papajoe222

Smithwick Rogue and Bomber Long A are both productive baits that won't empty your wallet and they come in both floating and suspending versions.

I'll keep six on deck and another four in the rod locker. That doesn't count the spare rods and reels I also keep on board. As a co-angler I kept it to six or under as available space was an issue.

Check out the Tatula by Daiwa. They're on sale now at BPS stores. "No that would be the majority of US anglers." Not really, Daiwa has a tendency to overproduce a reel before it's introduction and that was/ is the reason the Z200 took forever to sell out the stock. How many guys are willing to shell out $700 for a unproven reel? Daiwa, like Shimano, makes quality products within the price range you can afford. Wether the T3 is for you, only you can decide.

My standard retrieve in the early spring is to cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, then drop my rod tip and take up the slack. A slow sweep of the rod and reel up the slack as I drop it back down, occasionally allowing it to fall back to the bottom. The only other retrieve I've ever used is an almost steady crank just under the surface similar to a spinnerbait, but I only use that when the water temps. get up near 60. Going to try jigging one like a jigging spoon. That tight fibration should give the fish around here a much different look from the spoons and jigging Rapalas most guys use.

Welcome to the board. Be sure to visit the introduction board and tell us a little about yourself. Use the thickness of the plastic you're fishing and the way you're hooking it to determine the size hook to use. If you'll be hooking through the body of the bait, you'll need a wider gap hook than if you're using a collar like an 'O' ring. Larger hooks shouldn't kill the presentation other than increasing the fall rate and sometimes that can make a big difference. Smaller hooks may keep you from getting a good hook-set, especially if you're hooking through the worm.

You'll likely get different responses as pre-spawn movements can mean different things to different people. To me, that movement starts when the fish start their move from deep to shallow and that takes place around here when the water gets into the mid 50's. To someone else, it may be when the fish are staging at the last deep structure prior to moving up on the flats and scoping out a spawning site. Many don't consider it pre-spawn until the fish are up on the flats. Reguardless of what your definition is, the good news is that once that initial move begins, the fishing will improve. Of course that depends on ones ability to figure out where the fish are.

I don't know about ponds, but two lakes that I fish regularly are connected by a short channel and are as different as night and day when it comes to fish catchability. They have the same avg. depth, structure and cover so I know that's not the reason. Actually, I don't really care as long as I'm catching in one or the other. If I tried to figure out why fish do what they do when they do it, I don't think I'd enjoy the sport as much.

I don't see the advantage of using a circle hook on a hard bait. Actually, I think it would hinder hook ups. The same goes for single hooks vs. trebles. The advantage of a treble hook is it's ability to hook despite the lures positioning in the fish's mouth. I used SureSet hooks for a while as replacements for the front of my cranks and can honestly say that I hooked as many fish on the smaller hooks as I did on that large one.

I'm a big fan of CB's Hawg Sauce. I started using his gel last year (Sweet and Sassy) on my hard baits and was impressed at how long it remained on them.

I got my grandson (5yrs. old) into fishing last year and although his attention span was a lot shorter than I anticipated, he can't wait to get out and go fishing with Papa. I figure it about time for him to go solo, but I know there are going to be some gut hooked fish as a result and I'd prefer to avoid that. I've read a little about using circle hooks, but they just look to me to have a poor hook up ratio. Can anyone chime in on their experiences using circle hooks and recommend a light wire version for live bait?

Although there are few lakes around here that have it, I love fishing rip-rap. I caught my first bass on a Creme worm off a stretch of rip-rap leading to a bridge that I fished for crappie from. I didn't do much crappie fishing after that, I'd just walk up and down that causeway casting and catching bass.

If you must take your i-phone with you when fishing, keep it in a plastic bag and store in somewhere other than your pocket. I had to buy two new ones within a year after falling overboard with my phone in my pocket. Yes, I learn from my mistakes. I just need to make the same one more than once.

Despite my best efforts, I believe I'm fighting a loosing battle against these two foes. I removed the wheels off my boat trailer to ward off an temptation to hook up and head south. I have my charge cards in my saftey deposit box to avoid lapses in my fight against The Monkey, but I ran accross two gift cards from BPS and five minutes later I placed an order for a bunch of gear I really don't need. Guess I'm just a lost cause............Now where did I put those lug nuts??????

I decided that this is the technique I want to learn this season and was wondering if the rod I use for swimming jigs could double for the 3.5 & 5in. swimbaits? I have 12lb FC on that reel could that also be used?

I've had a Lucky 13 for 30+ years that I've never caught a fish on. I still haven't given up on it. I have, however given up on my HulaPopper collection which I donated to the recycling bin a season or two ago.

I have two for ice-out. A blade bait tied on my Browning Midas Boron Matrix 6'6" m/f rod and Daiwa Sol reel spooled with 10lb. FC. The other is a hollow body swimbait tied on a 3/32oz VMC Drop Dead swimbait hook attached to my most recent rod build (7' M/H Fast) and a Daiwa Advantage 150 spooled with 30lb. braid and 12lb FC leader.

save it for me. that's my other boat project this year. The first is repainting the trailer.

Plus and minus. On the plus side, I've caught more big fish in the last decade than probably my whole fishing life prior to that and 50% of my fishing during the summer is done at night.. On the downside, I don't have the stamina I did ten years ago. Five hours of standing, chucking and winding is about my max now. Then it was sunup to sundown

I went into business for myself about four years ago and I will echo the sentiments of those that recommend professional help. I've been doing my own tax filing and don't recommend it. If your tackle 'business' is done online, DON'T assume anything. Get help. BTW, You do not need to pay royalties to a company when selling their products, but before using their logo for advertisement, it's advisable to get written permission.

I only own 16 baitcasters, but three of them are old style round reels. At one time I had close to a dozen, but I started selling them off or giving them away. The only one I'm really sorry I let go was an Abu 5600 C4 (I think). I have big hands, so palming wasn't a problem. I just fell in love with the smaller, low profile reels after my first Daiwa Procaster

I'm well done, with this friggin weather. I'm tired of flipping a hookless jig into a 3ft. snow drift just so I can feel a rod and reel in my hands. I'm packing up some gear and heading south in search of open water. Now the only question is; How far? A full tank of gas will get me about 350mi. and I can afford three tankfulls depending on what the gas mongers are currently ripping us off for. Dang, this could get expensive.....Maybe I'll just tie a line to the cat's tail for a quick fix, or I could actually use a jig with a hook and really get a fight out of her. Never mind PETA, I'm just kidding, for now anyway.

'It's starting to come together, Pepper'

Duh. Computer illertate here. Plus I posted it in the wrong forum. 'Spank me and call me Millie'

After two weeks of experimenting with different designs, I finnaly decided on a combination of two and finished up the second coat of finish last night.

I made my own hand wrapper from 1X6. One 24in. and two 6in pieces. I cut a V in each of the smaller pieces and attached them to the ends of the longer piece after adding some padding to the V sections. I purchased a 5rpm motor and handle chuck from e-bay along with most of the supplies you find in a start up kit. I spent under $80 and that included a cork reamer. I've built five rods with those tools and the only items I purchased were the components and specific thread colors. You can purchase cork handle components separate rather than buying a kit. You can add colored rings in front and behind the reel seat and at the butt cap. You can even add a custom cap and winding checks to dress things up. A cork jig, saw and components will set you back more than what I think it's worth, but if you plan on builing a dozen or so rods, or you just don't care about the expense to build your own dream rod, go for it.