king fisher

I used to have the same problem. No matter how hard I tried I could never get the Bait Monkey off of my back. Then I got married. My wife not only got the Bait Monkey off my back, he can't even get in the house. Good news is, I was the Bait Monkeys best friend for over 35 years. Will be a long time before I really need to buy any new tackle to catch fish.

I personally would avoid tying braid to braid on a small bait casting reel. Simply re spool with new line, or use mono for backing. If you do want to join braid to braid, a double uni is as good a connection as any, easy to tie, goes through guides well, and is OK for strength. On large salt water reels that can have well over one hundred dollars of braid on them, there are times when I have no choice but to join two sections of braid. I will tie a Bimini twist on each section, then tie the two Bimini loops together with a double uni. The doubled line increases the strength of the knot but does not go through guides as well. Works well but not as strong as hollow braid spliced.

I fish from shore a lot. Most of my shore fishing is on small streams, and I like to cover lots of water. I used to carry one casting rod, and one or more spinning rods. Now,most of the time I only take one rod. The rod I currently use is a Diawa Ardito travel rod, combined with a Tatula CT reel. The rod is 7 ' rated for 1/4-3/4 oz lure, 8-17 pound line. I keep it simple and use 10 pound mono for line. I fish anything from 1/4 ounce inline spinners, to 3/4 ounce surface baits and everything in between. Sensitivity is good and I cast 1/4 oz lures almost as far as the spinning set up I previously would bring for the lighter stuff. I know most people don't like multi piece rods, but I like this one as much as most of my one piece rods in the same price range. I have even started using it while fishing out of a boat. Price is right and I can take it anywhere.

I have a Diawa Coastal TWS and love it. Bass fishing I use it for deep crank baits, with 12 pound Big game line. For snook, jack cravalle, and rooster fish I prefer 30 lbs. braid. I have used it on three different rods, casting lures anywhere from 3/8 oz to 2 oz. on the right rod it casts light lures almost as far as my Tatula CT and has enough line capacity to land jacks and Roosters in the 25 pound class. I would prefer a spinning reel with more line capacity fishing from the beach, but inshore fishing from a boat it works great. Very smooth, great drag, casts a mile, and has held up well. I'm sure higher priced Diawa or Shimano reels are better, but it is more than enough reel for the bass and inshore fishing I have done.

In 1977 I caught some bass on a lure called The Prez. It was shaped like a peanut with a square bill that had teeth painted on it. I think it was made by Rebel. It came out when Jimmy Carter was president. Meant to be a gag lure, but did actually work. It was given to me as a joke, but at the time I had so few lures I fished anything I had.

This is true. I should have said there is a limit to how fast the line can come off the spool compared to how fast the spool is spinning. My point was some breaking must be applied during the cast which limits how far the lure goes. The faster the lure leaves the rod tip the more break is needed. Weather it is the reels built in break mechanisms, or your thumb. A very hard cast with a long rod will require more breaking during the cast. I can throw twice as hard and only get a few feet more in distance because of having to thumb the reel twice as much. Throw twice as hard with a spinning reel and the distance gain is significant. Obviously the less mechanical break is used, and the better a person is with a thumb, the further the lure will go. I'm sure there are very skilled casters that can cast much further than I can.

As others have said it depends on many variables. In most situations, I can cast both equally as far. If my only concern is distance I can cast a spinning rod further by using a very long rod matched perfectly to the weight of the lure I will be using. A bait caster spool can only spin so fast. There is a limit to how much line can come off the spool. Using a longer rod or heavier lure will only makes the spool reach this limit with less effort. Weather you rely on braking systems or your thumb, the spool will need to be slowed at some time or else a backlash will occur. Putting more force in to a cast with a bait caster does not necessarily give me more distance. Many times I have to remind myself to back off on the muscle when trying to get distance with my bait casters. I use a 9'6" casting rod designed for steelhead for deep cranks where distance is very important to me. I do get a few extra yards (not as much as I had expected) with the longer rod, but have to be careful not throw to hard. ( Starting the cast slow and using my whole body helps). I do not have the same problem with spinning gear.The longer the rod, thinner the line, the harder I cast, the further the lure will go. This has been my experience. I'm sure there are people who can cast further with a bait caster, I'm just not one of them.

I have been a big fan of Shimano for 40 years. I owned a Diawa spinning reel when I was a kid. The line wore a grove in the bail, causing the line to fray. My next reel was a shimano, and I have been a big fan ever since. Last year a friend talked me into buying a Diawa BG spinning reel for saltwater use. I paid around $100. It is by far the best Saltwater spinning reel under $600 I have ever owned. I decided to buy a Tatula CT. for bass fishing. Cost was also around $100 Best bait caster I have. I can cast farther with it than other brands costing twice as much. I still think the top of the line Shimano reels are the best especially the larger salt water models, but do believe Diawa has the edge in the $120 dollar or less market. Time will tell if the Diawa reels have the durability I have become accustom to with Shimano products.

I was fishing a 1/2 ounce spinner bait in a Mexican lake. My guide said I needed to fish the bait deeper. He slid a 3/8 ounce bullet sinker on the line in front of the spinner bait. I asked if that works. He asked why not? I couldn't think of a reason it wouldn't so I tried it. I was able to cast further, the bait got down deeper, and I started catching bass. Sometimes a simple solution to a problem is best. I don't think the Bait Monkey would like this guide.

DT 10 and 6 are by far my favorite crank baits. I catch fish with them when all my other cranks strike out. Don't know why, they just seem to have the right action for the bass in my area. That said, I do have bills come out for no reason. I never try to clear weeds by hitting them on the water, or other abuse. More times than I care to count, I have made a cast only to retrieve a bill. Never had the problem with any other Rapala balsa baits. I have Fat Raps, Shad Raps and original minnow, that are 20 years old and still work. I also have old Bagelys that have seen years of use with no problems. As I said before, DT 10 and 6 are my favorite crank baits, just wish they could make them more durable.

Inline spinner.- will catch anything. Works best cast up stream in runs and riffles. 4" hula grub with 1/8-1/4 ounce jig head..- for when they don't want a spinner. Works great in eddies, and deep pools, but can be drifted in current. Floating Rapala - great twitched on top for surface strikes, then finish retrieve by reeling straight in. Small mouths in creeks are not usually picky. Will hit anything if the presentation is right. Pick a lure that will work depending on current speed and depth. The lures I mentioned will cover top to bottom, riffles, runs, tail outs, pools, eddies and pockets behind rocks, logs, and weeds. Many other lures will work just as well, these are the ones I bring when I fish creeks for both bass and trout.

I fished almost every day for the last two weeks in Eastern WA. Caught fish on everything in my box. Best producers were. Lakes Spinner bait ( single Colorado, and War Eagle finesse) Black or Bluegill ( most fish) DT 10 any color with some red in it. Hula grub green pumpkin, or purple rattle trap orange (biggest large mouth 5-6 pounds Rebel minnow. Rainbow trout. ( biggest small mouth 4- 5 pound) 5 inch Senko color of purple Rivers #3 Vibrax any color ( largest small mouth 4 pounds) Hula grub green pumpkin ( largest rainbow trout 24 inches) Here in Mexico Any soft plastic, Texas rigged 1/4 ounce weight. Norman little N crankbait.

Making your own inline spinners is easy, inexpensive and work as well as any name brand you can buy. I have made hundreds of them for steel head, salmon, as well as bass and pike. I even make some of them on the water with two pairs of needle nose pliers. The ones I make with pliers don't look as good as the ones I make with a spinner twister tool, but the fish don't care. Parts are cheap, and the blade style, size, beads, hooks, and color make for endless combinations. You can rob parts off of old spinner baits, or bent in lines making recycled baits even cheaper. Only lure I con't care if I loose.

I can't tell what color a couple are because of glare in the picture. I didn't see the craw color with the purple back. Do you have one? I just bought 3 of them off of E Bay. I always seem to have good luck with purple.

I realize my deck hands eyes and local knowledge are more important than any electronics ever developed. I have to depend on technology while he depends on experience and instinct. Although he is impressed when I can tell if there are tuna or not under a school of dolphin with my search lite sonar. Same with the fishing for bass on Aguamilpa. The local guides no where the bass are, when they feed, what lure and presentation to use and can even get a novice to catch an impressive amount of fish. Even with the best equipment it would me years if ever to match their success. I like the challenge of finding my own fish in new places. My past experience has been with Furuno and Garmin products, but will buy the Lorance as recomended. Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to learning a new fishery. Tim

Thanks Tom. The lake I will be fishing is Aguamilpa. Steep canyon walls, with little shallow water. I have fished with guides there, that know the lake well, I have caught many bass with their instruction. None of the guides use any electronics, and the few anglers that fish the lake on their own, simply fish the bank seldom using their electronics. I want to try fishing some off shore structure, and find schools of bait with my electronics. Probably wont catch as many fish, as I could fishing the bank, but fishing isn't just about catching. That is what I meant when I said I would use my electronics more than most. Same as in Salt water. Some people like to chase birds, and crush the tuna. I like to use my electronics to find the fish. When I do chase birds I prefer to use my radar to find them instead of the more popular method of using binoculars. I will have more fun finding an unfished rock pile, with suspended bait, and catching a couple of bass that I located under the bait, than landing 10 bass casting at a popular bank. I know I will need top of the line electronics as well as many hours on the water learning how to use them. No experience with fresh water fish finders. Thanks for stearing me in the right direction. Apprecieate your help. Glad to find out I can get very good equipment in my price range.

Didn't mean to make a bold statement. I'm sorry if I offended any one. I do know lots of fishermen that don't use their electronics as much as I like to. I like to spend lots of time learning and putting to use my electronics as much as possible. I know many fishermen that catch way more fish than me that only use their electronics to get bottom depth and location. Finding the fish with my electronics is all part of the challenge for me. I only meant to say I would prefer to have top of the line equipment because I will rely on my electronics and less on my fishing skill than many anglers. I'm not familiar with structure scan, so I wouldn't be comfortable with it. If people on this forum think it is important I am all for learning how. Need all the help I can get.

Anyone recomend a particular model? Is there any need to go over 500 W of power? Offshore I have a 3 KW transducer and black box, but for 100' or less I am assuming 500 W would be more than enough. I do see all the major brands offer a 1 KW model. Is that much power just a waste of money? I love Chirp tech. for the increase target separation, but have no experience with down view, or side view. Are they worth while options? Is it possibe to spot fish and bait schools in water under 20'? It seems like the cone would be so small at that depth, that it would be difficult?

I'm buying a 18 foot aluminum boat to bass fish a deep canyon lake. Will want to accurately mark targets as deep as 40 plus' good target separation with bait schools. Not interested in side scan. There are no maps of this lake making some form of mapping capabilities a must. I come from salt water fishing back ground where, the boat I captain has over $35,000 of electronics that read thousands of feet deep. I wouldn't leave the dock without top of the line sonar. I have no experience with fresh water units. I am accustom to high end electronics, but do have a budget. Trying to save money on boat and motor, in order to get a good trolling motor, and electronics. I see you can get units for $500 but assume target ID and separation would be minimal at that price range. Other issue is the boat is aluminum, I assume the transducer will have to be mounted on the transom. Is it difficult to mount properly? Will a transom mount work on plane? Should I buy transducer separate, or is a package deal the way to go? I don't want to break the bank but plan on depending on my electronics more than the average bass fisherman. I will be willing to spend more if need be. Is $1500 a reasonable price range? Thanks in advance.

I think it is to long to be a Cordell wiggle o. I had a strike king Crankbait that looked exactly like this one back in the late seventies. I forget the name. Didn't catch many fish on it, and remember it was discontinued after a couple of years. Could be wrong, its been a long time.

I have never caught a fish in a tree, or on land, but I keep trying . I even tried to catch a fish on a power line once. Thanks to the bait monkey, I buy more lures than I loose, the more expensive the lure, the faster I loose it. Must be a law of physics.

Banjo Minnow, and Dynamite.

Bass are no different than people. When I'm full and tired, the last thing I want is a big meal. I do have a hard time passing up a small piece of candy any time. When a bass is hungry he will want a big meal, regardless of temperature. When he isn't, he still might like a snack. In cold water a bass isn't hungry as often as in warm water, odds are better offering a snack. Not saying you won't run into a very hungry bass in the winter, that will chase a big lure and eat it. Just happens less often.

Wiggle Warts catch fish. I don't know why, just a fact. Only way to not catch fish with a Wiggle Wart is to not fish with one. For variety, only lure I have caught more on is original Rapala. Here is a short list of fish I have caught on Wiggle Warts. Some species it is my favorite lure. large mouth bass small mouth bass crappie perch carp walleye rainbow trout cutthroat trout brown trout char lake trout king salmon personal best sockeye salmon chum salmon pink salmon Artic grayling white fish cat fish dorado snook corvina many different species of rock fish and snapper amber jack jack Cravalle skip jack tuna bonito yellow fin tuna spanish Mackerel pompano

The Bait Monkey is patient. He can wait for years, then strike when the time is right. He is always out there. I have got him off my back many times, but he always comes back. Good luck.