papajoe222

Read it again. I was passing everyone.

This can not be stressed enough. If you can't back off, crouch down. I will even crouch down in the boat when I can back off. The position of a bass' eyes gives them excellent vision above and to the sides. Long casts put you at the edge of, or out of their field of vision. Be sure that your equipment will insure a good hook set on those long casts. It's frustrating enough to see them and not have them bite. There's a much higher level of frustration when you're finally able to get bit, only to never get the hook in them.

I'll sometimes trim the skirt back to just behind the hook's bend when I want to offer them a smaller profile. I'll downsize the trailer too. The only time I shorten the weed guard is if I'm targeting Brian and getting hung up. The shorter bristles are stiffer and will reduce the jig's tendency to catch the limbs

I gill hooked a female full of eggs yesterday and had a heck of a time attempting to gently remove the hooks. I ended up cutting the split ring and removing the hooks from outside the gill cover. Every 30-40 seconds I would dip her in the water for a while. She stopped bleeding and took off quickly after I released her. I don't believe it is necessary to do more (pouring soda over the gills) as their blood immediately starts clotting once it hits the water.

As long as you don't take one while doing so, Parts sometimes come up missing

In my area there are usually enough males guarding the beds to keep things interesting for the week or two after the females lay eggs. By then, the girls start to get active and I start targeting bluegill spawning sites as that is where many of the bass will begin getting their feed on. By the time the gills are off their beds, both the female and male bass will be settling on their summer homes and routines. Those four weeks or so, though frustrating at times, are the best junk fishing period we see around here.

Well, the ladies are starting to move up shallow around here. They've been hard to locate, but I think the warm rains and the calendar finally got them moving. Picked up three nice females and a dozen or so bucks today on SkitterPop before I lost it. Second one in the last two outings, but they earned their freedom. It shouldn't be too long before they're dancing with the guys. On a few of the shallow retention ponds around here they already are.

Catt, is that a Poe's?

Two colors I wouldn't be without are black&blue and green pumpkin. You can add color or contrast with the trailer. Swim jigs are a different story.

With the vegetation growing closer to the surface, I thought I'd give wake baits a try. I was wondering when you guys choose a wide wobbling bait like a Mann's 1-Minus over one with a tighter wobble? As far as cranks go, I opt for a tight wiggle in cooler water and hold off on the fat bodied, wide wiggling ones until the water warms up. Just looking for a guideline to start from.

I'm not defending anyone's actions, but it seems to me that you're assuming quite a bit. If the night fishermen that may have been drinking actually caught the fish, there is the possibility that it was gut hooked and died as a result. If they were fishing for crappie, they had no interest in it or the drum. The missing eyes are likely from scavenger birds that could have pulled it up the bank some. If I were bass fishing and gut hooked a crappie, chances are I'd toss it ashore rather than back in the water. I'm sure crappie fishermen would frown on that. What about the anglers that catch and keep bass? The bottom line is; The only actions you can control are your own and the best you can hope for is that those actions will influence others to follow your lead. Be upset. You have a right to be, but even if all your assumptions are correct, what others do with their catch is beyond our control.

Both of the rods I use for tubes are 7ft. M/F. One is a factory built rod that has a little more power than the other, but I used it for all but crappie sized tubes for years. The other is on par with the power and action of a St.Croix ML/F. A 1/4oz. jig in a 4in. tube is as big as I throw with it.

That must be where I went wrong as I used the thinner mono to tie the knot. I just started using leaders with braid, but this was the first time I'd used that light of a leader.

I wouldn't change using your 7'1" MH/F for bottom contact baits (except cranks).It can be used for a larger number of baits and presentations than a H/XF. Overall weight and balance will add/subtract to sensitivity, unlike a firearm where extra weight reduces felt recoil.

For durability and vibration, I don't think a Terminator T-1 Titanium can be beat. The thin wire not only allows more vibration and won't bend or break. IMO, the cost is justified. The Stanley VibraWedge and MegaStrike Strike Back run a close second.

You were fishing what we call history. Lures or areas that have produced for you. You were also following general guidelines. Both are good places and things to try, but when they aren't working something 'outside the box' is often the ticket. It sounds like something changed later in the day and your bluegill bait became the color of choice. I see this a lot when conditions change throughout the day. A good bite will die and changing baits or sometimes just the color of a bait will get you back into fish. Always remember that there are no 'set in stone rules' in fishing, just guidelines. If there were, catching would be a whole lot easier.

When tying an Albright or Alberto knot, is the braid always used to tie the knot? The reason I ask is I tied 8lb. mono to 40lb. braid using the thinner mono to tie the knot and it failed. I was careful tying the knot and was wondering if the fail was due to using the mono to tie it. I was under the impression that the thinner line was always used to tie the knot, but in the video two different size monos were used.

I hold my rod different when fishing Jitterbugs, CrazyCrawlers and buzzbaits. I'll keep the rod tip up around 11:00. When a fish hits and the rod loads up, I just raise it up and reel. Even with that big, single hook on a buzzer, I rarely miss a hook up or rip the lure out. As someone already mentioned, a moderate action for most treble hook topwaters eliminates a majority of mishaps.

The jig head and worm choices are almost endless. For starters I would choose one of the stand-up styles in 1/8 or 3/16oz. A floating worm in a couple of lengths and colors of your choice will get you started. ( I like the Havoc baits)

I use both types. My telescoping pole reaches 15ft. Anything deeper than that, I use a knocker with the line mounted on an old reel and butt section of a rod.

Catt beat me to it. Tubes are easy for you to see and the tentacles will move around in the slightest current, so you don't need to impart any action to them. If you are unable to see the beds, the best approach I've found is a PopR worked with a couple of short twitches and then allowed to sit motionless. The addition of chicken feathers to the rear hook (not too long) will add action while its paused. The object is to pause it directly over the sweet spot of the bed, so when you do go to move it again, keep it at a very short distance. This way you can cover both the front and backside of a potential bed. Also remember that not all bass will spawn at the same time. Full moon or not.

Welcome to the board an also insight into the humor often exhibited here.

I love my Costa 580g's but for durability and eye protection, I don't think you can beat WileyX.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but that really isn't enough boat for you and your buddy. You're maxing it out with just the two of you and your gear. A 14ft. may be the way to go. It'll be a little wider and give you both more room. Jon boats aren't designed for rough water and so they don't handle waves very well, especially from the side. I had a 2003 Impala that I pulled my 14ft. semi-V with. With the added weight of the deck and carpeting, I'd say trailering weight was somewhere around 800lb. with a tongue weight somewhere around 60-75lb. It did an okay job, no problems launching. I live in Illinois, so it was mostly flatland towing.

This is a little on the late side, but here's hoping that everything turned out okay with the family emergency as well.