Craw

Fishing with different people can accelerate the learning process and make us all around better fisherman. That alone is reason enough to fish with all the people we can. Every now and then someone might grate our nerves a little bit but rest assured that it happens to everyone at all levels of the sport. It's really frustrating when the bite is slow. I think it's just a necessary evil that must be endured unless we choose to fish alone. I enjoy going alone but I wouldn't want to all the time.

I doubt that upper level management at Yamaha sent down any directives for their sales and service people to purposely mislead consumers about the phasing out of 2 stroke engines. Sales people in particular will tell us anything to sell THEIR product. They tend to grab bits and pieces of information about the products they sell and fill in the gaps to appear "expert" when dealing with us. You are to be commended for doing your own research into this. If everyone took it upon themselves to get more acquainted with the products or services they were about to buy then it's these types of sales people who would be phased out. I switched over to a 4 stroke Yamaha 2 years ago and I'm very pleased. Personally I don't know of any inherent advantages of a 2 stroke but hey, people like what they like. There's no doubt about it, someone was jerking you around but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Yamaha over it. This type of thing goes on everyday with lots of different products belonging to all different companies.

Fine job! I'll bet you saved a ton of money buying used and fixing up. Awesome! Thanks for the pictures.

Good to have you! Welcome.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1154255314 Here's a link from a few weeks ago. I'd suggest reading the old threads in "General Bass Fishing" and you should find everything you need. Good luck with your night fishing. There's nothing like it!

Here in Va. I'd say... Smallmouth-3lbs is bottom line -4lbs is braggin size -5lbs is trophy size Largemouth-4lbs is bottom line -6lbs is braggin size -8lbs is trophy size Here in my area of Va. many more trophy smallies are caught than largemouth. These trophy smallmouth are mostly caught from our 2 main river systems, New River and James River. Personally I think "trophy size" for largemouth is set a bit to high. Length is also now accepted for trophy status. 20" for smallmouth and 22" for largemouth. This is somewhat more realistic for largemouth now in my area. JMHO

My dad bought us a house on the river and it all took off from there. He would give me money for tackle and such and even bought us a canoe for float trips. He let me rip and tear up and down that river all I wanted. Years later he bought us a jon boat and we started going together in it alot. Now we have 2 jon boats and an 18' Ranger to fish out of. He enjoys hunting more I think but he has always been pleased that I was really into fishing. He's my hero!

I'd have to say that right now I'd buy all new rods and reels. Mine are worn out!

Welcome to the site. There is absolutely a direct connection between seasonal movements and water temp. There is no magic degree mark to determine fish movements but general temp. ranges are a great place to start. As far as I know this works all over the country. Hence the old saying, "A bass is a bass is a bass."

Believe me, they feed at night. For sure!

Like you, I check out the solunar tables to find out peak activity periods during the day. For years I have done this and I always compare the charts with my success(or lack of) on the water. Sometimes the charts prove to be pretty close and sometimes not. I liken it to reading my horoscope. I don't buy into it but it's kinda fun. To be quiet serious though, I absolutely believe that the larger fish become MUCH more aggressive during full and new moon phases. This is especially true in my experience night fishing. I can't express just how much I believe this. Getting back to the peak activity periods there's another theory you may want to read. I'm testing it out also but I need more analysis on it before I can comment on it. Here's the link http://www.joebucher.com/Articles/Article_MoonPhases.asp

I read this theory several years back and I wanted to share it with everyone and get feedback as well. It concerns choosing what depth to fish. Here goes...Tie a string to a white coffee cup(or just use a white spinnerbait) and drop it into the water until it can just barely be seen. Now measure how far it was from the cup to the surface. Multiply that by 2. Example, cup can be seen down to 4 feet. 4x2=8. The article stated that the majority of actively feeding fish could be caught from the surface down to 8 feet(by this example). Let me explain how this theory was supported. UV light penetration is able to travel 4 feet into the water to reflect off of the coffee cup and then 4 feet back up to the surface enabling the cup to be seen. Hence the light was able to travel a total of 8 feet. The theory claimed that UV light could travel a total of 8 feet down into the water column, even though the cup can only be seen 4 feet deep. UV light sets up the whole food chain. Microscopic organisms thrive in the UV light and hence the baitfish feed on those and the bass feed on the bait. The article stated that there was a very low percentage of success to fish any deeper than the particular water clarity would allow UV light to travel. This same senario is supposed to apply whether you can see the cup at only a foot deep or 15 feet deep. Drop the cup into the water until it's barely within sight, multiply by 2 and fish lures in that particular depth range. I believe it was an article by Larry Nixon in an old Bassmaster. He was talking about how the pros eliminate dead water. I want to know what all of YOU think. I'll go on record and say that since I read that it has stayed with me for a number of years. Sure I've caught fish deeper than I was supposed to and in the article he even said that I would. He claimed that the bass would sometimes venture into areas deeper than UV light could travel but he said that in order to survive the bass couldn't inhabit these areas for long. I thought(and still do) it was one of the best articles that I've ever read and I think It's a great place to start on any body of water. Like any other rule, it has exceptions but as I've heard some of you guys say, "Bass don't live by rules, they live to survive."

Unless I'm mistaken, at least a dozen state record bass came from farm ponds. Big fish are wherever you find them.

I think of myself as an "area fisherman". I like to find areas that I believe hold concentrations of fish and work the different patterns within that area. Example...upper end of my home reservoir. Within the confines of this area I will fish the flats, channel ledges and high percentage shoreline cover. If I find fish at a particular spot on a channel ledge I don't run all over the lake looking for channel ledges. I stay in my area(upper end). I work the spot as best as I can and I lay off it for a little while. I'll most likely continue working on down the ledge to find other prime spots but I may head over to the big flats to try and pick off a couple fish or hit some shoreline. I will absolutely return to the channel ledge that yielded fish earlier and probably several times and I'll comb it with several lures from several angles. Fall will be here soon and I'll be following the bait around in the creeks. Whatever section of creek the bait are using on a particular day will be my "area" and I'll fish it the same way.

I am very fond of some of the Berkley products. I use their worms(7" and 10") and their grubs(3"). I use very dark colors for worms and for grubs I use white, black and pumpkinseed. I've used them both for a long time and I've been very happy with them.

1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu EWG is what I've currently been using for the wacky rig. I plan on trying some Circle Octopus Hooks when I get some Orings.

Hey Handy, even seemingly featureless bottoms are likely to have some type of irregularity. Comb the bottom by dragging a t-rigged worm and see if you can find any of these spots. It doesn't have to be anything huge. If there is anything different at all from the surrounding area then the fish will relate to it. You could also place your own fish attracters in these pits. They were running a good thread about that on this site not long ago.

Pitching is all in your body mechanics. The best way to learn it correctly is to watch someone who is an expert and copy what they do. After that it's up to you to spend time off the water practicing it in the yard or driveway or wherever. If you don't learn it correctly then you can damage your shoulder, elbow or wrist during a long day of fishing. When you really get it down pat you will get maximum distance with minimal wear and tear on your joints. You will also be capable of skipping baits under docks and overhanging branches and such.

RYANm, when you fish the Senko t-rigged it will dart around with short twitches of the rod tip. To make the bait dart correctly you need to throw slack to the Senko after each twitch. This is the same way to fish Flukes, Slug-Gos and other soft plastic jerkbaits. The magic of the Senko is its rather quick rate of fall compared to other soft jerkbaits. When you pause the Senko on slack line it will never fall quite the same way twice. Lots of strikes will occur while it's falling. If it settles to the bottom without a strike then twitch it again and make sure you throw it slack so it can do its thing. Try not to ever let the bait fall on a tight line. When you fish the Senko wacky style you want a horizontal fall. When the bait hits the water give it a twitch or two and throw it some slack and you can achieve a perfect horizontal fall nearly everytime. Small twitches of the rod tip will make the Senko wiggle and appear to be alive. Allowing the wacky rigged Senko to fall all the way to the bottom will cause some hang ups so I try and keep it from touching down. The wacky rig has been so effective for me that I just try and fish it deep enough that I can't see it. You know, that zone in the water where your bait just begins to go out of sight. Anyway...I hope this will help and good luck with your Senko fishing.

Hello broncoboxer. Welcome! You will love it here.

I hate to admit it but I went to court last summer for fishing a restricted area. The courtroom was full of game wardens and fishermen who had broken all sorts of laws. I don't know how many times a month that the game wardens bring their cases to court but if that day was any indication then they are certainly doing their job. The judge could have really put the screws to me but he let me off with a small fine and some friendly advice. All Fish and Game laws are in place for the well being of everyone. If fishing is a serious passion for us then the laws must be obeyed or the privilege can be taken away. I'm sure that here in Va. we have our share of violators but I trust the wardens to weed them out. They caught me right in the middle of the week at 4am. Now I fish as if there's a warden in the boat with me!

Thank you all for the work you do on this site. I absolutely love it!

Chug Bug, I pulled both of them up on-line and like you, it sounds like a no brainer to me. That Tracker is SWEET! Your partners will thank you for the dual console. I have fished a jon boat for the last 20yrs. but Dad has a Ranger that he lets me use whenever. I prefer my jon. I just don't get excited about name brands or monster horsepower. Sounds like you've done your research so get what YOU want. I went thru the same headaches when I was shopping for a truck two years ago. When I finally drove that big 3/4 ton Dodge off the lot it sure was worth all the trouble. By the way...I fought with the dealership for six months before I bought it. Great learning experience but it was a headache. Good Luck

Shwagy357, I've got a 16' flatbottom and I just switched a Minn Kota "FLW" out for a Motor Guide "Tour". Both are 12V and right at 54lb thrust. Also both are foot controlled. I love the Motor Guide! It was expensive but well worth it. Mine has a metal foot pedal and is similar to the Evinrude that I sold with my old 14' jon. Now that was a good trolling motor! I've only had my new Motor Guide for a few weeks but I love it so far.

You picked 3 excellent baits to begin with. I'll try and answer your questions in order. What structure-all 3 of these baits excel in shallow water but the action they have will draw fish from very far away. When the fish are aggressive they will appear out of nowhere to attack these baits. Most people just cast them around shoreline cover but you can work them around structure also. Work them around points, over shoals and across breaklines. Basic retrieve-I like to begin by working these baits aggressively and then slowing down if I need to. The bread and butter retrieve is to cast the bait out and work it back with quick jerks. The most important thing to do is throw the bait slack after every twitch of the rod tip so it can dart erratically. It's the unpredictable movement of these baits that make them so effective. Use your wrist to apply these twitches and experiment with different rhythms until the fish tell you what they want. A standard cadence would go like this...jerk, jerk, pause jerk, jerk, pause. By varying the speed and intensity of the jerk and the length of the pause you can create all different types of action. You can keep the bait moving at a pretty good pace or twitch it a couple of times and then let it sink slowly to the bottom. All 3 of the baits you've selected have a natural baitfish profile and can draw strikes when doing nothing at all. The Senko in particular will get clobbered when sitting perfectly still. When snapping the rod tip to give these baits their action, I like to keep my rod down. Either snap the tip down or out to the side. Sometimes I will hold my rod tip high also. This will keep the bait just a little higher in the water column and will keep the belly out of your line if current is an issue. When strikes occur-for me, the best part about these lures is that you will see the majority of strikes. The bass are likely to hit the bait at any time during the retrieve so ALWAYS have your rod in position to make a quick hookset. I hope this helps. Once you get these baits out to the pond you spoke of for testing, I think you will be impressed with how they look. During your quest to learn about all the great soft plastics available keep this in mind...The Fluke, Slug-Go and Senko are in a different catagory than the plastic worm, craw and other such plastics. Worms and such are uaually weighted and dragged or hopped accross the bottom. Good Luck