Fishing Forum

I caught this beast last week. I couldnt believe it. I think the buzzbait was bigger. Thats the only one I managed to land. When it got darker out I missed a real nice one on the same buzzbait.
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Nice!! Now THAT fish is a real keeper!![cool][] Hey at least it kept the skunk off your tube!
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[cool][#0000ff]Good to see ya back on the board, postin' up them pictures of giant basses. I never sneeze to be amazed at how cocky and optimistic bass can be about hitting lures sometimes bigger than themselves. I don't whether they are just picking a fight with those big lures or whether they really think they can eat them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the past, I have caught bass smaller than the stickbaits and/or plastics I have been fishing. In the attached picture this is a 12" largie (actual measure. see the apron ruler in the picture) I once took on a small jig being fished for bluegills.[/#0000ff]

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As a matter of fact I did exactly that this morning!! Before work I slipped over to Spring Lake (it's less than a mile and a half from my house) and casted a tiny green tube jig below a bobber around for about 15 minutes, trying to hook a couple little green sunfish just for kicks. I didn't catch any sunfish, but I did end up hooking a MONSTER largemouth bass on it!! It was all of 3 inches long!! At least it was a meal that was correctly proportioned for the litte guy. He didn't fight that much of course (ha ha), but it was my first bucketmouth this year (although really you'd have to call this a shot-glass mouth not a bucketmouth! lol)[][cool]
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well i wasn't in a tube...but i hit a small body of water close to my house this weekend...bountiful pond/lake and i cut a 4 inch carplet in half for catfish and pulled in a 3 inch bluegill...the head of the carplet was bigger than the gill's head.

cyas
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[cool][#0000ff]Just goes ta show ya that ya cain't take nuttin' fer granted. Whenever we get to thinkin' we know it all, those silly fish will find a way to mess with us and leave us thinkin' we don't know as much as we thunk we did.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have always been amazed at how persistent, resourceful and downright greedy some fish can be. I once caught two small bluegill on one large bass lure...at the same time. I had evidently dragged it through a spawning area and those spawning bluegills know no fear. Each one latched on to one of the treble hooks and I dragged them both in.[/#0000ff]
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Tube Dude,

Can't tell you how glad I was to stumble upon this site while looking for info on fishfinders and tubes. Your excellent pictures have given me lots of inspiration. In keeping with the tone of this thread, I just uploaded a picture of a nice bluegill which was one of two big bulls I caught at the same time using a "popper dropper setup" on my flyrod. Next cast I got a 4 pound chain pickerel on that same #12 bead nymph. I couldn't believe a predator like that going for such a small snack.

I once caught a 7 pound largemouth on a #12 McGinty wet fly so sometimes the size thing works both ways. (Small fish/big lure or big fish/small lure)
Harold
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey new member, welcome aboard. Good points about big fish sometimes "downsizing" their meals. Many of my largest fish of several species have been taken on small lures and light tackle meant for smaller fish. These include a 12# walleye, taken while jigging a small spoon (dime-sized) for white bass...and a 16# northern pike on a little 1/16 oz jig being cast for small walleyes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I once witnessed a 14.5# largemouth taken on a little 1 1/2" tube jig being fished for crappies, in a lake in Arizona.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Probably my two biggest fish on flies were a 13.5# brown trout on a size 12 peacock nymph and a 19# steelhead on a size 8 Silver Hilton. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, your pic does not appear in your post. Click on the edit button and try again. If it is more than 250 KB, it will not upload. Make a copy and resize it, or if you do not have editing software, email it to me at [url "mailto:pscouten@comcast.net"]pscouten@comcast.net[/url] and I will resize it and attach it to your post for you. We would love to see the pic. As you can tell, we love pics here.[/#0000ff]
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I came across TUBN2 comment somewhere to "attach, edit and slap". Now it looks like Mr. Bluegill is there for all to see. I fish from an Oucast Fat Cat but when I lend that to my weightier friend I'm working from a Wood River Glide Rider. Anyone ever tricked one of those out?
My friend and I just returned from a 2 week trip into the States (We're from Ontario,Canada) where we practically lived in these tubes. He had bought one of those Norcross Marine units which looks to me to be just wonderful for the tube although I had severe misgivings that it was probably too good to be true. We had arranged a day for me to pick one of these units up while shopping at B.J.'s but I had to see the thing in action before I would commit, Sure enough the darn thing never worked at all. Now he is trying to return it to Norcross for repair or refund. I'm kind of being drawn to the Eagle Products. Another friend just ourchased an Eagle Fish Easy 240 that runs off 8 "AA" batteries. I saw a portable Eagle 240 kit complete with carrying case and one of those sealed battery units on-line at Cabela's. I'm going to ask around and see if I can find one of those. The "Cuda" also looks interesting. I believe TUBEDUDE has used both. Any suggestions.

Also I'm intrigued by TUBEDUDE's mounting the unit in the front pocket. Is that a block of foam pressed in there to make it fit tight?
My Fat Cat has slightly different pockets and that front pocket on my tube is an open web. Appreciate any insights anyone has to offer. I've had my Fat Cat since 2000 and just love the thing. Attached is a picture of my friend in that tube.
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[cool][#0000ff]Now you got it, except for one thing. Any pic that you want to put in the main body of the post, and not just attach, should be no larger than 400 pixels wide. Your is 562. Not a hanging offense, but makes it easy for folks to read without having to move the post back and forth to read it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I haven't used the 240, but the specs are good. If you get a set of rechargeable batteries, they should do the job and last long enough to make it a good investment. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, I mount my display in the front pocket. I have gone through a whole bunch of different mounting bases and materials. I currently use a simple 6" piece of 2"X4" wood. I can only get two of the mounting screws in it, through the base mount, but that is enough. You simply position it so that it faces the right direction before drilling and screwing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you do not have such a pocket, I have also used nylon straps to secure the base, and then attach the display unit after launching. I have seen some "exotic" creations for mounting bases. Some of them include a half cord of wood in their construction. Not necessary. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Too bad the Norcross unit was a disappointment. But, it does reinforce my admonition to always try before you buy...whenever possible.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wood River craft are good. I have never owned the Glide Rider, but I know a couple of happy owners of the now discontinued Stealth Riders. You can doll up any of them by utilizing the existing D rings or adding straps or D rings where necessary. PVC, nylon straps or ropes and some creativity is all you need.[/#0000ff]
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Hey TubeDude, is your Cuda mounted parallel to the 2x4? I have mine mounted to a 4" piece of 2x4 and I mounted it diagonally on the piece so that it just perfectly fits on the square, and I am able to get all the screws in. Not that it needs more than two screws to stay firm, but the real benefit is that by mounting it diagonally like that, it is positioned perfectly so that the screen is facing diagonally right towards me instead of straight back to the back of the tube.


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[cool][#0000ff]Mine is mounted on one of the 2" sides...six inches long. It slips perfectly down into the pocket, but will only take two of the screws when I mount it on an angle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I keep changing around, but I guess I should take some more pics. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Thanks for sharing yours.[/#0000ff]
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