Shoalamfishin

I have to say I read have loosely followed this whole thread and just read through it all again, wow. I'll start out on techniques. I use almost every technique mostly without regard. I don't utilize dropshot or carolina rigs as often as I should but I have no problem using one when I need to; this year I know I'm going to expand and use both more often and try out the jika rig. In regard to soft baits I use a wide variety of soft plastics (swimbaits, craws, etc.) mostly because I fish heavy cover and very rocky areas quite often. On hard baits, I'll throw a multi-bait rig when the situation dictates (double up, tripod, or full size umbrella rig). I don't throw jig as much as I should in but I have expanded on that a lot recently; I have tended to shy away from lipped cranks due to their tendency to grab weeds and snag cover but I will throw them readily when conditions permit. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits have been consistent producers for me. I just picked up on walk the dog/cigar baits recently and really like them. Overall I with some other here in that I don't like to buy a $10-$15 bait when I know I'm gonna stand a chance of losing it or throw it into cover; I don't really buy into GY senkos either simply because of the durability. I have some Rage Tail Anacondas that I got a deal on and they have been good but in general I don't like to pay top dollar for baits that just fall apart after a fish (super glue helps). I don't own any Storm cranks, never bought any, so I can't speak on that. I know I'm going to be expanding on a lot of things this year so I'm not really worried about what I don't throw right now I'm more or less concerned what I'm going to become better with. Ultimately as above "to each his own".

I can't remember when I started fishing. I know I was fishing before I was old enough to remember. My dad tough me swim in river down the road from our house, to this day that's my favorite to fish. I grew up with a creek just on my road and when I was real young I would always go down there and fish for bream and catch crawdads. My first real memory of fishing was out at my uncles pond; I caught my fist "big fish" it was a bass about 4-5 pounds off of a junebug colored zoom worm. I was about 8 or 10 years old heck I can't remember anymore, the thing is I had been fishing for years before that but that memory stands out over all the rest. I got busy with school and other stuff when I was growing up and didn't fish for a little while, I'm still finishing up a degree, but fish now just about any time I get the chance.

It depends a lot on what river you are planning to fish and what type of boat you are planning to take. Swifter narrower rivers naturally take more care to maneuver in, in the rain, than slower wider rivers as they are more affected by rising water and increasing current. Rain on a river also affects fish; bass will be in slower more protected waters or deeper in the water column where the current is less powerful. In general it is fine to fish rivers in the rain, but as in previous post when the levels are too high it can be really dangerous. Additionally if you are planning on fishing from a kayak or canoe you need to be very cautious, plan ahead, and just take the safety aspect of it seriously. Enjoy, give us a report on it

I have had good success with Lightnin rods. I haven't had one break on me but at the price I wouldn't be surprised. I don't much like the old series rods the had massive guides that were pretty thin to boot but their newer rods seem pretty good I have two now and fished a shock heavily for a while with great success. Good deal man, Congratulations!!

More information would certainly be helpful but with what is given I would suggest a rod 6'6 to 6'10 because medium heavy with a fast tip. I know you are seeking suggestions on reels with that in mind I would consider a 6.4 ratio reel as an "all around" reel for most things. My suggestion would be to go to a sporting goods store when you have the time and pick up a few different reels try them of various rods you may be using (have or may consider buying) and see what you prefer. As you can see from this thread opinions differ a lot on what reels people prefer but its best to get a reel that is comfortable to you; this is a little more time consuming than going off the opinions or suggestions of others but it pays to get something you know you like the first time. Also you can check reviews on sporting goods websites, they give a bias as you generally only get really god or really bad reviews, but they are useful; there have been several threads here on bassresource regarding best and worst tackle purchases that may be helpful as well on forming ideas where to start.

I like the Abu combos for inexpensive durable, and generally good baitcast combos. The black max and pro max combos are a good value for the money. As far as reels go I have to side with Lew's; even the lower end laser mg even is a good reel that handles most of what your talking about easily. I'm moderately biased on Lew's reels though; I have been very impressed with them and as a result I have begun to use them almost exclusively.

Its been a a while since I have fished it, quite a while; but from what I remember the fish hold fairly tight to cover. I've talked to man the fishes tournaments on Lake Oconee and from what he has told me the fish can be hard to find at times but once you find them its easy to pattern them; if you catch one on a point your gonna catch more, or one on a dock there will be more on docks. I know everyone tries to pattern fish and that seems common sense but it certainly seems easier on some bodies of water than others. This time of year pre-spawn/spawn I'd suggest back in feeder channels, feeder creeks, the back of coves, etc. generally moving "in" from the main lake channel.

I haven't run across any "true" 1.5 size suspending squarebills. I have done this with several squarebills in the past using strips, it works really well.

I cant speak with any experience on Field and Stream rods, I have, handled and used a Veritas they feel really good and handle fish well; my fishing buddy has one that he really likes. The H20 express rods also seem pretty good the power ratings seem a little funky on some of their rods though. I have a Lightnin Rod Shock, its sensitive, and handles fish well for the price overall really good rod.

It works but will leave marks on your paddles. I tried it and its comfortable, but when it left marks on my tournament pro knobs, I was done.

I haven't personally seen it I just moved all my plastics over to trays to get them organized so hopefully I'll be in the clear as well. Downeaster I think your dead on I think it may have been an early issue, if nothing else I hope for my sake.

I prefer a 6.4 as well mainly because it is versatile and because as some have talked about I find myself working lures and baits too fast too often with a 7.1 ratio reel. For me 7.1 ratio reels take some getting used to in order to not work lures to fast but they are useful. I use a 7.1 ratio reel on my flipping/pitching rod I generally use the same thing for punching and for frogging. I just prefer the 7.1 to pick the slack when fishing fast and to really winch fish out of thick nasty cover.

Thats awesome I think I'll give it a try with a split strip of fur (like twin tails) or part of a squirrel tail; off the wall for sure but stuff I have on hand.

Jigfishn I haven't tried using a snap swivel before. I replaced some old worn out swivels on some of my spinners with new smoother ones not too long ago but after looking at that I'm might have gone the wrong route. I might have to try out the snap swivels. Have you found that the zonker strip makes any significant difference?

I was digging through some old tackle yesterday when found some spinnerbaits that were in less than ideal condition (but fishable) and after repairing them decided to share of stuff I've picked up along the way about spinnerbaits. To start with by no means do I claim to be master of the spinnerbait but the things that I am going to talk about are things that work for me and others have found to be effective as well. Some of the minor things that I have picked up are the use appropriate use of trailers, bending of the arms (when necessary), and tying or wiring wrapping the skirt. I love trailers on spinnerbaits. Lures that ordinarily have a moderate degree of action take on a whole new action when they are combined with a spinnerbait. I find it is best to contrast the action of trailers with the action/intensity (of vibration) of the blades. By this I mean I opt to throw willow blades with a soft swimbait, or curly tail grub (of appropriate size) and colorado blades with a fluke or twin tail or various other soft bait with a more "muted" action. On the subject of bending the arms of a spinnerbait, I have spinnerbaits with arms bent at an array of various angles so I don't bend the arms of my spinnebaits very often anymore. I have found that it is more effective to bend the arms in an inward direction for fishing areas with limbs or cattails or when using a spinnerbait in a pitching presentation as that is generally to nasty cover, but when fishing grass, or standing timber I feel that bending of the blades is not necessary and does not make a significant difference. In regards to tying and wire wrapping skirts, most stock spinnerbait skirts hold together fairly well and some flare out quite well on their own and in these cases there is generally no need to wrap or tie one's skirts. In the instances where some one makes their own custom color skirts or when factory skirts begin to slip/sag I feel that the benefits of a well tied or wrapped skirt are tremendous. Wrapped skirts hold up exceptionally well through all kinds of abuse and at the same time allow one to have a greater degree on control over the color/number of strands/ shape of the skirt. In an additional note I feel it is always important to continually check and maintain the quality of components such as swivels, split rings, and hook shape/sharpness. What are some of the tricks that members here use to be more productive with spinnerbaits?

That's a good deal I'd love to get another one but I'm still recovering from my most recent Lew's.

Lew's reels. I've used Abu Garcia, Quantum, Shimano, and Bass Pro reels as well, but given the choice I'll take a Lew's reel any day. I like some Abu Garcia reels, I still own and use some, but it seems to me that quality control (if you will) is lacking; some of their products aren't consistently performing or durable as others on the same platform level. I also feel that many other companies are tend to price reels based largely on the value of their brand. Just a thought..

I had this happen to me as well. I used reel grips until recently; when I took the grips off and noticed rib marks/indentations on my knobs I quit using them. I'm switching over to foam knobs. I don't even think I'll use them on my flipping rod. The grips are comfortable and they help but it comes down to personal preference.

21farms, Thank you. First off you are absolutely right the old Max series reels (Pro Max, Black Max, etc.) were much different than the low profile reels today. As I said before I haven't had the chance to get my hands on an old BB-1 yet, but I have absolutely not doubt about their performance. I use a variety of newer Lew's reels and I have been impressed with every one that I've used; Capt. Bob your right they FLAT OUT spoil you. The old Pro Max has been good, never had any issues or problems until lately but I think its time to check into a old BB-1; if my dad doesn't like it I'll keep it. As far as I'm concerned Lew's is the way to go I just wanted to get some other opinions.

Awesome!!! That's a great rod!

I am weighing in on getting either a Lews BB-1 or an Abu Garcia Pro Max 3600. My dad has used a Pro Max for over 20 year now and the reel is in desperate need of some TLC, the knobs are worn to almost nothing and the handle has to turn a revolution or more sometimes to engage the drive (retrieve). I'm going to break it down and clean it up and see what I can do, but I'm considering getting him another reel to use. I have heard great things about the BB-1's but haven't been so fortunate as to get my hands on one. If i got a BB series reel I'd be looking at one of the high speeds like a BB-1nh. I'd appreciate some of the always helpful opinions and advice from some of you in trying to compare these reels. or decide.

Awesome, thanks!! I know there's been some fat fish caught in the past couple weeks. I've had rough luck and not been able to get out as much recently, bad timing especially since its the best time for the nice fat fish!

Wartown how has the flood weather affected the fish? I haven't been out since the monsoon came in and doubt I'll get a chance until next weekend I don't know the Warner Robins area too well, I'm a Jones county guy, but that good news to hear!!

A definite thanks to everyone, moderators and members, for making the site what it is.

Checking fish by putting them in the live-well works. I learned form a mentor of mind a long time ago that IF and ONLY IF you are planning on keeping fish (I would hope to eat and not dispose of, legal size and proper sporting conduct always applying) when you clean them check the stomachs to see what they have been eating. I don't do this very often, but I have found it to be a very effective method of finding out what the fish are eating.