KevO

Dale Hollow Lake 20.5" 4.75lb

I was there mid may when you could still catch them during the day. Now that summer has come night fishing is the only way to catch them. Jigs and spinnerbaits are the way to go. Try and get a guide they will put you on fish. I got lucky and made friends with a group of fisherman that fish there the same week every year, they took me out and showed me around. I caught my PB there 4.7lb on a white spinnerbait. It is a huge lake and its very easy to get lost out there especially at night. Also go to smalljaw.com they have a forum and it deals with all things Dale. Good luck.

I am looking to catch some big shad to stiper fish with where would a good spot to look for to throw the cast net?

I tried mine for the first time yesterday and on the first cast I snagged a rock and broke it off.... :-/

Well there is the tennessee river and wheeler or wilson lake those are pretty good from what I hear. There is also the Buffalo river in southern middle tennessee. It is a great river for smallmouth.

Should I start with the shallow early then move deeper? Who makes the fat CB BDS? Lucky Craft?

This year I have two goals get better with jigs and crankbaits. So I bought two rods and reels for each tactic. Tomorrow I am going fishing and I want to focus on cranking after the morning topwater bite dies down. It is going to be hot here in Nashville and I am wondering where I should I start cranking shallow or deep? I have a good place in mind where I want to it's a rock shelf that comes up from 30-40ft to about 2 ft, it is also a channel wall and a main lake point on the channel. I have always caught some good stripers here trolling but have never really tried cranking here. So should I throw shallow cranks on the flat or throw deep cranks along and over the wall?

I have that same reel. It is a good crankbait reel especially deep crankbaits. The slower gear really gets them down there. I haven't used it for shallow cranks but I don't see why it would make that much of a difference. Also get a good crankbait rod, I have my curado on a shimano crucial 7'0 MH mf. It is a great rod for its price ($130-150).

guess he was just making a pit stop at BPS for some motor oil

I battled him for an hour today at bass pro shops in Nashville. He was really pushing me for some lucky craft wake baits, but I said NO! I was also cut off by the E21 Carrot Stix Pro from Ontario, whoever that is. I didn't recognize his face as he cut me off with his Yukon. What a nice way to treat someone that helps pay for all his free stuff. I also saw Gary Yamamoto standing in the parking lot at bass pro putting some oil in his RV. I would have stopped to get an autograph but I had to pick my GF at the airport. All in all it was a pretty exciting day.

It's deadly, since you have to spend 35 more dollars to get that free shipping! ;D Don't even remind me

I saw that too, I just can't make up my mind if I want to buy it. I am trying to fight off the bait monkey after the $350 I spent last weekend.

Tried them a long time ago when they first came out. Save your $20 and buy a couple bags of flukes. You can also do a search for this topic. Or just go back a page or two and find the last time this topic was brought up earlier this week.

Blood knot is very strong and pretty easy to tie.

It is not that big of a deal to me. I have two curado 200 D's 1 on a shimano crucial rod and the other on a St. Croix premeire. The weight of these setups is not that important to me and I do not find them to be uncomfortable in any way. I also have a Carrot Stix/ Core 100mg and compared to the other two rigs its like holding a feather, but switching back and forth between them makes no difference to me. Then again I work for a moving company and I have to carry heavy furniture all day so a couple ounces here or there is no biggy...

I have the 7'3 and I use it for jigs and worms. When I first got it I threw some lipless cranks on it and it just felt weird. It is too long and too stiff.

I can gaurantee you it is lighter than your shimano. I have one paired with a Shimano core and it is just about 10oz total. 3.5 coming from the carrot stix

You got that right.... I always went by "90% of the fish are in 10% of the lake." X2 Right On!

Business and Communications from 01-06

If you're comfortable with it... It must be normal. My strong arm is my right but i reel with that hand and hold the rod with my left. I don't think you will be shunned for using your left hand.

I am thinking about selling my crankbait rig (curado 200dpv and crucial crankbait series) and buying a swimbait setup. I have a shimano cardiff 200a reel, would that be a good reel or do I need a larger size like a 300/400? I was thinking about getting a crucial swimbait rod, but am open to suggestions. I am not looking for any really big swimbaits 8" at the most. The crucial rods come in 7'11" MH, H, and Extra H. What would you recommend for swimbaits less than 8"? I really don't want to spend more than $150 on the rod, because I still need to buy the baits. I have heard good things about matt lures bluegill and baby bass. Who are some other good swimbait makers? Also what type of line should I use? Braid? Flouro?

X2

It's a thing of beauty....

Both are great lines. I have been using yo-zuri hybrid lately, but sufix is my mono of choice. Their braid is also top notch.

Well I pulled the trigger on the Core today. It is light as a feather and casts like a dream. And on the carrot stix it is amazing. If only my camera was working I would post a pic of it.