Scott F

Shallow water heats up faster than deeper water does. The very shallow fish might have been just seeking the warmest water they could find. As far as a new moon influence? Someone might have to explain to me how the moon could have any influence on a pond. Do you think the bass were responding to high tide? Considering something as small as a bass boat has more gravitational pull on a fish than the moon does, even a new moon, I can't see how it could effect bass behavior.

This is why guys have custom rods made. I could never use a rod with a handle that long. But if that's what you prefer, a custom rod may be the only way you can get it.

The topwater popper that has caught me a lot of bass, a Matzuo, came from a bargain bin. I only paid a buck or two and I put better hooks on them. I think after the first one was so good for me, I went back and got like 4 more. There is no paint left on any of them.

From the number of responses and the variety of colors listed, it kind of confirms my thoughts that color is not very important. I fish plastic stickbaits a lot and I'll often switch colors every time I need to change the bait. I never noticed a drop off in the catch rates while doing this

I believe the material the "Strike King 3x Super Floating Worm", was made of is now called ElaZtech and is now part of Z-Man baits. There were several other styles of baits made of the same material. Who knows if Z-Man will bring back any of the other baits.

I started using the Ned rigs last year with good success until I got laid up after back surgery. I did lose a few to downed wood. This year, I'm going to try some of the weedless Z-Man Shroomz jig heads. Anybody have any comments about them vs the regular versions?

The mapping technology has improved drastically in the last few years. The map chips I bought not long ago were still using data copied from inaccurate maps drawn many years ago. I have no doubt that if they aren't doing it already, Lowrance and Humminbird will both be including high def maps with their units before long making the map chips you have to buy, obsolete.

On every bait that I've ever seen that has the line pass through the bait, you tie a hook on the end of the line.

The included mapping was the only reason I chose Garmin over the others. The high def maps of the lakes that I fish were nearly perfect. That's why I replaced a 2 year old Lowrance that worked just fine except for the poor quality of the map chips I had purchased. I could have bought higher quality chips, but they would have cost as much as I paid for the 54cv, which included the ability to make my own maps.

I have a 73sv and now the 54dv. I haven't used the 54 yet so I can't say about saving the settings on that. There are a lot of settings to choose from. On the 73sv, as far as I can tell, nearly all of the settings are saved. I think, the only setting that might not get saved when you turn the unit off, is the choice of screen views. You can choose your favorite views, which sonar and GPS views you prefer and save that but you have to select that choice when you turn the unit back on. I haven't used my boat since last fall so my memory is not clear, but my old Lowrance units used to default back to all the factory settings every time you turned it off and I know the Garmin does not do that.

I live just a few miles South of you. Crowds are seldom if ever a problem for me. Mainly, because I fish the smaller rivers where bigger, prop driven boats can't go. The DuPage, Fox and Kankakee Rivers are all as close to you as LaSalle and Heideke or the Illinois River. Switching to a canoe or kayak is a major adjustment but the smallies are shallow all summer and there are almost no crowds unless you are bothered by the occasional bikini hatch on warm afternoons! The smallie in my avatar was caught about 20 minutes from your home within sight of a major road.

I got the Garmin echoMap 54dv with the 5 inch screen, non chirp version with the transducer for $297 at Bass Pro a few months ago. You might find a similar deal with an internet search.

Wait till next week when they come out with the leggings to cover your legs when you are wearing shorts.

Float & fly sitting still in an eddy.

I can't stand questions like this one. Why can't you just ask what your favorite brand is without pretending no other brand would ever be available? I use nothing but Quantum spinning reels. I used to like them because they had no bail springs to break and kept on buying them even after they changed. I have no preference on baitcasters.

I use braid for everything I fish but, with a slip bobber, the bobber stop, at least the ones I've used will not stay in place on the thin braids I use.

People say leaders effect the action of lures. That may be true but, who can say if the difference hurts or helps? I am not one that believes that bass are line shy. I also don't believe FC lines are actually invisible. If it were me, I'd use 10lb braid with the steel leader to gain extra depth on my crankbait and not even consider the ability of a bass to reason that line might be a bad thing.

In the days I used to wade fish, a sling pack was by far my favorite. I only carried a small amount of tackle so my pack was MUCH smaller than the one you are looking at. The sling style is nice in that you don't have to take it off to get in it, and you swing it out of the way while fishing. If I'd have carried anything as big as the one in your picture, I'm sure my back would have blown out years ago.

I fish small rivers a lot. I seldom find river smallies picky about baits at all. Almost any bait will catch smallies. I choose my baits by what will cover the water without getting hung up constantly. It may be just me, but I'm a numbers guy so I don't use bigger baits. In the spring, you need to find spawning areas. In the summer, you need to find current. Active, feeding bass will be found in the break lines next to fast moving water. Downed trees, overhanging trees, and big rocks are always spots to check out. Casting accuracy is very important. Your bait needs to be right up against that rock, way back underneath the tree limbs or right up tight to that log. Miss by more than a few inches and you come up empty.

Last time it happened to me, some tournament musky guys pulled right in front of me close enough I could have flipped a jig easily on to his front deck. My reaction was just to say out loud, "Really?" I took a picture, that I later sent to the tournament organizer, trimmed my motor almost out of the water, and made the biggest wake I could while I pulled away. I guess that is what as known as passive aggressive.

Apparently, the bait comes with different diving lips, different tails and multiple spinner blades to give you 600 combinations. That is an unusual concept, but at $80 it's not for me either.

I saw them discounted heavily a few months ago. I don't like them myself. They tend to break in the joints. A bait that costs as much as they do should be more durable.

Try Valley Sports & More

Heavier line will keep your baits from diving to their maximum depth. You may lose as much as 2 feet of depth going from 10 to 17. As far as the muskies go, they'll bite through 17lb as easily as 10. 20lb braid will run your baits a lot deeper than they would with fluoro, plus you'll be able to cast them farther.

First of all, if the channel is 18 feet deep and the average depth is 4 feet, compared to the rivers I fish, that is pretty deep. In the shallow rivers I fish, 4 feet is a deep pool. When the water is that cold, smallmouth will still be in their winter holding spots. They will stack up in deeper slow moving water where they are very inactive. If you find that spot, you can drop baits all day long right on their heads and still not get bit. On a warm sunny day, some of the fish might get active and you'll need to be close to the winter spot as they may not travel very far. Be patient and wait till the water hits the mid to upper 40's and the action will pick up.