Paul Roberts

I click on the link and I see Denver. Bowfin! Might there be oxygen issues in there? Is this closed to incoming water, maybe via being the back end of that shallow flat? With 90+F water temps in summer? Stagnant?? BTW, what's a cypress bass?

mmmmmmm..... another topic perhaps.

Man this is tough from a 1000 miles away lol. Is there an inlet? Wind generated current? Guess you'd be seeing a pattern there. The grass flat is the source for most of the fish I would guess. Unless you have many shad chasing school bass -guess TB would. -Can shad enter and hang out without you noticing? -What kind of habitat is in the cove ...that is what kind of fish live there? Is it bluegill water? Two general (1000 mile away) thoughts: -Bass are transient there bc of limited habitat for prey or availability/catchability of prey. The grass flat might just absorb the majority of activity, except for occasional school fish. -Assuming you haven't tried everything to unlock this: Habitat type might require a technique you are not familiar with. You might have a nice little piece of finesse water there. Just some thoughts.

Since I don't know your region or location. What was the lake temp prior to the week long cold front? After the cold front? What did the warm front do to water temps? Heres the deal. Even though you may have a 60 degree day with lake temps sitting at 50 degrees, How much would the lake warm with one day of sunshine? The key to remember is, the sun is getting further away in the fall and winter months and the NIGHTs ARE LONGER which means longer cooling periods and less sunshine means less heat. We start having longer nights and short days. It really depends on the water temps. Warming trends definetly trigger some feeding activity. Just don't assume that just because you have above average winter temps the fish will be active, it takes alot of heat to warm gin clear waters. Lakes start to warm up when the days get longer and the nights get shorter and the sun is nearing our part of the hemisphere again. Ditto. Up here in the No'th, by the time the sun gets low and the days get short, nothing will re-heat waters appreciably. You are looking for fish and their food. What I'm aware of temperature wise at this time is drastically falling temps -cold fronts and snowstorms here. It appears this slows things down, and consolidates fish. I can still catch 'em though -if I can find 'em.

I have one thought... In some of the ponds I've fished I often found a switch in the bite as the dense weeds died back. It seemed the bass dropped out to the edges of the dying weeds and a smoothly swum or falling jig picked them up. I always pictured them somehow avoiding the dead weeds during those times -holding in more open water and the spinnerbaits we'd crushed 'em on through summer, just didn't look right. Worms caught 'em too though, but not like a swum jig, and more smalls. Just a thought.

My answer should only be read between 5am and noon. And no one here would really be interested.

Drag is a drag I assume you are using casting gear with your cranks, so you're having to set drag and are pretty much stuck with that setting, even if your line gets weakened from use, the line contacts a hard obstruction during the fight, or you didn't re-tie when you should have and hooked the big one. > With casting gear you get a great torque advantage (over spinning) in being able to winch fish the only thing better for this is centerpin or fly-tackle, believe it or not. Set the drag loose with casting gear and you lose that great winching power. But...with casting gear you are relying on your line and knot being in the same condition it was when you set the drag. Here are a few things to think about: -Set your drag appropriately, the keep the line in top condition. Check your line regularly as you fish, cut back, and re-tie knots. This is priority one. -Use appropriate lines, esp abrasion resistant stuff if you are in coarse cover. If you can get away with it presentation wise, you also might wish to go a bit heavier in line strength than you might need otherwise, simply bc it requires a bit less maintenance. -Buy a reel with a strong drag (appropriate for the line strength you're using) so it doesn't have to be torqued down and then is tough to back off accurately, if you need to. With spinning tackle there is an alternative to drag back-reeling. I've been a back-reeler since day one from the old Fishing Facts days. I've NEVER used drag with spinning tackle in my entire life! Why would I want a mindless set of washers left to control the fight? I decide how and when to put on the pressure, or back off. If my line gets compromised during the fight, I can adjust instantly. Granted spinning reel drag is more easily adjusted then casting, the reason for the rear drags out there. But why bother? Don't get me wrong, I love casting gear. In fact I'd rather hook a truly big fish on a casting rig, bc of that smooth winching ability it offers. But drag is definitely something to understand with this type of gear. Wish I could have the best of both worlds, that winching power and backreeling without the risk of terminal backlash. Could you imagine your thumb slipping with the rod fully loaded? :'(

Yeah, that's a darn nice looking plug. But knowing me I'd still be tempted to get out my nail polish bottles. Probably just as well I don't own an airbrush, and myself into some real trouble ;D.

Yeah I know. That's why I didn't post this in the tackle making section -I'd be getting all the rolled eyes I deserve lol. But nope -I don't need to invest in another hobby. But maybe someday... Dave, I've seen some of your paint jobs -very nice!

I don't have any "before's" left lol. You can find a pic of the Mann's Elite C4 easily enough on-line. That one I had to do little to. The Daiwa plug was pretty close too, it had a green back, dark top-line and the stripes. I added the pearl belly and throat, tangerine-yellow breast, and flakes. The one's I was most invasive on were the Bomber A's in the striped bass color -they still make it -so you can find a pic on-line somewhere. I scraped off all that paint and coating down to the clear plastic shell, except for the darker back color. Since nail polishes do not blend well, I haven't been happy with trying to make the contrasting back color. So I left what was there, and blended it somewhat with a single light coat of the olive pearl I used for the sides (done in several thin coats). That plug is 2nd in the photo and looks chartreuse in the pic; it's actually a translucent olive pearl. Oh yes, and the eyes are vinyl fabric paint, coated with clear. Again, I am usually starting with plugs close to a bluegill color and then adding translucent pearlescent details. Opaque polishes simply look bad. You could certainly get some of those clear plastic crankbait shells lure craft places sell. It would be pretty easy to make a basic 'gill from the ground up. In fishing, the fine details matter less than the overall image. That Excaliber plug above has a pearl olive top, a tangerine breast, mother of pearl belly, and blue-green mylar flakes on the sides. That's all. When I get the urge to go artsy again, and can find the time, I'll post something. Spinner blades would be the easiest and cheapest to experiment with. I would not suggest you "go to town" on a favorite plug, until you've had some practice. Some keys things: -Type of polish. I don't know the chemistry, but some don't work well. One type (I believe it's an eco-friendly type) develops a mold or scale on it -a white waxy substance I had to rub off when I went to use 'em. I fixed that minor hassle by coating with a regular clear polish. And not using htat type any more. -Use translucent polishes. The opaque colors simply look bad. You are probably better off simply altering what's there, not re-painting. I've done it, so it's possible. But nail polish is limited as a paint. -It's not paint. It dries so fast you cannot blend edges. You'll end up with a mess. When doing a large area, like the whole side of a plug, load the applicator brush, use it wet and spread as quickly, smoothly and thinly as you can. You cannot go back over it until it's fully dry, cause it gets gummy really fast. At the same time, don't try to make too thick a coat. You can layer somewhat, but it needs to dry completely. This is how you blend edges -with thin coats. And then you have to move fast and smooth with the next coat bc the previous will re-soften. Too thick a coating I think would be more apt to chip or wear too. Spinner blades would be a great way to start; I've done this too adding the mylar flakes suspended in clear polish to mute and alter the flash of blades. You can use more opaque polishes here too bc metals are tougher to cover than plastics. Hope this helps.

Congrats!

Ahhh...when you say "all that"... I've gone wild on only a couple -scraping off paint and reapplying polish, as in the Bomber A above. Those were fun. The others I've chosen already translucent plastic plugs, that already have something akin to a proper bluegill color. I just made changes or added to them., like pearl bellies (all of 'em), pearly olive sheen to the sides, blue pearl gill throats, tangerine-yellow pearl breasts, and mylar flakes. For example, the third down, the Bomber Excalibur was called "ghost crayfish", and I simply scraped off the orange belly and replaced it with rich layers of mother of pearl. Blue-green mylar flakes were added to the sides. So, no, I haven't completely repainted these plugs from a clear shell, except for a couple Bombers like the one in the pic. To be clear, I edited and added what I did with each.

I haven't done any testing. I fish mostly shallow ponds (<12feet), know the depths I'm casting to, and am always probing for contact, and to keep track of where I am.. I doubt there's appreciable difference in depth or buoyancy.

Mottfia, As to durability, I don't really know yet. I haven't done this for very long. I originally did it on just a few plugs a couple seasons ago, and then a bunch more last winter. The originals (the third down in the photo is one) I haven't had to touch up yet. That did surprise me. But... I'm not fishing them on rocks, just vegetation and some light wood. Bass teeth are the primary cause of wear so far. I would guess though that any one plug has had no more than a couple dozen fish on it. Although these polishes have proven to be surprisingly tough for my purposes, they are certainly not a substitute for paint and epoxy. I've even used it on some jigheads, and in the soft bottomed ponds I've fished them, I haven't had to retouch them either. Basically, the stuff sticks like glue.

Only if you know where your bass' winter habitat is. And that can be fun just exploring -if you like being outside. Realize smallies, if that's what you're after, have variable responses to winter conditions. In some waters they really shut down, In others, winter fishing can continue under the ice. You can expect that few places will actually be able to winter fish well, but if you find such a spot(s), you'll have 'em all right there.

In general, I don't worry too much about color scheme, or trying to match prey too closely. That's difficult to do really, if not impossible, a lot of the time. It may simply be more important, the brighter conditions are, to add speed/triggering motions to your horizontal (retrieved) baits. Darkish crawfish colored cranks often make sense in that, in high vis conditions you want to obscure details of your lure. Generally darkish muddy colors can do this. But in the high vis conditions in the clear bluegill-based waters I fish here in CO, I like translucent finishes. In general, I like to go more opaque as visibility diminishes. Get downright roiled and I tend to go with black, or chartreuse. However, I do doctor some of my plugs with various nail polishes to get a bluegill look the primary prey fish in the mostly clear ponds and small reservoirs I fish. I realize this effort is likely mostly for me; I truthfully don't know how much it matters to the fish. Soif you want to get fancyBluegill-izing crankbaits for clear water: Most bluegill colored lures you find are patterned after spawning males dark heavily marked and colorful individuals the ones most people would recognize as bluegill. But we're trying to talk to fish not fisherman here. The rest of the year bluegills may be much less colorful and less marked. Fish, esp sunfishes, use color pattern changes for communication and camouflage. More contrasty areas (like clear water with heavy vegetation), the gills are often dark and more heavily patterned. In less contrasty situations (open or roiled waters), the gills are usually pale and washed out. Spawning sunfishes those trying to interest mates and intimidate peers and predators are boldly marked and colorful. Those around the periphery of the nest colony are pale trying to remain unnoticed for several reasons I won't bore you with. In the ponds I fish many if not most gills, much of the time, are not heavily patterned -donned in ghost coloration. These may be immature fish, adults feeding on insects or plankton in open water, in plankton blooms, or sometimes in somewhat roiled areas from wind stirred sediment or blown-in algae. Sofor many of my cranks I try to mimic this as best I can. I start with translucent cranks that are already bluegill-ish and go to town with various nail polishes, basically offering the correct basic coloration for the conditions (often bright and clear here in CO), and adding sparkles and flash in appropriate hues. First, believe it or not nail polishes stand up to use surprisingly well. I use cheap brands from Target: one called NYC brand works really well. I work with pearlescent colors in pale olive, lemon yellow, pale tangerine, and oyster shell (mother of pearl). I also use the blue-green mylar flakes suspended in clear. All together, these can make an amazingly realistic finish. Again, this is more of a fun art project, and makes me feel a little closer attuned to what's going on with bluegills and bass in my ponds. Other stuff, like what's mentioned in the first two paragraphs, is more important. What my artwork means to the fish I can only hope. Pics don't do 'em justice I suppose but here are some to get an idea of what I mean by "bluegill-izing": The second one down is a Bomber Model A, originally opaque white, scraped down to it's clear plastic interior, then bluegill-iszed for my ponds. A translucent Daiwa shad-style, detailed: MOP belly and gill, yellow pearly breast, mylar flakes. A translucent Matzuo in an Ayu color, detailed: MOP belly and gill, yellow pearly breast, mylar flakes. A Mann's Elite C4 in bluegill: very nice to begin with, detailed: MOP belly and gill, mylar flakes. If you decide to go the extra length, cranks are easy and fun to detail. They're fun to fish too. And if anything can bring oohs and ahhs from your fishing buddy 8-).

Ditto. You can also drop 'em down the edge and rip em up when you contact the ragged edge of the wall. I wouldn't worry too much about color scheme, or trying to match a bluegill. That's difficult, if not impossible, in clear water, esp under brighter conditions. It may simply be more important, the brighter conditions are to add speed and jerky triggering motions to your horizontal (retrieved) baits. Your "craw" colored cranks make sense in that, in high vis conditions you want to obscure details of your lure, and craw colors tend to be darkish and "muddy". I also like translucent and chromed finishes in clear water too. That said, I do like to doctor plugs too for more realism than is likely be necessary. I'll make a separate post about them for those who like to get artistic to get closer to how bluegills actually appear.

Simply Wonderful. Big K looks a bit like a large pond I used to fish -shallow with lots of pads. On blue days we would flip 8" black-shad Gillrakers to any piece of overhead cover we could find. Those bass would literally hole up under stuff -the harder the better: dense undercut stumps and root masses, dense clumps, and there was a small undercut ledge -the former rim of this glacial sinkhole pond -that was exposed in places. No boats there so we used a wide hulled canoe to stand in (had to have a partner who's coordination you trusted lol) and sight flip to the hidy-holes. The water was peaty and dark so the flash created by those black-shad worms really drew fish. I still have some, but haven't a place to apply them here. Another piece of dynamite in my arsenal collecting dust, but Oh so valuable for it's potential. Also used the J-spoons there, and the old (original) Bill Plummer's Bass Frog. Thanks for the great pics, and the memories.

As you stated you should have used casting gear for slop. That 2+ pounder did it have slop with it or just the fish? Either way sounds like the reel was not cranking as freely as it needed. Also didn't the crank on that reel just screw in. I could see were to much torque would cause the threads of a crank that just screws in to fail over time... The newer reels I have seen have a shaft and a thumb screw that screws into the shaft from the other side. Plus reel mfg' today will have already taken into consideration handling the torque. Many of the older Daiwa® spinning reels also as stated use bushings on one side, and, list them as bearings in the count and usually on the parts list (Shimano® use to do the same things).. One more thing that has been stated. While the number of bearings in spinning reels can make or break a quality reel. The quality of those bearings is also important and must be taken into consideration. Tight Lines!!! It was just the fish. The slop was just developing for the season. Guess it's time to upgrade.

First: If it's just a temp drop and you still have some clouds, no worries. Water rarely responds that quickly. And bass can hack a temp drop of a few degrees. If temps dropped from 80s down -that could be good. Myself, I'd be tempted to treat it as an experiment: Fish as I did the previous day to get a real idea of what kind of difference occurred. Can't really single out "the weather". I'd look at sky and water conditions. If you've got bright blue after that front my best guess to bass response is they will be spooky. Fish accordingly and pray for a breeze. If it happens to be a clear and shallow pond, the bass may just cover up and reduce activity. Do the post-frontal stuff.

Lesseee if I can get creative enough lol: Spring and fall, on real windy days, spinnerbaits, rattle traps and other reaction baits work real well. -Big fat grub on a heavy jig head -maybe with a clip-on overhead spinner. Night time summer fishing. Many times I'll have more luck on big spinnerbaits or topwater -Waked Rage Shad, toad, big swimming tail worm or other such beasts. Mornings or evenings, Topwater baits Swimming worm, or toad baits, etc.. deep cranking -"One Ton Tube" frogging in the slop -...Toads again...actually you can drag lots of things T-rigged unweighted..how 'bout just the fat head of a giant worm?

"Plastic" is not a lure type. But I get what you mean. Think depth and speed first. Then adapt what you have to what you need. If you can do it with soft plastic, do it. There are times you might need to get creative. See the thread by paul (Eeliminator thread) in the Outings section.

Thanks RM. I like spinning tackle, I guess from using it so much. What it tends to lack is power to winch fish with where casting casting reels shine. Last year I sheered the handle off a 3 bearing Daiwa Black Gold (BG15) cranking a 2+lb bass out of thin slop. It broke loose inside the drive gear. I'm ambidextrous (with tackle) so I just put the handle on the other side. I know, I should've been using casting gear. Could a high bearing count spinning reel handle winching? A BG isn't a bad reel, for it's day.

Ditto. Once upon a time I was a "jig fisherman" -it's all I needed. And I still believe if there was one lure type that is most versatile, it would be the jig -in all it's configurations ;D! The slippery slope once again. And a really useful jig box(es) just happens to be heavy! But maybe the questions eventually come down to: "Do I always need to find just the right ticket?" And... "Why am I out here anyway?"

x2 My thoughts exactly Wayne. Actualy catching fish is an even better therapy! The struggling daughter due to all the recent stres looked at my wife the other day and said " Now I probably know why dad fishes." Pretty much a universal thought. Very nice. I almost said: Finding that water couldn't have happened at a better time. Let's just say that catching seems more restorative than just fishin'.