paparock

When I can get away with it the small of my wife's back is very warm. Of course I have to be fast to keep from getting whacked. Seriously wool fingerless gloves, glacier gloves, wool mittens and I took a pair of wool shooting gloves and removed just the trigger finger tip so I can put it on the line of my spinning reel. Wool is good as it retains most of it's insulation qualities when wet.

Three but after finding this one I rarely post on the other two. 8-)

Check out the "Fishing Articles" at the top of this page. You will find a lot of great info. and welcome aboard.

Try "Fishing Hot Spots" for a map of your area lake. http://www.fishinghotspots.com/fhsinet/ Also get a good chartplotter you can get plug-ins that often have the "Hot Spots" maps with GPS coordinates listed.

T Mike, thanks for the info. I have been using Humminbird 3D depthfinders for years in saltwater for finding points in semi-deep water. It made it easy to anchor the boat and drift back to within casting distance of the point. Just at dark the redfish would go on a feed and the action went from dead to frenzy in minutes.

Drop shot and the finesse jig for deep structure bass.

Glad to meet you. I just joined this forum not very long ago. I hope to hear more from you.

The maker may not be making them anymore as their site is gone. They cover the lakes in Arkansas and Missouri. The maker is a young man that lives in Missouri. If anyone is interested please contact me privately for details.

I have a computer program that has my local lake's topograpy on it that comes with a log where I put all the data about each trip. It also allows me to input the pool level of the lake so it shows the change the water level will have on the underwater structure. It even gives me GPS coordinates for structure I want to check out.

The image of the bridge is clear to me but most of the images seem like I would have a hard time picking out what I was looking at. That is probably because I have no experience with this technology. Maybe it would be easier if they come out with it in color. The idea is great as I can see real advantages to viewing more of a 3D image especially on structure. How easy is it to tell the type of bottom you are over? I am in the process of looking to upgrade my boat equipment as I have posted in the "Bass Boating" forum. I am looking at the Humminbird 987SI, Lowrance LCX-111C. and the Furuno GP1650.

With winter here it's time to start getting the old Manatee some augmentation.Starting with the old outboard. I'm looking at Suzuki, Honda, and Yamaha 115's but wanted to get input from others before making the choice. My thoughts are a new or near new 4-stroke outboard. My boat is an 18ft Manatee at 1375 lbs. Any advise on the prop, diameter, pitch, etc.. Do the variable pitch props work or are they more hype than performance? :-/ This is going to be a major refit and the Bait Monkey is on steroids so please advise me if you have experience with better options. ;D New electronics. I want to mount a chartplotter/sounder. I've looked at Lowarance, Garmin, Humminbird but I'm leaning toward a Furuno GP1650. Which fishing seats do you feel are the best for long hours catching fish? The wife and I are getting to that age when the spirit is strong but the flesh is week. I want to get the old girl ready for reeltirement (the boat not the wife) .

I am about to mount a Furuno GP1650WF chartplotter/sonar on my boat. Kind of high end but on Bull Shoals structure is everything and I want to be able to map the places I catch fish so that I can return to the exact same spot. For just the sonar function I found the Furuno FCV600L the highest rated unit. It really depends on what you are looking for and your budget.

Welcome JW. This is a great site and there are many here with a lot to share.

I will just offer "go prepared" for survival. I mean that wool is one of the few insulators that retains it's insolation qualities when wet. As to bait I like hair jigs and float-n-fly. Just remember fish slow because the colder it gets the slower you need to fish.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!! Man I missed this site!!

Why rent when you can buy??? Now seriously ask for references and check them. Many of the guys here can also give you good advice on who to choose. Roadwarrior covered the points very well so best of luck and have a great trip.

Well, let's see I am moving slightly south and west to within a mile and a half of the nearest boat launch on Lake Bull Shoals. I'm making a list and checking it twice. I don't want to forget to list any of the new tackle I want don't yea know. Ahhh the trials and tribulations of living in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains; ain't life grand. Y'all come down some time and give this old southern boy a holler now y'all hear?

Thank You! Thank You!!! :'( I missed you guys sooooooo Much!

Reading and researching are the only things I think about more than fishing because a lot of the reading and research has to do with fishing plus other fields of interest. I am a voracious reader with books from basic to very specialized as to location and/or species. I find the In-Fishemen series as great books as they cover so much in a simple easy manner to understand principles you have not come in contact with before. There is more technique specific and detailed information that can be collected on the web. I have collected the best articles on different tactics and techniques for smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass plus walleye, catfish, stripers and white bass. One ring binder of such articles is almost 8" thick with the other about four inches. I have devided them in lure, species, technique, location,structure, and water clarity for the areas I fish. It's fun to compare different peoples views on the same technique and tactics. It opens my thinking to different approaches I can try within a specific technique and even come up with a different approach of my own. I often do book and article searches to find new information or to find out of print and hard to find books. I transcribe the key points of books that I don't plan to keep into my own words in notebooks that allows me quick access.

I joined the first time I found this forum. I feel this group is best on the web. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The posts are so full of great and detailed information while the articles are the best I have found.

Remember the 1980s? ??? Heck I graduated high school in 1967. Man has equipment changed. Compared to today that was the stone age but we still caught bass back then. I believe as many have already said that it is the action more than the realism that trigers fish to bite. I used a Corky in saltwater for sea trout and redfish. It is not realistic other than general in shape but boy does it catch fish. It targets larger fish so you catch fewer small fry. If you walk the dog it is a killer!

Thanks Glenn!

I would like to learn how to pour my own plastic lures also.

Nice Work! Ever think of making some like that for Christmas tree ornaments for hardcore fishermen? Thanks for the offer I will PM you.

I have used both the wool finger cut off with mitten and glacier gloves.