FLYING HIGH

Looks great!! After looking at your rear truck window stickers, I think you are missing one sticker. 🧐 A St Croix sticker would complete your set!! 👍

This is perfectly said. 👍 @Glenn This is a confirmation I’m sure everyone here can agree with. You have done an AMAZING job of creating and maintaining this website for all our fishing needs. Thank you sir!!

Welcome back to the Bass Resource Family!! Happy to have ya!!

Welcome to the Bass Resource Family!! Happy to have you.

I will definitely continue buying Columbia PFG long sleeves for fishing. I believe the UPF protection varies between(30 -50) depending on their specific line of shirts. They work so well, I’ve come home from morning fishing with a Columbia PFG long sleeve all black shirt, and mowed the yard in like 85-90 degree sun. No additional issues besides normal temperature. Wife thought I was crazy but I felt great compared to any other t-shirt I own, cotton or otherwise. Firm believer in the product. My fishing shirts now, have almost exclusively become my new lawn mowing/landscaping shirts. 😂 Very lightweight and breathable and look amazing!

Love seeing those videos sir!! That is a great looking fish!! I will catch a smallmouth someday. I want to be in that smallmouth club. 😂 We have a very dirty and stained Rock River here in Northern Illinois with many different species so my goal is to get at least one this year. Kind of tricky being a bank angler on the river here, need to be careful where I go.

That’s awesome!! I’m a regular BASS member and I love getting that magazine. I might be in rare company that still likes to look and flip through actual pages. Especially on a road trip or flight 😂 Perfect timing for them to send you a gift, considering you just finished surgery. It’s a blessing in life sometimes how certain things work out. You get some of those great perks being a LIFETIME member. 👍

Great looking fish!! I’m rolling with 4.25 - 4.5. Always love a great fish fight.

@Susky River Rat never seen a fish with a black eye before, that’s a first!! 😂

I have 2 spinning reels that are 5.3:1. Pflueger President Pflueger Patriarch I actually like both of them. No reel issues. 😂. Smooth as butta!!

It’s funny you mention the Zoom Z Craw’s. I just bought some along with the Jr’s. Also got some Zoom Split Tail Trailer‘s and some Zoom Ol' Monster Worm - 10-1/2''. Going to use with spinnerbaits, chatter baits and swim jigs. Going to T-RIG the Ol Monsters along with the Z Craws as well I’m excited to try my new Owner Weighted Beast with TwistLOCK Hooks - 4/0 - 1/8 oz. for my Megabass Magdraft Freestyle Swimbait - Ghost Shad Solid - 5". My plan for this year is going to be fishing for weight. I want some biguns, don’t care about length. I want some 5 lb plus. Someone in our Bass Resource family, sorry can’t remember who(might have been multiple people actually), said that if you want bigger fish, you need some bigger baits. I’m going to be limited on how much bigger I can go because of my rod weight limits(3/4oz max) but I will try some. @Swamp Girl you and I will continue with some of the same stuff. Under-spin jigs and now the plastics. I also see in your picture that you are representing St Croix rods with your BASSX. I’m proud of you. 😉 St Croix is having a CAD(Customer Appreciation Day) on June 20th I believe. I was thinking about driving up to it, not sure yet. They will have free food(Johnsonville brats will be representing at this event). I wanted to get some merchandise. Hope that doesn’t sound silly but I like to be a brand ambassador when it comes to certain products. For me, I love St Croix rods. @Swamp Girl Fishing is a game of hide and seek. Love this game and I want to win!! 🏆

This is what I normally use on my few poles. Super easy to change everything out. Considering I am only a bank angler as of now, I need to change things out quickly. I was considering tying a uni knot to the open loop of the leaders I have. Otherwise I will connect the leader to the barrel swivel clip. Definitely understand the potential frustration of losing all that leader because of reties. We are already limited with fishing time, can’t waste it on nonsense of retying all day. I want to try and work smarter, not harder. 🤪. Thanks @casts_by_fly

Ya know, I see a guy on Saturday mornings doing fishing videos from his kayak and I believe he only uses 12-18 inch leaders and that’s it. He catches SM, LM, PIKE and MUSKIE. I normally don’t see him having issues with his line. Occasionally yes and then he swaps out for another leader but not ALL the time. Seems easy enough to keep it that length right? I’ve never used a leader but I will start this year on at least one pole. Only because I want to do more river fishing. I bought some(6) - 12 inch steel leaders from FF. Going to try this year.

If I put on my common sense hat, I believe @Bazoo is right on the money. 😂

I definitely don’t own a boat but I’m very confident in finding resolutions for issues. I do this a lot with my full time job at an insurance company. Based on your comments, it doesn’t sound like you have tried these options. 1) If it was me, I would 100% call a Bass Tracker service center first. Someone should know how to remove that piece. 2) If not, then I would call a Bass Tracker dealership. Someone there should definitely know how to remove that and if not, they should know someone who does. If those options fall short, then I would try and call another boat service center. Just because it’s not a Tracker service center doesn’t mean they haven’t worked on Trackers. You could also call any boat marina. Doesn’t cost you ANYTHING to ask someone a question. 😉. And if they are good people, they would love to help you. It’s just like a car dealership. They can work on multiple manufacturers models, except for other manufacturers warranty work, so they will have that experience and know how. Years ago I worked at a car dealership in sales and service. Between the two areas, we could get a lot of answers for a lot of questions. I would try these options first before you take a SAWZALL to it. 🤪 Hope this helps you out. Good luck!!

@A-Jay I’ve seen some of your videos and multiple pictures of those smallmouth moments. Those are some of the biggest and most beautiful fish I’ve ever seen. Haven’t researched if you have or not but, I would think that if you ever got into a bass tournament, you definitely have the gear and skill set to easily finish top 5. I don’t know you outside of Bass Resource, so this is my unbiased opinion, but you sure have put together an impressive compilation of fishing moments. You could definitely take in some cash thru local tournaments or even guide a few trips for other anglers if you wanted. Definitely not saying you need the cash, you are just that skilled brother. Maybe even enough to pay for all your toys. 😂. It’s great getting to hear some of your knowledge on everything. Thank you for the time you have invested here at Bass Resource sir!! After all the comments we read on your threads, I know everyone here appreciates your valuable insight. Just wanted to give you a shout out after seeing that smallmouth picture. That’s all. 👍

Hello Pablo!! Welcome to the Bass Resource family!! Happy to have ya!! I was in Spain back in 2002. My aunt owns a 3 bedroom condo, on 2nd floor right across from the ocean, down in Fuengirola, along the southern coast. It was great. I remember sitting on balcony at night watching cruise ships 🚢 coming and going. Fun time.

That fish looks amazing!! Congrats!! How much that one weigh?

Sorry for the confusion. Has nothing to do with you personally. It has to do with the comment of working smarter and not harder. And just because someone works smarter doesn’t mean they are not hardworking, just trying to eliminate stupid mistakes. That’s all. I do not want to be fixing backlashes or bird nests all day if I don’t have to. I’m not perfect so I do occasionally still have a backlash here and there. So if they had a backlash free bait-caster, I would be all in if the price was right. 👍 With that type of reel, we are working smarter and not harder. 🤪

Is there a “BEST” file to buy to elevate our skill level with sharpening. I’m sure I can buy a lot of different files but there is always the ONE that beats the others. What say you? I haven’t bought tons of different hooks but the sharpest hook I have ever come across, straight out of the packaging, Fusion 19.

I got one with my membership as well a few years back and this last Xmas they were selling them individually. I bought 3 more. I like them. Simple enough and look nice. 😊

Congratulations FryDog62!! Remember, Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory!! I definitely don’t know you but looking at the pics and reading the story, you and your spouse have done a great job of raising another human being. That is a very prideful moment!! I’m happy for you and your family and enjoy all the new memories you will all be a part of. 👍

I’ve read some reviews and watched some videos on this kayak and everything I’ve seen makes me believe this is a great value for $599, for a first kayak. Does anyone here have first hand experience with this one or know someone that has it. I know there are a lot of kayak users here so I’m looking for some of your opinions. Not looking to add trolling motors, electronics or anything else crazy. Would keep it simple with crate storage and that’s about it. Never had a kayak before so I’m exploring the idea. I would most likely have a kayak rack on top of my car for easy access.

For me now, I like the Daiwa magnetic system with the 20 settings. I’ve gotten used to it for the most part. I’m sure I can dial it in even more and fine tune it. I’m a casual bass angler. Strictly a catch and release guy that wants to get the biggest fish vs buddies. 🤪 So I don’t need to be so technical with the highest end equipment, but I do want some nice things though, just not the lowest of the low. Only saying that because you have to spend a little more on a rod to get a nice warranty. Careless moments can happen and I don’t want to be out of luck with no coverage. I really enjoy fishing as a sport and I’m sure that will never change. I might consider trying a local tournament as a co angler someday but just a thought. 😊

I definitely like all the settings. I think so far, I’m good at the 10 spot. Off the top of my head, if I don’t change the settings and throw like a super light hula popper, that’s when I might get a little backlash unless I’m trying to launch that hula popper too hard across the pond. 😂 Unless I messed with that tension knob at one point and messed that up. At some point initially after purchase, I did the fall technique with a lure to test the speed of the fall and see if it backlashed. After the videos I watched I thought it was supposed to be a slow fall to the ground. If I had a choice though of no backlashes ever vs occasional backlashes, I’m still going with the reel that has no backlashes. I 100% will never buy a reel with a side plate that needs to be removed to set everything. I’m sure after you learn the process it’s fine but I don’t want to learn that process when there are smarter options available. 😉