jwo1124

I was just on a site looking at norman cranks and they said the DD22 will dive to 18 on a long cast. Why wouldn;t they call this the norman DD 18 then? I was thinking it would go down to 22 as the name suggests.

By the way, when I say whippy, I don't mean a wet noodle. I just mean the front half is fairly whippy not the whole rod, cause then it wouldn;t be a rod would it.

I use a very whippy glass rod for cranks too, as you should in my opinion. I mean, as long as it is sensitive enough to give off vibrations of the lure as it goes through the water. I seem to have good hook up to landing ration with this soft action rod. As long as you do a nice sweeping hook set you should be fine. I found that when a fish hits the crankbait and you sweep hookset, you have to reel down fast, and keep reeling fast to keep the line tight and the hooks in. The fish will take drag if he needs it so don;t worry about breaking the line, especially with a softer action rod which takes the tension of the line.

my mistake guys, every other one of those lures has a hook poking out of the top of it except the crappie imitator. http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat601348&rid=&indexId=cat601348&navAction=push&masterpathid=&navCount=3&parentType=index&parentId=cat601348&id=0037360 My apologies

I haven;t heard of any pros advocating the use of a bead on a texas rig. Thi sis just from my observations of many many hours watching every possible fishing show on tv...but maybe I missed something. I know it is standard to use a bead on a carolina rig, but as far as a texas rig I can;t remember seeing this. As far as making crackling noises as Raul put it, I'm not sure you want that in a texas rig as most people like to peg the sinker in the bait to stop it from moving around. I think if you are looking to pitch or work something that makes a little noise, try a rattlin jig and pig or a tube with a tube rattle in it. Leave the beads for the carolina rig. Thats just my Opinion

I was only thinking about removing some of the larger bluegill.

I fish a local small pond that is a few acres. It's probably the size of a small farm pond. It has very stained water, lily pad growth along the shore lines, grows lots of stringy algae mats(angel hair I think it's called) and produces lots of bass and sunfish. I think it is shallow, I'm not sure though. Is it bas to eat anything out of such an area? To compare it to something, to give you a visual, I'd compare it to louisianna backwaters where people probably harvest crawfish.

A classic piece of writing. Thanks for sharing that.

I think it's F'N garbage. I hate seeing cases of man killing of unwanted natural things just for "economical reasons" Give me a break. I think it's morally wrong, but the dirty dollar prevails again. I don't understand why the community doesn't just switch their trout fishing economy to a pike fishing economy. I am not for poisoning waters what so ever. I feel bad for the people who's businesses suffer, but they shouldn;t resort to killing of many fish, they should use their brains and come up with a better idea. Like I said, why not just market the "unbelievable pike fishing" Get some pike fishing guides up there, and business will come back.

Sorry, I have never tried this lure, but it does look good. I think it will be a good lure for high sunny sky days when bass are picky. The only thing I don't like about htis lure is that it has too many hooks on it. i think the bottom treble is good, but I don;t see the need for the big hook on top. Just my opinion though, maybe it's useful. It just seems like overkill.

I kind of share this view too. I started fishing because I found it fun, exciting, rewarding and I just have a passion for it. But if you can get money from something you do for fun...why not? It's still To comment on the original post, I can fully understand where you are coming from. I grew up in this age where electronic are essential and tackle boxes are filled with every lure imaginable. If my grandfather was around to see this...Just like everything, time changes things. The spectacle you see is nothing more than mere evolution. Bass fishing is still the same, as you can go catch bass with a cane pole, bobber/bait out of a canoe or from shore. But you can also fish tournaments which require the expensive gear, boats, and electronics that you mentioned. You don;t neccessarily need that stuff if you're just out to fish for a good time, but to win money...you do..bottom line. But, even if you are just out to fish recreationally for fun or to break the state record, or catch more and bigger fish than you did yesterday as all of us are out there for....the expensive gear and electronis can also aid in this area of bass fishing. I'm sure in your mind you think electronics use guarentees fish, ask how many of these guys have just as bad a days as guys fishing out of the row boat. Sure it has taken a little of the challenge out of fishing, but it has also raised the stakes. Instead of a good day being locating and catching one of two nice bass, it's now catching a nice sized limit of five bass. So as fishing has gotten "easier" through advances in technology, the bar has also been raised, so things kind of naturally evened out.

For anyone worried about fish not feeding for a long time after they are hooked or caught...Last week I was fishing, and after the buzzbait bite turned off, I started using th elive shiners I had bought. I was freelining them, and one of the fish must swallowed the bait before swimming off because I hooked him in the throat. I cut the line hoping the hook would get digest(I heard such cases made which I hope is true) I placed the small bass back in the water and a few casts later I caught the same exact fish with the hook still in it's throat. Obviously this fish was not in pain at all, or damaged enough to not feed. Bass swallow crawfish and spiny finned sunfish and perch, so it makes sense that there mouths and throats would not contain a lot of nerve endings or else it would hurt them just to eat. Take your wife to an expensive safood restaurant for a nice piece of fish or lobster, than ask her if she thinks the fish felt pain as it air drowned or if the lobster felt pain when it was dropped into boiling water for its last swim. That should zip her lips for awhile...on that subject at least

The past few days of fishing has proved successful by throwing a buzzbait around bass holding areas. Yesterday, to mine and my fishing oartners suprise, the buzzbait bite was off. I think thi swas due to the rain faill we got, which caused the water to rise and probably discolor it. We left are usual fishing sopt at this swampy bass pond, and tried another local pond 5 minutes away. The buzzbait still wasn;t working, and I figured fish were holding out deeper off shore becuase it was really sunny out. I tied on a Minnow Rap, and hauled in two pickerel and a bass in a dozen casts. My brother then wetn out to hook into two other fish with his minnow rap but didn;t land them. Sadly, both of the lures got hung up and lost :'( But with $15 and a trip to Dick's they can be replaced. I reccommend this lure to everyone. It has great action and will catch multiple species.

I read the reviews on these DT cranks, and a few said the lips break off pretty easy. The blurb given about these is that "it will get down to the specific depth the fish are ""suspending"" at." I'm guessing Rapala made these not with the intention for them to be used around rocks or be bottom bumped. This may be why some of the lips are breaking off for some guys. It says that the lip is "ultra thin", which in itself is sort of an indication that it is fragile. Anyone have the problem of the lips breaking off with these lures? Anyone think the same as me, that these are probably meant for open water applications?

I wouldn;t recommend using a crankbait near heavy vegetation. I'd say they're ok around wood and rocks, but it's a pain getting weeds and other greens out of treble hooks. Especially when they wrap around the lip and get tangled in the tie ring. I just started cranking a lot this year. I have had luck with Strike King Pro Model cranks which come in shallow 4 ft., medium 8ft., and deep 12 ft. They have good action and aren;t that expensive. I am a gid fan of rapala's. Between their minnows (husky jerks, original floater, x-rap, and their new twitchin rap, : http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0036966120820a&navCount=1&podId=0036966&parentId=cat600383&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat600383&catalogCode=2UG&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat600383&hasJS=true then their wide array of crankbaits and their skitter pop and skitter walk, you have the majority of the water column covered. Their deep tail dancer will go to 25-30 ft. depending on what size model you use. I'm not sure if this is on the cast or trolled...but I'm sure with the huge lip on these babies, on a nice long cast you could get it down there. I only have two beefs with Rapala: 1.) Their Lures are expensive averaging about 6-7 dollars. Not that 6.50 is a lot of money, but 6.50 x 20 lures...and you're looking at about $250, which is a lotta scratch to a college kid. And thats not a lot of lures when you take into considertion getting the same lure in a couple different color patterns. 2.) They give approx. diving depths like 5-11 feet. They dont list 5' cast 11' trolled so it leaves some gray area. I haven't bumped bottom until getting close to shore with the minnow rap which is listed as 5-11, so I'm guessing that the 11' is a trolling depth. Which doesn;t really play a huge roll in bass fishing cuz no one trolls for bass... So to answer you're question, spend sometime looking over some tackle outfitter's websites, check out diving depths and get some Rapala's that fit your fishing needs.

Thanks for the tips guys. By the way John J. I like the Pop-R too, but when I was hitting them on the buzz the other day, I tried a Pop R when my bro was tossing the buzzbait and I had one strike to our total 6 fish and a few missed ones on the buzzbait. I think when the bass won't chase a buzz bait, then throw on a popper since it's a slower lure for more finicky bass. I wish I had a trailer hook today since I missed quite a few

I saw a couple different shimano rods on cabelas, but they dindn't have any reviews so I didn't know there quality. I'll have to check them out though since shimano is a good bass rod.

I hope this isn't a beaten horse. I did a search and nothing came up for them. I just want to know if anyone has found these rods to be a decent bass rod. I know there are much better rods for twice to three times the money, but I'm not ready to spend that much yet. I have a 6' MH spinning rod and I like the feel of it. I think the rear grip is kind of small though. Plus I wish wal mart had a 7' MH version since I like to opt for a longer rod for distance and hook set power since I fish a lot from shore. Any opinions on Lighting Rods? I know Berkely is a trusted name, but it seems a lure company should stick to lures...I'm not sure if this is the case with Berekly, but I would do a double take if I saw quantum and shimano lures on the shelves... If they aren;t that great, can anyone recommend a good $40 graphite rod, maybe a bass pro or cabelas brand name so I'm not paying a lot extra for all the marketing and sponsor bills. I read a lot of BPS rod reviews and they seem to vary a lot. I saw mostly 3-5 stars, but too many 1 and 2 stars with comments that the rods break too easily or they are defective. Any opinions on Bass Pro rod quality? They seem like the quality varies too much to invest in. Is this the case?

I never even thought of that. I am not a big soft plastic guy, even though I know I should use them more often. I like cranks, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and just recently started using the buzzbait. I figure the horny toad and like lure act just as a buzzbait but with a more realistic profile and feel to the bass. Not to mention a nice salt impregnated flavor. Thanks for the tip. Plus I can work them over lily pads without getting hung up. I heard its tough to jam the hook through the body on hook sets though. Have you had this problem. I figure fishing them on braid would help this, but I have no experience with braid...

Today I thought up this idea based on prior experiences. I own a small 12' aluminum boat that weights about 100 lbs. I bought this boat to fish small local ponds with using an electric motor. Usually the only time I take out this boat is when I fish with my brother, since its almost impossible to load and unload this thing with one person(not because the weight since I can lift 100 lbs easy, just the size an awkwardness of the boat. Its not on a trailer so I transport it in the bed of my SUV.) Anyway, most times we are fishing on it, the slightest breeze/current will move the boat out of position, which is a pain when bass fishing, especially with lures. We tried anchoring, but in such a small boat, its clumsy, and the anchors bang around the hull, and I am scared this will spook fish below. Not to mention whenever some gets hng up we have to pull up the anchors(one on each side to stop the boat from spinning in the wind) go get the bait circle back around.... I figured next time we go out, one person will act as the guide, and be in charge of boat control/positioning, and using the rear mounted trolling motor to keep the boat in position and fight the wind. Meanwhile, the other guy will fish for a specific amount of time, or until he catches a fish, then we'll change. I don;t know if anyone else is in the same position I am in, but I figured I;d share my solution to a problem I had, in case anyone else was facing such a dilemma. I figure fishing out of a canoe, small aluminum boat like mine, or a plastic Crawdad or Basshunter would create the same type of problem.

I was fishing a small secluded pond today and I got about 6-8 hits on a buzzbait. Thi spond is small, shallow, and has lots of pond scum due to the shallowness. Throwing anything subsurface results in reeling back a one pound pile of scum, then having to pick it off your lure. I though I'd throw a buzzbait, thus resulting in no scummy lures since I could buzz the lure right over the submereged algea beds. I got a bass my third cast. I missed quite a few since I was using a glass rod with a lot of bend, and also missed a nice sized one that exploded on it. I am positive I missed many of the fish due to the slower action of the glass rod. The bass were spitting it before I could jam the hook ito their jaws. The buzzbait is a great shallow water lure to use in small water like shallow coves or flats with lots of algea/weed growth. Bass cannot resist a chartuese buzzbait swimming along the surface. I never realized it until today, when I caught and landed my first bass, which the whole way into shore was spitting up the skeleton of a half digested frog, that a buzzbait must look like a swimming frog to bass. This was the second bass I have caught out of this particular pond that had a frog in its throat when caught. I'm going back to that pond and throwing the buzz on a nice fast action graphite rod and slammin the hook in that big un's mouth.

do you have a pic or a link?

its kind of out of the norm, but I bet a hungry fish would strike that thing if it were hungry. It doesn;t look any stranger than a chattr bait or a buzzbait

I am 21, and I have been borderline obsessed with fishing since a young boy. In the 10 years I have been fishing, I have came a long way. I have learned more about fishing than I have learned about certain subjects in school. I could fish all day everyday, and someday hope to(RETIREMENT!!!) My question is, what age is a good age to start tournament fishing. Up in Noprtheastern Massachusetts, bass fishing isn't so big. I live on the atlantic coast, so Striper fishing is big. I am not aware of any bass fishing clubs or organizations, but would like to tournament fish later in life after college when I have the money to purchase a bass boat and better gear. A lot of kids I work with golf, and they ask me to go play rounds with them, but it just doesn;t interest me. I am a fisherman at heart, and tournament fishign would be my equivalent to golf tourneys. I know for a fact there are many tourney anglers on this page, so any advice to a young kid hoping to fish them someday. When I am out of school I am co0ntemplating moving somewhere down south where fishing is more respected and honored than up north.

I'm sitting here drinking a half and half Cape Codder(half vodka half cranberry) and I just want to wish everyone good fishing. I just want to say I really enjoy posting and reading posts here on bass resource, since I can be in a community of others who share the interests and mind set that I have. Its tough to find other true anglers. I truly believe that fisherman are special. We are good hearted people who love nature and enjoy becomming closer with it through fishing. Not to mention catching fish is a rush in itself. But I found myself today putting my rod down for a few minutes and just enjoying the nature around me. I watched the geese and ducks graze on the grass, spyed on small schooling bass patroling the shoreline hunting small minnows, and watched blue gills jump out and grab insects. Catching a few little bass was a plus. I wish I had caught more and bigger fish, but as we all know thats not always the case. I liek to think that even if you spend a whole day fishing and not catch one fish, that one day, even though you caught no fish, still makes you a better fisherman in the long run. So, Cheers to all you fisherman out there. And someday may we all meet at the great lake in the sky, where there is no such thing as going skunked!