papajoe222

I'm not a fan of fluorocarbon, but I believe in using the best tool available for the job. I'm also not a fan of spending money from my limited budget on something I haven't vetted. I have the opportunity to pick up some Stren Fluorocast at, what I consider, a good price. For those of you that have tried it, what's your take on it? Any better, or worse than the average fluorocarbon out there? Please, only responses from those of you that have tried this line. I know there are better, more expensive ones out there. I just can't justify to myself spending $20+ for it.

Specific lures. As an example, I have a Fat Free Shad that triggers strikes when an identical one stops producing. Some of the hard baits in that box have been customized by adding 3D eyes, adding or removing color to an area, or adding a feathered treble. For the most part, though, they are identical to the ones in my big box. I'm thinking of adding a second box for topwaters as it is full to the point of being over stuffed.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has a tackle box that they keep their favorite lures in? You know, the ones that almost always seem to produce when other, similar,even identical ones fall short. Over the years I've found that there is something about them that sets them apart from the majority of baits I own. I actually have two boxes. One for hard baits and one for bags of plastics. The plastics are chosen by brand. You may call them your confidence baits, but I have confidence in a type of lure in a given situation. What I'm talking about is a specific lure that separates it from others, even if it's only because I think it does. When I fished tournaments I'd often go to that box after getting my limit, or when time was getting short and I felt I needed to get one more fish to put me in the money. I don't consider them magic, but under the right circumstances that's the box I reach for.

When it comes to the hard baits, the first thing I do is switch out the hooks to quality trebles. Then, I put them in a box next to a similar lure I know produces. Then, when I'm getting bit with the one, I'll switch to the other. If I continue to catch with the budget lure, it stays in the box. I have a popper that I paid $1 for that has caught tons of fish and an identical one that hit the trash bin shortly after I tried it out this way. IMO, unless you're on fish, don't discount a lure because it hasn't caught you anything. That goes for soft plastics, too.

I'm not too familiar with when the sun sets out east, but I figure the majority of the time you'll be fishing will be under low light conditions. Personally, the drop shot is a presentation I would only choose under tough conditions. I'm a tube fanatic, but that is one condition where I opt for a soft plastic with a lot of action. A lizard, or creature bait will move a lot more water. A RageTail will also, Texas rigged, or as a swim jig trailer. As for tube rigging, Glen did a very informative video on just that not long ago. A quick search and you should find it easily.

If you can get the tail of the bait to sit a little lower, you'll not only get better hook ups (notice I didn't say more), but it will be easier to get it to walk and spit. Add an extra split ring or a 3X treble to add a little bit of weight.

So I've been without the use of my boat for a few weeks now and have done quite a bit of shore fishing to keep from testing out some single edge razor blades. Considering the limited amount of shore access on my home waters, I feel I've done extremely well. What the experience has shown me is something I learned long ago, but I've gotten away from: If a spot is worth checking out, do a complete job. I always break down the entire water column in areas of 10ft. of water or more of water, but when it comes to shallow water, I rarely do. My reasoning is that the fish will react to any bait that passes. I was re-educated to the fact that even in 3ft.-6ft. of water, a fish with a 1ft. strike window will only move 1ft. That leaves a fairly large area where my presentation will go unmolested. Maybe i should have a tattoo that reads: Top-middle-bottom.

What was said earlier applies. If it works for you, our opinion doesn't matter. Personally, I've never tried a jig with that type of weed guard and you know how I feel about an Arkie head. I always tell guys to work with what you have. If you struggle with it, then maybe look somewhere else.

I have a pair of Costas with the 580G green glass that I wear for driving and fishing. They're not as dark as most grey or brown lenses soI can wear them indoors without having to remove them, yet they're still dark enough to eliminate staining my eyes in direct sunlight. The only other glasses I've worn are a pair of Wiley-X. Not as pricey, but not the resolution you get from glass.

Like Catt said, everyone has their own idea of what's 'best' for a given situation. The reason is because we have become so familiar with how that jig acts when it contacts cover and the information we deduce from what is sent up the line from it when it approaches the cover. We have a history of what will get that jig, not only out of the cover, but how doing so will assist in getting bit. All of that comes from putting in a lot of time with a jig and is also why a seasoned jig fisherman relies on only a few styles of jigs. That said, a heavy cover jig works best when pitched, or flipped short distances. That angle of the line to the jig works to it's strengths. I prefer an Arky head with a horizontal line tie that will flip the jig over a branch when popped just right. That flip not only clears the jig of the branch but gets the reaction bite a crank or spinner bait gets when bumping cover. I put that jig hook in many a branch learning how to achieve that result.

What Scott said about a leader spooking pike, I agree. If you still think visibility is an issue, there are fluorocarbon leaders that, although thicker in diameter, will work just fine. They also have the advantage of not kinking the way wire does. Beware, the length/strength of wire leaders will affect the action of some lures as they weigh the nose of the bait down. Sorry, I should have just agreed with Scott, but I'm one of those guys that likes to hear myself talk.

If you're hooking the skin on the inside of the mouth, it's a hook sharpness issue. Your hook point penetrates the skin, but then follows the bone forward until the angle to penetrate it is too sharp. Easy to correct, sharpen the hooks.

Hands down,Rage Tail Craw and their Twin Tail Menace for punching. I have others and will sometimes use something else if I run out of them.

I trim the legs so they 'recover' quickly after a quick pull. Longer legs take longer to recover and you can't work the bait quickly.

You can't go wrong with a frog pattern when fishing ponds. Add a Spook and you have the perfect trio.

Great bait for hard bottoms, light cover. For color, keep it simple. Smoke, chartruse and green pumpkin. Rig it on a jig ball head jig of appropriate size and you're good to go. For retrieves, I use two basic ones; A steady retrieve with a quick pop of the rod tip every two or three revolutions of the reel handle. Start high in the water column and work your way down. The other is a hopping or jigging retrieve. I start with an aggressive pop of the rod and slow down to just a turn of the reel handle until I figure out what they want. BTW, Welcome to the forums.

If the deepest water is 7ft. and it's a good sized pond 10+ acres) lack of cover and structure= find the baitfish. Check the wind, even a light steady breeze will move the baitfish to the windy side. put aside the hard baits when they aren't working and wacky rig a stick worm with a#1 circle hook, weightless. All the kiddies need to do is reel with the rod tip held up to hook them. No gut hooked fish for you to deal with and it will catch fish

Famous: Ribbon tail worm, Arkie head bass jig, in-line and safety pin style spinnerbaits, walking and popping topwaters, fat body cranks. Flavor of the month: Ned rig, Umbrella rig, hard baits with soft plastic tails.

Start with seasonal guidelines, add current conditions, look at structure and cover options, then make your decisions based on those factors. Too may guys do just the opposite. They see a good main lake point , or an irregular weed bed and start there. In the spring, the fish will be using a slow tapering point, or the side of a point that tapers off slower. If the water is falling, that weed bed that was hot when the water was up isn't your best choice. Water clarity, weather conditions, wind, etc. are all conditions to take into consideration, but look at each one's merits separately and as the apply that day. If the wind just started blowing today, or it's the fourth day after a front has moved through, you need to look how those factors affect fish location that day. Find structure and cover options that you have confidence in fishing. If ledges are your nemesis, find cover close to the drop. That may not be the best location for numbers of fish, but it may be where your confidence is.

On any weed edge, I look for transition areas where the bottom composition changes, or where a different type of weed starts. These are generally the areas where you see indentations, or points on an otherwise straight edge. Even on a slow tapering edge, you will see areas that thin out quicker than others. In your case, those tall stalks of weeds are either spots where the bottom composition changes, or small humps. Either way, those are the type of spots to key on. You're basically doing the same thing an angler fishing a piece of structure is doing, looking for something different along an extended piece of structure. In the case of weeds, it's a change along a large piece of cover. Another way to attack a slow tapering edge is to cast perpendicular to the edge. Your jig will swing back toward you as it falls, following the weed's downward taper. You may need to adjust the fall rate of your jig, or pop it off the tops of the tapering weeds to keep it following the slope.

Welcome to the forums. Be nice guys, its his first post. Ive done more than a few and I still cant figure out how to attach a pic.

Another option might be Yo-Shri Hybrid ultra soft in 10lb. It has a breaking strength heavier than its rating and is more manageable than most copolymers.

I'm a little of both if I think about it. I always start out in search of active fish and that means covering a lot of shallower water with faster presentations. Once I find them I'll work the area with both reaction and finesse presentations until I feel the fish have moved, or 'turned off.' If imy search is futile, I switch gears and target structure with good potential to hold fish. That's when I slow down and work an area. I may return to my beginning strategy during the course of the day

Friday, before the front moves in.

If the only knock you have against the Rapalas is the lack of detail and colors, you can always look into having them custom painted. I just recently contacted a fellow about custom painting some Super Spook Jr's Not overly expensive and if I supply the baits, it cuts the cost considerably.