Mobasser

Favourite is always a plastic worm of some sort, lightweight t rig.

You could try the countdown method and get a good idea. When your bait hits the surface, try counting down at one ft per second. This can give you an idea of how deep your fishing.

All good T Billy. And, I always thought that old Clarence Carter song was a dumb song. I never cared for it too much.

The worst thing about this is that many times, it's someone you know who does this. I can't stand thieves at all.

My favourite color is Folkstead Special, Mm111, and Oxblood/ red flake. These work great on shakey head and light t rig.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried this line? Advertised as supple, easy handling, with very good knot retention, and abrasion resistance. Has anyone tried the Ande Backwoods Mono? If so how did it work out for you?

With soft plastic worms,craws, etc, what's your best producing retrieve? Mine has always been a slow lift/drop retrieve, with occasional pauses. I don't seem to do nearly as well while dragging a soft plastic bait. What's everyone say? What retrieve has worked best for you?

Tail down. On some grubs, the tail can wrap around and hang up on the hook point, causing lost fish.

I plan on continuing my study of deep water structure fishing, and hopefully get better at this.

How do we determine smoothness in our reels? Like others here, I've tried a few reels over the years. Not all have been expensive reels. Some reels, when new, feel very smooth but slightly sluggish. This may be do to how much grease is added when they're put together. I don't believe bearing count always means smooth, as I've had some reels with few bearings that felt very smooth. Years ago, a guy where I bought tackle wood spin the handle, and look at his watch. The reels that spun the longest were the smoothest. This was probably nonsense. So, when you check out a new reel, how do you judge smoothness? P.S. I might add that one of the very smoothest reels Ive ever owned was a small Okuma Avenger. I bought it as a spare to take along on a trout trip. Cost was 22.95. So, cost may not always indicate smoothness. What do you look for as far as smoothness in a reel?

I remember Bayou Boogie. Great bait!

I haven't seen one guy say Ned Rig. What's up? There has to be at least one, probably more.

I'm starting to see a consistent here with chatterbait. I figured I was the only guy out there not killin it with chatterbaits. Good to know I'm not alone

I can see the benefits of flouro lines especially clear water, lighter stuff. My reels are Lew's size 200 and Shimano size 2500, so, it should work out good. Thanks for the helpful info Team9nine.

I would like to avoid using line conditioner if possible.

I have been interested in trying flouro again. I tried Seagaur red lable on one spinning setup with poor results. I may try some of the suggestions here. My thing is being able to manage flouro easily. I want to try a light flouro of 6 or 8llb rating for clear water with smaller soft plastics. I've read many reviews of various flouro lines, and if we believe all the manufacturer s clams, they of course are all the best. I've fished mono lines all my life, with very little problems. If I can find a flouro line that manages well on dpin gear, I'd probably like it.

For me, it's a chatterbait. I can't catch anything on them. I've given up on them, at least for now. Whats a bait that you've tried, that just hasn't worked out for you?

On my spinning reels, I don't always open them each season. If they feel smooth, I clean the outside good, and lightly oil any moving parts, and oil the line roller. Casting reels, I take them to a guy who cleans and lubes them for me.

My longest time stuck kn the highway was 2hrs yrs ago. It felt like eternity. I can't imagine being stuck for 24hrs. It pays to keep some stuff in your vehicle in winter. A thermos of coffee, some water, a snack or two. It never hurts to be prepared.

With lighter lines, I do best on slack line hooksets. Feel the strike,take up slack line, and reel quickly while sweeping the rod back. The old Charlie Brewer method still works well.

When you carry multiple rods and a huge amount of baits, it's easy to turn a bank trip into work.

Around twenty years ago, I started packing one rod with a small box of baits for bank trips. I got tired of lugging too much stuff around. My catch rates are still good.

I really can't imagine not carrying a pocketknife every day. I've carried one since I was a kid. As has been said Swiss Army, Buck, Case, Kershaw, all make affordable good knives. I settled on a Case med stockman years ago. I like the classic look- bone handle, and 3 blades which work well for all kinds of jobs. I have a shoebox full of pocketknives I've picked up over the years, some really old ones. I might start using a Spyderco Native I've had for years. Along with fishing baits, pocketknives are my thing.

Case stockman is my fave. Medium size.

Recently talking with a conservation officer who works my area, I've learned that gobys may soon come into Missouri. They've been found in the Mississippi River near St Louis, in good numbers. Here's what I've learned about them: Gobys are considered an invasive species. Adults can reach a length of 7" to 9", but most are smaller. They're voracious feeders, and, can and will destroy the nest of bass and eat the eggs. They're also very sensitive to movement in the water, which allows them to feed well at night. They thrive in lakes, rivers, and streams. The MO conservation dept is most concerned about our rivers and streams in the Ozarks area. These rivers have good fishing for small mouth bass, but also have a delicate balance as far as bass and prey. Gobys easily disrupt this balance. The conservation officer told me that like many invasive species, they multiply fast, and can spread quickly. If you happen to catch one, they recommend throwing them up on the bank, far from the waters edge. Raccoons or some other critter will find them. As fisherman, it's always a good idea to learn what species are native to your area, and learn which ones are invasive. Small gobys are a greenish color. Adults are a mottled brown shade, which gives them a good camouflage. About the only good thing you could say, is that bass do eat them.