Christian M

X2...Then when March & April arrive start throwing shallow running jerkbaits & small cranks

You can make a homemade blowgun out of it. There are Youtube vids that show how

I usually swap out hooks on most of my hard baits. LiveTargets come with quality hooks, I'm not sure what brand they use (maybe VMC) but they're pretty stout. A lot of the time ill swap out the stock nickle hooks for red VMC's. I always swap out the rear hook on my topwater poppers or walk the dogs for feathered hooks. I also like to swap out the front round split rings for oval split rings. Just my 2 cents...

You should always go with the biggest trolling motor you can afford. The Maxxum is the best model that MK has to offer, and you'll really notice the difference between 45lbs & 70lbs. As far as the holes lining up, that wasnt the case for me. I bought my Tracker TX17 with the stock Motorguide 36 in front & immediately switched it out for my MinnKota Powerdrive 55lb. When I mounted it I had to drill 4 new holes & patch the holes from the factory MG motor. As far as installing a new motor, remember your boat is currently set up for a 12v 46lb MG motor. Make sure you have enough room to fit 2 batteries in your hatch. MinnKota highly recommends running the same brand/size/& age battery on all 24v & 36v motors. Also when you install the motor remember that your going to be drawing much more power, so make sure you run the correct gauge wire and your breaker is the correct amperage. If these things aren't correct, you risk damaging your new motor. Good luck and enjoy your new motor!

BUYERS BEWARE...READ THIS POST AND RETURN YOUR RODS ASAP!!! THERES A REASON YOU GOT THE ROD FOR $30!!!! http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/117463-whats-going-on-with-e21-carrot-stix/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IhLo2KzSY4 follow that link, pretty cool!

That definitely looks like something bit it. Maybe it was a mammal, do you guys have Otters up there? It could have been while the turtle was on land, maybe a Raccoon, Bobcat, or small Black Bear...

I've caught several big bullfrogs using hollow body frogs. I've heard that bullfrogs are territorial and will chase anything that comes within their area, I don't know how true that is. I did read an article about a technique using frogs to catch Lunker bass. The article recommended using a splitshot or dropshot rig to weigh the frog down using a leader that gives the frog just enough line for the frog to barely reach the surface. It said that the commotion of the frog trying to reach the surface would attract big bass. Never tried it though.

Hey Snakehead, sorry for the delayed response, I really haven't been on the site much lately. Actually yes, I used the Perch crank a lot this summer and the biggest fish I've caught so far on it was around 3lbs! I think it works well because the perch are so dark in my part of Jersey and all the store bought perch patterns I have seen are too light. As far as the bluegill...that one is still sitting in my workstation lol. I'm kinda scared of losing it so I'm saving it for a special occasion. I have some new topwaters and rattle traps Ill post up soon also.

Hey Pond Boss, don't knock yourself, your work is looking really good man! For someone who has no background in art or painting you sure could have fooled me! I get my blanks from Janns Netcraft, and Dakotastackle.com. They both make some pretty nice blanks. Thanks for the compliments, if you every need any help just PM me. Mosher13, I use createx paints and 90% of the time I use water to thin colors, sometimes Ill use createx thinner in small amounts. I have had issues with paint bubbling up out of the cup from using too much water or thinner, but never had paint bubble up on a lure. Try switching to Createx, you wont be sorry. It might cost a few dollars more but its more than worth the money.

I've heard about people using dish soap, hand soap, and even wood floor cleaner. Honestly, I almost always use water. I take a dropper and thin the paint one drop at a time until I get it to spray consistantly. Occasionally I'll use Createx thinner on really tough colors...like opaque white...but i'll give the dish soap a try, sounds like it would be less abrasive, thanks for the tip!

Its gonna be tough to find a kit at that price, and if you do, its not going to be a high quality setup. Harbor Freight probably has the best kits for the money. But I would save up and buy a GRAVITY fed brush like a Paasche or Iwata. Then you'll want at least a 15 gallon compressor and steel braided hose. You'll also need a MOISTURE TRAP so that you don't spray water that builds up in the compressor. As far as paints, start with some basic Createx colors. That way you can mix pretty much any color you want. I use a higher end Paasche brush. Most of the artists I know use Iwata, and yes it is the "industry standard", but I like my Paasche Talon. I came across a great deal on it a few years ago and its been producing high quality work for me ever since. Either way, you will save money in the long run and have a much easier time learning how to shoot paint with a decent setup. Good Luck!

If you're interested in color charts for painting your own lures, I would really recommend painting your own chart. I remember painting mine for color theory class in college. It was over two hundred acrylic swatches, all hand taped & painted. It took a lot of time and patience, but I really learned a lot about how to mix paints. Now when I sit down to airbrush, I know how to get just the right color pretty quickly.

I love Createx, most of them are ready to shoot right out of the bottle, they have the BEST colors, and they mix together to make infinite custom colors. I've used them on fabrics, plastics, clay, wood, metal, glass...you name it. The paint always sticks and with Devcon 2Ton on lures you can do so much. Dont get me wrong, I have craft acrylics that I use from time to time, but theres a reason why every professional airbrush artist uses Createx.

If a cold front just came in I would definitely recommend using a search, or reaction bait, like a lipless crankbait. Pay attention to what the bass are feeding on, when you get a couple to hit your search bait, slow down and try to match the hatch with a dropshot or shakeyhead rig. Good luck!

Ive got 2 Veritas rods, a 7'MH and a 7'6"MH and I love them both. Abu Garcia's customer service is top notch. Just remember the Veritas rods are underrated. My MH rods feel more like Heavy action rods, which is ok because I use them for jigging/froggin/and C-riggin. I'd say go for the Veritas

Ur gonna want at least a 40hp, good boat if ur out alone a lot

I agree, thinner diamerter provides less space for braid to dig into, I also prefer a thinner diameter backing because its much easier to cover the entire spool, especially spools that have a v shape.

I stopped using the o-rings as often as I used to. I had a lot of fish coming unbuttoned because the o-ring would get in the way of the barb. I went back to just hooking the worm and even though I lose more worms its better than losing fish.

If you only have one setup then braid is gonna be your best bet.

Ill definitely try to see what the deal is with this little lake. I wrote to the county DNR last week regarding the poor condition of a local lake, within an hour they wrote back saying they have no jurisdiction over private or township owned municipalities, but would pass my letter on to the proper channels. If the rumors are true they will definitely have the scoop on the lake or point me in the right direction. What gets me about this lake is that every 1# fish looks like a carbon copy of the last 30, and the 5# bass was the only one I've ever seen there, also a good potion of those #'s were eggs. I don't agree with transporting fish either...too many inherent risks. The only time I did this was when I released my pet bass into a local pond, he was extremely healthy and I had no choice. Hurricane Sandy killed our power for 11 days.

The pond has been there for about 2 decades, so I figure when the quarry flooded, workers transported the bass. The underground stream is just a source of fresh water running beneath the pine barrons. By lack of competition I meant too many bass. From what I've studied and experienced, the more diverse the population of fish in the water ( excluding invasive species), the healthier the overall ecosystem. Im thinking the bass are stunted because most days ill catch upwards of 15-20 bass and not one of them will be over a pound, however I could be wrong. Once in a blue moon ill catch a big bass, but not often. Unfortunately its illegal to transport fish without the proper permits. The good news is there are rumors circulating about the state taking over the whole area and turning it into a state park. We will just jave to wait and see. For now I prefer the challenge of fishing more pressured lakes.

I fish an old rock quarry that became a lake when the company hit an underground stream. There are 2 ponds next to eachother. The one we fish is gin clear, but the other, which is deeper and aqua blue, holds no fish. The pond we fish has almost no cover, just a few patches of reeds along the bank. Also, since it used to ne a quarry, the only way to fish it is down steep dropoffs. I could be fishing 5 feet off the bank & be in 15-20' of water, with the max depth being 34'. There only fish I've caught in this lake are LMB & black Crappy. In 3 years the largest being one about 5# that was spawning. The only forage is golden shiners & crappy. The bass on average are about 1lb, for every fish over 2.5lbs I have to catch ten dinks. Are the fish stunted because of a lack of competition & forage? Also how did so many fish get in there? Its a 10 mile off road drive to the lake.

12# Berkley Transition, I can't count how many times I've caught the slightest line tick or jump thanks to the color. Its also really thin and strong. Total confidence in this line for jigging.

The fish in Jersey have definitely been shut down for the past week or so. Actually the only days where I've been able to establish a pattern have been on the rainy days. I went to one of our "Lunker" lakes this past Thursday and caught a limit of 15" keepers, plus I had the lake to myself from 6am to 2pm because of the light rain and overcast. The day before that I was fishing a smaller local lake and caught a few hawgs, a giant pickeril, and a bullhead cat all on the same spinnerbait along the same road bed. I don't mind catching snot rockets, the big girls put up a heck of a fight and are really beautiful. My advice would be to slow waaay down, cast as close as you can to cover, and lighten up on your tackle, you should see some results doing this.