Rick Howard

Spinner.

Yes Tom, they are gizzard shad.

I'm on my way to my Walmart right now! Hooks for buck!

Thanks all.

Sorry, Bill. I have hijacked your thread.

Well ask me questions in the PM any time. If I have an answer I will gladly share it. They are fascinating critters to me also. By chance, are you trying to manage a property for game birds?

Sam, I was typing while you posted your response. Thank you and some very good information. I had no idea about the Alabama fans. Maybe you can explain better . I just got done with work too so... Ima try some fishing.

I had a feeling this might be true. I try to consider the source of my information though. I try to pay particular attention to northern fisherman because of this. Again most of the articles are written about natural lakes. So I try to apply the information to see what works for me. The river I fish is an outlet for a pretty well known lake. It is not very deep. In most areas the deepest spots are 10-15 feet. It does get deeper than that in some areas but on average 10-15 feet is max. There are some deep holes around. Most often those are occupied by other anglers (this in not a complaint). Also the current is almost non existent in most of the river. Near locks and damns you find it and near some bridge pilings you see some but the rest of the river is very slow moving. I find the wind more influencing than current most places here. I suppose when I opted to leave out the reasons of why I choose to fish a spot was a bad choice. As it is likely to be a very important part to answering my first question. I have been focusing my efforts on submerged holes, humps, rock piles, brush, trees. boats, and old bridges. Though my source of finding the fish of late is green weeds. They are few and far between but I do find some still. We have shad in the river. I can see that shad all over the green weeds. I fish the edges of those green weeds and shad trying to pick up the bass that might following the bait fish. A slow retrieve with a a shad colored spinner bait or tube have been my searching tools. I am new to fishing the tube but it has been good to me. I really like its versatility in presentation. I normally switch to the tube when I see a bass follow my spinner but not eat it. I have found success picking up that fish or one that was around its location using the tube like a jerk bait. I cover water pretty good. I fish stretches of structure and or cover then move on to the next. I also fish small spots with structure and/or cover. I can catch multiple fish in a day by doing this but I have a very hard time catching multiple fish on the stretch. I am left scratching my head wondering what I did wrong to not catch more than one fish of a 50 feet of green weeds. Maybe that is normal for fall fishing here.

I just had to make sure. For some reason I come across this subject often. People have a notion about coyote and when it is challenged by fact they get pretty heated lol. There is a lot of myth around coyote hunting. Some of its portrayed by the hunters themselves. Most of them like to think they are doing a service with good intent (they are normally new hunters). Others just know that if they pitch hunting as a service it will grant them access to land. The key is in the details of a coyote and without covering the biology of coyote its hard to answer fully. I don't think you want to read my dribbling about coyote behavior and biology so my answers may seem vague. Coyote learn to fast and they are too keen to be fooled by sustained hunting techniques to make a meaningful difference over time. There is a reason the coyote setup shop in one location and not another. If you determine that what the reason is and remove it... they will likely leave. That is not always doable. I would not tell a cattle rancher to remove his cattle from the land to alleviate himself of coyote. Maybe it a geological feature that just is not practical to remove either. But if you can remove this hypothetical reason, than you stand a good chance of getting rid of your problem coyote, at least in part. Most people think of killing a coyote as reducing the population in the area by 1. The truth is different. If that coyote is a transient than a new one will fill that void quickly. If it were part of a family unit "pack" than it will be a short lived deduction too. You still have the rest of the family unit there and a new member will join the team and fill the void soon. A professional trapper ensures that a trap will continue to work 24/7 365. This is better than any form of hunting effort. A trap works where you can not discharge a firearm also. I am not saying the good hunters can not make a difference but the impact will likely be short lived or unnoticeable. Where as a qualified trapper and if possible some land management will make a significant difference. For the record I am not a trapper. I have been calling coyote for 16 years though. This will be my 17th year in January. I get calls on occasion from land owners that heard from a friend of a friend that I may be able to help them with some coyote. I give them the phone number of a trapper who certainly can. I am very confident in my ability to call and kill coyote. Some might say I am good at it. I still know that I am limited in regards to how much impact I can have.

Being a rookie to fishing after Labor Day, I have been reading about about fall fishing since Labor Day. I learned some things and confirmed some of my suspicions. Most of the articles mention that once you find the fish you should be able to catch multiple fish in that area. I must be missing something. I am going to skip why I am fishing the spot and bait selection and get to the part when I actually catch a fish . Once I catch a fish I thoroughly fish that area trying to recreate the previous bite. When that fails I mix up presentations and baits and cover all the available structure and cover around. Still... Seems I can only manage one fish. What gives? What am I missing? I do not have electronics on my boat. I know, I know I am missing out. I have been eyeballing a HumminBird Helix 7 with DI/SI. I've been doing my homework on that front. Honestly though, I fish the same river all the time. Been fishing it since I was 2 years old. My old man has fished it for 65+ years and has taught me what he knows about the river. I am not suggesting that electronics would not be helpful or show me some new stuff. But in order to go out and have a good day fishing, the need for electronics has not been here. I have plans to fish some new water though. This got me thinking on a few things. How would I know where to fish in these places. The first answer was not electronics. Clearly electronics would be the an answer though. For sake of a topic lets thrown throw depth finders out. Maps are a given so lets throw those out as well. What are some natural indicators to finding fish? I have a small list of things I look for. I would like to pick the brains of others to add to my list... For the record, I am not trying to avoid buying a fish finder, debating the benefits of a fish finder, suggesting that there is a better alternative to a fish finder. My purpose is to learn some more about fishing while sitting on my couch cause I can't go fishing. 1) Visible cover 2) Boiling Bait Fish 3) Fish eating birds 4) Fish feeding at the surface

I like the colors. I would fish those.

I am not going to argue. If what your doing works for you than keep it up. If you want to actually hear the merits of what I said I will share.

Thank you.

Managed to sneak out for a bit today.... This and a few pickerel were it....

I've been struggling but here are a few from a recent outing.

Thank you all.

Some serious tackle.

Muskie! Boy if I'm tieing a c-note on my line to catch those tooth monsters I would want a serious piece of string. You might want to ask how these things run with a steel leader.

Thank you folks

One of my favorite bait is a Rapala Original Floating Minnow F 11 or 13. I am looking for an alternative though. I use it as a top water bait most often so floating is a requirement. Also would like it to throw well on a baitcaster. I have tried some poppers and spooks but they are not the same. I think the bill makes the lure run the way I like. Also If there is something more weedless that would be a bonus.

Ramen noodle are cheap man. Throw a slice of cheese in it for a change up. 30 packs of keystone... Buy the tackle ya want All kidding aside there were some bulk deals in the flea market on this forum.

Thank you fellas.

I have been going through old tackle boxes of mine. Been laid up sick for a bit so it has helped pass some time. I came across these. I don't ever recall using them but pops and I had them in some of our old tackle. Anyway... I assume they are meant to buzz across the top of the water.... I'm gonna tie up some new skirts and give them a try. Anyone know what they are called? Have any info?

Lol... I'm in good hands

My past 20 years of purchases were small. Every few years a rod and reel combo to replace one that needed replacing, a pack of plastic worms or other expendables here and there... replace a lost spinner, floating minnow, or buzz bait. I recently moved into our summer cottage and am converting it into a year round home. So it's kind of a fishing expenditure... Just don't tell Mrs. H that lol. So.... I had to expand my equipment for the extra fishing time that the future holds. 2x Fenwick eagle casting rods 2x gander mountain casting reels (cork handle model) Fenwick hmx casting Rod Abu Garcia Ora casting reel Fenwick eagle spinning rod Pflueger president spinning reel Pflueger supreme spinning reel O yeah. Bought a boat. It's an oldie. 79 glastron with 115 Johnson. I strapped a 70lbs Minn Kota edge tolling motor on the bow. It beats the row boat with a 9.5hp Johnson that sometimes worked. Other than some jig making supplies my tackle purchases have been the same. Although, Since joining this forum I have seen a few things I might want to try. I know a fella who started making rods.... We talked.... I'm doomed.....