Pleiades

Keep in mind that most of us amatuers use a depth finder to place yourself in the depth of water that you want to fish, not necessarily to see the bass that you want to catch. I use my depth finder to put myeslf in the right depth and perferably over some grass or other cover. 1. No matter the time of year or patterns for the day, I like to look for bait fish on my way to where I'm going to fish. Not necesarrily to stop, but just to take note and keep in mind the depth that the bait is holding at. 2. I think it depends if you're power fishing or finense. If I find the kind of structure that I want to fish with a crankbait, I don't need to see fish on it to fish it. However, I've read drop shot articles that say to not waste your time if you don't see fish below you. 3. I don't need to see the bass, although its a plus. 4 & 5. I don't really stop for lone arches. Maybe I should. I don't have much confidence trying to catch fish that are suspended. Just one guy's take. Hope it helps, Paul.

I was lucky enought to catch two PBs on the same weekend. The striper (12 lbs)comes with a story that I will share some other time. I didn't have a scale for the bass

Thanks kicker.

SAC2 nailed it. The adjustment feels SO much better. Thanks! Knightiac, I also own a couple of BPS Nitro Z reels. They are definitely better reels and I am a big believer that you get what you pay for. Thanks for the replies, Paul.

Thank you! I'm going to try this tonight.

The tension knob on my Abu Garcia Silver Max is, in my opinion, too tight. I set the reel up so that a 1/4 jig falls at the correct pace and the knob is so tight that I cannot adjust it any further. This makes the reel very difficult to use. Any suggestions on how to loosen it up? I've gone so far as to use my pliers to tighten it down enough to use a heavy crank bait without backlash. Thanks in advance, Paul.

I'll be fishing all winter. Feels like I have the lake to myself.

White, weightless fluke. Works for me every time.

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

What Sam said. If you're just after LMB or SMB, I've seen the smallies surface-schooling with the hybrids in the deep, open water near the dam site this time of year. You have to be there for first light and the bite will turn off like a light switch around 0800. Let me tell you, that's some exciting fishing! You'll catch some hybrids and a few smallies. I've caught them on a white fluke. As for catching large mouths during normal daylight hours at Greers, I can't help you. The lake baffles me. I was going to give it the college try on Sunday, but was chased off by the storms.

Thanks for the replies everyone! Catch N Release, the thermocline will look like a faint, steady-depth line. If you don't see it, you can adjust your finder's sensitivity.

My favorite lake to fish is a very deep, clear water lake with an abundance of hydrilla. For those of you that fish similar waters, how do you decide what depth to target? Thanks in advance, Paul.

Any fish over about two pounds gets me excited. I also get pumped when catching any fish using a new method. I got pretty excited the first time I caught a fish flipin' a jig. He was about a pound.

Yeah, I'm a little worried about keeping the boat still enough to work a jig in the open water with the wind forecast. I'll give it a shot for sure.

Wish me luck. I'm going to try to find some cover placed by the game and fish commission with electronics. The main goal is to learn the new depth finder, but I will definitely be doing some fishing too. The weather is supposed to be clear skies with westerly wind around 7-10. Water temp should be around 50-55 degrees and will definitely be clear. Anyone have any suggestions on what to throw first? I had a heck of a time deciding on what to tie on. I had in mind trying drop shots if we find fish on points. Thanks in advance, Paul.

I wanted to introduce myself. I've been reading for a while. Fishing is one of the things I live for. I've been fishing for as long as I can remember, but have only recently started to pay attention to things like bottom structure and seasonal patterns. I live in central Arkansas. There are three main lakes that I fish. Two deep, clear water lakes and a not so clear, shallow lake. Those are Lake Ouachita, Greers Ferry Lake, and Lake Conway. I'm hoping to learn some things about fishing and share a few good stories, Paul.