Fishes in trees

Does anyone here have any experience with ultimate bunk boards. These are polyethelene 2 x 4s made to replace the wood bunk boards on your trailer? I busted a bunk board on my trailer and I'm thinking about upgrading/changing. I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with the product or the company. Their web site is www.ultimatebunkboards.com. Thanks

Beavers = good Otters = bad

Yes, you would notice a little bit of difference . Yes the Minn Kota models with maxmiizer are more batttery friendly than the older models. Consider this though, if you are going to upgrade, you might as well UPGRADE. You can stay 12 volt and go with a 50 something lb thrust. It will have the Maximizer and variable speed. Check out the Minn Kota Traxxis transom mount. 55 lb thrust - 12 volts - variable speed - 36" shaft - $394.99 Cabela's catalog. Bass Pro will be within a couple of dollars of that price. If you're going to upgrade trolling motors and you can afford it, variable speed is a nice feature that also extends battery time.

Go to Bass Pro and look around in the weights section. There are quite a few ways to add weight to cranks. There are plusses and minuses to each method.

I know a couple of 70+ old geezers who use snap swivels. They ain't going to change and I've found it's a waste of breath to tell them. They grew up learning how to fish that way. Me, I think snap swivels are bad. The vast majority of the lures I buy either have a split ring or a snap attached to the lure and I tie direct to that.

If there was any room between the top of the grass and the surface, I'd throw a Spot or some other rattle type lipless crank. With very little room between the top of the grass and the surface, a wake bait or a Minus-1 would be an option. If the water was very clear, I might try a soft plastic swim bait

I've gotten some serious sun burns while fishing. It was a matter of there being enough of a breeze to where I wasn't uncomfortable while I was on the water. There was beer involved as well. All I know is that it was a couple of days before I felt better. Back in the day when I was a bank fisherman, I fell a few times and got some serious bruises that hurt for a while.

I think that with some presentations, like spinnerbaits, or pitching jigs, or bouncing timber tigers off trees, that a little splash beats a lot of splash. I can't speak to flipping, because I don''t flip that much and I'm not very good at it. I think that with top waters or buzz baits or poppers that making a splash on landing might be a good thing. So, do I think a perfect presentation is important - yeah - but what is or ain't a perfect presentation might vary depending upon the circumstance.

I throw them on a spinnerbait rod.

I think Stockton is a real pretty lake and I go there once or twice a year. Mostly, I fish main lake or secondary points - mixed results. Out in the middle of the lake there are some islands that I've had some success using jerkbaits - early in the year. When you ask around, it seems that most of the locals are more interested the the walleyes than the bass. I wouldn't recommend Orleans Trail resort. The central location close to the town of Stockton is nice, but the last time I stayed there the room was really dirty with mouse turds everywhere.

You are a preferred customer because no matter how much money you spend with them they would prefer if you spent more. I generally let my points build up until I'm past $100 .

I have a shed I keep my boat and all my fishing stuff in. Every so often shelving goes on sale at Walmart and when it does, I buy more shelves. Every so often plastic shoe boxes go on sale for a buck each. I like the ones with the attatched lids. Those seem to do the best job of keeping insects and mice out.

I'm experiencing something similar this year, i.e. I can't get bit on a jig. I've tried different brands, colors, sizes, head shapes, etc. I have a color depth finder that will show fish in bushes, brush piles, etc., so I pretty much know I'm throwing to areas where there are fish. It is frustrating. Now get this, in the same areas where I'm not getting bit on jigs, I can take a Berkley crazy legs chigger craw or a beaver type bait, rig it as a dropshot on 14 or 17 lb fluorocarbon and a 4" to 6" dropper line to a 3/8 ounce dropshot weight and I'm getting bit. Over the last month or so this has been my most productive rig. There isn't a whole lot of difference between a dropshot with a very short drop line and a jig, yet the dropshot is getting bit and the jig isn't. A classic case of huh? what? This experiment will be ongoing and at some point this year I will catch a jig fish, but I haven't yet.

Timber Tigers. A DC 8 gets about 4 feet down on 17 lb line and you have to work to get it stuck. It is just amazing how you can throw this bait into gnarly stuff and it comes back much more often than not. Lots of different colors are available.

I'd have to agree with Big 0. Your situation calls for a float tube. Back in the day, I did my share of wading and it occasionally got weird. Get another inner tube and strap a milk crate inside it and you can drag alot of stuff with you, you can experiment to your hearts content. I'm assuming that there is absolutely no way to slip a small jon boat or a pond boat into this water.

duct tape

JIg bites are tough. You might consider a med/hvy or heavy rod over the medium rod you're using. You might consider using fluorocarbon instead of Trilene XT. But really, jig fishing is tough. Jig fishing is tough until you get it, then its not tough any more. You've just got to stay with it. If you've got stained to muddy water, you might consider something with rattles.

I wish 3/4 ounce dropshot weights were readily available.

I've had issues with the Shakespeare customer service department. I've found them snotty and difficult to work with. I'd need a real good reason to deal with them again and I don't know what that would be.

Should you really want to throw that bait a long ways, consider spinning tackle. That 6" redfin weighs slightly under an ounce. Try using a long, 7 or 7 1/2 or an 8 foot if you can find it medium spinning rod and a larger diameter spool spinning reel. Using 10 lb Fireline and a modest foot or two fluorocarbon leader, 50 yards would be very doable, With perfect technique and the wind at your back you might hit 70 yards. Long distance casting is fun to play with and occasionally you will catch some fish too. Check out the Cabelas Predator series rod. With the medium 11 footer, you could probably go 100 yards with a one ounce bait.

I use the 1/2 oz almost all the time. I've got some 1/4 and 3/4 oz baits, but I haven't gotten them wet this year and I don't think I got the quarter ounce ones wet last year at all. The last time I threw the 3/4 ounce ones were because I wanted more distance.

5 years ago, I fished spinnerbaits much more than I do now. I was in close to a grand and I had a number of rods I fished spinnerbaits with, they were ok but not great. I found an All Star 6'8" Zell Rowland spinnerbait rod. That's what I use now and I'm totally happy with it. I bought 5 of them, so I would have spares and back ups. They are also a great shallow square bill crank bait rod. I have a buddy who has a Loomis spinner bait rod. He likes it but he won't let me touch it. He's phobic. I'm not that tough on rods, I break around 1 per year, on average, and my very worst year I only broke 4. I 'm getting way off subject - sorry - try the All Star 6'8" Zell Rowland spinnerbait rod.

Like one of the comments on the clip site, I probably would have gotten out to help, or at least offer to help. Once upon a time, I was that guy, I was glad I was a boat owner, but everything I learned was trial and error and it got expensive a few times. I can remember waiting at a small ramp a while, 30 minutes or so to let everyone go ahead of me, so I could take my time loading my boat.

Those were great reels in their day. I had one that got stolen. I used it primarily as a spinnerbait reel. I'd go ahead and use it, but be aware it will be difficult to replace should you lose it.

Rogers Lures in Liberty had the US Reel spinning reels on sale for around $50. I bought a couple and they work great with braid and fire line.