papajoe222

Giving up on a spot too soon. Abandoning my game plan too soon Fishing recent history and not current conditions

Fat Free Shad's Tenn. Shad and Strike King's Sexy Shad have been my best producers for the last few seasons.

I fish it with and without a leader, mostly without.

Tubes replaced worms as my plastic of choice years ago. I prefer a softer tube like the BPS TenderTube for open water presentations and I'll almost always rig it with an internal jig. Whe fishing cover, I like a thicker tube and depending on the cover I rig it differently. That spiral drop that you mention is great, but you can also use tubes for horizontal presentations. Dragging a tube over hard bottoms is a great way to pick up smallies. StrikeKing, Zoom and Gitzit are all good choices. As for equipment, I only use heavy line when flipping heavy cover and my Rod choice is determined by the size tube and weight. I use baitcasing gear for most tubes 3.5in. and larger and spinning gear for anything smaller.

The 'resting' fish will likely only be enticed by small, slow moving offerings. The cruisers are more active and a more aggressive presentation like a spinnerbait or shallow running crank would be my choice for them.

I prefer a round baitcaster for both applications and you can't go wrong with either a Shimano Corvalus or a Abu 5500C. Your rod choice should be determined by what you'll be fishing with (lure/live bait) in conjunction with the size fish you anticipate catching. I prefer longer rods for casting/trolling lures and shorter rods for live bait presentation.

I'll answer your last question first. YES! The fish have no idea who previously fished it and you have little knowledge of the skills of the anglers that pound it. It is a major piece of structure and will hold fish, or at the very least be used by them in their movements. Fish it as you would any other point. The fish are pressured, so I would approach it the same way I would under cold front conditions.

A sensitive rod, braided line and a 1/2oz. tungsten weight or jig will transmit changes in bottom composition and any cover that is present on the bottom. Learn to count down your offering to determine the approximate depth of the area you're casting to. Anytime you loose contact with the bottom on the retrieve, stop and continue counting until you regain contact (this is an increase in depth). Make follow up casts shorter, or longer and again count down your offering. This will give you good idea of the slope of the shoreline. If you begin casting to your left as you stand on shore and work the area in a clockwise progression, you will end up with a good mental picture of the area. You could even write down the information gained from each cast to draw yourself a 'map' for future reference. Lacking the equipment mentioned, you could cast the area with various crankbaits, but not knowing the exact depth they run plus the fact that they take a while to reach running depth makes them a poor choice. BTW, welcome to the forum. (I should have begun with that, but I'm an old fart and sometimes forget my manners)

I still have three Browning rods that I keep in among my most used. They were my first technique specific rods and if I could find the blanks that they are built on, I'd make three more. They aren't 'factory' anymore as I've upgraded the guides on two of them and added some bling to them.

I'm looking to pick up a 9mm and have narrowed my choices down to these two. I'm not happy with the triggers on either, so I plan on getting them changed out. I think either could double as a carry, but I'm purchasing mostly for range use. I've held and fired both of these at my club and they feel and shoot excellent. Anyone have any negative experiences with either?

About the only time I use any kind of trailer is in the spring, for a couple of reasons: it increases the overall size of the bait and I can fish it slower. For some unknown reason, the bass around here prefer willow blades to Colorado and with a Kalin's Lunker Grub or 4in. swim bait I can slow one down and still keep it in the zone I want. When using a trailer and when fishing brush are the only two times I don't attach a trailer hook. There have only been a few times when the fish were inhaling a spinnerbait, that I actually removed it for fear of injuring their gills.

Back in the day we called them belly boats. A truck inner tube with a canvas cover and seat. they were inexpensive and fun to fish from. I used one for over a decade and can tell you they are fun to fish from and have some advantages over a kayak or a jon boat, the least of which is portablilty. Many of the the current offerings are self inflatable, or at the least have a self contained pump, either of which allows you to deflate them after use. You will be limited to the amount of gear you take along only if you don't think outside the box. I towed extra gear on a platform I attached to a bike inner tube and was able to keep the float tube free of excess gear. Two things that made it's use a learning experience were the fact that being in the water I was able to feel slight changes in the water temperature. You will learn quickly how big a benefit that is. The other was learning just how strong a bass is. I lost count of the times a decent sized fish towed me 50 yards or so before I could land it. The biggest drawback is the speed at which you are able to move around. That, too, I found to be beneficial as I was able to concentrate on the general area I was in before moving on. A word of caution if you decide on an inflatable, get one with a strong exterior. More than once a hooked fish imbedded a treble into the canvas as I attempted to land it, one time puncturing the bladder. Oh yea, if there are snakes in the area, they are attracted to your little, floating island so stay alert. As for models, I'd look for one that you will sit high in and that has some sort of apron and places to store some gear. Happy Birthday, and enjoy your gift.

Without seeing it, I would assume it is designed as a stand-up version. Some shakey head jigs are designed this way also. The idea is for the jig to sit on the bottom with the flat side down and the hook in an upward position. This style is also good for dragging along the bottom, especially softer bottoms than the football head. If the head and hook alignment are similar to a standard bass jig, then it is likely as you guessed, designed for skipping.

DONKEY !!!

What A-Jay said, but if eggs have already been dropped the males will still be on the beds. The females will have retreated to one of the areas mentioned regardless of the cold front.

Looking Good.

I haven't read much about a C-rig for early pre spawn this year. Is this presentation going by the wayside, or are guys just not talking about it for whatever reason? Seems I just can't keep that darn cat in the bag.

Very similar to water clearity. The more light penetration, the more subdued the color. Less light penetration, brighter colors. With bladed baits I'll use chrome under clear skies and gold under cloudy skies.

Welcome to the forum. There are numerous answers to the questions you ask, the answers depend on the person you're asking. If you are looking for a general answer, the size of the bait used should be determined first by the equipment you're using. Stay within the recommended weight of the rod and you should be okay. The brand and style of bait is up to you. Spinnerbaits can and are used almost anytime, with the general exception being cold water and bright, calm days.

Water clarity is generally based on human eyesight and as such, is determined by how deep we can see into the water. That determination is relative to what is normal in your local waters. Clear water to me is when I can see 15ft. down. To someone that rarely is able to see eight feet down that (8ft.) would be clear. Just remember that a bass' eyes are suited to its environment (water), not ours.

The tension the cast control knob provides is constant throughout the cast. Brakes provide more resistance the faster the spool spins (at the beginning) and less as the spool slows. Magnets provide the most resistance the slower the spool spins (toward the end). To really 'test' any system, turn it off and cast without it for a while. When you turn it back on, you'll notice the difference. Many anglers thumb the spool at the end of the cast and therefore feel that magnetic braking is useless, others aren't concerned with distance casting and see brakes as a hindrance. It is an area of personal preference.

The other two bearings are likely the spool bearings. One is located in the left side plate and the other on the right side of the spool. Bearing counts aren't a good indication of either quality, or performance of a reel. They will increase the longevity of a poorly crafted reel, not that Daiwa reels are poorly crafted. Companies will add bearings to the reel knobs AND include them in the bearing count. Some even include the ARB rather than listing it separately. You can find a Tatula in the $100 range and despite the fact that I don't own one, I would recommend it over the Arid.

I catch more limits consistently in the summer, and my heaviest was in early May. That being said, I believe I catch more big 'stringers' in early Sept.

There is also the possibility that the fish aren't relating to the bottom. A C-rig is the exact opposite of a top-water presentation. If the other baits you say you've been catching fish on are also bottom presentations, then I would say stick with them, or try a drop shot rig that gives a better transmission of bites.. If they, the other baits, target a different part of the water column, see my first comment.

Welcome to the board. I honestly don't have any idea on the color, just wanted to say howdy.