papajoe222

If you have other time periods to choose from, you may want to do so. The heat of the day will be tough on you and the sun and water temp. will keep the bass from roaming and therefore their strike zone will be very small. If you can, the period around sun-up or sun-down may find them a little more cooperative. If you stick with that time period you have basically two means of getting bit. A slow, small(er) presentation, or a fast one. A 4in. wacky rigged worm is a good choice for the first and a buzzbait or spinnerbait waked just under the surface is an option for the second. A heavy jig with a compact trailer that falls quickly would be another reaction presentation. Good Luck and have fun. Don't forget to stay hydrated.

After a few attempts at it, I finally finished the rod I was building for a friend. This is the pattern I ended up with; While I was in the mood, I also finished rewrapping an old rod of mine; I'd love to start on another as this has become a passion for me, however actually fishing is an obsession and that trumps any passion. I guess the next one will have to wait until the off season. It's a Baston graphite 7ft. med with a moderately fast tip. The seat and guides are Fuji and the butt cap, trim ring and winding check are from Mud Hole's line. The thread is Kaleidoscope by FishHawk and I used FlexCoat products.

I purchased one recently and it has become my cranking reel of choice. For me backlashes and cranking were partners as I was always attempting to get extra distance on my casts. This reel has all but eliminated that tendency and although the retrive speed is a little fast, I will take the trade off of slowing myself down over backlashing every day. Sounds like it's going to be a great combo. Enjoy

These type of spoons aren't meant to spin during the retrieve. As Rambler stated, if you're getting line twist, you're fishing it too fast. The spoon should wobble as it skims accross the surface or just under it. Adding a swivel will only increase it's ability to spin.

Determine the weight to use according to conditions. As with a jig, you want to be able to feel what your bait is doing. Under breezy or windy conditions you may need to go heavier than a 1/8oz. The advantage of a Texas rig over a jig or a Florida rig (pegging the sinker) is the fish not being able to feel the weight when picking up your offering and moving off with it. Keeping that in mind, your retrieve is similar to those you use when jig fishing. The difference being that you want to give the fish that option and that doesn't happen on a tight line with a light weight. You need to have a little slack in your line after moving the bait. The easiest and IMO the best retrieve to accomplish that is dragging the bait and dropping the rod tip while taking up most of the slack line as you drop it down. If you jig it, give a little slack afterwords. Little being very important as you don't want to loose total contact with the bait. Keeping your index finger under the line will improve sensitivity. Lastly and this is important more so than in jig fishing, be a line watcher. Your line my jump, go slack, or move off to the side without you feeling anything. If you don't line watch, you'll miss those bites.

I'll tell you what I use and it's extremely accurate. It's a digital luggage scale. I picked it up online for under $15 with shiiping. I checked it out against known weights of 1,5 and 8lb. and it was dead on. the hook used to attach the item for weighing is a little small, but I haven't lost a fish when weighing. here's one for under $10 http://www.ebay.com/itm/50kg-10g-Portable-LCD-Digital-Fish-Hanging-Luggage-Weight-Electronic-Hook-Scale-/371050558209?pt=US_Pocket_Digital_Scales&hash=item5664563301 One word of caution. When you first start using a scale it's a little deflating to your ego to find out a fish you estimated at 5lb. actually being 3.5, but you will become better at estimating weight and your ego will survive just fine.

Whatever way you decide to go, good luck. Anytime someone uses their love of the sport for a good cause, it is an indication of social awareness and values rather than the self centered stigma that is sometimes associated with competing for money. Charity events will draw more than just competitors, you will get entries from average, week-end anglers that love the sport and want to contribute to the cause. If you know of a celebrity or professional angler in your area, you may want to consider adding the chance to fish with that person for two hours, depending on the tournament's length, to your agenda. This will add to the number of those entries. Just an idea.

I'd day go with retying and only use the swivel snap with a presentation that warrants it like an in-line spinner or pre-rigged worm. I retie frequently, more to eliminate breakoffs from knicked or freyed line that from changing lures. Find a knot that you have confidence in and can tie correctly that doesn't take a lot of time to do. The best knot is a failure waiting to happen if you rush tying it as you'll likely tie it incorrectly. Stick with that knot and kiss the extra hardware goodbye.

IMO color is as important in my decision making as using braid. If I'm concerned with line visibility, I'm concerned about the 'right' color. Otherwise, I'm throwing whatever type lure in whatever color on braided line. In other words, if the water is clear enough to make a difference, it makes a difference. Your choice of colors to purchase is on the money as far as I'm concerned. There's no need to buy every color offered.

When talk centers around how much weight it may take to win it's usually more about conditions than size or numbers. A post frontal tourney normally takes less weight than one during a prefrontal or stable conditions. Comparing catching small fish while pre fishing and during a tourney is apples and tomatoes. Pre fishing, give up the small ones and go find better fish. Day of tourney, catch a limit of keepers and then move on in search of kickers. As far as you and your buddy catching 20-30 smaller fish from that lake, I'm assuming you're not in a tourney. You need to ask yourself one question; What is more important to you catching, or catching quality/bigger fish? If it's the latter, I'd suggest finding a different lake to fish. BTW, schooling bass do tend to group by size, but don't confuse schooling bass with a number of fish you've caught in a short period of time fishing down a weedline or shore.

I missed a tourney years back because of health problems. I had a 30pt. lead going into that one and was 70 behind from missing it (our pts. are figured a little different in that we figure big fish into the equation). Anyhow, there were still four dates left and I made them all. Still missed out on AOY, but was able to close the gap. I would have won if the winner hadn't also weighed in the big fish the week before the final. Hang in there and learn from your experience. What they say is oh so true; the lessons you learn the hard way are the ones you remember best.

The only time I plan on quitting fishing altogether is when I'm looking up at the grass. Until then I plan on getting as many days on the water as the good Lord will allow. I enjoy the fishing experience whether or not it's competition. Heck, I'm always competing with myself. I just don't like having to pay for doing so with the aches and pains. I may just do as Catt does and fish only the ones that I have interest in. Daytime competition takes the most out of me, so I figure the spring and fall ones could still be enjoyable. Time will tell

I just got back into competition fishing at the club level and I think it was a bad idea. Not because I don't feel I can compete, I'm leading in points without a first place finish so far. The reason I think it was a bad idea has to do with my stamina and the way my body feels after the competition. I can and have dealt with the exhaustion issue and don't see a problem in doing so. What my body is telling me at the end of the day is something entirely different. Add to those two factors the fact that I don't get the high from competing that I did when I was younger or maybe I just don't feel the need to prove myself to myself anymore and I do believe I'll be hanging up my six shooters at the end of the season. It would be nice to end up with an AOY trophy for my 65th birthday though.

I've tried a lot of different brands of crankbaits and I rate their use by two things; Does the bait do what I expect of it.... Does it reach the depth intended, how bouyant is it, can I maintain contact with it, can I keep it from snagging? Second, does it produce fish given the circumstances? Norman lures meet those two criteria for me. Not that Rapalas, Bombers, Bandits and Strike King baits don't, I just don't use them under the same conditions I use my Norman's. That said, I will normally opt for a Deep Little N, Fat Boy, or whatever Norman bait to start out my search and refine it by switching to a Bandit or Strike King which have similar characteristics. Rarely have I found the need to switch and my Bombers are now playing second fiddle to Bill Norman's baits. A quality product at a fair price that meets my expectations. I can't ask for more from my tackle.

Bass are mainly sight feeders and low light makes for poor visibility on their part. Under low light such as dusk or dawn they rely more on their other sences to locate their prey. Top water presentations, with the exclusion of buzzbaits, are difficult for an angler to maintain a steady cadence which aids a fish in it's ability to inhale it. Rattles will help them locate the bait, but it's doubtful they will attack it the same as during the day or later in the evening when they can silouette it against the night sky. You're talking about a very short time frame when the sun is just about to break the horrizon. If you want to stick with a topwater presentation during that time, I suggest a buzzbait. They'll hammer them things morning, noon, and night not to mention just about anytime inbetween.

Don't get the wrong idea from us, you can catch fish on a skirted jig without adding any type of trailer. I don't recommend it as the additon only adds to the action and in doing so (IMO) ups your chances of getting bit. Sometimes you'll want to add bulk, slow the fall rate, contrast the color of the skirt, or any number of reasons that adding a trailer can accomplish. About the only thing you can do with a plain skirted jig is thin out or shorten the skirt.

Fantastic. For some, the adjustment to casting gear is difficult and a bad experience when starting out can lead to rejection of, not only the equipment, the idea of adding something to make you a better angler. I've recommended a Lew's to a number of beginners as I like the dual casting controls. I taught my grandson on a ProLite and it took quite a while for him to get the hang of it. I'm surprised that you didn't go with a left handed reel. I would think the transition would be easier. That statement is coming from a guy that can't use a left handed baitcaster or a right handed spinning reel. Guess that's just the way it is for some of us. Give yourself some time and you'll be casting with greater accuracy that you ever thought you could and somewhere down the road, you can work on pitching and skipping with a baitcaster. Good luck and enjoy the visits from the bait monkey you'll be getting as soon as he gets wind of your new found ability, he will become a permanent fixture around your place.

I don't use my depth finder to find fish, mainly because many of the lakes I fish are shallow. The transducer's cone angle isn't wide enough to reflect enough of the bottom. I use it to find structure and cover and rely on my limited knowledge to determine if either or both might be holding fish. There are times on my home waters that I rarely look at my electronics and other times when I have one eye glued to them looking for something I may have missed. I never fish a spot on a new body of water without checking out the area with my electronics, even if it's only to check the surrounding depth.

I decided to do a simple diamond pattern for a butt wrap. It accomplished two things in that doing so gives him a more unique gift and it gives me the satisfaction of knowing I didn't just throw a rod together. Besides, I can always use the practice in layout and design for future builds. If he abuses the rod, that's his doing and I can be happy knowing the rod is truely a special gift from me. The first coat of Flex Coat is on already. Pics to follow

The issue may not be the hook or your technique. It may possibly be the way the fish are taking the worm. Sometimes, as with swimbaits, the fish will hit the bait tail first and you either need to allow them to take the bait completely into their mouth, or do what many of us do and add a trailer. Adding a trailer hook to a big worm is tricky as it can effect the action, foul on your line or in the worm. Allowing the fish to take the bait completely into it's mouth has it's downside also and the worm can ball up and even a big hook has difficulty penetrating a ball of plastic. My solution to missing fish on a big worm is to downsize or change colors. As with most baits, a change in color, size, or action can get you results.

You 'discovered' why there are so many different types of lures out there. They all catch fish under certain conditions and some under many different conditions. The problem for us is determining when conditions are prime for one bait over another and getting past the mentality that this or that worked the last time when evdently something is different than last time. You were able to recognize the frog 'bite' wasn't on and changed your presentation and location until you figured them out. Many times we are clueless to the change in conditions and that is the only way. Congrats on your versatility, now for the tough question; What changed? If you figured that out in the end, next time you'll be able to, at the very least, consider that change and at the very best, recognize it when you see it. One of the traps I fall into is attempting to force feed a particular bait (usually a Spook) to fish that don't want it. I'll change cadence, location, color, etc. until I catch one and then pat myself on the back for sticking with that bait. Just goes to show you how hard headed some of us can be even when we know better .

Although I don't have a large selection of them, I do use them. You don't make up your own jigs, but you choose the components of the ones you want. Eyes, color, skirt, weight, etc. are options available to you. This gives you the opportunity to have a jig made to your particular needs and not that of the manufacturer. The band option is something that I'm a favorite of as rubber skirt bands deteriorate quickly when I add my favorite scent and I end up replacing the entire skirt when one falls apart. I would suggest going with the options that you want first and possibly experimenting with some of the others, or you could just keep it as simple as a color or skirt selection. That's the great thing, it's all up to you if you want.

Welcome to the board. Finding fish is the most difficult part of this great sport. Granted, getting them to bite is a challenge. What I think you're asking is how to find bigger fish. Fish, big or small use similar areas for feeding and they all have one thing in common, forage availability. If you just take this one fact into consideration (I don't recommend making decisions based solely on one factor), should the bigger fish have been there too? If you answered yes, then evidently they were either holding in the prime areas on that spot, they were not active, or they didn't want what you were offering. If you answered possibly (good answer), the one thing you did incorrectly was to continue fishing for the 13in. fish. A wise man once said: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." If you answered no, then you need to ask yourself where and why. To be really successful at this sport you need to understand both the fish you're targeting and the forage they are feeding on. The fish's habits don't change, they are fairly simple creatures. Their movements and attitudes are, however, governed by many different factors. Something as simple as a change in diet from one form of forage to another ( ) or as complex as PH or O2 levels can leave us, as anglers, confused. The fish just react to their environment. Go figure

Bass will hang out on main lake points throughout the year using different depths, structure on the point, cover, etc. Mouths of creeks, where they meet the main river channel or converge with another creek are prime spots for feeding, especially if there is some current. Ledges can be found almost anywhere in a man made lake, the only way to find them is either with a topo map and your electronics or by looking at the exposed shoreline. Ledges are often found along bluffs that extend into the water. What baits to use in any situation is a determination that can only be made on the water as you need to take into consideration factors such as water depth, color, light penetration, etc. Then you need to consider the fish; what depth are they holding, close to cover or structure, activity level, season etc.

Welcome. For fishing muddy water with visibility less than a foot, I'd recommend a spinnerbait with either Indiana or Colorado blades that give off a good vibration. Another would be a fat body crank for the same reason and for its anti-snag qualities. If visibility is one to three feet, dark color plastics with built in action like a ribbon tail worm. Cranks and spinnerbaits with willow blades are also a good choice. For numbers of fish in water with visibility over two feet, you can't beat a Senko style bait.