Junk Fisherman

Hey Dan. You are getting a lot of good advice in this thread. Definitely use braid with a flouro leader for your Ned rig fishing. I've gone through a lot of different leader brands and my favorite is 6 lb Gamma Edge. It's a little thicker than traditional 6 lb line but it's abrasion-resistance is better than the 8-10 other brands I've used over the years. While an FG knot is probably the best knot, it is the most difficult to learn and tie. I use the Alberto knot and it is an excellent knot and much faster and easier to tie. In terms of the rod, I'd go with a ML instead of that medium for better sensitivity. Don't go too heavy with your jig- 1/16th and 1/10th is all you need. You'll probably be fishing 10' or less over the 4th. Green pumpkin goby is really all you need. Throw tubes and 4" swimbaits on a ball head jig as well. Keep moving till you find fish. I've spent a lot of time there and could give you more tips if you want. Good luck.

100% I'll never forget being a newbie and taking a little too long at the launch and having some older guy criticize me. Several times over the years I have assisted others and helped out the obvious novice. There was a guy a couple years ago launching a fish/ski that it must have been his first time launching. He didn't back down far enough (shallow launch) and was having all sorts of problems getting it off the trailer. I showed him a couple things and ended up backing his SUV down a few more feet. The guy wanted to pay me. I just told him to enjoy the day and pay it forward.

Same here. I used to be in a club and fish with guys several times a year but I fish completely by myself now that I left the club. Overall, I like being able to fish exactly how and where I want. I like listening to podcasts on the water as well. My son who's turning 10 will be getting out with me while on a family vacation this summer so hopefully he wants to start fishing with me.

Medium light is the most versatile action for spinning rods. If you're going to go heavier, use a casting outfit. Sure, there are a couple applications I could use a medium action spinning rod for but they are the exception. For my fishing, I use a light action spinning rod significantly more than a medium action. Actually, I sold the only medium action spinning rod I owned (Dobyns 763) since I own two Daiwa Steez 761 rods which have a lure range of 1/16 to 3/4. If I want a heavier rod for cracking a tube or skipping docks, I'll use one of those. Light action: 1/16th oz Ned jig, ultra-finesse swimbait Medium light: dropshot, heavier Neds, shakey, wacky, swimbait on a ballhead jig, tubes, blade baits Medium: 1/2-3/4 oz tubes, skipping docks I do use longer rods (7'4"+) which gives me more leverage for hooksets and fighting a fish when needed.

St Croix Pro Bass "Spinnerbait Sweeper" rod and a Daiwa SV TWS Chatterbait and a Swimming Fluke trailer

While I have never fished LSC, there are so many tournament recaps articles in Bass Times and I would bet there are all sorts of Youtube videos of Elite Tournaments held there that you could learn a lot before you get there. Just search for articles and videos of tournaments for the time you want to go there.

Isn't the Mat Shad the secret color that's often sold out on TW?

It's never a truly bad day if nothing breaks on the boat.

For bright conditions and very clear water I agree. For low light conditions the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror lens are awesome! To the OP- my everyday driving glasses are Suncloud which run around $50 (you can always find them on sale). I often end up wearing them fishing. They are a great value and while Costas are better they are definitely not 4 or 5x better.

I'm glad this topic was posted. I'm on vacation next week and sure enough the forecast is calling for a lot of rain on Monday and Tuesday. I hate cold, muddy water! Granted, I did have a great day last year including my PB in muddy, cold water on some riprap on a chatterbait at this exact same time of the year. I'll be there some time next week slinging chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and a big ole Dark Sleeper. Most of the year I'm fishing ultra clear water for smallies so my spring largemouth trip is usually outside my comfort zone.

Time on the water also helps you see where other people fish. Spots become community holes for a reason. I always watch where the guides and reputable fishermen are fishing. I'm far from a bent-pole fisherman but I always go back and check out places later to see why people were fishing certain spots. I'm not ashamed to say that I have found some of my best spots by investigating where others have fished once they have left a spot. Then when you go to new bodies of water you can identify spots similar to where you've had success in the past on other bodies of water. Doesn't always work but often it does.

On Lake Michigan anything from the East or North and I'm going somewhere else. Even 5 mi/hr winds from the East produces rollers and while it's not dangerous in my boat, I don't enjoy fishing in it when those rollers bounce off breakwalls and then collide with incoming waves. West or south winds and I'll go out in winds up to 20 mi/hr. Any inland lake and my max is about 25 mi/hr assuming it is calmer in the morning. I won't launch in and fight 20+ mi/hr winds all day long. That is just not enjoyable to fish in.

Green pumpkin goby Hula Sticks

I'm a Daiwa guy who owns some Shimano gear. If you've always wanted a Metanium then I recommend going with that one. You're talking about ultra high-end reels with very little performance differences. I'm a firm believer in scratching that itch and checking off boxes and it seems you've felt this way with the Metanium. You can always turn around and sell it and swap it out if you want to.

I have a couple and they are nice rods. I got them at a significant discount and would not pay full price for them. I like my Dobyns Champion rods which are in the same ballpark pricewise better.

Hit up a local fishing show today and enjoyed it. Looked at Old Town and Hobie kayaks which are cool as hell! I've known for a while that I am going to get one eventually. I should just pull the trigger on one and start fishing some small water and leave all the overfished, tournament waters alone on the weekends. I also talked to some guys I hadn't seen in a while. Fun day overall and definitely made me look forward to the start of the fishing season!

I'm there as well. I've made some small purchases at BPS a couple weeks back but that has been it for me this offseason. Buying some new tackle and multiple TW purchases has been a staple for me for about the last 20 years and this offseason I've spent around $20. I didn't have a great summer last year and my fall was quite lousy. I actually decided multiple weekends last fall to not even go which was unheard of for me in the past. And there's so many tournaments nowadays that every weekend my local tournament waters are packed. That just sucks the joy out of my fishing. I fish for solitude and enjoying nature and that is harder and harder to find where I've been fishing. I've actually been thinking about getting a smaller boat in the future to fish some of the non-tournament waters I used to but cannot any longer due to my boat size. I still have my trips lined up for this year and we'll see how those go. I know when I get to my favorite lakes I'll be excited. Hopefully, I have some good days and the fire returns.

That's awesome! My wife and kids went there (I was fishing that day) and they loved it. We plan on getting a home in the Charlevoix/Petosky area in 5 years or so which is where I'll spend my April to November every year when I retire. So much to explore in that area- fishing, hiking, biking, ect...

Is that Sleeping Bear Dunes?

Without getting into the ethics behind it, what if the boat owner said it was his equipment? I believe I have 5K of insurance on my tackle which would not cover a nonboater's gear in addition to mine but if it was another boater's fault their insurance would cover it. It's a shame in the case of the OP's situation that the guilty boater's insurance would not cover the nonboater's gear. Wonder if that was something that could be handled in small claims court.

So, where have you fished and where do/did you fish best? Chicagoland, Central/Southern IL, Southern Wisconsin, Door Co Wisconsin, and Northern Michigan. I have done the best in Northern Michigan which I attribute to having the best fisheries and I'm simply better than I was in the past. It's easier to look like a fishing rockstar when you're fishing fantastic fisheries the majority of which do not receive the same pressure that urban fisheries do.

3-26-24 largemouth 22.5" 6.6 lbs (Chatterbait) I've caught 2 6 lbers the last two years during this week while on spring break on the same shoreline. I will definitely be back there this year. 6-7-24 smallmouth 22" 5.9 lbs (tube) I've caught many over 4 lbs , multiple over 5, and one over 6 off the same rockpile on a lake up north. My wife has instructions to spread my ashes there if I go before her.

I've heard that the SP is going to be discontinued in the future which I think is a shame. That Caracal SP layout is one of the best if not the best in the bassboat market. At least if it is continued it will make my next boat decision quite easy- the Lund Pro V Bass. And I'll even save 20K or so.

Grinding confidence baits

Thanks fellas for the info. I'll try out these tips.