papajoe222

Will you give me half of them if I sing the song for you?

I'm working my way away from using leaders. Straight braid for everything except, cranking, bottom presentations in chunk rock and topwater (buzzers and frogs are the exception).

If you happen to be a veteran like me, with Bass Pro's 10% discount, a 200yrd. spool of 12lb. test Tatsu is only 48.59 with free pickup at your nearest outlet. That's the everyday price, if they were ever to have a sale on it............

St.Croix Mojo Bass 7.0 MH/Mod. Best over the counter crankin' stick I've ever owned. With the couple of hundred you'll save, you can get a Tatula with 5.4:1 gears and have a great combo for under $400.

When you get some samples Glenn, send a pack my way and I'll write a review after I 'test' them out.

I only wish they'd offer it in a firetiger pattern. Killer smallie bait just after ice-out.

I have always wondered if this is just a coincidence, or if maybe I should take up golf. If you only go golfing once a week,it's cheaper than bassin, at least it is for me. I reserve it, golfing, for those post front, bluebird, wind out of the east days. I s)@k at it, but I rather go 110 (38 over par) than get skunked on the water. Nobody expects me to even crack 100, but my fishing buddies expect me to catch them when no one else is.

Dan Gapen has penned a few, some about bassin, others about musky or walleye. When his band isn't playing, I believe he still guides. His is a brain I'd love to spend a day with.

I have a collection of his paperbacks that I go through at least once a year.I have a few favorite stories. Almost all of those are of him and one of his childhood buddies. A great outdoors man he wasn't, at least to hear him tell it, but dang, he could sure spin a story.

I'm loosing a good number of fish on cranks, mostly when they hit at the beginning of my retrieve. I bomb my casts when cranking and I think it's due to the lack of force I can generate due to line stretch. I use 10lb. Fluoro for most cranking under 10ft. and 12lb for anything deeper. I just picked up a replacement Wiggle Wart and noticed the hooks are short shank, thin wire. Does anyone know what brand they are, or if there is a Gammy or Mustad like them?

I throw them year round. They are a great, silent, alternative to a lipless crank and are productive. My summer retrieve varies from a fast, straight retrieve to a yo yo style with a long, steady lift followed by a quick fall. If I'm fishing weeds, I try to avoid catching the weeds as I use a med. power/mod action rod and 10lb test fluoro. That makes it next to impossible to rip it free of the weeds.

I've discovered a sure fire way to use them, just like a bladed jig. Leave them in their original packaging hanging on the hook at your favorite tackle store. Guaranteed to not catch fish because you'll never use them and I'm adamant about showing them something different. There are plenty of 'something different' offerings out there for me to waste my hard earned money on, I don't need another.

Matching the hatch isn't as important in bass fishing. Bass are moody, especially Florida strain LM. Once you're hooked on bassin, your wallet will be constantly empty. The bait monkey will tempt you into buying gear for the sole reason of acquiring more gear. If you don't know who the bait monkey is, don't worry, he'll introduce himself soon enough. BTW, Welcome to the largest bass fishing support group on the internet.

This is why I recommend checking the bobbin every season, if not more often. It can absorb humidity just sitting around. If it dries out before it sets the vest off, it is useless. The filling hardens. It looks swollen when viewed through the clear casing that houses it.

I use two: Palomar and a Double Pitzen almost exclusively, But I saw one on YouTube, don't recall the name, that got me to thinking. I tried it yesterday and it's easy to tie and I had no failures using it. What knot do you use?

The two rivers I fish are both shallow and unless I'm targeting the water directly below the dams, it's 1/8oz. for me. I'll go to 1/4 or even 3/8oz. on the lake if I'm dragging, but even there, 1/8 is my norm.

I have to ask: Are you manually closing the bail on your spinning reel? It doesn't take a lot of casts, using the reel's handle to close it, to put enough twist in the line to give you headaches.

You fish alone, right?

Just a reminder to check the bobbin on your aluto-inflate PFDs. It could save you from disaster. I replaced the bobbin and CO2 cartridge in 2024. I never thought to check mine. I was out on a small lake yesterday, not another boat in sight and nobody within ear shot. My outboard wouldn't restart, so I took the cowling off and figured out what the problem was. Before putting the cowling back on (a life saving move) I went back to try starting her up. The next thing I know, I'm in the water and the wind is blowing the boat away. My PFD never auto-inflated! I was able to swim and catch up to the boat, but had no way to get back on board. I hung on to the gunnel, tired from swimming the 50yrd, and tried to figure out what to do while I rested. I worked my way to the transom and grabbed the top of the outboard. for, what seemed like an hour, I attempted to pull myself up into the boat. I'm 76 and just didn't have the strength to do it, After numerous failed attempts and prayers, I put both my feet on the engine's skegg and trimmed the motor up. I was able to stand and step onto the back deck. She started up when I got around to trying and I headed back to the launch. Much wiser from the experience.

I like to say I'm a better basser than anyone at my club, but I've never finished first in the AOY competition for the 20years I competed. 14 second place finishes confirm my inflated ego and not one member has ever challenged me. Of course, I've never voiced it in front of any of them, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

3/8oz. tungsten jig with the skirt cut finesse style and a 2.5in.RageTail chunk. I've gone 1/2oz. but the fall rate is a little too fast IMO.

Dude, my mom's 94 and weighs 110lb. soaking wet and she can hold a 2lb. bass away from her body while I fiddle with my camera for the better part of a minute before taking the pic. Protein shakes and some 2lb. free weights will get you there in a week or so. If you need some coaching, I'll PM you her contact info.

A few years ago, I had planned a muskie trip to northwest Wisconsin in July. The night prior to my departure, a severe thunderstorm put a hold on a night of fishing my local lake. The next morning, my plan was to head up to Wisconsin around noon. I figured, why not hit my local lake for bass? I got on the water around 8:00 and by 10:00 I had boated 21bass, all on topwater. I pulled up stakes and headed north. I got there around 5:00PM and launched before I even checked in. By 7:30 I had boated a 42in muskie and three bass over 4lb. I didn't want to get off the water, but I was wasted and I had three days of fishing still to go. I get a rush every time I think about that day.

I'd go with a heavy spinnerbait or lipless crank. If you're targeting the bottom, either a 1/2oz football jig or a C-rig as it will be a chore staying in contact with anything light.

I crimp the rivets on my buzzbaits, so unless there is enough wire to cut a worn one off and add a new one, I just say thank you for your service and trash it.