nrowles

Assuming fishing conditions so all are equal, which is your "Go To"? Jitterbug seems to work pretty well for me.

I have fished the Central PA rivers for many years. I would like to start fishing some local lakes but I know nothing about it. What do you feel the differences are between fishing lakes and the river? Lure selection, lure presentation, edges or middle, depth, etc. One thing I can say is that the lakes have largemouth and the rivers do not. Based off my river fishing experience (I am very average skill level) I would fish the edge of lake with pretty much any lure I want (I generally use spinnerbaits, topwaters, a couple cranks, and just started using senko). With river fishing the edges I am pretty much near the bottom at all time, so I guess I would try to keep my lure near the bottom of a lake as well. Any tips here or comments/suggestions on my current thought process?

I guess I should add that these are the crystal minnow series.

Any of you guys ever use Yo Zuri Minnow Jerkbaits or know anything about them? A guy gave me these lures a few years ago but I have never used them because they look so much different than anything I generally use. He is a saltwater fisherman too so I wasn't sure if these would even be applicable to central PA rivers that I fish. Maybe these things would work for musky or walleye too?

Thanks for the responses guys.

I'm sure you get this question quite often on here, but can I get some guidance on the basics of lure selection and color based on time of year, time of day, water conditions, and any other factors that are important. I remember seeing an "easy to read" chart somewhere a few years ago but cannot find it. I'm inpatient so I tend to use cast and reel lures such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits and occasionally topwater. I guess I would be willing to start using slow retrieve lures if I knew they are what was working. I tend to fish central Pennsylvania rivers, specifically the Juniata. I am looking into starting some lake fishing as well which I know nothing about. Is lake fishing a completely different game? I guess the easiest thing would be for somebody to provide some type of chart/visual that considers the above factors if there is one available. I know the type of lure changes with the season, but does the color change with the season as well or is the color determined solely based on water clarity?

Boat is sold. Was not even on craigslist for 24 hours.

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/boa/4591869754.html

I am new to the forum and look forward to continued membership. I am considering the purchase of a 1996 Bass Tracker Pro 18 Jet 95hp. The asking price is $3200. Motor has been recently completely rebuilt and there are many newly replaced items such as seats and carpet. What do you guys on here think of this boat? I thought it seemed like a pretty sweet deal at first but after finding what I could online many say to stay away. Some say if the motor goes the boat is junk because it is too hard to replace. Some say the older trackers are cheaply made. Others really did not state why they do not like them. I currently have a 1436 jon with a 6hp motor. So I am looking to upgrade and the $3,000 is in my price range. So don't recommend boats that would cost much more. Also, I fish shallow rivers in the summer so I thought the jet would come in handy. Getting in the water to clean the intake is no big deal to me. Pros, cons, suggestions, input ?????????? Thanks.