papajoe222

First, I would check The MIch. DNR site as to the regs. about opening day on inland lakes as I believe it isn't until this week-end and possibly later. If all is well for this Wed, I would concentrate on the point, position your boat shallow and cast deep working your bait up the drop. If you contact fish, target that depth as others will likely be using the same depth range. Another possibility is the area where the creek on the east enters, especially if it enters near the northeast. With the cold weather we've been experiencing, cold water runoff would make that a poor choice. On the other hand, if the adjoining lake is shallower or smaller, the run-off from it via the other creek would be warmer and that area could have the warmest water in the lake. Let us know how you do.

I was browsing the fishing isle and saw Scatter Raps featuring the Scatter Lip and was intrigued by both the lip and the diving depth, which was shown as 8ft.-13ft. (the CRC-07) I always wondered why a bait company hadn't experimented with a concave lip on a crankbait. What really got to me was how short the lip is in relation to the running depth claim. Although wide, the lip isn't any longer than a 1.5 shallow runner. Has anyone used these and if so, how much work is involved? That lip design and angle looks like it'll put my wrist to bed in short order.

X2 on the lightweight spool making a difference. Be sure you match whatever reel you choose to a rod with a lot of flex in the top 1/3. You’ll need it to load up fairly easy for casting. Rod choice, IMO, is more important than the reel. I built a drop-shot casting rod on a spinning blank for that very reason.

I own two Lew’s and eleven Daiwas. That’s not to say a Lews isn’t a quality reel, I just prefer a Daiwa. Aftermarket parts are much easier to find for the Daiwas if you ever decide you want to upgrade and not purchase a whole new reel.

The other thing that I consider to be more important, is the fact that it's a much more natural motion of your hand and wrist casting with the handles up.That translates into a much smoother motion throughout the entire cast. If you reach your right arm out and look at the position of your hand, your thumb isn't facing upward. It's either facing the left, or downward. While your arm is out there, flex your wrist. You'll find that it's easier on your wrist and forearm muscles to flex it with your thumb to the side. That all translates to a more fluid motion. It's also the way you hold a spinning rod when casting. I have absolutely no idea whether there is less torque on the spool and I doubt if it makes any difference in casting distance for the majority of anglers.

I’m not much of a drop-shot fisherman, but I need an excuse to build another rod (moma’s Watchful eye, you know). That Immortal looks like the ticket. That and some quality guides get me right at what I’m looking to spend. Thanks

They're not really designed for skipping, but to keep your soft plastic from sliding down the shank of the hook. They can be used for most soft plastic presentations when matched to the bait and the 3/0 should work with all but the skinniest and bulkiest plastics.

What he said.

It isn't my go to for skipping, but if i don't have a tube rigged up, or I'm just too lazy to set down the jig rod, they do a pretty good job of getting back under a dock.

Most often, I'll use the craw as either a jig trailer, or alone on a T-Rig with a glass bead or brass clacker. I'll use the Rage Bug when fishing heavy vegetation, either punching or as a trailer on a swim jig. It's also an awesome bait for skipping under docks.

I had 'BUMP SOMETHING' written on a sticker that I'd placed on the screen of my depth finder, for years. It was a constant reminder to make my bait do something erratic. Change speeds, twitch the rod tip, bump the bottom or a piece of cover, regardless of the lure you're using. You'll get bit more often than using a constant retrieve.

If you decide to T-Rig, be sure to peg the weight. A free weight will catch the weeds between it and the bait. For pond fishing, or any fishing from shore as long as shoreline cover allows. I recommend casting as you can cover more water vs.pitching. Parallel casting is an excellent way to cover areas close to shore.

Not knowing what kind of 'grass' you're dealing with, I'd recommend a 1/2oz. RedEyeShad worked over the top of the vegetation occasionally catching it on the grass and ripping it free. As it grows closer to the surface, choose a bait that will stay above it, or punch through it. A big, weightless worm like a C-Mac will stay on top of it using mono or braid and a compact beaver style bait or big tube is good for punching. Once the spawn is over, Spooks and frogs are good for drawing them up out of the grass. Regardless, choose a strong, quality line and keep their head up and moving toward you once hooked.

I’m looking to build a rod specifically for this technique and would appreciate some recommendations on a good blank. I’m basically looking at Rainshadow, MHX and possibly a St.Croix blank. I’m currently using a rod I built on a Forecast spinning blank, but it doesn’t work all that well with +1/4oz. weights, which would be my mid-range target weight.

What really peaked my interest was the way he showed for spinning reels. SPOOL OFF THE BOTTOM of the SPOOL FOR SPINNING REELS I’ve always laid the spool down on the floor. I’d still end up with a little twist, but no where the amount if I tried to do it from the spool box. I’ll be trying this next time I spool up.

Something that'll retrieve 28in. to 30in. of line per turn. Most baitcasters in the 6.0 to 6.8 are right in that range.

I'm looking to purchase a spinning reel to use for drop shotting and shakey head fishing and have noticed reels with basically the same gear ratio having a big variance in IPT (inches per turn of the handle). For those techniques, I was thinking higher IPT would be better as bass will frequently head for deeper water and that's where I normally position my boat. Opinions?

Bass, instinctively, regularly feed on the most abundant forage in their environment. Matching the hatch lends itself to that fact. That's not to say they won't eat a frog, rat, bullhead, or whatever, sometimes because the opportunity presents itself and other times due to lack of an abundance of 'normal' forage (shad, minnows, bluegill, crawfish). A good indication of that kind of fishery is catching bass with big mouths and undersized bodies. As for bass eating them without getting 'spined', they do the same thing they do when eating craws. They kill it before swallowing and in the case of catfish, they will then swallow them headfirst.

Ask questions that pertain to fish location and presentation speed rather than; what did you catch them on, or what color bait were you using? That will focus you on what the fish are doing, which is way more important to becoming a successful angler.

Though they may not be the best presentations, once the water temp. hits the fifty degree mark I break out my Spooks and poppers. I've even caught bass on buzzbaits as early as April 4th here in the mid-west.

Yes. Most anglers only measure surface temp. and although that can be misleading (the warmest water will be at the surface), it can also be very useful. You can use the readings over a few days to determine if the water temp. is rising, or falling, if one area of the lake is a few degrees warmer than others, etc. I am fortunate to have two depth finders with temperature read outs on my boat. One transducer is mounted on the transom and gives me the surface temp. and the other is mounted on the bottom of my trolling motor and gives me the temp. about 2ft. below the surface. This time of year, rising temps. will get the fish moving and that translates into increased activity. The flip side is that a short cold spell, or even a cold night will drop the temp. That is one reason why early spring fishing is so unpredictable. It's also the reason many anglers wait until the sun has had a chance to warm up the surface before heading out. BTW, Welcome to the forums.

My two favorite retrieves for a Red Eye Shad in the summer are a steady retrieve, just ticking the weed-tops and then ripping it free when it catches them and sharp yo-yo type retrieve similar to stroking a jig. That bait is a killer on the fall.

A split shot rigged French fry. ARRRG!! It hurts just to say it Seriously, a jig and Rage Tail craw.

What CroakHunter said, although I have no idea what a Croak is.

If I'm jig fishing in 4ft. of water, it's more than likely to laydowns and it's a 3/8oz. arkie style with a bulky trailer like a Rage or Paca Craw. Because I fish a lot of clear water, I need to cast rather than pitch or flip and that style head tends to get hung up on the timber a lot less.