papajoe222

It seems that every season brings with it a different bait that just seems to outproduce the others and I'll always have that bait tied on. For the purposes of learning the ins and outs of a certain bait or presentation, I have limited myself to just that bait for an entire outing. I did that exact thing with a Norman Deep Little N and by the end of the day I could tell what type of bottom I was fishing, when the bait was approaching a limb or large rock, when the bottom rose or fell and sadly that I needed to retie frequently. Although a great way to learn, the biggest majority of time I'm out to catch fish and I don't limit myself to just one bait.

I was wondering if any of you have given names to any of your favorite fishing spots. I'm not talking about the bodies of water, but honey holes or just spots that have some sentimental value to you. The first one I recall giving a name to was an area on the lake my folks had a cabin on when I was growing up. After my dad passed and mom sold the place, I would still visit the lake a few times a year. My dad made sure to visit that area at least once every outing and it rarely disappointed. I came to call it dad's spot. I haven't been on that lake in twenty years, but I'm sure I could still find it and it will always be dad's spot to me. Pete's Place, Dave's point and Chuck's Pagoda all have stories behind them too. What's yours?

Hands down, it's my grandson. Despite his short attention span, unrefined skills, and indifference to instructions from your's truly, the level of excitement he brings with him makes every outing one that I can't help but cherish.

I don't use chatterbaits, but as far as spinnerbaits go, I tend to lean toward the heavy side, especially when target fishing or when I want to keep the bait down. I can run a heavier bait shallow or slower by switching out the blades. I also find it easier to pinpoint cast the heavier ones.

A suspending or slow rising crank will both cover water and elicit reaction strikes, just choose one that will run shallower than the depth you're fishing. If you can find one without rattles, all the better. Crank it down and pump your rod tip to move it, or pause it regularly during your retrieve. Swimming a jig with a curly tailed grub like a Kalin's Lunker Grub is another option, but fishing from shore makes it difficult to NOT make bottom contact during your retrieve. Lastly, don't overlook a lipless crank. Even if you occasionally tick the bottom, a sharp jerk of the rod tip will normally clear the hooks and get it back up off the bottom. Hang on, because that sudden burst of speed and change of direction can trigger some aggressive strikes.

If you know that the fish had been relating to the weeds prior to them starting to die, then I'd recommend checking out the inside weed line, or looking for other types of cover (rocks/wood) on similar structure. The other thing that you should always keep in mind is; Where are the baitfish? if they're still using the weeds, that's where the bass should be. On the natural lakes around here, the baitfish will often move toward shore if there is an open area between it and the weeds (inside weed line). On many impoundments they may move completely away from the weeds seeking either another form of cover or deeper water with some sort of escape route. Not knowing what type of lake you were fishing, it'd be difficult to be more specific.

I almost always pump my rod tip when fishing a swim jig, or a spinnerbait for that matter. If i don't pump or twitch the rod tip, I'll use a stop and go retrieve similar to the way I fish a crank, but with shorter pauses. I'll hesitate just enough to get the jig to drop a few inches. I'll also change the direction of my retrieve at least once, moving my rod tip to one side or the other slightly. That habit is a carry over from my early days walleye and pike fishing. Walley will rarely hit a lure that's retrieved steadily.

Awesome work. You say it's going to be a retirement gift, are you doing anything special with the colors of your wraps or possibly a weave to give the finished rod a theme? Definately keep us posted on it's progression.

I couldn't sleep the night before a long anticipated trip into Wisconsin for some pike and smallmouth fishing, so I decided to hit my local waters before leaving. I caught 21 bass all on topwater before the sun came up and another seven on cranks whle waiting for the ramp to clear. I left for Wisconsin about an hour later and after a six hour drive, I dropped the wife at the hotel and hit the water. I boated nine pike over 30in., 11 smallies and a couple of largemouth over 4lb. before dinner. I've only had a couple of 50+ fish days in my life, but none on two lakes almost 400mi. apart.

If you are, check out ebay. There is a guy selling a hand wrapper kit cheap. It comes unassembled with an extra stand. The wood is unfinished and you'll need to add padding to the rests, you'll have a decent wrapper that will last until you get hooked and decide to go with a power wrapper and then you can use it for decorative butt wraps or weaves. ebay item#281472771055

I have both Plano and Flambeau utility boxes and the best advice I can give you is to let the air out between outings. That will eliminate moisture being trapped inside and the rust that moisture ends up causing. One thing I do to prevent some moisture from getting into the boxes is to not put my baits directly into their box immediately after cutting them off. I'll let them set atop the box for an hour or so before putting them inside.

Big Bite Baits makes a craw tube that's both long and thick in diameter. When nose hooked, the results are a 6in. bait with a slower fall rate than a full sized Paca or Rage Lobster. It's a great combo for stroking and I would imagine for punching.

There has been a major improvement in two piece casting rods over the last decade. Prior to that, I wouldn't recommend one. Look for a quality brand that offers both. The so called dead spot where the two pieces join on a casting rod should be somewhere between the first and second guide (from the handle). In that position, it won't effect sensitivity or the loss of any power enough for most anglers to notice.

About the only way I know of to fix it without cutting off the existing handle and seat would be to work the forgrip back and forth until you can slide it up the rod. Then all you'd need to do is clean off the old epoxy, or lightly sand it a LITTLE and reglue it. If it's the rear cork, you may be able to slide it back in the same fashion, but don't expect to be able to remove it as the rod's taper would likely prevent it. If it's the complete handle(cork and reel seat) and there is a rod repair shop near you, I'd take it to them.

Knowing me, I won't finish it until Feb.28 LOL

I had a 1957 Johnson 15hp. that I sold back in 2005. It still had the original plug wires and magnetos. It would start on the first pull almost every try and all I did to maintain it is basically what you've mentioned.

Why would you purchase a jet ski and not buy a trailer???? Oh wait.......Yea, what LongMike said.

I love building a new rod, but I also love tinkering with my reels. I can customize a rod, but I can also do upgrages and get that reel as smooth as butter. Ahhhhh, I gotta pick one huh? Okay, okay..............I'm gonna go with reels, no wait......rods, definately rods. At least until I can find a deal on a Tatula.

I went the route of building my own rod wrapper from a length of 1X6, added a thread tensioner after doing a couple of builds using a bobbin. As for a dryer, I purchased a 4rpm motor and rod handle chuck off ebay and mounted it to a stand the same height as my wrapper. I think payed $18-20 for it. Get Bit Outdoors has a hand wrapper for under $30 that looks decent and you can purchase a matching extension stand for it. MudHole offers a fairly inexpensive dryer, but I suggest doing at least one set of guides by hand. It will give you a good idea of how epoxy sets and how much is too much when putting it on your wraps.

I try to plan out a couple of big projects that will take a couple of weeks to finish. Like Gary, I also am into servicing both my reels and those of a few family and friends. I have two rod builds for myself and one for a friend to do after Christmas. Then it's, sit around and wait for the power plant lakes to open in March. Every winter I promise myself that I'm going to attempt ice fishing and every year I break that promise. I don't think this winter will be any different.

Seeing as all the public lakes around here are now closed for waterfowl season, I decided to get started with my first project of the off season, cleaning and polishing my aluminum boat. After I tested a couple of products out on the transom, I decided to do a three step process; acid wash high speed buffer and grey polishing compound finished off with a quality metal polish. It's a time consuming endeavor, but I have until next March to finish. Here's what I accomplished today.

I assume by 'self inflating' you're refering to an automatic vs. manual inflating. That being said, I own two automatics. One is a Mustang and the other is a BassPro. Of the two, I prefer the BassPro as it isn't as bulky and I've never had it inflate while fishing in the rain. It's less expensive than both the Mustang and Cabela's vest. I've had to re-arm the Mustang vest twice because it inflated unexpectedly on me, but only did so on the BassPro because it was three years old.

You don't need to stop making the other stuff, just add a rod build or two over the winter. You can use the money you save from not buying groceries. Who needs 'em anyway? That whole eat, sleep, fish and repeat mantra is over rated IMO.

Mine will go with whenever it isn't rainy, hot, cold, or on a school day. When she does come with, she usually gets the biggest of the day or the most and sometimes both. On our last trip to her favorite spot, she did it again; 27-22. It was a great day and no, I didn't let her win. She's just a magician with that Zebco 33.

I'm like Mike L. I keep my index finger tip unde the line on my baitcasters, except when swimming a grub or worm, then I don't bother with it.