jdw174

Got up this AM with intentions of hitting the water early. One look at the frost on the ground made me hold up for an hour before leaving. Launched on Ky. Lake and headed to an area known as the "smallmouth hole". Rocks, points, dropoffs with rockpiles and stumps...all the good stuff. Worked one cut on either side of the hole with no luck. Came out of the second cut and set down to have coffee when I looked at the 334 on the console. "Holy Fishscales, Batman!!!"....I'm setting over top of 15' of water with fish stacked up like wood from 10-15'. Things only went down hill from there. I tossed suspending jerkbaits, Silver buddies, crankbaits, Spyder jigs, plain old grubs, tubes et al for two hours in that area without so much as a tap! (the fish never left, by the way) Moved over to a rocky point that dropped from 3' to 20' with fish all the way from top to bottom. Again, spyder jigs, finesse jigs, even tried a Carolina Rig, all with not so much as a sniff. Decided to head home with my tail between my legs this time. It never ceases to amaze me that something with a brain the size of a pea can just about drive me to drink. I'll get 'em next time....................... :

Thanks...

I'm not familiar with the models of all those brands, but I would look for one with a fast tip rated for 1/4 to 1 1/2oz lures like the Team Daiwa Denny Brauer models. That will allow you to either flip or pitch with ease and still have the backbone to get the job done.

Cordell Spots...1/2oz. I've got one in Chrome/blk back that is so beat up it's pitiful but it still catches fish. Also have several of the suspending models. I never just chunk 'n wind. I make the retrieve very erratic.

Well, I have two Castaic200's and one of the old green Curados (200?). Any advice on those? Thanks ReelMech......

I have a couple of shimano's and two Browning Midas reels that need the drag washers replaced. Neither sets of paperwork say anything about whether or not the drag washers need greased in these reels. anybody have any experience with this?

This was not based on a "single day".......

For a long time, I'd seen various outdoor writers extolling the virtues of clear line so you didn't scare the fish. Then, while I was an outdoor writer for a morning paper, I received a spool of the then new Trilene Solar XT. I almost retched when I saw it. It was so LOUD that I called Berkley and asked if they were joking. They assured me that it was no joke and to please give it a try. Keep in mind that this line was a bright flourescent chartreuse green that a blind man could have picked up in the water. I spooled it up and went smallie fishing in Lake Erie. This is water where you can see bottom in 20' of water on a calm day. To make a long story short, the smallies tore up my jigs that day using that brightly colored line, and the same thing happened any time I used it. The only reason I quit was that I was never fond of Berkley line (sorry Berkley). Just interested in whether or not the rest of you think that line color REALLY matters. The trips with that Solar line convinced me otherwise.

Dunno how cool it is, but on my Pop-R's, I shave the lower lip a little so it "spits" more than "bloops". 8-)

When I worked at Dick's, I can't count the number of people who returned a baitcaster, saying that "it doesn't work right". I'd march them outside, set the reel correctly and make cast after cast. It never made any difference, though as they weren't willing to work with it. Just remember that THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EDUCATED THUMB

I prefer a 6'6" med action or MH action with a fast tip. I'm partial to Shimano spinning reels and like 8lb line for smallie fishing. All my non braided line reels are spooled with Super Silver Thread.

I'll add my vote for the SkitterPop. I don't have any of their cb's, but do have a couple of the original floaters and an X-rap.

I'm a morning person by nature. If I'm going fishing I will be on the water when the sun has yet to come over the treetops but the sky is light at dawn. A slight mist on the water. I can see deer, raccoons, squirrels and wild turkeys at any time. On occasion, I'll hear a bobwhite whistling somewhere along the shore. Normally, there aren't any other boats around...yet... At times like that, even getting bit is almost secondary to just being there. There is no other time that is more peaceful and relaxing. Along with that is the feeling that a real hawg is going to come out of those buckbushes and whack you at any given minute. Life is good

I never let wind direction stop me from going fishing. A little chop on the water can help the bite enormously as it keeps the fish a little more active. I'm not a fan of wind if I'm trying to fish a worm as I have a tough time feeling the bite with the line bowed. Re the comment made about 3' rollers.....when I lived on the shores of Lake Erie and did a lot of smallie fishing, I can remember being in rollers like that (and a few larger ) and hooking into a 3+ smallie on darn near every cast.

A 3" Sluggo has a very nice action when nose hooked.....

I have rods from Falcon, AllStar, Castaway, Browning and Daiwa. If I had them all stolen and had to restock from scratch without spending a mint, I would go with the Team Daiwa Light & Tough. Awesome rods that don't cost a fortune.

The only time I wait a little is when I'm fishing a topwater. With soft plastics/jigs if you even wait to say OH SON or THERE HE IS, most times you'll lose.

I am exactly 14 miles from the ramp at Ky Lake, and 28 miles from the Dyer's Creek ramp on Barkley. Haven't ever been to Reelfoot. I have a hard enough time finding the time to get on the other two. :-?

Was just going through some catalogs and see that Barlows Tackle www.barlowstackle.com offers an aluminum melting pan that holds 1/2 pint of plastic. Cost is 7.95 + S&H. Stock number is 405014. Order phone 800-231-5982. My catalog is from 2005 so the stock number may have changed.

GMAN, check the url I'm posting here. These pots may not be as big as you want, but they're CHEAP. OTOH, they might be just what you're looking for. If you're really into pouring plastics these people have a lot of molds and equipment. http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/materials--and--tools/tools

You might check catalogs that feature ice fishing gear. I have a pair of rubber gloves that are slit in the ends of the fingers so that only your fingertips are exposed. I thought it was Berkley that made them but I just checked their website and they're not there. Perhaps Rapala.... If you can find a pair in your size I'd go a size larger and wear those cotton work gloves inside but cut off the fingertips so you can use the slits in the rubber gloves. Wish I knew who made those.

Every year, I go thru this. Frankly, I carry more tackle in the boat than the law allows and most of it I don't even use. I toss the same lures most of the time because, frankly, they catch fish. I have cb's and soft plastics in my storage that haven't even been wet except to check their action in the water. Sooooooo.... Once again I will go out to the boat, pull all my tackle out and start going thru it in hopes of being able to cut WAY back on what I'm toting around. The downside to all of this is that I'll pull something, then turn around and decide I MIGHT want to use it at some point and put it back in. I think the best thing to do is yank what I don't use, hurry up and sell it in one big "grab bag", then run out and buy more so I can do it all over again.........

Anyone here ever purchased any of these from Jann's or Stamina? You just have to add split rings and hooks and they're ready to run. I was just wondering how the quality and action of these was. For the cost it seems like it would be the way to go if they're any good.

Actually, I prefer just small melting pots sold thru some of the plastics catalogs. They're nothing more than small aluminum pots with a pouring lip. Cost was just a couple of bucks each. Just make sure you do your melting in a well vented area. That stuff stinks when it gets going, as my wife used to remind me

Just made the same order the other day but haven't received them yet. I figure for $5 there should be at least one or two that will find a home in the tacklebox.