Chris

Wow 72 packs your going to be busy! : I rig a tube backwards when I pitch sometimes in thick weeds. I use a screw on bullet weight at the head and I rig it with the hook backwards with the line going out the back. When I pitch it the lure hits the water head first and makes a little easier to hit small openings in the weeds. I don't rig them that way all the time but in some situations.

WELL DESIGNED bait is a well designed bait, whether is plastic or wood. A lure made of balsa won't be superior to a lure made of plastic JUST because its made of balsa. A few years ago A guy wanted me to test out some lures and give some input on what I wanted in a bait. The guy understood that at the level I was fishing and the knowledge I had when it came to cranking in general was rather vast. I also understood what it took to build a crankbait from scratch and the things outside of the box that you could do to a crank to make it do some wild stuff. I also understood some of the down falls that many of the lures had. Some of the issues where casting distance, how well it can go through cover, will it track straight at high speeds, will it search, when it is cast to a target will it tumble or fly straight, how well it hooks a fish, vibration, do the fish like the bait signature. I agree: A lure made of balsa won't be superior to a lure made of plastic JUST because its made of balsa. But a lure made the way I want a lure made makes a big difference. My name is on that lure because it is a heck of a fish catching lure not because I saw $$ I don't make a dime and don't want nothing I was just happy to help. I just wanted to help create a great shallow water lure that I can throw in some nasty stuff and catch fish. It took well over a year and many different designs to get a lure to do what that lure does. A lot of knowledge went into building that bait.

Something else I do is when I go to buy a trap I rattle most of the ones on the rack and pick out the one that has more of a dull lead thud to them they tend to catch more fish. When I reel it in like on flats or general nothing banks I tend to reel a few turns then stop, reel a turn stop jerk the rod, pause and so on. You want the bait to dash and speed up and dart. Slow rolling it like a spinnerbait in stained to muddy water works well use bright colors like clown or firetiger. Clear water I like a bleeding shad or the ones with the mirror insert in them. When I yo yo the lure I just let the bait fall to the depth I want to run it at and start slow rolling it a few feet to take out the slack then raise the rod up and let it fall. Hot spot tends to fall good in this situation. It stays upright and tends not to hang up on the line as much. Rattletrap hooks stink I like a little wider gap hook Gama on a vibrating bait I am not a fan of tripple grip hooks on this style of lure because many fish you catch with it the bass is just rolling on it and a regular round bend hook tends to snag them better. I have caught a bunch of fish the past year or so on stike king model but all of them have a time and place when they excel. Early in the spring I was hammering them on a 3D vibe so it just depends on what I was trying to do with the bait.

When im fishing a trap do I want my rod tip high or low? -either or a lot of guys slow roll a trap or yo yo it or rip and let it fall it just depends on what ya doing. should i let a little line out after the cast? -If your trying to get down to a depth and your looking to count it down then yes. at a regular retreive a trap runs about 4ft. you can always count it down to whatever depth. p.s. A trap isn't necessarily something I would generally throw, I still think it might be a bit too early, (NO YEAR ROUND BAIT!) but a lot of reports and talk about the lake I hear the word trap a lot, and that goes from spring to around winter

I tend to throw a bunch of wood cranks around cover. I feel that I get the best action and response out of a crankbait if it is made out of wood. The bait tends to react to cover better when it is made out of wood and tends to get un-hung more so than plastic. It floats off cover better in my opinion. I spent a lot of time on the water helping to create a lure that that I feel fits the bill when it comes to fishing around heavy cover. If your just looking for a Wally special then Norman fatboy, Bandit, 1- Manns, Bomber, Rebel, all make crankbaits that you can get at Walmart that will catch fish. But if your wanting something a little more refined I like the CS 4x4 by JM-Woodcraft.

I use several different things for what your faced with. If the fish are up I throw either a spook medium size, spittin' image topwater, pop R. (just walk the dog)When the fish are down I use either a single fluke or double fluke. Around points I use either a balsa crankbait or a pointer jerkbait the smaller size. If your fishing deeper fatfree shad suspending tends to catch them. Fish it like a worm reel it down and kill it then sweep the rod and gather your line. For your points you could use the same bait but you want to use the floating style. If your running around chasing shad busting the surface you might want to target ambush points or areas that tend to funnel bait. Bass tend to stack up in these areas. If your a jig fishermen try swimming a white jig spinnerbait works great too. Bump the cover force them to feed. If you position your boat on the end of the point fish down the sides. Some days I find that I catch them going different directions and even climbing up the point so mess with it till you figure out the natural flow of bait and how the bass are positioned on the point. Break the rules and mess with speed direction and how erratic your moving the bait even deadsticking the bait till you figure it out.

Transition areas tend to be productive also where the muck and sand meet forms a transition area. Bass might be sitting in the muck side waiting for prey to shoot out to the sand areas for example. Weeds that change from one kind to another is another transition area or places where wood and weeds meet. Areas that tend to have more than one kind of cover or depth change or hard and soft cover tend to draw bass to the area.

I would fish a greenpumpkin tube either flipped or skipped around the cover. If your finding that the tube is digging into the muck areas take the bullet weight off and add a belly weight this will let the bait fall flat and not dig into the muck. If everyone tends to fish the weeds then you might want to fish them also but scale down to a smaller tube with just enough weight to get through the weeds or go the other direction and add a larger weight like 1/2 oz or better to pick up reaction strikes. Let the bait sit longer in an area or make repeated pitches to the same area or spot. Sometimes if you can tick the fish off to make it bite.

Jigging spoon, heavy tube, crankbait, drag a football jig, just other ideas

I got a Zara jointed jerkbait stuck in a tree one time and was yanking it out and planted it in the back of my hand. That was fun :

Yeah that is the one I am thinking of. The clips swivel so your not going to have the fish get twisted up in the line. The clips also slide up and down the line. They make a 10' one also. They have them in the Netcraft Catalog www.jannsnetcraft.com if you want to look at it.

LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU ARE. The average person only gets 7 correct. This is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see! Here we go! 1 On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom? 2. How many states are there in the USA ? (Don't laugh, some people don't know) 3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch? 4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label? 5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by the m? 6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!) 7. How many matches are in a standard pack? 8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white? 9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial? 10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise ? 11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run? 12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? 13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? 14. Which way do fans rotate? 15 How many sides does a stop sign have? 16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? 17 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel? 18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dop ey, Doc. Who's missing? 20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? 22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats? 23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits? 24 How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise? answers below ANSWERS 1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on t he top or bottom? BOTTOM 2. How many states are there in the USA ? (Don't laugh, some people don't know) 50 3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty 's torch? RIGHT 4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell 's soup label? BLUE, RED, WHITE, YELLOW, BLACK & GOLD 5. What two numbers on th e telephone dial don't have letters by them? 1, 0 6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? RIGHT 7. How many matches are in a standard pack? 20 8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white? RED 9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial? 88 10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise? CLOCKWISE (NORTH OF THE EQUATOR) 11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run? TOWARDS BOTTOM RIGHT 12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? 12 (no #1) 13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? LEFT 14. Which way do fans rotate? CLOCKWISE AS YOU LOOK AT IT 15 How many sides does a stop sign have? 8 16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? LEFT 17 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel? 5 18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 6 19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing? BASHFUL 20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 8 21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? ACE OF SPADES 22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats? LEFT 23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits? * , # 24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 3 25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise? COUNTER

Sampo makes a nylon stringer that would work for you. Clip the fish by the lip and because the clips can slide up and down the line the fish are not all bunched up. By clipping the lip your not going to mess up the gills. You want to use the long stringer so that the fish have room to swim and not be bunched up.

I thought it was interesting p.s. I like blue too avid light powder blue back chartruese was my top producer in Fla.

Ok I'll admit it ;D I loose a freaking ton of lures. If I cast to a spot and I know there is a fish there or the potential for a bite and I get hung I will snap a lure off in a heart beat before I go in and run off the fish. I also throw places that most would throw a spinnerbait. That is the main reason why I don't crank with braid. If I am not fishing for money yeah I pull out my plug knocker and go get it otherwise it is donated to the cause. If it is a pet lure I get it regardless : CS 4x4 is a wonderful thing.

I like looking for lures When the water is low I find a bunch or up in trees in the spring. Places that bank fishermen use can hold a ton of lures

Which presentation do you like to use? Then expand on it with different lures. When you get that down then pick out another style of fishing and figure out if it works for you and if you like it and so on. If you want to be well rounded then learn them all if you want to be proficient then pick the ones you like because your more opt to use them.

You could use it as a trailer for a spinnerbait or fish it like a grub and swim it around cover. Early in the morning or in stained water swim it next to logs or rip rap largemouths will smack it. Sometimes I stick them on a jig head and fish it like a crankbait for smallmouths.

There might be such a thing that the window for topwater fishing is short and you need to catch them when they are busting baitfish. Is your lake real deep without much shallow water or shallow cover?

http://se02.xif.com/articles/20040424/bob8.asp

I hope they do cut back I know I don't shop there for my fishing needs. Not that it is a bad place or anything but I have seen many Mom and Pop tackle shops close because of wallyworld. When you take out the local tackle shops it also cuts out some of the variety that was available. Most people shop online these days anyways because of it.

There are very few lures that are made with the 3x stuff that I like. One was the tube and the other was the jig trailer. With the rest I don't like how the stuff floats like a cork. I have used the stuff for carolina rigs and like real plastic lures better.

I use two skirts on a spinnerbait when I am fishing dirty water I double skirt a jig in dirty water also. It displaces more water and slows it down.

I site fish with them and when the crawfish are molting.

I'll give you a few examples. Lake Jessup in Florida years ago the state changed the normal direction that the St. Johns River flowed through the lake. The lake filled up with muck because the river current wasn't there to clean it out. This made the lake shallow with very few areas for good spawning because of the soft bottom. The lake that was known by locals years ago as a good bass lake but now it became over run by rough fish, gators, and panfish. There is a lake by my house that gets fished a lot with tournaments 3 days out of the week most of the year. This lake because it is river fed the water is mostly stained so you can't see bedfish. This lake has tons of shad and a hard bottom with great spawning areas. From the impact of the amount of tournaments and people keeping fish day after day you can see a real decline in fish populations. The state just restocked this lake this winter. There is another lake I know of that at one time was a great bass lake with mostly clear water with great cover and good populations of baitfish. The state stocked this lake with an outrageous amount of musky. Now if you catch one keeper bass your doing good. There is a park that I know of that is clear water and fished a lot. This lake has everything right as far as cover, populations, spawning areas, hard bottom, and food source. This lake gets hammered by site fishermen for years and you can still catch good numbers of fish in many different year classes. In many of the lakes I have fished in the south because of the extended growing season, good cover, good food source, tannic to clear water, good depth, good spawning areas, good numbers of different year classes, I don't find much of an impact on fishing for spawning fish and in many cases fishermen are properly managing what they keep. I know that the easy way out is to point fingers at the tournament fishermen and say you the tournament fishermen is the reason for the decline of good populations of fish in your lake. I know of many people that feel that they should keep their catch every day they fish. When they fish everyday the numbers add up and can clean out a lake quick. Most of these people are not tournament fishermen. Speaking for myself I have only caught and kept a handful of bass total in my entire life. One is on my wall the others where hooked deep and was not going to make it so I kept them. I catch a ton of fish and I fish more days than most average people now could you imagine how much of an impact I could have on a lake if I kept fish? To me there isn't much of a difference between keeping a fish when they are spawning and keeping a fish during the rest of the year. The outcome is the same the fish will never spawn again. Don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with people keeping fish but when you have limits that are large and people that are good fishermen that fish everyday and they keep them what do you expect. I also don't have a problem with guys keeping a trophy but when they are on their 10th trophy on the wall and all of them are the same size what's the point when you can get a fiberglass mount. The number one concern with a tournament guy is the welfare of the fish and welfare of the fishery at least it should be. There is always a bad apple in a group that don't go the extra mile to take care of their catch so that the fish has the best chance to live after the release. Bass fishing has been good to me so I am one of the guys that goes the extra mile. When you take a trophy out of a lake or off a bed you still have the many years that the bass has spawned already to consider. You still have offspring of that bass that still carry the genes to grow big still in that lake. In many cases you just made room for the next big dog to take the wheel. It is like hunting deer most guys wait for a buck to mature before they take it. If we didn't have a hunting season then the amount of big bucks would be slim because of high populations and food competition. With bass it is kinda the same deal. Fishing for spawning fish is fun and when you are careful with the fish and turn it loose the bass will continue to spawn in most cases. If you are worried about a tournament fishermen taking the fish for a ride and that they never make it back to the bed bass don't all spawn at the same time. Bass also spawn in places that are hard to find so it would be hard to catch up all the spawners.