papajoe222

Yes sir, bassin gear in MH will get the job done. If you know there are pike in the 36"+ range in the lake, be sure to have a reel that holds plenty of line. Spinnerbaits and spoons will get you plenty of action. I have a tackle box devoted to them and most of the lures in it are bassin' stuff. That and some smaller muskie baits, but the rods are both 7ft. MH paired with Daiwa Advantage reels and 30lb. braid. Don't forget the leader!

If you're concerned with memory, you can still spool now and do one of three things after ice out. Remove the spool and let it soak in a glass of water, tie or hook your line to a tree and walk off 30yards of line under tension followed by pulling by hand to stretch out the line, or just start fishing with it. 6lb. isn't going to be springing off your spool, just retaining the coils which may reduce casting distance at first.

I've caught both largemouth and smallies as early as the first week in April up here when water temps. climbed quickly in only a few days, but they don't become a regular on my boat's deck until post spawn. A good time to first try them out is when you get results burning a colorado spinnerbait just under the surface. Let it break water occasionally during the retrieve, if you get positive results it's time to tie on a buzzer.

I use a wide variety as I like different line tie options for the different seasons, but one that I'm looking forward to trying out this season is a 'stupid' jig head I purchased off ebay. they have a quality hook and if rigged normally still give plenty of action to the tube on the fall. For a 90 degree line tie, I like Arkie's for the thin diameter hook and the price. for a 60degree, I've been using Venom, but prefer something with a lighter hook.

I could see a fish like that being caught at some remote lake, but at a lake that close to a major city? Wow

As long as it's been brought up twice, I'll add what my searches have shone me and please keep in mind, I despise fluorocarbon. Almost all the fluorocarbon lines I was able to locate on various sites show a smaller diameter than 'mono' for the same pound test lines, and thus the resulting reduction in friction. What is farthest from the truth, as far as the numbers show is that 'mono' and fluoro have the same diameter for equal pound tests. Some copolymers do have identical diameters to their fluorocarbon counterparts, but with the exception of Trilene XL, the majority of those lines have either fluorocarbon based formulas, or are coated fluorocarbon variants. Stretch is a whole different discussion as temperature has a profound influence as to the amount of, or lack of stretch on both line types.

I'd opt for one that runs shallower during colder water periods and pick a suspending model like a FatFreeShad, cranking to max depth and reeling with pauses intermittently. The colder the water, the longer the pauses. Pre or post spawn, I would opt fo something that just contacts bottom occasionally. For the summer period, I'd use something that runs deeper than the bottom reading. Crank it down and grind it all the way until starts it's upswing. Using a deeper diving bait will insure bottom contact throughout the most productive part of the cast, will transmit more information to you about bottom content, transitions and if you loose contact early on, depressions you may not have noticed.

OUCH! I am listening to him and have fishing to thank for the motivation to do my physical therapy. I will say that I will never have three procedures done at once again. By the time I finish all the therapy, it's time to start again. On the plus side, the drugs are great and I don't have to worry about keeping myself occupied You guys can get your mind out of the gutter, I'm not THAT old.

So I visit this small deep lake in Indiana to target these ugly things because of their fight/size. They remind me of smallmouth when it comes to the fight they give you compared to the size and the ones in this particular lake average 10lb. The general size of bass and crappie is on the generous side vs. their length. My largest bass there was only 19in., but weighed just under five pounds. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else targets these prehistoric things or if anyone believes that they will cross stretches of land to reach habitable water?

On a recent show Jimmy Houston said: "All my winter largemouth speek Spanish." I had tears in my eyes I laughed so hard. What's your favorite one-liner and who said it? That should eliminate all the Yo Mama replies

My Dr. says the earliest I should consider attempting to catch fish would be May 1st. I told him I'd likely be on the water some time in April. He said that he new I was hard of hearing, but didn't know I was hard headed. "I heard you just fine and you can ask anyone, I'm not hard headed. I just don't figure I'll catch anything, so why hold off until May?"

I'll sit in for your wife, if you'll sit in for my dog................................wait a minute, I don't have a dog. (that's me on the right)

Choose one of the brands mentioned within that price range and you won't go wrong.

Just wondering where you've been getting your information. Of the two lines (fluoro and mono) diameters differ for identical pound test ratings. The resistance of the line DOES dictate the maximum depth a crank will achieve. Lastly, fluoro's sinking characteristic has nothing to do with how deep a crank will run. Cranks will attain almost identical depth with lines of the same diameter. It, fluoro, is a better choice for deeper cranking because if it's smaller diameter and lower stretch characteristic, the latter of which is misuderstood . BTW, I never use line with a diameter greater than .013in.(12lb. mono) unless I want a crank to run shallower than it's rated. 15lb. mono on a DT-6 reduces not only the depth it will run, but hinders it's action. To answer the original question, yes you can and in most applications I prefer it.

I weigh the tail end of a spook down when I want to work it with a lot of action without a lot of forward movement, as when target fishing. If I'm covering water quickly, I want the spook to sit verticle as it allows for more of a glide after the twitch.I also move the line tie to the tip of the nose which gives it more forward movement. The one thing you don't want to do is add drag to the tail section in the form of feathers, which keeps the nose of the bait from moving side to side. I reallly like feathered trebles on topwaters as they give the bait a little action when sitting still, but NEVER on a Spook unless you want to pull the dog instead of just taking it for a walk. I experimented with adding buck tail to the rear treble. Not as much drag, but I didn't feel it added anything when the bait sat motionless.

Or pass a rest room without attempting to empty your bladder. You never know how long it will be before you have another opportunity. Always have a pair of side cutters within reach. Attempting to locate them when a fish is hooked on one treble and your hand is hooked to the other will teach you this the hard way

Took this pic of the ones i keep in the boat.

A quality cover will protect your investment when sitting in storage and when trailering. The cost of such a cover is well worth every penny regardless of the cost of the boat it protects.

I haven't see any valid responses in favor of over filling the spool, IMO anyway, I guess I'm just a graduate of the school that teaches me to judge perfornance, as it relates to expense, first. A quality spool of line, in compairison to the cost of the quality reel I'll be spooling it on, justifies it's price. Respooling when the spool gets a little low becomes a given.

The biggest tubes I've used are 5.25 in.(NetBait BK Tube), but hook sizes and rigging options won't differ much for the tubes you'll be using. For bed fishing, you don't want or need action on the fall so internal weighting would only be considered during the nest building stage. I would suggest a stand-up style jig head, or a swivel head style either of which will give the tube a tail up attitude when sitting on the bed. The other option and one that I use, is a tungsten bullet weight pegged a half inch or so above the line tie of a 5/0 round bend worm hook. I've found that I get more hook-ups with those vs, EWG or most straight shank hooks as they are longer. The small space between the bullet weight and the nose of the tube gives it freedom of movement.

I see a lot of guys with their reels so full of line that it bulges out past the rim or higher than the edge. I've always had problems with the line jumping off the spool even when using my thumb or forefinger. I suppose I could learn to eliminate those problems, but I don't see the need to spool an extra twenty yards when bass fishing. Do you fill your spools to capacity and if so, what's the advantage vs. to an eighth of an inch or so og the edge?

I use both larger and smaller profile reels and decide on which one based on the size and type of bait I'm throwing, 'rght tool' mentality. I have, however, eliminated round baitcasters from my bass fishing

The bass aroumd here love anythimg with orange. An orange belly on any crank gets some time tied on to one of my rods during pre-spawn. A 1/2oz. Orange Craw Red Eye Shad gets some jaring strikes from the biggest cold water females.

The equipment and tackle you already have are well suited to spring fishing, including your kayak. I'd target those smaller lakes as they'll likely warm up quicker than Bull Shoals. Read up some on pre and post-spawn habits of largemouth along with the fishing regulations and seasons of your area. Visit a local tackle shop when it isnt busy and ask some questions. If the staff doesn't try goating you into buying something, the information will likely be beneficial. Above all, remember what your main objective is and work toward that end. Good luck and keep us informed in the fishing reports forum.

By spotted bass the same as Kentucky and are you sure the fish you're marking are spots? Between the cold water and the depth you're targetimg I'd opt for a C-rig with a small, floating soft plastic or a drop-shot with a heavy sinker. Either way, load up your choice of plastic with a water based scent that will disperse better than an oil based one in the cold water. JJ's would be a good choice if not available. Visibility and scent will tilt the odds more your way when it comes to the number of bites. Hope that helps and good luck.