shutupnfish

Try wrapping the first layer sticky side out. That is if you don't mind multiple layers. Steve

Any particular retrieval method (swim, hop, etc.) you prefer over the other? Steve

Another tip is to trim a few of the strands from each leg flush with the body. Thinning the legs gives them more "action" especially when the frog is sitting still. Great article, thanks for spending the time. Steve

Check out pondboss.com, lot's of good info to get you going in the right direction. Steve

If you've got to dodge a lot of trees or brush when yer pond fishing, you might consider a shorter rod. I've been told if you hang a mesquite tree on the back swing you might as well reel over the birds nest, grab a snickers, and head home. Steve

Strike King's are all I've got in my bag. Mainly 'cause that's all they sell at the local Academy as far as swim jigs. Only complaint so far is after one trip, they look like hell. At least one eye is missing, they go from bluegill to yellow paint, and the skirt is missing most of it's strands. Nice problem to have though, right? Steve

I've been using a Ronson wind-resistant butane lighter the last couple of trips. Yeah, you gotta be careful not burn your finger or the line. But it's always "sharp." Steve

Half ounce Strike King bluegill swim jig. Steve

My old man was gettin' leg cramps at night somethin' fierce. He asked the doc about quinine pills, doc said to drink tonic water instead, it's got quinine in it. Now my old man swears by it. Steve

It's usually me and mother nature, and she's always busy doing other stuff so a willing passerby is never around. Thanks for the ideas. Later. Steve

Especially those that fly solo as I do 99.9% of the time. What's an ideal way to get some photo's of you and your fish, in the same pic? I've got a decent digital camera with a timer so I've got that end of it. Do I need to get a tripod? I could use the tailgate of my truck but it's usually a good distance from the water because it's a wee bit noisy. Any ideas? Thanks! Steve

Spro bronzeye 65 because I can get 'em locally and even when half the paint is missing from relentless annihilation from LMB, they produce as if they're brand spankin' new. I'm sure the others perform just as well, but I've never tried them. Mainly because they're not offered around here. Don't fish soft plastic "toads" 'cause I don't like shelling out almost the same amount of cash for a 5 pack of whatever brand and I might get 5 fish. When I've used them though they seem to get decent results. Later. Steve

Seems like I've read you can put spool bearings in a jar of cleaning solution then put jar and all in with the rest of the parts to be cleaned without the fear of cross contamination. Is this even possible? Steve

I forgot to mention the bobber stops, I definitely use them. Thanks for the link to the video, I'll have to give it a try. What about casting methods? What are you fellas using to bust through? The lob seems to work best for me now, so I'm sticking with it. Well I'm off to give it anther try. We had a cold front blow in the other day though so its only going to be in the lower 90's. Might have to switch tactics. Steve

My punch gear order I made last week was for two BOSS Weedeater skirted weights 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz. pack of KO punch hooks, pack of hippo stops. Neither of the BOSS skirts were anywhere near heavy enough for the stuff I'm dealing with. Might make some finesse punching rigs, or some kinda swimming jig. After doing a little more BR reading I was gonna give it another try with a 3/4 oz. tungsten weight, glass bead, punch hook, craw/creature/monkey and lose the skirt! After a couple of pitches I was casting it up a ways and let gravity take over. It was at this point that I hoped nobody was watching me. First couple of tries I thought this rig would work. Made some more lobs and I found this rig would not work. I think it even bounced once. So to Academy and back with 1 1/2 oz of tungsten. Went out for a hour two earlier for more skirtless punching. Fished from a dock that normally extends 25 feet out, 5 ft deep, next to a "rocky" boat ramp. Now it's 12 ft out, 5 ft. deep. Weeds are pretty solid out to 40 feet or more in some places. Figured this would be an ideal launching area. Still used the lob method, even with that much weight. Three fish, biggest was 2.5. Lost one that felt pretty heavy. Tried various craws and creatures and the space monkey gets the vote for durability and least amount of fouling. Fixing to give it another shot this evening for a while. Going to see what a 1 1/4 oz. of tungsten will do first. NOW IF ONLY I COULD LEARN TO TIE A SNELL KNOT!!!!! Later. Steve

You sure it wasn't an episode of Punkd and one of the officers was Ashton Kutcher? Seriously I've never seen or read anything about it. But I get what you're saying. Russ ain't been around in a while. And you're chompin' at the bit to throw some insults his way, right? Come on admit it! You've got one saved up, especially for him don't ya? Steve

My issue of The National Enquirer with that story must have been lost, no, more like stolen, cause I never heard of this guy, nor any frozen foot. Definitely right up there in the dumb *** category. As for Booby, he's neither dumb, nor an ***. Might have a screw or three loose though. But who am I to criticize? Steve

Why do they have to be dummys? Kinda pot/kettle there ain't it? Steve

I got two words for ya. Get a new fishing partner! Seriously though, I can tolerate a lot of things ignorance, and hard heads, (me, and me sometimes), but stuff like this I cain't and won't take. And when I say ignorance, I'm saying lack of knowledge, not dumbas$. He probably ain't doing any of this on purpose either, is he? That'd fall under being a richard, lol. Anyway, good luck finding another partner. Steve I don't think he's doing it on purpose, he's just oblivious to some things. I've seen him leave his tacklebox out in the rain and dump the water out of it and be ready to go. He doesn't take care of his equipment (fishing, house, truck, etc.) so it never occurs to him that I may want to take care of mine. He's called the last two weekends and I've made excuses and went by myself. I don't get to go as much lately as I used to so it's just not worth the trouble. The last time we went it was after we both got off work. I was actually looking forward to it getting dark so the trip would be over. That's bad, when you can't wait to get off the water ;D Like the man says: "You can't fix stupid." Sounds a little like my bro-in-law. Super good dude, one helluva carpenter and he'd do anything for anybody. But he don't take care of anything, his or yours. A while back I noticed his Husky chainsaw on the pile of Lone Star empties in the bed of his truck. A month later it was still there so I asked him if he wanted me to turn it over so it could rain in the other side for a while. He just laughed. I'm thinkin' he's a bit brighter than your fishing partner though. Wait, that might not be the case, he did marry my sister. Steve

Wanna know what's worse than missing a chance at a fish on a slow day in August? Doing the exact same thing ten minutes later in the same exact spot probably the same exact fish! I was merely going through the motions so instead of making a few twitches with my frog over a void in the slop, I burned it right on across. Didn't see nary a thing either, just splash! Actually they were more like SPLOSH! I know it's hard to do, especially when it's 100* + and 100% humidity, but don't get caught nappin'! I did manage four fish in 1 1/2 hours, with a nice 3-3.5# fish on the first cast. Steve

I've seen exactly what you describe in catfish before. Usually from being fed until they're nice and fat, then cut back or stop feeding altogether. Could be that the lake has become overpopulated with LMB's or different species with the same food source. I guess it's hard to say without comparing numbers from previous years and whether or not some sort of disease is spreading. I'd keep 'em out of the deep fryer until you find out though. Steve

I got two words for ya. Get a new fishing partner! Seriously though, I can tolerate a lot of things ignorance, and hard heads, (me, and me sometimes), but stuff like this I cain't and won't take. And when I say ignorance, I'm saying lack of knowledge, not dumbas$. He probably ain't doing any of this on purpose either, is he? That'd fall under being a richard, lol. Anyway, good luck finding another partner. Steve

You forgot biscuits without mustard! I've tried swim jigs without a trailer after one got the tail nipped. It turned out wasn't too lazy to walk back and get more trailers. Steve

I gotta stock Zillion on a 7'3" heavy fast Vendetta. No trouble throwin' a 1/4 oz. swim jig here. I mainly use mine for froggin'. but there's no telling what I'll tie on. Since I bank fish it's all I carry sometimes. I did upgrade the drag on mine. Mo' betta' now. Don't be scared! Feed the monkey! Steve

Here's a little diy tackle tip for you wacky rig peoples. Make your own wacky weights using split shot's and some small nails. I found some nails used to attach hangers to picture frames, about 1/2" long with a flat head. The split sinkers were of the non-reusable variety. Drill a small hole (~1/16") through the center of the sinker, insert nail, and crimp. I know it would be easier to use lead, or tungsten nail weights but I can't find any locally. I've tried finishing nails but they ain't heavy enough. Only problem I can see is there's nothing to keep the weight from sliding out. Might have to use a piece of heat shrink cut at an angle, like the punch hooks use. Anyway, I thought I'd share this with yall. Steve P.S. If you use a drill, use something other than your free hand to hold the sinkers.