Bluebasser86

See you out there.

Accurately, 30 yards, maybe out to 40 if I'm flinging a trap or something heavy and the wind isn't howling. Long distance casting isn't often a factor in my fishing though.

Dead minnows will be dealt with quickly by the local wildlife and a lot of states prohibit dumping leftover baitfish into the lake and actually instruct fishermen to dump them on the bank instead. That's what we're supposed to do here. K.A.R. 115-8-12: Don't dump bait. You cannot stock or release wildlife on department lands or waters, navigable publicly-owned waters and federal reservoirs unless authorized. Dispose of unused bait on dry ground or in an approved bait receptacle.

That and the YUM Craw Papi are my favorite jig trailers. Price is right, they come in good colors, and they're pretty durable, everything I need in a jig trailer.

Welcome!

Welcome!

You nailed it, the toothy ones are all saugeye except the bottom one which is a regular walleye.

This is going to vary with water temp, something to keep in mind.

Won a tournament a few years ago where I caught a keeper (18" limit), almost immediately on a bladed jig. So we spent the rest of the day catching 15-17 3/4" fish on bladed jigs and jigs. With 30 minutes left, we both picked up Ned rigs, and the rest of our keepers and won by almost 2 pounds. Go big or go home is great, but it's not always the answer either.

Took our boys to Monster Jam the other day. Them guys can get those huge trucks a long ways up in the air, although the landing cost Bigfoot a tire immediately after I took this picture.

Jerkbaits are a bait that you really get what you pay for IMO. There's plenty of cheaper baits that will catch lots of fish, but when it comes to tricking fish in cold water that are really examining a bait that is sitting motionless and often in clear water, realism and other minor details can make a big difference. None on my list are overly cheap. The Skinny Cutter is about the cheapest but also isn't available in my favorite jerkbait color. The Strike King is the most readily available, comes in an assortment of colors, and is also forgiving if you smack it against a rock or dock. They also come in a smaller size if you don't want to jump straight into fishing the bigger size. The Duo and Lucky Craft baits are excellent if you want to try a higher end bait. You don't need a lot of colors, I'm just addicted to buying them.

I like so many for so many different things, I couldn't ever pick just one. Some of my favorites are; LC Slender Pointer 97 and 112 MR LC Pointer 65, 78, and 100 Duo Realis 110 and 120SP Duo Realis Rozante 77sp Strike King KVD 300 Berkley Skinny Cutter 110+ Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow Custom painted 110 blank

I find it to be the opposite, the rig works better in cold water and stops becoming effective once you get past prespawn. The same time you'd fish a jerkbait is when an A-rig is at it's best.

Good to hear. I'll be out there twice this week regardless of how bad it may be. I did notice a little more smoke blowing this morning when I was finally getting home around 11am.

I tie the skirt tabs and strip at the very end with the material extending past the top of the wire arm, and nothing below the lead. After it's tied and and material is cut so the individual strands are released, they all hang down to whatever length I cut the skirt and flare out. The part you're seeing is just the flared out bit of the very end of the skirt that I didn't bother trimming after I tied it.

I wire tied that skirt onto the bait after I poured and painted it. It's a mix of silicone and rubber skirt material that I tied upside down so it flares out when tied and creates more bulk, but it also makes the bottom end flare out too.

I wire tied that skirt onto the bait after I poured and painted it. It's a mix of silicone and rubber skirt material that I tied upside down so it flares out when tied and creates more bulk, but it also makes the bottom end flare out too. I wire tied that skirt onto the bait after I poured and painted it. It's a mix of silicone and rubber skirt material that I tied upside down so it flares out when tied and creates more bulk, but it also makes the bottom end flare out too.

Wyandotte and a ramp at Clinton.

50 is the magic temp for smallies in Kansas usually. They can be caught in colder water, but for some reason are really difficult. We're also dealing with high water levels due to the flooding up north, along with stained to muddy water from the rains. Smallmouth being visual feeders are difficult to catch when the water goes from clear to dirty. I haven't fished El Dorado before, but I've fished Melvern a lot and assume Dorado is similar. If the water isn't too dirty, jerkbaits are your best bet. Once the water gets stained, spinnerbaits, cranks, and traps are good. If the water is muddy, don't waste your time.

I've caught bunches of them on spinnerbaits, some over 10 pounds, one of the biggest was even while I was burning it back to the boat when it crushed it. My buddy caught a flathead around 30 pounds on a spinnerbait while we were night fishing once. I've caught several on buzzbaits, had them blow up through slop to eat a frog, track down baits and eat them right at the boat. They're predators, they don't just scavenge things off the bottom like lots of people seem to think they do. They love blowing up on buzzbaits, it looks different than a bass blowup when they do. I usually miss them when it happens, but occasionally I'll sting one that does it. I catch more of them on bladed jigs every year than I really care to think about, close to 100 I'd guess.

I started working in the fishing department at Cabela's when I was 18. Constantly had people walk past me to go find the older guys who clearly must be more knowledgeable than me, just to have them come find me because they weren't sure how to answer the question the customer had. When I got my job in LE at 21, I had lots of regular customers who came and specifically looked for me for advice and some who just wanted to BS. It's frustrating, but with age comes experience and it's easy to think that a younger person naturally isn't going to be as experienced as someone that is older. It's likely not meant as a shot at your ability, just an assumption that a lot of people are going to have about lots of things in life, not just fishing.

The plant is down for maintenance at La Cygne right now I believe. I've seen very little coming out of the stack the last couple days on my way home in the morning, even with the cold weather. I'm sure they can still be caught, but if they just shut it down it might take a few days to adjust.

No, the lakes I'm talking about are in Kansas.

I've sent 2 back to them over the years and their CS was nothing short of excellent. Use their shipping label you can print off to save a bunch on shipping and pay to use their warranty program. I got both my new rods back in less than 2 weeks.