papajoe222

I prefer the low profile design. One of the factors I dislike about many conventional PFDs is the bulky 'collar' on the majority of the better ones, so I wear one without it when under power. Either one of the two you're looking at will do what it's intended to do, but if you're not going to keep in on because it's uncomfortable, you're wasting your money and putting yourself at risk.

Some good advice here. Hopefully, you've been exploring topics focusing on finding the fish as well as different presentations and such. Seasonal movements, activity levels- what affects them and how they react, feeding windows, reaction responses such as defending a nest or their 'home,' how they react to quickly rising or falling water, etc. Understanding these and other things about bass, as Tom stated, will help you become a better angler. Where should they be, not what should I be using, should be the first question in your mind every time you head out.

One presentation I haven't seen mentioned and one that I consider power fishing, is a C-Rig. It's a great, quick, bottom presentation that really shines in the pre and post spawn. Extremely effective when working it up from deep to shallow, as in bank fishing.?

I likely introduce a dozen children of elementary school age to fishing during an average year. One of my daughters is a teacher and her husband is a little league coach, so finding young ones that want to go fishing isn't difficult. The biggest difficulty I run into is the lack of their parent's interest in their new found pass time. Why, because it involves a commitment of their own time and honestly, most parents only spend time doing things with their children when it suits them, or is one of their own interests. Some have actually told me that it is my responsibility to invest the time with their children as I was the one that introduced them. Now I ask the parents if they'd like to accompany us on that initial outing. Some find it rewarding, some don't. You don't need to guess which kids remain interested for any length of time.

I like the Norman Thin N for shallow water and SK's KVD 1.5 flat sided. I used to throw a Bomber Flat A, but color selection around here is very limited.

I prefer silent, flat sided cranks and blade baits over a lipless crank in cold (under 50 degree) water. IMO, a lipless crank is to loud and aggressive, even though it has similar action. Of course, I deal with a lot of clear water and pressured fish, so my observation can be seen as biased.

I really don't think I have a strong point, although I consider myself versatile. I do have a weak point (besides the one between my ears) and that's finesse fishing. I mean true finesse fishing using spinning gear, light line and lures designed to be used as such. It's a mental block. I just don't like using spinning gear even, though that's exactly what I used when starting out. When conditions are tough, I'll downsize my offerings and go to a lighter action combo. Heck, I even built a casting rod using a spinning blank in order to use some of the baits. 1/8oz. hair jigs and the last couple of inches of a floating worm. Yep, that's me.

I only have one combo for jigs and worm rigs over 1/2oz. It's built on an MHX blank ( FS904-W-MHX ) paired with a TD 150H Advantage spooled with 50lb. Suffix 832.

Two things dictate to me which one I should use. Well, actually it's three, but I'll get to that. Fall rate is the one thing I believe is most overlooked and may be the difference between getting bit and not getting bit. Profile is next on the list and I'll add that, oftentimes, it's more important than fall rate. Under cold front conditions, I always go with a chunk and will trim the jig skirt. Now for the third thing I mentioned, action. These baits are known for their action. Steve designed them specifically for more action than any craw on the market. You can increase, or diminish the action of them by the way that you place them on the hook. Thread either one on the hook and it will have less kicking action than if you nose hook them. Also, how thick or long the jig skirt is has an affect on the action. Thick, or long skirts minimize the volume of water passing over the claws and their action is dependent on that presence. If you're looking to really minimize that tail action, use a different product (sorry Steve), because their action is why you purchase them in the first place.

Same here. When I tried using a left handed baitcaster, it was like trying to pat my belly while rubbing my head. Yea, that bad. I've tried to force myself to do it, but, ultimately I end up winding the rod and holding the reel handle.

I introduce a lot of youngster to this great sport and when making the transition from bobber fishing to bottom fishing, I always hand them a combo with yellow 10lb. braid. They learn quickly to watch the line and I'm quick to point it out when the line moves because it's easy for me to see from the other end of the boat. It also keeps them occupied, which can be a bit of a problem, even with some teens. I haven't seen much difference in catch rates over the last few decades. NOw ask me if I use a leader when fishing braid.

Don't wait until ice-out, if you ice fish that is. I down size and use a 1/16oz hair jig in place of the drop shot weight. Crappies on the 1in. tube and an occasional bass, sometimes a double.

I didn't go to that school. The only time my stuff is organized is on opening day. Of course, my fishing gear isn't the only stuff that isn't organized, but that's just me. I 'misplaced' one of my favorite reels last spring. Every time I thought about it I would get depressed. I found it right where I stored it on the boat when I was putting it up at the end of the season. Sad thing is, I'll very likely do something similar again...................and again.

Used fishing gear is a buyers market. Just as a seller may have sentimental attachment to a particular, there are instances when a buyer is looking for an item for the same reasons. My first low profile baitcaster was a Daiwa PMA10, a great little reel that got me hooked on low profile reels. Fishing out of a tube, I lost it and the rod. I spent the better part of two days looking for it. Never found it. 15yrs. later I saw one in mint condition for 1&1/2 times what a new one sold for. I didn't hesitate to pay that price.

One of the things I really like about lipless cranks is that I can fish them at just about any depth. The longer you wait after it hits the water, the deeper it'll run (provided you don't reel too fast). I'll cover the majority of the water column without changing baits and there was a time, for me, when taking time to change baits could cost me points in the standings and possibly not finishing in the money. As for retrieves, the best one is the one the fish are reacting to and the only way to determine that is to try different ones until you catch a couple. This is what I'll do until I contact fish; Start out with a 2 or 3 second drop. First cast is a steady retrieve with maybe an occasional twitch of the rod. Second cast is a stop and go retrieve using the reel. Third cast is a pumping, or yo-yo retrieve. No takers? Increase the count to a 5 or 6 second drop and repeat the same sequence. Continue until you're fishing on the bottom, or until you catch one. It's easy to repeat a successful retrieve as you have the depth and the retrieve dialed in. No takers? Change the angle of your cast around the clock from 10:00 to 2:00. Move and repeat. Hope that helps.

Use a light worm weight and peg it to the nose of the worm. The weeds won't get caught between the weight and hook and the rig should move through the weeds fairly easily. You will also find that a good dose of an oily scent of your choice, will help keep the worm from 'sticking' to the weeds.

Because of some physical limitations, I have a definite style of fishing. First off, overhand casting is reserved for long cast situations, so I limit myself or my outing is cut short by shoulder pain. As a result, I use a roll cast the majority of the time. Pitching is out of the question. That limits me to casting to the port side of the boat, otherwise I'm bouncing casts off the windshield. One season of fishing from the back of the boat and I went out and bought my own. As a result of issues with my left wrist, I don't work my walking baits with my rod tip down. I'm a Spook freak and watching me, you'd swear I was a novice at it. Another thing I do is work cranks and spinnerbaits through cover using my rod, not my reel, once the bait is in the zone. Nothing to do with physical limitations. Sometimes I think 'Old Blue Eyes' had me in mind when he sang....................What was the title of that song?

There are times when I want a soft plastic that floats, other times one that has a lot of salt. There are a couple of companies that I rely on for one or the other, but I haven't found one that offers both.

The double barb is what has me perplexed. I know it isn't a Northland or Matzuo. FishTank likely nailed it.

If you're fishing a lake that harbors muskie and pike, target those areas with thick vegetation. Even a 5lb. bass will stay in areas where those fish have a difficult time moving around. Ponds are a different animal, as bass are likely at the top of the food chain. Target those areas where one type of weed ends and another begins or grows with it, the inside and outside weed edges, and anything that is different in a seemingly endless section of weeds. With heavy vegetation, you're limited to a few presentations you can present into the weeds, especially when the fish won't commit to a topwater. A heavily salted, unweighted soft plastic and be retrieved over the weed tops and allowed to drop into pockets. A BPS magnum Flipping Tube, rigged weedless is a great choice along with some other big, heavily salted tubes. Add some weight for the sparse areas and you won't need to carry around a bunch of tackle.

Try a MagUltra-vibe Speed Worm. They can be fished from top to bottom and really shine when retrieved fast. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/zoom-mag-ultravibe-speed-worm

I applaud your dedication. What you're contemplating is a great way to master a technique, but a very difficult plan to stick with for an entire season. Heck, I'd venture to say a majority of anglers couldn't do it for one day, let alone an entire season. My only recommendation is to limit your choice of trailers and soft plastics to a couple of styles and colors. For trailers, pick an action and a subtle one, say a RageTail and a chunk. For soft plastics,do the same. An action tail worm and a stick worm as an example. Pick a couple of colors based on water clarity and go for it.

The big difference between Yo-Zuri Hybrid and Fluorokote is the Yo-Zuri is a true copoly, having fluorocarbon as part of its formula. Fluorokote is exactly what the name implies; line that is coated with fluorocarbon. Both offer advantages over mono, but fall short of the advantages of true fluorocarbon lines.

Deep diving cranks. I all but stopped using them because of shoulder issues. Got the shoulder back close to normal, but the big cranks are still sitting in the box.

Welcome to BR. You could base line choice on the size of the hooks of the bait you’re using. Let me explain. Small, thin wire hooks don’t require a lot of force to penetrate, while larger, thicker hooks do. An easy solution would be to use heavier line for lures with thicker hooks and lighter line for smaller/ thinner hooks. That’s a good solution if you happen to have two or three combos to dedicate to top water applications. If not, you can do one of two things. Either adjust your hookset, or go with heavier line for all situations. I recommend the latter because being startled by a fish blowing up on your lure tends to distract you from thinking about how you should set the hook. In short, go with the 15lb. line. Oh, don’t forget to wait until you feel the fish, or see your line moving off before setting the hook ?