Fishes in trees

For warm weather rain - late spring & summer - I like my Frogg Toggs. They keep you dry and they breathe, so you don't get sweaty. For those cooler & cold times when it rains there isn't any substitute for GoreTex. Good Gore Tex is pricey - that's the way it is - deal with it. I like my Guide Wear suit. I've taken care of it and it is I don't remember exactly how old it is - At least a decade.

Is that true? Terminator don't make that tiny buzz bait any more? I bought half a dozen of them last year out of the bargain bin at Rogers in Liberty. I should go back and rummage through and see if there are any left.

Are you talking Neko rig or Ned rig? Two different rigs. TRD's are more of a Ned rig bait IMO. I think you want your neko rig to be longer. Anyway, another rig that I carry in the boat but don't fish very often. I'd choose Trick worms or Strike King makes some Elas-tech straight tail worms that are 6 or 7 inches long, might try those. The original floating worm - Danny Joe Humphries Floating worm might be a good choice if you can find them - they're hard to find. If you want to go bubba, Netbait makes their version of a trick worm in a 10" or 11" version. I don't see why a ribbon tail worm wouldn't work for this technique either. Something like a 6 or 7 inch culprit or the 7" Power worm. Just random thoughts - hope they help

Here in Missouri I have no experience at throwing the larger hard swim baits. Several years ago I experimented with the larger soft plastic swim baits, specifically the 7" Strike King Shadalicious. (I think that is how it is spelled.) Not a lot to show for the time I spent at it. At a June BFL tournament on Truman Lake I had one tied on and threw it quite a bit. Caught one sub legal fish. Boater didn't do much better, but he was a boat salesman from Springfield and he was much more concerned about passing out cards at the registration meeting and before launching than he was actually fishing. One other time, fishing at a more local lake, a shallow grass bite was on and so I decided to throw the big plastic and see what might happen. The biggest fish that I've ever seen in that lake came up and looked at it and swam a foot or two behind it for 15 or 16 feet and then turned and slowly swam away. Now every time I am in that cove, for the last 5 years now, I think about that fish. Other than those two instances, my soft swim baits haven't attracted any attention. I keep them in the boat but I don't throw them that much any more. For the record I was throwing the bait on my 7'9" Heavy Action Fenwick (It was the model that was replaced by the AETOS, don't remember the name right now) 65 lb braid on a Shimano 200 TEGT. The same rig that I throw frogs on. On the subject of smaller swim baits, one day I took a boss fishing, he's using all borrowed tackle ( mine ) and a spinner bait bite is happening and I didn't provide him with anything that would decently throw a spinner bait. Had a 6' MH spinning rig with 14 lb Fireline I rigged up with a Sling Blade Flutter and a Skinny Dipper. Fishing behind me he caught a dozen or so fish, mostly slot fish, running the bait similar to how I was working the spinner bait. So, I've seen the smaller swim baits work - kinda - but just not for me.

Those are those Rick Clunn rods. I've looked at those. I think you paid about what those were worth. The ones I saw were too heavy and too "whippy" for me to be interested in them. I hope you use them and like them.

The easiest thing you can do to save money on crank baits is to invest in quality lure retrievers. Get the extendable pole type and the hound dog type. Mine have paid for themselves a dozen times over.

Do your research, make some educated guesses about seasonal patterns and then fish what you want.

There are lots of different brands of ribbon tail worms out in the marketplace. Buy one and try it - if you don't like it buy & try another. Sooner or later you will find one that you like. I have some Gambler ribbon tail worms that have pretty long flexible tails, relative to their body length. If I were starting out using ribbon tail worms I'd probably start out with Culprits, they come in lots of different colors.

I've still got mine. It was my primary reel when I was a "meat fisherman", from the late 70's through the mid 80's. It has been retired for a while now. I keep telling myself that I'm going to clean it up and put it in some shadow box display but I haven't yet and that is a low priority for free time use.

I could see using a tiny ball bearing swivel to connect braid to fluorocarbon instead of some connector knot and I don't use swivels very often. Try it and see if you like the knot or swivel best. I might try that some next season.

Advice is worth what you pay for it. If you don't have an emotional or fiscal stake in the advice, it won't work no matter how good or accurate it is. Now, my advice - if the only thing that happens is that you break a game controller - so what? You can buy another game controller. That is a first world problem that can be solved by throwing money at it. If you think that this is a deeper problem that has the potential to affect your life in various ways - there isn't any substitute for professional help. Or it is the new year - you could make a resolution to not do that anymore. Let us know how that works out. Me - I've had mixed results with resolutions. I haven't smoked since spring of 2009. A resolution to not buy toys I want? - that lasts maybe 20 minutes.

If I was fishing a golf course pond that allegedly had fish in it but I didn't know - there are several baits I'd try. In no particular order, I might try a smallish beetle spin on lighter tackle. I might walk the bank and throw a spinner bait or a lipless crank. Might throw a buzz bait. Might throw a wacky or tx rigged senko. Might throw a grub on a 1/8 oz ball head or slider head jig. Hope this gives you some idea of where to start. Do you know anyone else who has caught fish in that pond? What did they use? That is a fair question and one I hope you've already asked.

The lyric that recently has been going through my head over and over is an obscure Robert Cray tune. "If you like me, don't say you love me. .. . If you love me, don't say you like me . . . .I don't want to wait til Halloween to play trick or treat."

Original Poster - according to your information you live in Kansas City, your favorite lake is Lake Viking. OK then, go to Rogers in Liberty. They sell several different levels of Fenwick & St. Croix and well as Loomis and Shimano and4 or 5 other brands who escape my memory right now. They can hook you up with a decently priced rod. They have pretty competent help as far as knowing their products and what not. Especially, don't order any rod over the internet until you go to see what they have. Rogers is where I've bought the majority of my gear over the years and they have treated me right, and been very helpful on warranty issues. When I used to fish tournaments regionally, I stopped by lots of different tackle stores and seldom found one that was as well stocked and just generally helpful as Rogers. If you feel like you must drive farther to get a good deal, Burtons in Smithville is good, Everhardts in Clinton is good, Tombstone Tackle in Columbia is good - these are all smaller shops than Rogers is. There is also a store in Olathe - Mondo Tackle - I went there once and they had an interesting blend of gear. I don't remember how to get there as I was relying on my Garmin Nuvi that day - but you can look it up if you want to drive to Olathe. They are the only place in the metro area and carries a selection of Dobyns rods.

It is tragic that you're using outdated rods and reels, but I guess that is just a cross that you'll have to bear. You need to spend money on new gear . . . .and beer. New gear, because, hey, you need it. Beer because hey, you need that too. Glad I could help. I am a helper.

Once you've got your reel attached to your rod, one roll of tennis raquet handle tape or one package of rod wrap and you can create a handle that perfectly fits your hand . Keep layering it until you like how it feels. That is how I deal with nearly all spinning reel handles, because I've gotten used to how the raquet tape feels.

Why would you stop at just 4? I recommend buying LOTS of jerk baits and picking the one that you think will work that day. That being said, most of the time I start out with a Lucky Craft Pointer in Table Rock Shad - two suspend dots placed directly behind the bill.

To the original poster. Are you serious? Do we need to go back to 6th or 7th or 8th grade weather science? You know, about how the earth rotates on an axis and also rotates around the sun, and the moon affects thˆs whole process and the process of going around the sun the earth presents a different angle to the sun, resulting in different seasons? About how seasons in the southern hemisphere are basically the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere? There is more to it than this, but for the purposes of this rant. . .. . . . Winter serves a purpose in the ecosphere and while I get it that it might be causing you some personal trauma, you really ought to know why we have winter and what purpose it serves, in the whole ecological scheme of things. Were you home schooled? This is the kind of thing some home schooled kid might ask. p.s. . . . . if you were home schooled the easy answer is because Jesus said so. I'm sorry - call me a geezer if you've got to - but "Why must we have winter?" is a genuinely ignorant question. Different people say that there aren't any dumb questions, but this comes close. I'd rant more, but my Founders All Day IPA just got empty.

What does your local library have available? Wouldn't hurt to ask. I remember a few decades ago, the local library had zero sic-fi in their collection. I asked why not and now they have some - not a lot, but some. My guess is that the same thing applies to fishing literature.

If it is your first bait caster - don't go cheap. Remember that you get what you pay for. Go to Paul's or one of the other quality tackle shops in the St Louis area and ask them what they think. I'd recommend a mid-range Curado or Chronarch. If you are starting out brand new, I'd recommend learning how to pitch first. Again, take a tour of the tackle shops in your region, tell them your situation, see what they recommend.

I believe that is a "Dirty Bird" Not certain who made it, Whopper Stopper, maybe? They pre-date the Berkley Blade dancer by at least 5 years, maybe more. They were marketed as a pad/grass bait. I have one - haven't used it in years, but I have one. Mine came with a split ring at the top of the bill. I suppose at some time that split ring got removed so that you could use a snap? Another situation they were used for was as a substitute for a buzz bait - or a wake bait. They were meant to be fished on top and keep moving.

My Cabelas Guidewear, while infrequently used is over 10 years old now and works perfect every time I need it to. Never seen the HUK suit and don't know if it is even available in the midwest.

I try to go cheap and some of the time I am successful. I take that back, I try to go inexpensive. There is a difference between inexpensive and "cheap". I don't do cheap. Cheap stuff breaks and causes more issues. That's why I nearly always buy Shimano. That's why I nearly always buy rods that have a lifetime warranty. Fenwick HMG's and AETOS have been my last few rod purchases, primarily for that reason. I hear lots of people talk about Dobbyns rods, but there is only one shop in the metro area that carries them and it is a drive to get there. Different issue. However, if there is a piece of tackle out there and I want it and I can afford it I just go ahead and buy it. When I'm dead I'll let someone else sort out all the gear. I justify it be reminding myself that I don't have very many other bad habits other than fishing. Is drinking craft beer a bad habit? I don't know.

Hey, if it ain't an old lure, if it is a newer lure, I'll let you buy the second one.

You win. I don't suck at identifying old lures and you've posted 2 that I've never seen before. If you're ever in my neighborhood, I'll buy/or give you a beer. Show up next fall for the Fishing for Freedom event and I'll buy/ and or give you a beer.