papajoe222

There are two key factors to becoming a better fisherman. The first is to know your quarry. The second is to know the body of water you're fishing. You have, I assume, a knowledge of both even if it may be limited. Okay, now apply that knowledge to what you know about catching; You can't catch them where they ain't. 'They ain't in the shallows after they spawn.' Now apply that information again to what you know about your quarry; Active fish will be where the forage is. What's the prefered forage in your pond? Now determine where that forage will be when the fish are active. Chances are very good that the forage will be in shallow water near some sort of cover. So, you determine that you need to fish where? The shallows (for more than one reason in your instance). When? When the fish are active. Generally that period fluctuates, but low light penetration usually accompanies that activity. Early morning, late evening, and dark skies give you the most advantages to cash in on actively feeding fish. See, you knew the answer to your question. You just convinced yourself that you couldn't catch them after the spawn and early spring. Now, go get 'em and prove that you can become a better fisherman.

In answer to the topic title, Yes you are. The rest of us that do the same as you aren't crazy because we don't worry about silly stuff like this. Now if you're talking winding the tag end of your line clockwise vs. counter clockwise when tying knots, that's something to worry about.

NetBait puts out some decent,affordable products. The only downside is their color selection is very limited.

I try to make life miserable for the ones that are responsible.

I'm becoming a fan of circle hooks as deep hooking a fish is a concern for me when using this technique. Also, they don't hang up as readily as other exposed hooks. There are a number of good hooks made specifically for wacky rigging, but to be honest most styles will work, some are just better suited. If you're hooking just under the tubing (there's no need to hook through the worm in this situation), you can use the same size hook for both sizes.

There could be other reasons also. Too much, to heavy lb. test, type of line, etc. It sounds to me like you applied the line to the spool correctly, or you'd have line twist problems before you ever noticed the line jumping off the reel. Before you go removing brand new line from the reel, try soaking the spool in water for a while if it's mono. The difference in spool sizes between the one the line came on and the one on the reel is likely different and mono has memory. Soaking the spool will allow the line to acquire the memory of the reel's spool. Braid will save you money in the long run as you won't need to respool as often and you don't need to use all the line on a new spool when you put it on. I don't recommend using the same mono for three or four years as mono does have a shelf life that shortens with exposure to the elements. It would never last that long on my reels anyway as I'm constantly retying and I have to respool some of my reels before the season is over.

I take a lot of guys out that have never fished from my boat and the first thing I do is go over saftey proceedures with them. Then I tell them my two unwritten rules that may not apply to other boaters, but in my boat they always do; Get your line out of the water when the other is playing a fish and don't cast forward of the middle of the boat. I make sure there is plenty of unused water for the non-boater to fish. If they feel that I'm front ending them or fishing too fast or slow, they should speak up

The most important thing to examine when purchasing a used boat is the condition of the motor. The majority of it's value is there. Pull the cowling and check the hoses and wiring. Check both the carb. and steering linkage for slack. Look into both the carb. throats and the cylinder heads after removing and examining the plugs. Check the prop for excessive, or big dings which is a sure sign of misuse. Lastly, start it up. Make sure it starts easily, runs smoothly and is spitting out a steady stream of water.

I don't have favorites, I have multiple colors of each. Between water color and clearity, light conditions and the fish's preference on any particular day, I don't want to limit my success by throwing a favorite color that, likely, wouldn't be productive. If you're looking to limit the colors of the baits you use, or willing to do so, go with the natural colors of the forage you're imitating. Forage doesn't change it's color much and although it may not be as successful as a different color, on any given day it should produce.

On an early Tues. morning eith years ago I had the best top water fishing in my life. I boated 21 bass in under two hours and only three weren't caught on top. Sadly, I had to leave for a fishing trip to Wisconsin an hour later. I seriously considered canceling, but didn't. I sure am glad because upon arrival I was able to boat eight smallies in the 2-3lb. range and one nice 43in. musky. I can't imagine what kind of day it would have been had the drive not been over six hours up there.

The biggest differences between what is refered to as a shakey head jig and the old stand by ball head jig is the addition of a bait keeper and a longer/stouter hook. They may have different head designs and line tie positions and angles, but they all share those two.

The type of jig you use can make all the difference in the world when fishing muck bottoms. The best I've found is a tube jig. For one, it won't burry itself into the muck (unless you're using too heavy a jig head) and it's action on the fall is unsurpassed by other types of jigs. Dragging a tube along the bottom is a great tactic, but don't forget where a jig got it's name. The action on both ends of the jigging motion is where a tube really shows it's stuff. Try stroking a tube jig in deep water. It may take a little longer to get down to the bottom, but you may just find the wait is worth it.

" Usually when i think of a jig it is flipping and pitching into shallow cover.." That is exactly what that pro was doing, you just don't consider weed beds as cover. Cover they are and IMO the best there is. A weed bed not only has pockets you can flip or pitch to, it has points, inside and outside turns, transition areas where the bottom content changes or where another type of weed takes over, etc. The main reason many anglers like pitching and flipping in this is because water clearity doesn't have the effect it does on other forms of cover. A fish holding in the weeds has limited visibility vs. one holding in wood, or rocky cover. Even fish holding under a dock have a better view outside their surroundings.

How much blood loss and stress the fish has gone through makes a big difference in whether or not that fish will survive. Blood loss can be all but eliminated if the fish is immediately immersed in the water after hook removal. A fish's blood clots in the water and not when exposed to the air. I've known guys to actually remove the hook while the fish is still in the water. How much stress a fish goes through before and after it's released is more difficult to control. Getting a bleeding fish into the livewell quickly will stop the bleeding and to some extent reduce the stress it's experiencing. Leaving a fish in your livewell for extended periods causes stress whether or not that fish was bleeding and reduces the survival chances for that fish.

A lure that's overlooked by many guys that target musky is a spoon. On CastleRock in WI, a 5 of Diamonds and Daredevils consistantly produce............. Oh yea, and buctails

Colored blades are killers on pike and musky and at times on smallies. The thing is, I've caught plenty of largemouth while pike fishing. Last year in Wisconsin, I landed a 5lb. LM, cast back in the general area and had a BIG musky or northern take the same bait. I lost both the fish and the lure when the line was cut off on the fish's teeth above the wire leader I was using. That reinforced two things I know to be true. Bass are not line shy when you're fishing reaction baits and a 12in. leader is too short for musky fishing!

:sad-012:Thanks................I guess

Evergreen Report. I was thinking of going there later this week instead of Delevan, but I havent heard anything.... can anyone give us a heads up?

Let me know how you did. I'm heading up there on Thurs.

Just a head's up for those of you that may be heading here soon. The walley have move out to the big lake except for the small percentage that normally hang around all year. The bass are active on the weed flats and small jigs like fuzzy grubs have been taking some big females.

Whatever you're comfortable with. Just know that light mono that is recommended for cranks isn't a good choice for spinnerbaits. That large, single hook is difficult to set with 10lb. mono. Go too heavy and you kill the action of your crank. I'd suggest a minimum of 20lb braid or 12lb. FC. either would be a compromise and not ideal for either presentation and still function satisfactually.

Cleaning out the bearings, gears and drag washers on a new reel comes down to personal preference. Although some reel makers do over lube to give their products a false sence of smoothness, that practice alone isn't reason to justify a cleaning after purchase. Also, inexperience can and has led to the destruction of a brand new reel. If you're determined to attempt it, do a search on reel maintainance. Greasing gears and oiling bearings with products designed for the industy (not WD40 or auto bearing grease) is the way to go. I would also suggest flushing the bearings with water after cleaning.

It's always a good idea to inspect your equipment after use. Not only rod guides, but line guides on your baitcasters and bail rollers on your spinning reels can get gunked up after just one outing under the wrong conditions. Warm, soapy water will usually do the trick.

Thanks for the responses guys, but both of these are the large blades used for musky spinners. I'm looking o switch out blades for a little night fishing for bass.

I've been looking for spinner blades with beveled edges similar to the ones on Terminator spinnerbaits. I'd like to find both Colorado and willow styles, but as of yet haven't found a supplier. Any suggestions?