AlabamaSpothunter

That's killer, from a drop? Toxic has really cool baits.

Mary Jane must have been on the boat as well ?

BOOOOOOM SHAKKALAKAA G-G-G-GIANT BASS ON FROG ? That's awesome Pat, what a way to catch her as well, congrats! Agreed with Katie, noble thing to do, and hopefully it was tasty.

To me Shimano is still at the top with Daiwa and I'm a Daiwa fanboy for the most part. Shimano is doing some seriously impressive things in the lure department. I mean every single Flashboost bait I buy is a gamechanger. I saw some new BFS sized cranks at the store the other day. Gonna try their cranks in the Fall. Got a Curado 150MGL a cpl months back, was really happy with the value I got. That reel delivers a ton of features and performance for the price point especially if you're patient and wait for a sale.

Wish Alabama still had Lions.....FL Panthers are starting to slowly push north from the Everglades, but man has eliminated most/all corridors back to Alabama.

That's crazy, I just watched a quick video of a person using a paddle to fend off a Mtn Lion in a boat. I knew they'd swim across rivers but not try to attack while doing so. Texas has the last N. American population of Ocelots, and the first Jags spotted in N. America in many decades have occurred in AZ in recent years, would not be shocked if TX has a few Jags as well.

You're not alone, no matter how uniquely depressed or full of anxiety you feel, lots of other people have and are going through it as well. Only thing I can promise you is that if you don't give up, try to stay engaged in life as much as possible, THINGS WILL GET BETTER! Life is cyclical, the highs never stay, nor do the lows, we must just keep trucking along. People here are for you, and I'm sure you have people in your life that are as well. Never feel ashamed to keep seeking help and talking about it.....takes a real man to do that.

Big Bass. I see huge Bucks all the time and think man if I only I was into Deer hunting lol.

@ol'crickety ?

Haha that's awesome, animals are better than most people.

Can't you board a Rabbit with a vet? In the future you ought to join some kind of Rabbit facebook group, make some local friends, and then have them watch your buddy while your gone.

In my waters, un pegged this time of year. Heck Milliken is even preaching using them on Free Rigs.....he's a big believer in freedom of movement on these baits. C-Rig, Free Rig, un pegged T-Rig, swing head, etc. I only peg them in the Spring.

I've always used ole trusty....Zoom's Ole' Monster. Junebug would be a great color too. Milliken uses lots of the 6th Sense version and hammers the toads on them as well. Don't overlook a Zoom Magnum Lizard at 8" either. Big fish bait as well. I T-Rig them on as light of tungsten bullet weight as you can get away with 1/8th-3/16th if the wind is nice, might have to bump it up though. I use 4/0-5/0 hooks, for you and your fish, I'd recommend just using the 5/0s since your fish aren't as pressured. Then just slowly hop that sucker home, or slow drag it home.

Keep going to that particular place is what I would do.....studies show that upwards 50% of all sampled Bass have an empty stomach, I'd imagine big Bass are no different. Some days they just won't eat, but that increases your chances if you go right back next chance you get.

Wow, glad it didn't turn out worse, but that's straight nightmare fuel right there. Last eye exam, some green doctor just casually dropped that my retinas are longer than normal, and they could detach randomly......oh just by the way, THANKS DOC! ?

Glad you're okay buddy, good PSA! I always fish with glasses on, and I always shoot with glasses on as well. Also use them when I cut or in the workshop. Blindness scares me significantly.

The best part is that I bet it's made in China ?

To me the simple act of taking someone fishing is teaching them how to fish. Every angler will develop their own way of doing things if this is the sport for them, it's just about introducing them to the love affair, and trying our best to put new people on fish which is the most important aspect when "teaching" someone to fish. Can't tell you how many folks I've taken to a fish feeder and let them catch 50 Bream and few Cats in 30mins-1hr....every last one of them loved it.

2023 ICAST new products preview - Bassmaster Guess so

Surface temps are 90d here, you can catch all the Bass you want if you're willing to get sizzled like a piece of bacon

Bassmaster just dropped a huge list with pics of all the new stuff....it's on their website, not sure if I can link it here.

The Levante Shakeyhead is awesome, but then I got an Alpha Angler Wrench which is just next level, not as pretty, but technologically and fishing wise, a superior rod.

Yeah PLine is fantastic stuff, just not what I like for finesse applications.....very strong and abrasion resistant, but large diameter and not nearly as supple as Invizx or Sniper

Yes, just use supple high end Fluoro, I use 8lb Invizx for exactly the things you listed.

We'd go out 40-50m behind the Shrimp boats in the Gulf, and you'd catch Blackfins until you had to quit. You'd chum the waters, and hundreds of 25-50lb Tunas would appear. Incredible fish, and incredible power. Apex for sure.