Mobasser

Since it always seems like there's not enoupgh time to trailer our canoe or boat to the lake in the evenings, I've started wading again, on evening fishing trips. I have both hip, and chest waders that I've owned for years. The hip waders are not bad for summer fishing, but my chest waders are way too hot. With our temps getting near 90 here, and high humidity, I just wear an old pair of cutoffs, and cheap canvas tennis shoes. I've rigged a 4" x 6"small Plano flat sided box, which holds everything I need for a 2hr fishing trip, and clips to a beltloop on my cutoffs. I recently picked up a fishing vest which has a mesh back, and should work well for packing tackle also. Wading for bass is great fun. One rod/reel and a few baits is really all you need. It's a laid back, old school approach, but can be very effective also. When you wade out say 20ft from the bank, you get an entirely new perspective as opposed to standing on the bank. You can hit targets with your cast, that you couldn't hit before. I discovered a good spot this way the other evening, along a bank on the opposite side of a cove I've fished from the bank many times. I'm still not sure exactly what's under the water at this spot? The important thing was I was able to easily hit this area with short accurate cast, as opposed to heaving long cast to get my bait in the strike zone. I think wading, for bass fishing anyway, has fallen out of favor with many anglers. I don't see too many guys doing it anymore. I think it was probably more popular years ago, before so many huge impoundments were built. We do have some snakes here in Missouri, but they'll usually always leave you alone if you leave them alone. And, we don't have any gators or other critters which can cause trouble while your wading. For the bank fisherman who feel bummed about not owning a boat, you might try wading for bass. You'll quickly realize that it can work very well. About the time the shadows start to fall over the water, and the big bullfrogs start to croak, I usually tie on my old Storm Chug Bug, and quietly work the weed edges. My grandson likes to call this " the magic time". I think that summs it up very well . Is anyone else wading any small lakes, rivers, or creeks this summer? Tell me about your setup, baits, and if you've noticed an increase in your catch rates since you started wading for bass.

A friend accidently dropped his rod/reel in the lake while fishing off a dock the other night. We retrieved his outfit, but right away it felt sluggish and hard to crank. This was a newer Pflueger Trion spinning reel, size 35. When he got home he removed the spool, and the handle assembly, and layed the reel on its side for two days. He then removed the side plate, and cleaned out some of the factory grease, also putting one drop of oil on the bearings, handle knob, bail assembly, and line roller. He called last night to report that his reel was working perfectly, and was as good as new.It was a shock to me, how quickly this reel became hard to turn- basically unfishable. I know some of the better reels on the market have various seals which can help protect the bearings, gears, etc from water. I'm not sure how well these seals actually work? Luckily I've never dunked a reel. I'm not sure if certain brands would be more prone to becoming hard to crank after water gets inside? For those that have dunked a reel, have you noticed this with any particular brands?

I have a brother in law, who lives just north of Des Moines Iowa, who loves this bait. It's his all time favourite topwater. His biggest LM bass on this was a 6lb fish, and he's caught scores of smaller LM, as well as quite a few smallmouth bass in his area too. He's generally a pond, and small lake fisherman, and likes wading creeks, and smaller rivers also. He replaces the hooks with Owner trebles, and carefully bends the prop slightly forward. I've caught fish on this one, but no larger bass, mostly, on a frog finish, or the old Heddon black shore minnow color. I do think this is a good bait though. At just under 2", it's a slightly smaller topwater than many folks like to throw. My brother in law has a whole box of these baits, in different colors. He throws them on a med spinning rod, or a med casting rod, usually with 8 or 10lb line. Anyone still throwing the Heddon Torpedo? If so, what colors do you like, and any mods to this one that have worked well? I appreciate any and all tips you can pass along regarding this old classic.

Wishing all the fishing dads here on BR a happy father's day!

Yea, you never know? These old plugs might tear em up out there. They sure wont be something the fish see all the time. I think they're gonna work good

Catt and A-Jay, I've added a couple more plugs to the mix, old Lazy Ikes, and older Arbogast Jitterbugs. As far as the attire for this trip? If you look at old fishing pics from the 50s or 60s, most guys wore blue jeans, work shirts, or t shirts. Some wore bib overalls. This is my regular attire most days anyway, so I should be ok there.?They sure didn't have nice fishing shirts and fancy jerseys back then like we have now.

Myself and an older friend that I fish with have decided to do this just for fun. Along with our usual plastic worms, were going to fish an older topwater bait at first light, on our morning fishing trips. So far, between the two of us here's what we've come up with: Heddon Lucky 13, South Bend Bass O Reno, Heddon Dying Flutter, Original Rapala floating minnow, Smithwick Devils Horse, Arbogast Hulla Popper , and Heddon Chugger Spook. We're getting together at my house tomorrow night to replace any rusted or damaged hooks. Even though many of these baits are still available, all of ours are antique lures, some decades old. We're fishing them on our standard , modern bass tackle. This should be fun. It's kind of an experiment for us, to see if the older baits still work as well as they did years ago. We both tend to think that even though there's been huge improvements in bass lures over the years, the best designs were invented decades ago. So, this Saturday morning, if it's not pouring rain, it's in with the old, and out with the new! I'm looking forward to it, and it should bring back memories for both of us. For us, fishing is about catching fish, but having fun too. If we can make that happen, we're both happy....

If you mean shallow floating style baits then Rapala, Bomber Long A, or Smithwick Rogue are all classics. We used to throw them in spring, with a twitch, set, slow reel retrieve. Fish them slowly. I'm sure they're still popular on Missouri's Ozark lakes also. A standard casting rod works well for the plastic baits. Maybe 6'6 med action. Some smaller thin balsa baits, may cast better with a spinning rod.

A good place for you to start on this subject might be to do a Google search on Missouri fisherman Guido Hibdon. He did very well fishing tubes for LM bass.

Shimano Clarus 6'6 med/hvy rod, Lews LFS casting reel, 12lb Big Game line, t rig plastic worm

I say buzzbait also. Nice fish there

Id also like to say a thanks to BR member scaleface, who was kind enoupgh to send me a buzzbait, and a spinnerbait, with a single large Colorado blade, like the ones I used years ago. The big single blade really puts out some serious thump at night. Thanks again scaleface, I'm ready for em.

I might also mention, I just received my order for two bags of the Mr. Twister Mag 12" Buzz Worm. Catt told me about them.in another thread. These should be a great night bait to throw. Big Worm+ Dark Summer Night, could possibly = Lunker bass! Catt, I agree. My partner is a good steady guy too, with lots of experience.

Two yrs ago, myself and a friend both ordered new All Pro Rods from Fish USA. Ours are both 6'6 med hvy spinning rods. Retail was 150.00, but we paid 50.00 on closeout. These are made in TENN, and both have a graphite TENN style handle, top quality guides, and overall great workmanship. These are excellent rods, and seem as good or better than a Loomis rod my son in law purchased. Now, If I understand correctly, this company is out of business? Does anyone own any All Pro rods, and can you confirm this?

I met and spoke with Charlie Campbell years ago at BPS in Springfield Mo. He was legendary fishing a Spook. He liked a shorter rod with moderate action, 14lb mono, and a high speed reel. Currently, I'm using an older Fenwick 5'6 pistol grip rod, 15lb Big Game line, and an older ABU 4600c reel. The shorter length rod seems to work well for throwing a Spook. Recommended to me by the Spook Master, Charlie Campbell around 30 yrs ago. It works well

I've gotten back into frogging again this year. In the evenings, I bank fish, and often spook frogs that are sitting in moss or weeds near the bank, so it might pay off to throw one around these spots in bright sunlight too.

I've had the very best luck with walking baits with a white belly. Top color doesn't seem to matter much. On Stockton in Missouri, a clear Spook used to be really popular. I'm not sure if it's still that way. I like light belly baits in poppers also. At dusk, or night fishing, darker colors or black have always been good too.

Sorry A - Jay! I need to work on my editing.

I'm excited this year because I have a good partner who can go night fishing with me. I fished at night years ago, both from a boat and the bank. One of the biggest fish I ever hooked hit a black Lunker Lure buzzbait retrieved as slowly as possible near a weedline. She buried in the weeds, and threw the hook. Maybe she's still out there?I plan on finding out next month for sure. It's a whole different world out there at night. I'm pumped about it now! I'm excited this year because I have a good partner who can go night fishing with me. I fished at night years ago, both from a boat and the bank. One of the biggest fish I ever hooked hit a black Lunker Lure buzzbait retrieved as slowly as possible near a weedline. She buried in the weeds, and threw the hook. Maybe she's still out there?I plan on finding out next month for sure. It's a whole different world out there at night. I'm pumped about it now! I'm excited this year because I have a good partner who can go night fishing with me. I fished at night years ago, both from a boat and the bank. One of the biggest fish I ever hooked hit a black Lunker Lure buzzbait retrieved as slowly as possible near a weedline. She buried in the weeds, and threw the hook. Maybe she's still out there?I plan on finding out next month for sure. It's a whole different world out there at night. I'm pumped about it now!

In Missouri, cottonwood trees are common around any water source. They get huge too. Agree they can be a pain to fish around. If it's the trees I'm thinking of, they have a light colored bark, very thick large trunk, and have hundreds of little seed balls, which break apart, and get blown everywhere. jimmy joes idea is about the best way to avoid problems with them, or, avoid these areas if you can. The roots of these trees are also notorious for seeking water near underground plumbing drains and water lines. They've cracked many older clay pipes through the years, causing expensive repairs too

I think the main reason is weight reduction. I've fished some graphite frame reels, with no problems. Aluminum frame reels are probably sturdier, but a graphite frame reel is fine for freshwater bass fishing.

This morning at 5:45 I got a call from the wife of a very old friend. He wrecked his car last night while driving drunk, and got pretty banged up. He's in the hospital this morning. Like many of us, I did my share of beer drinking with my buddies when in my early 20s. I stopped when I got married at 24 and my first daughter was born. Steve has been through AA, and has been fired from a good job for drinking. Now, he's facing a DUI charge, plus a recovery time due to his injuries. He shouldn't have been out there driving in the first place. He's lucky to be alive, and, lucky this happened on a gravel road, out in the country, where there wasn't any other folks involved. He could have easily killed someone. I'd bet he'd run out of beer, and was trying to get to the liquor store to buy more, before they closed. Not only will this cost him a few thousand dollars, it put a huge stress on his wife and family. My dad told me when I was in my teens" for most guys, one is enoupgh, and two is too many." My dad was right. I've tried to talk with him over the years about his drinking, yet, he still continues drinking too much. Now, I'm at the end of my rope with him. Two DUIs now, and he'll be lucky to keep his job. If your the kind of guy who likes to drink, please do it at home, and know your limitations. Booze has caused so many problems for so many good people over the years. Just like my dad said all those years ago. " For most guys, one is enoupgh, and two.is too many". It's been that way forever.

I've built lots of decks over the years. As has been said, treating and staining is a good idea every two or three years. Another thing to consider if your using treated lumber on a new deck, give it some time to dry out, before you apply any finsh. Treated lumber is usually wet when you buy it. You can see moisture seep out when you shoot screws into the deck boards. Many builders don't do this on new homes in the rush to get things finished and get folks moved in.

Bird, I helped a friend put a yard pond in last summer. I did almost all the digging. He helped some, but mostly brought iced tea, and made lunch. Felt like I was digging into the next county! Labor intensive is correct. Also, a good way to keep the shoulder and arm muscles tuned up....

Sam, I'm asking myself, " where did all these people come from"? Many , many more people out here in Missouri. Grocery stores crowded, most places full of people. Some with mask, many not.