AOY

I use TIKI STIKS which look just like SENKOS which look just like FLASH which look just like..... TIKI sticks have been GREAT to me. I like licorice so sometimes I eat them myself--not really, but the fish do!

I use red hooks and regular. I bought into the hype and have been catching fish on red hooks. I'm not sure if there is any difference but I like them. They are also not any more expensive around here at Wal-Mart.

I fished a shad colored senko on a 5/0 Gam. EWG weightless through grass beds the other day and SLAYED them. I would cast just beyond the submerged grass and pull it through or on top and let it fall off the inside edge. Every four or five casts was a hookup, including a few big ones.

It was one of those magical days on the lake last week. I had started off catching a few small bass but once I hit the crappie hole my fishing switched. We boated about 80 crappie, kept 42 with several big uns. I was leaving the lake pretty confident and feeling good. As I was rounding the corner on the highway, I happened to glance in the rearview and was shocked---my brand new Humminbird was cartwheeling and bouncing down the side of the highway at 60 mph. I had pulled it off the bracket and set it on my boat and forgot about it when I got off the lake! I pulled over, picked up the face plate, the plexiglass screen and the main unit and put them back together. They all snapped right back together. I did the shake test to see if anything was loose--nope. I tested the finder on the water today and it still works perfectly! I will buy Humminbird from now on! I'm glad I happened to glance in the rearview at that exact moment or I would have never known.

I'm going to do some checking in the next couple of weeks. I might put up some flyers for a get-together of some sort. Might post around the tackle shops here at some point just to see if there is interest.

That would be a great way to have a little tourney and get to know other fishermen on the same level as me--mini-boater! John boats, plastic two-mans, canoes, paddle boats, heck--even tubes. This could be a great thing!

It does make a good lube for cinching a knot though!

I was throwing around the idea of starting a mini-boat club sometime in the future. I own a two-man, plastic boat and fish quite a bit at small lakes or in coves at bigger lakes. We've got several small city lakes, etc. around my area to fish. Has anyone here had experience with a mini-boat club? If so, any feedback is appreciated. I wouldn't know where to start but it sounds like fun.

This thread kind of reminds me of when I used to listen to the radio at night during X-mas eve to see if Santa was close! I can't wait! I guess I'll go fishing.

At least there are a lot around here!

I agree--stripers, hybrids, and whites are all great to eat if you get the bloodline out! They are usually school fish and keeping them doesn't usually hurt the population--even big ones--cause there a LOT of big stripers and hybrids to be eaten!

I'm fishing a small city lake with not a lot of structure, at least compared to a real lake. This is my favorite lake to take my two-man on as I've caught my three biggest fish here--an 8 and two 7's during April of the last two years in the shallows. My question is: where would these fish be in colder--49-50--water (right now) or hot (summer) water. The depth of the lake doesn't get much deeper than 20 ft and the middle is 20 ft and FLAT! There is only one small, defined channel where the creek comes in and goes to the spillway and the channel is only a few yards wide and a few feet deep and I haven't marked a fish there yet! Do you think they just suspend in the middle over 20 ft. deep flat bottom? There are plenty of shallow cover targets and a few pockets. A rip-rap that runs the entire western edge and goes down to about 18 ft at the bottom. I'm going to try the rock bluffs today where it is about 15 ft deep 15 yards off the bank. I can't find fish worth a crap on the this lake when weather is not ideal! I've already caught some nice one's at other lakes this year. I know they're in here. Help!

Thanks. I plan on trying that today. I'm taking my two-man out to a small lake around here and plan on finding some deeper (15-20 ft) structure. I'm going to fish for bass but if I find a brushpile or a boulder with crappie--I'm not gonna pass it up! My main goal is to get familiar with the sonar before stuff really starts heating up in a couple weeks. I've caught some NICE bass on this small lake--an 8 and two 7's--not bad for a city lake in Oklahoma! I'm trying to find where they go when the water is cold. Thanks again.

Oh yeah, I'm wanting to know this for about 10-25 feet deep. I don't rely on it when I'm fishing the bank.

This may sound dumb but I've read all the articles on here about sonar and looked at some of the manufacturer's websites and tutorials. Those have helped a lot but I still want to know--where should I cast when I see a reading? Do I drop straight down, cast to the side, troll back over the spot and try to find the tree or whatever it is I'm looking at with a search bait? I can find rocks, trees, dropoffs, etc with the finder--just don't know what to do when they appear-- or where to cast. My transducer is mounted to the rear of my boat and I'm only at trolling speed. I've got a dual beam sonar--Humminbird Matrix 25. The chart speed is default which I think is fast. Any suggestions?

catching fish

I once had a small perch, a small bass, a crawdad, a creek chub, a tiny pond turtle, and a pond frog in the same tank when I was in college. This didn't last long. I had them in a 30 gallon tank that had gravel sticking out of the water for the frog and turtle. To make a long story short-- the perch and the turtle won. I would feed them all worms, minnows, and turtle food. This lasted about 3 months before the perch got real brave and somehow jumped out of the tank between the lid and the air filter and fell behind my desk. I released the turtle back into a local pond.

Bass are tasty to me--I usually only keep ones over 5lbs since you get more meat. I usually throw the eggs away if they have eggs. JUST KIDDING! DON'T BOOT ME OFF THE BOARD!!! I will only eat them if they are about 1-2 lbs. and they are overpopulated. I like to fry them but I only keep a few for a fish fry or something. I haven't kept any in a couple seasons. They are tasty though!

I only own a 10' two-man boat that I get out if: 1. I have time and 2. it's not windy. Other than that, I fish from a "real" boat once every couple of weeks when I get invited by my father-in-law. I bank fish every single day that I'm not in a boat though! We have several small lakes, a larger river impoundment with a hydroelectric dam and a power plant lake with a warm discharge area. I fish for crappie, walleye, catfish, sandbass, hybrid-striped bass, perch, or whatever will bite my line from the bank! Oh yeah, of course, bass too! Bank fishing is real seasonal though. I usually use smaller lures--Roadrunners, crappie tubes, rooster-tails, grubs, and small spinnerbaits all work well for all of the species mentioned besides catfish. Now if I'm in a boat--whole different ballgame! Boating is my favorite but I won't let not having one ruin my fishing!

My future father-in-law bought me a lefty for x-mas. I only use it for flipping and pitching. I'm getting used to it although it feels funny when I reel. I just hope I don't lose any big fish before I get comfortable with it. My hook set seems different with a lefty.

The transducer is in the transom. Haven't got a chance to talk to him yet so we haven't tested it. I will try adjusting the range first then consider interference. What can you do if there is interference?

i don't think he knows how to work the settings! That would be the logical first step though. Thanks.

My buddy's got a Garmin--I think 160--that's older. When he first turns it on in deeper water--over 20 ft--it will read something outrageous like 750 ft. and won't read the bottom contour. As he moves to shallower water it starts flashing and switches to the correct depth. When he moves back towards deeper water it will change to reading incorrectly again. Any tips?

Is it possible, how, and does it work? Anyone done this before?

Sandwich of some sort, peanut butter crackers, and water or pop. I also like sunflower seeds or a BIG CHAW OF LEVI!