papajoe222

One of many good guys lost to cancer. Thanks for your contributions Guido. R. I. P.

The biggest downside to using snaps is you get lazy about retying. I'm old and although I can tie a number of different knots with my eyes closed, it's much easier to open a snap, slip it through the crank's line tie and then close it. I've changed lures many times without retying only to pay the price in a lost fish and lure because the knot failed. I prefer taking the time to retie, but I still have use for snaps.

Hello Neighbor. Yes, bass do care about the action of, not only stick worms, but most slow presentations and that includes jerkbaits and some other hard baits. Bass are first and foremost sight feeders. They will use other senses when feeding and under certain conditions they may rely on them more than seeing, but even in murky water getting their attention is your number one priority and their sight is what they rely on most. Even action tail worms that are the same length and color vary from one brand to another and from ribbon tail to G-tail, to Rage tail. Often times one will get bit when others get ignored. You need look no farther than the success of stick worms and presentations like the Ned rig. The only sense they appeal to is the bass' sight. Try fishing the river with a Ned rig. It'll make a believer out of you.

I've learned that the human body can perform over 368 different functions and at 68, most of them hurt, sometimes all at once.

Chatterbait. They’be been around for a while, but there are other options that I am confident will work under the same conditions, so I’ve never tied one on.

First Aid Kit? Aside from the basics, what items do you have in yours that isn't normally found in one. Mine has a 30lb. 18in. wire leader, small magnifying glass, penlight flashlight, glucose packets, eyewash saline and hand warmers. Note to mods: I wasn't sure which forum to post this. Move as you see fit.

Answer a few questions and you’ll have your answer; What size baits will you be throwing? What type of line will you be using? Will you be casting to specific targets, deep water structure, or for distance? You’ll get better accuracy from a shorter rod, more distance from a longer one (generally). The less stretch your line has, the more flex you’ll want in the rod. The more stretch it has the faster the action and longer the rod you’ll be wanting to use. A good all purpose spinnerbait rod would be a 6’6”M/H power with a Mod/Fast tip rated for 1/4oz. To 3/4oz. Some brands offer technique specific rods and the majority of them fit the bill nicely.

I don't say this in an attempt to talk you out of adding deep cranking to your list, but just as a reminder. It's a lot of work, your bait is only at its maximum depth for 1/3 or less of the distance you cast it, if you knew how many fish actually react to your bait, you'd crank until your arm fell off. There are better and easier ways to fish deep, but IMO, none better at getting reaction from the fish. Get you some BenGay and a good supply of ibuprofen and go for it.

Put your big boy pants on and get out there and find the fish. Not knowing how far north you are, I'll just add a little tidbit. If the daytime air temps are warmer that the water temp. a steady few days of rain will do two things; raise the surface temp and the water level. Shallow, newly flooded cover and incoming water flow are two major targets under those conditions. If, on the other hand, that rain is colder than the water temp it will turn the fish off and that means, deep this early in the season. Look for sharp drop-offs as you would during the winter and you are at an advantage as working your presentation up the drop, you'll be able to maintain bottom contact much easier than attempting to work it down from a boat.

I rarely weigh fish as I'm always in a hurry to take a pic and get them back in the water. I do, however, measure any fish i think may be over 18in. I have a tape measure decal on my boat's gunnel and I put a small piece of masking tape on my rod 18in. from the butt. I'd venture a guess that fish is over 18in.maybe closer to 20in. putting it between 4.0 and 4.5 Then again, I caught a 23in. that I thought was at least 7lb. turned out to be 6lb.7oz. so don't rely on my estimate. Nice, healthy fish BTW

Unless the water is super murky, I like to match my plastic's color to the bottom color, or to the cover if I'm fishing off bottom, but Don't ever rule out white or black. You can add color to a white bait if you like, even just a splash. Be creative and add eyes, gills, even a lateral line or perch lines. As for Black, don't be afraid to use it anytime under any water color conditions.

Okay, I'll be the one to ask. Why a closed loop? The only advantage I see is being able to attach it with a snap, or a leader. The open R bend allows the bait to do a 360 and still be able to run true. A big benefit when casting into the wind. If you have an orthodontist close by, get a pack of those little rubber bands they use on braces and slip one over the open line tie before tying on the bait. You have the best of both in one spinnerbait.

Just wondering if anyone else uses it for tying hair jigs? I use it in combination with tail hair because of its thickness. It returns to fullness quickly and it slows the fall rate of the jig. One of my favorite river/creek patterns is belly hair topped with a touch of yellow and black on top. I catch everything from suckers to smallies and even had a muskie take a 1/4oz. one tipped with a Power Grub.

When just learning to fish soft plastics, it's a great teaching tool. Keep your leader short and as you get a better feel for the bites, increase it. When you get it out to 18-20in and feel confident, switch to a T-rig or jig and you'll know why it's touted as a great learning presentation. This and a C-rig are my #! presentations when taking a youngster fishing. Using a circle hook, I don't have to concern myself with gut hooked fish and setting the hook is something kids have difficulty picking up on.

Fishing shell beds, I could justify the heavy fluoro, or when fishing 40ft.+ The first to overcome the nicks that end up as break offs when you get bit with lesser lines the second because it doesn't stretch as much and is more sensitive. Personally, 6lb. on the light action spinning rod, 10lb fluoro on my cranking rods, 15lb+ mono for topwater and 30lb. braid for most of the rest. I do have one combo with 65lb. braid.

some people

I use a 6ft. Light action MicroLite rod pairs with a 2000 series spinning reel for crappie, trout and bass all season. Crappie cranks, in-line spinners, drop-shot and all with 10lb. braid with a 4lb. or 6lb. mono leader. In fact I caught an 18in.bass yesterday on that combo. Light and ultra-light tackle really adds to the enjoyment of catching. As long as you’re not in a hurry to land them and there aren’t a bunch of snags, go for it.

At last count, twenty three guys and gals have committed to being there for an awesome week-end of fishing, eating and socializing. Some have already made lodging arrangements. For those that haven’t, or are still undecided about going, I have information on two and three bedroom cabins and or a four bedroom cottage that can accommodate up to twelve comfortably. Their pricing is. Very reasonable and when you figure that you will be splitting the cost with the rest of the group staying in your cabin, your cost for three nights would be less than the cost of booking a cabin for yourself for one night. All their lodging faces the water. Boat slips are available, along with their own, private, launch. Fishing boat rentals are available at a near by marina along with dining and shopping. Silver Dollar City along with numerous live entertainment options are less than a thirty minute drive, so there is plenty to do along with fishing Please PM me if, or when you make lodging arrangements, or if you,re looking for a bunk for a night or two.

It's really never too young, to spark a child"s interest in anything. I've introduced many youngsters from 3-13yr. oldsand the majority of them, though now adults, still enjoy the sport. The most difficult obstacle is their short attention span. Regardless of their age, you need to grab their interest as quick as possible. You do the fishing at first and let them throw rocks, play at the water's edge, or sit behind the steering wheel of the boat until you hook a fish. Hand them the rod and let them enjoy the fight while helping or showing them how to reel it in. Show your excitement as they will pick up on it. Older children will progress to actually doing the fishing much quicker, but regardless, continue doing the hooking of fish until the little wanna be asks; Let Me Do It. The big mistake at this juncture is them not catching a fish NOW, not two or three minutes after you help them toss the bait out. For that reason I recommend targeting sunfish, or active crappie when starting them out. The little guy in my avitar is a 9yr. old I started out at 3yrs.

I'd still give small, fast moving baits a shot. Go with something like a RocketShad that the diameter of your line doesn't affect as much as it would a crank bait or swim bait.

It all depends on the location of the lake you’re targeting. Generally, the first, sustained warming trend(water)will start the bass moving. It could be as little as a three degree rise in temp. Three days or more at that temp. and another sustained warm up wil get them moving again. The down side is cold spells which have the opposite effect. The length of daylight and the sun’s angle will normally go hand in hand with rising water temps.

My thinking also. A split tail spinnerbait trailer is a good, cold water trailer. If I'm pumping the rod tip, I like a good ole pork chunk and once the water warms up and they start moving up shallow, I go with a Kalin's Lunker Grub.

I’m not one that buys into line visibility being a big turn off for fish, but yours is one condition where I do. light line (under 8lb. Test) provides a couple of benefits when fishing super clear water. The first is allowing your presentation to work to its fullest potential. Heavy line adds drag and works against the lure’s built in action. Snags and hang-ups aren’t a concern for you, so there really is no need for heavy line use. You’ll likely get a lot of responses recommending small soft plastics fished slowly and I’ve caught a numbers of fish doing just that. One thing I recommend is small, fast moving baits. Don’t give the fish a chance to scrutinize your offering. Those two approaches should get you bit on a regular basis.

If you’ll be keeping them in their original packaging, Browning make three size binders.

You'd be pleasantly surprised. Today's cranking rods are made to address the inherent problems with fishing cranks. The first is a soft enough tip (mod- mod/fast) to allow both long casts and the fish a good chance at getting the bait in its mouth. The moderate action is forgiving enough to allow a quick head shake or short power run without being overly concerned with the hooks ripping free (provided you don't have your drag locked down. The composite material on many cranking sticks is a good blend that allows sensitivity, flexibility and strength. If you do a lot of cranking, they're a great addition over a general purpose MH/Fast rod.