TOXIC

Had my fishing buddy bust a Zman Chatterbait last weekend. Problem was he busted it ON MY CONSOLE!! I coulda smacked him right upside the head!! He has this weird side arm cast that puts a lot of baits into my console and motor cowling.

Some baits are high percentage catch lures, some are bigger fish lures but everything is dependent on the current conditions. Time of year, water temp, water clarity, and the other 500 pieces of the fishing puzzle.

If they ain't eatin, you ain't catchin no matter the reason. Keep after em!! Sooner or later they gotta eat.

A Senko works well as a follow up because it fools the fish into thinking it has successfully killed/injured the bait (spinnerbait/chatterbait/topwater) and it's an easy meal slowly sinking. That's why the follow up has to be very fast.

Everybody should have a "fun" vehicle. Added this to my stable when I was in Florida for a couple years. While dubbed the rich housewife's car, it can be a blast to drive with a few easy mods. 4.3 V8, hardtop convertible and getting to the age that a lot of the "tuners" are starting to play with them for headers/suspension/performance, etc. LEXUS SC430 and in Japan it is called a Soarer. No longer in production and I have the first year produced. The first models were hand assembled in Japan. I use it as a commuter. Does OK in what little snow we get here in Virginia and gets 25mpg on Premium fuel. If it gets nasty out, I have a Jeep Wrangler and of course my 1/2 ton 4wd Silverado if need be.

Totally Regional but here in VA, 65-68 and they will put the feed bag on!!

Good tips so far but I will add one more....change baits. Yamamoto DShad is a fluke style bait that weighs more than most other fluke style baits (and it's made out of the same plastic as a Senko). I have fished it in the weedy waters of the Potomac River letting it fall through holes in the mat and working across the top of the mat like a topwater and I have drug it on the bottom of 6-12ft of water on Lake St Clair like a tube and crushed the smallmouth. There are certain things you can do to alter the fall rate but I never weight the bait. I will go up or down in hook size and I will on occasion go with a little heavier line to change the fall rate. The DShad has a faster fall rate than any other fluke I have found.

Ok back to the question now that everybody's got sharp knives!! RUST. There's different kinds of hooks out there and that's why saltwater baits have what looks like a chrome coating on them. Some bait manufacturers use that same method for their baits on spinnerbaits/chatterbaits etc. and that's why they can last so long without rusting. Most freshwater hooks are lightly coated and will rust fairly easily even if you leave a soft plastic rigged up on them too long. Some tips for rust....Never store your terminal tackle with your plastics. They will rust hooks even if they are not in contact with them. Buy plastic storage boxes with the rust inhibitor dividers. Use silica packs in your storage boxes. Personally I use chunks of sidewalk chalk that my 20 year old daughter had when she was 10!! Hoarding pays off!! Finally, let your lures dry off on deck before putting them back into the storage box and if it rains, I open my boxes on deck when I get home and it is sunny (after an internal wipedown), to let them all dry out. I am a little obsessed with rust because the only hooks I have ever snapped were ones that had some rust on them. I truly believe it weakens the hook.

Spinnerbait, Chatterbait, Crankbait can all be worked in the area just above the weeds by varying your retrieve speed. Cranks you will have to get an idea how deep you can run them and match the depth of the crank to the water column you have to work with. Weightless Texas rigged Senko will tear them up!! Slow fall through the strike zone and weedless.

Boat buying is very dependent on a few things but there are some basics that you need to get out of the way before finding what works for YOU. Length.....Sounds like you are getting there on your garage size. I base length on the type of water I fish. Big water = bigger boat no matter the storage because if I can't fish or have to choose my days because my boat is too small, I'm not gonna be happy and safety is a concern. Glass vs Tin.....You can't really look at both because it's not an apples to apples comparison. Study up, pick one style and concentrate on it. Dealer.......This would heavily weigh on my decision. The dealer with the best reputation and service department for the boat/motor combo you choose. I would go so far to say, I would be swayed more by a good dealer and whatever line of boat/motor he carries than anything else.

Just as gear and techniques have been refined and added to, so have line choices and that puts them into a "personal preference" category. The best thing to do is try a few in each category to see which one fits your fishing style the best because what may be the Bees Knees for someone else.....won't work well for you. Half the fun is trying out new stuff.

Many times after a good rain and water condition change (temp/clarity) the fish will not bite for a couple days. They may also be transitioning to their cold water haunts (usually deeper water).

There is going to be a time in the fall when the baitfish move into the shallows. The bass will follow them in and feed on them. I would suggest you get experience with a weightless Fluke style bait (Yamamoto DShad is my choice) and fish it parallel to the bank as well as casting straight out and working it back in. The good thing is that your dropshot setup can double as a fluke setup very well.

As companies get bought and sold there is always some fallout in colors and styles. That's what drives the Ebay marketplace and bait sellers that have old stock. I used to be hyper focused on colors until I became friends with an Elite Series angler who has stayed with me both in Virginia and when I had a house in Florida while he practiced for tournaments. He tested new baits in my pool. His approach was to not focus on specific colors but to focus on groups of colors that match the bait and water clarity. Since adopting that attitude, I have caught a lot more fish on colors that I would have never thrown. Where I will agree, is that changes to hard baits from old styles that actually do change the action of the lure. Whether it is in a new production material or changes in the shape it does change them. I will say to check websites for retailers because they may not have everything that is available in store and you can order it.

Look at the decks of the pro's boats these days and you will find both spinning and casting. Both have a time and place especially with certain baits.

They are more instinctive than they are smart. Never forget, they gotta eat and that's what you are trying to trick them into doing with most lures.

When you hear from a top level pro after a bad finish what is the most common thing they say?.......I didn't adapt to a change in conditions.......With that being said most all of them have certain "strengths" or styles of baits they do best with. If I were to start over not knowing my "strengths" or confidence baits it would have to be a mix of lures that would cover all of the water column because as Gary Klein once told me, "If you find the fish, there's at least 5 baits I can catch them on". My boat is a floating tackle box though and I wouldn't leave home without every one of my baits. The key is to not get overwhelmed and have 200 crankbaits or 100 different colors of plastics.

When you buy a boat you get 2 lists......Standard Equipment and Options. If you don't get it, ask for it. No more questions. Now if the lists are wrong...that's a whole another can-o-worms. Glad they did you right.

I do a split screen of Down Imaging and 2D Sonar if I stop. But I rarely stop completely unless working a bed.

I can't let that happen as a guide. My whole job is to put someone in the back on fish. The deal is usually your skill as a fisherman. There's so much more that goes into any lure than just throwing it out and reeling it in. Some subtle things and some very obvious. Pausing or varying the speed of a crankbait or spinnerbait, hopping a jig or dragging it, cadence in a topwater bait and last but not least even the bait that most fishermen like to call the "idiot bait"....the Senko. I have thrown Senkos for 20+ years and can make them work in most any situation. There's sooooo many things you can do to a 5 inch, Texas rigged Senko besides just throwing it out, letting it sink and reeling it in. Finally, if you have confidence in whatever bait you are throwing you WILL catch more fish. If the guy in the backseat is frustrated, he's lost 1/2 the battle right out of the gate.

You can't force a bait to work in a situation it was not designed for. Lake conditions dictate what lures to throw.

You would be shocked if you weighed 1/4 oz jigheads for example and found out how many are actually 1/4 oz.

If you consider a Senko in the "trickworm" catagory and Texas rigged, I use a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG for a number of reasons. It is a thin wire hook and saves your Senko (if rigged properly). It is a better bite detector and results in fewer deep hooks of fish if you are not proficient at weightless Senko, slack line fishing. I used to use the 3.0 but with guide clients, I was seeing too may deep hooked fish. I use 3.0 to 5.0 actually because I change my hook depending on conditions (wind/depth/cover etc.) but the 4.0 is my go to. I also use the Gamakatsu Skip Gap if I am going to be skipping cover or docks a lot. I actually have different rods rigged with different hooks on deck at all times.

I guided out of a NITRO for years....Why?.......Because clients tear up a boat. My guide boat did what I asked of it and was safe on the water. I didn't care when clients whacked my console or motor cowling, spilled food, coffee or sodas on the carpet, stepped on, or put a hook in, the seats or any of the other 1000 things they do to wreck a boat. I also wasn't afraid to take that boat places that I would not take my current boat (a Ranger) to get clients on fish. That being said, there is very little to be made in the guide business after you get done paying for baits (sponsorships help), liability/business insurance, fuel/oil/increased maintenance, licenses (state/USCG/Business, etc.), wear and tear on both your boat and tow vehicle, launch fees (if you don't have a sponsoring marina), rods & reels (I had to rotate mine out every other year). Add to that the stress of being under the gun to put paying clients on fish every time you hit the water (it's not easy). Don't get me wrong, I love guiding but as a money making business or a "side" business, the best thing you can hope for is a good tax write off. And I had a good stream of return clients that booked me every year. I could make a list just as long about the good things that come from guiding but income wouldn't be in the top 100.

There were at least 15 Yaks in Aquia Creek. Main river is a different story.