airborne_angler

When my wife and I go fishing,she uses a microlight Spincasting outfit. She sometimes asks if she can use my Baitcasting outfits. I explain to her that they are pretty complicated and take some time to get used to and master. Its obvious she wants an upgrade to something bigger so I went out and purchased a couple of Spidercast STSC550 reels off Ebay. They are shaped just like a baitcaster,but without all the necessary adjustment/cast control knobs of a baitcaster.No birdsnests to worry about either.I know they may not have the same gear ratio for crankbaits and such but should get my wife started on Senkos,Poppers and Scumfrogs type baits. I may use one for myself when fishing docks and tight areas . I normally use a Zebco 33 for those areas,but they are difficult to palm and cause some cramping after an extended time. These Spidercast reels probably cast just as well and can be palmed easier. Any thoughts?

Tried the Rat today. It was very hot out and water on the surface was about 78 degrees.I got 2 little slaps at the bait,and THEN... I hit this spot where it looked gnarly(very Bassy) Threw into the thick of it and here comes this HUGE Bullfrog. Pounces all over it and starts to run. I didnt want to hook the fella so I just reeled in normally. Got him to the boat and couldnt see my Rat...He had the whole thing in his mouth. GREAT I thought,how am I gonna unhook this guy? Just as I thought that,he/she opened its mouth and rleased my bait,and swam away. It started to rain,so I headed for the boat ramp. After it cleared I headed back to that same spot,wanting to pickup where I was interrupted by Mr. Frog. No sooner did my Rat hit the water,that darn frog was on it AGAIN!! Came launching out from the same spot. Same ol song and dance,reeled him in,he had the bait all the way in his mouth again,he opened up,let go and swam away. Well I can say...The Frogs like this bait!!

Anyone ever used either of these 2 baits and what were your thoughts/results? Do they get a thumbs up or a thumbs down? First bait is a Manns Phat Rat: http://www.sovereignsuperbaits.co.uk/Lures/Weedless/Hollow_Baits/phat_rat.jpg The other bait is a Fred Arbogast Hocus Locust http://www.arbogastlures.com/AR_Images/HocusLocust_blk.jpg

I assume that was AFTER you broke off? If you were still attached,it shouldnt have been THAT difficult.

The thing that REALLY got me is that I JUST talked to him,and the statement he made about seeing me out on the water again. Hits pretty hard. I didnt really even know the guy,I think I met him at the lake a few years back,but that time and this last time were the only time I ever talked to him. I recall when I met him for that first time,He gave me a Storm Craw type bait and said the fish were hitting on it. Not gonna be able to go on the lake and fish 1 certain spot without thinking of him,as this was a particular spot he pointed out to me where he was doing really well.

I was fishing a lake a few days before Independance day and met up with an older guy on the water. We got to talking about what was working,and he said he was using Nightcrawlers and doing very well.I told him that in the town where I live Nightcrawlers,or any other kind of live bait was no longer being sold. He reached into a styrofoam box and handed me about a 1/2 dozen Crawlers.Told me about the rig he was using and where he was catching them at. We finished our conversation,shook hands and he said he comes out to the lake on a regular basis,and that we would be seeing each other again. I read the online version of the local paper today and my heart sunk: http://svherald.com/articles/2009/07/12/community/obituaries/doc4a597df6dcbef533647553.txt

Shhh its supposed to be a secret!!! So if I see the guy again and ask him what hes using,and he replies"Secret Lure" Should I ask him where I got his Manns Jelly Worms? Bet that will trip him up!!

I didnt let it ruin my day,but man I start to lose all hope in mankind when I meet people like that. The guys in the Tracker,on the other hand one was throwing a popper(you could hear it) and the other guy caught something. I asked this guy what he caught the fish on,the other guy chimed in,"Pumpkinseed Baby Brush hog" Did i suddenly dig through my stuff,to find my stash of Brush hogs...NOPE I was already killing em on a Dropshot. I did end up throwing a small popper later,only because the surface was erupting with breaking fish.

I am located in Southern Az ,I was fishing at Parker Canyon Lake

Nope,This dude was a total *****!!

I guess im just a different kind of guy. If Im fishing with ***,and see someone using Senkos,I always offer up a few of my baits for the person to try and compare(If I have enough to spare) *** are priced accordingly,so its not like im giving away a fortune in baits.I also try to remember to slip them Brents business card,so maybe they can purchase more if they like the baits. I also try to help others in rigging, and presentation,in hopes that I can shed some light on the success im having,or to at least teach someone something they didnt know. On the same token,maybe that person can teach me something. Its all about comraderie and resourcing. I always try to plug Bassresource.com as well. Some people dont even know what certain baits and techniques are,they look at you funny when you mention Senko or Dropshot. With me,theres no "Secret Lure"

I have been fishing lately and occasionally come across a crankbait floating in the water or stuck in a tree thats very reachable. For the longest time I couldnt figure out how anyone could fish,and break off a brightly colored crankbait and just leave it there.I mean crankbaits arent exactly cheap,and to throw one and break it off and leave it,well someone must have some $$$ to be able to do this. Ive seen it in 2 different lakes this year. Last night it all came to me on why this has been occuring.It was getting dark,and the fish were exploding all over the surface,unlike I have ever seen. The air was thick,real thick with the buzzing of insects. I was throwing a popper and tearing the fish up,mostly dinks and Green Sunfish. I made a cast and didnt hear my bait hit the water,and realized it was somewhere in a tree. I broke off as I didnt want to search for it in the darkness (was a cheap Matzuo Popper from the clearance bin anyway) So now Ive come full circle with this curiousity!!

Ya know I thought that was VERY ironic!! I was already using the "Secret Technique." Now I just gotta figure out the Lure he was using. I could seriously care less what he was using,I was just rubbed wrong with this guys arrogance.

Was at the lake yesterday and there was a guy on a one man pontton. He hooked into a dink and released it. I asked him in a non threatening,non confrontational manner,"What did ya catch it on?" His arrogant response "Secret Lure." Anyone know where I can get one? Sounds like they work really well!! Later I ran into 2 guys in a Bass Tracker at the back of the lake and they asked how the fishing was. I told them I had caught a few dinks on a dropshot. The one guy told me they ran across a guy in a pontoon(same guy) that caught a 6# on a dropshot earlier. This guy loaned the pontoon guy his scale and they weighed it,The pontoon guy said the scale was wrong,The fish was at least and 8#'er. Can you believe approgance of some people?

Its a Shimano Bantam Magnumlite 2001SG Plus left handed reel. Anyone know about these reels,the features,it has a few switches I am not familiar with. It also has a little door on top that opens,whats that for? Reel seems to function properly,is smooth and doesnt make any noises, what it might be worth?

Been watching the clearance rack at Walmart. Missed out on the Berkley Shaky worms getting reduced to $1.00 per bag,but I did manage to score some great deals such as: 14 packs of size 1 Gammy offset shank worm hooks 8 packs of Roboworm 3" leeches 13 packs of Roboworm 4.5" Curly Tail Worms 2 packs of Kinami Baits 5" Double Tail Skirt Grub 19 bags of Kinami Baits 4" Cut Tail Worms Most of these baits were marked at $1.00 per bag,some were marked at $2.00 per bag,the dept manager did an override because she just wanted these items GONE,so I got all the above for $1.00 per package Then I also scooped up 2 reels: 1 New Abu Garcia 6501C3 Left Hand Retrieve Baitcasting reel for $30.00 (Original Price was $79.99) 1 New Shimano Sonora 2500FB Spinning Reel for $15.00 (Original price was $53.00) This was a deal I just couldnt pass on.

Cant a GYCB Skirted twin tail grub be made into an IKA by taking off the twin tails and clipping the pointy end off where the twin tails were? Such as: Compare the final product to this: http://www.***.com/descpageSFSYAMA-YAFI.html#pImage I must thank the experts at Bassresource.com for this tip.

I just picked up a BUNCH at Walmart(probably 30 bags@$1.00 a bag) For the price I couldnt pass it up. Anyone use these with success? Any suggested presentations? These are 4.5 inches long so I assume they are a finesse bait. Edit: I just counted,I only got 19 bags,but still...

Watched a Youtube video the other day,where the guy said he would wear the fish out on a devils horse. I know this is an older bait,can anyone tell me what about a Devils Horse is so darn enticing to the fish.

I haven't thrown a Popper in a while and did for the first time about a week ago with some success. It was an ultralight Hula Popper,and being that it was pretty small,I got lots of swirls from Bluegills. I did hook up with 2 Bass,a nice Hybrid Sunfish and a few Green Sunfish. The method I was using is that I would cast out,wait for the ripples to disappear,and begin a slow popping retrieve. On every pop I waited for the rings to go away,before twitching it again. Is this too slow for retrieving a popper? Is a faster rythmic popping a better retrieve? Most of the time,while the rings/ripples would be going away after my initial cast,"something"(likely Bluegill) would come up and swirl at it. Very hypnotizing,love seeing that action on the water. So whats everyones favorite method of retrieve with a popper?

Picked up about 6 packs at the Sportsmans Warehouse the other day. I like how soft they are and figured they would be great on a Wacky rigged weightless presentation. Then I saw that they float. Bummer,I had really wanted to fish them like a Senko Wacky rigged. Since they float,what else can i do with these things? Anyone have success with them,how do you present them? How would these be on a Dropshot?

Ive wondered how livebait such as Nightcrawlers would react to being dunked in JJ's

I always thought lizards really were only used on Bass during the Spawn. I have a few packs of assorted varieties,Should these be a year round bait?

Tried a 4 inch Black Finesse worm on a Dropshot yesterday,as I was trying to catch something a little bigger. Dunked the worm in Clear JJ's Magic and fished as I normally do. Got bit,and hooked up with a strong fighter.I was really excited until the fish got to the boat. It was a Rainbow trout,about 13 inches long :-/. Seems other species like JJ's too.

Went out yesterday and whacked a bunch of smaller fish on Ultralight tackle. Water calmed down and things started happening on the surface. Noticed by a bunch of rocks,there was some commotion so I took my tiny Hula Popper and cast right at it. Bingo,Perfect cast. Then there was a swirl at my bait,and another,and another. This fish mustve swirled at my bait at least 6 times prior to taking it. It wasnt a huge splash either,just a gentle suck and my line started running.Wasnt a huge fish either,but to watch it all play out was a blast. I also caught one MEAN looking Large Hybrid Sunfish(a mix between a Bluegill and a Green Sunfish) I mustve caught him in the nesting process. When I was trying to unhook him,he shot "man juice" all over my gear!! He absolutely hammered my Hula Popper!! Fished a spot where it was very snaggy and I popped my bait along and said "ah,theres nothing here" Staryed the regular retrieve to the boat and right at the boat,"something" attacked the bait. Boy was that a wakeup call. Wasnt expecting it at all. Im gonna be alike all the other liars and say that fish mustve been 15 lbs,even though all I saw was a huge splash!!. Im betting the fish was actually only 2-3 pounds and just abnormally aggressive.