Paul Roberts

I know you can't mix elaztech with plastisol, but can you mix different color elaztech baits in the same compartment and have them retain original colors?

Ah! That's it. Thanks, John.

Well, I don't know but by the looks of it it's a recent Chinese lure.

Smalls (~1/8, 3/32 oz) and short arms : ~2" Long arms: 2.5" to 3" Good luck on your winter project. Sounds like fun.

I'm thinking they were the same bunch of bass stacked up on that ledge -a common winter spot pattern. I'm thinking that the important element is the wind, which will greatly affect detection. The same jig will not fish the same in a light breeze and a strong wind. Suggestions: Go to a finer diameter line. Use FC as its weight cuts wind a bit better. Fish more vertical, with rod tip closer to the surface. Pick a calmer day to fish that spot.

It's a nice quality plug. I've done well with some other "golf balls" bc they fish through stuff really well. Haven't fished this one though. There are so many Chinese plugs out there now... who knows. This one isn't a real cheapo though. It's also got a great big knocker of a bearing inside it.

Hmmmm... 15 misses is an awful lot of "short strikes", and one actually being towed to the boat still holdin' on. It could well be that strike detection was hampered in that wind, rather than hooksets exactly, as Catt suggested.

You know, I still like flashers -truly. A lot of using sonar is interpretation -knowing what's down there sending back those signals, and the fish species in that water- and that's fun. Mebbe I'll even break out the old tubular steel rod I have and go retro for a while. Hope WayneP doesn't see this. He'll disown me.

Good guess, but no, it's a plastic bait.

Hair jig and lighter line might be a good change-up?

I found this little squarebill CB washed up along shore. It's nearly round as a golf ball lol. The finish was a bit worn so I touched it up some. Anyone recognize it? Brand? Model? Thanks.

Essentially "squarebills" are CBs designed to fish through shallow cover without hanging so easily. The easiest to hang are slim minnow-type baits (Rapala originals, Rebel, etc...). Fat plugs appeared and due to body width could come through cover better. Then came the wide square bill that deflects cover pieces from the hook and can even roll the bait over. All companies make good ones. Just pick one or more and try them. They all catch fish. As mentioned balsa tends to be most buoyant which rises quickly when you stop the retrieve. This adds to the snag-proofness, or at least speed at which you can get out of trouble -by floating up above the offending cover piece before continuing your retrieve. Sometimes fish will strike the bait floating up, and how fast it floats up can matter. Some believe (I, for instance) that the buoyancy of balsa creates a better pressure wake in the water that bass can feel and home in on. That buoyancy can also produce stronger wobbling action in the bait. That said, I do really well on plastic too, and well designed plastic plugs have good action and catch fish. Again, all companies make good serviceable CBs. One's I've done well on and will fish with confidence are: Cordell (I still love the Big O), Norman, Strike King, Rapala, Manns, Bomber (A and Fat Free), Luhr Jensen (the Speed Trap is a GoTo), and even some cheaper plugs made by Cabela's and BPS have fared well. Granted all are not full "squarebills" but most fat plugs will fish fish through cover well -weeds in particular. You have to be more careful around wood, especially brushy wood and a wide bill helps there, as does appropriate technique and... a good plug-knocker. When are they applied vs other good cover lures? You may not know until you try. If you know you've got fish and they won't take your CB, try a swim jig, or SB, or soft plastic, ... . I suppose CBs shine when fish are active, but ripping off of cover can excite bass into striking that weren't interested otherwise. Some days, that's the only way they'll take a CB. Hope this answers your questions.

Downsize. Did you have to use a 3/4oz jig? How deep were they? "Occasionally a bait change in the same spot will do it." Agree with A-Jay on this. If the jig isn't making it happen, switch. You've got fish, now you have to make them commit -if you can.

Many far northern lakes are very dark stained, being fed by bogs -"bog stained" they are called.

Color and visibility aren't on and the same. I'd call 5ft of visibility (as the OPer mentions) pretty "clear" -referring to how deep one can see down- and stained brown (tannic). Clarity is usually more apt to to be affected by turbidity than staining simply due to respective particle sizes and sheer amount of them.

It's "stained" (also "tannic" or "tea-colored" -if you only drink black tea ). Lotsa anglers confuse "stain" with "turbidity". The former is due to dissolved organic material -usually from leaves, vegetation, wood. The latter refers to material suspended in the water such as algae, plant, or soil particles (usually from clay to silts).

Unless there are some long distance runners around, I'll use kite string. All I'm trying to do is take up space.

Braid and leaders is a good way to go. I do however carry some spools with all FC, and all mono. There are advantages to each. But keeping things simple: braid with leaders.

Great stuff mentioned. In particular, the ones that jive with me are: being willing to hoof/explore, knowledge of limnology/ecology, taking time to observe, and keeping a journal -an almanac is a good way of describing a journal.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/117786-anyone-using-mend-it-or-any-other-plastic-glue/

I'm curious too. Never used it.

Fun post. Thanks, Tom. (I'm not entirely comfortable with the "better than you" phrase, but understand the point of the thread.) I'm a pretty good crankbaiter around cover. It, and many other aspects of my fishing skills, come from my years as a jig fisherman. From my jig obsession I learned, among other things: concentration, visualization, where my lure is in the water column, and strike detection to a fine degree. Quite a few years back now I showed a young tournament angler how to fish a crankbait (the Big O back then) like a jig. And on his very next tournament as a back-seater he frustrated the heck out his co crawling a Big O through cover. It became a GoTo technique and overall confidence builder for him. Crankbaits beg to be fished chuck-n-wind -and that's great when the fish are willing- but that asks a lot of the fish much of the time. Being able to put a prey-sized critter (don't care what you call it) into the heart of things and applying proper triggers -and be able to detect the takes- will catch a lot of bass and expand your confidence in many lure types.

Thanks for posting that, Brian. I guess, for clarity, I assume you were testing like diameters, not labeled lb test. For everyone's info: On the box, 10# XT is at labeled .014" diam. 10# Sensation is labeled .011 (like most other 10#'s). Diameter is number 1, followed by... everything else.

I'm curious too.

Good question. I'm guessing (and that's what it is) that the two lines are comparable in break strength per diameter. This is likely true for all premium mono's. XT should have an abrasion resistant coating, which makes it stiffer and may add a bit to the diameter. But at least some part of this is a rating game. I look at diameter first as this has the greatest effect on presentation, then I look at the other characteristics. BTW: Berkley 100% FC also is under-rated. It's 6# is really an 8#, etc... This was likely done to help allow it to fill the "bass" category it was originally designed to fill, to separate it from Vanish which was a poor "bass" line due it's poor abrasion resistance. But Vanish is a more "manageable" line due to being relatively soft and not being over-rated in labelled break strength.