Fishin Dad

This has always been something I wondered about as well. Recently, I had some buddies hammering big crappies through the ice and gave me a call. I hopped in the truck, picked up another friend, and headed to the lake. When We got there we marked a dozen fish in the holes, but very few biters. We caught some fish, but nothing like the guys were earlier. On a whim, I came home and checked the major and minor times, sure enough, they hit the major and were going wild. Major was over...........so was the bite. I am sure it is not always that specific, but it did open my eyes a little. I will be keeping track a little more............at least I say I will?

Tom, this idea has interested me. I assume you put your trailer on (craw, chunk, etc.) then use a thin piece of worm after. Do you need to find a wider gap hook on those jigs to make room with two pieces of plastic on the hook, or does the small worm not affect hook ups. I am going to give this a try.

I would just keeping checking the bargain cave online periodically as well. There some crazy deals to be found at times. Almost like they mismatch things. I bought Abu Garcia premier reels a couple months ago for $99. Supposed to be $300. I have never had a Revo reel, but thought I would try them for that price. So you have to be selective at what will be on sale.

I love heavy weight merino wool. It is amazing. Still Insulates when wet/damp, naturally antimicrobial (I can wear it for days without any stink), soft and comfortable. It is expensive as heck, but I love it. One of the 2 products I plunge for, the other is Gore-Tex.

I jumped into a Quantum Smoke S3 last year to try. I own a bunch of Daiwa, Lews, Okuma, etc. I didn’t get a chance to use it a lot since it is an 8.1:1. I did buy it because it has a high IPT for Flippin. I tried it Flippin, pitchin, and casting a little. It performed very well. Fit my hands nicely and seemed easy to dial in. I liked the handles as well. Seems like a very quality reel. I hope Quantum can get a following. It is always nice to generate competition and spawn new ideas. I don’t consider myself a reel snob, so I am not totally brand specific. I will get a little more use out of it this next season. A lot of ice time here first.

The Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 is a great rod, but discontinued. Are you sure you can find one? This would be my choice if you can find it.

I started off with Lews as my first baitcasters. I have now moved to mostly Daiwa, however, I still really like my Lews reels and wouldn’t hesitate to fish them more. I have a couple BB1 pros, MB, and tourney pro. I use a couple in the 6.8:1 for my chatterbait and spinnerbait reels. They have been going strong for years with minimal maintenance. I did strip the threads off my tensioning cap, and Lews was awesome and sent me the parts free of charge on a 6 year old reel.

Havock, I own the MH version of that rod. It is a solid rod. I understand the desire for an all-purpose rod, but that might not be the best rod to learn on. It will be appropriate for the open water you are fishing and the techniques you are using though. I would give it a try. I would really recommend the Daiwa Tatula SV Reel for any beginner learning a bait caster (or anyone else for that matter). Can usually find them for $150 or less.

I love Seiberts dredge dock rocker for a do most jig. The hook bend helps to hold the plastic on and it skips, flips, and pitches really well. Great skirt selection and quality control. I also like *** pro series jigs. I feel they do get hung up less, they skip well, are a little more weedless, and hook fish amazingly easy.

I know. I only grabbed 2 because I figured if I did more it would tip them off or something. Glad a few of you got in on it. I know some people buy like 50 of them and then re-sell them. That annoys me. I would rather have actual fisherman grab good deals.

Cabela’s has the Abu Garcia Revo 4 Premier for $99. Its a $299 reel. I grabbed two at that price.

I absolutely love my Garmin 93 SV. Touch screen, super easy to use. Great unit. Will probably put 3 on my new boat.

Thanks. I think I would get the 6’6” medium fast. I am not sure how heavy your spoon is however. St. Croix Rods usually run a little stiffer than their rating as well. I have a 6’3” medium light for my vertical jigging rod for walleye. But we use a lot of 1/4 oz. jigs for that technique. Good luck to you. Come up to Minnesota and hit the ice this year. It is looking to be a cold winter. Yuck

I really like the Cabela’s Prodigy walleye rods ($99.99). Fishes well beyond that price range. I also like the St. Croix Eyecon and Fenwick HMG in that price range. All around that $100 or so. Living in Minnesota, I have fished quite a bit for walleye. Actually heading up to Red Lake to catch walleye through the ice in 3 days. Yes I said it..............ICE!!!

Bluegillslayer, Welcome to the best bass site! This place is loaded with info. If I wanted to catch bass and keep it simple, I would tie up a wacky rigged senko, throw a 1/2 oz. chatterbait with razorshadz trailer, and use a versatile Stanley top toad for topwater. These are all very easy techniques that allow you to catch fish. Once you are viewing this site for a while, you will have more info than you can believe. Very helpful and knowledgeable people on here. Also, Glenn and friends run a tight ship and keep this site very appropriate and friendly. Many will ask where you are from to allow more specific information for you. Good luck and tight lines!! Fishin Dad

Interesting, I don’t want to hijack this thread, but do you like it? Would it be a good Flippin reel?

What reel are you using that has a 9.3?

Thanks for posting here James. Nice to have these videos. Hope you had a successful hunt with your son!!

Thanks Tom. I was not exactly sure what you defined as no claws. Just something that moves but doesn't exactly look like claws. I have some beavers and similar. I will do some experimenting next year and see what I find out.

Tom, Can you give a couple examples of a good craw without claws. I have had bass rip off claws in a seeming attempt to get rid of them. I have also caught a ton of bass with claws (and big claws). So I want to experiment, and you have a ton more experience than most. Just wondering what you use? Thanks, FD

Yes. Both home and work. Multiple devices tried.

I have also had this happen by accident. A fish picked up my bait, and when I lifted, my line was waaaaay slack. Kept reeling and the fish was almost to the boat. I choose to set the hook when I feel a bite, and try to keep pressure on them to get em out.

I took myself off that mailing list a while ago. Holy emails Batman!!

Hey Punch, Would you be willing to share the best shops for pricing on Exprides. I really want to try one. Thanks

Only fish bad weather if there is a tournament scheduled. I have my summers off, I fish during the week and have many lakes to myself. No reason to fish in nasty weather. I have quality rain gear, goretex shoes, etc., but not my favorite to have to use it. I also hate fishing with my hands frozen for bass. I ice fish, but don’t have to cast accurately and can usually see the bite on my sonar, so I can have mittens on waiting for the bite.