Smokinal

Ahh, the old bartreuse jig! Great in dirty or green water. I have 2 models I throw; the one on the left is obviously a Terminator and the 2 on the right I believe are BPS pro model rattling jigs ( I could be wrong, the brand escapes me now) but those 2 have the best mix of blk and chart that I have found. And the trailer is a : http://www.basspro.com/LuckEStrike-Rick-Clunn-Jig-Trailers/product/15761/ in Black Neon Chart

Just check this out OP: http://www.animatedknots.com/knotlist.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.png&Website=www.animatedknots.com#ScrollPoint The Albright and Blood knots are all you need to learn. Both have worked great for me; just depends on which you prefer to tie. And if you have micro-guide rods, you will want the Albright as it is a slimmer/sleaker knot. I subscribe to the braid/fluoro leader thought for all the reasons already mentioned and have 100% confidence in my knots.

I used to palm the reel until I read about the hold that Gary Klein uses; which is to hold the rod just above the reel and have the line run over the top of your index finger. This has made a big difference for me fishing jigs and worms. I feel the bite better and have a better hookset with it too; you have a little better leverage with your hand just an inch or two higher than it is at the reel and being able to feel the line is a great bonus. It's an odd feel at first but once you get used to it, palming the reel on a worm or jig just doesn't feel right now.

I know everyone says they won't work but, if I wasn't getting bit on anything else, absolutely.

They look great!

Winner winner chicken dinner! I was out yesterday, 46 degree water, 40 air temp, cold wind; usually fish this spawning cove where a big feeder stream comes in and the bite is pretty good but we couldn't catch a cold in there. Went out main lake, got 2, struggled for a while and decided to go back up in the cove. Still no fish so we thought, well, lets go even skinnier up by the stream where there are 1 to 1.5 ft flats on either side of the stream. Proceeded to whack the bejeeses out of em on a susp jerk until dark. We had 2 in the boat in 3 hrs going up into that place and ended up boating 53 in the last 1.5 hrs up there on the jerk. Along with some huge crappie mixed in. Throw the jerk

The very first thing I would do is check with the state to see if this is legal; and I would be sure to check with someone you are sure would have the correct answer, and maybe even another person. Why I say this is, in Maine, if you transport/transplant any fish, and you are caught, you are in jail, heavily fined and the state now owns the vehicle you used, all equipment used, even the bucket. Be very careful on this topic.

I've been having huge trouble early myself as I can't seem to get out on the water....

Nothin like a frog bite; especially your first. Congrats!

I've replaced the 3 prong plugs (male and female ends) for my TM a few times now due to corrosion. This year, I got looking at small tools and such to clean the contacts again and thought, why not just hardwire it to the wires inside the hull coming from the batteries, run them through a grommet so it's neat and water tight, and be done with this whole plug thing? I know plugs have worked for years but wouldn't you also get more amps to the motor in eliminating those poor connections? Anyone do this?

Nice fish man

Hunt that girl down!

That's a great day!

What a big, fat chunk right there! Nice job. More importantly, thank you for keeping us all safe and free. Be safe, smart and check in when you return home.

Looks like a tumor. Wizard! Was going to post this^^^^. Now all I can say is it looks like he's been dippin too much Skoal.

I've been waiting for a report! So good to hear from you. Glad you are home and sound positive. Keep us posted; and I bet those smallies are happy you're giving them a break! Take care Dwight

I don't know that I would look into changing anything just from 1 instance of losing a fish. I know it sucks but it happens to all of us. Now, if you lose your next 5 on that same bait/same setup...then we need to look at some more details. Sounds like an early season, cold, lethargic fish with a tentative bite that didn't get stuck well. Keep at it man.

^^^Are there any gators or gar in those ponds? And just a guess, but I would think as a fish gets to that unhealthy of a state from starvation, I'm sure it's immune system and healing properties are lowered, making any nick or cut seem much worse than it may be in a healthy fish.

I'll start by admitting that I don't know much about the topic, therefore I will not judge. But, one concern I have thought about is the female losing eggs during the fight, on the way to the boat. I have had, and I'm sure you have too, fish just spewing eggs all over my boat as I get the hook out. Do you think that she didn't lose thousands of eggs while struggling on the end of the line on her way in? These eggs are not in a nest and will not be fertilized. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

Attaway to start!

And this is how stories of "This dude caught a 10 lber outta the pond today" get started. Not bashin ya; that's a nice 6-7 lber! Congrats!

I bet he's got a plastic worm in his stomach.

I keep a log of where I went, weather, water temp and clarity, baits used, structure type and yes, fish count. I do this, not to impress anyone with numbers but to learn from. If I used X bait on Y structure in M water temp and didn't catch anything, I better not do that again. On the other hand, if X bait worked on Y cover and I caught the bejeesus outta them, guess what I learned?