bobbyg

Holy Cow!! That's a helluva setup!!!

The OP said lure/plastic. . .so it would have to be C4 not dynamite! Not sure if that would work the same.

Nothing small about that smallie!! I have an Abu Garcia "round reel". I learned how to cast on one, so it is kind of a nostalgia thing for me!

It is in Northern Indiana!!

Yellow hula popper. . . .maybe won't catch the most, but I like fishing those. I grew up loving to fish em and I still really enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone who chimed in with some advice! I really do appreciate it!!

3 very deadly words!!!!

I am always "that guy" when it comes to not wanting to spend money on fishing. I am always the, it's almost as good as that one and it's 2 bucks cheaper. That being said, I am "gearing up" for a trip this spring and I spent $20 bucks on two spinning combos on clearance at Walmart, not the best, but surprisingly usable. Also, I got a couple of new baits for my birthday. I am also heading to BPS this Monday to grab some of the 5 for $10 Booyah Spinners, and I am finally going to actually buy the actual "rage claw" plastic trailers for my jigs. So I would say all-in-all I usually don't break $100 each year. But that is just the cheapskate in me!!

I like the newer blade styles where the large blade has graphics on it such as this one! KVD has a series of them as well where both blades are like this, I think it helps it imitate a school of baitfish. Probably not as in depth as you were looking for, but it is all I got!

I am not very experienced with true technique on jig fishing, so I am aware of all of the eye rolls as you read the next few sentences but bear with me, I am just trying to gain some enlightenment. . . . I am having trouble realizing how I would feel a bass hit a jig on the initial fall unless it just hammers it or runs with it. I am thinking that when you cast the line is usually slack when it hits the water and unless you are fishing deep, it would be on the bottom before I would have my line taught. So how do you feel the initial hit if the line is slack?

Ummm . . . too late on that one!!! Yamamoto beat you too it!!!

The areas I am looking at right now are the three arrows. This area is just south of Dale Hollow Lake State Park Marina. We are staying at Wisdom Dock. After googling it shows average water temps to be in the low to mid 50's. Thanks!!

Welcome. . . . Great Fish!!

Nice bucketmouth!!!

I am aware that this is going to sound very novice to many on this forum. I am a guy who is trying to make the most of a trip with my dad and while I am perfectly fine with spending 3 days on a boat with him just talking and making memories I am trying to calculate a way to include some actual catching into the fishing part of the trip. So after doing some research into a trip I am taking to Dale Hollow Lake, TN in early April I have decided to approach the fishing this way. I have looked on lake maps and have found 5 areas near the original river channel that are shallow flats about 10-15 deep. Dale Hollow is typically very clear water, the areas I am finding on maps show some vegetation on the bottoms, but not real thick. I am thinking these will be good places to start. My plan is to work the edges of those flats with football jigs with rage claw type softbaits attached, and lipless crankbaits to work the edges where it drops from 10-15 feet to more like 30 in the course of a few feet. I am very new to trying to plan an attack when it comes to fishing. I am not sure yet what the water temps and weather are going to be. And I know that those two things will make a huge difference. Anybody with any "tips" or "pointers" of things to look out for, maybe approaches that I am not thinking of, really any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Mike, Never has anyone so perfectly encapsulated my lot in this world of fishing!!! I know enough to be dangerous,(mainly to the trees and rocks, less dangerous to the fish!) I find this forum fun and I am sure that once I get out on the water I will have plenty of moments when I try something that I saw on here and I will think, ah, now I get it! But in the mean time I do hope that a lot of you long time anglers and posters who actually do seem to know what you are talking about, keep talking about it, even if it is basically the same thing someone else said. Somebody with a head as hard as me might need to hear it 3 or 4 times for it to sink in! Thank you to all of you helping us poor want-a-be's out! Bobby

I have been looking on Craigslist (I know, buyer be ware) and am hoping for the diamond in the rough to pop up there. Actually a lot of boats on there surprisingly enough.

Being new to the forums and someone who has fished a lot, but not with any type of direction or true knowledge of best practices, I think it is good when a thread gets a bunch of somewhat convoluted thoughts. I like everyone's perspective. I have always been more of the school of thought that if you want to catch anything it starts with holding your mouth right! For me it always comes down to confidence in what and how you are doing.

I use spinnerbaits as a slow and steady bait when fish seem less aggressive. Also usually in clear water or around hard cover, trees, rocks that kind of thing. I have found luck using chatterbaits in weeds and murky water by pulling it quick then letting it drop into the weeds, then pulling it through again and letting it drop. Not a steady retrieve. The strikes happen right when you pull again. Yes you bring in a bunch of weeds, but also fish!

The original True Grit with John Wayne. "If I had a big ol' horse pistol like that, I wouldn't be afraid a no booger man neither!"

I would agree. . . If not that the Yamamoto is almost exact. Pearl/Silver Flake color probably.

I have never "soaked" the fish in milk. My grandmother was always a firm believer in soaking them in saltwater then before frying in a cast iron skillet she would dip them in buttermilk and then use a cornmeal/flour mix with black pepper to bread them and then fry. Crappie and Bass where mainly what we were cooking.

My 3 year old has a "Dock Demon" it is a short rod with an ultralight reel on it. My 7 year old won it in a fishing contest at our local parks department pond. He absolutely loves it. For it being so tiny, it has actually got a lot of backbone. It is not a "kids" setup, as I have used it multiple times for casting when it is a tight space to cast in. I have used DT6 crankbaits and spinnerbaits on it with no problems. I would agree with some of the comments above about the lures not needing to be tiny, however, if the kids use something that has a lot of drag in the water they will get tired pretty quick if they are casting. Lipless crankbaits are perfect for my kids, just depends on what is on the bottom as they tend to let them sink for a while before they begin to reel them in. My little kids have always preferred to use topwater stuff as they love seeing the water explode even if it is a little fish attacking!!

Looks good!

I completely understand what you are saying. . . If you want to get the blue truck and still have some visual appeal while towing the boat, you could always find a way to "accent" each piece. For example I know a guy that replaced his tow cover for his boat with one that matched his truck. This might help with the visual. Also, my uncle had all of the branding decals on his boat switched from Brown on a white boat to Charcoal Grey to match his truck. It looked great. But ultimately, it comes down to the easiest way would be to go with the silver truck, as it will pretty much match anything.