Bladesmith,

This is the first I've heard of this. I grew up in the same area as Jimmy Houston. I didn't think much of him then. Now, I think even less.

Good to see you're back at it again, Muddy. I've been on this forum for about a year now, and I've had a question I've been meaning to ask since the first month. Since you seem to be the Head Mook perhaps you could explain.... What the heck is a " Mook ?"

I have recently started fishing senkos. Would have never tried them except my tackle dealer gave me 2 packs and said try them. Not knowing any better, I rigged one up wacky style on a worm hook, on a c-rig with 1/4 oz weight. Caught a 3/4 lb. smallmouth on the first cast, now I'm hooked. I have caught a bundle of smallmouths on this rig in the last 2 weeks. I use med. heavy casting gear in 12 to 20 ft of water so weightless is out of the question. Needless to say, I now have a tacklebox full of the things and my tackle dealer has a big grin on his face. I guess the moral to this story is that if you don't already know it won't work, it just might work anyway.

Practice,practice, practice. You'll eventually develope a feel for it.

You only have to be right ONE time to make a lifetime of paranoia worthwhile.

It's obvious; Muddy has experience in these matters.

My wife IS the bait monkey......" You need one of those.........and I need one, too ! "

Our lake ( Lake Cascade ) is full of yellow perch. We have caught them on every color pattern we have tried, usually when we're fishing for s.m.bass. I don't recall using pink anything, but I'd give it a try. I think they're more interested in action than color. Mainly curly tailed grubs or something with a little action works well here. My wife caught a 16 incher on a Shad Rap this spring, and we've caught numerous perch of 14 and 15 inches on bass crank-baits and soft plastics. The small perch are bad about tearing the tails off our grubs and plastic worms before the bigger ones can get to them. Lots of fun on light tackle. I caught this one yesterday eve after making this post. Caught it on a senko rigged wacky style on a c-rig in 12 ft of water off a sandbar while smallmouth fishing.

In Idaho, we use small ( 2 " or 3 " ) grubs with good success for yellow perch. We also use smaller spinners, as they seem to like anything with flash. They are also one of the best eating fish that I know of. My wife, bless her heart, just reminded me that we've caught perch on EVERYTHING that we use for s.m.bass. Attatched is a pic of one I caught on a Shad Rap. ( Just noticed that isn't a Shad Rap, although it is a rapala. )

I fish a lake that gets a lot of pressure from skiers and jet-ski's. Many of these people are extremely inconsiderate of anyone fishing, insisting on going by creating large wakes while I'm trying to maneuver around with an electric motor, or at anchor trying to fish. This used to irritate me considerably until I realized that I was catching more fish as a result of them stirring up the water and washing baitfish and crawfish loose from their hiding places. I've noticed this particularly on sandbars. Sometimes, the noise and commotion can be to your advantage.

I sure hope someone throws him a " Going over the Hill " party, as you know, it's all downhill from here. :-/ Ha ! Ha ! HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!

It takes years to learn a body of water if it has any size to it, and it is constantly changing due to wind,current, and other factors. A good guide has to be familiar with the current conditions on his water, and he can show you more in one days outing than you can discover on your own in countless hours on the water. Yes, a guide certianly earns every cent of his pay. No, I'm not a guide, just have respect for them and what they do.

Welcome, and Semper Fi

Truck Driver, also chief cook and bottle washer for "Lee Custom Knives " Cascade, Idaho ( I also make the knives ).

You caught me........ I'm old enough to remember them, too. They worked good for just about anything in the creek where I grew up. You're right , Seventy five cents WAS hard to come by, but they cost thirty nine cents at the Western Auto when I was a kid. Maybe I'm older than you.

I see some good suggestions on here, especially answer # 3, except he forgot to mention that you need to bring your rod tip back to the 10 o'clock position with sufficient force to " load " ( flex ) your rod tip so that when you bring your rod tip forward to the release point at 2 o'clock ( or later if you want to make a lower cast to avoid wind interference ) the force of the rod straightenning out will actually assist in moving the lure forward, allowing you to cast further with less effort. I learned this years ago fishing tournaments, when it wasn't uncommon to make 1000 casts in a days fishing. Your casting arm will tell you the difference after a couple hundred casts. It also adds to the consistancy and accuracy of your casts.

It has been a long time since I last fished Beaver Lake but as I recall that lake is fairly clear. I would suggest smaller line diameters and fishing shade. The bass tend to lay up in shady areas to make themselves less visable to the forage species they feed upon. When you're fishing those docks, try getting your lure under or on the shady side of them or any other cover you're fishing. I fish from a boat but long ago discovered that I catch many more fish from shady areas than in direct sunlight. That is not to say that you won't catch any in the sun, but I think it improves my odds. Remember also that objects under the water also have a shady side. If the only time you have available to fish is mid-day, make the best of it.

This thread is very interesting. I have electronics on my boat, use them, and I can STILL not catch fish. The use of electronics sure doesn't gaurantee ME any fish.

I fish a lot when I can. It isn't unusual for me to fish every day when other responsibilities permit me the time. I usually don't catch a large number of large fish, but...... with every cast, and every strike, I don't know if it's that 10 plus pound bass that I've been looking for the last 50 or so years that I've been fishing. This is what keeps me comming back to the water time and again. I'm happy with any good relaxing day on the water away from the pressures of day to day life, and if all I catch are a few small fish or no fish at all, I've still had a good day, but..... it's still the possibility of that unknown large bass that makes it worth doing. I'm reminded of Bill Dances old theme song by Jerry Reed entitled " Today is Mine ". With all the responsibilities that modern day life puts upon every one of us, I think any time I spend with nothing more on my mind than the next strike is truly MINE. I have spoken.

I'll bet that paint job cost more than the pick-up. Sure would hate to get it all scratched up where I go fishin'. We call the brush scratches " Idaho pin stripes ". That paint job is worth too much to take it fishin'.

SFC-AL; I really don't think "Trout Fisher " knows just what it means to " service " our country. Good Luck and God Speed.

You DID say BIG catfish. First get yourself a regular hay-hook ( like we use for moving bales of hay ) and weld a barb on it. Tie it to 1/4 inch or larger aircraft cable ( the cable on your pick-up winch is ideal ). If you use your winch cable, leave it on the winch, if not tie it off to the back bumper of your pick up ( I would not recommend using a car for this kind of fishing ). Bait the hook with a 3/4 to 1 lb. carp or similar fish. Pull your pick-up as close to the river as you dare and throw your baited hook in. Get in the cab and go to sleep. When the rocking and jerking of the pick-up wakes you up, start it, put it in gear and drag your fish out. This is assuming you have access to a river with BIG catfish, and that you have enough sense not to park on slick or soft ground. My Grandfather used to take me fishing this way when I was a boy on Muddy Boggy Creek, in S.E. Okla. We caught several in the 60 lb. range over the years, and one 58 lb. snapping turtle.

You will hear as many different opinions on what constitutes a good search bait as you receive answers to your question. Basically, you use a faster moving bait to search for fish so you can cover a larger amount of water. I use spinnerbaits and crankbaits mostly, because either will allow me to cover different depths as well as a lot of water, but any bait that will allow you to cover a lot of water reasonably quickly will work. Once you have located fish, then you can slow down and use your soft plastics with confidence, knowing there are fish in the area.

The theory behind dark colors at night as I understand it, is since the fish is underwater looking up toward the surface, the darker colors make a more definite silhouette against the surface. While I have no science to back it up, it makes sense to me, and I have always used darker colors in lower light conditions such as night.

I use mostly Power Pro on all my reels. I use an albright knot to attach mono. Never had one slip. Inside the Power Pro box is a brochure with knot diagrams, and recommendations for use. I've tied 50 lb. Power Pro to 6 lb. mono using this knot without ever having problem.