mheichelbech

Great point! Is Sensation still sold? I did like that line a lot. My my goal is all around performance...casting, pitching as well as I can without overruns. I have never had any trouble with breakage on the 12# and just a little concerned that stepping down to 10# might result in breaking some off. I guess that's my biggest fear with changing...that and abrasion resistance. I fish docks a lot.

Between an 1/8 and 1/4 sinker weight. Not sure what the hook and bait would add.

I currently have a big spool of 12# Big Game. I am wondering if 10# line (brand?) would perform materially better for lighter lures on a baitcaster. i try a lot of different lines but seem to always come back to Big Game. I keep thinking there is a better all around line that does everything I want it to do better than Big Game but I haven't found it yet.

Thanks and I do believe you nailed it in the reel. Obviously I have been looking and did buy a 70 but sold it after using one time because I found a good deal on a chronarch mgl which I wanted for pitching. Now I'm thinking I should have but the bullet and kept the 70. Seeing all the new "finesse" reels on the market has me in reel envy. Although partial to Shimano, I started out in Daiwa Procasters....the SV and Tatulas look interesting!

After a long layoff to raise kids, I'm ready to get back into tournament fishing again. For lightweight lures, floating worms, 4 inch worms, etc. I currently have a Shimano Scorpion that is still in like new condition but is 10-12 years old. Just had it cleaned and tuned but I'm wondering if any of the newer reels would do a better job of casting and pitching lighter lures or if there a big enough difference to warrant buying one the newer Daiwas or Shimano that are marketed as being for lightweight/finesse applications.

Thanks...does the braid cast easier than mono in this situation? Looking for the best line I can throw for just lightweight baits generally..mostly floating worms, 4 inch worms and such.

Is there any brand of line that is favored for casting lighter lures on a baitcaster? Last night I was trying Sufix Elite 14lb with a floating worm and had a lot of trouble versus the 12 lb Big Game I had previously used. At this point I am changing back to 12lb or maybe even 10 lb Big Game unless someone can point me to something better. I should add that the fishing conditions are normally not big bass but does have a lot of close quarters fishing. Thanks!

Does anyone know what the usual impact of a marina getting dredged out is? Saw some off the Ohio River where I fish getting dredged out. Basically the guy was getting the silt from the middle of the marina and then dumping it outside the mouth into the creek. I don't know what a typical size marina is but this one holds maybe 50 boats...not really sure. It is no bigger or smaller than most of the other marinas I've seen up and down the river. Just curious...mainly about short term impact...if the bass would relocate do to the disturbance or just sort of ignore it since he is digging mostly in the middle of the marina as far as I can tell. Also wondering if they might be attracted to the possible hump he is creating by dumping the mud into one area of the creek. This is bound to create an abnormality in the bottom structure I would think. I dunno...maybe the current would smooth it out.. Any experiences with this would be appreciated.

I though Yum had taken it over and is producing them now. I see the exact same baits in Yum branded packaging on Bass Pro shelves nowadays.

The agree with this. I can fish through anything in a boat and be fine but from the bank and I can get hung up with no hook it seems like! I wonder if if it isn't the difference in angle. Fishing from the bank normally had much less angle than a boat. Not sure why but seems to make a difference.

That's a good looking craw! It seems to me the ones above would excel in clearer water when you definitely want to imitate a crawfish and want a slimmer profile than a jig. And maybe the other style in more stained water and want more action and water disturbance....or as a swimming type trailer.

Some people call the baits like what is in the picture that is posted a "craw worm"...no idea why. I am just trying to figure when it would be better to throw a Paca or Rage type craw (or something like it) versus one that looks more like a real crawdad as in the posted picture. I am just getting back into serious fishing after a long layoff and the Rage type draws are new to me. I used to have a lot of success fishing with a power craw and other baits of that type that imitated an actual craw. However, I am wondering if I would better with the newer types or if doesn't make that much difference.

Had a few questions about craw worms that I couldn't find answers to and hoping you all could help: 1) Do the craws that appear to more authentic with claws, body style, etc do better or do baits like a Rage Craw or the other type of craws that have flapping "claws" do better? Are there times when one does better than another or is it just individual choice and what you have confidence in? 2) When do you decide to use a jig and craw trailer versus just t-rigging a craw? And again...do you prefer the more realistic version or the versions that maybe have more action with the flapping claws, etc.? 3) What factors help you decide whether to use a bigger craw versus a smaller one? I have had many times when I was catching 3-5 pounders on the smallest power crawls (maybe 2-3 inches long) and could catch nothing on the bigger ones..I'm guessing there must have been a recent hatch but didn't know why they were choosing the smaller baits.

I know quite a few millionaires...and while financially secure, none of them seem to be happy. My observation has been that many people whose obsession is on wealth or money, are never satisfied once they get it. In fact they are often more unhappy because it exposes other underlying issues that had previously been covered up by their quest to be rich. The people that I have met that are the happiest with a lot of money, are those that were fortunate enough to make it as a byproduct of doing something they love to do. Usually they have been able to make a business out of something they were already doing and liked to do. The financial success came from running the business well and managing their resources appropriately.

Is there any better lure at doing what this bait does which is dive to 1 foot or less with a nice wide wobble? This bait has proven to me time and again to be a great fish catcher in shallow water situations when other methods did not work. It seems to be especially good for paralleling docks and other linear cover. The Bandit Footloose is another good one but I mostly find myself reaching for the Minus One. I do believe the Footloose is a little bit shallower than the Minus Ones....at least the ones I have fished with. A couple mods I do with this bait are: 1) Always put surgical tubing on the back hook split ring to keep it from tangling with the front hook. 2) Always change out to Mustad Triple Grips or Gamakatsu wide gap trebles, sometimes #4 in the front and #6 in back. I do like the short shank versions to minimize tangling. 3) Sometimes will put a feathered treble hook on the back....adds very nice action to the bait as it swings its way through the water and when it stops, the feathers open up which I think can be that final, subtle movement to entice a bass to bite if it was not hitting on the move. This bait seems to do well in open water or in cover. I just hadn't been able to find any other similar versions of this bait that I like as well as the Baby Minus One or Footloose. I have tried the Lucky Craft SSR but reverted back...maybe I didn't have enough patience. The Minus One seems to be one of the baits where it doesn't pay to pay more than 5 bucks for a bit...another aspect of it that I really like. The only negative is that sometimes you do get one that doesn't run right and the only thing you can do is trash it or return it but that is not common.

I need to be hunting wherever it is that you are farming!

Serious bow hunter for mature whitetail deer. Addicted to it.

A note on jerkbaits...am I am still a novice with them but I fished with a friend who is good with them. He caught 5 in between 5 and 7 pounds during an early spring outing while I caught none. Had I been by myself I would have sworn it was the Dead Sea. What I learned were three things: 1) He was twitching and not jerking On SLACK line to keep the bait in place. 2) This day he was pausing 6 seconds in between twitches...an agonizingly long time for the lure getting back to the boat. 3) That particular day, color didn't matter, it was all about how slow he moved the bait. He used 3 different brands and colors of jerkbaits. And finally, just because I didn't catch them doesn't mean fish weren't there or that they weren't catchable! I got frustrated with not catching them on a jerkbaits and tried a jig (my specialty), and other slow moving baits with no luck. I learned a lot that day!

Yea there are some smallies in the pool I fish but I think most ar caught by accident. One thing that has hurt the size in our area is that the spotted bass have really taken over in the last 15-20 years. Used to be mostly largemouth which got bigger way back when burn now it's mostly spots and even the spots don't get as big as they used too. Another contributor may be zebra mussels...while they certainly have helped to to clear up the water I've heard they also can suck up a lot of the nutrients.

Think you nailed it. 25 years ago was pretty good. Could actually get a 15 pound sack.... that seems rare these days...

My response to the question on river fishing had me thinking about this...I fish the Ohio River a lot. We catch, and a significant number of half pound to 1.5 pound spotted bass and largemouth bass are caught and released either in tourneys or just casual fishing. What I have never been able to figure out is why don't they seem to grow any bigger? There seems to be plenty of bait, especially in Summer. The water quality doesn't seem to be bad. They have enough places to get out of the main current. However, in tournaments, seldom is anything over 3.5 pounds weighed in. That usually is big fish 3.5 to 4.5 pounds. It seems like there has to be big fish somehwhere or else these fish just grow old but they don't grow any bigger.... Anyone know why this would be? What biological factors may be at play? As far as I can see they don't have a lot of competition from other species at this time although Asian carp are beginning to establish a foothold...

Not sure how the Mississippi and other rivers compare to ththe Ohio, but typically our most productive fishing is in the Spring around the spawn (April-June) for largemouths and spotted bass. In the Pool around Louisville it seems like spotted bass have virtually taken over. I have found the best fishing to be in marinas and creeks off the main river. However it is possible to find spotted bass schooled up pre-spawn, in the mouths of creeks and marinas. Could catch one after another like this but they are all likely to be the same size. I've yet to figure out how where the biggest spots go. I've caught so many 1-1.5 pounders, I don't have any idea what happens after...if they just seldom grow bigger or if they die off somehow but there should definitely be more bigger fish around here based on the number of smaller fish caught. Also, I have had the most success targeting docks....spring to early summer in the creeks and marinas and in the summer on the main river....using primarily moving baits, Baby Minus 1, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Also rattletraps for schooling spots. Anytime during the summer you can find grasslines, especially if mixed with docks or other cover it's a sure bet...especially with current to direct the fish although the Ohio commonly fishes more like a lake in the summer time as there isn't much current in my experience. At least not enough to reliably pattern fish in that pool. If I could have only one bait to fish a river with, it would definitely be a Mann's Baby Minus 1.

Yea it didn't take long to figure that out.

Great job and great write up! Always nice to see the aluminum boaters do well! Brings back a lot of fond memories.

I like that! Man, would be nice to get lucky and find a used one of those...if you know of any like that please let me know. Thanks for the response. I really like the moderate fast taper availability.