Fishes in trees

When these first came out, I bought 4 of them. No positive results. They got moved to the assorted lures storage box, bottom of the storage bin. I never used a snap, but I always tied on using some form of loop knot, supposedly to give them a free swinging action. This is the knot I've always used for top waters, spooks, pop-r, sammy, etc. Are you supposed to tie a tight knot to the sub walk? That would change the action quite a bit. I'll put this on my list of things to try next year. Is there a set of circumstances that would make the sub walk a better choice than a sammy or a pop r? It is totally possible that I didn't give the sub walk a fair trial. Something to think about.

Good Cheap Baitcast reel - Do these words even go together? Is this a trick? I don't know, I've never used any Browning equipment. For me, every "great deal" on a bait caster has, over time, become a headache. Not to angry up an old dog, but I can't buy any baitcasters that don't say Shimano on them. Just can't, it's like I'm allergic to other brands.

There are lots of ways to dropshot. I'm not expert, but I spent some time messing around with this last year. There were a few trips last year where drop shot fishing turned a rotten day into a decent day. Basically there are two choices - finesse or heavy duty. Here is what worked for me last year. The water I fished had 3 to 7 ft visibility all year long. Finesse: 7' med power,fast tip, spinning rod - 8 lb fluorocarbon line - 3/16 weight & a 1/0 Gamakatsu weedless finesse wide gap hood. For baits, I would nose hook various 4"worms, small tubes, small senkos, etc. Heavy Duty: 7'5" Kistler Argon Flippin & Pitchin rod. - 20 lb fluorocarbon - 1/2 oz weight and a Lunker City 4/0 or 5/0 Texposer hook. For baits I would Texas rig Bass Pro Stickos, 5 to 8 inch paddle tail worms (various brands) and the Gulp sinking minnow. The most productive bait on the heavy duty rig was the Gulp Sinking minnow in green pumpkin. The disadvantage to this bait was that if you set it down for 15 minutes or so it would dry out and be useless. I also went through several packs of the Chompers version of the senko called a Salty Sinker , in the Huckleberry color. I hope this gives you a place to start. A few years ago, In-Fisherman magazine published an article about drop shot fishing using heavier lines and weights. They called it the Bubba Shot. What I remember most about this article is that it went over the hows, whys and when to drop shot in excruciating detail. I expect to drop shot alot next year. Using half ounce or heavier weights, I like the idea of getting my bait to the bottom QUICKLY and once it is down there it is basically a weightless worm suspended a foot or so above the bottom. My plan is to challenge myself more in the 15 to 25 foot depths, with a tool that I have some confidence in.

My best Lucky Craft color (in both the 100 and 78 sizes) has been Table Rock Shad, on average days and cloudy days. My next best color on sunny days/few clouds has been the Clown color.

I like the All Star 6'8" IM 10 Zell Rowland spinnerbait rod. I don't remember the number. I have several of them.

My jerkbait fishing improved when I went to spinning gear. Currently , I'm using the large spool (230) U.S. reel 14 lb Fireline crystal and 10 or 14 lb. fluorocarbon leader and a 6 1/2 or 7' medium light or medium action rod. This gear will throw a 1/2 ounce Lucky Craft a long way. It is a very sensitive rig. You can feel your bait 100 feet away, five feet down. The really cool thing is that you don't have to. The while Fireline works like a strike indicator. You'll be fishing with a really slack line and you know instantly if you're bit, just from line movement. I couldn't ever do that with mono. I try to do what the other guys in this post are saying to do, i.e. mess with suspend dots to get your bait suspending level. I've done it. It is never easy. I never get it on the first or second or third try. Eventually I get it right. Then I pray that the clouds or sun doesn't change, so I don't have to pull out a different color and start over again. You get one right, catch some nice fish on a jerk bait you've adjusted. There isn't any guarantee that the same bait will work the same way the next time. A few degrees in water temp difference and it seems like you got to start over. RandySBreth ain't kidding when he writes that there is a learning curve to this bait. I stick with it because I've seem many early season (Feb & March) tournaments won on this bait. 20lb + bags on Lake OZ and Table Rock.

I don't throw spinnerbaits all that much, but when I do I experiment with color a lot. The clearer the water gets, I throw more baitfish colored baits, as water gets more stained, I go to more chartreuse colors. My all time best muddy water color (less than 1 foot visibility) is a half ounce, chartreuse/purple, single copper colorado blade. Slow roll it and bump it into whatever is there.

Shakey head or an Eakins jig - low and slow

Stained? How much stained? What is considered clear in one part of the country is considered dirty in another. Here in Missouri, clear on Lake Ozark, clear on Table Rock and clear on Bull Shoals are definitely three different colors. At some point, there needs to be some standard, like how deep you can see a white jig or something. I'm ranting, sorry. In my neighborhood, 45 degree water, visibility somewhere around 4 to 5 feet, my first choice is a jerkbait. Clown or some other shiney color if it is sunny, Table rock shad or some whitish/pearly color if it is cloudy. Option B - Eakins jig Option C - Wiggle wart Option D - Shaky head worm (green pumpkin) Option E - Go shallow (1-5 feet) and throw a rattle bait until your hands get tired. There are lots more options.

I've been a few times in years past to the event that they had at the Springfield store. It was fun - kinda. You frequently had to wait a while to talk to the people you wanted to talk to and you got the feeling that they had heard your questions a few times before that day. I learned more from the sales reps at different booths than I did from the various name pros in attendance. I'm sure they will have some sort of event in the Independence or Olathe stores , (KC area), closer to where I live, attendance depends on what time I've got to work that day. I think they do a good job of getting you psyched for the season and give you ideas for new stuff to try.

I wacky rig with Senkos & o-rings quite a bit. I like the Falcon K-wacky hooks the best.

Good question. I have a problem counting down baits. I'm sure I don't count at the same speed every time. I've gotten distracted and forgotten the count. And it is not just baits like the countdown Rapala. Any bait that you've got to wait on. 1/4 oz Brewer heads in 15ft+ water, weightless whacky rigged Senkos, list goes on. I don't know what bugs me more, that I'm not very good at it or that I don't have a good solution or plan on how to get better at it. Just try your best every time isn't a good answer. One definition of stupid is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. I don't have a good answer to this question. Maybe someone else does.

I like Timber Tigers. The DC 13 & DC 16 get deep pretty quick and come through sunken brush better than other baits.

I have one. For the most part I like it. You've got to teach yourself how to use it, to echo what Wayne P wrote, it is flimsy at the front hoop, which isn't a problem if ou're aware of it. It does take a few moments to deploy and if you're fishing by yourself I don't have any spare hands. The space saving feature is huge. Anyway, I think it is a good compromise.

Is it an older All Star? Pre Shakespeare buyout? I think the original All Star WR-1 is one of the finest worm/jig rods ever made. When they first came out they were far ahead of anything else in their price range, and they were comparable to the Loomis rods of that period. Somebody gave you a really nice rod.

I've fished BFL tournaments as a co-angler for several years now and I don't think six rods are too many. You ask yourself, "Is there a good chance I'll need this rod today?" and if there is bring it. There is an upper limit to this question so don't be stupid. Here is what I always brought to tournaments: Shakey Head Rig - Flippin stick - Crank rod - Jig rod - Spinnerbait rod This gives you a starting place. I found that being organized from the truck to the boat was just as important. I have a rod bag that will hold 9 rods in a pinch - it will hold 6 rods easily. All rods are riggged with first choice bait on each. Lure wraps cover the hooks on the baitcasters . Spinning rods get a lure wrap over hooks and a rod sock cover. Do whatever you can to avoid tangles. When you are switching back and forth between different rods, take the 10 seconds required to put the rod sock back on the spinning rods. I bought an inflatable life jacket and always wore it to save time putting on and taking off the foam one. Jeez - There are a whole bunch of things I did to try to stay organized - some worked and some didn't. I don't want to write a book here. Send me a PM if you got more questions.

Prior to getting my current boat (2002 18' Lowe) , I had a Buster boat, Trophy model. It came on its own little trailer, 10'long by 4'wide. It was an amazingly stable little boat. It would hold 2 guys and a modest amount of gear. They only come one way - fully rigged. Built in cooler - built in live well, comfortable seats, trolling motor, depth finder all wired in. I don't know their web site address, but you can Google it. If you're looking at a 2 man boat, these are a really good 2 man boat.

I think the Lucky Craft Sammy is easier to work.

I think Chompers makes the best garlic scent, but I haven't tried all the others mentioned here. I know when you get that spray scent on your boat carpet you'll smell it next week in your shed.

Jeez - everybody's got a different idea about what is and what ain't a decent crankbait setup. After more than a few years experimenting, here is my current opinion. BPS markets a Woo Daves Signature extreme rod XTR74MT. $99.99 list, it frequently sells a BPS Independence, MO for $70. I met Woo Daves at BPS - Springfield MO, he called this his light pitching rod. I got one, I didn't like it for pitching - too much tip. 2 years later, I need another rig to throw cranks on and there it is, setting unused in the rack. Turns out it is a great crank rod. At 7'4", if you want to throw long you can. I primarily throw half ounce cranks with it - square bills or Timber Tigers. I liked it for cranks that now I have 3. (bought on sale for $70) I think for the money they are a great crank rod. They are stiffer than average, but there is more than enough tip so you don't have to muscle up every time you want to throw long.

I get bugged about this subject at work frequently. How many rods & reels you got? My answer is I'm not sure and I don't want to know. I know for sure (probably) that most artists don't use the same brush all day every day. I've been known to point out that everyone is addicted to something. If I had a cocaine issue, all I'd have to show for it at the end of the day would be a runny nose. In that context, a 20 x 40 shed full of fishing tackle doesn't seem so bad. It's not all fishing tackle, my fishing truck and boat go in the shed too.

I had line issues when I was trying to learn dropshotting with spinning gear. I got a Loomis 6'10" dropshot rod with a bait casting grip. I put a Calcutta 50 on it and it works great with 6 or 8 lb fluorocarbon. I got the rod for around $180 I think. It is another option for light line drop shot fishing.

Once upon a time, I believed everything I read about reeling cranks slow. Then one day I came across a bargain - Shimano Curado reels in the 3.8 - 1 gear ratio. $70 per hit. I got 3. After half a season, I came to the conclusion that these were just too slow for me. They sat unused for a year, maybe 2, then I realized that these were the same size as other Curados, just a different gear ratio. The reel maintenance guy on this site - Reel Mechanic, put some 5-1 gears in them for a reasonable amount of money (I forget exactly how much, but it seemed reasonable) They work great. I can remember back when 5-1 reels were considered high speed. Now they are slow. Lots of companies don't make 5-1 ratios any more or just have one model. That's all I use. I think I can reel fast enough with this ratio and when I pay attention I can go slow enough. All my baitcasting reels are 5-1 now. It's just easier. I think if you are talking speed retrieve & cranks the question becomes what kind and where. Throwing square bills & Timber Tigers, 2-8 feet of water, on 17 or 20 lb test into sunken brush, bushes, stumps and thorn trees seems to call for moving the bait at a pretty quick pace. On the other end of the spectrum, when I'm hanging off a fairly clean point in a stiff breeze, throwing Shad Raps on spinning gear with 8 lb test, slow down once you get down seems to be the rule. I fish flooded forests alot. There are lots of trees topping out 2 to 8 feet down in 14 to 25 feet of water. Retrieve speed in this situation gets variable and problematic. I might go slow and fast and slow and fast during the same retrieve, depending on what I think I'm feeling. To summarize, I don't think there are lots of rules about how fast you retrieve your crankbaits. Vary your speed until you catch some. One or two or three doesn't necessarily make a pattern. Stick with what works that day. That's your starting point for the next time you throw cranks. Thanks for reading my current thoughts on this subject.

I've got an 18' Lowe WF 180 (aluminum) It is pretty heavy. The Maxxum 70 is the trolling motor I have and it moves me around pretty good and I can hold on points in a pretty stiff breeze. I bought it in 2002. I think that they make a bigger one now - an 80 I think. At the time I bought the boat, I really wanted the 36 volt 101. My boat dealer thought I was nuts, but after he totally 100% proved that there wasn't room for the extra battery, I went with the 70. (or is it 74? I forget which) The basic rule of trolling motor purchases is to absolutely, positively buy the biggest, most powerful one that you can afford.

2002 Lowe WF 180 with a 100 Yamaha 4 stroke. It's not very fast, but you can putt around and spend lots of time looking with your depth finder and it will never carbon up and choke out. Previously I had a 10'Buster boat - upgraded with a 50 lb thrust Minn-Kota 12 volt and 3 deep cycle batteries. It took alot for me to run out of power. I don't catch many more fish with the bigger boat,but I can carry more junk and it is more comfortable.