Mobasser

I have two Sienna spin reels I bought 7 yrs ago. I mainly use them for crappie fishing in early spring. I think I paid around 30 dollars each for them. These don't have some of the high end features like other Shimanos, but have been really good reels for the money. All I've done is keep them clean, and put a drop of oil on any moving parts each season. Hard to beat for 30 dollars. They've caught scores of spring crappie, and a few bass also.

I like a 3/8 oz buzzbait. Over the years I've used several different models. The Cavitron is really popular with most folks. I've used swimbaits as a trailer in place of a skirt, with success. If you want to use a swimbait or frog/toad in place of a skirt, try to choose one that matches your bait size, and won't overpower the lure. Make sure the hook is super sharp. I've had the best luck by retrieving a buzzbait as slowly as I can, and still keep the blade turning on the surface.

I say mono in the 15lb class

Lots of folks still throw the Jitterbug. They sell thousands of them every year. I do think the older USA models are the best. The newer ones have a thinner lip, and seem to get bent and out of tune more easily.

Hope your dad continues to do well. Good luck with your fishing

Black was always my favourite color. I read years ago, that it's easier for a fish to track a dark lure at night. I've had similar experience with a black buzzbait too

I would choose a t rig, straight tail 6" plastic worm. I could trim it down to 4" or 5" if I need to. I'd rig with a 1/8 oz slip sinker.

Culprit

You must not have read through my post. My canoe is 4ft wide in the center. It's more stable than some jon boats I've been in. I use it a lot on small.lakes with 0 problems. So, I know very well how stable it is. Didn't mean to misspell the name of your beautiful city. I'm a fellow Missourian myself, so I apologize. I'm glad you use your canoe as you've stated, for your fishing. But sir, your reply makes no sense. Insults won't get you very far on this site. Thank You.

Thanks A-Jay. Good info for all here.

Wishing all BR members a safe and happy Fourth of July! It's hard to believe it's here already! Hope all you guy / gals have a good one!??

In my area it's the humidity that starts to slow me down. I used to be able to fish much longer too, now, when the air gets really thick and heavy, I tire out faster. Four to six hrs is about the as long as I fish now, and I drink a lot of water. I'm going to start night fishing soon.

I have two 4600c reels. I still use one now. I like 15lb Big Game mono. Seems to work well on these reels.

I have a canoe. Mine is a 17ft square back made by Osagian canoe in Lebonan Mo. It's 4ft wide in the center, and very stable. I usually just bring 2 rods and a small box of standard baits. We only use it on small lakes. Use your canoe just as you would a Jon boat. Slowly troll, and cast. We also use a portable Hummingbird depthfinder, to locate deep water spots also.

Remember: have some fun out there! Look at this as a learning experience. If you don't do well, learn from it and do better next time. I'd bet lots of other guys are struggling with this too.

Catt and WRB are here. These guys won't steer you wrong.

In your original post you said temps in lower 70s? I'd be looking at more shallow cover areas. Sounds like a good day for spinnerbait, lipless, or shallow crankbait. But, I would still plan on throwing a plastic bait slowly also.

Some of the best tournament fisherman over the years rely on just a few baits to win.They can be versatile and able to.adapt to different situations, but still win with their confidence baits. Don't worry too much, and don't over think it. Have some fun with your fishing. You'll develop your style over time.If you think the bass are laying under or around those docks, cast to them from all angles, and always make a followup cast. Hit em with a spinnerbait, to see if the bass are active. If so, move in for the kill with a t rig worm.

In a tournament, I would fish baits that have worked best for you. You can practice all kinds of baits at other times. Fish it to win it

As Catt says here, this is the best advice you can get. Stick with the baits that have worked best for you so far. These are your confidence baits, and your strenghts. Good luck!

I fish all mono lines, leave one heavier casting outfit for frogs. I don't see any benefit to line conditioner for my own fishing. Most of the guys who use flouro lines like it, to make the line more limber and easier to handle, es specially on spinning reels. From what I understand KVD line conditioner is a favourite

Agree, that's the tricky part. I can get it close, but not exact. J Francho, do you backreel also?

Glad you commented here. I know your a dedicated backreeler from way back. I started on it after reading about Charlie Brewer and Billy Westmoreland, landing bass of all sizes on light line by backreeling. Over the years I got better at it, and it worked well. As near as I can recall, I've only lost two bass this way, and that was completely my doing. I'll continue on with both ways. I do hope they don't discontinue the AR switch comepletly. But, if they do I'll be prepared. Backreeling does work well.

For over thirty years, I've been a backreeler with a spinning reel. Every spinning reel I've owned has had an anti reverse switch. My newest spinning reel is a Shimano Sahara 2500fi, and, it has no AR switch. At first, I thought this might be hard to get used to. But, it's been an easy transition. The drag on this reel is so smooth, and easily adjustable, that I havnt missed the AR switch at all. One thing I always liked about an AR switch, was that if you accidently reeled the bait too close to the rod tip, you could flip the switch, crank the handle back a couple of times, and get the bait to drop a few inches before you cast again, without opening the bail. Other than that, I can get by without the switch. I still fish on and off with a couple of older spin reels, mainly a Shimano Sedona, and an old ABU Cardinal 4, both of which have an AR switch. I'll continue to use those as I always have. The AR on the newer Shimano spin reels is super tight, with no backplay, and the drag is so much better than reels of even ten years ago. Many of the newer reels still feature an AR switch, and , I've liked the Lews, and Diawa models that I've seen. Both companies make some great reels. But if your on the fence about buying a new reel with no AR switch, you don't have to worry. Many folks think this may be a trend in the newer reels, eliminating the AR switch completely. I'm not sure if this is true or not. I've also experimented by setting the drag overly tight, hooking a fish, then backing off the drag while fighting a fish. Of course, this is not the recommended way to land a fish, but with a drag this smooth it's not hard to do. That, coupled with light pressure from your forefinger on the spool as needed, gives you a lot of control. To sum this up here, my new reel, with no AR switch, is working great so far. When I'm ready for a new reel( hopefully not too soon), I can choose either style of reel, and the lack of an AR switch won't be a concern.

I agree. As much as everything changes in fishing the t rig remains the same. Weight, hook, and plastic worm. I was told about purple being a good color here in Missouri many years ago. It's been the best, with blues a close second, both plain and with glitter added. Lately, we've been catching fish on the Roboworm Folkestad Special, which is purple all the way.But over the years we've caught them on Creme, Culprit, Manns, Fliptail, and Ditto Gator Tail, and the purple Lucky Strike worms from Wal Mart. All have worked at one time or another, with these companies version of purple being the best color overall. Why purple? That I don't know....