Matt 825

I just got a Lowrance LMS 522c IGPS color graph. It retails for $625 but boy is it worth it. Great detail on bottom structure and you can scroll over on the sonar screen if you see some structure and then mark a waypoint directly on the structure you see on the screen. Here is the link to the unit on Lowrance's website. You can download a simulator for free so you can see how the unit will work on your computer. http://www.lowrance.com/en/Products/Marine/Full-Size-SonarGPS-Chartplotter-Combos/LMS-522C-iGPS/

You should be OK. I snapped a rod Dragging in a tree like an Idiot the other day, but it had nothing to do with the braided line and everything to do with me being a moron. LOL >

There are some guys that can tell the species of fish on the graph just by looking at the way they positon of how tight together they are, ect. Aaron Martins is one guy who comes to mind that can do this. I think that it is just a matter of putting in your time on the water. I can tell white perch, yellow perch and smelt, but making out Bass, Crappies, Trout or even large Sunfish from one another is just not something I am confident about. If I see something on the graph I just drop my bait down on it and wait for the hit.

This past summer I had one of my Citica's out of service for a little while and I needed a cheap temp reel. I bought a Daiwa Megaforce for like $55 and I liked it so much that I have been using it on my Cumara Jig rod ever since. For a $55 reel it performs better than some reels that I paid double or triple for. I think Shimano is #1 for reels hands down, but I wouldnt pass on a Daiwa if the price was right.

I use Suffix braid for my dropshot main line and then a 20' fluro leader of usually 6 IB or 4 IB. My first choice for leader is Gamma for drop shotting, but since it is so expensive I find myself using Berkley Vanish most of the time now. I never have a problem with it, but like I said I think Gamma is the best on the market right now.

I throw deep cranks on a Baitcaster, but if I was going to use a spinning rod I would go for a 7' MH rod. Check out Basspro Shops rods, I think they are on sale right now and you can probably get a decent rod for like $75 or less. I do not believe that cranking is an area where one has to spend lots of $ on fancy rod.

If I had only 1 lure to use all year I would have to say a 3/8 OZ Green Pumpkin Jig. Drop Shot Rig would be a very close 2nd

Me too. Its a great jig!!!

I agree with Roadwarrior. Great advice. I fish jerkbaits when the water is 55 or below usually. I love the Pointers and like Roadwarrior said the long pause is sometimes the key between 0 fish and loading the boat with giant Bass. A jerkbait bite from a 5 IB + fish is one of the great feelings in all of fishing.

I have been fishing ponds 200 acres and up this fall. Had my best luck in the shallow areas about 2-8 ft. Weedlines and shap dropoffs have been good at times also. Havent had much of a deep bite this fall. Had a great day at Mashee-Wakeby a few weeks ago and another one at Long Pond in Plymouth.

Crestliner, You let the cat out of the bag man......lol JK....this technique is absolutley deadly on the smallies around here and will outfish all other methods 4 to 1 when temps dip below 45.

Yesterday I was fishing with water temp about 53 and could not catch anything but yellow perch all day until the very end of the day. I was throwing a jerkbait into schools of bass that were crashing herring on the surface over 20' of water. If I had a topwater bait with me I am sure I would have been able to crush them even though it is November and water temps in the low 50's. Even without a topwater I caught 3 good sized smallies and a 5 IB Largie working the jerkbait through the schools of bait as fast and agrresively as I could. If bass are actively feeding on bait fish then you can catch them, if they are not and just following your bait and nipping at the tail end try downsizing to a smaller bait.

I have been using braid with a fluro leader for my jerkbaits the last year or so and the sensitivity is unbelievable. I had to switch jerkbait rods though since the rod I was using was too stiff and I was losing more fish than I thought I should. Now with a rod with a much softer tip, I believe I catch far more fish on jerkbaits with the braid then I ever did with mono or straight fluro.

I always have the fish ID turned off. You have to learn to interpet things on the sonar yourself instead of letting the unit do it for you. A tree or brush pile in say 30ft of water will come up as a group of fish when fish ID is turned on, but with it off you can usaully see that it is a tree or brush and then you might also be able to see an arch or arches above or to the side of the tree.

Great point about the trailer Roadwarrior. I love the baby paca craw also. I use that trailer 75% of the time.

I have been having a great fall. Catching them on Jigs, crankbaits and yesterday jerkbaits.

Shimano Stradic

I have caught many Largemouth and Smallmouth over 4 pounds on these rods through the ice. I like St. Croix rods and any 1000 reel with a decent drag. The rods are short because you are sitting on a bucket looking down a hole. You dont need a long rod since the fish cant really go anywhere. You'd be surprised how well you can handle a good sized fish on these little rods. Both caught on the short rod!!!!

I dont think it will go bad from just sitting there. Just make sure you stirr the crap out of it before you heat it up. It will settle and the parts will seperate from just sitting there, but stirring it and shaking the bottle if it is a one gallon bottle should work.

Looks Awesome. I am going to rig my 14' Jon boat with a front deck this winter. Great inspiration

I have 3 depthfinders running out on a 14' jon and an 11' jon baot. I have more invested in electronics than the boats. I have a Lowrance LMS522C IGPS it is a color graph and I love it. Worth every penny even at full retail price. I also have a Hummingbird Matrix 47 3D and a Hummingbird PiranhaMax 220. Both Hummingbirds are black and white. I havent used the Matrix that much but the PiranhaMax works really well and it only costs $100. If you want a color graph then go for it especially if you are fishing some deeper water.

I had a 03 Ranger 4.0 V6 4x4 and it could tow a full sized bass boat with no problem at all. That being said it was not ideal. You could easily pull a 16-18' Bass boat with a V6 4x4 truck. Check the manual for the towing capicity if you want to be sure.

Fishing in tournamnets has made me a much better fisherman, but only because I have had the oppertunity to fish with some guys who were really good fisherman. I watched and learned different ways to catch fish and different methods to find fish. It basically made me more versitile. That being said I dont consider myself a 'tournament angler" I like fishing in my quiet, hard to get to spots with the little aluminum boat far more than a big tournament.

I ordered some skirts Friday and had them Monday. He is real fast with the shipping. The discount price is for the same color only. Charles has the best colors and great prices, he is a top notch supplier.

I make my own jigs now. I have about 5 different Jig molds but find myself using 2 styles about 95% of the time (football & Poison tail). I really am a huge fan of football head Jigs. They work great in gravel/rocky areas and especially well in deep water. As for brands, I wouldnt go for huge name brand jigs, they are just too expensive and if you fish jigs the way you should you will lose plenty of them. GMAN or someone similar would be where I would buy them from if I didnt make my own. Just make sure whatever brand you settle on has a very sharp and strong hook.