papajoe222

I used the Flex Coat rod finishing epoxy I have an abundance of. I removed the hardware, chucked it into my variable speed drill and let it spin @ 10-15rpm after a light application. The epoxy will even out while setting up. Once it's set (4-6hrs.), I let it dry for 5-7 days prior to adding the hardware.

I have a handful of custom painted spooks. My initial idea was to start a collection and never actually use them. I ended up putting a coat of clear epoxy on one, fished it for the better part of the season before added another coat in the areas where the hook rash was beginning to show. That custom paint job still looks like it did on the day I got it.

I was lake director at my local club. When I took over, there was a 13in. Minimum. You guessed it, an abundance of fish under 13 in. And very few over. I instituted catch and release on all bass. Three years later the fish had grown, but now there was an imbalance of forage to bass. Now there is a three fish limit in bass 12in. and under. Six years later we were able to hold weekday night tournaments because the fish were now approaching 3lb. and above. 12 years later and you’re allowed one trophy fish a year, but they strongly suggest CPR.

I currently have ceramic bearings in four of my Daiwa baitcasters. The noise never bothered me until I got my hearing aids. Now it drives me nuts. I'm looking to replace, not only the spool bearings, but I also want to replace the bushing on the level wind gear with a bearing. Other than Boca, who would you recommend?

If you don't get any suggestions of a shop in your area, spend a few bucks on shipping and send it off to DVT. I know what likely happened and if it were one of my Daiwas, I'd attempt to fix, or replace the parts responsible. I am very comfortable tearing down my reels to the bones. I wouldn't do it to someone else's reel, though or I'd offer to. If you're not completely confident in whoever will be working on your Steez, send it out to DVT and don't worry. You'll get it back working better than when you got it.

Are you certain that what you're graphing in the dark are bass? I had a similar situation a few years back and after sun-up, I began catching bass on a popper. One of them coughed up a bluegill as I was pulling it out of the water. The bass were sitting just off the area and moved in as it got light. The bluegill were still there, but scattered when it started getting light.

Not the exact color, but that's the model for sure. The belly on the one I lost was white. I had glued 3D eyes on it a few seasons ago along with enlarging the red gills and adding a splash of red to the underside in front of the hook hanger.

I believe it was a 1/2oz crank that dove to 15+ ft. I not sure what the color pattern was called, but it was a Shad imitator. It got down to running depth quick (I used it to target the 12-15ft break line on a natural lake) and had a tighter wiggle than my favorite Bomber.

I just lost a Hot Lips that I’ve had for decades. Sad to say, it was the only one I had. I’m looking to replace it, but I know that. Rapala bought them. So I’m wondering how the newer products measure up.

I have that happen once or twice every time out. It's like the anticipation slowly grows as I reel in my lure and then it happens.................................I fart, and the feeling passes.

As has been mentioned, this technique requires a certain mind set. What hasn't been is that it, similar to drop-shotting, is one you use in high percentage areas. For me, that means one of the few spots on a lake that I have caught larger than average fish as the only time I've used it is when targeting the big girls. If you can find those areas on your lake, or one you plan to try, forget about numbers and plan on getting only one to three bites in an outing. If you can commit to being content with that, the results (big ones) could very well hook you on to the stitching train. Almost every Bass I've caught over 6lbs. has been caught using my variation of this technique.

I have two rods that I use for topwater. One is a short, St.Croix with a pistol grip, I think it's the only pistol grip offering they have now. The other is an old Bill Dance signature 6'6" MH paired with an even older Daiwa ProCaster that I use for full sized Spooks, Lucky 13s, Pencil Poppers and the like. I have a Fuego for the new combo to replace that old, heavy one and I'm looking for recommendations for something to pair it to. Sensitivity isn't an issue, but weight is. looking to spend $150ish max. This is the first one I considered, but my older St.Croix are heavier than what their rated and I'm thinking maybe the Med/Fast would be better but the only one they offer is https://www.scheels.com/p/78064701292/?queryID=c7544be32cae1e78b25b2d897e367695

It was my secret lure for fall tournaments until I stopped fishing them in ‘98. Kept it secret even after I did.

It’s basically a straight retrieve through the upper water column. I add a few rod twitches or a quick turn of the reel handle. Experiment with retrieve speed.

I may have mentioned this a time or two over the years; I began throwing white, skirted jigs with a white grub trailer over 20 years ago. After it dawned on me that the fish were hitting it within seconds after it hit the water, I began yo-yoing it around 4-8ft. below the surface. That increased my strike ratio, but it wasn't until I began a fairly straight retrieve that the light in my pea brain came on. I was basically swimming a white jig with a trailer. It has been a staple presentation for me once the water temperature drops to around 70 until it dips below 45 or so. It worked so consistently that when the water temp. rises above 45 in the spring, I started using it then, too. I don't know when the term 'swim jig' started being used, but how many of you throw a white one in the fall? If you don't, why not?

I ran into hookup struggles when using a fast action rod and braid for spinnerbaits. When I would hookup, the fish were almost always hooked in the lip, not behind it or farther back in its mouth. I went back to using my old spinnerbait rod which has a Mod action (MH Power) and continued using braid and my hookups increased to what I consider normal. If you want to keep using the same rod, I'd recommend mono. Big Game under 20lb. test and a hookset that takes it from 9:00 to 11:00 with a turn of the reel handle will get you what you need.

I own a ton of spinnerbaits, but rarely throw one anymore, mainly because I can add a paddle tail swimbait to an underspin if I want flash. Those soft plastic swimbaits have all but replaced spinnerbaits, except in the fall when I'll throw a short arm over a weed bed and let it helicopter down the edge. Otherwise, I can count on both hands how many times I pick one up during the season.

What makes a spinnerbait worth $35? It's a combination of two things. First someone needs to put that price tag on one and second, someone needs to be willing to part with enough cash to purchase three, quality spinnerbaits because he either has way too much money to spend on fishing gear, or he is of the mindset that there is a magical spinnerbait out there that will always catch fish, you just need to pay that kind of price to get one. I prefer Stanley and Terminator SBs, but to each their own. Just don't ask me to give up my Stanleys.

How much is that muskie bait and where can I get one? I fish alone the majority of the times I get out, especially when I'm targeting a new lake or one I haven't been to in a couple of years. I fish to catch and to figure out where they are, what their mood is and what it takes to catch them on any given day. When I'm out with someone else, my focus changes to making sure that someone has a good time an hopefully catches a few fish. Most of the time that someone is a youngster, or a veteran that either has never been fishing, or is a novice.

I'm partial to Stanley VibraShaft and SK's Scorcher. I only run a trailer in the spring and then it's a Kalin's Lunker Grub. If I'm burning it, I run it just under the surface. If not, it's normally a yo-yo type retrieve sometimes popping the rod tip, other times with a quick turn of the reel handle followed by a short pause. The only time I employ a straight retrieve is when I'm slow rolling and even then, I'll occasionally give it a quick burst. I don't mess with skirt colors, but I do experiment with blade sizes and colors.

I just finished reading Pete M. Anderson's article about fall fishing being the favorite for many anglers with spring maybe slightly more popular and it got me to thinking. I know spring is my favorite season to go fishing for the big girls, but summer is my favorite for catching. Although I dislike dealing with pleasure boaters, jet skiers, bugs and the heat, I have my best days during the summer, especially when there's been stable weather conditions for more than three days. IMO, it's much easier to locate numbers of fish and develop a pattern that can last as long as the weather remains stable. Catches of 20-30 fish can be repeated in the days that follow with little, if any, tweaking of the previous days pattern. While those numbers pertain more to smallmouth, which tend to gather loosely in bigger groups than largemouth and are more aggressive, IMO, largemouth seem easier to pattern. So what's your favorite season for catching and why?

The Trokar tournament tube hook is pretty beefy. I, Personally use Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp tube hooks when punching tubes. I like the gap on either hook, but the Trokars are too pricey for my budget.

If you're concerned about too much stretch using a 5ft. leader of Invsix your concern is misplaced. If you're using straight fluoro and line stretch is a valid concern, Sniper would be an option.

A Daiwa Fuego 6.3:1 paired with a StCroix Mojo MH/M crank rod will get you where you want to be.

I hear you. I'm 74 and when I got on the water Monday it was 74. Three hours later it was 89 and not a cloud to be seen. Then the breeze died and so did my energy. If I'd been on my home lake, I could have found refuge in the shade of some shoreline trees. It was my shortest outing of the season, but I have a feeling it was a preview of things to come.