senile1

I'm a B.A.S.S. member and I still find some good stuff in their magazine. I don't fish tournaments because for me, that would eliminate one of the reasons I go fishing . . . . to get away from stress and relax. FlyRod made some good points in his post from May 2nd on this thread (his quote is below). I think anything can become addictive and detrimental if not done in moderation. However, the question is what is moderate for bass fishing? I think this will be different for each of us, depending on our schedules, careers, family activities, etc. I make sure I spend quality time with my wife and kids. They always come first, but I plan on fishing every day I can when I retire.

I've heard that the Stripe Off Wheel by 3M removes decals rather well but I've never used it. I always heat them up with a blow dryer and use a dull putty knife to raise a corner and pull them off. However, you still have to be very carefull when scraping them off so you don't scratch your gelcoat.

I've always used a paperclip to push the toothpick out of the sinker. I'm going to have to check out these sinkers with the rubberized core. Also, I like the idea of tying the tag end above the sinker (why didn't I think of that?).

I had some great fishing recently at the end of a light rain at a small 22 acre lake/pond. I was catching them with a spinnerbait in wood at one end of the lake where a creek fed it. I was fishing while the barometric pressure was at its lowest point. So as some others have stated in this thread, the stream section might be good after or during a rain and a spinnerbait might be a good way to go. I think it is good to consider factors such as barometric pressure, rain temperature, amount of rain, did a strong cold front go through, etc. in addition to the fact that it rained. These are the reasons why sometimes the fishing is hot and other times the bite shuts down.

Deadsticking is good as Nitro stated. Sometimes shaking the worm a few times as it falls works. The loose ends of the worm wiggle during the fall and even when the lure is sitting on bottom, enticing the bass to strike. Let it sit for a bit, pick it up and drop it back to the bottom and let it sit for a bit again. You can also shake it when it is sitting on the bottom. Often the strike is light and you only feel pressure. Many times the bass hit it as it drops.

The info you've given definitely sounds like a deal. I would check the boat and trailer out closely to make sure everything is fine since the price is so inexpensive. I'd also have a mechanic check the motor unless you know what to look for. The quote below from Cart7 in another thread gives some good advice regarding checking out a used boat. . . . . take the boat out. Running an outboard on the muffs is alright but you really don't know what condition the motors in till you put a load on the engine. A boat that old is also prone to have wood rot. Walk around on the floor and feel for soft spots. That could indicate either a rotted floor or worse, a rotted stringer as well. Then you need to really look at the transom. Get someone to put their weight onto the lower unit of the OB and jump up and down while you observe the transom. There should be no flex at all. If there is you've got a bad transom. Other indications would be the engine mounting bolts sunk in to the transom and you can also knock on different areas of the transom. It should sound solid, not hollow. Transom are repairable but they're not for the lighthearted and they're time consuming. Remember, it's a 12 year old boat, and just like a 12 year old car, it's not unusual for their to be some problems. I'd raise the trailer on a jack and spin the wheels to see if the bearings are making any unusual noises as well. But otherwise, this sounds like a steal. Good luck.

Read this thread from this website. There's a bunch of stuff about fishing a Senko on this site. http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=search

Walking the dog with a good cadence takes some practice. I don't know if you're using a hard stickbait like the Heddon Zara Spook or a plastic fluke. This site gives a good description of the technique: http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/article/0,13199,1069239,00.html

What does the beam measure on this boat? It's rather narrow. I hope you're not as clumsy as me, because if I was standing on a deck in this boat, a 15 - 20 mph gust of wind would throw me in the water. I wouldn't recommend a deck since it is so narrow.

You hit the nail on the head, Bassbum. This site is the best place for bassin' information. I still like Bassmaster and Bassin'. I also read Missouri Game and Fish Magazine. If you go to www.gameandfishmagazine.com you can click on a state and get a magazine that focuses on your state. It doesn't always have great how to articles and much of the magazine concerns hunting, but I occasionally find a new place to fish in my home state by reading it on a monthly basis.

Wheel bearings are EXTREMELY important to take care of. I bought a used boat a few years back. When I would jack the trailer up and spin the wheels you could hear grinding. I replaced the bearings and races, but it took a machine shop to pop two of the races out of the hubs and they had to break them to get them out. It was almost like they were welded in. Monthly greasing through the bearing buddies will save you alot of headaches down the road. Even using bearing buddies, I still repack my bearings every two years.

Consider if the rain was associated with a cold front coming through. After a cold front has passed and the barometric pressure has bottomed out, it will begin to rise, and with the cooler temperatures, it can shut the fish down. If this is the case, you'll probably want to use a slow presentation and cast with precision to your cover. If you have any stumps inside or on the edge of the weed beds, these could be prime locations. As nb stated, try to mimic your forage, but I wouldn't ignore trying something different like a worm or tube around the cover either.

I chose spinnerbaits but there are others I use almost as often. Ratltraps have been good to me and when the fish are shallow in grass I have had alot of luck with floating rapalas. In answer to not getting bites on your spinnerbait, how are you fishing it? There are so many ways to fish this bait that it is difficult to go wrong unless you just use one method. The problem could be your confidence in the lure. Often when you're not confident with a lure you may change to something else just when you were ready to break the ice. You can fish it with a steady retrieve at any depth you choose. You can fish it at the surface and create a wake. You can yo yo it or slow roll it near the bottom. You can fish it like a jig by letting it helicopter to the bottom, picking it up and letting it drop again. You can vary your rate of retrieve and bounce the bait off of structure. If you think you get a tug and you set the hook but nothing is there, add a trailer hook to your spinnerbait. You can also add a trailer such as a worm, pork frog, etc. I would suggest that you go out one day and choose to fish only that lure. Experiment with it and you will eventually catch fish with it. This is what I had to do to break the ice with a spinnerbait many years ago. Also, make sure you have spinnerbaits with different blades. In muddy water or highly-stained water the bigger rounder blades (colorado blades) create the most vibration so that a bass can find the lure. In clearer or lightly stained water, use a spinnerbait with a couple of willow leaf blades or at least a willow leaf and an Indiana blade. Lastly, look through the articles on this website. There are some good articles on fishing spinnerbaits on this site.

This weekend I ran into a similar problem. I tried a couple of lures and finally went with a spinnerbait but I slow-rolled it and in some places I was yo-yoing it. I discovered a number of bass on wood in the nearest drop-off where the water was 9 - 12 feet. Most of these were only dinks and up to 2 lbs. I switched to a c-rigged lizard and fished the same areas and caught some bigger fish with the biggest being a 6 lb 3 oz.

Oh, I guess I should have said "Welcome to posting." I've been reading this site for almost a year but I didn't start posting until recently so I assume I'm new to the forum even though I've read it alot.

Jim, You know how to make a guy jealous. A half-dozen 6 - 7 pounders!!! Geez. I see you're from Arkansas. Is this lake in Arkansas and where? I'm somewhat familiar with some of the larger reservoirs on the White River in Northern Arkansas but nothing else.

These sites have good pictures. This is very helpful.

Excellent advice from Cart7. If this trailer is rusty I'd be checking the wheel bearings too. I bought a "bargain" bass boat a few years back and the bearings were grinding when I would spin the wheels. When I pulled the hubs to replace the bearings, it was as if the races had been welded in. I don't think the previous owner ever greased the bearings. I had to take the hubs to a machine shop to remove two of the races and they had to break them to get them out.

This is a good question. I've been watching this thread since it started because I know one of the smart cookies in this forum will have an answer. KU_B, I noticed you live in Overland Park, KS. I'm in Kansas City North on the Missouri side and I was noticing similar behavior on the beds.

I would absolutely avoid this bargain unless you are wanting to learn alot about boats and you enjoy projects. I bought a bargain 15 1/2 foot bassboat with a 70 horse Johnson a few years back. After spending approximately $4000 extra on the boat, engine, and trailer plus numerous hours of my own time working on it I have a pretty good fishing rig. But I never want to go through what I went through again. For the money I spent, I could have bought a good used rig without wasting all of my free time. The only positive out of this situation is that I know exactly what to look for the next time I'm shopping for a used boat.

It all depends on what technique you're trying to use. If you're flippin' or pitchin' you're going to be fairly close to the bank. If you're trying to fish your lure parallel to the bank you're going to be closer. If the wind is blowing parallel to the bank and you want to fish your lure with the current you're going to be closer. If you have calmer or clearer water and you don't want to spook fish, you'll place yourself much further from the bank.

Welcome to the forum, Fatman. I haven't been posting too long either. I'd love to get hooked up on some farm ponds. Are these owned by people you know or did you just drive around and ask farmers for permission?

Hey, BassinAndrew. I live in the Park Hill area about 8 miles south of KCI airport. I fish mostly at Smithville and Truman. Do you know anything about the fishing at Jacomo and Blue Springs Lake? Ed

I rarely eat bass. I'll only keep them when it is needed for the reservoir I'm fishing. I'll eat crappie, bluegill, and catfish any time.

I'm in the Kansas City, MO area. I chose wood but I've been finding the bigger bass on rock banks with wood and laydowns in less than 6 feet of water at Smithville Lake, Truman Lake, and Belcher Branch. I haven't been catching many keepers in the coontail moss, although I have seen some beds in these areas. The water level on these lakes is really low now so some of the weedy areas I would have fished last year are high and dry.