bigbill

We are getting to the point I been using the light saltwater rods and reels or the inshore stuff as its called for the larger swim bait lures. I'm casting them from shore in certain areas.

I just purchased all my new spinning rod setups in the lews brand from lighter trout setups to heavy action bass setups. I have a few lews bait caster setups. I purchased the other bait caster really rods in various brands for a boat when I rent a boat on the lake. These are longer rods in different actions. I could fish with any rod with a decent reel. If I did it all over again from the start I'd say put your money in decent quality line. Yozuri hybred, 22caliber silver thread, vicious copolymer lines are all decent lines. Good quality reels are okuma, fin nor, but more affordable ones for the tight budgets are the quantums. I never wore out a quantum reel. The diawa seems like a decent reel too(all spinning). No matter what your using you can't catch fish if your not out there fishing.

I've fished so far, Nj. As a kid in Westwood were Travolta and Tony soprano once grew up there. Travolta tires is where my dad bought tires from Johns dad. Small world. We fished bogarts pond behind the elementary school there. RI deep sea fishing out to coxes ledge many times. Cod and blue fishing. Ct in lakes and small man made dams on rivers that are fed from the lakes. Vt my camp is 25 minutes from the white river were it begins in the green mountain national forest. To catch the native trout you crawl up near the water and fish. The natives are spooked very easily. Just on the main river along side rt 100 these are stories of 20" browns I have heard for decades. These waters are ice cold with deep holes so waders are recommended. I'm also near lake dunmore but haven't fished it yet.

There are the probably older lews speed sticks on eBay. For lews speed stick spinning rods look at "fish and save" he has the $99 listed for a good price. I just upgraded to lews spinning and bait casting rods. Plus a few other decent brands.

I think I'm up to 16 bait balls now. Every family member will test one for me. I have 8 for me.

I have some braided line that's over 10 years old now and it's still strong but feels dry when I cut it. It's hardley been used if use at all. I do use one braid setup for my casted out portable fish finder.

A silver blade rooster tail with a white body with or without spots and a white rooster tail are great for trout. So is a Joe's fly in blackgnat with a Silver blade or gold blade.

I can cook you just about any restaurant or greasy spoon meal but I cant make coffee. At work I was good for up to 6 cups of coffee per day. Working for corporate head quarters world wide engineering our coffee was free all day long. Now being retired I missed my coffee. The coffee at the local Dunkin doughnuts was a scrap shoot were I lost every time I bought it I through it away. Then while visiting relatives they showed me the new keurig. Now I have the perfect cup of coffee every time. The cost doesnt matter I think of those dd coffees I threw away. I now drink about 100 cups of green mountain lake and lodge blend of coffee every month. From the keurig. The trick to keeping the keurig operating is using filtered water from the faucet. It keeps the water clean. I use only the vanilla creamer too with no sugar. I drink plain water and coffee now. No diet soda anymore.

I can cook you just about any restaurant or greasy spoon meal but I can make coffee. At work I was good for up to 6 cups of coffee per day. Working for corporate head quarters world wide engineering our coffee was free all day long. Now being retired I missed my coffee. The coffee at the local Dunkin doughnuts was a scrap shoot were I lost every time I bought it I through it away. Then while visiting relatives they showed me the new keurig. Now I have the perfect cup of coffee every time. The cost doesnt matter I think of those dd coffees I threw away. I now drink about 100 cups of green mountain lake and lodge blend of coffee every month. From the keurig. The trick to keeping the keurig operating is using filtered water from the faucet. It keeps the water clean. I use only the vanilla creamer too with no sugar. I drink plain water and coffee now. No diet soda anymore.

Remember a floating crankbait can be fished slowly so it will run at any depth. A faster speed it will run at its rated depth. A slower speed it will run shallower.

Lure color is very important. Dr Loren Hill proved that in his ten year research into bass seeing certain colors sometimes do to the hues of the water, the sunlite, water conditions and lighting conditions. There are times the bass are limited to seeing certain colors and when there not. If one lure color isn't working change colors till the action happens. I change the style and depths of my lures too. I like the bait ball but I wish they offered a brighter color for low light, stained water conditions. Otherwise these are harder to buy lately. I have had awesome success using crankbaits in all colors as per situation in all lighting conditions and water conditions. I do have some colors that preform better than the others but crankbaits in the past have preformed awesome for me. I probably throw more crankbaits than any other lure. I'm fishing from shore in some of the healthiest smaller bodies of water in the western part of my state. I found all the smaller bodies of water while riding my motorcycle and dual sport bikes. I road for miles and pretty much found little unfished places that are accessible to fish legally. I enjoy trying different lures with different presentations. Now I'm a color freak. I've read about Dr. Loren Hill results of his testing. He used different colored bait buckets on bass in the lab. He put the food in one colored bucket. The bass went to that one color. But didn't go to the other colors that had no food etc. This means bass see colors. I've learned on a slow day when nothing is working to change up like a baseball pitcher and throw a color I wouldn't think of using. I put on a hot chartreuse. I caught a bass right off when no other color worked. Seeing this tells me the water condition I'm seeing at the surface isn't the same at the deeper depths. It can change as we go deeper. Don't stay with one color when it produces nothing. I look at it as a challenge. Given the fish are there. Which I catch fish at each place I fish. But in different sizes I know the time of day to fish each spot I been fishing there for over a decade from shore now. Under different lighting conditions fish will move. It's a fact under darkness to low light there in open water or under thinner cover. In lighted sunny conditions there under cover. Keep in mind this rule isn't in cement. It's not a given all the time. I've seen big hogs swim by me going after my 7 1/4" bps stik o worm. In the sunlite. So expect the unexpected. I know what to fish when just about. I do go through my ritual of lures and colors till one works. My point is this new bait ball is up against some of the best crankbaits I have ever thrown. Time will tell. Right now I open up the package and they look great. Again I'm no pro and never claim to be but I'm one serious shore fisherman. Fishing from shore is the hardest at times no one ever said fishing is easy. The more we stay focused and motivated the more success I have. Do not tell your self I'm not going to catch anything before you get there. Stay thinking positive things like beating your PB. Or how many fish will I catch today. I know one shallow spot we're the dinks up to one pounder are in the shallows all the time. I test my presentations there. I test my spinnerbaits setups there. I'm looking for that one big gal to be feeding there. But for now I practice. I can't wait to throw the bait ball there.

I always use them dressed but I need to try them when the frenzy is on plain. Or in rivers when the flash attracts bass much quicker.

The inline spinner is one of the many hot lures for bass. I never leave home without them. If there not working for you your presentation is wrong. Either your throwing it like a rock when it crashes the water or your reeling it way to fast. Slow it down till the blade just spins in stained or muddy water. In clear water it's a tad faster.

My list so far on what I use with success. Mepps #3 great size to start off with. Silver blade w/ gray dressed, gold blade w/Brown dressed. When the bite is on any color will work. The red/white blade w/Gray or brown dressed is good too. Mepps #4 & #5 when the bite is on with the #3 and it slows down put on a number #4 or #5 mepps on. The bigger fish come in close and scare the smaller fish away but won't strike the smaller lure. They come to see what the smaller fish are feeding on. Joe's Fly New 1/4 ounce bass size. Remember natural colors for lighter conditions and bright colors for darker conditions. I been begging Joe for a 3/8ounce size too even a 1/2ounce size. On an overcast, cloudy day, with light warm rain try a Joe's fly in firetiger apache or a glo tiger. The brighter colors are great in dusk, low light conditions as night fall comes. The worsens work good too. Something to throw that's different. The blue Fox in lines are good too. Never pass up buying a quality inline.

I figure having the family members using the bait ball lures will give me feedback on how successful they are. Or if they work or not.

From using scents I notice my lures can get sort of smelly plus my tackle box can get foul oders too. I wash everything with the mild dish soap the lures and tackle box. I wash my lures and tackle box mid season and the end of the season.

I think with any rod expensive or not it depends on how long it's been sitting in one position in the rack. It can take a set but as its used the set or angle it has will disappear. Of course that new PB can change the set right away too.

I have the heddon sonars but never put any out there. I never really tried spoons too I have them. I do use the mepps timber doodle weedless lure. The silver blade with the mister twister 4" split double tail grub in clear, to slightly stained/stained water and the gold blade with the mister twister 4" split double tail trailer in green pumpkin or chartruse depending how dark the water is. This weedless blade bait works awesome.

I just purchased 14 of the new koppers live target bait ball cranks. Just 7 will go in the kids Easter baskets. I showed these $14 lures to my youngest son. He told me we only need one. And make sure my oldest son is fishing with us. When we snag a lure my oldest son will go swimming to get it back. This is for $3 lures. I can't wait to see how fast he dives in for a $14 bait ball. On one fishing trip my two sons went on my oldest came home all wet. My youngest son said my oldest son snagged his lure in a low branch that over hung close to the water. My son shimmed out on the branch and fell off into the water. I guess we don't need one of those lure retrievers we have a human one. It's the great times fishing we all remember that we talk about when we have dinner together. Fishing is more than fishing it's a lifetime of memories and laughs.

Caught my leg as I casted a saltwater penn reel the hook went in above my ankle and went 10" up my calf till it finally dug in and stopped. I continued to fish anyway. My dad was with me and a medic in the army before ww 2. Luckily it was a flatfishhook

Go to "fish and save" to browse.

I use a 1/8 ounce brass weight with a clicker on a carolina rig. I notice the BPS Stik O Worms last longer then senko' s they don't break so easy. Senko....color...orange red flake not sure but never can find it. 5" Stick o worm. Amber red flake again can't find this color. 4" 5" 6" Gambler electric blue 5" Stick o worm super size 7 1/4" red shad, make sure you have a big hook. I also use the gambler worms in electric blue too. The Amber or Orange flake is one hot color for me anyhoo. I use a snap swivel on the hook end of the carolina rig. I keep my plastiss prehooked so no need to keep on tying when switching baits.

Yes I was mainly fishing by the mauri charts. You need to figure and adjust the best fishing times for your time zone in your area. I caught my PB of 10# @ 5:30 am when the charts said the fishing was "GOOD EARLY". I also had other great fishing trips going by these charts. I did get these charts in OutDoorLife (Mauri charts) but it's no longer in the magazine.

Please be careful of the fumes when melting lead. Make sure it's a well ventilated area. Safety first