papajoe222

Unless fishing is just a way to pass time, or an excuse to get away and have a six pack or two, the answere is; when you're looking up at the grass rather than down on it. I have 21 rods, 16 reels, 4 tackle bags and over two dozen 3700 series boxes full of lures and that isn't counting soft plastics. Many of the rods and a few of the reels will never again see use, but I would never part with them. Most of the other gear was bought on impulse during the off season as that's when the bait monkey seems to know I'm most vulnerable.

I don't own a pair, but if you understand polarization, your assumption is likely correct. If you can not see the lines when viewing through the lenses while wearing, or from a distance when looking at the mirrored side I wouldn't be concerned. The mirror finish may have something to do with being able to see the lines. Bottom line is, if being able to see them makes them unsatisfactory to you, return them.

My son-in-law asked me to 'super tune' his four baitcasters for him. I told him that for the amount of fishing he does (8-10 outings a year) and the low end reels he wanted me to work on that he wouldn't notice the difference. He insisted and I only cleaned and lubed the reels. He said he sure could tell the difference, thinking that I had 'tuned' them for him. When I told him what I actually did, he couldn't believe that a simple cleaning an lube could make such a difference. Grant you, the reels were filthy and hadn't been cleaned since he bought them, but I doubt that polishing gears, drag washers, spool release, etc. along with bearing and drag upgrades after a good cleaning would be noticeable to him. I don't assume to know your experience level, but if you're a once every other Saturday type of angler, I'd give it some serious thought. I'm not attempting to take business away from DVT, they do great work and I recommend them highly. Just want you to look at both sides of the coin prior to pulling the trigger.

I rely heavily on bigger tube baits when fishing docks and many times as a drop bait. The majority of the time it'll be rigged on a tube jig head with the hook exposed or with an internal weight rigged weedless. Both riggings allow the tube to spiral on the fall and I believe it gives the fish a look they don't see often as I think most guys opt for a jig in those situations. I'm still using my baitcast gear, just bigger tubes. So, am I wrong in my assumption? Is a tube your 'go to' for getting those fish burried in the shade under docks, or do you skip your jig to those spots more often than not?

Mann's Jelly Worm and JJ's.

Welcome to the forum. Check out the 'Where are all the Illinois guys' thread, there are a lot of us that fish the chain and southern Wisc. While you're at it, stop by the introduction forum (you can find it by clicking on forums on the main page and a different drop down menu will appear) and tell us a little about yourself. Also, you can click on any members screen name above their avitar to learn a little about them. BTW, I'm originally from Chicago and still live in the area.

I've been finding it difficult to switch to slower or smaller presentations when the big, fast moving ones aren't producing. At the end of an outing I look down at my rods and in my bucket of baits that I'd cut off during the course of the day and small, or slower moving baits are noticeably absent. Granted, the few bites I've been getting are bigger fish, my numbers are down and I know the reasons. What, if anything do you do to get the blinders off when you're locked into the 'cover as much water as possible in the short time you have' state of mind? Short of leaving some gear absent when heading out, or having half the rods on deck rigged with the slower,smaller stuff, I'm clueless (don't tell the Mrs. I said that)

Until recently, I didn't give much thought to how I set the drag on my reels spooled with braid. After a number of lost fish, I'm taking another look at how and when I should set it differenly. My basic setting gives me plenty of hook setting power without slippage and enough slippage to give line to a strong fish. I set it a little lighter for cranks and in-line spinners and a little heavier for swimbaits and frogs. I was blaming my rod choice for the losses, but the fish I was loosing had the baits well into their mouths. I can always go to a lighter setting and thumb the reel when needed, but if I don't remember to do so, I put the fish at the advantage . So what are your ideas on either a specific style lure, cover, or rod when it comes to deciding how to set your drag?

You're right, they have a place and time. I get frustrated when I put what little extra money I have into something that doesn't come close to my expectations. My problem with this bait is the fact that a deep little n can cover most of the same water and I'm to lazy to either switch to or give the middle n a fighting chance. Guess I'm just going to have to leave the other Normans in the truck so I don't have a reason NOT to throw it.

My favorite stretch is from the pagoda south to the bay. Docks and shallow weeds early and tops of the weeds out to the deep edge. Thanks for the heads up guys. Looks like it's going to be me and hopefully a few decent bass and a pike or two.

You can get any number of recommendations as to what lure to use (my vote is a shakey head). Regardless, you need to dead stick it. Cast whatever past the fish, slowly move it within inches of the fish's nose and let it sit there. Wait two minutes and if the her nose is still facing your lure, continue waiting until she takes it. If she turns away, go golfing.

You should check out a pencil or needle style Weight. The weight is attached to the upper portion of a a heavy wire shaft. The needle drags the bottom and rarely hangs up on rocky bottoms.

Sorry, you need some alone time??

Suffix. BTW, there is a forum for this. You may get more responses there.

I'm a big fan of Bill Norman crankbaits. I have lost many, but I also have a couple that I have been using for longer than I care to mention. There are, however some of this brand that will likely never see water again. The majority of those are Deep MIddle N. Marketed to target a certain depth, I feel they were targeting loyal users of their other models. Does a particular model of your favorite crank rank so low on your confidence list that you not only refuse to purchase another one, but never reach for the ones in your tackle box

General 'rules' in fishing are just that, general. Yes, if we have an idea how active the fish should be it gives us a starting point and is better than blindly throwing baits. That being said, fish location is the most important factor when it comes to catching. Think about that general statement, which I agree with. Now apply location to the activity level and say you're targeting laydowns that extend from shore out to 12-18ft. The laydown isn't the location. you could be sitting in 14ft. of water and pitching to the thickest limbs and trunk only to have the majority of active fish under, or behind you. The same thinking applies to structure fishing. Targeting a ridge is a generality. The points, pockets, rock piles, etc. are what you look for. I guess what I'm attempting to show you is that you need to extend your thought process past a generality, sometimes taking multiple things into account. Otherwise when the wind is from the east, you'll be golfing and we all know that golfing is a waste of good fishing time.

Is the guide's foot a single or double? The reason I ask is that a double footed guide has more metal giving the ring more support. Bending will fatigue the metal to a breaking point if done repeatedly, more metal will postpone that. If the guide was only bent twice (once when damaged and once when you straightened it out), and you're talking a casting rod with double footed guides, I wouldn't concern myself as long as the eye matches up with the rest of the guides. If it's a spinning rod, I likely would get it replaced as there is much more pressure pulling away from the blank rather than that of a casting guide that's pushing down on it. Plus, the chances are it's a single foot guide. If it's a two piece rod, I'd contact one of the sites sponsors. Shipping and repair costs should be minimal and your mind will be at ease that the job was done right.

The grandson starts school tomorrow and that means Papa can get out on the water early. Planning on heading up to Delavan later in the week and I read the morning bite has been decent. Anyone looking to partner up on a week-day, shoot me out a PM. There's always room in my boat for a fellow angler, young, old, loud, or quiet, I don't care. I just enjoy having company as long as it isn't a woman. I told mama I like fat girls and she got the wrong idea. I don't think she'd understand. Sorry girls

I've been using Kanzen Premium Braid from Seaguar for most of this season and haven't run into color fading the way the Suffix does, but because I'm not concerned with visibility, it isn't much of a factor for me.

Just wondering which of the Yozuri hybrids you guys have settled on. I used their copolymer hybrid a few years back. It was decent line, but nothing to write a song about.

There really is no way to tell just by looking and even if you keep them in their original box, the running depth is dependent on a number of variables. A general rule is the longer or wider the lip, the deeper it will run, but the angle of the lip and the placement of the line tie also factor in. You can do a search here for ways to find out the exact running depth of a crank, but I don't believe that's what you're trying to find out.

One of the original swimbaits, a steady retrieve with pauses, changes in direction, and rod twitches work well. It can also be retrieved in the same manner as a jerkbait and is an awesome addition to an umbrella rig where legal.

Only if it doesn't work for you. As long as you can find what you're looking for. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Thought I'd give a quick review of this line and please remember it's coming from a hard headed old guy. I purchased this line to replace the fluorocarbon I was so disappointed with on all but my cranking reels. The line I purchases was 10lb. test in smoke color. The color made the line more visible to me and as a line watcher I give it the nod over fluoro in that category Spool memory is much less than that of mono and I didn't see any major difference when compared to fluoro Stiffness, or should I say lack of it, was what impressed me the most about this line Knot strength was a major issue for me with fluoro, but no issues here Sensitivity was decreased when compared side by side, but is still better than mono Stretch is more than fluoro which may be the contributing factor in both the problems I was experiencing, but in this category the line falls short, again it's better than mono Abrasion resistance is one area that I can not give an accurate comparison. For drop shots and shakey heads the area I've been fishing doesn't expose the line to much and I retie too often when cranking to make a comparison. For me, this line offers advantages in the areas I feel fluoro falls short on, however I don't think those areas are the same for all anglers. It's by far not a better mouse trap when compared to fluoro, it also isn't any worse. Now compared to mono...

Awesome. I don't know if I should be jealous of you Florida guys because of the monster fish you can catch or if you should be jealous of us guys because my three pounder can kick your fat girl's tail. Live hearing these stories.