bigbill

First if you have something that's your hottest go to lure you better purchase a gazillion of them. That's what I do. Bomber shallow A. Bomber FAT A Bomber. Model A Presentation slow reel, over open holes in submerged weeds pause. As for colors, redapplecraw, Greencraw, browncraw, dark green bass orange bottom, baby bass orange bottom, shad, citrus, chartreuse. Norman thin n, presentation- slow reel and jiggy with it. Color, Redear Chartreuse killer Violet Never limit your colors. I end up purchasing every color just to try them. On a tough day try a different color and a garlic scent. Try something out of the norm when fishing at the smaller places. I believe when practicing catch and release the fish learn our lures and scents. Don't limit your choices. Mepps #3 Anglia gold, Brown tail Mepps #3 Anglia silver gray tail Mepps #4 Anglia gold, Brown tail C-Rig 24" leader 1/8oz brass weight with a clicker with senko and brushog etc. Presentations, let it fall on its own, or get jiggy with it as it falls. Split shot rigged worms 6" very slow presentation. Rapala original floater f7 blue or black Presentation very slow reel or jerk n pause, extractive movement. Don't be afraid to try different presentations. Break the norm. Don't be afraid to go very slow. Wear your polarized glasses I don't care if there $5 polarized glasses from eBay they work too. Watch your lures action to see how slow you can go so the lure looks like an easy meal. I say "one thousand" when I make a complete circle on my spinning reel handle. That's how slow I go. It's one of my best fish catching speeds. Now go out there and find your own nitch. Find your own speed. Focus on how you crank your handle so you make a perfect circle. A perfect circle on the handle means an exact lure speed. When your lure has a rattle the sound and beat is more even. Your speed has to be perfect on one form of presentation. Remember one lure can have many presentations. Topwater popper rebel popr blue Presentation, cast it out, let it sit till the wake goes away then 1-2-3 pause, repeat. Topwater spooks Presentation, cast it out, let it sit till the wake goes away, then rip it three times to walk the dog while holding your rod tip down, then pause and repeat. Topwater mister twister top props Presentation, slow even speed, or a 1-2-3 pause, break it up with a longer pause. This top prop will pause almost straight up lowering the mt 4"split double tail grub trailer look life like as it falls, just don't forget the trailer hook. Spooks with props. Presentations, slow reel fast enough to spin the prop a slow reel even speed. Again 1-2-3 pause too or a rip n pause or walk the dog too. Mann's classic spinner baits, 1/4oz(from shore) Colorado gold blades, white blue glimmer skirt, 4" mt white split double tail grub with a trailer hook . Slow presentation. For clear to slightly stained water. Mann's classic spinnerbaits, 1/4oz Colorado gold blades, chartreuse skirt, 4" mt split double tail trailer grub with trailer hook. Again a slower presentation. Don't forget a bass scent or a YUM shad, craw, or garlic scent. For using spinnerbaits from shore I like the 1/8 & 3/16 size spinnerbaits too. I also purchase the affordable ones and add a blue glimmer skirt and trim the 4" mt split double tail grub for a trailer if you can't find the mt 2" split double tail grub. Don't be afraid to trim the larger 4" grub. Make sure you install it even on the centerline of the spinnerbaits. Having the spinnerbaits run even when it's all assembled correctly is the key to catching bass with it. I still owe Glenn for telling me to stay with spinnerbaits, the setup and sooner or later we will have success. I gave you my hot lures and there presentations. If you have any questions either post a question or message me. I like to see everyone here catch bass. I like helping new shore bass fisherman just getting started. I'm here to do what I can to help you for this forum. I'm no pro nor claim to be I'm just your average guy who loves to fish. But I like to see others catch fish too. Go out there and use the different presentations. Just go out fishing to learn and practice your presentations a bass will interrupt you when you get it right. Now if you have a lure that's not catching fish try it somewhere you can see how it runs. You may have to use a needle nose pliers to adjust it so it runs perfectly straight. The key to success is throwing a variety of lures, colors till the bass tell us what they want by trying different presentations. It's not luck in fishing it's skill. You can do it.

Why didn't I bring my bass rods and bass lures. I forgot how boring trout fishing can be. I had fun casting lures for two hours but not one trout to show for my trip. I did have a strike but he got off. I sat on a big rock for over two hours and casted with all the back pain I could stand.

Awesome but scary.

I understand your feelings. Godspeed to your friend. I lost my mentor, my best friend, my fishing and hunting partner, my older brother. He passed away on April 1st nineteen years ago. It hasn't been the same fishing or hunting ever since . I go with my two sons now. It's the passing of the torch to the next generation. I just hope they will continue to do things together like we all did. Bigbill

Nice, the last crappie I caught on a full moon evening along with many decent bass was the size of a five gallon bucket lid. I never weighted it. My fishing buddy loves to eat crappie. I caught it on a rebel big claw crawfish crankbait.

I use a Mann's classic 1/4oz Colorado gold blade with a blue glimmer skirt. I add a mister twister 4" white split double tail grub as a trailer.

Mine is a Shakespeare that cost me $12 brand new. It has adjustable mag brakes and still works great today. I caught my very first bass on a jig n pig using it. My second bait casting reel was a $14 Shakespeare reel too. #3 Mitchell #4 quantum #5 quantum Bill Dance.

Me too I have two or three and some still new in the box too. I have some of the heavier casting setups for the great northern pike.

Since I'm fishing in 10' and less depth my c rig leaders are red Cajun line like 14# with 17# for the mainline.

I notice the little brother of the Muskie and the great northern pike the smaller pickerel can be really nasty and my last pickerel was mad when the crankbait was stuck in his mouth when he engulfed it so bad he could close his mouth. He was fighting me the whole time trying to bite me as I tried to unhook the two treble hooks. His jaws were snapping the whole time. I figure the larger great northern pike and Muskie will try to bite us too. My point is one must be careful of its mouth. With my pickerel it was my first cast using the bomber crank in citrus. So far here the larger chain pickerel I have seen landed so far are between 29" to 32" in length. These are so fat both your hands will not fit around there girth. I can't imagine what a great northern pike or muskie is like to handle to release it. Btw, there gills on the back side are razor sharp too. I'm thinking fishing gloves to protect your hands.

I buy new stuff because the bait monkey who is now a full grown gorilla now tells me to buy new stuff. I give fishing stuff to my son's. Yes I'm 63yo and have tackle enough to last through the end of life as we know it, as they say it's coming. If the bad times ever hit us like in 1929 I can fish to feed everyone. Some fresh fish like crappies or catfish cooked over an open fire with a dash of salt n pepper with a squirt of lemon I'm in heaven. Sorry it's the old boy scout in me to survive. Life as we know could happen at anytime. It doesn't mean we won't eat good.

I keep my hooks free of all the weeds that hitch a free ride on them. Sometimes I will jerk the lure when I see weeds on it to get them off my lure during the presentation when I can see them. When I first was serious about bass fishing I started in the springtime when the weeds weren't growing yet. Before the weeds started growing my bass fishing was awesome. As the submerged weeds and surface weeds came up my fishing hit a stone wall. Then it was time to get into the weedless lures to continue bass fishing. I use the weedless hooks on my plastics too. There is so much weedless options available it's tough we're to start. Here's a few, Mister Twister Top Prop Mepps Timber Doodle Weedless frogs Weedless mice Weedless rats Eagle Claw weedless hooks(for C-Riggs for senkos, worms, brushogs)

Why make your own jigs? I just don't have the time to fabricate my own jigs. I just pick from the jig building menu at Sieberts Outdoors and let Mike build what a want at a very affordable cost. Mike's custom jigs look great, heck all his jigs are the highest quality jigs I have seen so far. I'm so far behind with other stuff to do I just have enough time to rest and go bass fishing.

I been having the best success with a BPS XPS TOPNOCKER. It's the best bass topwater lure next to the REBEL POP R. Of course BPS had to discontinue it. Ok there stik o worm in AMBER RED FLAKE is another very successful bait and color to use here. It's on the stik o worm color chart for many years now it's gone. Nada, nothing again it's a discontinued color. Why is every hot BPS lure or plastics that just works for any novice and knowledge fisherman discontinued. This is getting old buying the BPS brand over and over plus using it with awesome success only to have it discontinued. When I find out a new lure has an awesome success in catching fish I give them to my son's and show them the presentations on how to use it. With the topnocker it's a no brainer. My son's catch fish right away using it. My oldest sons first cast with a 1-2-3 pop n pause caught a 4# bass with the topnocker. What more can I say. Wether I 1-2-3 pop n pause it. Hold my rod tip down and reel it so it swims erractic side to side under the water then pause it, or just walk the dog with it the topnocker very rarely lets me down. Again it's discontinued, gonzo, never to be seen nor purchased again. They have removed a very successful topwater lure from our hands. I guess I need to start shopping elsewhere because it seems to me that BPS doesn't want me to catch fish. Has anyone else ever discontinued your favorite hot fish catching lure? It's just not right. To have a worm color discontinued that's a hot fish catching color too.

I just wish that BPS would offer all the stik o colors they once offered. They seem to take what we have or forget it attitude. I kind of forget about using senko baits when I can't find my colors that work.

When I first got into bass fishing it was costing me $50+ a week to use live bait. Then I started using one rod with live bait and the second rod with lures. Soon my lure rod started catching more bass over the live minnows. After some close calls in almost losing my live bait rod with the bigger bass striking it as it laid on the ground while I worked with my lure rod I figured with my climbing success rate with lures I stopped using live bait. The more I figured out the patterns with the different presentations the more success I had. I used my left over live bait money to buy more lures so I had a better lure selection. We never stop learning. I get an awesome feeling when I catch fish on lures. Every new lure I purchased I also purchased one for my two sons too. What I learned they learned too.

Examples, I can make long accurate casts past the action in the pads. This way I'm not spooking the fish. I cast past them and about 5' to the right or left of the action. I can see the bass ambushing the baitfish in the pads. I slowly work my topwater spook near them. Using this quiet presentation suttle can pick off the bass one by one. I hooked a 6lb.1oz. Bass by drawing her out of the pads into the open water. This gal took me on a date by giving me a tour of the place twice. She fought harder than the normal fight. I thought she'd be bigger with a fight like that. But she weighed 6.1#. My problem was while she was in my hand the big Rucus in the pads continued. More than one bass feeding in the pads. This is why I cast softly at times. We don't want to spook the fish if there is multiple bass. Longer casts from shore can pay off, but..... Now there is also a downfall to making longer casts too. If she is a bigger fish at that distance you can control the action by keeping her head up. She is also free to dive at will. Once she gets tangled in the deep weeds it's all over. I lost a new state record this way. I'm standing 3' above the water on the shore. I have a bird's eye view of the action. I seen her smack my lure silly, then pass it, then take it. She broke the surface and exposed some of her length. I set the hook and down she went. After 15 minutes it was time to call it over when my line snapped. The year before my buddy hooked the same bass, in the same spot, down in the weeds she went too. He broke his rod while trying to keep pressure on her to get her up. My point is with making long casts we can win or lose. After a certain distance the fish has more power and control because of her size and strength. Up close we have the edge and at a long distance the fish has the edge. The fish will use any close structure to tangle your line into too. Even pulling them up vertical in the heavy weeds from a boat can be challenging too. Now I try to make most of my longer casts in the open water.

The BPS Stik O last a few fish longer. I also use the gambler ACE for there electric blue flake color. I just purchased the mister twister comidas(senko style). I'm going to see if these will last longer. They are more affordable. Quality wise the other mister twister products are tops in plastics.

What I'm saying is other fisherman see your bass lures then they think there out fishing you with a $1.99 can of worms. I never play the competition game. I fish against myself to beat my PB 10# and to land more fish per outing. Plus I stop fishing to help kids fish if they show me there interested. I find it funny that the bass are right in front of these worm fisherman but they won't strike.

Sorry, correction, I use the locking ball bearing snap swivels. I once purchased them from cabelas but they just became too expensive. I know get them from eBay. Remember to retie often, after a hard fight too.

Yes I put it on my rod eyes and spool for smoother longer casts with my copolymer line. I don't use it on the spool when the line is new. I put a tad on the eyes. As the line get older I put it on the spool to extend the life of the line. I carry a mini scaled down carpenters tool box I made to carry an assortment of scents and reel magic. My surgical extra long is in this scent box too.

Try using a Mann's classic 1/4oz gold Colorado w/ blue glimmer skirt with a mister twister 4" split double tail grub as a trailer with a trailer hook and a shot of YUM shad scent. For clear to slightly stained water. I use the same thing in a chartreuse setup with the MT chartreuse trailer in stained to muddy water. The MT grub trailer has to be installed perfectly on the centerline of the spinnerbaits so it runs exactly vertical. Any spinnerbaits has to run flawless in the water.

The season for trout opens on Saturday. I haven't been fishing for trout for a while. With the snow on the ground still in patches and the 30 degree nights I think we will be in the 70/80's soon and sweating in the 80/90's soon. "I hope".

We then run into the value being too high to shoot it or ccw carry it. I try to purchase handguns within reason price wise.

Without seeing it, I'm guessing as said about your bail has been squeezed on. So it wider now rather than higher to fit over the spool. Look at it from the front to see if the roundness of the bail is equally spaced to the roundness of the spool body?