Although my tag on here is a minnow, I am anything but, when it comes to bass fishing.  I caught the bug early on in 1972, when

a friend of Jimmy Houston returned to Maine after going to Oklahoma University with him.  He knew all about spinnerbaits and

rubber worms, of which no one in Maine had a clue at that time.  Most of us purchased 8 inch Mann's worms at the time, as there

were huge bass all over Maine that had not been fished.  It was easy to go out and catch 25 five pounders a day, with an

occasional 8-10 lbs largemouth.  Those were great bass fishing days in Maine.  I purchased a Glastron bass boat, and joined

a club.  It turned out with 30 members I had the only original bass boat, and not a put together.  I served as club President in

1981-82.  I left the club scene to fish the East coast circuit for a few years.  in 1995 I left bass fishing to chase Bluefins like

you see on Wicked Tuna.  I did the same thing, and found out that you put even more money into that than bass fishing.  Now

I have come full circle, back to pouring my on jigs, and now pouring my own rubber.  I suspect I will join a local bass club in

June for the comraderie with fellow anglers.  I turned 70 last fall, but am still young at heart, and a go getter when it comes

to hunting and fishing.  Luckily I had a good work career, and retired in 2004, to hunt and fish full time.  I moved to an area

of Maine where there are many lakes and ponds.  The lakes here are all clear water, with some that have a visibility down

to almost 20 ft.  The water looks like stuff you bottle.  So the next 10 years of so, I hope to be chasing the bass again.  There

are a lot of bass boats and bass fishermen here now, but most have confidence in just a few chosen lures.  I find I have

strong confidence in 15-20 different setups.  We will see how I stand up to the younger guys this summer.

Awesome - welcome aboard.  Isn't amazing how our favorite hobbies and recreational activities end up costing more and more?

Yes it is, I had to step back to bass fishing, as everything for bluefin was way more.  I was lucky because I used

to build rods as a hobby, so built 3 130lb class bent butt tuna rods, that cost me about 300 each, then 3 Penn Senator II

130Lb class that cost over 1000 ea.  Fill them with line at 100 per pop.  Trolling squids rigs that had 15 seventeen inch

squids at 10 each on a trolling bar just to get 1 rod fishing.  It adds up fast.  I had a habit of making all my own rigs so

that saved me some, but gas in and out to the fishing grounds and in a short while you are broke.  The squid rigs were

for when the tuna were not hitting bait, so you had to troll, oh and then trolling you needed outriggers that went up

18 foot.  Then on top of that the US govt said you needed liferafts, epirb, survival suits, nav gear, whew.  I would have

been way ahead if I just stayed with bass.  I kept the tuna boat for 13 years, and when I sold it I was able to take the

money and pay cash for a new bass boat dressed completely out.  Now I am pouring lead, and plastic.  When

I quit before I was doing the lead jigs, but not the plastic.  I guess it is cheap compared to the Tuna.  Catching a bass

is a great feeling, but when you hookup with a tuna its a heart attack.  The thing I don't lack is experience and I think

I will surprise a lot of the younger fishermen.

Welcome aboard! I'd love to catch a tuna. Someday I will, though I prefer to stay within site of land, LOL.

Welcome.

 

The more "mature" guys we have the better.

welcome downeaster

Welcome Home!

Hello and welcome!

Welcom aboard ! Glad to see another Maine bass fisherman onboard.

Welcome!

 

Welcome to the forums!

A Big Welcome...All the way from Wise, VA...Stay Safe and Happy Fishing...

Tony

Welcome.............

Welcome to the forums!
 

Jeff

Welcome!