papajoe222

I, also, don't weigh my fish unless one is over 24in. or I think it may top my PB. My top five for this past season; 22in. 21in. 21in. 20.5in. and 20.0in. That 20.5in. likely weighed more than the 22 as she had been feeding heavily prior to succumbing to my offering. I'd guess total weight around 29lb. BTW, all these fish were caught in July or Aug and the two 21in. was actually the same fish caught three days apart.

Do you know what model the one in your post is Glen? I visited the site and couldn't find that one.

Megabass Katsuage Outtbarb Hooks. Super sharp and they hold like no other hook I've tried. I use them on my lipless cranks, too. They're light, but strong so they don't alter the action/flotation characteristics of your jerkbait.

I'd been searching for one of my Daiwa Fuegos (the older red ones) for a couple of months and finally reconciled myself to the fact that it was lost for good. Clearing out the boat prior to winterizing, my electronics go on a shelf above my work bench where my muskie tackle box sits. Guess where that gem was hiding? I'd put it in there as a spare for the only muskie trip I took this season. The wife thought we hit the lottery because I whooped so loud. She said it was my own fault because I have so much gear .........................women.

They're holding to the upper water column in the cold water here in the afternoon. That works great for me because deep cranking is out of the question because of issues with my left hand. In-line spinners and an occasional taker on a 1.5.

I've been doing this on and off for over 40yrs. I call it C-riggging a crank. It's a great way to present shallow diving cranks down deep which is something the fish rarely see. If I'm lucky enough to find open water in Jan. or Feb. I'll use a crappie sized crank or a #7 Rapala and just crawl it along with plenty of pauses.

When you don't have that second person with, match your bottom presentations to the color of the lake bottom to start. With soft plastics, you can experiment by adding a little contrasting color to the tips before switching colors all together. Those Spike It felt pens do the trick. If the water is murky, start with something dark or bright colored and work your way toward natural colors.

I have five days left before the lakes here close, so I’m not there yet. Talk to me in a couple of weeks when i have to deal with no fishing AND no baseball. Better yet, talk to my wife She’s the one that gets ghe brunt if it.

Early in the season, I'm a numbers guy. The long dry spell from Oct.-March has me chomping at the bit once my season opens and the addiction for catching becomes paramount. The same situation happens the last few weeks of the season. I'm looking to carry a high into the off season. The remainder of the season, I'm targeting big fish. Most days it's only two or three bites, some only one. I may get an occasional dink. Big baits/small baits are determined by the fish. Yea, I know what you're thinking: "If he's only getting two or three bites a day, how can he determine what the fish want?" I fish areas known to hold big fish and I start off with bigger baits, but before I move on to another area, I'll go small. (My bait of choice then is a hair jig and a 4in. straight tail that I also use with a drop shot} If I get bit on the big bait, I stick with it. If not, I switch to a smaller presentation before moving on. I landed two fish on my last outing. One on a 6in. paddle tail swim bait, the other on a hair jig. Four hours apart.

I'll do it in a couple of different situations. The first is when I want to bulk up my presentation. That's normally in the early spring and late fall and a Kalin's Lunker Grub is my trailer of choice. It slows the retrieve down similar to using one with a Colorado blade, but you still have the flash that the willow blade offers. Yes, I only use single blade, short arm baits for this. The other is when I feel the fish are hitting the blades and in that case, I'll throw a spinnerbait with the skirt removed and add a paddle tail swim bait. That big piece of plastic, I feel, will draw their attention away from the flash of the blades.

I've had smallies come up 15ft.-20ft. to inhale a spook and not had that happen. I've also had LM in 3ft. do exactly as you describe. I'm not discounting your theory, just speculating that the fish may just be hitting the lure just to get it out of the area. Normally, I'd recommend following up with a Fluke or weightless tube, but this is really the only situation where I'll throw the same lure back at them a few times and end up catching them. I don't know if it triggers a different reaction than their first and they end up engulfing the lure, but the majority of those second strikers have the entire bait in their mouth. Give it a try.

Try contacting Lucky Craft's customer service department. I'm not familiar with their warranty, if any, but it sure couldn't hurt.

You should get some nice logs with those. Oops, that was meant for log catcher

Don’t forget buzz baits. Calm water or with a chop, they can draw some violent strikes from inactive fish. As for colors, most fish, frogs, mice, etc. have white or light colored bellies and bass are looking up at your topwater lure. Something to think about.

Prior to buying baits, I’d check to make sure there is structure or cover out deeper than where you’ve been targeting. Then I’d choose a bait that runs deeper than what you find.

With cranks, I go with longer leaders because, for some reason, pike like to get them back in their mouth and I've had them bite of shorter 12in. leaders. I can't tell you what brand I use, but I will tell you they are made with quality ball bearing swivels and cross lock snaps. The last thing you want to happen is loosing a fish and your lure because the snap on your leader opened.

A Spook is always at the top of my list. I also add a split ring to the nose and I'll change out the hooks and add split rings there also. My gear is similar to yours; 6ft. shorter handle rod, but I go a little heavier with the mono. I've had bass (smallies) move 30ft. up to hammer them. I've also had fish miss on the initial strike and come back to get one. Why wait? During the dog days of summer, I've caught my biggest fish on a Spook, so I wouldn't wait for the water temps. to cool

I'm confused by the OP's wording that the knot if falling apart before he pulls the loop tight. I'm thinking that he is letting go of the tag end and it's pulling through the loop before it's cinched. If that's the case, it's the technique he is using, not he knot. I use the palomar for all three line types with no issues.

That explains why I’d never heard it. Except for some really small bass, I’ve never lifted fish with the rod. I cringe every time i see a pro do it.

I was reading some responses to the thread on broken rods and saw the term high sticking a number of times. I’d never heard the term. What does it mean?

I’ve only had one break in the last 20yrs. and that was from a muskie strike 15ft. from the boat whe i was bass fishing. I feel for those that break a couple in one year.

With me, it's been a chore to pare down my selection of styles of plastics more than colors. I stick to basically four colors. Between tubes, ribbon tail worms, straight and paddle tail worms, jig trailers, beaver/creature baits, swim,baits, lizzards and grubs, not to mention different sizes, my dilemma is choosing what other two (bisides jig trailers) to take on any given outing. I usually end up with four, sometimes five.

It sounds like your access to the water is going to be very limited. Once you find access, check the area out. First look at the type of vegetation, how far from shore it grows and if there is any mix or transition to another type. Is the weed line straight or are there points or indentations within reach? Is there any baitfish activity? Then, figure out the depth where the vegetation stops and again ten yards or so past that spot (if you can reach it). This will give you the information you'll need to put together a game plan. About the only difference from fishing a lake or pond from shore will be the quick drop off that many pits have. Keep in mind that bass will often suspend out past the drop at a depth close to where it first starts.

UltraVibe Speed Worm

Double time +Holiday, I hope