papajoe222

IMO, a tube jig with a sixty degree line tie is one of the easiest to skip with. You can vary the size tube you use from 3.5in. to 5in. and rig them with the hook either exposed or 'stupid' style. Add a rattle, or stuff the tube with a packing peanut for a slow, enticing fall. With the right tackle, you can skip a tube under and out the opposite side of a dock with little effort.

My first choice for fishing rocks in 15ft. or less is a craw colored crank. I will follow up with a worm or jig

Thinking of upgrading on one of my reels and switching out the ceramics on another. Any preferences or are they about the same?

In early fall, you'll normally see baitfish in the upper water column. A two step approach can put you into some fish. Target the upper water column with cranks and spinners and go deeper with your soft plastic presentation. A falling bait is where I'd start and to be honest, it wouldn't be a worm. If you're limited to just using a worm, I would suggest using it as a jig trailer and hopping it up high off the bottom and letting it fall on a fairly tight line. Isolated cover on some sort of structure will still hold fish, so don't discount it. Fish it the same as you would during the summer. Pick your presentation based on the type of cover.

When faced with rising, muddy water and a high barometer what is your go to finess presentation? The water in the strip pit I fish regularly is normally gin clear, but the river that runs parallel to it has been running over into it for the past couple of weeks. Clarity is down to less than a foot and the water level is up almost two feet. The fish were where I figured they'd be, but were really tight lipped. I opted for a 3/8oz. black/blue jig with the skirt cut to the hook bend and a Tiny Paca Chunk trailer and was able to grind out some decent fish. The only other presentation that got any attention was a RocketShad pitched to similar locations. If I didn't give 'em something small with a quick fall rate, I may as well have been practicing in my back yard. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for the bites I got. I just think I may have done better with something different.

I don't know if there's one out there with it, but bass turd in poop brown or diarieah would be a good one.

I kept a log for years and very rarely entered more than a measurement. For three years, on a private lake,I tagged every fish I boated over 14in. in an effort to determine growth rate in inches. Although I no longer keep a log, I still have the habit of unhooking a fish, lying it along a measuring tape permanently mounted on my boat for a quick measurement and then releasing it. Anything over 18in. is considered a good fish, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty. I can catch a dozen fish and if asked will say nothing good.

At least you overcame your stubbornness. I fished a lake today that I've fished for years but haven't been to this season. Despite my own recommendation to others not to, I fished 'history' for four hours. Nothing, but that didn't stop me. I kept pounding the outside weedline of the only point and then worked the steeper drop on its inside turn. Two more hours and still nothing. I started up the outboard and headed in. On my graph I could see baitfish and what may have been bass at 15-18ft. in 35ft. of water. Had I taken the time to check before I grabbed a rod, I may not have gotten skunked. My head has had a few more years than yours to get harder. Hope you can continue to overcome your stubbornness, I'm a lost cause. Awesome fish BTW

Single hook presentations mostly as it's easy to switch out a treble and easier to ruin the hooks point in an attempt to sharpen it. As stated previously, less is more a couple of passes on either side and one up the underside is all that it takes to get a spinnerbait or jig to hang from my thumbnail. I couldn't find the one I use, but this on is similar. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Diamond-Knife-Hook-Sharpener/702057.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dhook%2Bsharpener%26CQ_st%3Db

I wouldn't be comfortable towing with the Patriot and the Nissan Pathfinder is a poor choice for a number of reasons. Toyota and Honda both make nice, mid-size SUVs with more than enough towing capacity. I've been towing my Tracker TX with a Honda Pilot for the last 10yrs. You also may want to consider something used, especially if you only plan on keeping it a year or so. That, or waiting until the 17's have been out a while and finding a new 16.

Using a MH mod/fast, Med/ Mod, or any combination cranking rod becomes a personal preference decision. The same goes for glass vs. composite vs. graphite. I personally use a Med Mod/Fast graphite rod for mid-range (6-12ft.) baits in the 3/8oz. catagory and a MH Mod for heavier ones. You may find yourself purchasing a few rods before you arrive at one that suits you.

I use 30lb. Seaguar braid for a mainline and 12lb. Stren mono for the leader. I prefer mono for the leader because it floats. Brass or tungsten weight depending on how snag infested the area I'll be fishing. Water depth dictates what size and hook size depends on the bait which lately has been a tube. The rod is a 7'6" MH fast with a TDA in 6.31

Prior to wrist surgery, I tried everything. The only things that did give temporary relief were wearing a wrist brace in conjunction with taking 600mg of ibuprofen and a shot of cortisone that helped for a few months. You can try the first, but like others, I suggest seeing a Dr.

There are basically two situations when I reach for a drop shot. The first is similar to what WRB mentioned, once I've found fish. In my case, that means I've caught one and am confident the spot holds more. A follow up presentation for lack of a better explanation. The other is under cold front conditions on a piece of structure that has good potential, or that has produced regularly. As I fish shallower bodies of water that are very clear, I'm casting with a long leader on a long rod to keep the bait up off the bottom.

OMG, someone actually suggested using an anchor Listen up! Using an anchor without some instruction can be harmful to your trolling motor, not to mention the exposure to rope burns and getting the rope tangled around your ankle just prior to tossing in over into 30ft. of water.

Two baits I rely on a lot during late summer are a RocketShad and a Booyah Boo Rig with a small crappie size crankbait. I can follow up with a drop shot or shakey head with a french fry.

I don't change baits, for the most part. I change locations because the fish do. The only different bait I throw in the fall is a white jig/trailer. I can present it like a spinnerbait, or any number of jig retrieves. It occasionally produces in the spring, but nowhere near the way it does once the water temp. Starts to steadily drop. That is when I consider fall to begin.

Interesting. My assumption is that guide on the bottom is fairly close to the stripper. For heavier baits, I don't see that affecting distance much, but on lighter presentations I would think it would make a difference.

I've built two for myself. Both are for bottom contact baits. A while back I built a spinning and casting rod using the same blank. To me the spinning rod seemed to be more sensitive an I reasoned that was because the line was always in contact with the guides. A spiral wrap gives me that plus the benifits of a baitcaster.

The more information I have about a lake or a spot on the lake, the more specific I can be when it comes to what combo of equipment I want to start with. Even when fishing from shore, if I can obtain a topo map prior to getting to the spot, I have an idea as to the general depth and bottom content. Once I'm there, I'll observe the surrounding shoreline and the water itself for clarity and the presence of vegetation and forage. If I'm driving along and come to a body of water I've never fished before, I'll reach for something that will cover the water column and is fairly weedless. For me, that's a tube bait either T-rigged or with an internal weight. I use a baitcaster, but most use spinning gear.

As far as bottom contact baits go, I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference what the bait resembles. The locations you target and the type and speed of the retrieve, to me, are more important. You can hop, crawl, drag, swim, or dead stick any soft plastic rigged any way you want. If it's moving too fast/slow or they want a horizontal vs. a vertical presentation, they're going to ignore it no matter what it is. I base my decision on which style bait to use by the way I present them. A falling or swimming presentation gets a bait with a lot of action, while for dragging or deadsticking, less action is better IMO. That's why a tube is my favorite soft plastic. I can work it both ways.

Out fishing with the grandson this morning. We were in the shade of a big tree on shore and I'd placed my sunglasses atop my cap. A bee started buzzing him and without thinking I grabbed my cap by the bill and swung at it. Missed the bee and watched my Costas sail away.

Bill Norman FatBoy. My three biggest this summer were caught on it. Straight out of the package, third cast, both sets of hooks in her mouth, the first one was the biggest.

You spend your off season doing projects geared toward next season. You keep spare parts for your outboard, trolling motor, electronics, reels along with extras of your favorite lures in a special compartment of your boat, but never think to check your spare tire's air pressure. You know exactly where to find that bone colored Spook knock off that you've had for five seasons but never used, but for some unknown reason can never remember where you laid your keys down this morning. You check the extended weather forecast two weeks prior to a one day trip with some guy you met last week. One more cast turns into two more hours on the water, getting caught in rush hour traffic, and dealing with an irritated spouse upon your return, but you find yourself repeating this scenario frequently because it's so worth it.

I think, as in hunting, knowing your prey. It's food preferences, mating rituals, seasonal movements, along with its physical strengths and weaknesses. Is its eyesight more important than its hearing or smelling. You get the pic. Learning all you can about the fish is the cornerstone to confidence as that information is applicable to whatever water you may be on.