papajoe222

I'll start off by saying I never throw a chatterbait. I would venture to say though, it likely has something to do with vibration vs. flash. With me, it's a Colorado spinnerbait in the spring and a willow in the fall. Same thing happens with cranks. Orange belly in the spring and white or chartruse in the fall.Don't know why and I really don't care to.

DELAVAN report On the water for a couple of hours yesterday: Water temp. 65, wind SW @ 17mph 8 bass, biggest was 19in. And three pike. 15-18ft. Got all but one bass and one pike on a One Knocker and everything else on a 1/2oz. Single willow spinnerbait Only six trailers in the parking lot I love this fishery

One thing about being a Sox fan vs. a Cubs fan, we know they can still get there. Cubs fans would be breaking out their Hawks attire if the Cubs were down 2-0. JT will be singing and I'll be on the edge of my seat in anticipation of another great October comeback.

If you're talking just the reel, take your pick of any in 6.3:1 or similar. If you're talking rod and reel, a BassPro Qualifier in that gearing paired to a M/H Mod.Fast in a length that suits you.

I prefer a light wire hook for T-rig tubes, but I don't fish them with braid or a M/H rod either. I've never had one straighten out. I've landed 8-10lb. cats without incident. I'll switch to a flipping hook when punching or flipping with braid.

30lb. is all I use, except for punching thick weeds. I would base your choice on the type of presentations you use most and the type, or lack of, cover you encounter frequently.

I use a single chart. willow blade on a short arm spinnerbait for smallies in the fall. The pike seem to like it, too

I haven't heard of this one. Who makes it?

Great choice for your #1, mine is a tube. More specifically it's an internally weighted tube rigged weedless. I can present it anywhere in the water column with any number of different actions, plus I can go with a vertical or horizontal presentation. I guarantee both yours and mine will be tied on one of the five rods on my deck for the remainder of the season here.

This still has a good possibility of happening and I personally think it'd be the best match-up of the teams in the playoffs. Of course, that's providing the Cubs don't let down their fans, again. I wonder who the scapegoat will be this time. oops, sorry about the 'goat' thing Cubs fans. I'm rooting for them to make it to the series and for a seventh game to really make it interesting.

Many of the lakes in my area close to fishing at the end of the month, so I will also be hitting the water every chance I get. Although my favorite southern Wisconsin lake does not, I plan on hitting it before the water temps drop below 50. If I hit the lottery, I do plan on contacting Jeff about a trip to Mexico after the holidays. If not, it'll be another long winter with that pesky monkey.

Thanks for the quick replies. I've been looking to add a MH cranking rod as I already have a Med. And a MH that is closer to a Hvy power that I use for the deep stuff. Got a deal on this blank and a ISWB 945

I'm looking to build a cranking rod for those baits that run 10-16ft. and am undecided as to which blank to build on.....RX7 CB70MH or RX7 CB70H. I would think the MH would fit the bill, but I have zero experience with the Rainshadow line.

That (drilling holes and filling with epoxy) was the quick fix I was thinking of. Thanks I'll recommend both ways

A new tackle shop opened up in town a few months ago and the owner knows I build my own rods. He called me on Monday and said he has a customer that has a problem with his favorite rod. The reel seat is no longer secure. They wanted to know if there was a way to re-glue it to the blank without stripping it and the cork handle from the rod. I know of a quick fix, but am apprehensive about suggesting it as I don't know how long lasting it would be. Is there a way to remove the seat without ruining the cork handle in the process?

The answer to your problem isn't to by inexpensive tubes, it's to keep them pesky smallies from tearing up the tubes in the first place. Next time try using baitcasting gear. You'll possibly backlash on every third cast or so and that'll cut down your losses by 30%.

On Powers I've only caught one bass over 5lb. and I swear I've caught her twice. both times off the same hump. I'm heading out to Delavan this Sat. If you see me, give me a shout I can help you get skunked too.

I just started getting into using jointed swimbaits and was wondering about this one. From what I've been able to research, it appears to be designed more for pike and muskie, but it's available in a 5in. version. My muskie gear can handle the larger sizes, but I was considering targeting bass with them and that gear would be a bit overpowering. Anyone used them for targeting bass and if so, what gear did you use?

They do have different actions, but the main reason I choose one over the other is the cover, or lack of, that I'm targeting. If I can present a hard jerk bait above the top of the weeds, I'll go with it over a fluke type. It offers more flash and it reacts differently with each jerk. It also doesn't sink when paused. For me, the hook-up ratio is better with a hard bait mainly because I have a tendency to immediately set the hook when fishing Flukes and will miss some fish. Fishing a Fluke, for me, is reserved for targeting grass, or when I want a shallower or deeper presentation than the running depth of a hard bait.

Fish the conditions you're faced with. Fishing weeds? If they're hitting an unweighted worm on top of the weeds, no brainer, stick with no weight. What if they aren't? What if there are no weeds? I once heard a pro say to use the lightest weight possible to maintain bottom contact, but sometimes a heavy weight produces better. It's all trial and error until you come upon a winning combination. Whenever I have a partner in the boat, we rarely start out with the same presentation. We eliminate unproductive techniques and can get on a pattern much quicker that we could by ourselves.

Once your crank buries into the weeds, it's too late to rip it free. To accomplish this, as mentioned, you need to know where your bait is in relation to the top of the weeds, equipment suited to the technique, and familiarity with the bait. The latter can only be acquired through practice. You can't determine when a baits hooks begin to catch the weeds until you've repeatedly experienced it. You will experience a lot of frustration attempting it using the wrong equipment. The only lipped baits that work well with this technique are floating minnow baits. Like lipless cranks, their hooks will start catching weeds before the bill does

I think I've finally lost it. The past few weeks I've been bombarded with tough conditions on my home water. Rising. muddy water, high barometer, bluebird skies and little or no breeze. It's become an effort in determination to put fish in the boat, to say the least. The funny thing is, I've been catching the biggest fish of the season. It's like, I know I'm only going to get a few bites, so I focus on high percentage areas, boat position, perfect quiet placement of my jig, watching my line, etc. I find myself looking forward to getting on the water under these conditions, because I not only enjoy the challenge, it forces me to bring my A game or go home. Do I call the guys in the white coats, or accept the fact that I'm hopeless and roll with it?

There are likely a number of reasons why. Close proximity to deep water along with shade and possibly wind (current) would be the most obvious, forage availability and cover preference could be others. Regardless, the more contributing factors one can find in a given area, the higher it's potential for attracting bigger fish. This is why anglers that target the biggest fish in a lake never rely on just one factor when choosing an area. When choosing they take as many factors into consideration as possible. Unknowingly, you have the determining conditions located. Once you recognize them, you will be able to identify them easier on other bodies of water.

Great info here. I'll add one obvious thing and one tip. Vary your retrieve speed either with your reel, or occasionally popping the rod tip up during the retrieve. In the fall, work a short arm, single willow as a drop bait or fish it horizontally. On the fall, the blade will helicopter and the shorter arm allows for better hook-ups. Oh yea, windy days are spinnerbait days.

Picture someone that's only fished with a float and worm on a hook reading about a monster shoepick someone caught out of the snot grass on a whopper plopper.