papajoe222

Bluebasser is right on about circle hooks and wacky rigging. I use circle hooks when I'm introducing newbies, mainly kids, to fishing. They work great for nose hooking, but because of their design, the bulk of the worm and the hook are exiting the fish's mouth at the same time and normally that's as the fish is spitting it out. Octopus and wacky hooks are the most often used around here. The only difference I've observed is their diameter.

Spread your coffee grounds around your farm. They don't add much in nutritional value, but will keep your worms from getting thin skinned in the media (I'm assuming you're using some type of bedding material). Don't overdo the potatoes and carrots as decaying, if not kept in check, will ruin all your work.

Personally, I'd go with a custom made rod in the $200+ range. Talk with a builder and let them know exactly what you'll be using it for. Skip all the bling and you'll have exactly what you want/need and then get yourself a President and you're done.

I only own one reel with dual braking and I use it for very similar lures, so I don't touch either. I just check the tension adjustment for each lure and only adjust the magnetics if the wind picks up.

They can produce almost anytime. I'll tie one on if I'm looking to show 'em something different. Kind of like a blade bait, they're not just for cold water.

Always happy to see someone improve because of the information shared here. Thanks for the update and don't forget, it's an information sharing site, so chime in now and again with some of your own insight.

I’ll dead stick a hair jig with a Havoc Bottom Hopper. Between the hair and that floating worm, the slightest movement is magnified and turns finicky eaters into biters.

Drive to the lake, launched by myself, plug was in, ran about ten minutes to my first spot, reached in the locker for my worm rod............ Yep. I’d taken not only my rods, but my two tackle bags out after my last outing and there they were, an hour later, back in the garage.

This. If you ever fished a spider jig, those are a spin-off that gives the presentation more bulk.

I didn’t throw a fluke all last season and the majority of 2016, opting for jerkbaits, or stick worms. Seeing as I relied on stick worms heavily, I’ll be reversing that trend.

I look at two things to determine what color to throw. Water clarity and bottom color. Clear or Chart with pepper for clear water, smoke to green pumpkin for lightly stained water and PB&J or plum for heavy stained. If I'm fishing it on the bottom, I like to match the bottom's color a shade or two darker so it stands out. Of all the colors I carry, I don't think I even own solid white. Go figure.

If that has been the norm for a few days prior, I would expect the fishing to be decent. If, however, thr days prior to Fri. have been 'normal' and this is a downturn in night time temps, you'll be working for the scattered bites you may get. The entire mid-west has been experiencing a much colder than normal April (had snow here the last few mornings). Water temps aren't where they would be and the bass have been reluctant to move up, let alone search out bedding sites. Stick to a pre-spawn approach with that cold front in mind, but don't forget to check out the shallows in the late afternoon.

No. They're too bulky to skip consistently and cutting them back, IMO, takes away their biggest attribute. I'm not saying that won't work, just that you can bulk up a regular jig with a trailer and accomplish basically the same thing.

Stained...no, muddy....yes. In stained water (1ft.-3-ft. visibility) a jig and trailer in a dark or contrasting color will produce about the same and sometimes better than a Chatterbait. In muddy water, I'd opt for something completely different, but that's just me. I don't have a lot of confidence in bladed jigs.

Good suggestions on what to throw, but where to throw 'em is even more important. A bass is going to seek out areas where they feel secure and their strike window will be reduced to inches, so presentations must be spot on. Two areas to focus on are depth and cover. Cover may be obvious, but if it doesn't offer a quick escape to deeper water, it may not hold fish. Newly flooded brush is a prime location after heavy rain. Depth is relative to the body of water and the presence of bottom structure will determine whether it's an option for the fish. A slow tapering, bowl shaped pond doesn't offer much in the way of security, so target whatever cover is available even if it's only at the shoreline. One formed by a dam does and the creek bed drop-off is a prime example of deep security.

I have one and caught a number of fish on it last summer/fall. I didn't have any hook-up issues, but I fished it fairly slow with a lot of pauses, so that double hook was likely hanging down on the hits.

I don’t think the VMC are any thinner than any other brand, although they are available in lighter weights. As you likely won’t find a thin wire, keel weighted swimbait hook, a couple of suggestions; Up your line choice to 10lb. The slight difference in diameter over the 8lb. Isn’t going to make a major difference in line management and the fish aren’t going to notice the slight difference. The other is keep your casts short. Less line out will reduce the amount of stretch over that of a longer cast and you’ll have a better angle for a better hook-set.

Unless the tube you're rigging is thick walled, the line tie should stick out. On some tubes you have to push back and forth to get it to pop through. A little tip if you don't mind. use tubes with a lot of salt in the plastic and rig it from the front instead of running the jig up the tube. You'll end up tearing up the area around the entry hole a bit, but that actually is a plus because it releases more salt. It's also the easiest way to re-rig rather than cutting the jig off and retying.

You may want to move this topic to the rod-reel-line forum. As long as we're here, I'll attempt to answer your questions. What you want to do, or get done now, is a cleaning an lube. It isn't all that difficult to do yourself, but the first time you do it, be sure to follow a step by step breakdown and reverse it when reassembling. There are some decent videos out there that will give you a good idea. As for oiling the bearings every 3-4 months, unless you're putting in 20 hours or more of chucking and winding a week, it isn't really called for but can't hurt. If, however you're the type that lays his rod down on the ground or fishes murky water, you may want to give it a quick clean and lube mid-season. One thing you do want to keep clean and lubed is the worm gear that the line guide runs back and forth with. It's notorious for collecting dirt which will wear out the pawl and/or cause your line to stack up on one side of the spool.

Welcome You didn’t mention whether you’ll be fishing from a boat or off the bank. I assume the latter as you mentioned that you’re just getting into bass fishing. I suggest keeping it simple to start with. A couple of moving style baits (cranks and spinnerbaits) for the baitcast combo and some plastic worms fished on a split shot rig and maybe a Ned rig for the spinning outfit. The other thing........Visit here often,use the search feature and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

I got my grandson a Zebco 11 combo for his fifth birthday. A lot easier to handle and adequate for crappie and sunny fishing, but slow on line uptake. I switched him over to a baitcaster a couple of seasons later, but now (he's 10) he prefers a spinning combo. I think he just wanted papa to build him a new rod

I’ll pick a jig in all those situations, unless the fish aren’t hitting one. That’s when I’ll hit the same spots with a smaller profile craw like a baby or slim PacaCraw. I’ll go with as light a weight as I can get away with. I feel that adjusting the fall rate and overall profile is more important than the bait (jig or craw).

If you can get your hands on a micrometer, measure the tip in mm and let us know what it is. Or, you can go to Mudhole.com and I believe they have a conversion chart that will tell you the tip top size.

Welcome I was just looking at the RG2500H which is the same size reel with more bearings and a couple of ounces heavier. I ended up purchasing the Pfluger President because of the IPT. The Legalis LT had similar IPT to the President, but I couldn't find one in my area and although I'm a Daiwa guy, My only other spinning reel is a President.

Great. I was going up in mid-April to fish for walleye on the big lake, but seeing as there is no longer a closed season, I can fish Muskegon too.