dink

The cheaper shades can cause more eye fatigue over the course of a day. This is caused by lens distortion. The more distortion, the more your eye continually has to refocus thus causing fatigue. To check for distortion, simply wear the shades and focus on an object with your eyes while slowly turning your head. The distortion is how much the object changes shape during this process. Some shades have more distortion than others. I have worked and played outdoors while wearing shades all of my life and there definitely is a difference. There are also differnces in optical quality and weight between glass and polycarbonate lenses, glass being better and poly being lighter. It is also important to find frames that fit your head well to avoid headaches or other pains. I currently have Arnette polarized shades ($100) and find them to be well worth the money. Then again, I am always outside. 8-)

They are not new. I used some around ten years ago on top of heavy cover instead of a buzzbait. They caught some good fish, yet not overly impressive. It could be a good choice during a mayfly hatch, though.

I have the same rod (6'6" Premier MF, graphite) and like it for the medium size cranks and buzzbaits. I also have a MHM (Moderate action) in the same length that I prefer for smaller crankbaits like Shad Rap 5's and Bandit 100's. Even though this is a medium heavy rod it casts smaller baits very well and has enough give to keep small trebles buttoned up.

Thanks for the clarification, jigfisherman. BTW, I love your lakes down there (Wlison, Wheeler, Pickwick).

By "whip finisher", do you mean the thread used to tie them? If so, I use a bead of 2-ton epoxy (Devcon) smeared around the thread when I tie feathered hooks. Nice looking jigs by the way!

The "Avidaerator"

On my home lake, I share everything with anyone who asks. I do this mainly because most bass fishermen who fish my lake only give it a chance from sunrise to about 11:00 am at the latest. I try to tell people to stick it out for a whole day, but they never listen. Oh well, I try. Conversely, in tournaments I will usually only divulge baits and generalize the type of water I am fishing IF I am returning to that lake soon for another tourney. If not, I'll answer any question.

I flip alot of woody, brushy cover. If I am flipping a tube or bulky creature bait, I'll use the EWG. If it is a worm that I am fishing, the straight shank or non-round bend offset gets the call. In heavy wood or brush the EWG does tend to grab the branches and splintered parts of logs and trees more than the others, especially with abundant algae present.

Catfish love them! I caught three channel cats last year on it. The "smallest" one was just over 6 lbs. ;D

Is this the sign up sheet now or are you counting those who have already expressed interest in the other thread? Either way, I'm in.

I have been fishing as a co-angler for many years. If there is one thing I have learned in order to be successful, it is to be a sniper when casting. Most guys are pretty decent at hitting areas with their baits. Yet, if you can hit exact targets with your bait, you stand a much better chance at catching fish "behind" someone. Practice, practice, practice!

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any mention of Bagleys DB3. I am by no means a deep crankbait guy. I have some Poes 400s that I have thrown on and off for about six years to no success. Yet, I started throwing a DB3 a little this last year and caught some good fish. Judging by some of the responses, I am giong to have to expand my arsenal a bit (yes monkey... I hear you).

From someone in the midwest who fishes tournies on power plant lakes (sometimes in the single digits), frozen guides are pretty commonplace. The silicone sprays and other liquid conditioners work... temporarily. You really have to keep applying them for any effectiveness. The Megastrike idea sounds interesting... might have to try it. Most of us up here just do the old rod dunk every fourth or fifth cast as well as blowing on the reel line guide to melt ice. Also, once you have dunked the rod, give it a light pop with your hand between the reel and the first guide to knock off excess water. I'll be going through these motions tomorrow (high temp 35). Stay warm!

Something else to remember, Cart. I used to keep jigs in my box with the soft plastic trailers on them. I found that if the soft plastic comes in contact with the rubber collars, the collars will slowly deteriorate. I take off trailers before storing my jigs now and it has made a difference.

As far as the line tie is concerned, none of my hard baits (crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater plugs) have rings. I use snaps on everything including stickbaits. I haven't noticed any impaired action by doing this.

Yeah Cart... those brownish collars suck. The first thing I do with skirts when I buy them is replace the collar with a black or solid white rubber collar. I have also wrapped skirts onto baits permanently with red nylon thread and superglued or epoxied the knot. I have even tried the craft wire wrap. But, I still prefer just replacing the collar. Lately, I am trying two collars to see if it helps or hinders... so far, so good.

Floors would be fine. I have just about the same boat (14' 1971 Cherokee) and I have a casting deck up front 2" below the lip of the boat. It all depends on how small and nimble you are. I have no problems but some of my friends will not get up there... ever. ;D

No score. I couldn't finish the survey cuz I heard they was bitin'!

If you are forced to fish murky/muddy water, don't be afraid to try some shallow water areas near deeper areas with BIG slow moving baits. I've caught two fish well over 5 1/2 lbs. and many in the 3-4 lb.range in three feet of water @ 42 degrees water temperature... since January 3rd. Some fish like to "break the rules". P.S. SInce this is "Fishing Tackle" section, use a jig. ;D

C. Rig the baby. T. Rig (pegged) the biggie 1/8 - 1/4 oz. I usually tear the 'loop arms' off the biggie for a little different/sleeker look. Sometimes those arms take a set in the bag and can cause the lure to spin upon retrieve. Great spawn bait.

Good stuff, Chris.

I normally use weather (current and patterns), water condition (including levels), structure, cover, season and available food source to make any kind of determination on certain areas. I really just wanted to pick some brains around here to make sure I was hitting all the bases and not leaving out any variables. Although I posed a very particular question, the info shared here could be invaluable to any newbie perusing this thread.

Beautiful river!!

Very good point, senile. As a matter of fact, I felt LBH and Rolo did give enough pertinent info to finish the puzzle. I realized (from your post) I was over-thinking the whole thing. Thanks for the info everyone.

Some very good replies. I wasn't exactly looking for "seasonal" habits or the corelation between predator and prey. I was looking more for an explanation why certain areas (not just spots) can be good for years at a time and then bad for years at a time, only to get hot once again. That being said, the very detailed replies were all from those of you who fish weeds (vegetation). The two lakes I fish most during the year have none.... only some algae. The lake I am on the most, only has 2-3 feet of visibility on a good day. Please continue with the insight. Related or unrelated to my initial query, it is all very good information. Thank you all. dink