BARON49_Northern NY

Have not fished Greenwood lake in years, but I did go and check the NYS regulations. Nothing there about that, also did a Goggle of Greenwood lake and nothing about it there either. The only laws here in NY that they are really starting to inforce is a 5 mph speed limit within 100 feet of shore, docks, or anchored vessels. On some of the smaller lakes and rivers you have to idle no matter what size motor you have now.

I spend a good amount at Cabela's and this is the first year I did not get a hardbound catalogue. But they have flooded me with all the smaller ones.

There is a BPS JM Carolina Rig Rod. Add best reel you can afford, some 30 to 65 lb Power Pro braid and you are all ready to throw your favorite c-rig setup.

Been seaching for years for the perfect floating frog rod. Finally found one and it has worked out just perfectly for the past couple years. It is a 7'3'' MH St. Croix Legend "Carolina rod." After years of looking, this is the best rod I have ever used for frogs! Great tip for casting and skipping the frog, strong butt section to haul a big fish out of cover. One thing you should be aware of is a Heavy or Medium Heavy with one company is NOT the same as with another. These MH rods are actually stiffer then most flipping sticks I have used.

I used Berkley 100% Fluoro last year and when freshly spooled on a reel it seemed to work well. However, after having in on the reel for a few weeks out in the sun I found the exposed line to turn brittle and I would have to pull off several yards before I could get a knot to hold. It seems an expensive line would have some UV protection built in. Other then it getting brittle it did work well and was very sensitive and abrasion resitant. I don't like mono or fluoro for spinning reels, so I have only used 12 to 17 lb.

Easy one to answer. Would suggest a Strike King King Shad and a Sebile 125. Get the colors that "match the hatch" for your area. My personal favorites are the Gizzard Shad in the King Shad and the Natural Shinner in the Sebile.

Some good posts here. I will add one. There is a lady who just hates fishermen around her dock, boat house, and property in general. I normally don't bother fishing around her place when I see her. This one day I did fish her rock retaining wall and she came running out screaming at me that I was catching her "pet" fish. She went on to say these were her pets and she feeds them and if I continued to fish for them she was going to call the cops. I said really? These are your pets? She smiled and said yes they are and told me to leave them alone. I reached down in my box for a pen and paper. I asked her what her name and address was? She wanted to know why? I told her I was going to call the Game Warden and let him know that she was feeding wild animals and making pets of them, as it is strictly forbidden and illegal here in NY. This is the first time in years I ever saw this lady at a loss for words. She gave me a nasty look, turned around and stomped all the way back to her cottage. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. ;D

The CMC Hydraulic Jack plate gauge is not working on my boat. The jack plate does go up and down with no problem. The gauge appears to be OK, but the pointer goes all the way to the top as soon as I turn on the ignition and stays there. Tried calling the factory and they are not answering the phone. I am assuming they are down with the ice storm. Anyone have any ideas as to what might be causing the problem? Worked fine when I put the boat up in November.

I dedicate rods for specific purposes cause I junk fish a lot. For flipping I use a 7'6'' H with a Revo S reel and 65 lb Power Pro braid. It is a little heavy, but will haul a big fish out of thick cover. My pitching rod is a MH, with a Revo SX and 30 lb Power Pro. Being a lighter rod I will use it longer with less fatigue.

Grease the gears and oil the bearings and worm gear....

With braid on a low profile reel I use the holes in the spool, if the reel has no holes like my Muskie and Striper reels I use an arbor knot and then a piece of duct tape. Mono I just use an arbor knot.

I fish the Fat Free Jr. the most, it catches a lot of bass for me and is my go to crankbait. When in clear water rock flats fishing for Smallmouth I like the Fat Free Fingerling. You did not list the other Bombers like the 3A, 4A, and 5A and these are excellent baits too. Almost indestructible, run great right out of the box, and catch a lot of fish.

Crankbait fishing is a lot of fun and what you need to do is to set up a box with baits that run at certain depths. This way you can cover the water column from top to bottom. Start with sub surface lures like a Mann's -1, then get some baits that run in the 3 to 6 foot level like Bombers or Rapalas DT 6's. For the deeper waters from 8 to 12 feet, Rapala DT 10, Fat Free Shad Jr work well, for the deepest water 15+ it is hard to beat a Norman DD22 or a Manns 20. Give this a try and you can expand your arsenal to cover the waters you like to fish the most, like squared billed balsa for fishing laydowns and wood cover, rattle traps for fishing in and around weeds, etc.

I agree, the King Shad is one of the best big fish producers I have used in a long time. Have caught dozens of 5 and 6 lb Smallmouths and Largemouths, plus some huge Northerns in the teen class with these baits.

Yum Plastics especially the Yum buzzfrog. Bought a bunch to take to a private lake I was invited to and they don't work worth a d**n. The legs fold up and you slide the bait over the water instead of buzzing it.

They work great for c-rigging and for shakey head fishing. I was surprised at how well they hold up and how long they last. Picked up some of the smaller worms and craws and going to give then a try on a dropshot rig.

I just ordered some of the SPRO popper frogs and they look and feel good. Personally I think the 3/0 hook might be a little small and light, but will know more after I actually get to use these popper frogs.

Productive flats normally have several things in common. They are usually close to a spawning area, have deep water nearby, and some kind of cover like rocks or weeds. Productive depths vary from a couple feet to as deep as 15 feet, but for the most part they are level. Look for weedlines or pockets in the weeds, as well as rocks and rock piles. I prefer to work over the top of these flats with a surface to sub-surface lure like a King Shad or a Swimbait. Other lures that work are spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and shallow running crankbaits. Once you catch a fish throw out a marker buoy and fish the area thoroughly with a worm, tube, craw, or jig. Many times fish school up on flats to feed. Give flats a try and you might find they hold a bonanza of fish.

I was wondering what happened as I have not found the show on MSG for a while now. As far as the bad rap? I think both BASS and FLW have their merits. BASS had a strangle hold on the better tournament fishermen for years, now there is a reasonable option for those who want a different venue.

Glad to see I am not the only one dealing with this problem. I have used Abu Garica round reels for many years and their 5.3 was the standard. After switching to the Revos the 6.4 seems a bit fast for big crank baits. I picked up a pair of Revo Winchs, but have not had a chance to try them. Hopefully these will take care of the problem. I do have a backup plan and that is I have one Quantum 4.4 that I used to use for fishing deep divers like DD22's and will get that back out and cleaned up is I need too.

Nope. "matching the hatch" is always a good place to start, but as always don't be afraid to throw a changeup. There are days you will never have to switch and days you will be switching every hour. I tend to switch alot no matter what. Probably just to assure myself i didn't spend all that money on baits for nothing. If you use the match the hatch idea to start with and if that is not working branch out to other types, styles, or sizes to see what the fish want.

A floating or buzzing frog would work early in the morning or on a cloudy day.

I you are going to buy off Ebay I might suggest you set up a Pay Pal account or a credit card/debit card that is NOT attached to your regular checking or savings account.

;D Stick to 'highly recommending' line and rods. ;D

I fished this giant of a fluke last year and at first all I could find was some 6/0 EWG hooks. They did work but not all that well, missed a lot of fish when the bait balled up. Then found some of the Gamakatsu 7/0 Monster EWG hooks and they work perfectly. I suggest using at least a 7' MH rod and 30 to 50 lb braid. My personal setup is a 7' H, Revo S spooled with 50 lb Power Pro. You can do anything with this big fluke you can do with the Super fluke. It has the same action and with the big hook still has a horizontal fall. This is a BIG FISH bait!