Nice_Bass

Right now you can catch fish all day shallow in our relative latitude due to shad are starting to get into the creek/cove areas and typically should have a good amount of bluegill as well to supplement. There should be a good mix however and while this is relative...the good fish are still deep.

This is a great question actually and surprised there are not more thoughts than this... anyhow my answer while not technically correct just works due to the way I fish. I like working wake baits in rocky lakes/ rocky areas be it shallow or deep. I like working walking baits around wood cover and docks. Not so much as trying to understand what the fish want but this gives me a better opportunity to work the bait more effectively. I agree with Blue abover though...only wakebait I throw are rats and slammers. and super spooks and frogs in walking baits.

Fished hard for bass yesterday and nothing. Ended up switching over to crankbaits and caught a bunch of walleye on some humps in the 18-22 range. Headed down to the Ozarks next week and should be able to catch some good fish down there as they have been pulling a lot of water. I am in a bit of a dry spell in Illinois for fish of decent size.

I have had the same pliers (not aluminum) on the deck of my boat for 6 years. Discolored, sure. but rusty or hard to open? not even the slightest. Just make sure everything is dry at the end of the day and you should have no issue.

I don't use them but folks that throw them under the bus typically are overstating the issues. on spoons I use owner snagless size 12 in 30#. I have caught fish well over 30# as well as have broken off many, many times being snagged in rocks and go figure....my 12# line is what breaks and not the hardware every single time. I would never use something like that on a worm or jig etc. however have used it on a crank before when lazy and honestly...no issue at all.

Same. I target channels and flatheads as well with swimbaits and spoons now.

well...I would guess you put it together wrong lol! may have just had worn parts too.

I would not go any smaller than a 5/0 I use min 6/0 1/4 on something that size but don't really throw anything that small all too often. I use the 8/0 3/8th on the 5.8 and it is not oversized/over matched at all by the terminal tackle at all.

interesting...I am also of the only cooler weather rain suit wearer... mostly because all summer we really don't get rain per se...just severe thunderstorms and you have to just run for cover or not go out altogether.

Just a thought but a 2mph flow is actually pretty darn quick and if it were my tracker it would be tough if I were not in some slack flow. Get the heavier anchor as 2mph is not slow (to me anyway). That should be about 3 feet per second actually and in runoff situations you are going to be running a lot faster than that depending on the width, elevation change, contours, etc. Also, if you are going to use 2 anchors just know the correct way to deploy two anchors on a river...I am sure you do but would feel dumb if I did not mention it at all. 12# will not cut it in 2mph imo.

reminds me why I put foam balls on the anchor ropes when striper and catfishing. That way I can just untie and leave the rope in the water and come back to it. To think of though....I have never had to do that when it really counted though....one of these days though it will pay off!

interesting... and thank you Al. Always worried about mixing the two together. I am taking it on a trip out of state here in a couple weeks so I may run it when I get back just so I don't worry about it out of town.

a previous post has me curious on what I need to do. I have always ran e10 gas in my boat and every fill up always use Stabil. I really don't have any issues other than my boat seems to run a bit rougher as well as a bit slower than it use to. Slower maybe due to I have a bit more weight now, but for sure runs a little more rough however still performs well. Anyhow, would I benefit from running a seafoam or like product through it to "clean it up"? Also, would I want to run the current tank all the way down to eliminate what stabil is in there now? I have had this boat for about 6 years now so figured possibly I should do something however not sure if it is just hype behind some of the other products.

I have...although its been a while lol. I just put reflective tape on them from what I remember.

I fish 90 degree water right now and for much of the summer... only major fish kills on the lakes I fish happen.... in winter! What I think is more important is knowing how to handle fish, knowing how to work your livewell if you are going to release fish properly, and knowing that no matter what you do fish are going to die be it you fileted them or they died hours after release. and this is coming from a bit of an environmental guy...

same...only thing I can ever really remember are the ones that got away.

Not sure if I have ever eaten one that big- I eat plenty of 15-17 inch fish but perhaps it was not going to make it for some reason? I will say however; I cannot tell the difference between eating a 12 inch spotted bass from a 15 inch largemouth for what its worth.

In Clinton's defense...all the fish look completely normal lol- ironically being a cooling lake for a nuke plant it is pretty regulated. anyhow, that first picture just looks like a fish that took a drive home in a hot livewell that is about ready for a hot skillet!

I voted simply to skew the results. I threw up a little just reading this.

jigging spoon, jigs, and plastic worms. they eat primarily on the bottom, and will eat anything you put in front of them on bottom.

hardest fighting freshwater fish easy for the 1 spot is buffalo, river stripers (then reservoir stripers), and blue/flathead/channel catfish. pound for pound. (note, I don't have experience with lake trout or some other salmon species so not sure about those although I hear great things). Short line a big musky or pike on a figure 8 and they get put near the top as well. worst fighting fish is also really easy- DRUM. Set the hook on what should be a 8 pound bass and a drum comes doing summersaults in. Shame because they are a good looking fish that can be aggressive with decent size. LMB are pretty high on the list of worst fighting fish but may only break the top 3 or so.

A confident day of fishing results in me only having 2-3 rods or less on the deck of the boat.

is that picture of you on the lake right across from the marina lol? Feel free to pm me and I will share anything I know that you would like to about Clinton.

have not used this but would think it be have potentially some better drawing power if you are fishing vast expanses of weed/slop areas. Think you would be better off throwing at targets/cover with the 65 size. I have fished the 316 no bull frog for about 5-6 years and big frogs do produce big fish...but so do regular sized frogs. Its just really fun to throw the no bull frog to be honest

Make sure to put it up in the Illinois section of the "northeast" local forum here. I fish Clinton quite a bit and always happy to help although you have a good start going.