Bluebasser86

They're usually pretty tough to catch when they're in that "chase" mode. Once they've done the deed and locked onto the bed they're a lot easier to catch. Keep a mental note where you saw them because there will be a bed there before too long.

Caught a catfish fishing for crappie just this winter. She was over 20lbs and I was fishing with 4lb test and a 2" power minnow on a tiny 1/32oz jighead. Fought her for almost an hour.

You might try one of the Field and Stream tech spec rods, I've heard good things about them. The Berkley Lightning rod shocks seem pretty nice also for the price. In the upper range of what you're looking to spend I would look at the Abu Garcia Vendetta, probably as nice as you're going to get for under $100 after tax.

I haven't noticed a huge difference with the number of hookups with them but the do seem to pick up a lot more weeds than regular crankbait hooks.

You can still use soft plastics and jigs, just use a heavier weight so it gets down faster. Cast to likely spots, move it a couple times and reel in to pitch again. A couple lakes I fish that is the best way going to get a bite.

Couple of my Sgts have shot birds this spring along with a couple of my fishing buddies. I don't have any desire to turkey hunt. Counted 87 of them roosted in the cottonwoods while I was sitting in my deer stand last fall and shot one during the fall season but that was just because I was there and had a tag, wasn't really hunting them. A regular broadhead just destroys them and I can't gun hunt out there. I see a ton of them almost everyday I drive to the lake though! Had one big tom strutting for a pair of hens about 30 yards away from my boat while I was fishing a point a couple weeks ago.

From what I've seen I don't know if it would be considered bad luck to never catch another pickerel

James A. Reed is for sure your best bet for shore fishing. I've done pretty well out there with a spinnerbait or softplastic jerkbait. One good thing about out there is if they aren't biting at one pond just drive to the next until you find biting fish.

I'd go with the longer rod for fishing plastics. I feel like I get better hooksets and can stear fish out of and around cover a little bit better with it.

I use the orginal chatterbait. 90% of the time I'm fishing a 1/4oz white with a silver blade and a chartruese split tail trailer. I've caught fish in super muddy water with it and one of the really clear lakes I fish the just crush it. It's a lot of fun to watch the largemouth and smallmouth come from a long way to get that bait in clear water! I had a hard time catching anything on it at first but now that I have it's one of my go to baits.

Got to love those Xcaliber lipless baits! Nice fish!

Pike are a lot of fun as long as you aren't throwing and expensive bait when they hit! They are a PITA if you get into them while you're walleye fishing also. I've never seen a more aggressive fish when they decide they're going to eat a bait though.

I'm right handed and I've tried reeling left handed with my baitcasters but my left hand is so uncordinated that I couldn't do it. I tried for several trips but it didn't get any better. I can cast right handed and switch hands in mid cast and be ready as soon as my bait hits the water just like I could reeling left handed. For some reason I could not set the hook with my right arm with a baitcaster like I do with a spinning rod, it just didn't feel right. Maybe I'm just an oddball?

Shimano has several good reels for under 100. The Abu Garcia cardinals used to be really good reels but I haven't bought a new one for several years so can't say much about them today. Pflueger makes several nice reels under 100. My suggestion is to go to your local BPS, Cabela's, Gander, whatever you have close and feel several reels. Take the rod you'll be putting it on if you can. Some reels feel better on one rod but you may not like the feel of it on another rod.

I have a 50E that I use for jerkbaits and it works great. I'm sure it would be fine for small cranks because it casts LC 78 pointers a mile! It is a little faster than what I would like for small cranks but you just have to make yourself slow down a little.

Dark buzzbait or Zara spook with a slow steady retrieve are my favories. I've started to stick more with the buzzbait, it's alot easier to deal with a fish in the dark caught on a single hook. Plus if I forget to wait to feel the weight of the fish before the hookset the buzzbait doesn't fly like a bullet back at me when I miss the fish!

The fire and ice color used to be one of my favorites back when I fished worms a lot. With the introduction of creature baits and beaver style baits I haven't hardly fished a curly tailed worm in a few years now. After reading this and remembering all the fish I used to catch on them I might have to go pick up a couple packs!

I guess I've unhooked live snapping turtles myself. Same bad bite and attitude, just minus the teeth.

My PB largemouth is 10lbs 2oz from Lake Commendero Mexico on an 8" Zoom lizard. My biggest largemouth from the states is the one in my avatar that weighed 7lbs 14oz that I caught from a state lake in Kansas on a YUM wooley bug. I have 2 PB smallmouth bass, both from Milford Lake, KS and both were 5lbs even. One was on a watermelon gold glitter Zoom trick worm on a Pro slider head. The other was on a LC 97mr slender pointer on a really cold, windy day and was one of 2 fish I caught all day.

Sounds like a pike/muskie to me. One of the biggest pike I've ever caught hit my spinnerbait, hooked up, and came off only to come back again 3 times before I finally hooked up good on it.

I had one that I guessed 2.5 to 3lbs chase my DD22 to the boat one time, I could not imgine the fight if that thing would have gotten ahold of it!

You should be able to get some nice fish down there around that time, especially since it's been such a cold spring. Fish should be postspawn/early summer routines and weather should be stabilizing. I know I'm jealous, I love fishing the Rock but not sure if I'm going to get to this year .

Sahara, if you look around you might even be able to get the Symetre for that price. One of the local tackle shops has the new model for 79.99 everyday price.

I use the Cabela's rod and reel covers, mainly because my wife works there and I get a better discount on their brand name stuff .

Probably the mid 50's for me. Water temps where in the low 60's Tuesday and I killed them on a Cavitron buzzbait. First topwater fish of the year and first time I'd ever fished the bait and I had almost a 20lb limit! I really like the looks of the Spro frog but it has yet to catch the size fish for me that the scum frog usually does.