Junk Fisherman

I've bought very little this offseason. One order from TW that had some line, hooks, and a couple new plastics I want to try but nothing crazy. Going to buy a bigger lithium battery and add a second unit that I already own to the bow so I can have a dedicated DI/SI to go along with my Livescope. I'll take my 1-year old lithium and use it to run my unit at the helm. No new rods or reels this offseason and I've actually sold 2 rods over the last month. I'll hit up a couple fishing shows and probably make a few impulsive purchases. I'm still trying to recoup from buying a tonneau cover/cap and running boards for my truck back in December.

Here's my general lineup without the specific application rods (A-rigs, deep cranks, frogs, ect.) Spinning Daiwa Steez 2nd Gen 761 + Tatula 3000- Neds, hairjigs Daiwa Steez 1st Gen 761 + Procyon 2500- Nekos, shakey heads, tubes, blade baits Dobyns Champion HP 741 + Ballistic 2500- finesse swimbaits Dobyns Champion HP 742 + Ballistic 2500- 4" swimbaits on a ballhead jig, spybaits Casting GLoomis 843 + Zillion - pitching plastics, worming, finesse jigs, Sleepers GLoomis 844 + TDX- jigs, C-rigs St Croix 7' MH Tournament Bass Sweeper Spinnerbait rod + Tatula SVS- bladed baits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, buzzbaits Dobyns Champion HP 742 + Curado 70- dropshots Dobyns Champion XP 704 CB + Zillion SV TW- jerkbaits, shallow cranks, light topwater Dobyns Champion 703c + Daiwa TD153- All purpose- worms, Senkos, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits I'm slowly in the process of replacing my Dobyns rods which I feel are overrated. There are more sensitive options out there.

Just wait. They'll send you a renewal for something like $10 in a couple months if not sooner. $10 a year is worth it- $30 not so much IMO.

Been using the Trilene knot for mono- and fluoro for years. I've tried most other knots but I don't anymore. The Trilene knot is tried, true, and reliable. I only use the Palomar for braid. Alberto for leader line on spinning gear and an FG for leaders on baitcasters. Done and Done.

KVD = spinnerbaits

I think playing music can hurt/won't help your fishing. I know several smallmouth gurus that turn their electronics off since they feel it negatively affects the bite. I rarely play music when fishing but I listen to podcasts every time I go out. Listening to podcasts entertains me throughout the day and definitely keeps me on the water longer. I never listen to anything the first few hours but I'm always listening to something the second half of my day. Granted, I am wearing ear buds so no one hears what I am listening to and I would be shocked if it somehow affected my fishing. Personally, I think it is rude to blast music while on the water when others are around. There is a popular lock by me and in the summer you might have 10-15 boats waiting to lock through. Usually, you have some boat blasting their music even though most of us don't care for it. Turn it down. Have some respect for others.

Hey 99- do you know what the story is with YGK? I started using that line a couple years back and it is easily my favorite braid. I have a box left that I have been saving. Have you found anything remotely as good? I love the sinking property since it gets my Neds down faster when fishing deeper water. Thanks.

It's not hard to tie a fluoro leader on braid. An Alberto knot is pretty easy and with some practice at home, you'll get it quickly. And this is coming from someone who is knot-challenged. While the FG knot is probably the best leader knot, it is difficult to tie but the Alberto is easy and reliable. Braid with a leader gives you better casting distance and greater sensitivity compared to straight fluoro. Plus, the braid will last you a couple seasons while you'll want to replace your fluoro at least once a season.

I LOVE Gamma Touch 7 lb for small swimbaits and it has brought in a lot of fish for me even some big stray carp and trout. I never used it for bottom contact baits so I can't speak to its abrasion-resistance but considering how good other Gamma lines are, I would expect it to be great. A buddy of mine swears by Gamma Touch 9 lb and he says it is incredibly strong, tough, and still castable but it is kinda thick. Based on what you want to do, I would go with Gamma 8 lb Touch. Actually, I would do braid to a 6 lb Gamma Edge leader but if you want straight fluoro- Gamma Touch in 8 lb is my recommendation. Good luck.

I have a 783 and a 843 and I definitely prefer the extra length of the 843. All of my rods length preferences have increased over the years and a 7' is the shortest I use on a regular basis. Plus, if you ever go to sell the rod it'll be more difficult if it is the 783. Good luck with your decision.

"If you don't enjoy fishing when you don't catch a fish, you shouldn't be a fisherman." It takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to go out fishing the way many of us do. I am going to bed early the night before, waking up very early, hooking up the boat, driving 45+ minutes, launching, dealing with people on the water, and then I have the entire journey home. If I don't catch a single fish then it was not an enjoyable day for me. Sure, I'll still enjoy watching the sun come up and the beauty of being in nature but I can get that by taking a 2 hour hike in the woods. Hell, I've spent a lot of money on my truck, boat, and all my gear. I watch videos and think about fishing constantly. Going out and fishing all day without catching a single fish is extremely disappointing and it's a waste of day in terms of learning. Thankfully I have only been skunked a couple times over the last 10 years. I will say that I still enjoy fishing even if it isn't a very good day. I'll go even if the weather isn't favorable and I don't think the fishing will be great since I love the other parts of fishing and enjoy being out in nature. But if you're talking about not catching a single fish then I would say I don't enjoy it. And in terms of the quote- maybe I shouldn't take it so literally. If the message is that you need to enjoy the other parts of fishing to rightfully call yourself a fishermen- then fine. I agree and this definitely applies to me. But I don't enjoy a day of fishing if I don't catch a single fish and would always choose to have done something else that day if I knew that a skunking would be the result.

I weighed out my A-Rig and it was about 2 oz so I went with a 7'11 Croix Tournament Heavy rod which has a weight range of 1/2 to 2.5 oz. It handles my A-rigs perfectly and also doubles for punching mats. Before I used my deep diving cranking stick (BPS Cranking Stick) which has a weight range up to 1.5 oz. That rod did surprisingly well with A-rigs. I've read recently of some pro preferring his big cranking stick for A-rigs. In terms of length, it is such an awkward cast with an A-rig and you're using such a heavy rod that I don't think you need a nearly 8' rod. A 7.6 would be fine and the shorter rod might make it easier to cast.

And I bet you have boaters that complain and feel they should be able to put their bassboat on the lakes? There are several HP-restricted lakes in Illinois and you always hear that complaint. Like you said, guys spend thousands of dollars to get their boat set up for a specific set of rules on a nearby lake and others want to change the rules just to accommodate them. Yeah- it's a pet peeve of mine.

I have a previous generation Champion 703c that hasn't been getting much use. I don't pitch plastics as much as I used to and prefer to use a GLX843 when I am pitching plastics. So what do you use the 703c for and what tactics do you feel it is best suited for? Do you agree that it is more of a medium power than a medium heavy? TIA

I make my own Ned jigs using the Do-It Midwest Finesse Jig Mold. I use a #2 Mustad hook. I have tried #4 hooks (what Ned recommends), #1, and 1/0 and have found that #2 works the best for me with TRDs and other similar size baits. I do not use the bait keeper and superglue my baits to the jig. I also superglue my small swimbaits and a Neko weight into Z-Man baits because they easily come out otherwise. I got tired of having superglue bottles seize up so I bought this a couple months ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B743XWVC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have only used one vial but I was able to glue a bunch of baits at once and still had some left over. Plus, I have 49 more to use. Figure even if I just use them once, it is worth it.

I co-taught a class last year with a colleague who is a better, more diehard fishermen than I am. Our specialties are on different waters so we had lots of information to exchange. We often would find time during class to have a quick chat about something fishing-related. He turned me on to spots and techniques that really improved my fishing here locally on a waterway that I never fished much. I would say out of all our conversations last year, 90% were fishing-related. It was probably a good thing that he transferred to another district school, due to coaching, and nowadays we only talk through texts or the few all-district activities we have every year. We've been working on starting a district bass team but admins are a little resistant. In terms of the rest of my life, the only people I really talk fishing with is my wife and she is just humoring me. I used to tell all my stories to my father until he passed away. I pretty much only fish by myself and I have often thought it would be good to have some fishing buddies to share info with but I'm quite picky about my fishing and secretive so being a loaner is just easier.

TW got me for a little over $200 today mostly taking advantage of their holiday sale. 10% off GC so I got a $100 one for future spending. Nothing really sexy just line, hooks, weights, some Sleepers, and some hair jigs.

Hopefully I get a full summer of fishing and not lose time due to sickness or major engine repairs like the last 2 summers. I lost the majority of last summer due to motor issues which sapped my enthusiasm and cancelled my major fishing plans for the year. Anyways, here is what I have for this season. 1) Explore Northern Michigan more. I have 2 long trips planned for next year and I want to fish a few new lakes. Grand Traverse Bay was a major disappointment last June so I want to branch out and investigate a couple new bodies of water. 2) Dial in Livescope for deep water fishing. This was my major goal for last summer which was ruined by my motor issues. I am hoping to become proficient fishing for smallies in 25'+ of water mid summer. 3) Work on several new techniques- hairjigs (I need to bump up the weight so I can cast these better), free rigs (I've done okay with this but I need to get a better handle on it), and hover strolling and Daiki Rig fishing. I rediscovered Neko rigs last year especially for deeper water fish so I am hoping to add this rig to my core fishing techniques. 4) Fish new water locally. For Christmas, I received a seasonal boat launch pass at a Lake Michigan marina and it will be an absolute gamechanger for me. The launch fee on Lake Michigan is anywhere from $20 to $36 and it really adds up. But with the seasonal pass I will go more often, launch with questionable winds, and explore different water since I won't feel the need to justify an expensive outing by fishing high percentage areas exclusively. 5) Become better with jerkbaits

My PB is a 6.6 in my pic to the left. My next 4 would all be high 5s so my best 5 go somewhere around 29 lbs.

You guys inspired me to give these a shot from a previous thread. TRDs have been great for me so if these are even better then look out!

I did a comparison with everything the same but the reel and using 14 lb YGK Sol versus 7 lb Gamma Touch saw a 20%-25% distance increase with the braid. I did the experiment throwing a finesse 3" swimbait and 1/8th oz jig. Needless to say, I only use braid for finesse swimbaits.

IL resident around $20 with a trout stamp Michigan non-resident $75 without a tramp stamp and $35 for a non-resident Passport Pass for using DNR launches Indiana non-resident $70 w/a trout stamp I've stopped fishing Wisconsin due to not wanting to get another license and all the crazy IL tolls I'd have to pay to get to the IL/WI border.

Headed up to New Buffalo and Red Arrow Roadhouse on Thursday for a 1-night getaway with my wife which is just a few miles south of Sawyer. We love that area and it's only a little over an hour from our home.

I plan on getting a place in Northern Michigan and living there from April to November every year. There's so much water and you can easily get away from fishing pressure. My wife wants our home base where we live now because of our kids. Plan to take a 2-week trip to Texas every February or so to help ease the sting of the northern winters.

Sorry to hear that man. Fishing will be there when you're ready.