Tucson

Thanks for the replies. I found the answer on the batteryfaq website under "Battery Myths".

My Mattlures swimbaits got saturated with Stabil. I rinsed and soaked them in soapy water numerous times over a 2 day period. Are my expensive baits history or will the scent come out?

I was told recently by an auto supply house that you occasionally need to totally discharge your TM batteries to prevent them from acquiring a memory. I've always heard the opposite, that you should never totally discharge a deep cycle battery. Anyone have an answer?

Chock your vehicle rear wheels. Strange how few people do this but it can prevent a serious problem. I run a few feet of chain from the chock to the undercarriage of the truck and just pull it along when I pull up the ramp.

Thanks for the input. Crestliner: I'm going to try filing one down and see what happens. I don't necessarily want to eliminate the barb, just reduce it about 50%. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Might try using a rapala knot for cranks. It leaves a little loop so the crank can swivel freely.

Has anyone tried reducing the size of the barb on a spinner bait? The one's I have seem to be larger than necessary making it difficult to release the fish. Unfortunately, due to the design of this lure changing the hook is not an option.

Tried this a couple of years ago on a Florida trip. Didn't have much luck but I mostly used it when I was tired of casting and wanted to bobber fish for a while. I agree that you'll need a little wave action to give the worm some life.

Chartreuse spinner bait.

Haven't heard anyone mention Cavitron. I read somewhere recently they were a must have, anyone have any experience with them?

I've been marking my cranks for several years, either on the body or the lip. Don't think there is much chance of it putting the bass off. It may even interest them.......mmmmm let's see, this guy's using a Rapala DT06 in Fuschia/silver. Wonder what it tastes like.

If you spend more than I do on a lure you're obviously a foolish, spendthrift wastrel snob. If you spend less than I do you're a pitiful tightwad who needs to lighten up. Fortunately for me, I fall right in the center of these poles.

My fishing habits dictate that I generally stay in one area and work it over pretty well before moving on. I try different lures beginning with the least intrusive one first. For example: I'll start with maybe an unweighted senko, then a Hula Grub on a light ballhead jig, then switch to spinner baits and gradually work my way down in depth with various cranks. My idea is to spook the fish as little as possible in the beginning so I can sneak up on them.....sort of. Anyone else to this or am I just off base?

Check out azbasszone.com The best site I've found for AZ fishing.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their tips for this bait. I generally use a light ball head jig and swim it but use other methods occasionally. Sometimes I use a small weight split shot 8-12" above the grub.

I'm convinced there is no perfect do-it-all box. For one thing, acquiring lures is dynamic and ongoing while any individual tackle box is static. Therefore while your organizer remains the same, your needs change continually. Enough philosophy. My personal solution is currently Plano 360 boxes in a commercial milk crate. Easy to transport and load, easy to rearrange inside the Planos. Throw in a CD wallet for spinnerbaits and I'm pretty well covered. Of course in a year I'll have modified it even further. ;D Sigma: Great fishcat pic!!

Tennessee: Thanks for gathering and crunching the data on this. Something I should be doing myself. Any lack of positive correlation is actually a good thing, one less factor to consider. I've changed my mind about the importance of these ancillary factors regarding my fishing activity. My conclusion is to go fishing whenever I can and not worry about weather factors, lunar position etc. Kind of liberating.

Well thats just great, now I have 200 pounds of plastics that are totally, hopelessly outdated!

I'm curious about the skitter walk, how does it compare to the Rebel Pop-R? I can't find them locally so I'll have to get one online.

Gotta vote smallie. Now if smallies got as big as lm's but still fought like a smallie.........THAT would be a fun fish.

Thanks for the quicky lesson Ann-Marie, I was wondering myself. Your responses are always spot-on. Maybe you could write a battery maintenance article for us.

I'm from Tucson but suggest you start reading the forums in www.azbasszone.com

Catching a bass on a flyrod is a real thrill, less mechanical than baitcasting or spinning, more hands on. I've always used poppers but have been experimenting with wets recently. Can't overstress the importance of the line though. Suggest a good quality bass bug taper in your rod weight. You don't have to replace them very often so don't be afraid to pony up $60 or so for a good one. Joan Wulff has the definitive book on flyfishing, see if you can find it at your local library. Also, if you're not already proficient, hire a pro to spend an hour with you for one-on-one training. Money well spent. Don't let anyone else know about flyfishing for bass, it's just our little secret!

Ditto what Reelmech says.

Seriously thinking spinnerbait.