papajoe222

Mono works just fine for cranking and at times can be more beneficial. Line visibility shouldn’t be a concern with faster moving baits as the fish focus on the lure. The slight bow in the line from mono’s floating characterisi tic does reduce sensitivity, but the average angler can’t feel a change when a bass is following a crank, so sensitivity in cranking is overrated.Us old guys fished cranks using mono for years and caught plenty of fish.

Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to run a jig skirt between a bullet weight and a worm for added action. I hadn’t done it in years, but remembered the ‘trick’ when tying a punch rig. It was a great way to entice reluctant fish to commit and was likely the father of the swim jig. Any of you still rig a worm this way?

The advantage to using a skirt on a punch rig is twofold; It adds bulk and action to your presentation and it slows the fall rate which can make the difference in getting bit when fishing weeds in deeper water.

Thread a barrel swivel on your line prior to tying on your offset hook. Run the hook point into the worm and prior to finishing the normal rigging, run the hook point through the open end of the barrel swivel. This will not only keep the worm from sliding down the hook and tearing, it adds a little bit of weight which can benefit weightless worm fishing.

Share something you saw this holiday week-end, that really made you question the sanity of the person(s) involved. It can be something safety related, or just plain hilarious. Personally, I stayed off the water because my tow vehicle puked on my way home from a fishing trip. I did, however, see three guys in a 12ft. jon boat motoring away from the launch as I headed in on Thursday. If they didn't capsize, someone was watching over them because that little boat was all but under water as they motored out. All anyone of them had to do was rock the boat a little and they'd have taken on water.

Do a search in the line, rod and reel forum about uneven spooling,

I prefer not lying a fish on my carpeted deck. What I do is hold them,as best I can, on the gunnel where I have a tape measure sticker. I get a measurement as I slide it over the side while hanging on to the tail.

While that statement may be true for species like smallmouth and northern pike, muskie are likely the most difficult of freshwater fish to chase/catch using artificial baits IMO. It isn't unusual to go an entire week-end without even raising a fish.

Although it wasn't my PB, I caught what was the heaviest muskie of my life on my annual muskie trip. On my first day on the water I chatted with a local that told me of a small, 220 acre, lake that had plenty of 40in.+ sized fish not far from the lake we were on. The next morning I gave it a shot. There was a tournament scheduled to begin at 7:00AM and I again struck up a conversation with a couple of competitors. Less than an hour later I tied into a brute that went 45in. Although shorter than my PB, she was heavier and much more of a challenge to bring to the net. I was so pumped, I got her unhooked, measured and released without thinking that I could have called one of the other boats over to get a pic. I was fishing alone and that is my 'normal' chain of events. I also raised two nice fish. Not bad for a novice compared to a lot of the guys on the water that day. I think that lake will be on my go to list next year.

Repeat, they aren't stiff. The new ones are much more accurate when it comes to power rating.

Another vote for the double overhand knot. It'll break long before the knot holding the hook.

Anyone tried this line? I'm curious as to its use for cranks as it is advertised having 50% less stretch than other monos. The other property they advertise is less water absorption vs. other monos. It's a little pricey for mono, but if it lives up to the hype, it may be worth it.

I use them with two different retrieves in the summer. The first is quick, repeated jerks with short pauses and the second is the same way I fish a crank in open water; crank it with pauses, or twitches. That minnow profile will get bit when a fat body crank gets ignored. Don't forget the deeper diving, spoonbill, jerkbaits in the summer. Once it gets down to running depth, quick pauses and softer jerks will get some 'rip the rod outa your hand' strikes.

With the current shortages, components are in high demand. Projectiles, however, are at the bottom of the demand list. I'd jump on FaceBook MarketPlace once you get everything sorted. You won't need to deal with shipping charges. I only load for .223 and .308 and came across about 1k of .308's for $100. Most were hunting bullets (I don't hunt), but 300 were168gr Nosler Match. They made the purchase well worth it.

By the time you add an outboard and other options, you're looking at $25K+ for a new aluminum boat. Although 'complete packages' offer most everything you'd want, that price tag can be a turn-off for many newcomers to boating. The upside is the fact that a new boat comes with a warranty and trust me when I say that used boats can be money pits when/if something goes wrong. If you decide to go used, I recommend you purchase it from a dealer. Their reputation is what their dealership relies on and if you do have an issue after purchase, most will bend over backwards to get it corrected.

There are basically two types of artificial baits; Those used to get a feeding response and those designed to get a reaction bite (strike). There some that do both, but starting out with artificial baits, I recommend that you start out with one that targets a feeding response, specifically a stick worm. You can rig it weighted, unweighted, wacky style, C-riggedand a number of other ways. Only use one style bait and and stick with it until you start catching fish.

I use 10lb. FC on my Alphas with no issues. I don’t feel the need to go to a lighter/thinner FC and I fish some super clear water with 1/8oz. Hair jigs and 1/16oz tubes. I’d give the standard spool a shot before investing in a BFS one. then again, I’m not concerned with casting distance, maybe you are.

Add a quality ball bearing swivel to the end of your leader when fishing spoons or in-line spinners. Another option when using a short leader, is to use a swivel when attaching the leader vs. a knot.

I use a pen style, diamond dust sharpener for treble hooks (Kraken) and a sharpening stone for single hooks like spinnerbaits and jigs. I like something a bit more aggressive for the thicker hooks.

Aside from murky water, I also use a glass bead when targeting the edges of weed beds. I use a stopper about 3in. above the sinker to help reduce the possibility of the weeds catching between the weight and worm on an errant cast. Seems to help when conditions are tough.

When I need to limit the gear I take, One thing helps eliminate a lot of unnecessary plastics and that is confidence. The three soft plastics I have the most confidence in are worms, swimbaits and craws. The swimbaits and craws can be fished as trailers to hardbaits and they all can be presented top to bottom. The different profiles also help eliminate other baits. Minnow, bulky craw and skinny worm. I also eliminate multiple bags of the same bait in different colors by using dyes. A bottle of each; blue, red, and green give me plenty of options colorwise. After saying this, I admit that when I don't need to limit what I bring, I bring everything.

Yes it does, bu not enough to get your crank deeper. What it eliminates is the bow in your line that mono has which prevents your crank from reaching its potential maximum depth. Many translate that as fluoro getting your bait deeper.

Accuracy and distance are two major concerns when it comes to casting. Shorter casts can glean accuracy, especially with shorter rods (pitching excluded). Accuracy and distance together are difficult to achieve as you normally sacrifice one for the other. That isn't a bad thing , but when attempting to hit small targets at distances of 30yrds or more it can be frustrating. In the situation presented by the OP the best option would be to stay just inside a casting distance away and feather the spool so the lure lands just outside the moss. I would consider that distance control, not accuracy.

Hook size would depend on the model of Spook and whether the stock hooks are attached to a hook hanger or has the eye, split ring, hook configuration. If you're adding split rings and hooks to one with hook hangars, go with short shanks (you can go up in size if you like). For the others, either reuse the split rings on the lure, or go with new ones. I prefer standard wire round bend hooks (https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/mustad-ultrapoint-kvd-elite-round-bend-treble-hook) for the front hook(s) and their heavier https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/mustad-35647-round-bend-extra-strong ones for the rear. I also add a suspend dot or two to the tail section so the tail sits a little low and it also makes it easier to keep the bait in the zone longer when you want.

I've read through most of the replies and feel I should add one more comment. Part of the equipment you need when frog fishing is sharp hooks. Keep some type of hook file in your box and touch up he hooks before ever throwing that frog. Many of the bass I catch on frogs are hooked deep in the upper, bony part of the mouth. That takes the right equipment, including sharp hoods. Sorry to hear you lost what was likely your PB.