Taliesin

My favorite: Why Be Normal? Others: It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack My imaginary friends think I have a mental problem Just because I am paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me I'm here. What are your other two wishes? Ammo Troop. If I am running either something has gone terribly wrong, or someone just tapped a fresh keg. I went crazy so I wouldn't go insane. Did it work? Cute but psycho. Things even out. Will work for sex. (the guy that wore this said it actually worked) There are too many others that I just cn't remember right now.

I have only caught cats on 2 lures: Roostertail: All the time. I even target them with this one in one pond here on base. Super Spook Excalibur: once while fishing for hybrids.

Wow... you call 5' visibility slightly stained? Hmm... Maybe this goes back to what LBH was asking. If you are used to fishing "extremely clear" water, maybe your perception of what is clear and what is muddy changes? Maybe we need to see what people's definitions of clear and muddy are. To me, clear is at least 4' visibility and muddy is 2". Slight stain allows 3 to 4', with stained running 1 to 3'. Very stained (or slightly muddy) is 3" to 1'. Maybe this goes back to my farm pond roots where the ponds were usually kept stirred up by catfish and cattle.

Here's the quote of the day: Very true. you just have to fins what retrieve they want. Sometimes it is fast and constant, sometimes it's slow, sometimes you need to vary the retrieve. I have had times where any retrieve worked and I have had times where only one would work and I had to find it. Someone else mentioned the hooks. I replace all the hooks on the 'traps. The ones they come with aren't very good.

Raul has hit the nail on the head here. All of my catfishing gear is spinning gear. I've been using spinning gear for so long, that I am more accurate with it. And I ain't fishing for the little guys. I'm fishing for catfish that will eat a 10# bass if given a chance. I don't know of many baitcasters that are meant to be used with 50# test line, but I do know of several spinning reels that are meant for it. Only one thing he was a little off on. Spinning gear wins casting competitions when using 3oz or less and the US record at 2oz is 347 feet, with baitcasting coming in at a little over 300. Still, casting distance differences are very limited with the type of fishing we do.

I don't know that I would call it free. How much time would I spend searching for replacements for my current reels (that are going to outlast me) and how much would I spend to replace them? I have thought about switching, but I can't seem to do it. However; just like rod and reel preferences, it's all personal preference. What works for one person doens't work for everyone.

Ain't that the truth. I can't stand low profile reels, so I can't give much advice there. And I really like the fact that the line guide follows the line during the cast on the Ambasseduers. It not a feature you find on very many baitcasters (and no low-profiles have it). With good care an Ambasseduer will outlast you. That kind of quality is something I look for. Then again, it's just my personal preference and may not be what you are looking for. I won't even reccomend the rod I use because I am one of the rare people that they work for and I would be laughed off the forums. ;D The rod Lucky Craft Man suggested is a good one for your plastics and other single-hook lures. My best recommendation is to find a way to try out some rods and reels so you aren't buying half-blind. Coming here and asking keeps you from buying totally blind, but it can't replace using the equipment.

10 and 12" is big?!? When I talk big worms I like the ones 15+". I love these for fall fishing. I just can't seem to find many of them any more. Can anyone tell me where I can buy 18" worms? Bass LOVE these in the fall. One thing though: using bigger baits means the smaller fish won't go for it as much. True story from BASS's magazine around 25 years ago: Fellow was using a 15" worm and caught a 12" bass (legal limit where he was). Took it home, cleaned it, and pulled out an 18" snake from the stomach.

I'll have to respectufully disagree with RW on one little thing. G Loomis and St Croix are good, but I have to go with Abu Garcia for the reel (Shimano is my choice for spinning reels though). However, that depends on whether you prefer low profile reels or old-fashioned rounds. You can get a good Ambasseduer reel for 70 to 100 (depending on your chioce), and then have plenty left for a quality rod (and more tackle). If you prefer the low profiles, I can't say much. The Abu Garcia Revo is talked about a lot, but won't leave as much for your rod. Of course all of this depends on what kind of lures you plan to use it for. And remember, any suggestions here are personal choices. What works for one person may not work for you.

I have to join the "stained" club here. I have fished many ponds with a wide variety of water clarity. Since I tend to fish shallow, clear water allows the fish to see me too easily and they get a bit skittish. I can catch a few fish in really clear water, a few more in really muddy water, but one to two feet of visibility is where I do really well.

Well... I've been fishing ponds and small lakes most of my life from shore. On these ponds I can almost always manage to avoid the skunk-monster. How I approach the water depends on how weedy the place is. If it has good weed cover, I'll be fishing the edges of it and any holes in it. Concentrate on any timber that might be mixed with the weeds. I'll usually use spinners, plastics, and weedless frogs or weightless plastics for the thickest weeds. If there are too many weeds, I'll use a weedless frog or weightless plastic to fish the holes in the weeds. Topwater action all day long. For both of these I will also use heavy weighted plastics. Punch a hole in the thin parts of the weeds to get to the bigger bass. For ponds lacking vegetation, take a look at the lay of the land. Points, laydowns, timber, channels, and dropoffs near the dam (most farm ponds build the dam from earth dug up just upstream of it). These are the areas I concentrate on. Crankbaits, plastics, and spinners are my baits of choice here. If vegetation is present, but very limited, concentrate on it during the morning or evening, but treat it as a bare pond during the middle of the day. For both of these I love using Tiny Torpedoes in the morning and evening (and during the day around any trees that overhang the bank). My personal best came from a farm pond in Oklahoma with limited vegetation. A 4" shallow running "shad" crankbait across a flat with 4 or 5" of vegetation on the bottom about 5 or 6' from the channel brought up a 6.5#er at about 8:30 am. The toughest pond I fished was a "double" pond. It used to be two ponds, and the dam between them was overrun. Two "ponds" with road-like structure running through the middle (2' deep). The toughest part of it was that it was fed by an underground hot-water spring. I never did get to fish the place during the winter. Would have been great then. One of the great things about some ponds is that you can fish the opposite bank with good casts. This is especially true of the long and thin ponds that are basically a wider section of a creek. These are also the easiest to "read" as the channel will almost always be in the middle and any underwater points will be extensions of the visible points.

My reason for using spinning reels with the handle on the left is that my right hand never moves. It stays right at or just forward of the reel (at the center-of-balance). With the baitcaster, I hold the rod at or just forward of the reel, but cast with my hand behind the reel. If I used a reel with the handles on the left I would be switching hands twice to get the my right hand to the center-of-balance for the rod/reel combo. It works for me to use them in the "old-fashioned" way. I am also almost as strong with my left as I am with my right.

Fun bass fishing fact... Gummyworms DO work. I see no reason why strawberry licirice wouldn't too. I would leave the black licorice to the catfishing. Channels love anise (a lot like licorice).

I have. At least if you count 4# as decent.