jb_adams

I like that idea but my spinnerbait blades and crankbait hooks still flop around on the sides of the rod. That's why I used the tape to protect the finish. My buddy just secures his hooks to the top of his baitcasters but I'm sure the finish is getting abused doing that too. That's why I like the tape. It blends in nicely with my rods too so you don't even see it.

I know what turning-over means. I also know that the water temp below the thermocline will not have fish in it. It's too cold for them and they prefer warmer water within their comfort zone if it's available. I was just curious if the fish are less prone to eat during the turning process. I have seen fish jumping and chasing shad over the last few days so I know they are feeding a little but very selectivley. The lake here does this every spring and fall so it's a common occurance with the algae in the water, not so much the shad. I think shad may die from the lack of oxygen but I haven't seen a large amount of dead shad. They had a report on the news last week about the "fishy" water and they had a local botanist explain the phenomena and how the algae effects the water smell. About 1 part per 2-million is detectable by the human nose of this particular type of algae. So one Folders coffee can full of this algae in Beaver Lake can be detected by the human nose. Thanks for the info. I guess I'll keep on fishing when I can and see what else I can learn through obervation and trial. Eventually, I'll learn the "ins and outs" of this lake and learn to catch fish consistantly.

My conditions are quite different. The only "gunk" floating on top is due to heavy rains for over a week and stuff is washing into the feeder creeks (bark, leaves, dirt, etc) This makes a nice hiding spot for bass but the water temp is too warm and the light penetration is still pretty intense as well as too little oxygen in the feeder creeks because of all the rain and silt. The main lake channels are full of oxygen due to the wind. The lake here hasn't turned over yet. It's starting to turn over but this is usually a 2-3 week period and the smell in the water supply has gotten better as well as the water temp is back up even with all the rain. I think the lake will fully turn over the course of the month and by early October, it will be turned. Then the feeder creeks will become bass havens.....I hope. So, back to the original question....does the lake turning process cause bass to become in active or active? When the thermocline expands, the fish scatter throughout the thermocline right?

I spent a lot of time on the lake this weekend. I caught "0" fish (par for the course). I tried several bait tactics all in natural colors because this lake is a clear water lake with heavy pressure, windy, lots of boating activity, and rising water due to heavy rains. The water is starting to smell early this year because our water supply is from the lake. That means the thermocline is expanding. What I observed out of two days of fishing at the end of a large cold front and flooding rains for about a week is the following: - surface temp 80-84 degrees avg. - fish suspended off main lake in 30-40ft at the throat of large coves or on shelves near deep water - fish only feed on selective opportunities and over 30-40ft depths - I think the fish stay suspended in the upper end of the thermocline in 60-70 degree temp water to stay comfortable and feed when they feel like it - I think they launch themselves like rockets at baitfish above and then swim back to their supsended water temp. layer - slow presentation in shad patterns is a must so conventional baits won't work My question is, when the thermocline is expanding an the "lake turnover" is in the beginning stages, is it hard to catch fish during this time of year? Is it after the lake has turned that the fall fishing season begins? I guess our lake is in a "pre-fall transition stage" currently.

I'm starting to like clear water because my local lake is so hard to catch ANY bass on, it's making me a better angler. If I can lear to catch at least 1-2 fish per trip on this lake, I can catch fish in stained water a lot easier because I will know much more about presentation tactics, where to look for fish and what to show them when you find them. The good thing about clear water is when they want to chase a bait, they can see it much easier in clear water. In stained water, you could drag an orange hunters cap and they would have to be within a few feet to see it. In clear water, they can be 8-10 feet away and see it easily. Now, if I can only get the fish to bite at my local lake, I'll be doing OK. This year, I've learned it's all about having high quality sonar and learning how to find the fish. Once you find the fish, figure out what they are doing, then select your bait presentation around that and hope for the best. Now I need a quality sonar.... :

Way ahead of you there. My poor rig looks like Ralphy's little brother in the movie "Christmas Story". The part where he has so many clothes on he can't move! I just purchased nylon rod sleeves for the new rods and I already use the bait wraps and I have big BPS reel covers. So between having a huge reel cover that wraps over both the rod & reel, a bait wrap (which still scrathes the rod), and now "rod socks", the only thing missing is a heavy duty travel carry case!

Well the rain cut my fishing trip short. When I say rain....I mean flood. I got off the water just in time. As I was securing the boat, the sky opened up like someone unzipped a bag full of baits and it flooded! I bet we had 1-2" of rain in 20 mins. SO the new reel looks pretty! It's smooth operating but the only thing that really bothers me from a personal preference is the length of the handle. This is a big spinning reel compared to my Abu Cardinal. To further explain my discomfort, my favorite rod & reel setup is a Pflueger Microspin spinning reel on a 6 ft. 2-piece Abu rod. It's lightweight, compact, casts a country mile with ease, accurate, and mainly COMFORTABLE! The big President feels more like an offshore spinning reel because of the long handle. Maybe I'll get used to it and it's fine for slow bait presentations. I don't know that I'd use it all day for faster lightweight baits because the cranking would fatigue you in a hurry. I didn't get a chance to compare it to my buddy's Shimano but I have a feeling the comparison would be extremely close and come down to slight personal preferences. Such as the long handle on the President. Thanks again for all the opinions guys. I'm happy with the purchase!

Yeah, I agree with that. It eventually cuts down on the rod performance and wears the line faster. The only thing that would concern me with using electrical tape as a rod protector is having a rod sitting in the hot summer sun. Electrical tape tends to leave a residue when it gets really hot. I would hope the tape would not peel off any of the lettering on the rod. Just as a precaution, I would recommend changing the electrical tape every time you re-spool line just to get into a habit. That way, you have a fresh tape strip to prevent the tape degenerating on your rod.

Here's a quick "Tip of the Day" for you do-it-yourself types like me. I noticed that my new Avid rods are getting tiny scratches from treble hooks and I don't like spinnerbait blades knocking against the rod either when I have baits secured at the bait keep. So I came up with this quick idea to help protect my rods. I used a simple peice of quality vinyl electrical tape. The tape doesn't damage the rod, easy to remove, and helps keep small scratches off my rods. Here is a picture of what I am talking about: If anyone knows of a reason this is not a good idea.....let me know. I posted this in the "rods" forum because I felt it was more appropriate here. Please move if needed. Tight lines guys! ;D

I bought one of those tandem blade buzzbaits (the ones that are side by side) and it just looks like I'm dragging the "Memphis Belle" across the top of the water. It's HUGE! I bought it more of a gag than an actual bait. I tied it on one morning (my buddy is a huge buzzbait fan) and I said I was "Gunning for the big ones!". He rolled his eyes of course and that big buzzbait makes a lot of noise. It's too much. If you have a pond or lake that is full of big monster bass and the water is dirty and stained with little visability.......this is your bait. Otherwise, it will make 1-2lb bass run for their bomb shelters because there is a big bomber circling over-head.

That's what I'm thinking of doing. Just wanted to know if it was worth doing. I read that a pro only uses the nickel Johnson minnow on sunny days and the gold on cloudy days because the chrome had too much flash. I tend to agree. Know where I can buy just blades?

Has anyone ever used nickel spinnerbait blades? By nickel, I mean a dull smoky type balde. If you took a silver blade and made it tarnish to a dark grey tone.....that kind of nickel. Just like the Johnson Silver Minnow. I fish really clear water and I think the nickel blade will be just the right color blade for clear water and spooky bass that have seen a few hundred spinnerbaits. I think it will almost give it a clear or semi-translucent profile since it offers little to no flash but I still get the vibration and action. I think it will look more natural. Does anyone know of a bait such as this or anyone that makes them?

The fish in my picture to the left was caught on a tri-blade buzzbait. I think it was a Strike King. White skirt dipped in red dye and with a trailer hook. ALWAYS use a trailer for the short strikers. This white buzzbait caugh 13 of the 14 bass I caught that day on a private pond including this 4-5lb bass. It has a quieter sound since it has three prop blades instead of two prop blades. Some tell me the clackers are the noisiest and the best, other times I think the quieter ones are better. I tried a louder buzzbait on that pond in a yellow skirt and I got nothing. Went back to the quieter buzzbait in white and caught more fish. I missed a few hooksets and some jumped and got off. I would have caught about 17 that day on a small pond. Some days buzzbaits work when the fish are aggressive and other days, they won't touch it. There wasn't much topwater activity that day but the buzzbait was very productive.

You now is a Pflueger Mook, and we are outnumbered. big time : I don't always buy into name brands. I usually like to spend a ton of money trying to see it the other fellow is right before I buy the name brand.... (just kidding) Actually, I bought strictly on personal experience with Pflueger and so far, I'm impressed again. One day, I'll step up to a Shimano if I get really comfortable with spinning reels. I'm still a baitcast junkie. I can throw one all day and be happy.

What about this: "Hi_Dollar_Hooker"... Nope, that just makes you sound like a rich (ryhmes with cut). Well, with all of those Steez rods, I guess you would be! Just kiddin' LBH. I just got my first President in today. I'm about to go put it on my Avid rod. It was a monumental moment for me.....now I just feel cheap. THANKS! ;D

The new Pflueger reel arrived today. It sure is pretty! ;D My buddy just got a Shimano Sedona so I'll compare the two this weekend and let you know the difference. So far, there is no slack in the anti-reverse, the bail is balanced well, it's smooth as melted butter due to the 9 ball bearings, and the drag has a broad range of adjustment without being too broad. The extra spool is nice too. I'm happy with it so far. I hope to give it a good test this weekend if the weather holds up. Thanks again guys for all the help!

No comparison between spinning reels and baitcasters. Tight Lines!!! That's true I guess. Never thought about it that way. His baitcaster is a lower end Shimano too I believe.

Thanks for the info. I agree that the Cardinal is a lower end reel compared to the others. It was just in my price range and I have one so that's why it made it in the list. As far as the difference between Pflueger and Shimano, I bought what I already have experience with. The only Shimano I've had experience with is my buddy's baitcaster. I'm not impressed with it. I am impressed with my Pflueger microspin so I went with it. I'm sure it will all work out fine. I would have stuck it out a bit longer and probably gone with the Shimano but there was a hole burning in my pocket and I couldn't take it anymore. I really wanted the Pflueger after I read some reviews on it so as soon as the votes were close, I acted on it. As RW was thinking.....if I had only waited! Next time, I'll wait a bit longer.

The Falcon original in a 5'-6" rod (if you can find one) is a great choice. My buddy has a 6' original trigger rod and it's a great little rod. Light, sensitive, great for accurate casting.

Cough..... Go easy on the big rods! I used to hold the rod ahead of the reel to feel the line. Sometimes I still do depending on which rod I have. If I do that on the St Croix rods, I loose sensitivity. I can feel more holding them at the grip with the St Croix. I was told that you can get your fingers cut holding the line that way.

Yeah when I ordered last night, the President was only behind like 3 votes. One of which was my original vote. Now it's way behind. Another thing that convenced me to go with the President is I talked to a friend that has one. He absolutely loves it. He said it's his best reel. My buddy has a Shimano baitcaster and it just feels rough and not very smooth in the gears. He thinks it's smooth but I actually felt it was a bit rough. If I go with a Shimano in the future, I think I'll at least get the Stradic. My main objective was to stay as close to the $50 gift certificate price range. The wife & budget are still upset with my fishing habits. So I got a new reel for $10.00 so it's all good. Next time I do a poll, I'll wait a bit longer on the trigger finger before purchasing. I got excited and the baitmonkey was too!

Thanks a lot guys! I appreciate the advice. I ordered the Pflueger President in a 10lb model. Even though it's not winning in the poll right now, I am very satisfied with my current Pflueger ultralight reel so I went with what I know. I did read through many reviews at Cabela's and the President had about 49 reviews and a 4.7 out of 5 rating. The Symetre only had like 29 reviews and a 4.6 out of 5 rating. There were only less than 3 or 4 people not that impressed with the President and there were more than that with the Symetre. It was a selling factor for me. Plus, that Pflueger reel is drop dead gorgeous! It's a nice reel and having 9 bearings vs. 4 did also sell me. So for a $9.95 total, it will be arriving next week! That's right! Only $9.95 because I got free shipping, and I had a $50 gift certificate at Amazon.com. Plus I get a free Pflueger gear bag if I pay for shipping. Not a bad deal. I can't wait to put this new reel on my new St. Croix rod and go try it out! Thanks again guys! I always respect the opinions here from much more experienced anglers.

I used to use pistol grips. When I was a kid, that's all I wanted. Now, they are uncomfortable to me because everything is strictly in your hand and you can't use your arm or wrist to help support the rod when needed. I've got an Ugly Stik rod that sits in the corner of my garage. It will most likely stay there. I don't care if I even used it for catching catfish.....I am now converted to the longer shaft handle.

So why fiberglass over graphite? My new Avid rod says "CRANKBAIT" on it and it's a 6'6 medium action rod. The tip is a bit softer than my cheaper medium action fiberglass rods. Then again, I could never actually feel the bait hitting the bottome before on the cheaper fiberglass rods. Now I can with the St. Croix. I can tell if it hits weeds, rocks, if it's wobbling correctly, etc. What's the deal?

I've read the online reviews of the reels selected above on BassPro.com and I am leaning towards the Shimano name and the features they brag about. I have a Pflueger micro spin and I love it! It's a great little reel. I have an Abu Garcia Cardinal and it's pretty decent. The drag is a bit over-sensitive on the Abu but it's still good quality. A bit heavy too. So, I have experience with Pflueger and Abu but none with Shimano. I don't want to buy a Shimano just because of the brand name. That's like buying a GLoomis while knowing nothing about them & just because they are expensive. I want to buy a quality reel for a lowered budget. I want to use this reel on a 6-7ft rod for lighter tackle on 10lb Yozuri hybrid. Flukes, jigs, plastics of all sorts, small spinnerbaits, topwaters, etc. A good all around light tackle use. I'd prefer a lighter weight reel if possible. Thanks guys! You opinions always help justify my baitmonkey.....I mean peace of mind! ;D