Bluebasser86

Thanks Big Bassman. La Cygne is only a 40 minute drive for me so it's an easy day trip so I'm there most every week during the winter. It's not a numbers game usually but other than private ponds and the strip pits in SE KS it's about the only legit shot at a DD bass in the state.

When I fished as a co angler I usually carried the same 5 rods 6' 8" M/F spinning rod 6' 6" M/F casting 7' M/F casting 7' MH/M casting (cranking rod) 7' 6" MH/F casting I can cover almost any fishing situation with these set ups. Talk to your boater about what he plans to do and bring extra rods to the tournament so it he is on a bite that you need a different rod you'll have it with you.

A suspending jerkbait with long pauses will catch winter fish if you have enough patience. Reel it down a few cranks and give it very soft pulls to move it along followed by extended pauses, as long as you can stand, up to a minute if you can wait that long. 15 seconds is all I can manage and I have to know there's fish there to do that but that's usually long enough.

I'd swap stories but most of my stories couldn't be repeated on the forum. At least if I did I'd have to cut out a lot of colorful language.

All those snows makes me want to break out my shotgun Got a case of steel waiting at home for them.

I would certainly add some kind of popper to your arsenal. I like the smaller size Excaliber Zell pop but the old pop R is hard to beat. Skitter pops and chug bugs are great baits also. Not sure if you're including rattle trap style baits in your cranks but if not you'll want some of those. Excaliber XRK50's are my personal favorite in ghost or rayburn red color. Cordell spots, the orginal rattle traps, aruku shads, and RES are all good options. Finesse worms like Zoom Trick worms or Netbait T-macs are must haves. GP, watermelon candy, black, and redbug are my favorites. Some kind of beaver style baits like a Havoc Pitboss or Sweet Beaver has to be on the list somewhere. Hard jerkbaits are a must have for spring fishing. Tons of good options here but it's hard to beat a LC 78 pointer for a numbers bait that fishes easy and puts some big fish in the boat also. Get the American Shad color and you'll catch ever fish in the lake that will eat a bait on it eventually. Xraps, Husky jerks, Luck E Strike RC sticks, Excaliber Erratic shads, Mcsticks, MB vision 110's, Slender points, flash pointers, all great baits just have to find the one you like the best. The old curl tail worm always has a place in my bag. Rage Anacondas or thumpers are my go to in this dept but ever company has an offering you can check out.

I fish too much in below freezing temps each year to own a micro guide rod. Regular guides ice up fast enough as it is. Cotton seed can also be a huge headache with micros during the summer, but it's a headache with pretty much any rod if it's thick enough on the surface.

I use a 6' 6" MH/F LTB with a 6:4 Lews and 14lb Mustad Thor line. I can toss 1/2oz baits without a problem and it has plenty of backbone to turn a big fish from heavy cover.

My buddy learned that the hard way. I watched him lose 2 6+ pound fish the same day because of the junk hooks on a SK 1.5. Either fish would have been his PB. He always wondered why I'd buy a bait with brand new hooks and change them out, now he knows why.

I've got a diving rattle trap laying around somewhere too. I can't remember ever catching a fish on it though.

I use a trailer when I want to be able to slow my retrieve or bulk up my bait for bigger fish. I'll almost always use a trailer if I'm fishing a lake with smallmouth or spots but only if I'm getting short strikes or in cold water if I'm fishing largemouth.

Shallow-RC 1.5 Mid-Bandit 200 Deep-Strike King Series 5

It does in some very minor ways. Tungsten is more dense and therefore smaller than lead so it will have a tiny bit less resistance when it's falling towards the bottom. A downside of being smaller is that it can fall into even smaller cracks in the rocks and get snagged and they're much more expensive to lose.

X2, easiest and most fun way to get a grass carp. If you can find a mulberry tree dropping fruit into the water you can catch grass carp under it.

It's possible the whiskers are just stuck under the fishes mouth. I've caught several missing most of their whiskers. Might be from rooting around in the rocks or log jams, maybe a close call with a snapping turtle or bird. Their whiskers are soft and pretty thin so it doesn't take a lot to get one torn off.

This was honestly my first year of putting some serious time into deep cranking.I learned how extremely important it is to have a dedicated combo. In the past I'd tried to fish deep crank on my same rod I fished shallow runners on. It was so much work to try to fish one that I'd make a couple casts and put it away again. I got a 7' 8" Mojo "Big Crankster" and paired it with a 5.1 PQ and now I can pull a deep crank with ease. Makes sense though, you never learn how to fish a bait you never fish. The bait hitting the bottom is very important. It seems that most of my fish hit immediately after my bait deflects off the bottom. I don't fish many of the super deep runners, no need for them in most of the lakes here. Strike King Series 5 and 5XD, deep little Johns, and fat free shad. I change the hooks out on most of the baits out of the package to #4 or short shank #3 VMC hooks.

I accidentally ordered a pack of bubbler blades instead of regular blades for making chatterbaits but I have no idea what they do differently? Seems like they would just have a little less resistance so maybe they'd retrieve a little easier with less vibration and stay a little deeper but I have no idea if that's the case. Anyone have any experience with them? http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/shaker-blades/330632.aspx#

It has no scales so it's not a snakehead or bowfin. 99% sure that's a channel cat, can see one of the top whiskers just to the left of the bait and it has a serious overbite which channel cats have.

I didn't go because they haven't had crap for fishing stuff the last several years except for baits that looked like they should be on infomercials. Sounds like I should have gone I guess. Oh well, I just spent $150 between TW and fishingskirts.com It's jig building time

I always have a dead pile of used baits in the bottom of my boat, usually throw them all away whenever I stop to gas the boat up. Not sure where you could get lots of used baits though.

I like the Frabill because treble hooked baits you can actually snag the treble hooks and pull a bait loose because sometimes you can't just push a bait loose like if the hook is buried in a piece of wood or a rope hanging from a dock or something. I'd much rather straighten a hook than lose a bait.

I have both a set of Cabela's Guidewear and BPS 100 MPH suit. The Guidewear is several years old and plenty warm, it just seems to have shrunk the last few years? I swear they used to fit. The BPS 100MPH suit is very nice also and keeps me very warm and dry in cold weather. In warm weather I opt for baskeball shorts, Tshirt, BPS hat, Costa sunglasses, and at least 50spf sunblock.

I tie back to back uni knots and haven't had any problems with knots failing.

The 1.0 is a great bait in clear water, with finicky fish, or when the baitfish are small.