luckyinkentucky

I like to use dark colors this time of year. Right when the bass get ready to fatten up for the winter 'lay over' they eat almost anything they can get their mouths around. I've caught them on everything from black 10" worms to Yum Crawdads. I prefer the dark colors since they are easier to see in the dirtier waters.

I talked to my Home Owner's Agent, and they are going to cover it. I also picked up some of these to rig up to my boat when I'm not around. http://safetyandsecuritycenter.com/strobmotalwi.html I've got the perfect place to put them so that they will cover my back deck which is the point of entry. I tested one today, and they are loud as all get out. This thing is as loud as a 'Screamin' Meany'.

Lay back, throw down a few Oat Sodas, and play some BPS Trophy Bass 2007 on the PC. That's what I did when I was laid up for 6 weeks because of a torn meniscus. It was worse than jail for me, and it happened right when the Stripers started running at KY Lake.

Get some practice plugs like these ..... . Next, get a few old buckets, or some old tires and set them out at various distances in the back yard. Then move on to obstacles like putting a sawhorse in front of the tire. After a week or so of doing this an hour a day you will be hitting coffee cans. I have a few of the Pinnacle Extant Baitcasters, and they aren't very forgiving in my opinion. They are good reels, but they aren't forgiving. Whatever you do don't get frustrated, and just keep practicing. Remember the best way to get out a backlash is to crank the reel once until it engages. Loosen out the drag entirely, and pull it out by hand. I don't know how many friends I've had that gave up on baitcasters, because they didn't understand the 'birds nest' concept or how to properly get one out.

Well .... here's the update. The insurance company a.k.a. Progressive Insurance Co. DENIED the claim! They stated the boat wasn't in a 'proper storage facility' at the time of the theft, and evidently my fenced in back yard doesn't count! They said it had to be in an enclosed storage facility like a garage for them to cover the claim. Needless to say I am cancelling my policy with them as we speak, and going with Kentucky Farm Bureau.

It almost had to be done by an adult. I am 6'2" @ 270 lbs., and I had trouble carrying all that gear at once just because of the awkwardness of it. I couldn't imagine someone smaller, lighter, and having shorter arms than me trying to walk away with it. I seriously doubt I will ever recover it. We had a bank robbery last week as well, and I think most of the attention is focused on that. The word is out to all of the local 2nd hand sporting goods shops in the Tri-State area. Also, the Pawn Shops have to report daily sales to the Police, so they check pawn tickets daily. Hopefully my obsession with finding it will bring about something.

I hate to say it, but I had $1500 worth of my fishing gear stolen from my boat sometime on the night of Saturday, Sept. 22nd or early morning of the 23rd. The thief or thieves made of with a BPS Pro Qualifier rod 7' & Pro Qualifier Spinning reel combo, a BPS Bionic Blade Spinning rod with a Pro Qualifier reel, a Plano 737 tackle box with $500 worth of tackle, and my Black & Blue Quantum worm back that had close to 50 bags of various plastics in it last time I counted. Insurance only covers $750 of it after the $250 deductible, so I'm out the rest. :'( The nerve of some people! The boat was parked underneath my backyard utility light in the back drive, so they had to go around my house, and get into my boat to get the stuff out. I'm wondering if it's someone I know since my stuff wasn't in plane sight, and I had a brand new Minn Kota Powerdrive V2 mounted to the bow that they didn't touch. They had to go up to my boat, and look in to see what was in there. That was when they decided to take what was mine! > The police are 'actively pursuing any leads' as if that makes me feel any better. :

I've never seen one that makes noise, but I use the Bass Pro Shop's Floating Mouse with a lot of success. Here is a link to the ones I use. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_29941_100007008_100000000_100007000_100-7-8

Are there any out there? I've thought a a lot recently about joining a club, but haven't seen any clubs around my area.

Welcome to the board. I live in KY too, and reside in Owensboro. I fish Lake Beshear, Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Lake Malone, and the Ohio River a whole lot. Where are you from?

I would fish this area with a top water lure, a floating plastic worm, and a spinner bait with a colorado blade using the wake retrieve. You might also try some weightless plastic frogs with weed guards on them. Cast it out, and after you feel the resistance of the vegetation start with a pull and reel retrieve. Also, I would use a 30lb. braid like Spiderwire with a 18" to 2 ft. leader of 12 to 17 pound mono or fluorocarbon line. I like to use a #5 barrel swivel when I use braid because of the tendency of the plastics to twist. Then again, with vegetation that thick you might be able to get away with tieing on straight to the braid since the vegetation could mask the line, and you'd have a better feel for and control of the bait. One that I like to use is Berkley Powerbait Realistix. Here is a link. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/prod.php?k=74926&sk=74917&p=PURSCKF4-AL My local bait shop keeps these in stock for me since I go through them like hot cakes. I bet that I've bought 15 packs of them since they came out. Bass love 'em, but they only have about a medium durability because of what the frog is made of. I'll trade durability for catching fish all day long!

We have a lot of 'free advertised' deals around here too. I ran across a lady the other day who had 3 ski boats for $75 each without motors, and one inboard that looked really rough without a lower unit. When I went to look at them all of the trailer tires were rotten, the trailers didn't have a speck of paint on them from all the rust, but the boats would float. The only downside is that I would have to spend $400 on upholstery, $300 on carpet, and another $4000 to $6000 on a new outboard, or a complete overhaul on the inboard which would be roughly $2500. I suspect he could get one of the boats I am talking about and put a 100 lb. thrust trolling motor on it, and have a fixer upper for later. Now that I think about it one of the ski boats was a 16 footer. I just got a new perspective on the whole idea.

Like they said the bigger you can afford is better. You will be able to fish more stably in a lot of different conditions the bigger the boat. I would go for a 20 since they aren't that much different in price. Also, invest in a keel guard. They are a lifesaver in rocky lakes, and can make the difference between a hole in your hull and a scuff on the keel guard.

Found a steal at the local dealer, and had to take it. The boat wasn't there more than a week, and I went to sign the papers for the transfer today. $8000 and the boat without ANYTHING is worth that. Scoped and checked compression, and she purrs like a kitten. No blowback, still shiny cylinders, and fires right up like a new motor. They installed a new bilge pump and water pump just because I'm paranoid. Heck of a dealer to work with. It's a '95 Skeeter SL200 with an Evinrude 200hp Vindicator, and a tandem trailer with all the bells and whistles. I saved $3000 from what I had budgeted for another boat this summer, so I'm gonna go to Bass Pro tomorrow, and pick up a Hummingbird 997c Hi-Def Side Imaging Fishfinder combo to add to the drivers console, and a Lowrance X135 to mount to the forward platform. Here are some picks right before pickup. There's not a scratch on her, and the sun really glares off of that color. Talked the wife out of a Bayliner to get this one. With this color it's gonna be hard to go back to my 19 ft. Nitro. ;D

I'd have the engine scoped. If it's a 2 stroke he could have run it out of oil for a long time without noticing it. If that's the case you'll have a pretty heavy canoe before too long. Also, go ahead and replace the bilge pump, and I'd have the water pump checked out while I was at it. He could have known exactly what he was doing. If in fact everything is on the up and up you got a steal. I ran into a similar deal not too long ago, but I'm glad I passed. It was an early 90s Javelin with a 125 Evinrude on the back. The guy that bought the boat ended up getting out on the water, and his boat cavity filled with water since the bilge pump was out.

My nephew is having a fit to get out on the water near where he lives. He's not wanting a high end boat at this point since he is only 16 yrs. old, and can't really afford payments and insurance right now. To make a long story short he is contemplating buying the pontoon style trolling boat from Bass Pro Shops, so that he can get out on some 50 acre ponds, and strip pits around his place. I wouldn't know the first thing about these boats since I have never even looked at one, but I was hoping maybe some of you have. I was trying to talk him out of the 14 ft. Jon boats since he needs to trailer them, and the one he was looking at costs around $800 plus another $600 or more for a trailer. With these little Pontoon style boats he can throw them in the back of his truck, and go on his way. Just in case some of you aren't familiar with them I will post a link at the bottom of the page. Opinions? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_30339_200004001_200000000_200004000_200-4-1 Again, the places he will fish will be calm / no wake ponds and small lakes.

It all depends on water clarity. For clear water I always fish natural colors, and sometimes I fish metal flake. For murky / muddy water I fish bright or black. For tinted I fish bright, black, or natural.

I didn't read all of the replies, but I will try and respond the best I can. There are several colleges out there that have collegiate bass fishing teams as an official chartered sport. I looked for your state of residence, but I couldn't find it. Here in Kentucky we have Murray State University, Eastern KY university, and I believe Northern KY state is starting a collegiate bass fishing team. As for the degree you should go for. I would choose something to do with Wildlife Biology, like myself, or something in the Fisheries / Forestry area. Auburn University in Alabama has the best Wildlife Biology programs in the country.

There have been a lot of good points made here, but now I will add my 2 cents. I prefer to fish from the back of the boat for a few reasons. Even when alone I sometimes seat up at the aft. First, you can see what the fisherman in the front is offering the fish, and you can see what isn't working. The next thing is he is more than likely waking up the fish from what I like to call their 'hot summer slumber'. By the time he gets to you fishing that spot they may be ready to bite at what you have to offer, and then again it may take 2 or 3 casts in the same place to get their attention. In July, and into the beginning of August I look for reactionary bites in shallower waters. Now if I'm fishing the deeps right at the thermocline they're usually always pretty active with what I have to offer. Hope this helps.

I like the 4" Zoom lizards as well. I usually rig them with a Mister Twister unweighted keeper hook size 1/0 or 2/0 with a 3/16 or 1/4 ounce bullet weight rigged texas style. The color I usually go with are the June bug or pumpkin. Also, I make sure to hook the bait in the side instead of the bottom since this allows for more fluid movement.

Also, there is a very helpful and interesting site I have found just recently. http://www.myoutdoortv.com/ Look down at the 'Shows' tab at the bottom of the page, and you will see 'Bill Dance'. Hit that, and go to the show topic that has drop shotting in the title. It's a pretty informative show. Hope I helped.

I've had luck on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley with them. I usually rig them with a glass bead above the hook with a 1/2 ounce Tungsten bullet weight above that. The largest I've caught on them was a 9 1/2 pounder post spawn in the middle of last month. It was around 6pm and I was fishing the old river channel on Kentucky Lake. That's my main experience with them to speak of. I've caught various sized Largemouth in shallow areas with them around lilly pads, and cat tails but nothing larger than 4 pounds.

If I had to pick only 2 sunny day lures I would go with a wacky rigged Yum Dinger or other stick bait, or a 8" King Kong Swim Bait tied to a 7' MH rod with a baitcast reel loaded with 30lb. test. I'm a big game fisherman on warm sunny days.

The only problem I have with the $1 Wal-Mart spinner baits is that the wire frame tends to bend easier, and become flexible under heavy use. After 10 casts the wire starts to get a little flimsy, and I have problems with the spoons clattering against the hook body. Most of the time there is a reason you only pay a budget price for a bait, and that's because they use materials that aren't as expensive or durable as the more expensive lures. Like I said, that's the only thing I don't like about them. I like to retrieve my spinner baits with a fast action most of the time, and I'm hard on them. That's why I invest in more expensive tackle.

Just got back from my local Wal-Mart, and noticed the clerk in the sporting goods section going through the reels in the case putting reduced prices on them. I usually don't buy my rods or reels from Wal-Mart, but I just couldn't pass this up. Pinnacle Extant Baitcasting reels the ELP10 model was $19.95 a piece marked down from $49.99. They had to make room for new inventory, so they are reducing them across the country. Didn't know this until my step-dad became a manager there, but when one Wal-Mart reduces something they all do across the country. It's a country wide reduction of prices. So, if the Zoom soft plastics are $2.49 at your local Wal-Mart you can count on them being the exact same price around the US. Needless to say I went ahead and bought all three of them since they make good gifts for the beginning angler, and I may even throw one on my river rod. Just a heads up in case you are looking for a medium quality baitcasting real.