joetomlee

I've not had any luck with scents personally. Tried a few different brands/scents and I generally do not notice any difference in the amount of fish I catch. I've heard a lot of people tell me that scents really do work, and so I will still use them from time to time (can't hurt, right?). It's so hard for consumers to tell the difference between a genuine product and a marketing gimmick, and so most of the responses you get will be clashing opinions. You'll probably end up as confused as before you asked, lol.

This is a tough time of year to start getting into it. I don't fish at all throughout the winter. I think you should take this time to research a bit about fishing before you go and put any substantial money into it. I don't know about the others, but I can't go into BPS or some sports store without grabbing at least a couple lures. It's almost become an addiction as I feel like a small boy collecting pokemon cards or something. Just suggesting that you don't go out and get addicted to the "stuff" before finding out how much (if at all) you even like to fish for bass. The articles on this website are actually really good!! Take some time and get into those first, this sport takes a lot of know-how, so you're in the right place!

This baby only cost me 50 cent.

I agree with Chris. Fiberglass repair is an art, much like bodywork is to a car. It really is not something you should attempt to tackle on your own. The damage doesn't sound too severe, so I would recommend calling and quoting it out with a couple of Marinas. One year I had bottomed out on rocks and chipped off a couple small pieces of my boat. I took two quotes for the repair and received a $1,000 difference in estimates. I am a big do-it-yourself-er but there come times when it really needs to be sent out to be serviced by someone else. I am very glad I had not tried to do it myself and so my suggestion to you is the same.

Thanks for the replies, this helps a lot to hear what others are doing!

How fast do you all retrieve your crankbaits/spinnerbaits? I generally fish them medium/slow, because I feel that while retrieving them fast I am bypassing a lot of fish before they have a chance to strike and also losing out on the lures intended wobble action - Is this wrong? The primary reason I'm asking is because I got skunked a lot last year and I am looking to tweek my technique. I know speed is something a lot of people play with until they get it right and that there are different speeds for different settings, so I am speaking more in general terms. I see my friends and other local fisherman generally retrieve much faster than I do. Second question really quick, upon a stop & go technique, do you ever twitch the line for a crank or spinner... or is it just strict stop & go?

Hello! I am 28 yrs old from CNY and I've been fishing since I was 15. I fish Oneida and Otisco Lakes primarily, although I will go to the Salmon River in Pulaski or the St. Lawrence near the Candian border from time to time. I really enjoy fishing, I probably go 1-3 times a week (excluding winter). So right now I have a lot of down time to refresh and gather some new info and techniques that might help me catch more fish this coming Spring. I bought a boat a couple years back and so that has opened up a lot of new water for me. I find that it's an entirely new beast to conquer and I'm hoping to learn a lot from these forums and perhaps even get involved in a local tournament this year. Glad to meet all of you!