Lucky Craft Man

Jerkbaits are by far my number one producing lure in the Spring. I personally like (and only throw) the Lucky Craft Pointer 100SP. I assume the husky jerk will work also. Just remember to vary your jerks and pauses. I've caught fish one day on aggressive jerks and very short pauses and the next day in the very same spot, they would only hit the lure after a long pause. Good luck.

I remember years ago how they would say that a caught and released Smallmouth has a way of warning the other Smallmouth in the area of the danger. I even saw an In-Fisherman show where Doug Stange would place the fish in the livewell to release later so it didn't spook the other fish. I haven't heard anything about this in the last 5 or so years and I release all my Smallmouth right away and have never seen the bite just "shut down" after doing so. Was this theory a myth or was there some basis for it back then?

X2 X3

I second that (though, I have the 7'2" MXF)

I have the Daiwa Viento, which I really like. I was looking for a higher gear ratio reel with the twitching bar, but wasn't aware the Mega Force is that much cheaper. Hopefully, they come out with a Viento in 7.1:1. Thanks for the response. PS Are you David G? I just saw a post by David G, who I know as the Reel Mech. and wan't sure if there are two Reel Mechanics out there or just one?

Does anyone know how much this reel will sell for?

$349.99

Here is the shimano warranty that was explained to me when I bought a Crucial. I was told that the Crucial had a lifetime over the counter warranty with no questions asked. When I broke my rod tip, I had a chance to test out this warranty. The real warranty is that the store (in this case, Cabelas) would exchange the rod over the counter for the first year after the purchase date (make sure you have your receipt, otherwise you may not be able to exchange it without a proof of purchase) and after that year you have to send the rod back to Shimano, who will determine if your rod was broken while fishing (I don't know how they do this). If they determine the damage was caused by manufacturers defect, you get a new rod. If they determine the damage was caused by you, then I'm not sure what happens. Either way, I think I will stick with G Loomis and Cabelas XML rods, because the G Loomis Xpeditor Service is great (even though you do pay $50) and Cabelas has a true over the counter warranty on their rods (you don't even need a receipt to exchange them).

I also have the Eagle Fishmark 480 and I love it. I am thinking of buying a Eagle Fishelite 640 for the consol and will move the 480 to the front of the boat. Very good unit.

I started the year with 0 G Loomis rods. I now have 6 and am looking at buying more (these things are unreal). My girlfriend thinks I have a disorder. She did buy me a G Loomis hat and a gift card to Cabelas (which will be used on another rod) for my birthday, so maybe she is warming up to my condition.

The only line I know of that sinks is Fluorocarbon.

Spinnerbait: 12 lb. Hybrid Line (Type of line is not very critical here, so I use the cheapest quality line) Senko: 12 lb. Hybrid Line (I've gotten used to this line. I have tried Flouro and Braid with a Senko and for some reason I am most comfortable with this line) Any T-Rigged Plastic: 30 lb. Braid with a Fluorocarbon Leader (I like having the sensitivity and strength of the braid and I use a leader for line visibility issues, which could lead to another debate) Crankbait: 12 lb. Fluorocarbon (I like a line that sinks for crankbaits and jerkbaits. I think this gives you a little added depth) Jig: 30 lb. Braid (I like the low stretch and strength for jigs) Shaky Head Jig: 8 lb. Hybrid Line (Another situation where I got used to using Hybrid line. Flouro would work also). I added a few more: Topwater: 12 lb. Mono (I like to have line that floats for topwater and I like the stretch. I tried Flouro once and my lure was under the water halfway through the retrieve) Frogs: 30 lb. Braid (I fish heavy slop with a frog, so I like the power of braid. Most people use 50 lb. or even 80 lb. braid for frogs, but I like to thinner diameter, because it seems to cut through lily pad stems easier) The bottom line is what you are comfortable in using. Some guys use braid for everything, some guys use mono for everything, and RW uses Yo-Zuri hybrid for everything. It's what you like.

Its funny you brought this up. I was fishing a drop off area that went from 10 down to 17 feet. I threw out a Fat Ika and let it sink all the way down. Gently lifting my rod, I felt resistance and I set the hook like I was trying to get the hook to pentrate a brick wall. I fought the fish for at least for 30 seconds when the bass came to the surface and jumped out of the water with his mouth open. My lure came flying out of his mouth and when I brought the lure back to the boat, the hook was burried deep into the Ika without the hook tip being exposed. I couldn't believe that fish held onto the lure so long without a hook in him and I see that has happened to others as well.

For the situation I saw the other day, the length of line from my drop shot hook to my weight would be 10 feet long, which is why I didn't consider rigging up a drop shot. Have you guys ever fished with such a large distance between the hook and weight and if so, how manageable is it?

I was fishing the other day and I would mark a ton of fish suspending around 10 feet below the surface in 20 feet of water. I threw crankbaits that would dive 10 feet (along with ones that would dive 8 feet and ones that would dive 12 feet), I tried lipless crankbaits, deep diving jerkbaits, swimming tubes around 10 feet deep, and I even tried a weightless Senko. I couldn't get these things to hit anything. What strategy do you guys use when trying to catch fish suspending in the middle column of water?

That's pretty cool. I didn't know you could sort the members out like that. Thanks. bait_monkey is getting close.

I caught a smallmouth once that had a large black spot like that close to his tail. I just assumed it was a birthmark. Maybe it is caused by something else.

I know this forum recently reached 10,000 members, but I was wondering if anyone out there has 10,000 posts? I saw LBH has over 9,200 and RW is closing in on 8,900. Anyone have more then these guys?

I have witnessed LM Bass roam like this as well. When I saw the pack coming I dropped my Senko about 4 feet in front of the direction they were headed and the two lead bass raced to grad my lure. The faster bass won (or lost, depending how you look at it). I have seen another time where a bass chased a bluegill right up onto the shore. The bass didn't get the bluegill and the bluegill laid flopping on land. I waited until the gang of bass thugs moved on and I threw the bluegill back in.

Hmm... Some spinning reels cost more than baitcasters. : I have several Bass Pro Enticer Spinning reels (that I purchased off of eBay for about $30 a piece) and several Pflueger President Spinning reels (that I either bought on sale or off of eBay for under $50 each). Therefore, the ones I use that work very well for me are not that expensive. If I had a Stella or Steez, I'm sure I would be more diligent with it's maintinence, but if I were going to spend that type of money on a reel, it wouldn't be on a spinning reel. I think the marginal utility in quality of a spinning reel as per price increase is much less then that of a baitcaster.

I clean and lube my baitcasters once a year (or sooner if I feel they are running rough). I wipe down and oil the external part almost after every trip. Spinning reels...I never service. I don't use them that often and you can get a good quality spinning reel for a relativley low price, so I will use them until they longer work well (which hasn't happened with any of my spinning reels yet and I have had some for a long time).

Lures I suck at that I have plenty of: - Rubber Worms and Lizards (Texas Rigged Worms & Carolina Rigged Worms) - Jigs - DeepDiving Crankbaits Lures I have that work extremely well for me: - Spinnerbaits - Senkos type baits - Topwater lures (Zara Spook, Frogs, etc.) - Rattle Traps Looking at everyones lists, it is interesting how some people have success on one lure, but not on another (that someone else has great success with). For me, I sucks with jigs and I don't know why. I keep using them and try many different retrieves, but I have trouble catching fish. On the other hand, I feel I am good with spinnerbaits and seem to catch a lot of quality fish with them. I assume it has to come down to an issue of confidence. I have no confidence in a jig (and I try to fish it a lot). The question I want to know is, how do you build confidence in a bait when you fish it a lot and still catch nothing with it?

I know I have a problem. I have over 65 rod and reel combos with a spreadsheet listing the last time I changed line on them, any reel cleaning or repairs I have done to them, etc. (keeping track of this stuff by memory is too hard). People come over and look at my basement and cannot imagine having that much stuff. The funny thing is that I use everyone of those rods and reels (though, the saltwater and fly combos don't get used as much as I would like). It is an addiction, but I keep telling myself at least I am not addicted to drugs, so I feel better about it.

Cast it out next to cover and count to 30 (make sure it sinks to the bottom) and let it fall on slack line. The whole time, watch for movement in you line. After 30 seconds, gently lift your rod tip and if you feel a little resistance, set the hook. If you lift your rod and there is no resistance, let the lure fall back down to the bottom and let it sit there for a while. It at any time you line starts moving one way or another, set the hook. It is a very simple and boring way to fish, but when your line starts moving, that's where the fun begins. Good luck.

The best weedless spoon I have ever used (especially in lillypads) is the Rapala Weedless Spoon. Unfortunately, they do not make this lure anymore (which is why I stocked up with a lifetime supply of them off of eBay). If you have any laying around or can find one, give it a try. These spoons also ride nice on top of the lilly pads for any topwater bite (though, I would use a weedless frog for this).