airborne_angler

And how do you know the fish was a 5 lber if you never landed it and weighed it,or got a girth and length? I mean some people say with absolute certainty, it "WAS a 5 lber that shook off at the boat." When they really should be saying "I would "GUESS " the fish wouldve weighed AT LEAST 5 lbs or more" Some people crack me up. But then again,if your a tourney fisherman and have caught many fish,I guess you would know how to Guesstimate accurately

I just picked up Strike King Zero(Senko style baits) for $1.00 per bag,when they were normally priced about $4 a bag. I cleaned em out,bought 12 Bags. They mustve been on the shelf for a while,the Garlic smell is long gone,should still work ok though. Thought about using some clear JJ's Magic on em but heard somewhere the baits and JJ's arent very compatible. I also picked up a Cotton Cordell rattle trap style bait for $1.50(normally also around $4.00) Will I ever use it? I dont know but at that price you just cant go wrong.

Although they dont come in a craw pattern,have you considered these? http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=deep_tail_dancer&freshorsalt=Fresh Must say the adverisement is misleading though: And then below it goes on to show specs: I have one in Rainbow Trout Flash and it says right on the lip TAILDANCER 20 FT The website also has this info on it: I cant say whether this would be a good choice or not,as I havent used the one I have and am not known to throw crankbaits(cant hurt to try), im just trying to help with suggestions.

Anything OTHER than that its Chartreuse with a black back and black stripes,it has red eyes and a square bill and rattles inside. Im looking for a correct name,manufacturer,Date of make(age) and anything anyone can tell me about this strange looking bait.

Last time I went out I almost lost my Boat,My gear and potentially my life. This weekend we went camping to Patagonia lake about an hour and half drive from where I live. I normally frown on this lake because its a state park and it just gets slammed with boats and campers year round. Alot of the campers dont speak English( Its close to the border),and have no manners or consideration for others. ANYWAY... I put my 10' Jon on the lake and as Ive NEVER caught fish in this lake I caught a few this time though. Nothing special,just some Bluegill and 1 Bass while taking turns bringing my son out and my wife. I really wasnt concerned with catching anything,I was hoping my son would catch something,hes only been fishing once before and never on a boat. After his first one he caught he said,"Im satifsied" That was the best thing I couldve ever heard. He wanted so badly to catch something,he did and now I think he has the Fishing Bug. My wife,seems I taught her well. The first fish she hooked into was a decent size Redear(Shellcracker) She was using a Microlight spincasting outfit and she fought that fish with textbook style. Keeping the rod tip up,line tight and pumping the rod,just like she was landing a big ol Bass. Im very proud of her, shes got some good form. ;D So needless to say,this fishing trip was way better than the last. Sometimes its not about how many fish you catch or how large they are,Seeing others catching fish is just as memorable. I can go fishing pretty much any day of the year for as long as I want.Not everyone is so lucky. Wanna bring a smile to your face,take a kid fishing,teach em the basics,put em on some Bluegill with an earthworm,and youll potentially have em hooked for life(Pun intended)!!

I tore up the older(1994) 30# Motorguide I was using and purchased a 40# Minn Kota Endura as a replacement. Does anyone else own a Minn Kota Endura 40,and how do you like it?

Went out today against my better Judgement. Pretty windy at the lake, Occasionally youd see whitecaps on the water. I figured Id try it anyway. Launched my 10 ft Jon Boat and off I went. Used a Dropshot and on the first cast I hook into a Huge male Bluegill.I then started to drift into the thick nasty weeds,even while anchored,so I decided to move to the back of the lake,where its rocky. Started hammerin the Small Bass and Large Bluegill on a Berkley Powerbait dropshot worm. It was so windy I never felt a single bite,The fish were just there. The waves were crashing over my transom and I decided it was about time to get to the bank to pull the drainplug,the water was starting to collect. As I was pulling up my anchor,it got stuck. I pulled and pulled and as I was pulling the waves kept crashing over the back of the boat(Where I was sitting) I reached down for some scissors to cut the anchor rope and suddenly a huge wave of water came over the back of the boat and started filling it. I jumped ship and managed to tow the sinking boat to shore(I was about 6-7 feet away from shore) I managed to save everything,with the exception of an ultralight spinning setup. Then when things couldnt get any worse,I was in a flusterewd/Panicked state,I pulled and pulled on the boat to get it up on the bank,So I could drain it. I ended up breaking the transducer for my Fishfinder,Breaking a fin off my 2 fin prop,destroyed the TM Mount and bent the shaft. So there I sit with a totally useless TM. I waited about an hour to catch my breath,think things through,Let things dry out. I finally came to the conclusion of just "Going for it" I reattached the TM as best I could, And headed for the boat ramp. The TM still worked,Barely,and with the wind in my face, I was catching some H*LL,But I made it back in one piece. Id say im a lucky guy,think its time to go buy a lottery ticket. And to think, I finally got on some good bites and then this!!! Well I know what to use next time,and no matter how bad I wanna go fishing,Whitecaps mean im staying off the water. Did I ever tell any of you just how much I hate the wind,After this I hate it even more!!

I used that method once with success. It was my very first time launching my Jon Boat out the back of my truck. I got a rattle trap stuck in my calf. I cut the line and figured since I was already an hour away from home,I would just suck it up and do what I came to do,and that was to fish. Spent the whole day on the lake with the hook in my leg and the bait rattling on every cast. ;D I got home looked up the removal method and the hook popped out no problem,no pain. Its a good idea to where Sunglasses and a hat while fishing,not only because of the sun,but for protection. I was stationed in Alaska and when the Salmon run in the rivers,people stand shoulder to shoulder slinging yarn flys all over. Occasionally youll see a hat go flying across the creek/river. Better a hat than someones scalp or eye. A hospital on the Kenai River has a 4X8 sheet of plywood with all sorts of Salmon lures stapled to it,These are all lures that were pulled from peoples various body parts at the hospital.

I will have to agree,Im on the fence with some of these baits. Ive caught a fish on a 10 inch Annie(the fish was only 8 or 9 inches long if that annie was truely 10 inches long) and 1 fish on a 7 inch Annie(got lots of bites on the 7 inch) but the craw and spacemonkey ,at present im looking at a big ol goose egg. Im gonna keep at it though,and hopefully my luck will change

Ive seen all sorts of tackle companies with thier own style ringworm. Whats the appeal of these baits. Do the ribs put off vibration or are the ribs something of a texture issue that keep the fish holding on? Never understood these,can anyone shed some light?

What is it about Jigs that are so darn *** to Bass? What is a Jig supposed to Imitate? I know that it imitates a Craw when a trailer is added,but otherwise? Is it the strands moving in the water that make s fish want to eat it? Please someone school me on Jigs.

They came in a large Lot of Assorted tackle I bought on Ebay. They both have rattles(If that makes a difference in ID.)

I asked the question a little while ago about putting my TM battery in place of my vehicles battery in order to charge it. I was told this would not work because a TM battery needs a trickle charge. So what if ... I were to hook some large alligator clips to the Battery and wire up a male Cigarrete lighter recepticle and charge the battery that way,If im tginking correctly,that would give the battery12 Volts, am I correct,or would this be a bad idea as well? Im thinking of a way to charge the battery while Im driving home from the lake. I do have a Charger at home,but what about those times when Im camping,I cant always bring my Charger with me.

I talked to a guy last night and said he heard the best way of mainaining a TM battery is to fully drain it prior to doing a full recharge. Said he used to keep a car headlight attached to the battery,allow it to go very dim and then recharge the battery. Supposedly this is supposed to prolong battery life. Any reasoning for this theory?

Yesterday I helped a fellow fisherman tow his inop boat from the back of the lake. He ended up giving me a rod and reel he fished from the bottom of the lake that day. I wouldnt normally have taken it but I saw the reel and was immediately interested. Its an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Max Lite. I dont know how long it was at the bottom of the lake,but I took it all apart and cleaned out gobs of old,stinky grease,reassembled according to some schematics I found online,Cleaned up the exterior and it "seems" to function as it should,no funky noises while reeling Freespool button works,engages smoothly when the crank is turned ect. I havent spooled it with line yet and have yet to cast it so I really dont know how well it function in an actual fishing situation. Can anyone tell me the specs on this reel(Ratio),perhaps the age and maybe a ball park value on it (value in perfect working order) Any additional info is appreciated.

Wanna save even more money,and catch just as many fish(maybe more) and get a more durable product with top notch service,Look into *** TRICK STICKS. 25 ct bag for $6.00 + Shipping

Check the sharpness of your hooks. I was having trouble with a Spinnerbait a few weeks ago,and lost at least 6 fish. Later on I discovered my trailer hook was VERY dull. Not sure if that was the whole reason,but it sure didnt help the situation.

Im very impatient I let the wind Bother me all too much I have yet to understand my electronics I too expect instant gratification when I throw something new I take WAY too much tackle on my boat with me. I have a large plastic tote stuffed with plastic baits,most I will never throw,but take em just in case. Jigs- Just cant bring myself to fish them or crankbaits

Yep,to think he has so much riding against him and hes made it to a PRO-AM Level with sponsors and everything. Compared to him I suck as a Bass Fisherman. Not trying to make a joke of anything,but when it comes to fishing,he can truely live up to the old saying" I can beat you with one arm tied behind my back" Hes my new Hero

Im talking about regular crankbaits,shaped like all other fish imitating crankbaits. The question I have is if a Crawfish swims backwards,then why do tackle manufacturers make crawfish cranks that appear to be swimming forward. Whats the reasoning behind this and why is it successful?

I hadnt until I looked him up based on the "Favorite Fisherman" thread. I used to get upset hen I got skunked,or when the weather was horrible out on the lake,and I couldnt keep my boat in a certain spot due to the wind. I used to gripe when my TM got hung up in the weeds Backlashes and snags arent gonna bother me anymore. Everyday on the water is a good day!! Just gotta watch this video...

When I go out on my boat,I normally dont bother to watch my Fishfinder as Im not all that good at deciphering things. However on this last trip I found a spot where the depth quickly dropped from 17ft to 30ft,like a drop off. I was puttering around and gound a huge hump as well,I made a mental note of these 2 places by looking at what was on the bank(trees,rock formations) I was wondering how I should approach these 2 spots,How to fish them and what would be the best lures to throw. On the hump,do I cast past it and then work my way up the one side and down the other? And on the dropoff,do I start in the shallow area and allow my bait to fall off the edge,or do I try to find the start and end of the ledge and fish perpendicular in the deep area of the dropoff? Does anyone know of any tutorial or website that will expalin how to fish structure better?

Not trying to step on anyones toes or Hijack this thread,But what does this particular topic have to do with"My tournament or Outing?" Shouldnt this be moved to the General Section?

Ive taken a liking to Ish Monroe,For some reason I cant say I like Skeet reese too much.

Went out yesterday and threw some of the Rage Tail Baits I purchased recently. Got some good bites on the 7 inch Anaconda,but was only able to hook up with 1 fish.I was doing a slow YO-YO retrieve and on one of my pulls, I got into a tug of war match with the fish,I pulled gently on the retrieve,the fish pulled back,which caused an instant hookset reaction. The hook I was using was a homemade Keel Weighted hook. I used a 4/0 EWG hook and crimped a rubber core sinker to the shank with the rubber core removed. I also tried a regular T-rigged method with a standard worm weight but it appears that was causing the bait to act like a regular old plastic worm. I feel better with a Keel weighted hook myself. Seems like it creates a different fall,which might be more enticing. I think I was a little to quick on my other hooksets,either that or the bites came from smaller fish smacking the tail. I really wasnt feeling the mood yesterday as the wind was gusting from all different directions and blew my 10 ft flat bottom all over the lake.Very Annoying. Spent more time trying to position the boat than I did fishing.Any little breeze and my boat was off the spot I was fishing. I had a drift sock deployed too. I tried the Rage Toad but I think the position I was sitting in the boat(very close to the water) wasnt allowing me to get the bait up on plane very quickly,unless I held my rod tip high(12 oclock). I tried the Rage Craw,but dont know I was working it right,or if I even had it rigged right. I was using it T-rigged on a 4/0 EWG hook. I was using a hopping retrieve,can anyone tell me if this is productive,or is a swimming retrieve better.Should I use a Kel weighted hook on the craw as well? Any tips on the craw would be appreciated