papajoe222

How close are they to deeper water?

I keep both a pair of wire cutters and mini bolt cutters on my boat for exactly that scenario. I also have an 18in. fluorocarbon leader solely for the removal of hooks. I live just outside Chicago and the doctors in the ERs around here are clueless about removing hooks. Went to the ER once in Wisconsin and the Dr. had the hook out, wound sanitized and bandaged in less time than it took to fill out the paperwork.

If you're having trouble finding fish, this is the answer. One pass over an area and you know for sure if it holds fish. Catching them is easy too. You just turn the boat around and scoop them up with a net. Best part is you don't ever have to put your beer down.

For you married guys; Never, Ever put your girlfriend's number on your favorites list.

I want one.

I use a gym bag that holds seven 3700 series boxes, plus it has pockets at both ends that will hold all the terminal tackle I need and a front pocket that holds my sunglasses, sun block, insect repellent, JJ's, pliers, cutters, buff and whatever else I can fit in it. Sometimes I need a two wheel hand cart to tote it around, but you gotta do what you gotta do. My other 'tackle back pack' is my boat. It sits back of my car and I can pack a whole lotta shuff in it.

Pre-Spawn: Blade Bait, Jerkbait and Jig/Pig Spawn: Tube and popper Post Spawn: Jig and Tube Summer: Jig, or worm and Spook For a faster presentation I like cranks and buzzers Fall: Crankbait and White Jig

First off, have you tried slowing down your retrieve? Second, what type of line are you using? Third, what rod are you using? Fourth, how are you holding your rod? They all make a difference. You're going to miss strikes on almost any topwater lure. You miss them on subsurface lures, you just are unaware of it. The fish just miss the bait. There's nothing you can do about that. You can increase your hook-up percentage by letting the ones that don't miss get the bait into their mouth. Slowing down your retrieve speed is the easiest thing to do. If you find that a slower speed doesn't generate any strikes, then I'd add a trailer hook. If you're using braid, you should be using a rod with some flex at the tip. Holding your rod tip up does a number of things in your favor. It will make getting and keeping the buzzer on top easier. It adds a length of line over holding the tip down. Lastly, it almost forces you to hesitate setting the hook as you will want to drop the rod tip and pick up the slack before setting the hook. The other thing to consider is the type of cover you fish. For vegetation, I shy away from using a trailer as it has a tendency to attract the green stuff. When I do, It's the kind that has the shrink tubing over the eye. Same goes for timber. A loosely swinging trailer hook is an invitation to getting snagged.

I used my son-in-law's PT casting rod the other day and it seems to be a decent rod for its price. If you're going to purchase a new rod, check the power (heavy, med. etc), action ( fast, mod. etc) and the recommended lure weight. For learning to use a baitcaster, the lures you'll be using should fall into the upper half of the rod's recommendations. I would avoid Rods with heavier powers and faster actions as they are difficult to learn with.

IMO, adding a leader adds another knot and knots are weak points. Also, IMO leaders are used for one reason, to reduce line visibility. On faster moving baits, line visibility isn't a concern. The fish are focusing on the bait, not the line. So the only presentations you mention where a leader might be beneficial are the jig, worm and possibly the walking baits. This is where water clearity and your own confidence enter into your decision whether to use a leader or not. As a side note, I'm curious about your spinning combo. What applications do you use it for?

Nice fish! Just curious, what hooks?

The rod you use will influence your ability to cast light lures as much as the reel. I have a combo that will cast crappie cranks and tubes with 1/16oz. jig heads with very little effort, but will still get them to the boat quick enough to eliminate concern over their survival. It's a Daiwa Sol paired to a Med power Mod/Fast 7ft. rod built on a Forecast blank. I made the rod specifically for light lures and it fit the bill perfectly.

He's Hooked. I think he's going to need a bigger allowance.

I know there are those that don't put much stock in the moon's affects on fish behavior. I, on the other hand, always included 'moon notes' in my fishing logs. Although I no longer keep a log, I still take note of both the moon phase and it's position. This year, the major feeding seems to be taking place when the moon is in the last third of the sky. The flip side is around 2.5hrs. prior to its appearance. Either of those two times, I'm using reaction baits and covering water. As the bite dies down, I'm slowing down and fishing tighter to cover in any shade I can find.

I adjust weight for a number of reasons. The first is to maintain contact with the bottom and I mean feel the bottom. You can keep a 1/8oz. jig on the bottom, but if you can't feel what's going on down there, what's the point? The second is to alter the fall rate. You could do this by going with a bulkier bait, but sometimes this works better. The third is to keep the bow of the line as minimal as possible under breezy conditions ( when I can't change my casting angle The weight of your cranks and spinnerbaits is moot as long as you can cast them. The blades/bills are what's important.

IF they are bass, they're telling you that you are doing something right, just not enough to get them to commit. You've tried changing colors and maybe size and possibly adding rattles. I suggest two things; Speed up your retrieve. They will either ignore your bait, or aggressively hit it. Change baits to something similar like a rat or a different brand frog. if you were using a soft plastic frog, switch to paddle feet. Last, but not least, switch to something subsurface You have figured out the hardest part of the puzzle, finding the fish. Don't give up on them.

Now that's using your most valuable tool. Glad to hear you had success trying something new, somewhere new. What's next?

You forgot that he had to walk a crooked mile first.

The TK190 and similar, straight shanked soft plastic hooks are designed for T-rigging. That big keeper just won't fit through all but the bigger bell sinkers. It is possible, however, to super glue a round split-shot inside the tube making sure to leave enough plastic behind the nose for the hook's keeper to pass between the nose and weight.. You can also glue a rattle inside, but I recommend doing both in advance

Someone is a bit salty. You could always take a drive up here and take advantage of the great fisheries we have available to us. Oh wait, I forgot, you guys can't handle driving up here. Looks like you can't handle a real boat either.

Wow, that's a lot to ask in one post, but I'll give it a quick shot. Base your lure selection (type) on the fish's activity level, or what you feel it should be and the type of cover you'll be targeting. Reaction baits for active fish and slower moving baits for neutral. Color selection based on light and water clarity, Natural colors in clear water and more visible colors in stained water. Note: these are guidelines as to where to start, not etched in stone rules. As for hooks size, base it on the thickness of the soft plastic bait you're using. A good starting point would be a gap at the hook's bend that is twice the thickness of the bait. Look at the shore before looking in the water. The contour of the land will extend into the water. Points and cuts in the shoreline are indications of structure (changes in bottom contour and water depth) in the surrounding water. Steeper shores mean quicker access to deep water. Shores getting hit by the wave action will have more color to the water, but will be prime areas for active fish. When looking in the water, attempt to determine whether the bottom is hard or soft and what type of cover, if any, is there. You want to shy away from multiple hook baits, or soft plastic baits with multiple appendages in heavy weeds, exposed hooks in brush or wood and baits that would become easily wedged in rocky or rip-rap areas. Do a search here on shakey heads and Ned rigs. There is a ton of helpful info to be had. Last, but not least, get out there and wet a line as often as possible. It's the second best way to learn.

I'm sure the wife was happy she didn't go full term. That's a healthy one for sure. Congrats.

That or a RageTail Grub in smoke blue. Awesome combo, especially in the late summer and fall.

If you'll be adding a trailer to it, there shouldn't be much difficulty. There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to throwing lighter/smaller stuff with baitcasters, but it's a short one. One word of advice, at first, don't attempt long distance casts. Unless you're looking to also learn how to pick out backlashes.

For flipping/pitching and jigs worked on the bottom, as stated before; Paddle tail trailers for warmer water and active fish, and subtle trailers for cooler water and less active fish. I'll add bigger trailers for warmer water and smaller for colder water. Don't forget swimbaits and if you've been fishing chatter baits,I'm sure you don't forget adding a paddle tail trailer like a Havoc Beat Shad