papajoe222

I am familiar with the Fox, but not for smallies although I have caoght them below the dam/spillway near Montgomery and I would immagine a similar area near you would also produce once the water temp. Gets above 50. Look for areas where there is a current break (obstructions like rocks, bridge pilings,etc) and don't forget current seams. Active smallies will be in the push area (upstream side) of the breaks, but presentation is a challenge at best. The areas behind the breaks will hold them the majority of the time. Washes or deeper pockets will hold them now, but the area you're in is shallow and there may not be many deep enough.

The baldes provide flash and lift. A willow blade provides the most flash and the least amount of lift and a Colorado provides the least flash and the most lift. The Indiana is somewhere inbetween in both areas. Keep in mind that you can also add lift by increasing the size of the blade, so if you still want the flash of a willow blade and need to keep the bait high you can go a size or two larger. There is a limit as to how big you can go with any style blade before your bait will start running on it's side, but I think you get the idea. There is no need to spend a bundle on spinnerbaits if you're just starting out or just getting into using them. A few in different size weights and colors, a pair of split ring pliers (or strong fingernails) and an assortment of blades and you have any number of varieties that you can show the fish. BTW, you can change out blades while the bait is still tied on to explore a different depth and or give the fish a different look. It takes about the same amount of time as cutting one bait off and tieing on another.

No, I actually go to a different style blade (Colorado or Indiana), or upsize in the spring. I'm attempting to slow down the retrieve speed and still maintain a shallow running depth. I'll downsize back to the original after post spawn and upsize again in the fall sticking with a willow blade.

Fishing from shore requires a stealth approach. If you can approach the shoreline without spooking every fish within casting distance, standing close gives you many more casting options. Your son's approach, likely, will not spook any fish and seems to fit his style of moving quickly down the shore. Neither is better IMO, except that yours will hit the same target from different angles as you move down the shore.

My trusty, pistol gripped top water rod is in serious need of a face lift (actually, it's a butt lift). The cork is seriously pitted. I've never attempted to either use cork filler, or replace a grip. Reworking the existing cork would be a project I'd be more comfortable doing, but I'm not sure if it would only be a 'BandAid' fix. Any thoughts?

Thrust is a fairly forward. Amp. draw as it relates to thrust is where my concern lies. It's kind of like the mpg you get from your truck but in reverse. A small block will get better fuel mileage at a given speed than a big block. You'll get more time out of a 24V than a 12V running at the same thrust, Not because the 24V draws less amps (it may), but because of the two batteries it's drawing them from.

I'm going to start checking out the clearance section of my local shops because the going price for both the XCalibur and StrikeKing squarebills around here is $7.

I'm in agreement. If you're looking to hook up with a 10-14lb. bass, you should consider looking below the Mason-Dixon. My best out of Delavan was a shade over six, but i'll boat a 4-5lb. largemout once in every eight or nine hours I spend on the water.

I mostly lip the fish very carefully unless the hooks are deep in it's mouth. On the other hand, I've had a number of fish shaking to get free from one hook while I was hooked with the other, so don't take my advice. I'm a s l o w learner.

Not sure if this is where to ask, but I have a 24V MotorGuide on my Tracker and I'm thinking of going to a glass boat. The few that I've looked at come equipped with 12V trolling motors and that got me wondering if that isn't a little underpowered for an 18ft. boat? I like the 24V more for the amount of fishing time I can get before I have to recharge rather than the thrust it offers over the 12V. I read of guys that have 36V motors on their 21ft. boats. That's what got me to wondering about a 12V on an 18ft.

It seems to me that when the discussion around here gets to squarebills, StrikeKing KVD 1.5 & 2.5 get all the attention. I own a couple of each, but my XCalibur squarebills seem to outproduce them big time. Add the fact that the stock hooks are superior and I wonder why they arent' getting more recognition.

Old school here. 3-4in. tube in green or brown. Many different rigging options, but an internal 3/16oz jig won't let you down 90% of the time.

In my original response, I listed two actors and not the character. Without a doubt mine would be James Bond. I really don't care which actor, though Sean Connery was may fav.

Although I consider myself a gambler, I rarely play the lottery. However, with the Power Ball jacpot in the $500 million neighborhood I decided to waste $2. I was asked what I'd do with the money if I won and when I answered that I hadn't thought about it the clerk looked at me like I was from another plannet. I still haven't thought about it, but I was wondering what YOU would do if you won?

Many shallow lakes and ponds contain little or no structure and because of that, cover becomes the top priority of both the bass and forage. The presence of forage is what makes the cover a priority to the bass. IMO, it is more important in determining the location of bass during the cold water period than any other season. The simple reason being that bass will not exhaust the energy it takes to either chase down, or move to where the forage when their body temp. is low. They will either stage below the forage, or in the path of forage that moves frequently. If there are structural changes in the deepest parts of the lake and the baitfish are relating to them, the bass won't be far. When they do decide to feed they only need to move a few feet and usually that movement is vertically, which requires less energy.

Me too. I'll even pay...................................for the first round that is.

Some guys 'stumble' upon that color while switching colors when they weren't catching anything. Some just started using a color because someone recommended it, or they saw or read about it being used successfully. I become confident in a color the same way I do in a technique or a lure type. That is, I limit myself to using only that color, technique, lure, etc. on a particular outing. When it comes to color, it's always been a challenge as there are so many different lure styles and many colors are only available in soft plastics, or on hard baits, so I take it one step farther and concentrate on a given color in a certain type of lure. Take sexy shad colored cranks for example. I never threw anything that remotely resembled that color pattern on a crank in my life, but after all the hoopla it was getting a while back I decided to give it a shot. I set out mid afternoon with three different cranks in that color and left everything else locked up. By sunset I had determined that, despite my reluctance to accept it, that color combination would catch bass in the clear water that I frequent. So how do or did you gain confidence in a color? By accident, trial and error, recommendation, or, like me, by letting it prove itself?

I have two Daiwas that came with the twitch bar and I can use one finger to count the number of times I've used that feature. I just prefer using my rod tip.

I was originallly going to say that I don't use a leader, but I believe the OP was refering to the drop length. There was a time when I adjusted that distance, but recently I've gone to adjusting the angle of my rod. A low angle during the retrieve wil keep the bait closer to the bottom and a high one will keep it up more. I should mention I rarely verticle fish a drop shot and use my reel to move the rig along.

Welcome. My two favorite times to throw a spinnerbait are spring and fall as the majority of my summer fishing is with topwaters, jigs, or plastics.

Don't recall which was the biggest, but all but one were caught on a jig. Different colors and styles, but they all had one thing in common..... What's the name of those Strike King plastic trailers with the tails that have all that action?? Yea, that's the ones. The other one was caught on a SwitchBack crank.

More predictable, no. Easier to pattern, yes. My knowledge about LM far outweighs that of smallies and is possibly the reason I feel they are easier to pattern. If you know either species well, a general assumption, or prediction becomes almost second nature. The examples you mentioned are based on cover and structure preferences, but that doesn't mean you can't catch smallies in timber or largemouth on a rock pile.

I'm not a fan of the trigger on the M&P, so much so that I went with an Apex before I ever fired mine. I'm in the 'don't care for a Glock' gallery, so I haven't looked at them. You're a big guy, so the SR9 shouldn't be too difficult to conceal, even in the summer. I'm a wheel gun guy when it comes to my carry, but from what I've heard and read you made a good choice for the $

X2. Now go south and celebrate with a couple of 10lb. pigs.

Don't get caught up in the mentality that more is better. A thin coat of grease on the gears and clutch and a drop of oil or two on the beariings and level wind are all that is necessary. Both oil and grease will attract dirt. The more there is, the more dirt that's attracted. Just be sure to remove the old before adding the new, kind of like changing your car's oil.