lavbasser

Deps Buzzjet

Over the years I returned a few lures to Lucky Craft. Eventually they did replace all of them. In one case I returned a Pointer that was purchased a year or longer in the past. In that situation I did not want to ask the vendor about a return even though I had done a lot of business with. The Pointer was purchased as a back up in the event I lost my original. My original lasted over a year and my replacement was never used until that point. It was brand new but purchased over a year earlier. Fortunately many companies make returns or exchanges very easy. I do take these things into consideration when buying tackle. On the other hand, I don't have an equal for a Pointer 78 so I still but them.

There was an interesting article about Lee Sisson's weighted hook rig for fluke fishing a few years ago in Bassmasters. It was called the Dangle Berry rig. You can find it online.

Yesterday I had a little revelation on the water. I found the bait in the same transitional areas but fished the broader areas of the flats with plastic craws, not the near banks or the immediate area. I picked up 5 good bites in a few hours of fishing. With so much bait activity I may have been too keyed on that. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, lipless, worms, drop shot, topwater....Despite all of the bait maybe they are focusing on craws. It is still too early to know but I am encouraged. I fished an adjacent flat, in another transitional spot, with bait and better structure but did not get bit. Thank you all for responding.

Thanks for responding. I find this time of year to be very unique. It begins after a few cooler nights in August. It is like flipping a switch. The fish turn off and you can barely get them to react to anything. Even after ice-out, with water temps in the low 40's, I can find active fish or fish that will react to something at some point. Tom, this period last more than few weeks for me so maybe there is more going on. Our lakes have very good numbers of pike and perch as well. These species and others turn negative as well. At times I have used Beetle Spins and other crappie/panfish tackle to no avail. Also, It is not uncommon to catch a few dozen pike in the Fall up until the lake freezes. Yet during this period the pike bite is very slow as well. ColdSVT- I go finesse as well. I will drop shot and use very small light tackle as well.

I am looking for feedback on how people approach the Fall transition. For me this period starts in mid to late August and can last through a significant part of October. I know the fish can be scattered. I fish deep to shallow and can cover many of the small lakes I fish in a few hours. Scattered fish are fine with me but I most often encounter the fish in a very negative bite. The pike and other species fish the same way during this period. Right now there are still a lot of healthy weeds in deeper water and most of the bait and alewives are still relating to these weeds. Some bait is suspended over long unremarkable flats. Some main lake banks have strong weed growth and bluegills and the secondary coves are the same. I have caught most of my fish shallow, but the deeper weeds have the greatest amount of bait and activity. I have fished deep to shallow, including the areas they should be staging in and am looking for suggestions. I will downsize or upsize this time of year and have really mixed things up over the years wanting better results. I know the fish tend to be more scattered but I can cover these lakes in a few hours and know them extremely well. The strange thing is that there is often so much surface activity and the bigger fish are really filled out. If you fish early and late in the day you have a better opportunity for fish and better quality fish. However, daylight hours, even low-light days are still really tough. My lakes are only about 15 feet deep. The water up to about 4 feet is clear, the rest is stained. This year I am getting a few with buzzbaits, Buzzjets, and pitching plastics but not enough to establish any sort of pattern. I am interested in knowing how this period sets up on your lakes, what works for you, why you believe it works, and what does not work for you. Thanks. Lou

The 95 size is excellent too.

Roboworm is the brand name.

The bluegill jig looks great as is. The other one looks fine as well.

Getting a little weed on your bait in those situations is a good thing. If your crankbait is always getting balled up with lots of weeds then I would try a shallower or more buoyant bait. However, I have caught a lot of bass in situations when I ripped my rod very, very hard trying to clear lots of weeds. Using the right bait makes a big difference. As you mentioned, try to tick the weeds. Very often you can clear debris from your bait on a cast by snapping your rod. If you can't then your rod maybe under-powered for this situation. You can also fish those areas with single-hooks baits. Swim Jigs are a good choice or a t-rigged worm. If you use a 1/4 jig you can even let it fall in the weeds. Sometimes a belly-weighted plastic can be better to use (like the dingleberry, or just a heavier plastic like a fat ika). Sometimes the fish like a more aggressive bait, like a crankbait, that needs to be more aggressively ripped from the weeds. Other times they prefer a more sublte approach. It sounds like you have the right idea, don't get discouraged about a little debris on your bait.

flipin4bass and Bluebasser86 where are you guys buying your blades?

This still happens for me. Occasionally the buzzbait will tumble and spin on a cast and you can't see it happening until it is too late.

x3 You have to make an adjustment. Also, try not twitching it as hard when it gets close.

A rod with a bit more backbone will help rip your bait from the weeds....Also, try to shorten up your casts a bit, especially with traps. Keeping your rod tip high you can control the fall of a trap with a shorter cast. Plus you have less line stretch when snapping it free. Also. the weed edges may be a easier to start with.

Similar to the Talon Custom Lures Worm Blades?

Mr. Uhrig, do you develop or create most of your new products? I have used Cavitrons and Mega Strike for years and admire what you have been able to accomplish with a small company.

The 2 DSGs by me carry a decent amount of stuff. There is some low-end stuff but plenty of quality and even some things you would not expect (like Jackall and RI). I find the prices not to be very good, plus you pay sales tax and gas to drive there. I believe Consumer Reports recently did a survey on stores that sell merchandise for outdoor sports. I believe Dicks was middle of the pack as far as price. They do have coupons and other deals you can combine to get the most for your money. I used to go to their website and look at the weekly circular for my local stores. That way you know what is on sale before you decide to go. BTW, check your receipts if you buy anything. They overcharged me plenty of times. Very often they were too slow to enter sales and other promos for that week.. Also, if the website shows that something is on sale and the store does not you can bring it to their attention and they will give you the discount. This happened several times and is another reason I don't shop there that often. The other thing I don't like about them is that the aisles are a mess and it can take a long time to sort through all of it to see if they really have what you are looking for. I use them if I need something in a pinch (like Trick Worms).

I fish these (Cotton Cordells) a lot. They cast, sink, and feel more like a 3/8 bait than a 1/2 oz. and therefore are easier to fish shallow. If you need to keep your bait down more than a few feet you might be better off with a different trap, unless you want to fish really slow. They don't cast as well as other traps either. I find the paint jobs hold up pretty well but I change the hooks. I also like that they have two size 4 trebles.

Thanks for the update.

If possible try to learn the slope and depth of the bank and fish your plastics just over the rocks as you count your bait down. This is tricky as you are fishing uphill. On steeper banks you need to quicken the pace on your retrieve to keep your bait up. If you need to keep your bait on the bottom then my advice is to use a fat plastic like a Fat Ika. I have found they don't wedge as easily in the rocks. However, I hop these plastics instead of dragging them if I am fishing rock from the bank. Someone already mentioned jerkbaits. Just make sure it runs shallow enough for you to get it back. If the banks are steeper you can also fish some lipless crankbaits. Aruku Shads come through rock very well and Super Spots do not sink that fast. I fish these in areas where I can get right next to the water and fan cast up to 45 degrees...... A longer rod will allow you to keep baits up as well. Good luck.

Mike has always done a very good job with my reels.

Thanks Goose.

Goose, How is that secured to your canoe?

agony and ecstasy not always shallow

Your rod is under-powered to walk it, especially with any distance on your cast.