papajoe222

Rocky hump or submerged island or the same structure with grass. If there aren't any, give me a rip-rap shoreline.

Just an update here guys. After this week-end, I'm tied for first place with two other anglers close behind us. The remainder of the tournaments, two next month and one in Aug. are two day events. These are the ones I dread as I can handle one day's worth of aches and pains. The second day is the killer and I'm often forced to go to slow or dead sticking presentations to get through the day. Hopefully I can get a good lead the first day and somewhat coast on the second. I'm not concerned with winning any of them, I'd just like to stay in the running until the last one.

I, too, am a recent convert to the RageTail line. The action alone would have been enough to convert me, but the texture of the plastic and the added scent made it a decision I couldn't refuse. Summer and Bama craw work extreme in the slightly stained water up here and I've also done well with Black and blue at night.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you. I live just outside Chicago and I can relate to your frustration. The situation we've been dealing with is very unstable weather. More importantly, fluctuating barometric pressure. Normally, falling or rising pressure activates the fish. Rising pressure has the least effect of the two especially if it's rising from over 30.0. However, when these two situations occur within hours of each other and are followed by a steady higher pressure, the fish tend to remain in a neutral to negative state. In simple terms, they don't feed. They are still catchable, I've caught some hawgs this past week. Just don't expect them to chase down your presentation. Smaller baits and slower presentations will get you some fish, but nowhere near as many as if it were an overcast day preceeded by steady conditions. If the water remains muddy, I suggest going with darker colors too. Most of my catches this past week have come on a black Culprit worm behind a 1/8oz. bullet weight.

The biggest problem I had was overcomming the transition from live bait to hard baits. Your situation sounds very similar. Sam makes avery good point about the fish's location in the water column. The point I'd like to make concerns the presentation of hard baits vs. that of soft plastics. That presentation revolves around both the fish's location AND their activity level. Many soft plastic presentations are slow, deliberate, accurate ones and those will catch both active and inactive fish. Hard baits are designed to be fished faster and as such appeal to active fish or as reaction baits eliciting strikes from neutral or inactive fish. If you're catching active fish with your soft plastics, it's a good indication you can switch to a faster, hard bait presentation and not only continue to catch, but likely increase their number as you can cover more water faster with them. You can tell the activity level of the fish you're catching by observing where and how you're getting bites. Inactive and neutral fish have a very small strike zone, so they won't move far to get to your soft plastic. Also your bites aren't as profound from neutral fish. Often you won't feel the bite, or it's very subtle. Deeper hooked fish, fish that come out of cover to bite, or fish that take the bait and run with it are indications of active fish. Build your confidence in hard baits on active fish and you'll be finding yourself finding ways to catch inactive fish on them.

I rarely use any type of light when fishing at night as it effects my night vision, which I'm thankful to say is still escellent. There is normally enough light from the moon and the shoreline. When I do use a light, it's a pen light I hold in my mouth and keep directed at whatever I need to see. The reason I don't like cap lights is because their light is directed straight out from the bill of your hat and not down where your eyes need the light for hooking plastics or un hooking fish. The majority of spots I fish and lures I use are the same as the ones I fish during the day. The only change I make is going to darker or contrasting colors. The only exception I make is fishing a big flat at night. I rarely approach an extended flat during daylight, but will check them out more than once over the course of a night outing. I keep a hand held spot light handy along with a light with a magnetic base for launching and loading and for warning approaching boats if I feel the need to. That along with always wearing a PFD and keeping clutter to a minimum are my main differences in saftey concerns over day fishing.

Quality soft plastics aren't cheap and are rarely durable. If your concern is saving money, you could try Uncle Josh pork baits. They aren't plastic and can last a long time if you don't allow them to dry out. That, or start using bargin bin plastics. Adding a drop of Gorilla Glue where the nose of the plastic meets the jighead will give you a few more bites before the bait tears. The reason you were catching fish on the initial fall and not while swimming the jig is because you were fishing a situation that didn't call for a swim jig, but because it so closely resembles a regular skirted jig, it produced bites for you. Most bites on a jig occur when the jig is falling and seeing as the only time your swim jig was falling was after it first landed, that's when you were getting bit. Then, I'm assuming, you began to swim it and a swimming presentation isn't what was working that day.

I differ on hooksets. For single hook baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, T-rigs I reel down and come straight up, keeping my hands close to my torso. For treble hooked baits and C-rigs, I sweep set to the side while reeling.

X2 When on the water, you can record vital info along with a pic at the time of the catch. Transpose that info into your fishing log and run a spreadsheet compiled from it.

Shoot, If I were catching one fish for everyy 20 or 30 casts, I'd think I was in heaven and if so, I'd be listening to the angeles singing.

Yes. The attitude of the plasic is similar to a shakey head jig in that it stands upright. The added bonus is the independence of the weight in relation to the bait giving the bait the freedom of movement even when the weight is stationary.

It's very similar to comparing a Texas rig to what is called a Florida rig (pegged sinker). A carolina rig really shines under two circumstances that I can think of. The first is when the fish are holding just off the bottom. Depending on leader length and the bouyancy of the bait you can get it up off the bottom and into the fish's line of sight as they have difficulty looking down. These fish are reluctant to feed directly on the bottom, but are easier to see on your electronics. The other circumstance is when the fish are what I call weight shy. They quickly drop your offering and you end up swinging for the fences and missing. The distance between bait and weight on a C-rig is often the difference between a fish dropping your offering or hanging on long enough for you to set the hook. I'll start out with the jig if I haven't marked fish but am confident that an area holds fish. If I'm getting bit, but unable to hook up or I can feel the jig dragging through some grass, I'll switch to the C-rig.

Only one piece of advice here; slow down. You can easily overwork this lure under many conditions. Try short jerks with longer pauses, letting the bait settle down a couple of feet before the next twitch. Also try switching from a twitch to the side to one straight upward.

I hop 'em, drag 'em, swim 'em, and dead stick 'em, but mostly I'm pitching 'em to laydowns or pockets in the weeds. About the only thing I don't do that some have said, is shake rattle and roll 'em. Don't know how, but I'd like to see Brian doing it.

Haven't gotten a double on the A rig yet, but I don't throw it much. I did get a double on a Spook on Wed., I've had that happen numerous times. Doubles are nice as they don't happen often, but the majority of the ones I end up getting kill the fun out of the fight. It's more like dead dead weight that you're reeling in. Maybe it's different for the A-rig

I don't know how many of you do this, but I just completed my mid season check-up and cleaning of my fishing gear. This is about mid season for me and with the amount of time I spend on the water it's always a good idea. Starting with a light clean up of my reels, not the complete break down I give them before the season begins, and ending with checking the bearings on the boat's trailer. This year I discovered a knicked guide on one of my rods and upon inspection, freyed line on the reel mounted to it. In one of the many utility boxes I keep stored in the boat I found condensation on the inside lid that could have resulted in rusted hooks. Not to mention low acid levels in my batteries, bearing buddies and hitch ball needing lube, tires a little low on air. You get the idea. Weather or not you put a lot of time on the water or not, it's a good idea to give your gear a check-up at least once during the season. At the very least you may avoid loosing a fish and at the most a breakdown on the side of the road that can cost you a lost day's fishing or more.

When I'm fishing for numbers, the Jr is my Spook of choice. When I'm after the biguns, it's the One Knocker or Super. I missed out on big fish honors by 4oz. last Saturday. My 4lb.14oz fish was caught on a one knocker along with a 3-11 and a 3-9 that gave me a second place on a lake that we will fish one more time this season.

The weather was very unstable today, but I had to get on the water. There was a small window between storm bursts and I took advantage of it. Anyone that knows me knows I'm a Zara Spook nut. I live for the summer and fall top-water bite, so it came as no surprise to anyone (myself included) what the first bait I tied on was. Today it was a Super Spook Jr and I may as well have left the tackle box in the car as 16 out of the 19 fish I caught came on that bait, including a double on one cast! The fish ranged from a couple of inches bigger than the bait to a couple of 18inchers. They all came off a submerged weed bed about the size of a football playing field within eyesight of the launch. I never needed to move the boat and lucky for me because the lightning and rain started up just after the wind changed direction and I was able to get off the water in a hurry. You gotta love it when your favorite bait hits the jackpot, but then again..............Do you think I shoulda upsized to a bigger Spook?????

Welcome to the board. There is a wealth of information to be found and shared here. It's one of the best sites of it's kind. That said, lets see if we can enlighten you on migration movements of bass. 'Buck' Perry did shed a lot of light on the subject along with a ton of information about structure and the above mentioned book along with 'Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers' are a must read for anyone wanting to understand that subject. To begin with, bass that call shallow water their home during the summer don't migrate. The same goes for schooling bass as the majority of their movements during the summer are in relation to the forage movements such as shad schools. If the forage moves shallow the schoolies will too, but that isn't a true migration. Migration refers to the movement of deep water fish from their deep water to the shallows and back. There is a seasonal migration to the shallows for the spawn and during the summer, a migration for feeding. The feeding migration can occur anywhere from twice daily to only once in a two or three day period. The availability or lack of deep water forage and frontal conditions have the biggest effect on frequency. That movement is typically governed by structure, which those fish use similar to a road, that extends from the shallows to the deeper water. This is the reason why understanding structure is important to us. One thing to remember about this migration route that they use; Often, the fish will not make the complete journey to the shallows. For a number of different reasons they will stop somewhere along that path and then return to the depths. This can be an extended stop or it can last an hour or less. Again, forage availability and frontal or barametric pressure conditions are two of the factors that determine their length of stay. As an example: There is a point that extends from a feeding flat out to deep water. One side of the point drops faster than the other and on that side of the point are a rock pile and an area where the bottom changes from soft bottom to sand or small gravel. The weeds stop growing at that point. The point is the major structure in this example. The rock pile and the transition area are types of structure also, but in this instance they serve as 'rest stops' for fish migrating to the shallows to feed. If that structure, or the cover associated with it, holds forage there is no need for them to move shallower. If the point holds no 'rest stop' structure or cover, they would continue moving up to the shallows and return after feeding. That is a simple example of a migration route. Hope that helps.

Welcome to the forums. Be sure to click on the fishing forum tab and go to the introductions forum. It's a great way to get to know folks here as well as giving us some info about yourself. The sandbars here in the mid-west hold fish throughout the open water season, mainly because the forage base resides nearby. A great presentation is an internally weighted tube in a color that resembles the bottom. You can drag it along the top of the bar and as long as you don't use too heavy of a weight you can pop it or swim it over the tops of the weeds. The other option I'd suggest, especially if pike are present, is a spinnerbait. Slow rolled, waked, or pumped it can produce most any species and you can use a leader if bite offs are a concern.

You're talking a lot of work on what may be a damaged or abused blank. Removing guides, although tricky, is easy in comparison to removing a grip and reel seat. I woud suggest leaving that task alone and just clean up the cork with either a powdered kitchen cleanser with bleach and a toothbrush, or some extra fine sandpaper or steel wool to lightly remove the grime. As for guide sets, a good set of Fuji guides won't set you back much. When it comes to which rod or blank to look for, decide according to your needs as far as action and stick wilth name brands. Shimano, Lamiglas, St.Croix, etc.

One thing I see a lot of shore fishermen do incorrectly and can contribute to a poor outing, is the way they approach the water and the clothing they wear. Fish in ponds like you describe tend to hang out near the shore cover and a stealthy approach to the water's edge is a must. Even more so if the water is clear. When you move from spot to spot, don't do it along the water's edge. As far as clothing, a white T-shirt and bluejeans can almost insure a disasterous outing. Use any available cover or shade to your advantage. With the latter in mind, early and late in the day shadows, both on and off the water are your friends. Speaking of friends, don't forget the wind. Keep it in your face as much as possible.

There are a number of presentations that you could use, most of them are top water. If the grass is submergent, shallow running cranks and spinnerbaits or lighter weight lipless cranks fished above the tops of the grass can be effective. Two alternatives that can be used both on top and sub-surface are minnow plugs (if the grass doesn't grow to the surface) and weightless worms. Speed worms can be buzzed accross or just below the surface. Floating worms will call bass up from the grass and Senko style worms can be paused and allowed to fall into openings. The one thing all will have in common is the way you rig them and for that I recommend they be hooked like a true Texas rig without the weight. I don't mean skin hooked with an EWG hook. I'm talking a straight shank worm hook inserted on a slight downward angle an reinserted at an angle that keeps the worm straight. Don't push the hook's point out of the worm, a good hookset will do that when needed and don't forget to cover your knot with the tip of the worm to prevent weeds from catching on it. Add a little MegaStrike or other oil based attractant and the majority of the clinging weeds won't be a problem.

All of the above along with changing speed and cadence. If the fish seem to show a preference for a steady or stop and go, that's what I'll continue to use until it stops producing. One thing I ALWAYS do is pause when my Spook reaches cover as I cast past my intended target whenever possible. The one thing I see many anglers do is work a Spook too fast. Unlike a PopR, you'll get more blow ups and better hook ups with a moderate to slow retrieve.

For me, a prime weedline would be one situated on a drop off. Often, on natural lakes, this is a common occurance as the weeds will only grow to the depth of light penetration and a quick drop in depth results in the edge where the weeds end. Another common reason for an edge is a change in bottom composition. The weeds need a certain type of bottom to grow and an edge is created where that ends, this is often the reason for inside weedlines.The third type of weedline is one that is overlooked and that is where one type of weed ends and another begins. During the summer, I prefer a deep water edge. The availability of deeper water along with the ease of parallel casting along the edge allows me to cover water quickly and it has great fish holding potential. Another plus is the fact that one section of the line can give up multiple fish. My second choice would be a weedline formed because of a change in bottom composition. These are rarely straight weedlines and more often than not contain many points and pockets. These are the high percentage points and although it takes more time and effort to cover a long weedline like this, your chances of contacting fish are much higher than a long, featureless edge. The only downside is the fish here tend to be loners and your approach is more perpendicular to the edge making boat positioning a little more difficult. Rarely will you pick up more than one fish from a pocket or point of weeds unless it is fairly large. The last type of edge I mentioned is one many overlook for an obvious reason, it's difficult to present most lures to this area. Junk fishing is a term that's often associated with this type of edge and it requires stout gear, determination and hard work. It's also not a very good time management approach. As for lures/presentations, the type of edge will dictate what shouldn't be used. A crank is a poor choice for all but a straigter edge, but a jig or worm isn't a bad choice for a straighter edge either. The other edge I often forget and many rarely consider is the top edge of the weeds. Submergent weeds can be fished with any number of baits depending on the depth they top out at. This is a great edge for a topwater approach and my favorite for weightless worms under cold front conditions.