fullcoupe

I have a Ranger RT178 aluminum and I want to put some sort of anchor system on it. I absolutely hate trying to fight drift with the trolling motor, it frustrates me and then I'll end up leaving a pocket of fish to go find calmer water. Anyways, I told myself I would do it last year, and the cost really drove me away - but I've saved a few tokens and now I'm looking at options again. First...for a 17' boat, is there any advantage of getting two anchors? Has anyone here ever bought one and wished they had gone with two? Having never used (or been on someone's boat that has) power anchors, I've really never felt how they handle when planted. Thinking about it logically - I would assume the boat will still rotate with the wind direction with 1 anchor down; having 2 would keep the boat in any position regardless of wind? Second are the models. I dislike the Talons because I feel they would get in the way. My boat is cramped in the front for two; normally I'll have someone fishing the back and I could just see that being annoying to get around.The price point I like is the 8' PP Sportsman. Anyone familiar with this one? Any significant difference between the 8' Pro Series and the 8' Sportsman? My third thought (bearing cost in mind), would a programmable trolling motor be a rational substitute for an anchor? I.e. the MK Power Drive, could you set that to maintain a spot and forget it? I'm just thinking a $100 trolling motor upgrade vs. $3000 in anchors....

Nice, yeah it's my first Lew's and I love it so far. Can't wait to get some heavy braid on it and start tossing frogs. Worm and punch weights. No picture, but finally got my rods in! 7' 4" M Abu Vendetta2 - Spinning 7' 2" MH Abu Ike Series - BC Sold my old Revo SX spinning reel, and got the new(er) Revo STX to put on the Vendetta... Done spending for a while!

It's 88 here. Socal got hyped for this crazy El Nino storm season, people buying sandbags and boarding up their windows and s**t. We got spit on for three days and now it's summer. Not complaining, it could be 8 degrees - but some steady rain would be nice. Our lakes will be sandboxes before long, some of them already are!

Haul 2 out of 3. Just waiting on 2 rods. Organizing most of this today, will be out on the water tomorrow!

Recent haul. Making up for the last two "sober" years where I didn't get anything but the necessities - line, hooks, and weights. Doing a reorg for a lot of my baits so picked up some new boxes - one of which is a 3700 Bait Coffin that'll store most of my terminal tackle (I might end up with one more). Love that box so far, feels so nice and solid compared to my old beaten up Planos. Got the Lew's Super Duty 8:1 specifically to handle my topwater/frogging with heavier braid. My Curado and Revo SX don't seem to like it after a long day. Actually almost hit the 'buy' button on a Revo Rocket, but couldn't bring myself to spend that much...luckily Overall it's about 1/3 of what I have on the list for this season. 1 more reel will be coming soon, 2 rods, jigs, spinnerbaits, a few frogs (if there is anything I don't need more of, its friggin frogs), buzzbaits, and more plastics.

On a heavy punching setup with a trailer, I always consider a black and blue setup. Hi-vis and usually produces well when I'm moving through thick hyacinth and reeds. I like to 'think' that fish can target it right away. In some cases I might favor black jig with a red/oxblood trailer to imitate a craw. If I'm just fishing a straight jig, I'd probably go for PB&J or green pumpkin.

Looking for a thicker mil, clear zipper bag for use with soft plastics - similar to this: (http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Strong-Resealable-Zipper-Shipping/dp/B00CYRYQWK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1455000319&sr=8-10&keywords=heavy+duty+zip+lock+bag+wide) ...but needs to be at least 8" wide. Searched amazon, uline, TW, turners...can find a lot of stuff in the narrow sizes, but nothing really wide. I've been using regular Ziploc bags but the oil on the baits usually breaks them down after a few months... Anybody use anything unique for this purpose?

I like the rage tail craws, color matched (as close as possible) to the skirt color. The rage tail chunks also work good depending on the size of the jig. I seldom use finesse jigs, but when it gets difficult sometimes I'll switch from a swim jig to a finesse (presented slower with more time on the bottom) and I'll get a strike or two. I think mine aren't very heavy at all, I remember it taking them a little bit to hit the bottom - then I'd just focus on keeping it there with very slow movements. With jigs in general, I tend to target deep dock pilings where fish are always idle. In your case it sounds like its worth giving a try if the bite has been slow. Good luck on the tourney!

It is my current favorite frog and I've fished a lot of frogs. In contrast to what others are saying, I find all the R2S frogs are softer than most and I like that. I bend the hooks outward a little to help with the hook sets, and sometimes I add a little weight to the back to get it to 'pop up' like a lengthier frog would. I've had a handful of misses on it, but I think that goes for 99% of frog applications anyways. Last year I fished the SPro, the Jackall Iobee, the Livetarget (bullfrog) and the Snag Proof (Ish model I think) and none of them had the action or versatility that the R2S had, in my opinion. The Spittin Wa is a good all-around frog for sparse to moderate cover/mats - but in really thick/dense stuff, I would lean towards something a little heavier to give more presence - the R2S is on the lighter side, even in the larger size. My best frog strikes are when the bait starts by making a racket (which this frog is excellent at), then (like primetime said) work it back with a slow walking retreive. I would recommend it, good luck!

Q1: What you're describing just sounds like a standard issue swim jig with a rattle. How big are the trailers? Are they specific 'chunk' type trailers (2-3" in length), or are they full-size baits? It really depends how much hook shaft those rattles are taking up. A shorter trailer would be the best option because they're more compact, and you could probably keep the rattles in place. Q2: If the plastics are old you can usually tell as soon as you insert the hook - the plastic will be gunky and the hook will want to just tear right through it. This is normally a result of heat exposure. If you run a hook through it and it stays put, they should be fine. Q3: No. If you have 25, I say fish 'em till they disintegrate

Likewise. About the only time they come out for me is in windy conditions. I have about a dozen.

There's a few terminal items that I use constantly - 2/0 to 5/0 EWGs, bullet weights (1 or 2 sizes), round drop shot weights and line pegs. These are in a small Plano "mini-magnum" style box that stays up front with me on the boat. Then I have a two larger Plano boxes (3600 I believe) that has fixed dividers for the rest of my stuff. I put a sheet of cardboard on the underside of the lid, and on that I have a layout map of what every compartment has. I like the system of different boxes, because If I find that I'm using a lot of finesse hooks, for example, I can easily just swap it out or add them to the smaller box and have them immediately handy for the remainder of the day.

1 - Red bug Zoom 6" trick worm (T-rig or D/S) 2 - Dirty plum 5" Senko (weightless or wacky) 3 - Storm arashi squarebill in black/char (size 5) 4 - Lucky craft LV500 in American shad 5 - River2Sea spittin' wa frog in dirty white (size 70)

Most 'steel' bullet weights that are out there are usually a stainless or a form of stainless, so I don't know that you'd have a problem with rust. I might paint them for visibility or bait-matching (if that matters to you). I didn't like the cost of tungsten at first either, however I did make the switch last year and it is truly night and day in terms of sensitivity. I was extremely nervous at first about losing them, but I just made a conscious effort to tie strong knots and to put everything back when I took the rigs off. I think I only bought 6 for the season, and can still account for them now. Just my 2C.

My favorite is a one-knocker spook in bone color. Just one of those baits that ticks the fish off if you throw it at them enough. Sometimes it is a lot of work for little return, but they're always fun to throw and retrieve and the strikes are usually pretty insane when you get them. Last summer I used the Megabass Pop Max heavily and had good success with it. I love the action. I'll probably bring it out again this year. In mats or heavy weeds (late summer) I usually go for a frog. R2S spittin frog 99% of the time. In open water, I sometimes turn to a dark-colored Snag Proof popping frog. Really hot summer days - large buzzbait of any sort.

I think if you leave them out in the sun for a long period of time, regardless of what they're in, they'll have a tendency to melt/discolor. If you are worried about that, you could line the inside of the lid with a piece of paper or cardstock - but that sort of defeats the purpose of being able to see through it.

+2 for frogs. Fun to use, and the strikes are awesome when you get them! For most cases, anything with a bright belly...white, yellow, neon green. This makes for a good visual especially if you're working heavy mats where it's tougher to get them on the hook. If the mats aren't dense and there's open water around, I go for something darker since [it seems] the fish can probably see it better. Most important thing with frogs is action and placement. Make a racket, then pause, and repeat. My current favorite frog is the River2Sea spittin frog. I use the bream and white colors. Good luck!

I have plastics that I commonly use in a 3700 as well. I only use a couple variations/colors so it is handy to have, and I don't have to fumble around through bags or binders to find something. I do have a lot of "one-off" stuff that I'll only throw in certain scenarios or waters, and I keep all of that in a cloth speed bag. I also made these little cardboard dividers to keep specific baits together. It rarely goes with me on the boat - I'll usually take out what I need beforehand and put them in the hard box.

Been itching to pull the trigger on a Revo Rocket. The only reason I haven't yet is because I know I'll want a new rod to pair it with. Soon...... Last official purchase was a restock of plastics, tungsten weights and hooks. Even that came out to be too much...

Berkley havoc bottom hopper, 6" in redbug. 5-1. My go-to worm for a couple years now. Runner up was on the River2Sea spittin frog, in the bream color (4-4). One of my new favorites and I plan to use it more next summer!

I'll 2nd chatterbaits. Threw them every chance I got a few years back. Mine had more issues misbehaving after the cast (fouled up, tangled, etc). Between that and never getting so much as a tap on it, it was just enough already. Deep diving crankbaits. Used to carry a couple with me just in case, now I just leave them behind. Giant swimbaits. They're all the rage in Socal, I see guys with 9' surf rods and 80 lb braid fishing them in small water. They'll fish them 8 hours a day just trying to find the big one. I have one Huddleston that I got as a gift, and maybe I haven't given it that much time - but I haven't even gotten a follower on it for the hours and hours I've spent with it tied on. For the price, I'd rather pick up a handful of other baits. Just my 2C.

Don't know for certain what the temp is. I would guess around 50 just based on our recent ambient temps. I'll take a thermometer with me when I go out tomorrow. I'll also give the jerkbaits another spin and keep that in mind.

I have a few 'hidden gem' ponds that I go to year-round. Unlike some of the central/east regions, our ponds in Socal are usually shallow (6 feet would be generous) and very small in size (3/4 acre or less). I haven't waded out into the middle, but if I had to guess based on feeling, the bottoms are usually dirt/mud with a very gradual change in depth. I know there are lots of smaller bluegill and minnows present - up until October or so, I saw them in numbers in 1'-2' of water. So I can pull bass out of these ponds regularly in the spring and summer, nothing large, but up to about 3 lbs. I've been trying to fish them recently, though, and haven't had any luck. I've switched to normal winter tactics that I'd employ on any other reservoir or lake - slower presentations and in deeper water. I've been throwing 6" T-rigged worms and weightless Senkos at a crawl, suspending jerkbaits, 3/8 oz jigs with trailers, and most recently larger flukes on a drop shot. Most of the structure is at or close to the shore. The thing that all of these ponds have in common is that a FOREST of reeds usually surround part of the shoreline. This prevents me from casting in certain directions, but for the most part I can cast to (and beyond) the middle of the ponds with ease. My question is - would the bass in these ponds be completely dormant because the water is so shallow? Am I wasting my time trying to fish them before spring? Is there anything else I can try to throw at them?

Both lakes can be great, but in winter they are definitely tough. Castaic has a little more in the realm of deeper drop offs, ledges, etc structure that you would normally try to target in the winter months. Good luck!

Hi everyone, Looking at booking a trip (with the boat) up to Oregon next year, probably during May or June. Three waters I'm looking at are: Tahkenitch Lake Tenmile Lake (and possibly neighboring lakes) Siltcoos Lake The primary reason I'm looking at these is because they have rental properties on the waterfront, so I can tie up each night and don't have to drive an hour to the launch each morning. Has anyone fished these lakes for bass? Are there better waters to look at, or is there a better time of year to go? Thanks!