OK, So Tell Us About Your ...

My best trip of the year was probably the outing in Georgia I got to
share with Ronnie Garrison, on West Point. We didn't catch a whole lot, but
it sure was nice getting out on a lake in March, and catching a couple
decent fish! In Indiana, I'm lucky to catch a fish in March. It was nice
to be able to get out on a lake that you always hear a lot
about...especially with someone who knows a thing or two about the lake! It
was also nice getting a chance to meet someone from the group...

Maybe we can get together again this coming March, Ronnie? I hope to be
making another trip down to see the grandson, and plan on having a boat with
me this time!
--
Andrew Kidd

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
...best bass trip of 2004.

Everyone?

Happy & Healthy Holidays to You All!

--
Warren

http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions

Maybe we can get together again this coming March, Ronnie?

Come on down - I can go any day of the week that ends in a "y" - and you don't
need a boat - I still got two!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Thanks Ronnie! You just never know...but it looks like a distinct
possibility!

I'll be sure to give you a little notice if I head that way!

--
Andrew Kidd



"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
Maybe we can get together again this coming March, Ronnie?

Come on down - I can go any day of the week that ends in a "y" - and you
don't
need a boat - I still got two!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Maybe we can get together again this coming March, Ronnie?

Come on down - I can go any day of the week that ends in a "y" - and you don't
need a boat - I still got two!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
...best bass trip of 2004.

Everyone?

Happy & Healthy Holidays to You All!

I have had many great bass trips in 2004, but one does stick in my mind.
The 2004 Southern Classic had to be the best of the year. I mean, I caught
my biggest largemouth, which also was Big Bass of the tournament, played
with a gator and spent time with good friends.

How much better can that get?
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Well, I was hoping someone would ask.

Southern Wisconsin lake, June..about mid-morning and rainy/misty. A light
wind was blowing, keeping the top ruffled up. After trying spinnerbaits;
plastics; spoons; plugs; etc. I went to a top-water. I was throwing a
frog-colored small PoP-R. NO hits at all, when I dragged; popped; and
slurped it, slowly, across the surface.

For some unknown reason, I started working it, across that same water, as
fast as I could. It looked like a very scared baitfish trying to get away
from something!

TEN Largemouth bass hit over the next hour or so. The explosions from
underneath looked like bombs dropping from the sky. Three got away. The
remaining 7 ranged from one lb to 3/ 4/ 4.5/ 5/ 5.5 and a 6. They all
pulled me around the boat and were netted; admired; and released. No camera
in the boat... but the pictures in my mind are indelible.

I never had a day like that before, and probably will never have a day like
it again. I fished the same spot a dozen times later in the year.
Occasionally caught a 3 or a 4lbr...but NOTHING like that one special day.

Thanks for asking!
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

Lake Okeechobee was a great time with friends and fishing.

Happy Holidays
Chris S

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
...best bass trip of 2004.

Everyone?

Happy & Healthy Holidays to You All!

--
Warren

http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions

.best bass trip of 2004.

The Georgia Top Six - a close second is the NWC!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

No doubt the trip to El Salto was tops for me. We're already planning
our trip in '06

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
...best bass trip of 2004.

Everyone?

Happy & Healthy Holidays to You All!

--
Warren

http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions



Largemouth: I'd have to say an early March trip to Falls of the Neuse Lake
(known locally just as Falls Lake, North of Raleigh NC). Hit the water just
as sun was breaking and by 2 PM had boated 15 fish between me and my partner
for the day (not a tourney situation). Seems like every spot we went that
day we managed to catch at least 1 fish. I got my 04 season record 8.7 lb
fish that day and my partner (good friend and neighbor) caught his first 10+
lb bass that day (10.5). It was a great day to be alive. Most of those fish
were caught on small (1/4 ounce maybe?) chrome Rat-L-Traps, as the water was
still chilly and was stained up pretty good. We measured up and photographed
my buddies' hawg and a nice repro hangs in his den of her today while she is
presumably still "out there somewhere" swimming around..

Striped: A tie. Went to Kerr Lake (Buggs Island, NC/VA line) early in the
season and mopped up, don't even know how many we boated, likely just shy of
25 that day. Largest one tipped the Berkley scale at just over 15 lbs. That
was my first experience catching those fish on "Bucktails" and other jigs
like the Crippl'd Shad. Up to then we had always slow trolled live shad for
them. This was also the first time I can say I caught and landed a fish from
a depth greater than 100' (right in front of the dam, which releases the
Roanoke River to run down to Lake Gaston IIRC).

Also, later in the Spring we went for Stripers out at the coast (where they
are called Rockfish more often than not) and ended up in my neighbor's boat
this time (I have the bass boat, he has the 23' Grady White). Some locals
told us the rockfish were nailing the "Stretches" out in the Oregon Inlet.
So we spent the rest of that day/night looking for the "Stretches" (turned
out to be the deep diving Mann's cranker know as the Magnum Stretch series)
since the wind was coming from the NE and the next day called for a shift to
wind from the West (a must for inlet fishing at the Grave Yard of the
Atlantic). Went out that next morning with a new collection of 25'+ diving
crankbaits, enjoying the nice Westerly that had the ocean and the inlet
laying relatively flat, and again mopped up. This time the fish were
enormous (to us). We each boated fish over 35 lbs that day. We kept a couple
total of the 20#ers for the table, and I took some photos of my largest one
(37#) so one day maybe I can get a repro done. I am relatively sure that is
the largest fish I have ever caught, fought and landed in my life. I have
boated several large king mackeral before, but none of them broached the 30
lb mark if I had to guess. All I can say about that day is thank goodness I
was already a Power Pro convert. The rig ended up being Power Pro line with
mono "shock" leaders at the bait. We tried mono-only rigs that day and lost
every fish we hooked on them, even using 30# Big Game Trilene (our go-to
sal****er line).

(Our "sal****er" striped record here in NC is 60#0oz, fres****er is over
54#, and our largemouth record is 15#14oz, so no records were threatened or
harmed in any of these tales...though we did keep a couple of our big
stripers from the beach...lol)

Next week, Warren, you need to solicit "worst days" stories, so I can share
with y'all about the day I went out in perfect weather, perfect water
temp/clarity, to my local and most favorite lake, Harris Resevoir (where I
caught my personal best 10# bass, and caught nothing but 5 chain pickerals
and a mudfish...). The pro that runs this website fishes there often and has
one of Harris' 10# bass in a photo with him on the front page:

http://www.carolinaoutdoors.net/

He also took his "friend" Ken Cook out there once and had a decent day:

http://www.carolinaoutdoors.net/kencookHarris.html

Not a bad lake to be a cooling lake and only displace 4500 acres. It's about
20 minutes from the house, so needless to say, I'm there more often than
anywhere else. Never freezes and the winter bassin is great there (no
PWCers...). Hang in around the cooling flow/lagoon and one can find all the
fish you want if you can brave the air temps, and entice them into actually
biting once you find them. I caught my lifetime best hawg in a February
there.