Crankhead

If you were to add a fluro leader, which do you suggest? Using a ball bearing ring or just tying the fluro to the superline? And if you think tying line to line is the way to go, what kind of knot do you use?

I tried Fireline Crystal on my Stradic spinning reel and loved the sensitivity. A couple of questions about using superlines. I've been told that when I use Fireline to fish plastics (lizards, senkos, ikas) texas style, I need a 6" fluro leader tied onto the Fireline. So I tied the fluro to a ball bearing ring which was then tied to the Fireline. I fish mostly at night on a clear natural lake. Do I still need to use the fluro leader? Any other suggestions when using Fireline? Is Fireline Crystal considered the best superline to use with spinning reels? If there are other brands considered better, why?

Holly Creek is in Tenn.

I'm heading out to Dale Hollow to fish for smallies in about 2 wks. I will be staying in the Holly Creek area and have heard that night time is best for smallies. I've never been on this lake or even to this area of the country before. I've heard that this is one of the best smallmouth lakes to fish. I'd like some idea of what to expect and what baits to bring. Is there a lot of down timber on the shores to fish or is it more open water where you should expect to fish deep? Thanks.

Your favorite lake is experiencing a late spring and the bass are just starting their spawn. Let's set up a weather for the next few days with a cold front coming in. Today it's sunny in the high 70's ... tomorrow mostly cloudy & a high of 58 ... Weds partly cloudy & a high of 64 and then Thurs back to the mid 70's. Now if you were planning on going once this week to your favorite lake, which day? Tues, Weds or Thurs? I'm just trying to figure which day affects the bass to change it's spring pattern.

I'm looking into buying a automatic inflatable vest. BassPro has one on sale called the Mustang Classic Survival automatic inflatable vest for $99.88. I've looked into these vests but other than manual or automatic, they all appear to be the same. I'd like to get some advice as to whether there are certain models/types I should be looking at, or are they all considered similar and a good buy. I'm 6' & 290 so other than buying a x-large size, should there be any concern about using one of these vests? So what do all of you think?

If you use it as a swim bait with a swim jig, how would you hook it? The same as a jig & pig?

I was out trying the new Strike King rage shad-throwing it as a topwater bait as I've seen on tv and on the Strike King site. But I'd like to get some different ideas about how to fish the shad. I'd like to hear from those that have fished it texas style with a weight as far as the type of retrieve. I mean do you fish it like a senko or fat ika? Just like to find ways of using it other than a topwater.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Finally fishing starts tomorrow!

Ok ice out at the lake (northern Illinois) I'd like to try was just 4 days ago. So I'm putting the boat in this Saturday. I've never hit a lake this early. After reading through all of the posts, I need some suggestions. I was thinking of throwing a rattle trap or some new Strike King Rage shads or toads that I just got. Or would a senko type bait be better. At what water temp does topwater work? If you were bringing 2 baitcasters and 2 spinning, what would you rig them with? The weather says mostly sunny and a high of 58.

I was at a fishing class being given by Spence Petros tonight. He was talking about buzzbaits and using trailer hooks. And I'm sitting there thinking "duh, no kidding". Well he goes on to say to put the trailers so they face backwards and low. His thinking is that if the bass hits and misses, it might hook the bottom jaw with the trailer upside down. I never thought about it and think it might be a good idea. I like going to these classes. If I pick up one or two good ideas, it's worth what I paid. Has anyone ever heard of this or tried this? Has anyone else gone to any classes/seminars and have some new ideas or info that we could all use?

I bought the St Croix rod ww2farmer is talking about. The St Croix Legend Tournament Bass LTBC68MXF/Top Water. It is a great rod and you will not be disappointed!

Try the Lucky Craft FatCB SSR. It's a fat crank that is 3 inches long and weighs 3/4 ounce. The Chart Magic and Creme Soda are killers with bass. You can find it at www.northerbasssupply.com.

My go to is the Lucky Craft G-Splash. Over the winter after reading different posts on Bass Resource, I bought some Daiwa TD Mouthwash and MegaBass Pop Max topwater lures.

Has anyone tried the new Rage baits and/or the Coffee Tubes that Strike King introduced for 2008? I've seen both on tv and read some reviews. On tv I think it was the guy that developed the rage series and of course he thinks it's a fantastic topwater lure. The articles were also favorable but I'd like to hear from the non pro fishermen. What's the verdict? Do I unleash the bait monkey? Or is the hype not proven on the water?

I use Vanish Transition fluro on all of my bait & spinning reels and love it. But I'll give you some info that might help you out. I used to have problems with fluro jumping off & twisting on my spinning reels. But then I was looking for something (I forgot what) in my Stadic instructions & parts pamphlet one day. Shimano tells you to take some washers out when using only fluro line. This will spool more line towards the front of the spool. I did that and haven't had any problems using fluro since. Now I've gone into Cabelas & BassPro and talked with the guys selling the reels. They didn't believe this until they opened a Shimano box and read the pamphlet themselves.

I've got a Cabelas Grip & Weigh that I use to weigh the bass I catch. But I don't think it's all that accurate. I've been looking at Rapala & Berkley digital scales. I've looked at Cabelas and they have the digital scales priced from $29 & up. I'd like to hear suggestions as to what others have bought & used.

I've got the Aqua Quad 4x4. It's great. It has 4 cameras and you see all 4 directions at the same time on the screen. At times it does get to where you're looking around just to see everything that's going on under the water. On slow days it's neat just to study spots you've been to. Hope this helps. Crankhead.

HesterIsGod, you can't fish for northerns, musky, walleyes or bass from I think March 1st until mid May.

Roadwarrior...can't start fishing for bass in Wisc. until mid May. I think they should allow catch & release only. But I've heard that if the DNR catches you using say your baitcasters with big cranks(or any type of bait targeting bass), they'll ticket & take all of you equipment. There must be a good reason why you can't fish for bass until mid May but I don't see it. Oh well.

This time of year, I really don't know if cold fronts matter much. It all depends on where you're at. In the Midwest I think it's too early to worry about cold fronts. Maybe I'm wrong.

I would like to try something new this spring...swim jigs. I've never tried them but have seen a few tv shows recently & they look like it might be fun to try. I'd like some suggestions on what brand names and sizes to start with to use in March & April. I watched one show that had VanDam's swim jig. I was thinking of matching the swim jig up with a Strike King rage shad as a trailer. Any other trailer suggestions? Do you think this is a good combo to try in the spring?

I was at a fishing seminar and the subject of red hooks & line came up. The question was how does the fishing industry advertise the use of red to not only help catch bass(say red trebles) but also be invisible to bass(say red fluro line)? On one hand they'll promote that a red treble hook will help attract bass but then say you would use red fluro line because bass can't see it. I remember reading a post on this website a few years ago explaining how both can be true. Anyone remember or know this info?

If you got that Legend Tournament Bass Topwater rod for $149, what s steal! I paid $220.

I use a fishing log book. Go to: http://www.sportlogbooks.com/fishing.htm if you are interested.