backpain...

It all depends on the situation. Springtime I almost always Texas rig my baits. When the dog days of summer hit, I will have a carolina rig, a texas rig, and a drop-shot tied on a rod at all times. I will probably have a shakee head ready as well.

Does this outside deeper grass usually come up greener and healthier early in the year? I was fishing Monday, and all of the grass that was visible in the lake was still fairly brown and generally unhealthy looking. But the grass I was getting on my baits in the 8-12 foot depth range was bright green and healthy looking.

YES. Not only is the action different, but also the sink rate.

It is legal to use gamefish as bait in Georgia so long as they are of legal size and obtained legally. "Game fish may be used as live bait (where live bait is legal and allowed) if they are taken legally and you do not exceed the daily creel and possession limits. You can possess more than the daily creel and possession limit for a species if you purchase the fish from a bona fide fish dealer and keep a bill of sale in your possession."

Catt hands down. Every time I read a post by him I can only imagine that he has forgotten more about bass and bass fishing than I have learned.

Any technique where a little extra line capacity is in order would be good for the round reels. I personally like to use a round reel when working deep structure with jigs or carolina rigs. They hold more line for the long casts with the heavy lures and allow for dropping it to the required depth and still have some line on the spool. They are also good when using any heavier bait like a spinnerbaits, jigs, or even large crankbaits or swimbaits. Again, I feel the advantage is higher line capacity.

Thanks for the advice guys, found a JB Weld product called waterweld. I used it on the problem spot as per instructions and the hull is now dry as a bone.

Been out three times this year only skunked once. All three trips have been on less than favorable days. Last trip was Monday after a massive cold front pushed through dropping the air temps almost 20*. The barometer was all over the place throughout the day and winds upwards of 20MPH. Having said that, I have caught 6 bass in twou outings and had a blast trying to figure out how to fish and control a boat lol.

I have not used the extreme, but the mean green and the xtra clear are awesome.

With my schedule I can never pick my days to fish. With that being the case I end up fishing a lot of days where the conditions are less than ideal. I just put my time in and try to into a mindset that if it were tournament day, I would have to fish the conditions. I do my dead level best to figure them out, and if not, at least learn from the experience. This season I have been able to fish twice. Once in early March when the winds were howling, the rain was pouring, and the water here was cold mud. I learned that trip that I still love fishing, no matter the circumstances. I totally blanked that day lol. The next trip was early April and the sky was bright and high, again with a howling wind. I pushed through the frustration and caught a few buck bass and missed one larger girl that I didn't get a good look at. I have come to think that normally my problem isn't getting fish to bite. It is more finding where they are at a given time. What do you do to find them on those days when it seems you should have stayed home?

I like a 7' rod over a 6'6" in every situation except jerkbaits. I find it easier to work jerkbaits with the slightly shorter rod. I just feel I get more out of the 7' rod in casting as well as line pickup for hook setting. In the end though it is personal preference.

X2 No reason you should be dealing with an issue like that alone after buying it new.

I don't think anyone was discounting the PFD, just pointing out the obvious if an accident occurs. When those events happen EVERY advantage for safety and survival is huge. Things happen, and they happen fast. I think the point of everyone is to think safety first. I would hate to have given someone advice that was followed and lead to them having problems, or worse.

Unfortunately, the condition came before the username. But thankfully, not as disabling as you have experienced. I ruptured my L4,L5 disc playing basketball shortly after high school. The sciatic pain and numbness continued to worsen until I could no longer climb stairs or do normal every day activities. Surgery was the option I chose being so young, and it helped but scar tissue still keeps me in pain daily. Again, thankfully not nearly what it was!

Very good rods. For $100 a steal if you can handle the fact that they are discontinued and not going to be available any longer.

I was on this guy's side until about half a second I saw what he was suing over. A crescent shaped claw? Are you kidding me? A claw that is actually a copy of natural crawfish claw? It's a good thing he's not appearing in my court or he would be explaining why such nonsense is taking up such valuable court time. A patent is supposed to protect innovation, not duplication. There ya go, a sound defence.

It is a good thing he has that camo on there, the fish might see him coming.

X2 Add to that any kind of current and or obstructions in the water and there is all sorts of danger. If you are somehow injured it is much easier to find a boat and someone holding onto it (even if it is only a crawdad) than to find a person alone in a pfd. It is always better to be safe, and think carefully through any boat modifications. When I modded my Jon boat, I had to take some foam floatation out of the benches to mount the seat pedestals, I replaced that foam under the bow deck with added floatation for the weight I added with the wooden deck. It is easy to sit behind a computer and say "Go for it". But any and all modification of a boat from the manufacturers specs requires careful consideration.

Most peoples problem with Kistler's Argon series is an indicitave problem they have with the company as a whole. The argons were awesome rods...but only made for a short time. If you filled your locker with them and for some reason a replacement was needed...tough luck they don't make them any more. I don't know anyone that has used a Kistler rod that has had a beef with performance or customer service, it has been with inconsistency. In their rod lineup offerings (Argons as case in point) as well as with some bad batches of blanks. But to the company's credit they have (in my experience) been more than gracious in dealing with their customer service. It told me a great deal about the company when the email sent to the owner's name was responded to within 30 minutes and my issues were resolved in a fair and timely manner. Thus why I say, if you can handle falling in love with a rod that you will not be able to replace should the unthinkable happen... go for the Argon. If you want a rod that you will love and be able to replace then pay the extra for the Magnesium. The Argons aren't made any longer. I personally own 2 LTA's and the rest of my lineup I filled out with their Carbon-Steel series. They are a great rod for the price point. Blanks feel a lot like the magnesiums; nice backbone and action, and load up nicely. The trade off is made in the Pacific Bay reel seat and guides instead of fujis.

I have one of the cabelas mounts and it works great.

Foam inside the boat will not make any difference in the boats floatation compared to air itself. The displacement of the hull is what makes it float. I mean, if you took it out and say added something of greater weight there it would change the floatation. If you were to take it out and leave a void it would float the same (or better if the foam has some weight to it). The difference is when the hull fills with water or capsizes. That foam will keep the craft afloat if for some reason the hull capsizes or takes on water. Without any floatation foam in a boat, if it were to take on water, or capsize it would sink to the bottom.

Might have been a frustration that set in from not landing an early fish. I can get flustered if I miss a bite or a fish, and if I don't catch myself it can have a negative impact on the rest of my trip. Maybe lost some concentration? Personally, if it were one trip I wouldn't change anything. Just brush it off as an off day. I know it would be easy to slide into the negative mood watching buddies landing big fish and losing them at the boat personally. Could have just started with one fluke miss, and escalated to a bad day mentally.

I would find some deeper banks and try flipping a jig into heavy cover for a while, if no takers I would hit some main lake points with C-rigs and or crank baits working from shallow out to the deepest areas of the point. If I can find a topo map I would hit points that are closest to the creek channel or deepest water in the lake. If the above fails, I would work my way into a cove that has a feeder creek and once again work from shallow to deep with T-Rigs, Cranks, and C-rigs depending on the depth contour, water clarity, and weather conditions.

The floatation foam in the seats and under parts of boats is to allow them to float if they are ever capsized. You will be quite thankful it is there if you ever tip the boat in deep water.

You can't go wrong on an argon for $100. Just keep in mind when you fall in love with it that there won't be an easy way to replace it.