PhatBass

I took a bunch of pictures of Beltzville from Nov 2016. Can’t really appreciate from the pics just how low it was. Got a really good look at the hump just to the right of the boat ramp @ Preachers Camp. I regretted putting the boat away early last year. Would have been great to explore more of the lake & chart structure normally not visible. Loaded the pics in the Gallery section. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/gallery/album/2010-beltzville-lake-low-water/

Hey Guys, Anyone up for night fishing @ the NOC this Sat? Was thinking of putting in @ 3 mile about 7-7:30pm. Never did a night fishing before & my wife really doesn’t want me to go alone. I just built a new underwater LED light & will be trying it out.

Verizon decided I don’t need the Outdoor Ch or WFN anymore so I’ve been watching a lot of you tube videos on my Fire Stick. I like the you tube videos from the JP Derose & Dave Mercer TV shows. They whittle the 30 mins show down to 5 mins cutting out of the crap. If you look past the product placement there’s some good info on technique. When I’m missing Florida I like tuning into Darcizzle Offshore. I don’t do much saltwater fishing just like the show.

Spring Check List: Boat prepped & loaded - DONE Lawn dethatched – done Lawn fertilized - done Trees pruned – 50% done New Shrubs planted – 50% done House pressure washed – pending Mulch flowerbeds – pending SOON…

My step father gave me about 30 of his old crank/jerk baits. Most are in really good condition except for the hooks which are all rusted. A couple are hand painted & might be 30-40 yo. I was wondering if there were any rules of thumb when swapping out the treble hooks? When to go larger/same/smaller. When would you want to go wide gap vs round bend. Should I increase the ring when up-ing the hook size or does it really matter? thanks dave

The map was included in the DVD “How to Fish Lake Nockamixon” by DVO They included a topo & gps coordinates for all the man made structure in the lake like porcupine cribs etc. I took the map & split it into 4 sections. Took it to Staples & had them blow each section up & laminate it. PM me your email & I’ll send you copies.

Prop - I was told the only prop that might help would be the one they put on a 20hp on a pontoon. But what little I gained would not be worth the expense. I’m about a mile from 3 mile so I put in there a lot but also like Haycock. I usually put in by 6am after picking up some go-go juice @ dunkin donuts. I just got a full topo map of the lake. Plus I just installed two lowrance Elite Chirp units – Elite 7 w/navionics in the cockpit & Elite 5 on the trolling motor so I’m going to be all over the lake this year.

Hey Dale, I have a 2014 16 Storm. I’m guessing you got the 20hp Merc option? Living only one mile from the Noch it basically only made sense to go with the 20hp. When I am the only one in the boat, I can get upwards of 20-23 mph. Last year I had two other full figured fishermen on the boat with me. I could barely get 5 mph. LOL I thought I had a stroke of genius. I wanted to put a second 20hp Merc on my Storm. I have often seen bigger boats with twin 250s or even three 250s so why not two 20s. I would leave one out of the water while at the Noch & use both when at Beltzville. I asked around at the boat show the other week and got a unwanted education. Basiclly 20hp motors are not set up to be paired like that. Was told I would not see 40 hp. The math does not work like that. Also found out that on those boats with the twin motors the props actually run counter to each other. Never knew that… Anyway, will keep an eye out for you on the lake. Happy Bday!

First read your post & from the tone thought we had a jumper on our hands. You sounded pretty depressed. I feel your pain buddy. Just started fishing again after 35+ years. Have spent two years on the Noc & Beltzville putting noting but water in my live well. I’m using decent Shimano gear & probably $500 worth of lures. Have spent countless hours on you tube, DVO & Bass Resource. I’ve accumulated all this book knowledge but can’t seem to translate it into a strike. Have thought long & hard on this & the only thing I can think of, it’s got the be the boat I’m using. LOL I’m now studying SKARFishing videos looking for landmarks for next year. dave b

Shanksmare - Well that video really covered just about everything you’d want to know about spinner baits. I’ve watched it like 4 times. Thanks everyone for all the input. Had motor trouble last Sat & had to take the boat up to Highway Marine. Couldn’t put all the advice to test. Sun @ 0700 headed to Lake Towhee but 80% was already chocked with lilies & there were 10+ people already established in the few fishable spots. Doesn’t look like I’m getting the boat back by this weekend but they are calling for on/off rain most of the weekend.

Will be working on technique this weekend. Add some break back on. Reduce force of cast. Try to keep lure lower to the water. Try Roll Cast – As Dink noticed you-tube search gives you all fly fishing videos. I’m only in my second year returning to fishing after not fishing for 40 years. First time throwing spinner baits. Last time I fished I was using a Ronco Pocket Fisherman with canned corn for sunnies on the pond down the road where I grew up. If you’re under 45 years old you might not know what the Ronco Pocket Fisherman is! Surprisingly there are a ton of videos for it & they have it on Amazon for $17. Think my cost something like $5.

Thanks for all the feedback! I have been throwing overhead & sidearm but looks like roll cast seems to be the popular consensus. I do try to muscle the most distance I can get out of my casts & that could be a contributing factor. I’ll try to find a video that shows the roll cast technique.

Okay this might be a question that requires someone actually watching me but let’s see what anyone has to say. I’ve finally mastered my Shimano Citica 200. I have all the breaks off & can cast 99% of the time with no backlash. Getting pretty accurate too. My problem is throwing spinner baits. At least 50+% of the time the line gets tangled up with the blades rendering the thing useless on the retrieve. I can actually see the thing helicoptering in the air but for the life of me can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I’ve tried straight braid, tried fluoro leader. Doesn’t seem to be a factor. Have watched dozens of videos but haven’t found anybody discussing this issue. Any thoughts before I pack these away?