papajoe222

From what I've seen, there are a lot of members that are fairly new to this great sport. What I'd like to see, for their benefit, is a few articles about a bass' seasonal movements along with some basic information about structure and how bass use it, both in their seasonal and daily migrations. I know that type of information, from knowledgeable anglers, was invaluable to me. I'm a hunter of fish and the more I know about my quary, the better I feel I can be. The new guys need some compressed, general knowledge that they can build on as their skills increase. Some of the questions I see posted are about what bait or color or line or rod/reel to use and those are good questions if one knows where and when to use them, but too often, I feel that they are under the impression that the bait or color of it etc. are the keys to catching. It's kind of like the old saying: Putting the cart before the horse. Then maybe, for us 'seasoned' anglers you could have some interviews with pros that were successful in changing tactics, presentation, location, etc. in order to win an event and then go into detail about what prompted them to change their original strategy. When to stop 'beating a dead horse' is a question many of us ponder over. And how to continue to catch fish when the bite had died. Just a couple of things I'd like to read about.-

I decided to try building my own rod wrapper. I know I'll run into a few problems as I only have a level, power saw and had drill, but I went ahead and started The pieces at the bottom attach to the ends of the standing wrapper via dowels, the smaller one goes inside it in one of two positions. I still have a long way to go, but what do you guys think of the general idea?

I fish a lot of bare jigs of different styles and so my trailer is based on what type of jig I'm using. If I'm trying to imitate a minnow, it's a paddle tail (similar to a swimbait) or a Reaper. if it's a craw, the PacaCraw family gets the nod 80% of the time.

I gotta say spinnerbaits. I like to fish efficiently in the fall as the bite can get hot and go cold quickly, so I don't want to be changing out cranks when they go a little deeper following the baitfish. With a spinnerbait, if I loose contact with active fish, I'll go over the area again but deeper (or shallower if I feel they've moved up in the water column). No need to change baits or rods with a spinnerbait and even if I want to change blades, it's a lot easier for me than cutting and retying. BTW, I also keep a tube jig tied on another rod, but in the same color as the s/b......WHITE

I'm not one to recommend any brand in particular, but I'd stick with a quality brand on this one as your reel will really be getting a workout. As far as gear ratio, I would recommend a 6.3:1. It's fast enough for both applications and not so fast that you hve to drastically change your cranking speed to slow down when you want to.

Dang, my reply is lost in webland somewhere. What I said was toothpics are a bad choice with tungsten weights as they're a pain to get out of them. What I wanted to know is why do you feel the need to peg a 1oz. sinker? Wouldn't a jig of that size suit your needs, or is the extra sensitivity needed for the depth you're fishing? The only time I feel the need to peg is when fishing weeds and around here, they don't grow much deeper than 18-20ft. Just curious. That's a lot of $ to put out for a sinker, but then again, I'm a poor old fart so everything is expensive 'compared to what it used to cost'

Tandem blades, nickle Colorado/ gold willow and the exact opposite for sunny skies. Chart/white skirt. 1/2oz white head with orange or red belly

"Honey, I'm just going to go check out this new bait.....won't be gone very long." Three hours later......"Baby, this thing is awesome. They wouldn't leave it alone"

I'm looking into doing some custom wrapping and thought I'd start out on some of the many rods I already have before I dive into an actual rod build. I ordered a bunch of supplies from an online site, but I don't want to spend the bucks for a prefab wrapper. Does anyone have a blueprint for making my own? It need not be colapsable, just enough to hold and turn the rod with some sort of slide for the bobbin. It'd be nice if it would be compatible to adding a motor to, but for now, that's another project. Thanks

Hey guys, you're talking to an old fart with p*+s poor (can I say that?) eyesight. This knot looks easy and quick to tie (that's why I like a palomar knot too), even on a windy day with aching hands. I'm gona give it a try. If it doesn't fail on me, it may be my new go to. Otherwise I'll stick to using a barrel swivel inbetween the two lines like I've been doing

That'd be a start. By the time you get to my age, you'll be right there with the big boys. I use a Tracker TX175 for my everyday stuff and I have a 4X8 pegboard in the garage full of Rapala DT's and Bandit 1-2&300's still in the package. BTW, Dicks had FatFree Shads on sale a week or two ago 2 for $5 and I picked up $20 worth. My 'problem' is that I don't loose cranks unless I'm fishing from shore and the olnly time I do that is when I only have an hour or two to fish. I'm RETIRED! LOL

I trim most fibre weed guards, but have never cut one off. I have plenty of jigs without any type of guard on them. I have, however, on numerous occasions removed the rattle(s) from a jig that I had tied on. It didn't always produce the results I was hoping for, but then there were times it did. Guess I'm just a born tinkerer (is that a real word?)

If the weeds top out on the surface, you could fish a spoon or frog on top and work it into any openings and along the edges. If there is water above the top of the weeds, you have a huge selection of lure types you can fish in that zone. Ripping a lipless crank off the weed tops and edges will get you a reaction strike from both bass holding on those edges as well as some that are burried in the weeds. If you're fishing from a boat, you can flip or pitch a jig or T-Rig into openings and on the edges for active fish, or punch a good sized jig through the canopy of weeds to reach the bottom for inactive fish. Choose your line according to the presentation you'll be using. Except for top water, you can get away with heavy line as line visibility isn't much of a concern. You used the term moss in your original post and I assume that is a general term for weeds. If not, actual moss is a real pain to fish as it clings to everything from your knot to the tail of your lure. It's also difficult for fish to navigate, so keep that in mind.

I like a single tailed grub like a Kalin's or Berkley, but I've used a paddletail on both my swim jigs and umbrella rigs.

I know where you should put it, and it isn't anywhere on the fish! If you're really concerned with the actual weight of a fish, keep it and weigh it on a certified scale. Other than that, I suggest either spending some cash on a digital, or taking length and girth measurements and using a fish calculator to determine the approximate weight. I personally just put them up to a ruler and if they top 24in. I call my heart doctor because I know that puppy is going to give me a heart attack when I find out exactly what it weighs.

I'm going to attempt to answer your inquiry as best as I can based on the limited information you've given us and on my limited knowledge. You say the fish are hanging out in 6-10ft of water. Have you caught fish at that depth? If so, what depth was the bottom when you were fishing the 6-10ft. depth? Of the fish you have been catching, are you talking numbers or an occasional fish here or there? You also state that you've only been fishing for a year and that may be a big factor in why you haven't caught one of the big boys that live there. I'm not saying that you aren't good, you sure are persistant, what I'm saying is that big fish aren't caught every day by just anyone. You hear of guys catching the fish of a lifetime when they're eight years old on a SpiderMan outfit with a bobber and worm, but that doesn't mean that that little guy will continue to catch monster fish all his life even if he targets lakes with monster fish in it. Check out the PBs of the members on this forum. Your's, for example, is about as large or maybe even larger than mine, and I've been fishing for over fifty years. Lastly, know that trophy fish, no matter the species, have likely never had a hook in them or very few. That's how they got to trophy size. If you plan on only targeting trophy fish, count on many a fishless day. If you plan on catching fish with an occasional monster now and then, spend your time on the water increasing your catch and hook-up rates. Your knowledge and skill level will increase and I guarantee you'll hook into a big boy often enough to satisfy your appetite.

You're right, I agree to disagree. What's your stand on the presidential candidates?

It depends what line I'm using, but the general answer is it's the same hook-set

I found this while doing a little research and was wondering if anyone has used it. It looks simple enough to tie, just wondering how well it works attaching a leader to braid. http://seaguar.com/seaguar-community/seaguar-knot.htm

Believe what you wish, but sinking line of the same diameter won't get you any deeper when cranking. The fact that it sinks has nothing to do with less resistance against the water, which is what restricts your crank from reaching it's optimum depth. I know may pro fishermen tout flouro for cranking and some say it will get your crank deeper because it sinks. Statements like that and others, like calling a laydown structure, lead the fishing world to buy into it. Whether it's a marketing ploy, or just misinformation doesn't matter. Pro fishermen and marketing execs probably have never taken a course in physics. If you have a swimming pool or a body of clear water available, you can prove it to yourself. If you drop two pieces of line into the water, one of which is flourocarbon, the flouro will sink. That's because of it's molecular density (that's also why flouro transmits more information to you through your rod). No argument there, but notice how long it takes to sink and think about how long it takes to make a cast. Now tie a crank on to a combo with flouro and make a cast. Count the turns of the reel handle it takes to get the crank to contact the bottom. Now tie the same crank onto an identical combo spooled with mono and do the same. This is why I frequent sites like this. Everyone deserves to be able to learn as much as they can about this great sport. If learning is one of the reasons you're here, you need to keep an open mind. Believe me, I am in no way attempting to get you to change from using flouro. I'm just pointing out the misinformation that is out there about it's properties and what you can truly expect, performance wise, for the extra cash you spend on it.

It seems like every season the hot bait for me is something different. I've gone from tubes to buzzbaits to lipless cranks, the list is as long as my arm. One constant every year for me is a jig and often times it's a bare jig tipped with some style of soft plastic. There are times when every rod on my deck has some style of jig tied on, but there is ALWAYS at least one tied on.

Rod/line choices are personal prefference topics and that's why they get a lot of replies on forums like this and are topics of discussion whenever guys get together to talk fishing. The information about line stretch and sensitivity, as well as absorbtion are right on the money. What I'd like to point out is the fact that flouro does not get your crank deeper because it sinks. The resistance of water flow over the lip of the bait is what gets your bait down. The diameter of your line will increase or decrease that baits running depth. 10lb. flouro can be as thin as .012in. diameter with the avg cost line being around.027Mono will run anywhere from.028 in to .034 and lines like YoZuri's copolymer are similar. This is why identical baits fished with identical gear will run deeper with flouro of the same pound test. I'm not a big fan of either flouro for cranking, though it does have applications where I love it. I stick to mono mainly because of the cost factor. I can respool often and know I have fresh quality line out there vs. respooling once or twice a season with flouro and because I buy bulk spools of mono, I can do it cheaper.

I think the real concern, from a fisherman's point of view, is whether high or low PH has a negative or positive affect on a fish's activity level. I know low oxygen levels do and high pH and low oxygen levels often go hand in hand. Some waters, as noted, have a naturally high or low pH and I believe that unless it fluctuates dramatically, pH by itself is of little concern.

Are you replacing a reel or adding one to your arsenal? If you're adding, by all means get the Curado. It'll last a lifetime, hold it's value, and even the average angler will notice the quality in these reels the first time they use one. If you're replacing an existing reel, your decision is likely made for you. With fall close on the horizon, you'll be doing plenty of cranking. The Citica is a good reel and will serve you well. Either way you go, you'll be getting a good reel. You get what you pay for and in their price range, these two are close to the top.

Unless you actually see the fish when it jumps, you can't really say for sure what species it is. Crappie break surface a lot on my home water, but I've caught bass and catfish when targeting them. The only time I pay a lot of attention to surface action is when I know the bass are schooling and have the baitfish 'pinned' at the surface. This doesn't appear often in the natural lakes around here. Occasionally, I'll pick up a fish after I see or hear surface activity, but more often than not it doesn't happen. It's worth a little of my time, but even if I know for sure what species they are, if they don't respond to a few casts, I abandon the attempt and continue doing what I was doing. BTW, you need to get the wifey hooked on fishing. Find a pond loaded with bluegill and let her have at 'em. It makes it much easier to be forgiven when she knows what the excitement and anticipation is all about.