papajoe222

What he said. HM stands for High Modulus and the 85 is the pressure used to form the sheet of graphite. That particular combination has been used for many MH power rods with fast actions, but as Allen Der mentioned the designation doesn't mean that only that one material was used exclusively when building the blank.

Only you will be able to determine what's best for you, but I will make one suggestion; Consider the type of cover you'll be fishing most often. For vegetation and standing timber, you'll want a set-up that will transmit as much information back to you as possible. I opt for graphite for those conditions. For banging cranks off cover like lay downs and rock, or for just deflecting one along the bottom, I like a composite.

Once the water temps. start rising steadily, the bass will start moving. The warmer water temps. and the longer days will see them on the move and IMO, this period and the fall are the prime time to start out using moving baits. Spinnerbaits aren't the only moving baits to consider, but you can probe the entire water column with them which is a big plus if you don't plan on investing in a bunch of different baits. Remember that bigger blades will allow you to present them slower at any given depth than smaller ones.

When you read or hear someone say; If I were limited to only one bait, it'd be a jig. They rarely say that they'd only limit themselves to presenting it only one way. Although flipping and pitching may not be the best producer as far as numbers go, mixing it up with a jig will let you know how aggressive the bite is at any given time. Swim it, drag it, stroke it, or even dead stick it. There is really no wrong way to present it. Usually, one way is better for numbers. For the big bites though, you can't beat doing exactly what you've been doing. As WRB eluded to, location is the key and pre spawn bass move around a lot. Don't limit yourself to one presentation, or location.

I browse through my copy at least twice a season. That one and 'Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers' help me keep focus on the big picture and not what's been producing for me.

It's on my bucket list, especially if I can hook up with you or Jeff on a trip. That sounds like typical early spring happenings. Just drop back from where you see 'em fanning nests to the nearest drop off with any type of cover and you'll find 'em. Getting 'em to bite is up to you.

Welcome to BR. It's always a pleasure to see new blood..........er beginners here that are willing to let their heads be filled with everything fishing (and then some) to the point that they spin and spin. I digress. Many of my soft plastics are kept in their original packaging, but others like my tubes and straight tail worms are placed in a 3700 size box with others of the same size, but different colors. My main reason for doing so is because I purchase the majority of them in bulk and carrying six or eight bags of 100ct. tubes along with four or five of worms isn't the best use of my storage space. It works for me and that's what the majority of decisions come down to, personal preference. Find what works, or is comfortable, for you whether is tackle storage, rod, reel, line, sunglasses, whatever. Don't be afraid to experiment, but don't take it to extremes.

There are a number of Muskie baits that I have consistently caught bass on. The majority of them are in the 6in. range. They include some bucktails, but mostly top-water and cranks. A Super Shad Rap is the first that comes to mind and if I'm not mistaken, there was a smaller two hook version of the Depth Raider that the Wisc. bass couldn't get enough of. BTW, if you're looking to get rid of some of those baits, PM me. I may be interested.

I'd base the casting rod choice on what the average size bass is in your area. Around here, three pounds is a decent fish. The only time I use a MH/Fast rod is for frogs and swimbaits, or when fishing heavy/matted weeds. As for length, especially for fishing from shore, go with the longest rod you feel comfortable casting. The majority of time you'll be casting for distance and the longer rod will help out there. The other thing to consider in choosing any rod is what weight lures you'll be using. You can cast light lures on heavy rods, but it isn't fun. Your reel choices are good, but don't assume you'll be able to pick up an extra spool for a baitcaster as easily as for a spinning reel as often times you can get one of those with two spools. You could always go with one spool filled with braid and add a leader of fluoro or mono in whatever test you like.

If you can find them, Cotton Cordell Super Spots are easy on the pocketbook and are good for exactly what you do. The hooks aren't bad and they have a decent rattle chamber. Average price is around $3 at many discount stores.

Clear water? You know the answer, but anything else, I'd go straight braid. Like others her, I don't overly concern myself with line visibility. My norm is 30lb. because of the diameter.

Army Vet 69-71

IMO, it's because with a moving bait (I consider a T-rig a moving presentation), even when yo-yoing it, by the time the rig settles down to the bottom, I'm moving it again. It makes little difference if the worm floats or not. On a shaky head, it makes a lot of difference to me because, as I said, I only use that tool for one situation.

The Ned rig. If it were the only bait I was limited to use, I'd take up golfing.

A shaky head is limited to only one application in my book; Clear water, hard bottom and a super slow, almost dead-sticking, retrieve. For that reason the only soft plastics I use on it are ones that float and have vibrant coloration. A floating soft plastic will keep that presentation upright and the coloration will catch a fish's eye from a distance. It will also move enticingly with little or no effort on my part. I equate it to seeing a subtle neon light from a distance. I opt for a football head jig for many of the other soft plastics as I can work them faster and keep the plastic upright.

Welcome to the forums. I've become a big fan of circle hooks for split-shotting, especially when using long leaders. I don't have to concern myself with deeply hooked fish, or missing fish as a result of a poor hook set. EagleClaw offers an octopus circle hook in their Lazer Sharp line that I've been using for a few years now. For Texas rigging, take your pick. No need to go bigger than a 2/0 and the Gamas in the 1/0 and 2/0 aren't light wire, but they're not overly beefy either.

I like to go against the grain whenever possible. By that I mean throwing something different color, size, or action wise. I'll go with a large profile or a fast retrieve in cold water, or when the bite is tough. One thing that drives my fishing buddies to drink, not really because they drink anyway, is throwing top-water in the middle of the day and out in the middle of nowhere.

I've gotten used to fishing for a few bites rather than numbers, but rather than downsize I concentrate more on precise, repeated presentations to a given target, especially during cold front conditions. Many times it'll be my fifth or sixth cast to the same side of a stump or dock post that gets the bite and it's rarely a resounding thump, so I need to be concentrating 100% or go fishless. It's not uncommon to go four hours without a bite, but I'm out there for the challenge as much as the fun, so I stick with it.

I try to mix up my retrieves, but I have found that the fish have a seasonal preference. In the spring a steady retrieve, the summer calls for yo-yo, or ripping them free of weeds and in the early fall, they like it stroked. This bait really produces on the fall, so even when they want a steady retrieve, I'll occasionally pause it. The 1/2oz. is a good size,

What style of jig are you looking for? A good style for most applications is an Arkie style with a horizontal line tie. They work well in wood, brush, rocks and are also okay for dragging along hard bottoms. For fishing weeds, you'll want something with more of a point to it with either a recessed , or a vertical line tie. For dragging along a hard bottom, a football jig shines. Match the color of the lakes bottom to your jig and add a trailer with a little contrast to it.

If you encounter stained water, this is a great color to be throwing. Up here, we get a lot of green algae that colors the water, and it's a killer on smallies.

Rising, muddy, cold water makes for extremely tough fishing. The first thing to accept is that the bites will be few. The second is that you need to approach these conditions similar to other tough conditions such as a cold front. Slowing down and making precise presentations will help considerably. Finding where the fish are goes without saying. Newly flooded cover and deeper water offer the fish the most security. Then it's just a matter of offering them something within that window of security. IMO, fish don't chase down noisy presentations, or those baits that move a lot of water under tough conditions. Those baits do work if presented in close proximity to their place of security. If you accept that logic, the reason they work is because of where they are presented and not what they are. The upside to this is the fact that you can get much closer to the fish under those conditions and precise presentations are less difficult.

First off, let me say that I rarely fish from a friend's boat or from shore. That fact is changing this season as I finally talked my kid into getting his own boat. This is going to put me in a situation where I won't have my normal tackle system available. I put together a bag containing five 3700 series boxes along with a few of the really small boxes containing terminal tackle and jigs. An extra reel, pliers, sun block, bug spray, and sun glasses occupy the zipper pockets. My question is what baits to fill three of those boxes with. One will be filled with tubes and one with cranks, but I'm at a loss as to what else to take as I want to take everything. For those of you 'non-boaters' here; What do you take with?

Welcome' I also fish a lot of clear water lakes, a couple of which I can see bottom in 15ft. I shy away from hard baits and stick with small, soft plastic baits in natural colors. I'm a tube freak when it comes to soft plastics and a 2- 3in. tube in pearl or smoke with pepper flakes does well on most of those lakes. For hard baits, as already mentioned, the fish can see your bait from farther away and have more time to look it over. Downsizing and speeding up your retrieve helps to put you on more level playing field.

IMO, you don't need to spend a lot for a spinnerbait rod. Sensitivity isn't a concern, so pick something that's light enough for you to chuck and wind with for extended periods, but still has the power and action that you'll need.