RSBreth

If you can fiz them - it's always good to have a spare... anything. Oh, and don't pitch them in the Flux Capacitor - you put them in the Mr. Fusion and THAT feeds into the Flux Capacitor. Do it right.

I've got a great new product - it's not just barbless --- it's hookless!!!! Yes, why by bothered by all the trouble of actually having to fight fish, or the major hassle of reeling them in when you don't have to! That's right - now finally a full line of lures for people who don't want to catch fish! HOOKLESSLURES.COM Is it just me or have the "interwebs" been "extra-spammy" this past week?

Just a couple of smaller Bass. I did see an Eagle though.

I wound up going over to the Finley - park/riverside area. Forgot to charge the battery on the truck I haven't been driving - so I didn't want to tie up the ramp with getting the canoe off the roof rack of the Jeep and all that.

"Because you know, once you've seen one pair of Breasts, you pretty much want to see all the rest of them". Ron White.

One word - AWESOME. Great report and great job there not wrenching the monster Bass's lower jaw by trying to get them horizontal with a one-hand grip. I need to get back to The Fork!

I was referring to someone else's post on that report from last year. We're good.

I bet there will be a few non-fishing kayakers, and a few people actually fishing, but most folk don't "get the boat out" until March. Or April. At least that's the way it's been for the last 16 years I've fished Lake Springfield. Remember this? March 2010 trip - Springfield Lake. There were only a few people just getting their boats out for the first time, and they weren't fishing that much - and that was March. Of course the dire predictions the one poster predicted could come true, and we have a convoy of people lined up at the ramp, all due to me posting too much information. O.K. - Probably not. The hot water outlet will probably still look kind of like a crowded homeless camp, but that's almost any Warm day in winter.

But Lake Springfield looks mostly thawed out. Surely the fish are bound to be moving around a little this weekend - I'll have to go check on that and see.

Just make sure you're careful with a chambered round in a pocket auto. They really need a good holster - that's why I'm pretty fond of small J-frame revolvers for pocket carry. Hold up to getting bumped around and lint a little better than most auto's do. I know a couple of people who have Kel-Tec's and have no problems. Personally - I'd let the "new" wear off anything first to get the bugs out before I'd stake my life on it - no matter what it costs.

If you think that's what I was trying to say I wasn't clear. If one day a #10 Husky Jerk works better than a Pointer or an Ima (or even the Megabass) - it's clearly the better lure - at that time. If the Megabass is the "one" that day, then yeah, it's better - that day. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking a certain lure is magic - then you quit looking for the better lure for any situation - no matter the price.

I have jerkbaits going back to AC Shiners and Rapala Original Minnows drilled out and weighted all the way to modern one like Pointers, Daiwa TD Minnows, Jackall, etc. Sometimes one works better than another in a certain situation, but I'll have to disagree that one bait is always better than another. I've outfished my partner who was throwing XRaps and Pointer's with the original Suspending Rogue. The ones I bought at Wal-Mart, too. For the bargain shopper, look what is now posted at Lurepartsonline.com: Just add split rings and hooks. You're welcome.

He was also using a craw colored DT6 after the Wart bite died on a spot. Dig around some more.

Kings River -AND the water flowing from a big storm was warmer than the lake water AND it was a little dirty. Not gonna help you if you think you'll go to that area at the same time of year and do the same thing. Unless the conditions are exactly the same. I doubt it. Bonus points: What crank was he using? Or just brushing up on your B.A.S.S. history?

One other thing - sometimes it's not the lure you use for big Browns, but the time you use it. If it's a clear night with a bright moon, then dusk until full dark is good, but if it's been cloudy for a few days (especially with a warming trend) before daylight until dawn can be better. I catch most of my big Browns in the hour before dawn - year-round.

Yeah, the only one I have used broke like this, too. So I guess I'd say the if I had only one color to choose from it would be any color XCailbur XS4.

Yes the "Float and Fly". The hot new technique - that's about 30-years old, if not older. Seriously, it does work, but I find that if you can get them to hit a suspended jig, you can get them to hit a suspending jerkbait, and the jerkbait fish tend to be bigger. A couple I keep bookmarked on this topic: In-Fisherman - Advanced Float and Fly Technique. And a counterpoint - Float and Fly- can make you laugh or cry.

I'm mostly using hi-vis 4/10 Fireline or 4/15 Stren Superbraid as my main line, and then a leader about 7' or 8' long - Orvis Mirage fluorocarbon in either 1X or 2X. Like I have for years. This is on spinning tackle.

It's going to be a lot easier to learn these days then it was "back in the day". Lots of good help here - I'm sure between fly shops, here, and Youtube we can get you started. Mostly fishing for Trout, or anything? If you're into Panfish or Bass on fly gear that's another fun aspect of tying - poppers and terrestrials. I think most everyone has the basic list right, but in my mind it's the vise (and a place to use it) a bodkin, the thread and bobbin, a sharp pair of scissors, the hooks, and then everything else is the materials needed to tie a particular fly. Last is some head cement. I'd start with the bugger - it's a good basic do-everything fly.

Crankbaits, and suspending jerkbaits would be my first pick, then inline spinners and spoons. Cast across the current and work your lures so they "swing" past current breaks. Try high in the water column at first then dig deeper with each swing. After trying several lures in each spot, move on to the next.

You could also check out the co-angler side of FLW Events - the ones I've fished in the past have been really good.

Nah, just saying politics in general is like what you guys are doing here with this thread. The "urban" thing bugging you, I think, is called "projection". ... And ... I'm out.

Fixed it for you there. You ever wonder why I never get in the middle of these? Now go back to grinding your axes...

Yeah - that Scott/Ross combo in 6-weight would be a sweet deal worthy of the road trip. Or arrange shipping. Great deal. Jump on it.

I would go to the Bass Pro Outlet Store and check the fly gear there first before you buy new. I've seen TFO - Bass Pro brand, and St.Criox rods marked way down the past couple of trips. Yeah - you won't get top of the line with that budget, but I have had some good experiences with "cheap" (150$ or so) rods. Matter of fact, one of my favorites for Smallmouth is a discontinued Bass Pro brand 4-piece 6-weight I got for a steal. I'd worry more about the rod than anything else at first. If you are ONLY Bass fishing maybe a 7-weight, but learning to cast - I'd say 6-weight.