lovecranking

Chow, when I've used the D12's & D20's, I've caught big bass. The D12's & 20's are big lures and I've found that they work best for me using a Curado 5-1 reel and the St Croix Legend Tournament Bass Big Cranker (TBC70MHM). The ghost minnow & aurora green perch are 2 of the ones that have worked for me.

Try Northernbass.com. They carry all of Lucky Craft lures and are offering a free Lucky Craft lure if you buy 7. I've dealt with Sandy over the past year or two and she does a great job of getting you what you want.

I gree woth RW, the Cabela's Guidewear is the best. I bought jacket (w/insulation) & bibs. You'll never regret it.

You might also try the Lucky Craft SSR's. They are big crank & great going for shallow since they run about only a foot deep. When I 1st purchased them last year, the Lucky Craft website said they would run silent...no beads. So I tried them anyways and found out they do have rattles & they're pretty loud. I was catching both smallmouth & largemouth shallow last year. They are fantastic because they are such a big bait and the wobble is awesome. Give them a try.

I bought a Aqua-Vu 360 that has 4 lenses that show all 4 directions on your screen at the same time so you see in all directions at once. It is fantastic to see what's done there. I did post a question under General Bass Fishing on this Bass Resource website asking others who have used Aqua-Vu as to how they see suspended fish. I have had no problems seeing fish on the bottom. I just can't seem to get the hang of how you see suspended fish that show up on your fish finders. I have used the 360 in both clear & stained water. Of course you can see farther but in stained I can still see anywhere from 1-5 feet. I originally bought the XT and I loved how it showed the lense depth & temperature. I didn't like that you had to spin the cable to try and see in other directions. I took it back to BPS (they gave me no problems) and I bought the 360 in it's place. It is a great tool to see if a spot is holding fish or you should just move to another spot and don't waste time. Good luck & have fun with it.

It's not a graph, it's a camera system with 4 lenses for watching fish underwater. I would just like to hear from others who have used similar equipment and find out how they see fish that are not on the bottom. I have no problem dropping the lense to the bottom to see what fish are down there.

I purchased a Aqua-Vu 360 in July. I like the 360 because it has 4 lenses and you can see what's going on in all 4 directions at once. I've had it out a bunch of times and it's kinda neat. I've taken it to the spots on my lake that I've been fishing the past 10 yrs or so and seen what is actually down there. I'd like to find out from others if they've had much luck trying to locate fish other than what's on the bottom. The lake I fish in is so clear, you can see 20-25 ft. down. I watch the sonar and see suspended fish but cannot locate them with the camera. Any ideas that have worked?

Thought I'd give all who gave good advice the results on Lake Geneva today. No fish, didn't mark many fish either. The water temp has dropped to 46-47 degrees. Also the weather report was right on...wind was projected to be 5-9 mph - it was actually 15-20 mph with white caps. When I hit the water @ 7am, air temp was 17 degrees with ice fforming on rod eyelets. Oh well, thanks again for all of the good input. IR.

BassBuster the only money saving tip I can give you is....I don't have any. Everything I do seems to cost. On my cranks I like to change the front treble to a Lucky Craft red treble. For the rear treble, I like to use a feathered treble, either a chart feathered treble from Barlow's Tackle or a Matzuo firetiger feathered treble from Northern Bass Supply. I've had the best results with these 2 colors.

Cajun - never had any lure pop off the Norman speed clips. Me & my 2 friends have been using them for over 10 yrs. Originally I got input from Roland Martin who used them and thought they were good. rboat88h, once you start using them you'll get to a point where you won't have to squeeze the clip open to change cranks. Here's how we do it: hold the crank in your left hand, while holding the speed clip with your right hand, just apply a little pressure with the speed clip against the 0 ring which forces the speed clip open and the lure comes off. You can change a lure in just a few seconds without pinching the speed clip open. I hope that wasn't confusing, it will save your thumb & finger. Fishing Doug - we tried the clip on spinnerbaits & would suggest not to & continue tying the spinnerbait on. I've never used Duo lock snaps but did see them on the BPS web page. I'll stick with the Norman speed clips. You can find them at any bait shop, BPS or Cabela's.

About 65-6 days ago I could see 25 ft. down.

Brad, a guy on the lake today said the water temp was 48-50. I was surprised to hear that Lake Geneva turned a week ago. I was on Lake Geneva last week & the water temp was 51. I always thought the water temps had to be in the lower 40's when a lake turned.

I agree with maddogg, I have the same unit and it's been great. I did get suggestions from others on this website to purchase a dvd titles: Your Lowrance Part 1 by Doc Bruce Samson. As maddogg said, the manual is a little confusing. This dvd was well worth the money and I was able to better understand the Lowrance and make the adjustments i wanted.

I'm heading out to fish on a deep clear lake in southern Wisc. that has already turned. For the past 3 wks, the best set up for smallies has been fishing perch & med roaches with a split shot in 15' - 20' of water. Me, I hate using live bait. The largemouth have been at the docks. Now most of the docks have been pulled out for winter. I've been thinking about this rod set up: 1) Fat Ika. 2) LC Flat CB D-12. 3) LC LV-300S (no rattles) or LC Fat CB BDS3. 4) LC Pointer 100 DD or LC Slender Pointer 112 MR. What do you think? I plan on going no shallower than 15'. After a lake has turned, have the bigger bass already come shallow to load up for winter & are now going deep? What are your thoughts and rod set up for a lake like this?

Tell you what we use in our boat. It's a telescopic pole that you attach to your line. It can get down to 20' deep, simple to use & works great. It has saved many a Lucky Craft lure.

I'd like to know more about lake turnover. What causes it & how do you know when it is happening? In southern Wisc. - Lake Geneva's lake temp is still about 51-53. Is there a certain temp that you can expect the lake to turn? How long does it take a deep lake (say like Lake Geneva) to turn once it starts? Is it worth fishing during this period? How long until fish get back to normal? During this period are you better off switching to live bait? I hate using live bait but guys on Lake Geneva are catching perch, then using the perch to catch smallies. I've watched as guys pull in 20-30 smallies using this method. Is live bait THE bait during the fall? What ever input you can give would be interesting.

I think your best bet is to contact roadwarrior on this. With his knowlege on fat ikas, you can't go wrong.

You buy one off the shelf & it runs true. I've even bought the Lucky Craft red trebles & love them - they're heavy and last. Also I was never very good at top water until I used a Sammy. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I've caught big bass using this lure where in the past, I couldn't even get the top water lure to do what I wanted it to do...let alone catch any fish. I agree they are expensive..but so is the senko. People will buy a product that produces big results. You do have the option of using a different brand name but I don't think you will catch as big of bass as you do in my opinion. Good luck on your decision...I'm happy with mine in using Lucky Craft.

I contacted Spike-It yesterday & they think their neutralizer will work on the boat. Thanks to all.

Brad & bassclown...do you guys use it with the spinner provided? Do you add a trailer hook if you are using the spinner? I bought one today & haven't used it yet.

I like to use Spike-It worm dip on my plastics. I was using it the other day & spilled some on the metal ledge of my new Lund boat. Any suggestions on how to get it off?

I saw a buzz bait on the Northern Bass website made by Lucky Craft called B-MH. This lure might not be a new product but I had never heard of this lure before. I was wondering if anyone had tried this lure? What were the results? I also noticed the spinner you are suppose to attach to the hook. Is'nt adding a trailer hook a better choice?

Thanks huskertko, I'll try to get to my neighbors computer, I can't get it to come up on my iMac. I think you may have saved me money. I appreciate it, tight lines. Thanks, lovecranking.

I bought 2 new fish finders with my new boat. The console is a LMS-334C iGPS and the front is a X102C. I am looking for dvd's that teach you how to understand what your fish finder is showing you. I looked at the Lowrance website and they do have some info on their fish finders. But I was hoping I could find some dvd's that would show you how to tell the difference between say baitfish and debris. I've always kept the locator in the auto mode because I have a hard time in reading manual. How did any of you learn to read your units?

I want to thank all who gave their advice, it did help decide what was best for me. I just purchased a new 2005 Lund 18 Mr. Pike with a Yamaha 150 hp four stroke. I put a Lowrance X102C for the front and a LMS-334C-iGPS for the console with a Minn Kota Maxxum Pro 80 lb trolling motor. I can't wait to pick it up. Thanks again for your help.