Fishes in trees

I like the BANG sprays because they are easy to use. I don't think that they attract fish so much, rather I think that they mask human scent.

Every time I go to a tackle store and see a new brand or kind of shakey head, I'll probably buy it, so I've got lots of different kinds. My current favorites are the Bite Me shakey heads and the Chompers.

Get creative son. Subdivision lakes surrounded by houses have owners. Some of those owners will have boats. Find out who those people are and charm them into using their boats. For the warmer months, a belly boat is a good option. Seek out lakes that people keep boats on and get permission to fish there and use their boats. It isn't rocket science, think of it as a creative use of your people skills.

Get creative son. Subdivision lakes surrounded by houses have owners. Some of those owners will have boats. Find out who those people are and charm them into using their boats. For the warmer months, a belly boat is a good option. Seek out lakes that people keep boats on and get permission to fish there and use their boats. It isn't rocket science, think of it as a creative use of your people skills.

The simple answer is yes. You can do any of those three things. Shad is more common to use than bluegill, but if you can get away with it you can use anything you want. (In some places, authorities get miffed when you use a gamefish for bait and some places bluegill is considered a game fish) Go into the archives of In-fisherman magazine and you can find exhaustive articles on use and preparation of cut bait.

Once I had to cut a prop off of a trolling motor. I used my Dremel moto tool. It took a while. I had to go slow and be careful to be sure that I cut only the prop and not the motor shaft or housing. Once I had enough of the prop cut off to where I could lock vice grips on the motor shaft, the nut came off pretty easily.

I have both and I don't think it matters very much as long as it says Shimano somewhere on the reel. When I was doing the co-angler BFL back of the boat thing, I got a few of the Shimano Calcutta TEGT reels with the 11 ball bearings, and I feel like I have unlimited pitching distance. Fishing from the back of the boat in a tournament situation, I think extended range is important. So, round reels are my favorites right now. In comparison, I've got a couple of the low profile 11 ball bearing reels, the Calais, and while they are great reels, I like the Calcuttas better.

Do they fit?

I think there are lots of different brands of medium action spinning rods that work great for throwing smaller cranks. Wait until Walmart does their rod close outs and you will find a decent one for around $20, maybe less.

The last time I went to Bass Pro (Independence, MO) I saw they had push poles. I already have one so I didn't get one. It seems like they were in the $30 range.

Every so often you're going to miss a fish. Oh well. One of the reasons I go fishing is so that I can kind of space out and let my thoughts wander. I don't get that upset about missing a fish.

Second question first. That Skyline rod is a good rod. Mid to late 70's that was as high a tech rod as you could get. As I recall, Skyline was a Texas company and they went out of business when Berkley got serious about making affordable, decent quality graphite rods. I think that the guys who founded Skyline also went on to found All Star Rods, but I'm not certain about that. That is also a decent reel. I'd get it professionally serviced, that will cost, but it will restore it to pristine condition. Maybe your grampaw retired this reel because he wore out the bearings in it, and should you get a it professionally serviced, you'll find that out. It is worth putting new bearings in it. Slap some 17 or 20 pound line on this and you've got a great spinner bait setup, and it will also work great throwing buzz baits or spooks. I think it is much easier to throw and work spooks on a short rod. For the first question, your rod and reel setup is ok, you've just got to practice. Buy a bulk spool of 14 pound line so you won't care so much when you back lash. A side effect of learning how to cast is that you will get real good at putting line on your reel. Remember that everyone on this site who uses bait casting equipment went through a learning curve and messed up a number of spools of line. Should you come across some spare money, I'd recommend a rod & reel upgrade. A Shimano Calcutta 200 TEGT with any 7' MH fast tip rod will be an improvement. Lastly, you might want to learn how to pitch. I think it is an easier to learn wrist movement, and you're not really concerned with distance. You very seldom have to pitch at anything farther than 40 feet or so. I learned bait casting prior to learning how to pitch. A decade or so ago I decided I needed to learn how to pitch and the process of retraining my thumb to deal with pitching improved all my bait casting skills. I had to unlearn some habits I developed casting overhanded and side arm, but it was worth it. For the most part my casts land much quieter now.

This is a classic case of go figger. Contrary to some of the other people on this post, I've had a pretty decent July and so far August. Water temps are high, but if you think about it, that should stimulate the bass metabolism, making them as active as they are going to get this year. That should stimulate the digestive process and they will eat more. While bass are digesting, they aren't as active as you might want them to be. So, going back to the original In-fisherman formula (Fish + Location + Presentation = Fish), It seems to me that you've got location issues. Some things you never did say. You've got a hundred acre lake. Do you have access to the entire lake? Are you fishing from a boat or the bank? What about electronics? For me, given your history with the lake this summer, I'd start looking at off shore structure that intersects the thermocline. How clear is this lake? Fish can be really skittish in warmer clearer water. The fix for that, for the most part is to have your gear in shape and be ready to make long casts. You didn't say what the depth range of this lake is, or if there was any significant current. Some shallower lakes with current don't develop a real defined thermocline. Anyway thats where I'd start on this lake, looking for off shore structure/cover. What about weeds/grass? Is there a significant amount of vegetation? If there is, that's where you start, on the deep outside weed edge. So, there you go, remember what Buck Perry said, "The fish are shallow, or deep, or somewhere in between." The best piece of fishing tackle you've got is that lump between your ears. Figure it out.

I remember seeing these rods, mid to late 80's maybe early 90's. They were comparable to the Lightning Rod. I think they were an early attempt to try to make a technique specific rod. If you want to know for sure, call up Berkley and ask. Some of those people on the customer service phone have been there forever and know alot about the history of the different product lines.

I'd have to check to make sure, but I think the reason God told somebody to make spinnerbaits, rattle traps, swim baits,shallow cranks, swimming worms,buzz baits, swim jigs and a few that I know I'm forgetting, is so that bass fishermen would have several options when fishing shallow and mid depth flats. JMO

The first thing, remember that it isn't your spot. You don't own the lake. You should behave yourself. Don't fire up your big moor and spin around several times at 1000-1500 rpms prior to leaving. Don't do that. Don't reach into your rod locker and pull out the stainless steel 12 guage pump. Don't do that. Sometimes I'll talk, saying something like "I caught several fish from that spot, lets see what you can do." Then I'll back off quietly on trolling motor power, bust out a barley pop and watch for a while. I don't think being confrontational really helps in this situation.

I am a big fan of Timber Tigers and I have a lot of them in different sizes. I mostly fish the DC8 & DC16. I routinely fish the DC8 on 17 or 20 lb test. On the DC 16 I'll drop down to 14. I have no qualms throwing them into any kind of woody cover. Very occasionally they will get stuck but compared to any other crank, they come through woody cover great. I experiment quite a bit trying to find the best rod to throw them on. This year I'm mostly using a 7'4" BPS Extreme, med action with a fast tip.

You have several different rigging choices. You can rig it on a shakey head, or rig a texas rig, or a wacky rig or a neko rig or a carolina rig or a split shot rig. Personally, I use a shakey head jig most of the time.

I think any spinning rod will work for slider fishing. Slider fishing is more about technique (low & slow) rather than gear. That being said, I think a fast tip is better than a soft tip for this style of fishing. I think that the rod needs some backbone because you are setting the hook in 15-25 or so feet of water, using 4 or 6 lb line. I've got a couple of rods I use for this style of fishing. One is a 5'3" Fenwick HMG Medium action rod with a fast tip. The other one is a Diawa 6"3" Light & Tough Finesse rod. This rod didn't cost that much (around $100) , but it is one of the few rods I own that I won't let fishing buddies fish with, or even touch for that matter. I just love the total feel of this rod and I don't think that they are available any more. I just looked at the 2011 BPS Master catalog (just happen to have a reference copy on my desk) and it isn't listed. But I digress, I think any decent spinning rod will work for slider fishing, it really is more about technique than gear.

I like the back to back UNI knot. When you take your time and tie it right, I've had it last for weeks.

They'd probably have it on hand if you went to the Springfield BPS. The main reel repair center is right next door. ROAD TRIP!! Go ahead and go. Guys have made road trips for stupider reasons. Bring your VISA. I've never been able to get out of the Springfield store for less than $200.

I haven't fished every variation of the chatterbait out there, so I'm not an expert, but of the ones I have fished, I like the Booyah, I think that the flexible hook is a great idea. Lately I've been fishing a Gambler version of the chatterbait. It has more of a football head to it rather than an Arkie type head. It came in a pretty neat bluegill imitating color.

Good luck with your glass crank rod - hope it works for you. I've read the articles about cranking and recommending glass rods. Stuff about delayed reactions, slower response time, etc. I can see how if you fished alot and had finely homes fishing reflexes that might be true. Me I get to go fishing once a week - maybe. My fishing reflexes aren't finely honed, to tell the truth, I miss quite a few fish no matter what technique I'm using. What I do know is that I miss fewer fish when I'm using a 7' med action, fast tip graphite rod than a fiberglass cranking rod. I'm just saying - that's just me, I'm not a big fan of fiberglass rods.

While I know that you can use one color for all conditions,I've got to ask, "Why would you?" I don't see the point of limiting yourself if you don't have to.

This season I've been cranking square bills quite a bit and drop shotting.