smbrule

As soon as bass fishing really slows down I turn to crappie fishing until the water becomes hard. The tick of the line and a 12 to 14" crappie lightens the mood and provides good fishing for another month. When I was younger I used to fish for bass until freeze up, but no more. In Iowa I've caught bass in soft water every month of the year but January.

As soon as bass fishing really slows down I turn to crappie fishing until the water becomes hard. The tick of the line and a 12 to 14" crappie lightens the mood and provides good fishing for another month. When I was younger I used to fish for bass until freeze up, but no more. In Iowa I've caught bass in soft water every month of the year but January.

Came across this link recently and thought I would share it. I found it very informative. http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Major%20Battery%20Types A good amount of it pertains to batteries used in boats, both deep cycle and cranking, flood cell and AGM. etc. Also included is battery charging, what shortens/prolongs battery life in use and storage.

I routinely fish 4" size tube jigs for smallies in the rocky areas of Lake of the Woods in one to ten feet of water and of all my drop baits they are the least likely to get hung up. I fish them two ways. One with an open style hook tube jig--so the hook point is exposed. When they do get hung up it is mostly on the hook point and usually I can get them off the rock by "twanging" the rod/line. They do get hung up more often when I want to fish both the backside and the front of large boulders. I'm pitching tubes on the back side of large boulders and then pulling the jig over the top of the boulder. The other way I fish them is with an inside the tube weight and texposed. Primarily use this in mixed rocks and vegetation. Or doing a lot of pitching to the back side of boulders as above. With this method they get hung up very seldom. My experience is that the large diameter head of the tube and the lack of a lead weight on the outside of the tube helps to reduce hang-ups. Bass style jigs, or 1/16 oz. and heavier weights on worms, craws, etc just seem to get hung up much more often.

Thanks for the replies! I tried the suggestions provided and none worked. So I decided to import all my bookmarks into Google Chrome. It had been sitting in my programs never having been used for a long time. Problem solved when using G.C.

For years I've had no problem getting this site to load via Firerfox. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? I'm using version 3.6.10 Thanks!

I have the Curado 50E and the Citica and Curado 200e's. There is a significant difference between the 200E's and 50 E's in there ability to cast light lures. I just wont use te 200E to cast cranks, even those in the Bandit5 100-300 series which weigh between 0.27 to 0.35 oz. The lighter spool on the 50E when it is filled with line starts faster and there is less need to "force" the cast which can impede accuracy.

Yes, I'm talking about a Chronarch 50 MG. I can't yet say that I prefer the 50 E over the Chr 50 MG. In my hands the 50 E is more comfortable to palm. It is very smooth on the retrieve. If it were an ounce lighter I no doubt would prefer the 50 E to the Chr 50 MG. I've fished with stable of 5 Chr 50 MG's for four years and am on the water with the reels about 75 days of the year. I'm used to their weight so when I pick up an ounce heavier reel I notice it immediately. However, after fishing with it for about 15 minutes I don't notice its' increased weight. As aside, I don't care for the weight of the 200 E and I never have become used to its weight. It just feels clunky. And, it does not cast/pitch lighter weights nearly as well as my Crh 50 MG or 50 E. I use my Curado 200 E and Citica 200e when I need line capacity. The Chr 50 MG when throwing buzz baits and traps a long ways comes close to clearing the line off the spool. Then because of the decrease in the spool diameter I have to crank like h*ll. Of course the 50 E will have the same issue. Do know that if *both*the Chr 50 MG and the 50 E just now entered the market I would buy the 50E even if both were the same price.. It seems to be a more sophisticated reel. And, I would not be used to the lighter weight of the Chr 50 MG.

Forgot to mention that the handles on the 50 MG and 50 E are identical. Smaller than the 200E handles.

Fished today with my new 50 E (it got the most work), also 50 MG's and a 200 E. For casting could tell no difference between the 50E and the 50 MG's. Retrieve on the 50E was a little smoother. The 50 E palms much better the the 50 MG. I can comfortably palm with three fingers in front of the trigger grip. With the 50 MG I palm with two fingers ahead of the grip. Advantage to 50E as I can switch between 2 or 3 fingers ahead if the grip when fingers become sore. The ~one ounce difference between the 50 E and 50 MG is evident. But the 50 E does not feel clunky after casting with my 50 mg'S. Whereas my 200 E does. In contrast to some others I would prefer a 7:1 retrieve ratio. The 50E is a little lighter green than the 200 E. I sold my new 50 MG to a fishing friend to rationalize buying the 50E. Very satisfied. I had also sold one of my 200 E's and it was a good decision for my reel needs. Most likely when the price of the 50E drops I will pick up another one. I do *not* plan on selling my 50 MG's.

Dawn and not yet arrived in Iowa. I'm heading out shortly to fish. Will post pictures later today.

My Curado 50E arrived today. Quick shipment as I ordered it last Friday. It is sweet. Spooled it and put a 5 "Yamamoto Senko on the hook and cast it in my yard. Can't tell any difference in casting ability compared to my 50 MG's. Of course the Senko weighs about 0.4 oz. so perhaps not a good test. However, since the spool weights are very similar (see below) I would assume it would be difficult to tell. The 50 E spool empty weighs 11.4 grams. The 50 MG spools weighs 12.3 grams. (Correct) The 50 E inside spool length is slightly more than the 50 MG and the 50E has more spool depth. The 50 MG spool's outside diameter is more than the 50 E. All-in-all the comparative weights of the spools filled with 14 # Stren mono are very close. The 50 E spool weighs 17.9 grams and the 50 MG spool 17.7. The 50 E's outside dimensions are marginally smaller by 2-3 millimeters (or so) compared to the 200 E. The right and left side plates are definitely not interchangeable.

On a popular auction site.

Sometimes I want a soft bait to float up off the bottom. I take a Baby Paca Craw and seal off the open end by using a lighter to melt the plastic, let it mostly cool and then using my fingers squeeze it make an airtight seal. I use a light weight 3/0 worm hook, bent slightly to increase the gape, and leave the hook point inside the bait. Pic shows the bait floating with the sinker at the bottom of the tub. The tip of the claws are out of the water. I've tried not sealing off the open end but as you fish the bait eventually water enters the bait.

Using a weighted hook with a Senko causes the bait to generally fall horizontally thru the water column. Placing a light weight on the line causes the Senko to fall head first generally vertically and faster than when a weighted hook is used. I've found that at times the bass will react to one type of fall to the other. I fish a lot of dense lay down wood that is under water. Using the weighted hook allows for a slower fall and also seems to reduce snags as the lure is more horizontal in the water than when it is nose down.

I have the Curado 200e and it will cast 1/4 oz. crankbaits. However, I much prefer to throw them on my 50 MG as the spool on that reel is much lighter when filled with line and therefore starts quicker. Result is you don't need to force the cast as much. Result better accuracy.

When saving line I will spool on to an extra line spool or the original spool. I tie a knot and leave about a 5 inch section at the knot so I know the line has been used. Use the below bolt washer setup in an electric drill. Note the end of the bolt has been filed to secure better in the chuck. An advantage of spooling on to the line spool is the diameter is greater so line ends up be less have looser coils

The knot is a reverse clinch knot. See video by Alton Jones. http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-tie-reverse-clinch-knot-alton-jones-162619/

I look up Orvis knot and that is not the knot. Key difference is that for the "Loop" knot (most likely a different way to tie a Uni knot) the tag end is wrapped around on the outside of both of the hanging loops. I wish I had a video of the knot as it would be clearer. That is the characteristic that makes the knot easy to tie as one just grasps the tag end between thumb and forefinger and makes five or six quick wraps around the hanging loops and then threads it thru the small loop that was formed via ones index finger when the five/six loops were generated. Thanks everyone for their input.

I've looked at some of the knot tying sites and did not see this knot demonstrated. The more I think about it this may just be another way to tie a uni knot. It sure is much less cumbersome to tie that the usual way I tie a uni knot.

Does anyone know the name of this knot and its' capabilities? I will try to describe it. Called it "Loop" knot in the title as I lack the name of this knot. The knot is easiest to tie when the lure has some weight. It can be tied extremely quickly and is easy to tie if you have cold or lack dexterity in your hands. Example: Take a jig and run the mono thru the eye of the jig and have the tag end about a foot long. Let the jig hang loosely. Therefore having about a six inch long loop. Hold the non tag end in you left hand and with your right hand loop the tag end over your extended left hand index finger. Then with your right hand make five or so wraps around the loop of the suspended line. Then insert the tag in the loop formed by your index finger. Grasp hold of the tag end and pull and the knot tightens about six inches from the jig. Take the non tag end and pull the knot down to the jig eye and pull to tighten the knot. The knot is much like a uni knot in that may be slipped up the line to make a loop. Maybe this is just a fast way to tie a uni knot? I just can't visualize it though.

Pictured are a five inch Senko, a five inch Tiki Bamboo Stick and a six inch Yum Dingeer

I got a chance to weigh 6" Yum Dingers. They weigh 0.53 oz. Other soft stickbaits weights in oz: Senko 5" 9 series 0.39 Yum Dinger 5" 0.31 Tiki Bamboo Stick 0.49 My scale were calibrated prior to weighing.

I thought that Big Game was a stretchy mono. Unless I misunderstood Berkly, they stated that Big Game had more stretch than XL, XT or Sensation. However, that communication occurred a number of years ago. Shallow Water Angler did a test many years ago. It did not include Big Game but did include Stren Original. Here are there results:

How do the 6" & 7" Yum Dingers compare in diameter and weight to the 5" Yamamoto Senkos? I typically fish Tiki Bamboo Sticks when I want a heavy weight stick bait to fish aggressively. I thought if the 6 or 7 inch Yum Dingers were about the same diameter as a Senko but would weigh more it would be an alternative. Thanks!