papajoe222

Short periods of cold and windy conditions don't affect the fish as much as those that last a couple of days or more. The fish will bounce back almost as quickly as the weather. The warm rain and windy conditions will help distribute that warmer water down into the water column quicker than calm and sunny conditions when the warmer water will stay up. Early pre-spawn will see the fish moving up and back frequently and in a small/ shallow body of water, their only option is to move tight to the bottom or any available cover rather than deep. Base your lure choice accordingly.

Welcome to BR. I'd answer your question, but the most important information for this time of year is water temp. Depending on your location the fish could be in early to late pre-spawn, or may already be on beds. A little more information will get you what you want.

This early in the season, I like a single colorado blade short arm. Most of the ones I have I've shortened the arm, gone up in blade size, removed the clevis and front blade from a BooYah double colorado. I don't like using a trailer hook early in the year, because if they're hitting a spinnerbait, they will inhale a slow moving one most every time. Skirt and blade color are chosen with water clarity and sky conditions per norm. As the water warms, I'll downsize the blade and add a Kalin's grub as a trailer. I still want a slow retrieve, but the appearance of something moving faster. The smaller blade does that.

I couldn't tell you about the state of the weeds at Guntersville, maybe Kent or Jeff can help there. I punch with a 7ft. MH/Fast rod and it does an adequate job. My reel is Spooled with 40lb. braid and a lot of guys think that's a bit on the light side, but the combo isn't dedicated to just punching, so the line is a compromise. If you'll be using bobber stops for pegging the weight, I suggest using two. I switched to pegging and haven't had an issue with the weight slipping on me. I also started using a snell knot last year and it is without a doubt the best when it comes to hooking up.

I don't own one that doesn't have rattles, although I do believe there are times when a different sounding rattle will make a difference. That's why I carry Diamond Shads, Red Eyes, Hot Spots, One Knockers and some others that I don't even know the names of. After catching a few from a piece of structure or a grass bed, I'll switch out to the same general color with different rattles and pick up a few more. I did give a floater a try a few years back, but didn't have any confidence in it so I gave it away.

Fit is just as important as brand as a great pair of glasses that allows glare to reach your eyes, especially from the top or sides, will disappoint you. Comfort is another. Costa 580G's are great, but they are glass and if they rest on the bridge of your nose all day, you'll end up taking them off regularly. Try them on first and then find somewhere to test out how much glare they actually eliminate on your face.

One thing to keep in mind; Power fishing is something you do one you've located fish or are on a spot or pattern you have confidence in. Don't confuse it with searching and eliminating areas with many of the same baits. Generally speaking, it involves finding a pattern and sticking with it. That eliminates a lot of potential targets.

This happened just last week on my way into Chicago. I was doing somewhere between 70-75mph on the interstate where the speed limit is 55. An older van gets up on my bumper like I'm going to go faster because he's right on my butt. We're in the left lane passing everyone to our right and when he finally figures out I'm not going to move over he makes a quick change to the middle lane, gasses the old POS and about the time he gets past my front bumper he makes a quick cut back in front of me. Well, that's what he tried to do. He cut it too hard and shot across both the lane I was in and the shoulder. He sideswiped the concrete barrier and blew his left front tire. The idiot is lucky he didn't kill himself. Lucky for me, I anticipated he might cut me off and slowed a little just as he did this. I watched it all in my rear view mirror. Something tells me I could have been doing 80mph and he still would have tried it.

There are a number of articles on this site. I'm partial to this one. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/zara-spook.html

I would say it depends on how experienced they are. If they only go fishing once or twice a season, or are just getting started, they are pretty much in the learning stage. In that case, it is their way of sifting through that process. If they've been out with you on more than one occasion and still don't have a few of each type of lure they intend to fish, I'd tactfully say something. Three strikes and they get to fish from shore.

I say: Keep it simple to start out. There are basically two types of baits. The first elicit a reaction bite or strike and the second a feeding response. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits are primarily reaction baits. Soft plastics and most finesse presentations fit into the latter group. Slonezp is right on the money with his comment on a well placed bait. The most difficult part of this game is locating the fish. A search bait (reaction style), electronics and a good pair of polarized sun glasses will assist you in that quest. There are times when those three will be all you may need and other times when you'll have to painstakingly sift the water with a slower presentation to get bit. This is why many anglers will start out in a search mode and switch to a slower presentation when that doesn't work.

You're just attempting to make him feel better by calling him a youngster. Getting a little soft in your advanced years are you?

Seriously??? I have two or three boxes that have even full of plastic baits for five years or more and never had a problem with the boxes or the baits. What brand of plastics are you using?

No, they shouldn't dry out in a Plano box. What's beneficial about using a box? You can keep different types and colors in the ame box (separate) and you don't need to transfer the entire bag into the box. What's the down side? If only one of the bait styles/color is catching fish, you could run out. Another downside for guys like me is knowing what color I just ran out of, not because I'm color blind, because I tossed the bag after I filled the box. Here is what I do. If I'm shore fishing or heading out on someone else's boat, I'll fill up a couple of 3700 boxes with my confidence baits in my favorite colors. Otherwise, they stay in their original bags in a Flambeau 1/2 Satchel. All my extras are kept hanging on a pegboard in their original pkg.

I use the UltraSoft i6lb. on a casting reel and absolutely love it. I started using Hybrid 10lb. as a leader on my spinning combo last season without issue and I also use it on both my cranking combos.

Now that you can find them here in the USA, the Storm Thin Fin and one you will find hard to believe is Cabela's flat sided PorkChop.

The only times I tend to loose lures is when I fish from shore. Not that I don't get snagged when I'm in the boat, but as a last resort, I can get on top of it and use my lure retriever. I loose mor baits in my tackle box than I do fishing them.

To you and yours, The topic title says it all.

When all the soft plastic choices, you'd think that they are the only way to go. I'll let you in on a little secret I learned years ago fishing central Wisconsin; Use a #7-#9 original floating Rapala on the business end ( or any other high floating/shallow running crank). It's something the fish rarely see and it mimics natural forage so well that it works as both a power and finesse presentation. The 'where' is a tough one to answer as there are likely more variables to consider than choices of plastics. Touted more as a search presentation vs. a target one, structural features ( points, drops, bottom transition areas) are prime locations to target.

By castability, I'm assuming you're talking about how limp or resistant to spool memory it is. Mono will absorb water to some extent, eliminating much of the memory. It will also readily absorb line conditioners, which not only address any memory issues you feel it has, but it also makes the line slicker which contributes another factor into castability. There are many good mono lines, find one you have confidence in and stick with it until it disappoints you. My guess is the only way it will do that is if you raise you expectations

A lot depends on the techniques and equipment you you'll be using. Your experience level factors in to some extent, especially with casting gear. Mono has less memory issues, fluoro is denser and transmits what's going on at the end better. If you only have one outfit, I recommend mono as it can and has been used for just about everything. Although fluoro shines for some presentations, it is a poor choice for others.

Along with reel gear ratios getting faster, so have many of the newer lures and presentations. Even for slower presentations, a faster reel can equate to more casts/fish. The other thing to consider is that to us old farts, catching is only part of the enjoyment of fishing. Only by slowing down will you discover the true joy of the experience grasshopper.

Fish will not only move up in the water column, but seem to expand their strike zone. A crankbait or spinnerbait is my choice if I'm searching for active fish. Top water or a jig if I'm confident that I'm on fish.

Any of the reaction type baits are good choices and that includes a jig and pig, especially when target fishing. A lot of guys don't consider this power fishing, but the fish will almost always commit to a bait that drops quickly in front of them verses one that passes quickly by. Hit your target, let it fall, hop or shake it, reel in and move on to your next target. A fast reel is a big bonus when doing this.

Natural lake?