papajoe222

I'm a little late, but you'll understand where I'm coming from sooner than you think. Happy Birthday you old fart in the making.

I've been dealing with depression for years and after multiple changes in medication, I finally have it under 'control'. The hardest part for me was/is friends and family that don't understand. I heard 'Get it under control or Man up' more times than I care to remember. Close friends are nonexistent and my marriage was on the rocks for a while. Bottom line is that it's a long row to hoe. I can't imagine adding the other things you're dealing with. Glad to see you still have a positive approach to things and I wish you the best. PM me when you get AGI certified. Between myself and my son-in-law there is some business for you Best of luck and I'll keep you in my prayers.

If you define a pattern as fishing shallow, or dead falls, or riprap then it could last all year. Then again, that isn't a pattern in my book. Catching two fish off a rock pile on a point in 18ft of water and again on the next point and the next is what I define as a pattern. I'll then go from point to point and search the 18ft zone in search of rocks. I'll continue until that pattern no longer produces. Patterns, as such, rarely last throughout the day. The general area my continue to produce fish for days with other patterns developing.

The tip is actually held in place with a hot glue. what you see behind the tip is the same epoxy used on the thread wraps. It is used to give the look a smooth transition from the blank to the tip. Excessive heating of the tip will damage the epoxy finish and that is why care should be used when heating the tip. The hot glue will loose it's grip on the components at a lower temperature than the epoxy. An easy way to insure alignment of the tip is to rest the rod with the guides pointing straight down. After shreds of the glue stick are placed inside the tip, heat it just enough for the glue to melt and place the tip on the rod. Reheat the tip to ensure the glue is liquified and it will center itself via gravity, then allow it to cool.

I doubt your gear or hook set is the culprit. More than likely, the fish are hitting the back section of the swimbait. The good news is that those fish can be caught. Just as with fish that just bump a spinnerbait or crank, a change in color or size of the bait will often turn hesitant fish into striking. Then there is the ability to add a trailer hook to the bait, which is easily done with a spinnerbait trailer hook, or a treble hook. If the fish are solidly hitting the bait, it will show teeth marks similar tho the way 'bass thumb' looks. their location on the bait will give you a good idea of how interested they are in the bait. The closer to the head of the bait indicates that possibly just a change in retrieve is all that's necessary.

Ich habe ein, aber das Spook ist mein favorite.

Items related strictly to use of the boat include a prop wrench, spare prop and pin for your trolling motor, a small tool kit, first aid kit, jumper cables, tow rope, bailing bucket, a roll of electrical and duct tape and something I never leave shore without, a big dose of common sense.

The presence of wind can be beneficial in determining where active fish may be located, but it isn't the only or most important factor the majority of time. As a bank fisherman, however, you are limited as to the factors you are able to observe. A steady breeze that has been blowing in the same direction for some time will move the forage the baitfish feed on to the windy side of the lake. IF the bait follows AND the fish follow the bait, the windy side would be the place to start as other factors such as depth, structure, and the presence of cover are unknown factors to you. As noted, the time of year needs to be considered as prior to late post spawn, the wind would actually not be of benefit, but could actually deter fish from using that shore.

nothing compares to your first muskie My biggest was a 52in. and I get more pumped remembering my first which was almost 20in. shorter. Congrats on your first and I hope you're young and in good shape, because muskie fishing takes its toll on your body and you sir are now hooked.

BobP beat me to it. I used a Forerunner with topwaters and frequently caught fish on it rather than the 'chasing' bait. I even experimented using it with cranks. Now I just throw a Bo Rig (sp?) with a crank or lipless crank. I've had fish hit the blades, but a lot more hit the following crank.

I've tried baits other than tubes, but jigs and weighted worms just don't seem to skip as easily. That's why I thought a fat, flat plastic bait would be an easy transition for me. I don't side arm when skipping, at least the majority of the time. I use a motion similar to a roll cast with about a rod's length of line out, I'll arc the bait in a circular motion and release as it passes around the 7 o'clock position. I, too, set my tension control knob on the heavy side, but turn the magnets off.

Current is always the biggest factor I consider when there is one. If it's a straight stretch of the creek that you're targeting, I'd consider any current breaks when attempting to determine which shoreline may be better. If you eliminate the current factor, I'd say forage would be my next biggest consideration. If the sunny side has more vegetation, it may hold more active fish. I'm not saying to disreguard the presence of shade, just that I think there are other factors more important to the fish. At the very least, fish one side this outing and another the next. Keep a record of your success, or lack of it and I believe you'll have your answer.

I've done this with limited success, caught plenty of fish on the business end of it, but few on the jig. The most difficult part was rigging it so the line passed through the jig's eye without it or the swivel/leader betting wrapped around the jigs hook. If you're feeling fish and coming up empty on the hook-set with your C-rig. grab a jig or Texas rig. Some things are good the way they are and don't need modification. BTW, that's the voice of experience talking.

Short, precise and right on the money. WRB.

Cowboy Up!

Prior to this season, the only bait I've ever skipped with casting gear is a tube. I should say; successfully skipped. I'm looking to add something like a beaver style, or creature bait this year and was looking at the Pit Boss and Z-Hog as they both have smooth undersides. I'm just wondering what baits you guys find the easiest to skip with and which of these you'd recommend?

I only look at the line tie position when attempting to determine how quickly a bait will dive to it's running depth and how much strain it's going to put on me and my equipment.

You mention that the bass have just started to spawn and you also mention that the river that feeds the lake then flows into a big lake. Are there two lakes? The fact that the fish have just started spawning would have me suggest fishing any spawning flats you come across.The main lake's point that you describe, if it leads up to a flat on one side would be worth checking out if the females have already dropped their eggs. Either way, the fish aren't going to be in a chasing mood. A PopR worked slowly over a spawning area will get some attention out of pre spawners and occasionally from males protecting the eggs. A C-rigged or split shot worm or lizard can be worked down the point in search of post spawners. A drop shot would be my third choice worked through the spawning area and then in the first deep water out from it.

Drop shotting in muddy water is likely not the best option, as it is designed as a finesse presentation. (you definition of muddy and mine could differ greatly). That being said, bright or dark colors would be seen easier than natural colors.

If the water isn't on the clear side, you can flip, or pitch to gain access under the overhanging limbs. If the water is clear, you can skip a tube or frog up under them. Depending on your casting accuracy, I would recommend avoiding treble hooked baits cast toward shore, but you could tune a crank to run to the right or left and cast parallel to the shore. The bait would then run under the limbs on the retrieve. I do this when fishing a long line of docks. Those fish see a ton of jigs and such, but rarely a crank banging into the pilings and scooting under the dock.

Check out the latest contest. The prize is an Okuma reel. I don't recall if Pinnacle was a sponsor, but Daiwa and Shimano are also not sponsors and their products also get glowing reviews. Quality equipment will do that.

Tubes. Like most soft plastics, there are numerous ways to rig them and they come in different sizes. Similar to a wacky rigged stick worm, their action is unique. They are awesome on top of matted vegetation or the tops of submergent weeds when fished weightless. Just let them drop into openings or off the edge of a mat. Those and a Mepps spinner.

That 'snot moss' is the worst, especially when it get so thick on the surface that my Lab can walk across it. Just kidding (I don't have a dog), but you know when it gets three inches thick on top you'd swear one could. I'll throw a frog on top and work it to the edge. The bass can't even bust through it, but they'll follow it out to the edge and explode on it first chance they get.

I do and I also add split rings to my original Spooks. On some of my baits I've put SureSets on the belly and Mustad TrippleGrips on the tail. The others get short shanks (one size up) on the belly. I never cared for the stock hooks on the originals and would switch out hooks and add split rings before they ever saw water.

My neighbor is a 'meat' fisherman. I don't have a problem with that, table fare is one of the reasons he likes to fish. His dad, on the other hand, keeps everything he catches. We were all fishing from the neighbor's boat and I caught a little 14in. bass. I unhooked it and as I released it he swore at me and followed that up with ' whatever comes in this boat, stays in it.' I proceeded to flatten the barb on my hook and didn't land another fish all day, I did manage to loose quite a few including a nice 4lb. smallie. He got his just rewards the following season. He kept an undersized bass, wrapped it in the foil from his lunch and put it in his lunch cooler. The man not only caught him, but confiscated all his gear and if not for some fast talk would have taken the neighbor's boat and gear too. He's never bought a license in his life. His son now refuses to take him out and the old man still refuses to purchase a license.+