papajoe222

Glad to hear it and I bet I'm not the only one. Good luck with your new roomie (and you thought a wife was expensive)

I tried monkey porn for a while and it does work. The problem is it gets expensive adding to his library all the time (he doesn't like reruns). I decided to stop buying and use the money I'm saving on fishing gear..

One day at a time brother.

Missed the sale (the bait monkey was on holiday), but placed an order on Sat. Only a handful, but more than I really need. Sometimes, it just feels good to buy stuff, especially things you know you're going to use.

You say that you feel bites. What are you feeling? Tapping, a hard jerk, dead weight? Determining what species of fish is biting is like trying to determine the size of a bass by the way the bite feels. A 12in. bass and a 12lb. bass can take your offering the same way and there is no way to know by the feel of the bite. The same goes for bluegill, crappie, catfish, etc. Bluegill will sometimes feel like a machine gun tapping and crappie will sometimes take your bait and run with it, but so will bass. You could try using circle hooks. With them, you can let whatever the fish is take the bait completely. You don't set the hook, but reel with the rod tip around 11:00. the hook will catch the lip of the fish as the eye exits it's mouth. If you come up empty, it was likely something small that wasn't able to get the bait entirely in it's mouth. If it's a bass, you got him.

Welcome. Many things could contribute to the numbers difference. Other anglers may have reduced the numbers, the forage base may have been depleted forcing the fish to seek out a variety of food in different locations, I could go on. Best spot? Best Lure? Those types of questions require more information and even then, general areas and a number of different lure types will be the type of answers you'll see the most. There is a ton of information on this site in the form of, not only the forums, but articles, videos,etc. Do a little surfing on the site and you'll likely be able to figure out a good strategy or at least be able to supply the members here with some specific information to help you determine the answers.

You really can't choose colors without discussing the water clarity they'll be used in. Green pumpkin is great in clear to moderately stained water while black/blue and Junebug may be better in stained to muddy water. Natural colors will produce under most circumstances (after all, most forage doesn't change colors), but there are times when some other color will produce better. The only way to determine is to try them. PB&J just doesn't get it done on the waters I frequent, but something like a bumble bee swirl does and will out produce the natural colors at times.

I, also welcome you. A-Jay is right on the money about the weight. The 1/8oz. was just enough to give his kinky beaver a slower fall and keep it on top of the weeds. Your sweet beaver has more plastic and combined with the heavier weight was both falling faster and likely penetrating at least the tops of the weeds. When it comes to distinguishing bites from weeds, try this. Hold your rod tip between 11:00 & 12:00 and use your reel to move the bait short distances. A weed will transmit slow resistance that increases as you reel. A bite will either be a tap (or multiple taps), loss of contact with the bait, or just a heavy, mushy feeling.

You caught that beast in NY? Sweet! BTW, did anyone here ever mention that you look like a young RoadWarrior?

Like turtle, I rarely adjust the tension settings on my baitcasters. Then again, most are technique specific, so I'm throwing basically the same thing. I do have a new reel with 30lb. Stealth that I have to constantly adjust the tension a bit tighter on, especially with lures with more wind resistance like buzzers. Some reels are like that, I guess.

If I'm working it very slow, I like a floating worm, normally a Havoc. If I'm dragging and shaking it the Trick Worm. That's it.

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you have a nice spot to hone your skills on. I won't suggest how to fish it, but I will recommend using a stronger line. As this is an old gravel pit, I'm assuming the water is fairly clear. Braid with a strong leader of 15lb.+ should get them to the bank without the leader spooking them. If you don't horse them in and let them spend some energy, the chances of them wrapping you up in the weeds is reduced. Attempting to duplicate anything is a good place to start, but don't stick with anything that doesn't work for any length of time. That rock pile will likely produce some nice bass, but only when they're active. If you don't find them there, the deepest water close to it will likely be their non-active holding area.

Well, I looked into both the GMC and Chevy mid-sized pick ups and with the options I want and momma 'needs' I can save over $10K vs. a mid-size SUV even with the addition of a cap. Of course, I'd loose some interior space. That's not a big concern and a sliding rear window along with the cap gives me everything but the extra seating. The GMC doesn't have the variety of option packages the Chevy does, but it does offer everything on my list and aside from the fact it says GMC on it, it ends up being cheaper.

I fish a lake in Indiana that is very similar with thick pads along the entire shoreline out to around 4ft. or 5ft. From there out to 15ft. or so there is miilfoil with a brittle, narrow leafed cabbage mixed in. The best spots are a point that extends out to the deepest part of the lake and cuts and points in the secondary weed-line. Looking at the map, the main point on the north shore would be my first target followed by the two small cuts on the northeast side. Both have access to deep water and that deep cut that looks like an inverted point is one that is likely overlooked by others. If you can fish the morning or evening transition times, you could sit on the shallow end of that cut and fish the weed-line. During the day, I'd sit on the west side of that drop.or the east side of the point working my way from shallow to deep.

I like a NetBait Super BK tube as I've just started using this technique. A tube is my confidence bait, so I figure to stick with it seeing as I have so many.

This is the reason I carry suspending cranks. Regardless, you can trigger a response from those inactive fish and the best way to do it is with a fast, erratic presentation. If you choose to stick with a crank, pick one that will run true at that depth (or just above it) on a fast retrieve and then pop your rod tip multiple times during the cast. I like a suspending bait because I'll stop it dead at least once during every cast. Just like a lipless crank, you can fire up a school this way and limit out quickly. More often than not, however, you'll just be practicing your casting.

I had the same problem, switched knots and still had failures. Couldn't change my hook set, so I changed my line. Now I have a love for braid that equals my dislike of fluoro.

Kind of like Cubs fans. Sorry, that just sounded so familiar. My heart breaker wasn't a miss, but a fish I actually landed that was disqualified because I didn't know all the rules. Heart breaking only because she would have won me both big fish and the tourney.

What are the winning weights like? How many guys bring limits to the scales? This will give you an idea of what you're up against. If just a handful of guys are limiting out on every contest, or if winning weights are consistently under 10lb. you're going to have a tough time. Going deeper isn't always the answer to finding bigger fish, let alone catching them. I fished behind a lot of guys, both as a co-angler and because I didn't have the fastest boat to get to spots. I did manage to consistently finish high in the standings. I believe that was due to my paying attention to detail, both in my presentations and my preparation. My motto was and still is; Show 'em something different. I'm not just talking lures. Sometimes the same lure everyone else is throwing will do, but you may need to alter the normal presentation or location you use. There can be, and likely are, keeper sized fish in the general area you are catching those dinks from. If you keep fishing for the dinks, you'll rarely catch the keepers. Start with small changes and don't expect your numbers to stay the same. Catching a dozen fish you can't take to the scales is worse than catching only one you can when the money is on the line.

I used one for years on any of the ponds in my area. I would recommend one that is U shaped. Being in and out of the water can fe tricky with a closed float. It is a great, stealthy way to fish with the added benefit of being able to distinguish slight changes in water temp. One thing I will suggest is to keep your gear to a minimum. One rod and a handful of baits to start out with and you'll discover that is all you really need. There isn't a whole lot of difference in the performance of the different brands, but choose one with the accessories you think will be useful. If find that you could really use a Rod or beverage holder after you purchase, you'll definately have buyers regret.

I'm planning a trip there and am looking for some current information on the lake. Anything would be helpful as neither my partner or I have ever fished there. We are both experienced anglers, so no matter if the information pertains to fishing deep structure, or weeds/wood it will be of use to us. Thanks. We've heard good things about Evergreen and it's an ideal location for us to meet.

The more wave action, the longer the distance I rip it. If it's a calm day and I still want to use a prop bait, I'll work it like a popper with two or three short pops and a longer pause.

Ribbon tail................Culprit Paddle tail.................Gambler Curly tail....................G-Tail Straight tail................Trick worm

Most topwater baits, frogs included, have light solid colored bellies. There are times when a black or firetiger belly will outproduce a white or light colored one on a hard bait, but with frogs and toads, I've rarely noticed any preference. I have lost a black rat or frog only to tie on a light or white colored one and continued to catch fish at about the same rate. Color them any way you like if you feel it makes a difference. Possibly you'll have different results that what I've experienced.

A Fluke or T-rigged Senko can be twitched over the tops of the weeds and baits like Speed Worms and frogs and toads are good surface presentations. The only drawback to using any of those is that the fish have to come to them and there are many conditions under which you will need to go to them. If you aren't familiar with a punch rig, you need to be. Millfoil, coontail and a number of other aquatic vegetation are similar to a forest in that there is plenty of room beneath the canopy to move around. You will be surprised at the willingness of the fish to take an offering that makes it down to their 'living room.' I only discovered just how productive this presentation is this season and I can tell you it is a producer under just the conditions you are faced with.