Taliesin

Those are some big gamefish, and 50# braid would be fine (as long as you use the steel leader others have mentioned). Now for BIG gamefish (flathead and blue catfish) braid is extremely common. And if you don't think catfish fight a lot, try it with a 50#+ flathead. Getting him to the boat the first time is a chore, then it's a real fight. BTW: Shark fishermen often use braid as well. And you can imagine the steel leaders they use.

I agree. Most everyone here has keyed in on the dragonflies, but the bluegill imitation may have been the ticket. A ratt-l-trap may have been the ticket here, just like bass feeding on shad. Another possibility would be a baby bass imitation.

I agree with the smaller hook theory here. What size hooks are you currently using? Try using a size #6. You'll probably catch whatever is bugging your bait, and find out that it is bluegill (or some other panfish). Or you can upsize your baits. Try using a 5" long shiner (or even bigger). I mention this due to your comment on the size of bass your friend has caught there. Another option is both. Use the smaller hooks and nightcrawlers to catch the bluegill and use the smaller bluegill for bait on a #2/0 hook (as long as it is legal in your state). My biggest Missouri bass (6.5#) came from using a 5" bluegill for bait.

It depends on the size of the shad they are chasing. My choices are: small shad: Tiny torpedoe 1/4 oz ratt-l-trap flukes small spoons in-line spinner large shad: Super Spook 1/2 oz ratt-l-trap large spoons All baits are lighter colored, ie. chrome, pearl, white, etc. A lot of times they will be white bass or hybrids (at least around here).

Coffee? Do I drink coffee? Not as much as I used to: 1/2 gallon a day and 4 Starbucks Frappucinos. Now it's 3 cups a day during the week (none after noon) and maybe 5 on the weekends. When I do drink it, it's either hot or cold, with cream or without, it might be flavored and it might not be, but it is always sweetened.

This part right here is what puts me off your Motorguide: After reading the reviews on Motorguides, they are good enough motors, but that GatorFlex 360 mount is a MAJOR downfall.

I don't think she'll have time to take names. She'll be too busy catching fish. We'll have to settle for initials.

I just checked www.nada.com on this, and one with no frills, no extras, and a 75hp motor runs between $7520 and $8550. $7K might just be a really good deal.

I love to catch bullfrogs!! Are you telling me I'm not grown up yet? That was always our time to be back too. I wouldn't want to be 9 again, but I wouldn't mind 13 or 14.

Well... Looks like someone caught my idea. The end of that thing is just like a crochet hook. Much handier to keep close to you though.

For urban survival? I'll stick with my battle axe. However, the cops don't like me carrying that. It is part of my home defense ensemble. Frankly, for a "true" survival knife, one where you expect to be out for weeks, you really don't want a super-tough knife. once that edge wears off, what are you going to do? I was taught that you want a knife that you can sharpen on a rock. The metal may not hold an edge long, but you can always sharpen it again. For a short-term survival situation, the "survival" knives work, but for a long-term situation I wouldn't want one. In either case, I'll take that hatchet with me too.

I've always been shy about asking permission to fish ponds too. Part of it is that many people stopped allowing anyone to fish their ponds due to irresponsible people trashing the places. However, the trend has started to fix itself. After denying permission to legitimate fishermen, they found out that it wasn't us trashing the ponds. A lot of them are allowing fishermen in again. I have had some that asked us to do some maintenance (very minor fence repair) in return for permission, so be prepared to do a little work. The most I did was a couple of hours a year. Once you do get permission, make sure you know what rules they want followed as far as what fish need to come out and what fish need to be released back in. One pond I have permission to fish in has flathead catfish in there. Once the owner found out that flatheads won't help keep a pond clean (and will try and eat his bass), he wanted them out. Around here I have a bit of an advantage though. Any of the ponds around here I want to fish at will be places to stop on the way home from work, so I would be asking while on the way home. It just so happens that I am in the Air Force and the people around here are mighty grateful for those of us in uniform. I do feel better about asking my neighbors than others on the way home though.

Good point. Around here it might be white bass, hybrids, crappie, or catfish. Quite often white bass and hybrids hang out right below a shad school, with the catfish hanging below them to catch pieces that float down. Or in the case of the bigger cats, feeding on the whites, hybrids, and crappie.

Ok... someone is going to laugh at me, but there is a better tool for this than a ball point pen... A crochet hook for small threads. Yeah... I know, but it really does work.

I do it too. There is one thing I do sometimes on long casts with a baitcaster that will confuse people. I cast with my right, but during the cast I will change hands and thumb the reel with the left. Then I am ready to retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water (just like a spinning reel with the handle on the left). I've thought about trying left-handed baitcasters, but I got to thinking about it. The reason I would change is so that my right hand could stay in one place all the time (like I do with spinning gear). However, during the cast my right hand is behind the reel and during the retrieve I hold it right at the reel so i would be changing hand positions anyway. I used to spend a lot of time sword fighting (Society for Creative Anachronism) and got used to using my off-hand a lot anyway. My right arm may be stronger, but not by much.

My preference is P-line CXX (moss-green. It's a very pale green), but I think you might find it too stiff (you specified a limp line). It's really strong, abrasion resistant, but a bit stiff compared to others at the same pound test. Also, I haven't found it in less than 15# test (I use the 15# on my mediums and 17# on my MH). I have heard the P-line CX isn't quite as stiff, but you loose some abrasion resistance and I fish around a lot of rocks. I haven't used it, but RoadWariror will probably recommend Yo-Zuri Hybrid line. I'm pretty sure it would fill your requirements, especially in the clear color. It's something I have been thinking about to replace my Power Pro braid (I don't like the visibility of Power Pro after the green leeches out). Line questions are always confusing, and every line will get good and bad reviews. You just have to try them yourself to see how they work for you. Power Pro and P-line work for me, but it's not the choice for some other people.

Ugly Stiks? I would have to say that I am a fan of them as I currently have 9 of them (from 4.5' to 15'). They do have their place. However, jigs and plastics aren't that place. Ugly Stiks do not have a fast or very fast action, and that's what you need for those jigs and plastics (and other slow lures). I do still use an Ugly Stik for pretty much everything else (especially catfishing). I haven't really had many complaints about Ugly Stik sensitivity. When I can feel a 3" bluegill twitching on a 12' Heavy action rod, it's sensitive enough for my catfishing. I just picked up a G. Loomis for my jigs and plastics. I've only been able to use it once, so I don't have a firm opinion about it's sensitivity yet. I think it's more sensitive, but still unsure if it was worth it ($200 vs. $60 for the Ugly Stik Pro Lite I was using). It's definately lighter, so on a marathon fishing trip it will save some fatigue.

I fish for too many species: LMB: 2 pounds. Been catching a lot of smaller ones around a pound each that's bringing down my average. Smallies and spots: 1 pound. Those smallies will attack lures they have no business trying to eat. Green sunfish: 6". Been catching a LOT of these while bass fishing Bluegill and other sunfish: 4". I caught a LOT of these yesterday. Channel catfish: 3#. Haven't been catfishing much this year. Blue cats: Haven't caught any this year yet, but last year my average was 5# Hybrid bass: 4#. Fun fighting fish White bass: 1#. Tons of fight for the size. A 1# white bass will outfight a 4# LMB.

I use quite a few topwater lures: Heddon Tiny Torpedoe. It's one of my most productive. Super Spook. Usually used for hybrids, but I have caught some black bass on it including a few 7" smallmouth. Rebel Jumbin' Minnow. Same as the Spooks. Buzz baits Frogs. I fish some very weedy ponds where you almost can't fish anything else. Bring them across the weeds and expect a hit when you bring it across a hole in the weeds. The frogs are a lure for a specific situation. If you don't have many weeds in your waters I probably wouldn't use them. But if you do have a lot of weeds, you can't live without them. Walking the dog can be interesting to learn. I learned it on the Super Spooks and have gone on to "walk" a Tiny Torpedoe with good results.

Something to think about with the low waters you are experiencing. It's a good time to go out and take a look at the cover around the shoreline. When you are out fishing later you will know EXACTLY what you are fishing. Personally, some of my best fishing is in lakes that are low. The fish have less room to hide. Make good use of your electronics and contour maps and you can find the fish conentrated in numbers you haven't seen before. When the lakes up a lot, I have problems.

I see this a lot in my lake as well. What I usually do follows: What size are the shad? Match the shad size with a rattletrap in chrome. Vary your retrieve and keep it just below the school of shad. My best hits usually come right after I give it a good jerk on the retrieve. Around here it's usually white bass and maybe hybrids eating them. White bass don't run very big (MO state record is less than 5.5#), but they do make a big noise. A couple of other options: Increase the rattletrap size to keep the smallest ones off Try a 6" fluke, weightless Zara Super Spook or Rebel Jumpin' Minnow in a light color. Walk them FAST. If it's hybrids, get ready for a good fight Sassy shads (2-6" depending on the shad size) on a jig head (1/16 to 1/2 depending on sassy size). With or without safety pin spinner added Rapala Countdown matched to shad size Inline spinner One of the biggest things is to match the shad size. You have to make the fish think it's part of the school that's been injured.

Well... I'll finally chime in on this one: Rods: Hmm... Anything by Zebco our Southbend made after 1975. Reels: Zebco 33s made after 1975, any zebco spinning reel... And... Any low profile baitcaster. Line: Southbend and Shakespeare mono... And any line that's on a rod/reel combo. Lures: Hmm... tough one here. I've caught fish with just about everything. There are a few baits I don't do well on, but it's just because I don't have confidence in them yet. Not long ago I would have said any crankbait, but now I have some confidence in them and they work for me. I never fell victim to the "newest lure that will outfish all others", so the flying lures, banjo minnows, etc. haven't been tried. Another thing I did get bit on though. Float stops. It's a little plastic piece that you put on your line before putting a sliding bobber on. It might work for mono, but it didn't work for braid at all. 10# test chewed them up like crazy.

I had to go the cheap route on the camera. It runs on 2 AA batteries and I keep 4 extras in the tacklebox. That's definately something I would have wanted a picture of. Congrats!

I have fished from shore for most of my life, and my methods differ depending on the size of the water I am fishing. Small waters (<15 acres): I'll take one pole and a few lures I think will work that day. I'll move all the way around the body of water and when I get back to my starting point I am done. Depending on the size of the water, the lures I am using, and how well the fish are biting, this can take as little as 25 minutes or as much as 4 hours. Larger waters: Most of the time I start out the same as on smaller waters, but end up going about a mile or two, then fishing my way back. It works for me, but lure selection is crucial here since the rest of your lures are back at the vehicle and may be up to 2 miles away. It's a great way to try out new baits. You are stuck with the bait you have, so you start to make the best of it. normally you end up catching something with it and confidence in the lure goes up. Or you may find new ways to work the same lure. I guess you could say that I normally troll the shoreline.

LooksLikeSinbad, You are penalized for dead fish. The penalty varies depending on who is running the tourney, but can run from 1/4 to 1 pound. DELee36, They did a study in Truman Lake here in Missouri and found several (large) bass that had been caught 3 times in one week. It seems that after they are released from a tourney at the ramp, they stick in that area for a little while. Now all the tourneys on Truman have a rule that you can't fish in the "No Wake" zones around marinas. I have caught "small" bass (<16") more than once in a trip. I have also had a few that got hooked and came right back to get caught. They will hit again, but they (normally) won't hit the same lure unless it is a plastic worm.