papajoe222

No, I drill a small hole in eack chamber, inject super glue and set the lure upright so the rattle sits on the bottom center of its chamber.

Like many, I like to tinker with my tackle. When it comes to cranks, there's the usual switching out hooks, or adding a splash of red to the eyes, gills or belly. One of the ones that has really had a noticeable effect on my catch rate is turning a rattling bait into a silent one. Yea, I've ruined a number of baits attempting to do so, but many of the baits I have confidence in aren't offered in a silent version, so what's a tackle junkie to do? A couple of my confidence cranks are the Bomber Fat Free Shad and most any Mann's crank. After a little experimentation, I was able to silence them without altering their action, or removing the rattles. Unless water clarity dictates a bait with rattles, I reach for the silent ones. I even altered a couple of Mann's Depth Plus baits that get down where there's little, if any, light penetration and they even produce there. For those that modify their cranks, what is your favorite one?

I'll need to check my channel guide because I don't think xfinity offers it.

I'll ask a couple of questions before I give my $.02. First, are you sure they were quarries, or were they strip pits which there are an abundance of where I am? Second, are the weeds you're bringing up green? I know you said dead. Now for my two cents. In the extremely deep water of quarries, a Ned rig will take forever to reach the bottom (see my first question). Plus, I doubt the bass would be sitting on the bottom, not enough O2. Quarry or pit, the fish are likely holding somewhere off the bottom and figuring out their depth is your first priority. Figure that out and the best presentation will become evident.

Bass fishing legend Glenn May Congrats, I was wondering when you'd enter that category. Fuzzy Baits reminds me of the drink Fuzzy Navel. I think the baits will have a much bigger following.

So everyone knows that fishing is my passion, but come on between Christmas and my birthday next week, I'll have enough in gift cards to purchase, well just about anything fishing that I don't need. You'd think somebody would think outside the box a little and get me something like a Midway USA gift card so I could get some new glass, or reloading supplies............WAIT, Bass Pro sells scopes and reloading supplies. So.............Keep them coming, my 75th is a week from today. I know, I'm shameless

Dang girl, don't you know better than to title a thread like this? I know this is a bass fishing site, but I'm a guy first and I got my blood pressure up as I clicked on this one. I first thought; How many gals do we have on this site with DD's, but if was one, I had to see 'em. The only way this guy catches a double digit, or a pair of DD's for that matter, is to head south about five or six hours. The trip would be worth it though, for the fish that is. I don't remember what to do with the other things other than look at 'em.

I have pics of almost all my memorable catches and with the exception of current and previous personal bests, I'd be hard pressed to name the presentation, lure, weather conditions, or even their weight or length. I remember the fight and how many times she jumped. Go figure.

For a dropshot when using a leader, I don't think it matters that much. I don't use a very long leader, maybe 18in. above the hook and max of 2ft. below. Unlike many, I still use a quality swivel to attach my leader. Does line twist does affect braid? IDK, but Bill Dance uses one above his drop line and he introduced the technique to me.

Done. Maybe move this to the general fishing forum. My reasoning is more members view that forum than this one.

Another video with a ton of useful information. The most important thing about it, IMO, was you stating the importance of knowing exactly what you were doing when you catch a fish and repeating it so you can continue to do so. Then, If you don't mind my adding a tid bit, you should also pay attention to where the fish was positioned on the cover or structure so that you can duplicate it in your search for other potential spots. Keep up the great work.

I am curious. Is there any advantage to having one of the hooks in line with the eye, or is it just a confidence thing on your part. When replacing trebles with single hook, I can see the advantage to one line tie angle over another. On trebles, I don't see it.

I don't purchase very much in the way of house branded merchandise, clothing and soft plastics are about my limit. Bass Pro Shops rain gear and cold weather gear for fishing is top notch, IMO and most of their soft plastics get the job done. If Academy would offer reduced shipping or free shipping, I'd would get some of their products. For online shopping, I prefer Sheels for both their house brands and name brands. Big box store prices, awesome customer service, and as close to a LSG store experience as you can get.

Seeing as it's after midnight, I thought I'd be one of the first to wish all the fine people on this site, especially Glen and the mods that continue to keep this site the best of it's kind, a very Merry Christmas to you and your families. That said, I'm going to bed.

For an action trailer, a RageTail craw. When I'm just looking to add bulk without a lot of action, like in cold water, I go with a chunk. There was a time when I used a pork trailer in cold water, but I never liked dealing with removing them at the end of the day and having to rinse the jig so the hook wouldn't rust, but they did seem to produce better than plastic.

For me, it depends on the cover, or lack of, that I'm fishing. If is vegetation, I want a fast action so I can get the fish up our out of the grass quickly. Once in open water, it's a combination of how my drag is set and my ability to play the fish to then get it landed. If I'm structure fishing, I prefer a Mod.Fast action. I don't like to get a fish to the net as fast as possible and a softer action gives the fish a chance to fight back but still allows me to get it to the net without over exhausting it. This is why I have more than one jig rod.

Guilty to the point of excess. 3 cranking rods, 2 jig rods, 1 worm rod, 2 swimbait/swim jig rods, 3 topwater rods, a tube rod, a jerkbait rod and a number of other dual purpose rods. I really don't count my spinning rods as technique specific. To my way of thinking, they're all finesse rods.

Depending on how much you use your TM, you may have a battery with a dead cell. Some chargers will not attempt to charge such a battery. Get your hands on a meter and check each battery independently and then in series if both are showing 12+Volts. Then plug in the charger. and check again. If you're getting 13+Volt readings on both batteries, the light is the problem. If the voltage doesn't change on one battery, the charger isn't working. Also check the wiring coming from the charger, there lmay be a bad connection.

I'm going to be the naysayer here and advise you to not purchase a FFS unit as your first unit. Think about this, if you will; Right now, you don't know how to interpret 2D sonar, Down Scan, Side Scan, what mgh setting is appropriate for the depth of water you're fishing, etc. I suggest getting a unit like a LOWRANCE Hook 2 Tripple shot, the 7in. version. It does all three and with auto settings, it's basically the best plug and play option, IMO, for someone starting out. Take a season to learn how to interpret those forms of sonar. When you're confident with your ability with those forms of sonar, sell it and go out and get a unit that offers it all.You'll likely get a better FFS unit than one you could purchase now or the price of the current offerings could go down. Getting frustrated attempting to learn everything, is not a good and that statement applies to just about any subject.

Questioning the need for a drag that clicks. I know it's a personal preference thing, but do you play with your drag setting while fighting a fish, or back off a certain amount of clicks at the end of the day and know exactly how many to add when using the reel again? I always set my drag a bit on the light side at the start of the day and add pressure with my thumb, if I need more for whatever reason. The more features a reel has, the more opportunity there is for one to fail and it's usually at the worst time when it does.

Not that I purchase a lot of new reels, but I never heard of a new reel being dry. Is that something the big three are doing now, or it it just a hit and miss thing?

It still is.

Ah, 'The magic lure' with a bit of a twist. Yes, when it came to a different presentation (drop-shot, wacky rig), I knew when I first laid eyes on them where they'd shine. With baits, not so much. There have been a few that lived up to the hype, Mann's +20 crank was one. That doesn't mean I won't stop purchasing ones that catch my eye. What can I say, I'm a tackle junkie. I can't wait for the next years new line of baits to be introduced.

Not for punching, but I have used some CB's Hawg Sauce in my tubes when using a dragging presentation. My thoughts are, it couldn't hurt, so why not.

I use 15 different baitcasters and 4 spinning reels during a season. There are 6 baitcasters that do most of the work and they all get a full breakdown, cleaning and lube before ice-out. I started working on them last week. The six I use most often get the bearings an level wind cleaned and lubed sometime in late July. Sooner if I feel they need it. I actually dislike taking apart spinning reels, but once I got some experience with them, I still dislike them and not just cleaning them.