as cool of a bite as there is in Bass fishing. That feeling never gets old, and is totally unique. ETA: You can throw out all the traditional rules and techniques for jerkbaits when you combine them with FFS. The whole motionless long paused technique is pointless when you put the bait on top of their faces. It's mind blowing watching the Elite Series guys fish jerkbaits.......I can't remember the last time I saw a pro pause a jerkbait longer than a second or two. Without FFS you're relying on fish coming from further away hints the longer pauses and importance of having that bait remain motionless.

One of the biggest things you can do for a new shooter is double up their earpro. Have her put in ear plugs, and then put a pair of ear muffs over those. Makes a huge difference for new shooters when you remove the noise aspect of the equation. Most new shooters conflate loud noise with recoil......they are flinching because of the noise as much if not more than the actual recoil. This is also a reminder that suppressors shouldn't be controlled by the NFA, they should either be over the counter, or on a 4473. Suppressors are a health and safety device as much as a firearm accessory.

@Bluebasser86 Is a real one no doubt........covered in snow in a kayak, yeah you gotta be in for the love of the game at that point 😎 Beautiful fish!

My dad doesn't really like to fish, this is a no brainer for me........what could be better than sharing the love of Bass fishing with you father! Results wouldn't matter nearly as much as getting to fish with my dad.

@Swamp Girl Katie, don't sell yourself short......you're without question one of the most knowledgeable Bass anglers in Maine! I have no doubt that you'd crush anybody on this site in a fishing derby in your state. You're a true expert on the techniques, patterns, and waters you fish! Nobody catches TWO THOUSAND BASS in a year without being an expert 😎 To answer your question....... Advantages: 1. Patience 2. Stubbornness 3. Ability to spend time on water Disadvantages: 1. Stubbornness 2. Battling a negative mindset 3. thrifty about losing baits (there's a correlation b/t willingness to lose your bait, and catching big fish imho)

Congrats, all healthy fat beautiful fish!

Thanks Scott! If I was built for the winters like you tough yanks, I'd have it all 😁

The Certate was incredible for 2 years of heavy usage, but something is wrong with it thus I'm sending it to an expert to repair. First reel I've owned that requires a special tool to completely disassemble. If I can just get it back to where it was, that's all I'm really looking for. I'm glad to learn about the upgrades though, and I might have to send a baitcaster or two to get the soup up treatment. Problem is then I need all my reels souped up lol. Appreciate all the great replies, and look forward to DVT making my beloved Certate whole again 🙂

A 20+ lb bag from the BANK is especially epic! Congrats brother!

Hum.....maybe try to just connect one end to the line then. I'm trying to picture the physics of how that's happening, and I'm drawing a blank. Hopefully somebody else has had this problem and found a solution.

Are you connecting the line to both the top and bottom of the bobber? I can't ever remember that happening to me.

Thanks for info! I mailed a JDM 19 Certate your way on Friday, so I'll just wait to hear what you think needs to be done.

Nothing wrong at all with throwing the smaller cranks on that setup. For whatever reason I just prefer to throw cranks on a baitcaster.

The Chatterbound works amazing for normal sized cranks, but if you want to cover the full range on cranks to include small ones like 1/4oz models, the dedicated cranking rod like the Rebound is the way to go. If it's a moving bait, and it weighs between 3/8oz-1oz.......I've never had a problem using the Chatterbound, but it just doesn't have the action to launch little crankbaits. I wouldn't use the Rebound for bladed jigs because I feel bladed jigs really do require a technique specific rod. I can get away with using non cranking rods on cranks because line type, understanding drag, and using upgraded treble hooks really mitigates the need to have a perfect cranking rod. Since you didn't mention anything about bladed jigs, I'd just go with the Rebound.

Daiwa Zillion SV TW is the easy button.......right in your price range. I'd get the Tat 300 for big swimbaits. An Alpha Angler Rebound or Chatterbound paired with a Zillion SV TW would be sublime for just about any moving bait. The Rebound is a little better cranking rod, and the Chatterbound is better at chatterbaits, but both are exceptional for crankbaits.

War Eagle, will be watching the Iron Bowl. Nothing like the Iron Bowl. I could live a hundred more lifetimes and I doubt I would ever see another Kick 6. eta: easily the greatest call in sports history imho, RIP Rod Bramblett