paparock

How does one go about learning to customize one's lures? ??? Where do you get the right paints and tools to allow you to do a competent job of custom color modifications? Are there any book suggestions?

Such a great post is why I spend 99% of my time on this site. I too have spent most of my life on saltwater. Through the explanations such as this it has helped me translate my knowledge of saltwater fishing to my new location on freshwater lakes.

After finding this site it has become my go to fishing site. It's simple all of you are great at sharing your knowledge in a caring respectful way. The format of the site is perfect. I know this site costs and I for one am more than willing to help. Perhaps with bumper stickers etc. we can help those that have helped us. Such an undertaking costs a lot in time and effort and is only possible through the character of those that operate and moderate this site. I honor your commitment and applaud your efforts to spread your knowledge!

I have used them on boats from a 16 ft. Boston Whaler to my old 21ft center console and they really help get on plane. If you use one and a manatee prop guard (mine is like a small wing) you can get even faster lift

I purchased a round livewell and wondering how to insulate it too. Thanks for the idea of the foam.

I've had both. The Hummingbird was great to see structure in a 3D way while the Lowrance was better at finding bait and actual fish.

I had a Suzuki dealer about a quarter mile from my house when I was live on Galveston bay. I looked at their four strokes and was very impressed. Great warranty and popular on the salt. Also a couple thousand less than a Honda.

Good Topo Map, find a computer program digital map of lake, and a really good sonar coupled with time on the water looking. Some units even have digital storage of what you see coupled with GPS WASS which is very accurate and allows you to return to structure every time.

Great news and I hope you have continued success.

Hi, Chris. Thanks for that great post on clear water tactics. I am trying to learn to fish such a lake. Your explanation clicked my understanding. With most of my experience being saltwater I was puzzled. Clear water bass are a lot like bonefish in that they can be very spooky and boat position is critical. You want to see them before they see you. It is as you said like hunting fish and cast control is also critical. Cast behind and they are gone in a puff of sand. Your cast has to be close enough in front for them to see it but not to close or again they are gone. Thanks that makes it a lot clearer to me. Rocky

The funny thing about boat vs bank fishermen is most of the boat fishermen are casting right up to the bank while most of the bank fishermen are casking out as far from the bank as they can. Very interesting.

My wife because she makes ME look like a pro!

I am in Mountain Home, Arkansas. About a mile and half from Bull Shoals Lake. Mountain Home is in the center of the northern Ozark Mountains located between Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes. You can fish for trophy river smallmouth on the only National River in the old USA. Fish the best Brown Trout streams in the world or lake fish for bream to 50lb. stripers. All this within a twenty minute drive. Branson, Mo is about an hours drive for those who crave the night life.

Very true JayPea but some of us (like me) are a sucker for anything dangled in front of us. Rod, reel, or lure I go for it hook, line, and sinker. I'm like a fish that is always getting caught. I can only hope the tackle dealer will practice catch and release, yea right. I used to fish some small saltwater tournaments and my fishing buddies were always making fun of me for my tackle boxes. Yes, I said boxes. They weighed one once at 67 pounds. They always seemed to run out of something in the middle of the tournament and would "borrow" from my boxes. Those tackle stores are rather few and far between 100 miles offshore you know. But for all those starting out JayPea makes a very good point. More time on the water is better than the most expensive equipment when it comes to learning how to catch fish. Learning your equipment in and out is what counts. With all the gear I have stuffed away over close to 40 years I use only a fraction of it consistently. Find what works for you and learn it. Find out when, where, and why it works before going for every new bit of tackle that comes along. It's better to be a master of a few than a novice at them all. Take it form a novice. I wish you best JayPea in your tournaments.

CPR is a personal choice for me, when it comes to bass. That is why I am such a nut about circle hooks. I do eat fish and sometimes I keep some I catch for the dinner table but as others have said I prefer other species for eating and then only a few. As to how to fillet, well it takes a bit of practice to get it down and the smaller the fish the harder it is at least to me.

My craziest catch was a seagull. It took my topwater lure off the surface but boy was he surprised when I jerked him out of the sky. Rocky

I fished saltwater tournaments but now I am too old and lazy to put out the effort. I am recreational all the way now I am back to freshwater. Rocky

I don't know Avid. I have not seen the commercial. What does it say?

I've been to New York City a couple of times but there are just too many people. I am a country boy (Southern Arkansas) born and raised. There were seven boys and nine girls in my 9th grade class. We had to go to the nearest town to go to high school. Since then I have lived and fished in New Mexico, Wyoming, and the Texas gulf coast. Now I am back in Arkansas between two big man made lakes Bull Shoals and Norfork. The area is fishing heaven. with fish from crappie to stripers to huge brown trout close to 40lbs. within a thirty minute drive. I am in the north central Ozark Mountains where all the seasons are relatively mild and the overall taxes are some of the cheapest in the USA. We average about six inches of snow a year and the lakes and rivers never freeze over. I just sold my canoe resort and my taxes for five cabins, a store, my log home, and ten acres on the river were half of what I paid on only my house in Texas. It is a huge retirement area because it is cheap to live here, including housing. The house I just purchased is about two miles from Bull Shoals dam so anyone one coming in the area feel free to come by for a visit. Let me know you are coming and I will give you directions. Y'all take care now. Rocky

Stonewall, you have come to the right place. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here. It would be good to check out the article on this site by Craig De Fronzo called "Confessions of a River Rat". Also do a web search for Float-N-Fly as there is a lot of info out there. I too am learning about this technique that I hope to practice a lot of this winter. Hope that helps some. Rocky

That picture truly says more than a thousand words because it shows the character as well as the caliber of people on this site. I really enjoy it here. You guys ROCK!!! Rocky

Well I am moving to about two miles form Bull Shoals Dam and plan a lot of reel-tirement planning. So anyone interested in forming even a two person "club" drop me a line, i'll bite. To see the area and it's fishing here is a link. http://www.ozarkmtns.com/fishing/dir.htm Rocky

My hat is off to anyone that is willing to put in the time and effort to moderate a site. It is a lot more work than most understand. So thank you Russ for helping all the rest of us to enjoy this site!!!!!! ;D

Catch and release to me is about having good fishing for my grandchildren. It does not hurt to keep a few to eat. It is the fishermen you keep all the legal fish they catch just to show off their skill and then end up throwing them in the trash rather than eating them that bother me. I hunted for most of my life until the body was not able. Many people I knew were frantic if the last days of season were upon them and they had not killed something. To me the hunt was the fun. Killing was when the work started. That is the reason I returned to hunting with a longbow as in my youth. It is great to just be out in nature and enjoy life besides I need to lose weight anyway.

The most consistent lure on the South Fork of the Spring River is a spider grub in pumpkinseed color.