papajoe222

Anyone know if the SV spools for Alphas (33mm) are compatible with the older Sols?

A simple answer to the OP’s question is yes. Fish residing in deep water after post-spawn will stay around cover if two other elements are present. Bass use cover as security and for ambushing prey. Depth provides security and in order to ambus prey, it either has to be present, or pass that deep cover. The first element is prey. The second is structure which the fish (and roaming types of forage) use in their movements. Most anglers that venture into fishing deep off shore structure are of the mind that the fish will be on, or close to the bottom. Although easier to lure when they are, they also suspend out, or above the structural break.

Given your location and the time of year, I wouldn’t rule out top water. A couple of warm days can bring the surface temp up a few degrees and get the fish to move up in the water column. An original floating Rapala can be worked on top using subtle twitches, but will likely draw more attention worked just under the surface on a slow, steady retrieve occasionally pausing or twitching the rod tip.

I haven’t heard, or seen, any discussion about them in quite a while. Truth be told, they’ve taken a back seat to another (hard) bait. Before I bought into the ‘Whopper Plopper Craze,’ it was my go to for a subtle top water presentation although I still occasionally use it in and around emergent weeds. The main reason I bring it up now is to enlighten some of those that are rather new to the sport of its attributes. Aside from its seedless abilities, it can be paused after a surface blow-up and allowed to sink mimicking a stunned whatever the bass thought it was when it was on the surface. Looking for a worm with a lot of tight wiggling action for pre-spawn? Split shot, or C-Rig one. Versatility is a mark of a good angler.l Like so many soft plastics, this one affords you the opportunity.

Not so on my end. I've been tossed overboard three times in the last four years and only once did I have my Mustangs on. The only thing good to come out of that was that I figured out how to get back aboard fairly easy. If I need a new pair, I'll wait until I can get a deal on them.

Thanks dumb #@!$. I haven’t checked my bobbins since 2015! Recon I’ll manually inflate them just to be sure the bladders don’t have a leak. Guess that makes me #2 dumb #@!$

Back in the day, I’d flatten the lead on a snagless to give it a slow, gliding fall. That and a split-shot rig got me my limit in more tourneys than I can count. I only use them now when I’m fishing alone. You gotta keep some things secret.?

Welcome! Braid is a good choice for those techniques. It'll last for a long time, so go with the best you can afford. Cabela's house brand has served many of the folks I've instructed and the hi-vis color is awesome for detecting those bites you don't feel initially. PowerPro is another I've recommended.

I experiment with blade styles/ combinations starting with a single Colorado with the first substantial warming trend. For skirts, um.....I don’t use them.

I agree. I do catch bass when I'm targeting musky and although they tend to be bigger than average, one or two does not make up for the work involved (I don't troll). Even if you only want to target big bass, there are better options. Note: There are a number of members here that also muskie fish. Before you go the ebay route, post a pic in the flea market forum. You may get a good price or trade offer here.

I hold off on organizing the tackle and most of the prep stuff until a couple of weeks before the season. Until then, I tie a few dozen hair jigs, build at least one rod for myself and one or two for friends/family. A few years back I took up reloading and between that and shooting, I've kept the bait monkey off my back. Problem is, reloading equipment is a lot more costly than a few trips to BPS and TW.

Bank fishing can be hard on an angler, especially if that angler doesn't know the bottom contour, depth and cover that's within casting distance. I don't know who coined the phrase, but you can't catch them if they ain't there. In other words; location is the key to catching and sadly, I believe, you're just in the wrong location.

Haven’t wet a line since Oct. I can see myself doing just that. Heck, I vowed to take up ice fishing

The direction the industry is headed is just a result of an overflow of retail outlets looking to get their piece of the pie, only to discover the piece getting smaller and smaller. Also, the outlets you mention are department stores and their target consumer wasn’t the fisherman. The other factor to consider is on-line purchasers. If you look at the Christmas season, there has been a steady decline in retail sales. As far as that video channel, I don’t feel it hurts bass fishing. As Glenn mentioned, the introduction of children to the sport is dwindling. IMO a major reason is the demise of family, the traditional mom, dad and kids. When dad only has visitation every other week-end, a time consuming sport like fishing is far down on his list of things to do. Children hunger for information, entertainment and a connection to others. Sadly, family is no longer supplying those.

If you don’t want the hassle of using the heat shrink, or purchasing smaller O rings, you can use the twist ties from your grocer’s produce section. Use your line snips to trim the tags. Works for spinnerbait and jig skirts,too.

Now that's a reason to give them a try. I'm always open to new ways of rigging a tube. I tried belly weighted swimbait hooks to get that type of fall, but the tube wanted to glide. I still use them, just not for flipping.

Just curious as to why you wouldn’t just T-Rig the tube and peg the weight. Although I have used bluebasser’s style of internal weighing a tube, it’s limited to the lighter weights as the weights I use for flipping are generally 3/8oz or larger. No extra terminal tackle needed to T-Rig, so there’s also a saving of carrying less and spending less.

I second DVT. If there isn't an issue during normal use, why do something to a reel that isn't normal? I've seen guys spin the handle on a reel to see how many revolutions it would take for it to stop turning. When would that ever be necessary when fishing? What useful information is derived from that type of 'test'?

Two things I'd suggest. The first is to cover the boat. Crimes of opportunity are the easiest to deter and an open boat at night is an easy target. You could add some sort of warning device to the cover so if a bad guy does attempt to remove it, he is then giving up the stealth that he was also relying on. Second, either keep your electronics in the Pilot with you, or lock them in one of your lockers. If you don't have lockable storage, put everything inside with you. I hang my rods from the ceiling of my Pilot and there is enough room on the floor and front seats for most of your other gear. On my Pilot, the rear window can be opened. If yours can be, leave it closed but unlatched. A quick push and you can exit quickly, or just point your Sig and chase the perp away. I wouldn't advise shooting as I don't know many states that would condone it.

I use the Get Bit 5.25in tubes, although I almost always use an internal jig. I find using a weighted swimbait hook, or T-rigging is fine for dragging a tube, or fishing it like a jerkbait,but I prefer using a tube as a drop bait and it has much better action with the internal jig.

I hang mine with the tips facing forward. I forget where I purchased the system. It consists of two strips of webbing, one with loops that connects between your garment hangers and a second with velcro loops that attaches in the rear area. I have three row seating and a second set of garment hangers, so I attached it there. It's strong enough to hold seven combos up out of your way. I have four rods over 7ft. and keep them in the SUV rather than the boat's locker. http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/rod-saver-vehicle-rod-carrier This one is similar

I'm making this one for sure. Maybe Gary and I can ride share. Only question for me is; Do I take my boat? Is anyone checking into lodging? If so, the sooner the better. I stayed at a resort last year that was, IMO, very reasonable for the mini-suite the wife and I stayed at. We booked for a week, but I believe they had daily rates also.

The only 'customizing' I do is changing out the line tie split ring to an oval one and that's only on baits where I've had my line slip in between the original ring. Around here, bluegill are a big part of the bass' diet, so I add a splash of orange to the belly of many of my cranks. For all but my really deep diving baits, I use a 6.3:1 reel spooled with 10lb. copoly or 12lb. mono. I use a different combo for lipless cranks spooled with 30lb. braid, no leader. As mentioned before, this goes for whatever depth you're fishing, unless you'll be bumping cover, pick a bait that runs deeper than the depth you're targeting. You can fine tune how often it contacts the bottom with your rod position and how fast you crank.

This. If you’re thinking of a bigger profile, try a FatFree Shad. Those two fill that nitch perfectly for me. I don’t recall the color names, but something similar to SK’s Sexy Shad is a good choice for stained water.

Try the mono. I’ve been using 10lb. on my jerk bait/small crank combo for years. You’ll find that you get more action from the light line, too. If you’re fishing around standing timber, try XT or original Stren. There is a little more stretch in the mono, but I find that beneficial.