fishinfool

i went out to the lake yesterday and got on some fish, but the problem was getting them hooked. i was working a wacky rigged watermelon senko. i would throw it about 6 inches away from the rock bank and get bites almost every single cast. when i felt the fish tap a couple times and then saw the line move i would set the hook, or try to atleast. this happened about 5 or 6 times before i decided to let the fish run with it a lil longer b4 i set the hook, but the fish would only tap the worm a few times and then disappear b4 i had a chance to set the hook. i know it wasn't bluegill b/c the fish would follow my worm all the way back to the boat and then turn around and run. i did manage to hook a 2 1/2 lber though. i even tried following up with a crawdad for a while and couldn't even get a bite. any suggestions here? i have a tx coming up soon and i need to get this problem worked out asap.

there is a small lake around here that i fish regularly when i get a chance. it's about 330 acres. they are currently dredging the lake so the visibility of the lake is about 2 inches. this used to be a very clear lake up until 2 years ago, just like you said, there is not one sq. foot of this lake that is clear anymore. on another note, i still love to fish this lake. the only drawback is it leaves a mud ring on my boat. but the fishing has definetly changed since the dredging project began so i had to adapt my strategy. the lures that produce most for me in seriously muddy water has been: a black w/ red fleck ribbon tail worm t-rigged worked very slow, also a 3 1/2 inch yum crawdad in green/brown, and last but not least a yellow/black medium diving crankbait. i've also had a few hits on a watermelon senko wacky rigged but no big takers as of yet. so in conclusion, for the muddy water. nothing seems to beat a darker color, with the exception of the yellow crankbait, i think that was just a fluke. i hope this helps ya out a little and don't let the water clarity discourage you're fishing. just make adjustments until you find something that works.

well the motor itself is worth atleast $2000. i probably wouldn't give up more than $4000 for it. i just got a new 15 hsp yamaha and put 9.9 stickers on it so i can still run it at the smaller lakes. good luck on the deal making. and remember, if you get the boat, there's always something to work on once you start putting it in the water alot. and i mean always something to work on whether it be the boat, or the trailor.

nice fish man. looks like i need to make a trip up to NC and fish that pond one day.

does he have any electronics? TM? livewells? storage? more details will help get better and more accurate estimates.

well this is probably not the cause of your problem. but my boat does the same thing but thats b/c i'm 6'4" 225 and have a 16' jon boat. just thought i'd throw that out there for ya. good luck fixin it!

i'm a big fan of yum dingers. i havn't gotten any of the tiki sticks yet but i do plan on it, they have a different color scheme than i've seen on any other senko type bait. just to let you know, the senko's sold on ebay, are just rip-offs. they are good for one thing though, if you take buddies fishin w/ you and they always bum your baits, you can toss some of those at them and they won't know the difference and you won't go broke as fast!

i'm a minn kota man so i make no gaurantee's w/ motorguide models but i have done that with 2 of my trolling motors and havn't had a bit of trouble. i just took the head off, and turned it straight around, then reconnected it. took a matter of maybe 10 mins.

i use yum dingers quite often. i want to try tiki sticks too, i've heard + things about them. when fishin a senko wacky rigged, i wait until i see the line move, then reel up slack and set the hook. the proper method is to wait until you can feel the fish, this needs to be done quickly though so as not to let the fish drop the bait. when you think you have a hit, reel up the slack and set the hook if you feel the fish.

yeah man, stratos is the way to go in my opinion. my first bass boat will be a stratos or skeeter...gotta stay away from those champions unless you got some good climbing gear.

not me, thats for sure. the only time i get live bait is when i'm taking young family members out w/ me b/c it's real easy for them to do

i say we go to tennessee. i've been wanting to fish those lakes up there.

i always hook mine right in the middle of the back, as shallow as possible, if you get them in the spine, it usually kills them in no time. or you can just hook them in the upper lip real shallow as well so you don't put a hole in their brains. these are the 2 most effective ways for me.

has anyone ever used the hummingbird piranhamax 15 fish finder? i really like the price tag on it and for my 16 foot jon boat, it seems like it could do the job. i really just need depth, and temp, and bottom structure, the readings of the fish is really just an additive. i appreciate any feedback. thanks guys mike

hey jeff, i'm 6'4" 230 and i have no trouble in my 16' jon boat, i don't think you'll have any more trouble in that boat than you would in any other boat of that size. hey i havn't fallen in yet so thats good news. its only wobbly when my buddy is in the back dancin around tryin to throw me off so i won't catch all the fish.

whats the diff b/t a transducer and an alumiducer? i have an aluminum boat and am about to get my first fish finder, thats why i'm asking.

i don't think they've gotten smarter over the years, of course i don't truly know since i was fishing 100 years ago. but if i get skunked one day, i will just use the excuss that the area i was fishing had really smart fish and knew that i just wanted to catch them so they didn't bite.

lol mudman, . is that all ya'll use up there? you gotta get on the baitcasters sometime. i think i've seen one of the linder's using an old ambassador one day, who knows.

i just got some yum dingers from sports authority today and went and tried them out at the local pond for about 30 mins. i caught one small bass and a slab brim on it. the brim was protectin its bed and i just felt like messin w/ him to see if it'd bite, sure enough.

great idea redtail. i'm getting tired of my buddies losing all my senko's, i'm gonna have to invest in some knock-off's to pawn off on them. but hey if they start catchin more than me with the knock-off baits then i'm gonna have to re-think my strategy.

how old is it? when did he "put it away?" if it's in decent condition, i would say thats not a bad deal. i just bought a new yamaha 15 horse for my 16 ft fishin boat

haha good one marty ;D

i was talking to my dealer the other day and he was telling me that gas these days doesn't last near as long as it did years back. he said when he was younger, he'd use gas that had been sitting around for like 3 years and it still ran fine, but now a days if gas sits for matter of months, its useless. i would definetly start over w/ a new tank and new gas, but thats just me. good luck VT!

i've used comet on mine a couple times, i try not to use to much because i don't want to have those chemicals floating around in there when i got fish in it.

well buddy, i can tell ya what i've learned in the last 2 weeks since a cold front moved in on me the week before and tx. the bass will go back to their deep safety, its your job to figure out what that is, it may be deep points, or you may still find a few bass still shallow on the beds. its a tough day either way, if i was you and had no control over the boat, i would just throw something totally different than the guy on the front of the boat. say he was throwing a chartreuse(sp) lizard, i would throw a senko or a jig depending on the water color.