IndianaOutdoors

@TnRiver46Can you describe your method for fishing out of your boat? I am also running long tail and running some really skinny water. I'm trying to access places the bank anglers can't get to but I'm afraid I'm scaring off fish if I run upriver and fish my way back down. I would fish down first then motor back but I usually end up running out of daylight and if I have a motor problem I'm screwed.

Northern Indiana here. My rivers are small and shallow. The bite has really died off as the nights have started getting cooler. Up till last week they were still hitting topwater and moving baits in the normal spots near current and cover. I have been catching mostly white bass the last few trips. I took the boat out today which was interesting. There wasn't enough water to float the boat off the trailer so I had to push it off. Had to weave through the rocks to get anywhere. Found a few sections that were 4-8ft deep but couldn't buy a bite. Throwing in the current seems produced one white bass. I'll keep trying. I really want to find a way to catch em at least through October.

I'm after a 7ft medium spinning the $150 model. Do I just have to take a chance that the discount will apply? It doesn't show at all during checkout.

Know if any current discounts? I'm looking to buy a tatula right now.

Anybody know where I can get a deal on a daiwa tatula spinning rod?

Anybody know if tackle warehouse will let me upgrade? Been eyeballing curado 70s anyway.

I bought a SLX on Black Friday last year. I have only fished with it maybe 10 hrs or so. Honestly the heaviest action it has seen has been a tree snag and a snagged carp. I'm getting quite a bit of gear grind and noise when there is any tension on the spool. With slack line and the spool tension knob backed off it's much smoother. I have disassembled, cleaned and lubed twice now and I'm still getting gear vibration and noise. At this point I'm thinking there must be some play in the gears. I'm open to suggestions on what I should do. Could this be repaired? Should I see if tackle warehouse or Shimano will take care of it under warranty?

Went out yesterday afternoon. Was hoping for a walleye or some crappie but i ended up getting a few dink largemouth on a silver buddy. I then lost said silver buddy, my only silver buddy, jigging around a lay down tree. This is the latest in the year I've ever had the boat out and I'm really struggling with boat control. Can't work a slow presentation if the boat won't stay put. I guess I should probably get a longer anchor rope so I can anchor out deeper where the fish are holding. Anybody else still at it?

I was out on Sunday. Only catch was on the ned in a about 15 feet of water as I was trolling back to the ramp.

I have some time off work this week and next. Hopefully will be spending a few days on the water. Anybody been on any patterns lately? I'll probably stick to the natural lakes up north since that last rain turned the res and river to chocolate.

Just heard there was good ice on salamonie res last weekend. Heard a couple fellas got there limit in crappie. Had no idea there was that much ice.

Found this in some garage sale tackle a while back. It's about an 1/8oz jighead with a bill like a crankbait. Anybody ever used one?

If I feel a hit I set the hook. If I feel weight I side sweep and load the rod up. Most spinners have a heavy enough hook that it's not going to set itself. @Catt is right though. There are many variables when fishing a spinner. I started using trailer hooks last year and I'm still pretty indifferent about them. I have rarely had them hooked on the trailer. That said the only time I have had issues with the trailer hook is when pitching to cover. O and I don't care for the trailer hook sticking small fish in the gills occasionally when they bite the main hook. I have an HMG MH that I bought use for 3/8-1/2 spinners. It's works just fine. Just be careful with the line guides on the last gen. They crack easily. I believe the new gen has different material to fix this. I have no experience with the Shimano.

Having gps/mapping at the bow would allow you to follow contours with the trolling motor, know where you are in relation to points on the map, add waypoints while fishing from the bow.... It can be useful in moving from spot to spot with the trolling motor. It can be useful for keeping you in the same spot if you're battling wind, current or just working a spot from different angles.

As a professional maintenance technician I second this. We're getting close to the point now that cars are almost "disposable". For the past 2 decades they have become much less serviceable to the shade tree mechanic. Many parts of cars now are only serviceable by dealerships. I like to buy cheap older cars that need some work and fix em up. It's getting harder and harder to find anything in half decent condition thats worth putting the effort into. As far as tips for servicing boats I recommend getting the manual, stay on top of regular maintenance, and don't straight gas a 2 stroke. Taking pictures before and during disassembling is helpful. Don't leave the small parts laying about to get lost. Don't do last minute work in a hurry. It never goes well.

7. As a guitar player I can respect what Zappa does but 12 minutes of that is too much for me. https://youtu.be/db94lyKYOcg

Has anyone tried any of the elaztech paddle tails? Seems like they would be the most resistant to tearing and might me supple enough to have good action.

With the exception of 3 casting reels all of my rods and reels are from Pure Fishing. Most of it I bought from FFO tackle. An assortment of Fenwicks, a lightning rod and a Shakespeare for slip float/crappie rod. Some Pflueger and Abu spinning reels. I believe these are good value/bang for the buck pieces of equipment when you get them at FFO discount prices. Now that I have my bases covered I will be looking at other companies products as I replace and upgrade. Would like to try more Daiwa, St Croix. Kind of looking at getting more into walleye next year so we'll see what's down that rabbit hole.

Keitech have very soft plastic wich gives good action but also tears easily. I have trouble keeping them on the hook when making contact with brush/heavy cover. I have been using a grub if I want lots of tail action when pitching to cover. If I think they want the paddle tail I'll use something cheaper and more resilient than a keitech. Something like a havoc grass pig or bass assassin die dapper. If you don't mind going through baits keitech is the way to go.

Very cool. Dunno if that's a pattern I'd pick to fish with but it would be neat for a boat wrap.

I like having a dedicated drop shot rod so I can agree with that train of thought. As for rod choice, this po boy can't help you with the high end stuff. I use a 6'9" ml Fenwick HMG and a cheap Abu reel. I'm no pro but it works for me.

New to me this year was drop shot, baitcasters, whopper plopper, deep cranking, side Imaging, and wading for smallmouth. That being said my big thing this year was the zoom fat Albert grub in green pumpkin. I had used grubs in the past but never considered them to be a productive bait. I'm not sure what exactly started it but I've had a grub tied on most of the year and used it in many applications with success. Edit:. Also new this year was the Ned rig. I almost forgot it bc it was better at catching crappie than bass for me. While it may be considered a numbers bait for bass, I consider it a slab bait for crappie. Pulled out several 10-12in crappie in a lake where the norm is 5-8in.

Tatula brakes are magnetic but also function somewhat like centrifugal brakes. The magnets come on as speed increases. I think it's a great system and prefer it to other style brakes. I would take centrifugal over standard magnetic brakes though.

It's the spool spinning or is the line slipping on the spool?

I grew up with spinning gear. Just bought some casting gear this spring. I learned to use them and I like them just as much as I like spinning gear. I still don't understand all the rhetoric about needing casting gear for this or that our that they have more power and torque. I find that spinning gear is generally more versatile. I spend allot of time fishing from small boats and wading or hiking to fishing spots so having one to three versatile rods is important to me.