Taliesin

Would a 28 year old brunette count? To be fair though, if I take her I would also be taking her 8 year old nephew, so it would count.

White with chrome blades works for me, but that is probably due to the large numbers of small shad we have here right now.

A couple of things I keep in my boat: Emergency flashlight (crank powered, never worry about batteries. I'm often out late) Rain gear normal (legally required) safety gear extra life vests prop wrench and spare prop spare hat sun block insect repellant I ALWAYS make sure my batteries are full up before I head out. EDIT--- Thanks to GeorgiaSpotSticker's reminder I have to add that I always check my oil before going out too. As my boat ages (only 2 months old right now) I'll add to this. A couple of things I keep on my body while fishing: digital camera TP long nose pliers hook sharpener

I have to agree with 2 people here: In-line spinners Beetle-spins (also known as safety pin spinners) I have killed bass with these.

A Dives To 16? That's not too big for bass at all. That lure got me third place in a local tourney 7 weeks ago (shad color though).

I think he is talking about cutting just the hook that is pointing forward. It leaves a double hook with both hooks facing against the lure. Another option is to replace the treble with a double. Neither of which really help me all that much. It's the rear hook that always gets me hung.

You did say that price is part of the issue, so: Any soft plastic that is over 40 cents each. Any hard lure over $8 Any spinner over $5. I have or can get similar that will catch the same fish for less.

Hmm... I'm one of the middle-of-the-road people. If you are a fisherman, and have your own gear, I might loan a lure or two, but no rods-and-reels (unless things like theft or vandalism occur). I do have some gear (mostly catfishing) that is just for loaning out. I tend to take some of my friends out that haven't fished in years or never fished. They don't have tackle, so I offer to let them use mine. However, baitcasters are never loaned out. I don't have any spincasters, so they get to use (and maybe learn) spinning reels.

Something I didn't see mentioned, but I put to good use fairly often: Large unweighted plastics, and I do mean LARGE. Watching a big bass suck an 18" plastic worm through the weeds will get your heart pumping. Unweighted plastics will slide right over that moss just like your frogs do.

I had to vote Abu for a couple of reasons (though for spinning reels I like Shimano). I HATE low profile baitcasters. Almost all Abu Garcias have levelwinds that move during the cast. It's very rare in other reels. The other companies that make baitcasters this way only do so for specific sizes of baitcaster. No low profile reel does it either and it's one of the reasons I dislike them. Good quality reels for the price that will last a lifetime if taken care of. I use them for many different species and the hold up to my smaller catfish as well (less than 30#).

It is a sign.... A sign that you aren't a BlackBassaholic, but are a Fishaholic just like me. If it swims, I'll try to catch it.

Something for those of you that don't like the idea of wasting the fish: You might think about using a pressure cooker and cook the fish until the bones are soft. If you don't care to eat the fish, it still makes good dog and cat food. Also, fish makes a good fertilizer. I totally agree that these fish need to come out of the water. If I can find a good use for it, even better.

My suggestion would be to use some live bait. Best bet is to catch some of those baitfish and use them. This will really tell you what kind of fish they are. It's possible they are bass, but it's also very possible that it is catfish. It surprises a lot of people, but catfish do act like bass at times and often feed in the shallows.

I always direct tie, and for one reason: After a fish or two (or a hangup, or rubbing on a rock, etc.), the line near the lure can be damaged. I am always clipping off my lure and re-tieing anyway. I would end up tieing to the snap over and over again anyway. "Most" of the time a snap will affect the lures action ("usually" not for the best), so I won't use it. There are a couple of instances where I do use one, but they are very rare (C-rig is one).

I agree somewhat... The speedo is just a "fun to have", but I do use the trim indicater at times. Partly because I am a fairly new boat owner. It does help me aout some. I can get by without it, but I do find some use for it.

I have a Mercury Optimax 200. The hole in the front of the lower unit for the speedometer is plugged. The normal method of clearing it is with a 3/32" drill bit turned by hand. Problem is, it got jammed too deep for the drill bit to reach. Those drill bits are only about 3 or 4" long, and it's about an inch past that. Anyone have any ideas about how to get the wood out of that hole? I have looked, but I haven't been able to find a longer drill bit in that size. I found them in 1/8", but that's just a hair too big.

I'm not much of a crappie fisherman, but if I had to try and catch one without live bait I would go with small maribou jigs (used to be called crappie jigs) under a bobber. For bluegill I really like small in-line spinners (Roostertails) and small safety pin spinners (Beetlespins). Thes will also catch occassional crappie.

I think your problem may be too much weight for the rod. Depends on what you call "small" split shot and bobber. It also depends on how deep you are fishing with that bobber. With my ultralight I usually use a tiny bobber (1/2" diameter) and one tiny split shot (1/64 oz), and a small piece of worm on a #10 hook. This worked great even with a 4' 6" Ugly Stik. That giant nightcrawler is probably enough weight by itself. With all of that, you might move up to a Light combo. BTW: My crappie rod is a 7' ultralight, and they make them longer.

I have to say bluegill. Second would be the striper hybrids (wipers), but you don't list those. I agree with TheRedTorpedoe on that one. Deep, fast runs are a lot of fun. These are the fish that have made my drag scream more than any other.

Not just biodegradable, but safe for the fish to eat too. Regular plastics will eventually pass through a fish's system, but take up stomach room until this happens. With the gummi worms they at least get something out of it... A bass with a sugar high... That's a funny thought

You are too late on the Gummy Worms... They are well known in some areas to catch bass rigged like a plastic worm.

I don't normally fish with red hooks, but if I did... Topwaters would have red hooks. Other than that it depends on water clarity. Clear water allows red to pass through up to 8', and muddy water up to 1'. If I am fishing shallower than that, red hooks might make a difference.

My technique here is really a crappie technique. Slip bobber with a jig. For the crappie and white bass I use 1/16 oz jig, and for black bass and hybrids I use 1/8 to 1/4 oz jigs (or bigger if I can find a big enough slip bobber).

They have become enough of a problem in Missouri that it is illegal to put a live asian carp in the water no matter how you got it and no matter what size it is. I caught one in a throw net out of the Lake of the Ozarks last year about 3" long. I used it for live bait, but as of this year, you can't even use them as live bait, but must kill them first (and they work really well for flathead cats if they are live).

That has to be the biggest minnow I have ever seen... Really... Minnow a family of fishes closely related to carp, and included shiners. There is a species of minnow in California that grows to over 10#.