Shad_Master

I use the Storm Wild Eye shad and mark it up with a chartrues and orange marker to try to mimic a blue gill (bream). This draws lots strikes.

I'm not familiar with the frogs you mentioned, but to me - does it really matter if the frog is upside down or rightside up? I use horny toads and sizmic toads and it seems to me like the action is more important than how they sit in the water. This past weekend I spent most of my time froggin and noticed that some times they laid up and sometimes down, but bass would hit them either way.

I'm not sure about sleeping, but I swear the fish in one lake near here are "union fish" - they bite like crazy right up 'til 10:00 AM and then it's like somebody blew a whistle some where and they all shut down at once until 5:00 PM or so. :

I guess it don't matter that you're shootin blanks as long as you're brining home the meat.

The biggest experience I have had wth custom painted crank baits is that I am less appealing to the bait monkey for a while afterwards

Rather than drag the weight along the bottom lift your rod and hop it a little which will make the worm or other plastic ride up giving it a fall when you lower the weight again. A lot of bites come on the fall of the worm.

Buzz baits are less about color than they are about location and timing. Fish 'em along and around cover and just keep 'em comming. I love to fish buzzers, but put mine away when the sun touches the water. Having said that, I have seen guys catch fish on 'em all day long so give 'em a try and see what happens.

Double setting may be necessary depending on where you are fishing and what line you are using. For deep jigging with mono - it is almost a necessity. For deep jigging with braid - don't do it (no stretch). For flouro or hybrid - you may have to experiment. If fishing fairly shallow - no need to double set.

I think it has something to do with the fact that there are so many "celebreties" these days - used to be when someone was a celebrity eveyone knew them - I was looking through a People magazine at the barber shop and had no clue who half of these "people" were.

ain't froggin fun?

I thought the whole deal was that they were breaking up as a duo and doing their own thing as individual performers??? BTW, the show was great

My rule - net 'em all - sort 'em out later. I would never go into a tournament (knowingly) without a net - I have fished from the back of too many boats of really good fishermen and watched the "winning fish" swim away right at the boat because there was no net in the boat. I guess part of the argument here is that the net somehow hurts the fish - but more than flopping around on the carpet? No way.

It seems to me that in a tournament you are not fishing technique as much as you are fishing an area - hopefully an area with fish that can win the tournament - in other words, if your area has submerged vegetation, maybe a topwater technique would be the way to draw them up - but if it is visible brushpiles or rocky banks - you may want to go another way.

Okay, thanks guys - I appreciate it

My starting battery is almost 3 years old and has been working fine this year up untl this week-end - I can get it to charge up - but it seems like it isn't holding the charge - is this the battery, the charger, or is there some other explanation - I will probably put a new battery in, but wonder if there is something else going on to make it drain down in just a matter of hours?

That's it - thanks - boy they really are proud of them thing$ aren't they.

I am looking for a product that I saw in some magazine or something and can't remember what it was called. It is a rod rack for the back deck of the boat - it clamps onto the bilge hatch - if anybody knows what I am talking about, please let me know. Thanks.

There are several guys in my local club who do this - I haven't tried it, but it does seem to work. Remember to get a good balance in your retrieve - fast enough to get the vibes going, but slow enought to get the fish interested.

There are lots of "times and places" to throw a C-rig - try experimenting with it until you feel comfortable adding this to your repertoire

This "circle of life" stuff - I think you are on the right track by explaining this to her, but you have to believe it, too.

Since I am always in the learning mode I have recently discoved, although I have become a jig fanatic in the last couple of years, I was working the jig too much. Last weekend, the only way either I or my partner could get bit was to just let it sit on the bottom and jiggle it like a shakey head. Also, this worked good when fishing in the grass, 'cause I wasn't stirring things up by trying to pull it out of the heavier cover.

I have been debating this with myself for years and have never come to a firm conclusion. I guess if I was pressed to make some sort of decision, I would opt for rattles in heavy stained to muddy water and not for lightly stained to clear water. However, I can't really say that I ever had a situation where I thought the rattles had anything to do with the fish being caught or not being caught. Hows that for a concise answer (LOL!).

There have been so many that I have used and tend to like 'em all at one time or another. Right now my two favorites are Chigger Craw (black/blue or green pumpkin) and Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw (green pumpkin blue flash).

My best technique for fishing brush piles (depending on the brush pile, time of year, water conditions, etc.) is to try to pitch right down in the heart of it. I like to use Senkos or T-rigged worms or craws with the lightest weight I can be by with. I try to feel the lure hitting the brances and just jiggle it enough to get it falling again. Usurally when they are in the brush, they are suspended and will be looking for something within easy reach. Now gettin 'em out is fun and maybe another topic for discussion.

When you fish with a frog, you're gonna miss some fish - the strike comes from underneath and often is meant to disorient the frog rather than chow down it - wait until you feel the weight before setting the hook and like Senko_77 says, cross their eyes when you do set the hook.