D4u2s0t

so how many baits were "hiding' in your pocket at the register lol.

from my experience, color selection matters only to a fisherman. I have proven that time, and time again. Until I personally see proof otherwise, that's my statement and i'm sticking to it. If color mattered, how is it that 5 people can fish completely different colors, and all come out with fish? And 5 people can all have the same color, same bait, and 1 can regularly outfish the others?? IMO, and from my experience, bait selection and technique far outweighs the importance of color. I am a big fan of testing the limits, breaking the rules, and deciding for myself. I say it all the time, but i've caught some of my best fish with baits that "shouldn't" work, using colors that "are not right" in places that "don't hold fish". Why? Maybe because everyone else follows the "rules", and the fish are happy to see something different that they're not used to seeing. Food for thought.

basically, I would relate my question to a beginner angler asking what pound test they should use, and what the differences are. Different test lines are suited to different applications, thought maybe the air guns would be the same. I'm not new to shooting, i'm a pretty good shot. Just don't know much about airguns in relation to fps and was curious. Thanks everyone for their responses.

So after some research, turns out here in good ole nj an airgun is considered the same as a rifle, and you need a license to get one (which I don't have yet). I think i'm just gonna get a crossbow for now until I can get the license, at which point i'll look back into the airguns. Boggles my mind that I can buy a 180lb crossbow no questions asked, but can't buy an airgun lol.

I don't see what one has to do with the other. So you're an advocate of people buying guns, but not understanding how powerful they are, and what they are capable of? I was just curious. To someone that doesn't know much about airguns, fps don't really mean much other than the higher the #, faster it goes. I see they range from 200-1200+, trying to make the right decision, and pick up the one that will be right. Nothing wrong with educating myself a little in the process.

great, thanks for the link!

***mental not to self*** become friends with burley lol

I have a great shooting range in town with a sweet plinking range, and am looking to pick something up as an alternative to a 22 rifle or handgun. I've been looking at picking up an air rifle, but had a few questions regarding the FPS ratings. Is there some type of chart or does anyone with more experience know a little more about these ratings? Is there some kind of general rule, like 100fps won't go through paper, 200 will leave a small welt, 700 will penetrate skin, etc? Obviously the higher the FPS and the higher the caliber or pellet, the more power, but is there anything a little more defining than that? I can't seem to find much info on this. Thanks for any help that can be provided. This will be used primarily for the plinking range at distances of less than 30-40 yards max, and possibly some small game hunting. Also, C02 or pump?

exactly what I said lol. This isn't too far from me, one of my coworkers told me back when it happened.

bear is like the eminem of the survival world... more shock value than anything. Many of his "survival" expeditions have been shown to be hoaxes. a huge one was when he was jumping over the crevace that would have "killed him" had he slipped, out in the middle of nowhere. It was barely off the road with cars passing by, and 30 feet away the crevace ended lol. Never liked him at all, always MUCH preferred survivorman.

If I use a weight, I use a 1/8 oz keel hook. Any more than that really starts to kill the action, which is the main reason why a wacky rig works.

got 9 bass and a pickerel on tip ups yesterday within about 2 hours, and that's how it always is. I wouldn't call that very hard to get them to bite. We were literally running non stop, and lost a bunch of fish because we didn't get there in time. If we had more people, or could run faster (there was about 4 inches of snow on top of the ice, made it hard) we probably would have had more around 20 bass. yes, they're sluggish, and slow, but still, if the fish is there, and so is the food, they're going to eat. Especailly a minnow that's swimming very slow because it's freezing. Tried jigging with the stupid little pole and found it to be boring, and didn't get a bite that way, so I stopped pretty quickly. Never tried drop shotting, but like said above, it sounds about perfect, just don't move too much.

from experience, I've found color to not make a difference at all, so I don't bother with color. I would look more at the type of blades for what kind of retrieve you're going to have. If you're slow rolling, you may not want the same blade as if you're burning it back.

a 5 acre lake is small enough to take some time and just cast everywhere, and keep mental notes. Have you been out there with a depthfinder? very subtle changes are sometimes all that's needed.

I think this would be an amazing idea. My lakes have been frozen over for weeks, and will probably stay that way till at least march. If there was a local place where I can go inside and fish, i'd be all over it. Would it be as good as going out on my favorite lake?? not a chance. But it beats sitting around staring at my fishing poles for 4-5 months. I can't even begin to imagine what the cost of something like this would be... it's pretty expensive to simply build a lake, let alone a well thought out, properly maintained, perfectly executed bass lake. Then on top of that, add in the cost of a building and dang... hope you have deep pockets lol. Upside? With the ability to control climate, water temp, conditions, etc., you now open up the chance for northerners to catch big fish that they would never be able to catch on a real lake. I think the state record here is somewhere around 10.5 or so, which pretty much means my chances of getting anything over 10 are pretty slim lol. I jump up and down like ike when I get a 3-4 pounder, and didn't break 5 this year. With all that being said, if there was a local place that was reasonably priced, I would be all over it in the winter months when it was too cold to go out.

a new shop opened up in town, and so far their prices are great. Same as you would get online. I would go there just for the convenience, and also to support a local shop.

a secondary point is found in a cove, bay, creek, something like that. The only thing that's different between a main lake point and a secondary point is location.

wait, you have to order these?? lol Thanks for the link, just picked up 4 packs. I made a "promise" to not buy baits over the winter, but couldn't pass this up for that price. If you haven't fished these, you're missing out. Try a pack, you'll love 'em!

I really dislike these conversations... that being said, i've OFTEN outfished people using live while I was using artificials... It doesn't always give you the edge. You still have to know where to throw your bait, how to detect a subtle bite, how to keep a fish on the line, etc. If you can't outfish someone who has no fishing experience, maybe you need to work on your presentations instead of knocking live bait. (I don't use live bait, except for panfish) If live bait and artificial should have it's own title, so should shore fishing, people that don't use depthfinders, people that don't use expensive equipment, etc. You say it's "easy" to catch a big fish on live bait? go catch a world record, and let us know how "easy" it was. 2 people can be fishing the same spot, with 2 different artificials... Most likely, 1 person will catch more fish. Should that other person not be allowed to use that bait because it gave them an "edge"? Bottom line is it's all personal preference. If someone is fishing legally, shouldn't matter what they caught the fish on.

would this also be a jig and pig? these days, many people do refer to it as a jig & pig, though technically, a jig and pig is just like it sounds. A jig with a piece of pork on it.

Here's a setup I use, this is together. Here it is together and separated. Pretty simple, the jig here is a Strike King football head jig, and the trailer is a rage tail lobster. Only thing you really have to do is slide the bait onto the hook and make sure it sits straight.

One HUGE piece of advice I can give you is to not be afraid to experiment. Learn the basics, there's tons of great articles on this site. But understand that different techniques/baits/equipment works better in certain areas than others. Don't be afraid to try something different. I have caught some of my best fish in places that were not "supposed" to have fish, using baits that were not "supposed" to work. What it comes down to, is majority of your success will come from trial and error... keep doing what works, and stop doing what doesn't. Nothing replaces time on the water. There's not any magical technique, bait, reel, rod, fishfinder, color, etc. Learn the basics of bass behavior, get comfortable with your equipment, and go have some fun!

swimbaits are good all year.

I don't think it really mimics anything. But it works! I've had luck weightless, t-rigged, burning, deadsticking, you name it, it catches fish. Very versatile bait.

why not try what works the rest of the day? you don't always have to do something different.