Chris

I get a lot of PM's about different techniques and such from people that are trying something new. Some of the "newbie" questions are from knowledgeable fishermen that never had confidence in different ways of catching them or wanted a different perspective. Sometimes the "I don't get it" becomes "AHHH wow now I got it" it just takes a little direction. Many times when you have one asking a question you have 20 others that wanted to know the same answer. This site also has a whole list of articles geared towards new fishermen. Many times if you point them in that direction then let them post specific questions on stuff that they don't understand it tends to work out better. Many of the topics have been covered in other posts and that is another way to direct them. I think the integration is healthy because it exposes the newer fishermen to other ideas and other perspectives. Having a page just for newbies would be counter productive because there is a page for just kids so that's covered and another separate page for anyone else that was new would just isolate them and make them feel unwelcome. Heck PM me your questions if you want I'll answer them.

Ok last tip if you want to get a deep runner deeper just slide a bullet weight up your line before you tie on your bait. It won't hinder the action at all and depending on how much you add depends on how much deeper you bait will run.

Yes you can slow roll a heavy 3/4 oz rattletrap style bait deep and be very effective. You just got to count it down to the depth you need it in. Two things that will help get this bait in and out of sticky cover one is change the hooks to triple grip hooks the other is change the split rings to oval rings. The hooks because the points are bend inward will help it from sticking stuff and the oval rings restricts the swing of the hook so the hook stays behind the bait without the wild swing. Rattletrap bait don't have much of a pivot like a crankbait so in this instance the vibration of the bait doesn't move the hook as much and oval rig really kills the hook movement from side to side. On some crankbaits I use the oval ring because the bait swing or pivot really swings the hook and I stick more fish. Another good bait for deep cranking is a countdown weighted crankbait. You can also rig the crankbait on a Carolina rig and fish a shallow runner in 20 ft of water if you wanted to.

I like Poe's 400 but mine has had a lot of work done to it so it isn't much like the one you can buy. Rapala DT is a good deep bait Hot lips is another good one, Bagley Original Diving B, Fat Free shad, Deep Down Fat Rap Rapala. <- one of my favorites Bagley would be the other favorite

There are two links one talking about bass the other talking about esox

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1097180 http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/courses/en570/papers_1994/bosio.html

*Here is some of an old post I did. You need to find something different from the rest and that is what will hold a trophy. It is unique features that hold trophy fish and a big bass will defend it also so your only fishing for lone solitary fish. A big fish will take up the best house he can find because he is king as long as it has everything that it needs it might stay there year after year and might not travel far from it unless things change. Either the food source moved or was depleted or the cover/ structure content drops off. Sometimes if you have a small weed patch that is a different color because it is at a different stage of growth will draw a trophy. If you have a large flat with nothing on it and you stick a brush pile on the edge not far from the drop off you stand a high percentage chance of drawing a big fish. Why? You just gave a bass everything it needs. The flat is its hunting ground and spawning area, the brush pile is its home when it is inactive and is an irregular feature different that the surrounding area, the drop off gives is its escape route from danger and a place to go to when conditions are sour and the drop edge is a highway to a new home if needed. This is the kind of stuff you need to be looking for and the questions you need to ask each time you find something is are all the needs for the trophy bass met. This also weeds out most of a given area or lake and lets you focus on high percentage areas. Take a hard look at the cover or structure and ask yourself what is the natural flow of bait and if I was a big bass where would I position and which direction would I be pointing to intercept this flow of bait. Big bass hide and ambush and know the difference between natural flow and unnatural flow. If you don't bring your bait from the right direction and the right depth a big bass will never hit because the way he is positioned is in such a way that he will nail something with a 90% success rate. A big bass wants to surprise its prey not scare it away and will not move far to expend to much energy if it doesn't need to. It would rather wait for the next dummy to run by. You will tempt a larger fish with a big bait more often because of the energy expended is worth the reward. The same will hold true with any bait of any size if it is fished right. When a trophy has found its home you can bank on it being there year after year. Most people either hook a trophy because it was looking for a better home range and in transition or the fishermen had stumbled onto the trophies feeding area most guys that only catch trophy bass in the spawn. Very few people ever locate their home.

Might not want to dip your toes in that lake ;D Nice pike!

Luhr-Jensen http://www.fishingworld.com/brannansbass/Details.tmpl?ID=987707658113402&Cart=116868831294913635

I use a straight shank it has the best hook up for flipping. If I am flipping a tube or a large body bait then I use a EWG hook.

Whittler has a link of his site on his profile skip down to the post titled "Chris" and click his profile.

If the wood your using is hard you wouldn't need a long eye screw. If your using a soft wood like basswood then a long screw would be a good idea.

eye screws work great for hard woods

They are a great lure if you want to draw a fish out of cover. They are a good lure for stained water. They are a good lure for schoolers busting shad. They are a good river bait. I have also used them as a buzzbait with success. Standard colors I use is chrome black back and white black stripes. My trophy bass was caught on one.

I use them a bunch and catch a bunch using them.

yep and got a bunch of them.

You also might want to chech your line. Sometimes if you put braid on to tight or if you backlash it and don't realize it the line will cut into itself and make it hard to cast.

Nail polish works too and flex coat it just depends on what you feel like using and how bad the cracks are.

I love that bait What I would do is buy some clear lacquer and put a coat over it. If the cracks are in the wood use 5 minute epoxy by Devcon and fill them in.

janns netcraft has stick molds also and injectors

Del-mart.com bobstackleshack.com lurecraft.com I don't use an injector for any of the molds including sticks.

I don't know what bait is the most consistent but I do feel that angler knowledge, timing, and location are more of a key factor of consistency when it comes to catching trophy bass. I say this because I have caught trophy fish on a number of baits but one common thread between all of them was how the bait was presented. They all where presented in such a way that it gave few cues that it was fake. Most of the time they where large profile baits that had fluid or random movement. You can also catch them on small normal sized baits because sometimes elephants do eat peanuts.

I use Excel green line and have for a long time. I use 14 lb test around heavy cover and 10-12 for most other areas. I have had less issues with this line and I don't have an issue with casting distance or abrasion problems. The green line is more thin than the clear. If I want more depth I drop down to 8 lb.

GY don't sell them in bulk because they will not hold the flat straight shape if they where mashed in a bag. The problem your going to have if you just toss them in boiling water is that the salt will soak up the water and make them grow. Any other soft plastic that is not made with a heavy salt boiling them works great to fix them up.

I use Hank Parker's Classic spinnerbait, Booyah, and Zorro all are around $5