jimmyjoe

Amen. What's the old saying? "The better you do, the more they blame you." jj

My wife keeps the pantry so well stocked that we don't need to worry about shortages during blizzards. What we have to worry about is power outages! Thank goodness those don't seem to happen when it's really cold, but rather when it's warm enough to have freezing rain. jj

Sr. Croix, in the Mojo Bass and the Legend Tournament Bass. 7", MH/MF. They call it a spinnerbait rod, but I use it for lots of other stuff. jj

It almost sounds as if you're fishing water that is really high-population pike water, but has a few bass (and other species) in it. Is that correct? If it is, drop the 6 lb. stuff and get a combo that deals with pike. You don't bring a knife to a gunfight. jj

A Senko doesn't have much "action". I've also never seen a Yamamoto Senko in the color you describe. How are you fishing these lures? Wow!

I fish for bass in waters that have pike (and musky). I've caught pike on 4 or 6 lb. mono quite a few times. There are several things to remember: 1) @WRB has an excellent point, but nothing you can do will successfully avoid pike. If they take an interest in your lure, you will deal with pike no matter what. That being said, I've had less interference from pike on Senkos than any other lure. 2) You don't do it successfully if there's cover. You absolutely need unobstructed waters to deal with pike on light line. 3) If you feel you have to use a leader, try AFW Micro Ultra. It is much kinder to the action of smaller lures. 4) Good luck. You'll need it! ? jj p.s. - you might get an award for wordiest header!

I specialize in cheap spinnerbaits because I pull them over riprap and destroy them easily. But the War Eagle Wake is different; I run it up high. It's great. It has thump, it has good hookup (important) and it lasts. I haven't gotten any of the new ones, so IDK if they've changed. jj

jj

I don't believe musky have ever been known for being picky eaters. jj

That explains all the bad luck I've ever had in 57 years of bass fishing! ??? jj I think you're right. And I think that's the #1 reason the DNR stock them down here. AFAIK, it works quite well. jj

If you're having trouble with edge retention on a 30-year-old Buck, then I have no idea. I'm lost. The only thing I can think of is having worn the blade down until you're sharpening into the spine, which is heat treated differently. Even then, I admit that's a reach. Now you're gonna keep me up tonight, thinking about this! ?? jj

I might be wrong, but I believe the Stockmen's knives are now imported. That might explain a little. jj

OUCH!

Maybe I'm crazy, but it almost seems like there a 14 gazillion shades of white (or off-white) to fish, but only three or four to us. It seems that very subtle gradations of white have made huge differences in productivity on a given day for me, especially when I'm fishing shallow, where the bass can get a real good look at the lure. The two that seem to be most positive are bone and eggshell (sometimes called cream) and the one that is the most negative seems to have been plain ol' snow white. This is one of the reasons I came up with my opinion about reflectivity in lures. I don't mean flash. Flash is a different quality. I mean color reflectivity, especially as it relates to contrast. I fish dirty green and muddy waters, and if a lure is too reflective, I get nothing. White just gives me the most obvious feedback. Oddly enough, the white that is underneath the finish on old Rat-L-Traps, which isn't all that reflective, seems to be one of the best fish-catchin' whites around. Yeah ..... I'm crazy. ? jj

Correct. Armilo (red) is great line. @WRB likes it, and that says a lot. I've never used the regular Defier (green), and the only person who I know that has used it hasn't said much to me. That being said, I'm still a major cheapskate. I'll stick with Big Game. jj p.s. - before you assume that there's a great difference in price, look at the yardage. The price per yard isn't really that much different.

I think you got it down pat! jj

Pardon me. I like seafood for breakfast. Mom used to fry crappie for breakfast when I was little. But I guess I've never associated eggs with fish. Eggs and shrimp? Yes. Eggs and turtle meat? Oh, heck yes! But eggs and fish or eggs and mollusks? Nope. Have I been missing out on a big slice of the world? jj

Definitely NOT the best way to find out that the Gammy hooks are great! ?? jj

I carry a folder for convenience. I don't care which brand it is or where it's made, as long as it says "Buck" and "Made in the U.S.A." on it. ? jj

I was taught that when I bought my first Penn reel years ago! It can be hard to clean up the spool if you need to, though. jj

If I'm going low-n-slow, purple is productive. jj

I would be cautious linking Musky and negative influences on bass. One of my local lakes had huge numbers of medium-to-small size bass. Musky were introduced, and 6-8 years later, numbers have drastically decreased (which is good) but size has dramatically INcreased (which is also good.) The lake now has a reputation as a desirable bass lake. Go figure. jj

I definitely agree. I guess I should have been more specific. I grew up in an area populated by old-fashioned people who followed old-fashioned ways. What I miss are those old-fashioned recipes, many of which were uniquely local. I guess it's just nostalgia. Part of being an old fart. ??? jj

Big bass are ambush fish. They're not going to go racing 12 feet "over there" to intercept your lure .... big, small or medium. But from what I've seen, from my fishing and other people's, they will move 2-3 feet to intercept. So you need to find the hidey-holes, then target them specifically and accurately. I personally don't think depth matters. Three of the largest bass I've seen caught were caught in less than 6' of water. I also don't believe that lure size matters. One of those bass was caught on a 1/6 oz. Super Roostertail, and one other on a 3/4 oz. Dardevle spoon. What I think DOES matter is taking the lure right smack dab to the fish, just like a guided missile. Remember; for every Big Mama you pull in, you're going to get hit by 100-or-so midsize fish. That's just the spread. Don't let it discourage you; it's part of the fun. Good luck! jj

I love Mrs. Crispy, but eggs and fish (St. Charles)? Ah .......... I'll pass. There was a cook 40+ years ago in Indianapolis who served Mr. Crispy with seared Bull's Horn peppers on the side, and that was great. Haven't seen that since. ?? A lot of the old recipes from my childhood are dying out. Frozen food, microwaves and a declining economy have all but killed them off. jj