junyer357

I think it depends on when and where more. Orange and red lures do far better for me this time of year than later in summer and fall. Also do better in More clear than muddy water. Right now id swim it and expect a bite on riprap.

Im luckY. Barely fits in garage and i mean bareLy. Garage is 96" and boat is 89" wide. It only fits if i keep it to one wall and angle it in so i cant even walk around side against wall. Been worth i though. Its 22 years old last month and still looks great.

Alot of it comes from how you take care of them too. My tools at work get wet on a regular basis as well. My routine after this happens has always been to clean/wipe them down as soon as im done with the job, spray a light coat of wd40, wipe down dry again, and then spray a cleanrag with wd40 and wipe tool with it for a super light coating on just the metal parts and let sit overnite before i put it back in toolbag. It takes just a few minutes but is worth it too keep my tools in good shape.

Im with the klein guys. I use them everyday at work and keep a pair of needlenose as my regular hook removers as well as a diag cutter for cutting hooks. I preferred the kleins over others because its just more comfortable and natural for me when its what i use at work on a daily basis. Had to remove a #2 kvd mustad treble about 2 years ago and snipped it no problem. I think as long as you get a good quality tool you will be fine. Be it klein, knipex, irwin, etc... you will be fine. My theory has always been buying a good tool once is cheaper than buying a cheap one and then a good one when it cant get the job done right.

Also search around for guys who have the money to spend upgrading every few years. May be able to find some used but still perfectly fine higher end gear in your budget.

Id do a tear down and full clean and relube. It never hurts and why risk it, especially on a new reel?

I second the lews. I have one in a 7.1 on my worm rod and want a few more when budget allows.

I normally have a coworker and fishing buddy make my spnns n buzzs. I get him to leave a few strandsbof the skirt long so it works some as a trailer as well as helps hide a stinger hook when im using one. I like a fat albert grub if i use a trailer. Id love a report on eufaula (al) for right now if yall have one. Im heading out st pattys day for the week there.

Zoom fat albert grub single tail

I used braid some on worms before moving to floro. With braid i kept having my line cut when fishing riprap n such. The floro holds up better to that as well as its close to as sensitive when the line is tight. I can also feel some as well with slack line on floro but not braid, but you have to have a close eye and sensitive finger to detect it.

I have "Time2fish" on my android phone. its a simple lunar/weather times app but its handy to have. I may have to look into the sonar one though...

Norman middle N spring craw. All time best crank for me

I agree with 5fishlimit that when you get in to the higher end companies like costa or oakley the clarity diffrence between glass and poly lenses is negligble for most people. Some rx require glass though due to strenth not being available in poly. Ive never had costas so i cant say on them (all i hear is they are great except prices though) since ive always had oakleys myself. I will say this about mine. I left a pair out at home and my lab got them and used them as a chewtoy. Boy was i ticked. And suprised. As strong of a chewer as she is the lenses were still in whole pieces. There were deeeeep tooth indentions and scratched up but not in peices. Frames not so much. My lenses before and since on the poly have been very tough as far as scratches go. Not impervious but harder than i figured.

When im fishing from the bank its usually in a private pond so my truck isnt overly far away but far enough im not going to go back n forth. I try to wear cargo pants to hold extra lures and sissors n pliers in back pockets for easy reach. I hang a few extra worm hooks or spinnerbaits on my belt loops. To carry my rods i just keep the stick jackets on them and just carry 3-4 max In my hand. I normally know what i want to use and keep it simple.

I fell in love with skip gaps for lizards and creatures. They do hold the lure on better in my experience.

Im heading to eufaula for next week and was wondering if anyone had a report. I know the ABT is there this coming sat and will be checking in on its results. Im not going to be tourny fishing, just going with a group on our yearly trip. Will be predominatly on north part of lake. Just curious on water temps, lake level, and such. Any info on if they are moving up to rocks or already going shallow is most appreciated as well.

Done that a few times. With lures and tools. Last one was i did cut the tag end but tossed the clippers in and dropped the tag end down. I think its like forgetting to put the plug in. You do this long enough its gonna happen. Idc who you are.

I find myself using 3-4 rods in grass depending on what lure and technique I am using. my everyday worm rod I prefer is an avid med-xf since it allows me to throw lighter (1/8) wights. My jig rod is a very stiff mh-f and i often use it with a tex worm and heavier weight to punch deeper. If i am throwing a wacky rig its on a med fast spinning rig. On a rare occasion i have used a heavy broomstick for ultra heavy (3/4 & up) punching and biffleheads. I will normally start off with my worm and have my wacky on standby on my first pass and then switch to a heavier approach if i feel its required. This also changes depending on the grass too. The thick mats at Guntersville require heavier gear than the grass i fish more at Weiss. As far as other gear some i use a mh rod mostly, but all (except my deep) cranks are med-mod rods since i found i miss less strikes and have a better hookup ratio on them.

Im too cheap to switch to tungsten as well but ive been tempted simply due to the lower profile size compared to lead. The plug knocker is the first thing we put back in the boat after i clean it (only time it comes off). Its the only thing in my boat that has paid for itself and done so many many times over. I broke my old one and didnt hesitate or regret spending $30 on a newer and better one!!!

Mine i cry the most over are actually a few homemade spinnerbait i only paid $3 bucks each for about 20 years ago. Its not the bait so much as the blades. They have an "ultra vibe" arrowhead blade. Similar to a traditional willow but indented some like an arrowhead at the swivel end. It is just a lil diffrent but very effective and i had a ton more confidence in them. I have searched high and low for new blades like this and come up empty. Im down to only 1 now and im too scared to throw it. Any help on locating these blades is greatly appreciated.

I knowbi should but i often forget to check my inventory before buying more lures. I end up double biying some and forgetting others. I have even gone so far as making a inventory list but i forget or lose the list

I notmally use a 6.4 for cranks to 12' as well but my deeper ones i use on either a 5.2 or 4.9 ratio. Ive always done this more for ease of use as well as how i like ti fish them. I normally use them more this time of year when temps are cooler and they are still deeper. I prefer to slow roll them as well and the lower speeds are easier for me. I pwrsonally have found it easier to speed up my retrive over slowing down. With a 6.4 its hard for me to slow down to where i like without it being uncomfortable and rythym worse than my dancing. This is why i also use a 5.2 for spinnerbaits as well alot Whrn i want to keep them slower and deeper.

ive tried searching but havent found an answer to this yet. My apologies if its been answered and im just not entering the correct words in search, but i have like the rapala knot on my cranks to give them a lil freedom to wobble a touch more. I am using more fluorocarbon line now and have stuck to what i only know as the "grigsby knot" since i saw it on his youtube video since i know it works well on fluoro. I do change out my stock round line ties to oval but i am still curious as to if anyone has used a rapala knot with fluoro.

Ive had pretty good luck overall with them. I like the prices much better than so many these days. I use mostly squarebills. I wont venture to say what works best. Thats like buying paint for the house without asking the wife first, just an arguement starter.

its been my experience there are alot of variables in how deep a crank runs, such as line size and type, retrival speed and maybe even rod action to a degree. I know in the winter i downsize my line sizes and use fluoro to get my cranks that extra bit deeper. My dad and i have fished identical lures but in diffrent colors and with the diffrence in our setups one of us may be bouncing off riprap but not the other at times. I prefer a 6'6-7' med-mod (for all but deep divers) and he prefers a med heavy fast always. I think this is why and where you can get big diffrences in running depths On the same crank. One more thing to consider is diffrences in mass production too. Some lures are simply sweeter than others identical to them. I cry when i lose one of those "proven winner" lures.