BARON49_Northern NY

I assume you mean after iceout here in the northern states. Jig and real pig frog, tube, jerkbait. However, my first trip out will be in about 29 days on Toho in Florida, will be using a little different stuff there...

They have to stamp them so people know what to use them for???? : Now that is funny.... ;D

St. Croix Legend 7'3'' MH.........buzzing and floating frogs St. Croix Legend 7'0'' M...........fluke and soft stick bait American Rodsmiths 7'0' H.......jig rod American Rodsmiths 6'10''.......worm rod St. Croix Avid 6'8'' M spinning..shakey head

My #1 hard swimbait for the past several years has been Strike King's King Shad. Great bait and all the new ones have a steel pin in the hinge to help with a problem they had early on with them breaking. Wide variety of colors available from Strike King and also from ABT Lure Co. the original inventor of these lures. Retrieve these slowly along and over the tops of weeds beds or burn them early in the AM along shorelines or points where you would throw a spinner bait. Great bait for covering lots of water on flats too. This has been a BIG fish lure for me in the Spring and Fall, but I have one tied on all year long and usually throw it first when fishing points and shallow structure in the Summer time. The Sebile is another inexpensive hard bait. I does work, but requires more imparted action then the King Shads. With the Sebile a stop and twitch action seems to work the best. However, on days when the fish are really active you cannot crank this bait too fast. I like twitching them around open water docks, weed patches, or isolated cover.

Over the years I have figured out that a lot of "missed" fish were due to a too stiff weed guard. I thin them out and trim them down so they are almost level with the hook point and are flexable. I trim my skirts so the legs of the trailers I am using get full motion. An example is when using a Berkley Chigger craw or a Netbait chunk. If the skirt is too long the legs will not move properly or at all. I trim the skirt down until the legs move freely, usually to just behind the hook bend.

I am not sold 100% on scents and sprays as attractants. I do use MegaStrike to "lube" my swimbaits so they come through cover easier as well as Fish Formula Gamefish to keep my plastics from drying out.

Great job on all the research you have done. However, as an old Muskie, Striper, and Walleye fisherman, trolling is one of the most popular ways of fishing for these species. I would like to point out normally a lure trolled will dive deeper then one that is cast and retrieved using the same exact line. It has been my experience that what ever is published on the package can be exceeded easily when trolling with .012 line and even deeper with thinner lines. The line when trolling that will get a lure to the deepest depth is braid due to the no stretch and thinner diameter. Hope this helps with your research. There is also a book published about what depth lures will run at when trolled and the same company publishes one now about lures that are cast and retrieved. I will try to find the name of it for you.

In open water I like a 3" crawdad Gitzit tube on a 1/8 oz exposed hook jig head that is inserted into the tube. I will got to a 4" tube and rig it texas style when fishing around thick cover.

Way to clean and neat for me..... I wish I could keep my work bench like that but with the cold and winter weather a lot of my stuff gets moved into the house and worked on there during the winter months and my wife gets even with me by stacking her stuff on my workbench in the garage until Spring cleaning.

Interesting read. I think it was InFisherman that did a simular study or published an article simular to this. It was pointed out that not all baits get "learned" by bass. An example is a jig and pig, seems there is something about the profile that so closely resembles natural food that they hit it time after time anyway. Did anyone else read about this?

Without exception I take apart every new reel to inspect the insides, bearings, and also to make sure it is lubed and greased to my satisfaction. Does not make sense to buy a new reel and get on the water and find out there is a problem or it is not properly lubed.

Uni to Uni

Been down this same road looking for the lightest, most senstive rod, but yet wanted one that would hold up as well as be reasonably priced. What I found was American Rodsmiths Kicker Sticks. The 7' H Jig Rod weighs around 4 oz. I have two of these and two of the 6'10''H tube rods. Have used them now for 3 seasons and have not had a single problem fishing tubes, jigs, worms, and creatures. Have hauled some big Florida bass out of cover with these bad boys and I am VERY pleased with them. Forgot to mention these rods are Made for Braid!

Yes let us know how they hold up. I declined buying some for the same reason. Sticking with my good old DD22's for now.

That is part of the fun around here in Northern NY. Could be a; Smallmouth Largemouth Rock Bass Pickeral Northern Pike Musky Striper Catfish Dogfish Sheephead Crappie Bluegill Walleye Burbot Sauger White bass Steelhead Rainbow Trout Lake Trout Coho Chinook Salmon Atlantic Salmon Brown Trout Brook Trout Whitefish Bullhead Goby Sturgeon Perch Herring Shad Carp Goldfish Quillback Grass Carp Sucker Longnose Gar American Eel This is just to name a few off the top of my head I am sure there are a lot more.

Power Pro can't color their lines permanently as the main ingredient of the line is Spectra and it does not hold any color. Best they can do is color coat it. Using a permanent magic maker does the same thing. Just coats the line, as Spectra does not absorb the color or liquids.

This usually happens to those who don't have an "educated thumb." Or if that poor old thumb gets way too cold or sore from catching all those brown fish! ;D

Quantum Energy PT reels have been my crankbait reel of choice for many years. Just got a good buy on two Revo Winch reels from Ebay and looking forward to trying them out. They look good, feel solid, but until I can cast all day with one I can't say if they will be better or worse then the Quantums I have used for years.

My wife still swears by an old 6' pistol grip rod I used back in the 80's and she catches fish on it to this day. For me I went to an American Rodsmiths 6' 10" H, with a fast tip and a Revo SX spooled with 30 lb Power Pro for most of my worm fishing. Great balance, best sensitivity in any rod I have ever owned, hook sets are a slight movement of the wrist. Made fishing plastic worms fun again! ;D

For swimbaits I like to use 30lb Power Pro braid or 17 lb Trilene XT. I use the braid in and around cover and the Trilene XT in open water or fishing them deep.

Personally unless you are investing in Salt Water spinning tackle I would not try using it for fishing frogs in heavy cover.

I have used Pline 12 lb FluoroClear for years with crankbaits of all sizes and it has worked great for me.

Sounds like a good setup and that rod/reel will handle even heavier line or braid for fishing in heavier cover.

The number of bearing is misleading as some manufactures count the bearings in the paddle handles and other places that have nothing to do with how well a reel casts or retrieves. I use both Quantums and Revos I would have you look at the Revo SX as it is light weight, has magnetic brakes, 11 bearings and a good drag system. At around $159 it is a great buy for the bucks for an all around reel. If you are more interested in a reel for crankbaiting I have used Quantum's for years and never had a problem with one yet.

Good point! I picked up some Gander Mountain brand finesse worms for dropshotting and shakey head fish that were green pumpkin with blotches of chartruese mixed into them and they were my best producing color last year.