airborne_angler

When a spinning reel comes with 2 spools.,Which is better to use and why. Aluminum or plastic? What benefit does each different spool provide Or is it just a matter of personal preference?

I recently purchased a new in package spinning reel on Ebay. Its an Abu Garcia Cardinal Maxxar 3. Line size is 4/6/8. Does anyone know anything about this reel. Whats good and bad about it? Whats the retail price if purchased in a store?

How well would Wire cable ties work for Wacky Rigged Senko baits. Attached is a French Fry bait with a wire cable tie as reference. Think it would work?

Heres how the hook looks on a ***

I was rummaging through a tackle box that was given to me by my uncle and came across a package of Renosky shad baits. Inside was the hook I have pictured. Struck me as an odd shape and style,but I like it. Anyone ever seen,used, had success with...Or does anyone know where more can be obtained?

I just purchased a 10ct bag of Gambler 4" Baby Bacon Rind baits. http://www.***.com/descpageGAMBSOFTB-GBR.html I have never fished a creature bait before. How do I fish this bait? Is it better in shallow or deep water? Can anyone give tips or tactics on this bait?

Another pic of the same fish

Last fall I messaged LBH and asked him about his choice of colors for his *** Trick Sticks. One of the colors he recommended was a Watermelon/Purple swirl color. I purchased some and got out today to use them for the first time. Got me a good un'. It was the only fish of the day. After I caught it I stopped fishing because I was sooo pumped. Oh BTW what kind of estimates can anyone make as far as weight. I would guess 3-4 lbs although I know that might on the "Large" side. In a tournament setting, would this size of fish be of any interest? Anyway,Thanks again LBH for some sound advice on a great bait. I almost forgot,(the most important thing)The fish pictured was released unharmed to fight another day.

I stand corrected ,they are 6 inch Senkos. I just measured them. The label on the package looks like it says 8". Sorry for the misinformation

Here I thought I had scored. I bought a 28 lb Thrust Minn Kota TM from a swapmeet for $10. It works,but now that I look closer,im not sure how worthy it will be in the water. The fin that goes on the bottom of the TM is broke off,the prop(clear) is still good. I didnt notice that broke off fin when I bought the unit. Does that fin really make a difference and is this TM still useable without it? What does that fin do?

Went to the swapmeet today,havent been in about a year. Seems the baitmonkey was lurking. Everywhere I turned,there was fishing gear. I happened by one vendor and noticed a few bags of plastics. I asked about them and she told $.50 per bacg or 3 for $1.00. I snatched em all up and kept looking at what else she had. She had what looked like some hand tied Crappie jigs too. I told her I would give her $5.00 for it all. Heres what I ended up with: 1 bag of white pearl ZOOM Flukes(10 count) 1 bag of 8 inch Green Pumpkin Yamasenkos(5 count) 1 opened bag of Yamamoto Stretch 40 4 inch in Watermelon w blk/red flake(5 count) 1 bag of 5 Inch Yamasenko Green with green/red flake( 10 count) 1 bag of 7 inch Yamamoto Stretch 40 In Watermelon w red/black flake(10 count) And the Crappie Jigs,which could be more like floatin flies(12 count) I then kept shopping elsewhere and got to talking to a retired Airborne Ranger. Being Airborne myself we struck up a conversation and chewed the fat. He had a Minn Kota 65 trolling motor. Its a 5 speed 29 thrust weedless model. Has the switch for forward,reverse and off,plus the telescoping handle for different speed settings. He told me he wanted $20 for it. I finished my conversation and left. Before I got home I turned around and went back. He still had it. I verified the $20 asking price and he told me.. "From one Paratrooper to another,Ill let ya have it for $10." I was blown away. I brought my truck up and wanted to put power to it before giving him the money. Sure enough,it powers up and works. Its not pretty but the price cant be beat. Needless to say I scored!!!!!

Title sounds odd doesnt it? My friend showed me some time ago,if you shine a red lazer pointer into a fish tank the fish will go nuts. He used his Tiger Oscar in a 55 gallon tank as an example. Sure enough,the fish aggressively struck and lunged at the dot the lazer made in the tank. I have a 55 gallon tank with some Green Sunfish and a Hybrid Sunfish and decided to try it. The Sunfish went into a frenzy attacking the red dot. The lone Bluegill in my Girfriends fish tank went crazy as well. What could cause a fish to react like this and how could this be put into use when fishing. If you all have aquariums and have aggressive fish try it out,it will surprise you the way they act.

LBH,I know you did say something about not doubling up on socks. The Arctic Light Individual Training manual shows that 2 pairs of socks are a good thing as long as you wear the right kind.I remeber wearing 2 pairs but wanted to refer to the manual to make sure I got my facts right. The manual states to wear a thin nylon sock as a liner covered by a wool sock as an insulating layer . The nylon will wick away the moisture. Another thing to remeber is dont touch metal objects with bare hands,contact frostbite can occur. Aso remember how the body can lose heat(5 ways) and the percentage lost 1. Radiation(60%):The normal loss of body temprature to the surrounding environment. Not much you can do about this. 2.Convection(Variable):Loss of heat to the air as colder air is heated by warmer skin. 3.Conduction(Variable):The transfer of heat from direct contact of a warmer object with a colder object 4. Respiration(6%-10%):Loss of body heat (and water loss,remeber what I said about dehydration above) through breathing 5.Perspiration(12%-15%): Perspiration on the skin converting from a liquid to a gas Theres alot,I mean alot more stuff to be posted about cold weather safety so instead of me writing it all down I will give you all a link. Its a PDF and alot of it is in military terms. Look around and maybe you will find something.The format is basically from a teaching standpoint and how each item should be taught. Forgive me if its hard to understand. http://www.wainwright.army.mil/nwtc/Classes/ALIT%20MANUAL.pdf

Smoking doesnt help any either. It narrows your blood vessels thus hindering circulation. Ever wonder why smokers always say thier hands or feet are cold? Caffeine is a diuretic which can dehydrate you. Drink water. You can dehydrate even in the cold,when you arent thirsty. Good way to warm up your hands is to put them in your crotch area or under your arm pits. Those are the warmest places on your body.Polypropylene is a good wicking material for perspiration. The key is to dress loose and in layers and stay dry. If camping out in the cold,the best way to stay warm is when you go to sleep,strip down to nothing inside your sleeping bag. Place your clothing inside the bag with you so your body heat can warm your clothing. If you wear your clothing inside tour sleeping bag you will sweat and that will make you cold. Never sleep with your head inside your sleeping bag. You will wake up with a Carbon Dioxide Headache from not breathing enough fresh air. I was in the Army stationed in Alaska for 3 years and have a cold weather training manual that I will post tips from if I can find it. Theres an acronym that we used to use,its called COLD C= Cleanliness,personal hygiene is a must O= Overheating,must be avoided at all cost L= Loose and in layers D= Dry,must stay dry

Just like a DORADO(Dolphin fish or Mahi Mahi as they are called). They change colors from when you have em in the water. In the water they are a brilliant blue and yellow but once you land em their colors fade and they become a bland color.

Did you practice Catch AND Release?.. Wow thats a wall hanger!!!

Ive got a book that Shaw Grigsby wrote. Very insightful and deals with alot. Fishing,family,friends,kids,tournaments and he even gets on the spiritual side of things and talks about how GOD has made a difference. My girlfriends daughter picked it up for me at Church and once I started reading it I couldnt put it down. Thats saying alot,I just dont read very often.

Anyone ever Troll for Bass? I have just recently started fishing from a boat(10ft jon) and since the lake has been stocked with Trout, Ive been having a blast catching them and Bluegill on a Mepps #0 Aglia plain. Does trolling work for Bass? Whats a good lure choice? I was thinking like maybe a Rattletrap might work because its not limited to depth like other Cranks are. I also noticed the speed matters. I would troll for 10 minutes at a certain speed,then slow up just a bit and WHAM the fish would nail the spinner. How does this equate into the Bass side of the house?

I have been reading about Berkley Vanish line and its uses for Dropshotting. I recently went to Walmart and found some 2lb test spools of Vanish for $2. Would this work to test the theory of Vanish VS Ordinary lines or does that line just seem too light for dropshot application?

I was out on the lake yesterday and got to talking to a guy in a Bass hunter boat. Said his LCR was showing suspended bass in about 15 feet of water. How can he be so sure those where Bass and not Trout or Bluegill?. I have seen some finders that can distinguish what kind of fish it is,how can a finder determine that?

I am looking to buy a fish finder for my 10ft jon boat. I dont wanna spend gobs of cash. Whats a good easy to learn on model to buy at a reasonable price. Never used one before so I need one thats self explanatory or something easy to work with. Thanks

When using one on a boat,how does it work? When you find fish do you have to mark it with a buoy and then move to cast at that spot or do you just fish straight down off the side of the boat. How would I be able to rig one on my JonBoat? I understand theres a transducer thats mounts somewhere to look at the structure on the bottom of the body of water your fishing. Where would it mount? Anyone ever use a depth/fish finder on thier jon boat?

Went out and tried it today. Got stuck on something metal wedged in the rocks at the dam on the lake. I ended up puilling it free though. I just couldnt pry myself away from fishing long enough to monkey around with that Magnet. Theres always next time though. When I make a decent discovery,I will be sure to post it here.

Anyone carry or use a Marine Magnet in thier boat? http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0002062010287a.shtml I just bought one today. Its super strong(I believe it will pick up up to 110lbs) and weighs 3-4 lbs itself. I wanna try trolling it along the bottom to see just what kind of things I can retrieve that have been lost overboard. Who knows maybe ill pull up some crankbaits that need a good cleaning and just thier hooks replaced. It might be interesting to see what I pull up. What is everyones thoughts on this? I used one at Belton Lake In Texas to retrieve a snap-on Ratchet,extension and socket a guy lost overboard when he was tuning his boat .

I have in my arsenal of lures a Storm Thunderstick Jr. I like the way it looks and want to use it but have no idea the technique to use. I have been told its a Jerkbait. I havent ever fished one and want to give it a try...How is this type of lure fished?