papajoe222

Talk about misinformation being touted as fact. The sole purpose of wearing a mask is to protect OTHERS. They offer no protection for oneself and is the reason why CDC and WHO originally stated NOT to wear them for protection against catching the virus. Even the N95 masks have been proven ineffective against preventing catching the virus.

I've found that the big females will suspend off the first structural break out from the spawning area before making a move to their summer spots. A drop shot shines when targeting them as they are rarely active. I prefer a hair jig suspended under a float, but not may guys fish that way.

For more consistent hook ups I spread the weed guard apart slightly down the middle giving the hook a clear path. Then I bend it downward so it sits slightly above the hook rather than a 45 degree angle. You could always clip a couple of the fibers.

Bass are opportunistic feeders. Their first move after the spawn is generally to the first structural change away from the spawning area. When the bluegill spawn, it's often in the same area the bass did. It's an easy move for the bass to return to that area. I'd start with a bluegill imitator in that area. One more thing. Bass will opt for crawfish over most any other forage, so if you're undecided or not sure, keep that in mind.

What's the main forage and cover on the lake? What has been working for others, or what hasn't worked for you. Lastly, where did the majority of fish spawn (flats, bays, points)?

I've talked a blue streak trying to convince her to switch to a baitcaster because the mechanics are similar, or a spinning reel which is what I teach the little tikes with. No go, she's a stubborn gal and I've learned when to give up trying to persuade her. I've been wanting a dog since our last one passed five years ago. She said if I even think about bringing one home to pack my bags. I have two of three ready and I'm contemplating filling the third.

Thanks for the replies. I had tried pressing the power button and going to the systems pages and adjusting the brightness with no results. I ended up restoring all the default settings for each page by memorizing which buttons to push after watching a YouTube video. For an old fart that can't remember squat, it took me a couple of tries. I should have borrowed the grandsons tablet and watched while I tried, but I got it fixed.

The better half only fishes with a spincast reel and after going through a number of Zebco 33's, I figured it was time for her to upgrade. Picked up two Pfluger Presidents and although both her and I were impressed with them, They are a bit on the heavy side. I've been eyballing the Daiwa Silvercast and Goldcast offerings and wondering about their overall performance. I've read both good and poor reviews and was looking for opinions from you guys. The Silvercast is lighter by a couple of ounces, is a little smaller ( the 80 size) and appears to be a bit more sturdy.

Welcome Back Good to have another old fart active here. Our numbers have been dwindling.

If it's going to be your first, I suggest one of the two hook versions. You'll get more bites with those from the bass up here. I do throw the Super Spook a lot on a couple of Wisc. lakes for pike and catch a number of nice bass on it. The main reason I use it then is the action isn't influenced as much by the leader that's a must for pike fishing.

I caught my PB, 6lb.15oz, in July of 2013. I've been close to beating that over the last two years, but a 7lb. has eluded me though I know my home lake harbors a few. Yesterday, I got that monkey off my back with a 23in. 7lb4oz brute. Water temp was only 58, but she was full of eggs waiting to move up to spawn. I doubt she would have gone much over 6.5lb after spawning, but I'll take the win. Now If I can ever figure out how to post a photo here, I'll share it. On that note, why can I post a 20min video and not a single photo? I know it's a different format, but come on.

I never heard it called strolling, but that is my go-to retrieve for the cold water period. Hair jigs and small swimbaits on a shakey head.

Post spawn through fall...........JIG. Even under cold front conditions, I'm confident that I can squeeze out a couple of good bites with a jig and, more often than not, they are quality fish. A Spook is the lure I feel I'm most skilled with, but it has its place A jig I will fish under most any condition.

For me, if I am confident that there are numbers of fish there, I'll stick around. How I determine that is by the number of bites I get over a given time frame. In a tournament situation, if I get four bites in an hour, I'll stick around, especially if all four are in the live well. That decision comes from a bad experience. I had four nice 16in.-17in. fish off a spot and left to check out a few others. I returned a couple of hours later, still with only four in the well and another angler was on the spot. He ended up winning by 8oz. over me as my 5th was barely legal. Bass, especially off shore bass, may move off a spot to feed, but will return to their summer home. If they were feeding on the spot when I got there, I may move to the nearest, deeper, structure change when the bite dies.

Either is a good choice for Ned rigs. You don't need a med/fast for those light wire hooks. St. Croix makes a few in med/light that are big sellers up in north country. Swanson's Bait and Tackle has a great selection and awesome customer service. I have one that I've been using for light wire hair jigs up to 1/4oz. It's light and sensitive. Tried it out on a Ned my last time out. Didn't catch anything, but confident it'll be a good match.

I always forget the name of them because I order them in large quantities, but the out barb ones are super sharp and I have yet to have a fish bend one.

This is a good example of anglers believing that there is a magic bait that will put them on fish. There are a number of things that could be different. Depth, speed, color, blade configuration, etc. Are you getting fish to follow your spinner? If so, you're doing something right and a small change of some type may be all that's needed. If not, your way off base even though you may be using the right bait. Oh yea, one more thing. A straight, steady retrieve may get you some fish, but an irregular one with pauses, or twitches of the rod tip will get you a lot more under the majority of situations.

before you go wasting money on new line try two things. First go outside and walk off about 150ft of line in the grass. Now, with your rod tip pointed down, walk away while dragging the line thru the grass for about 150ft. Stop, and with your rod tip down slowly reel holding the line between your fingers about a foot in front of the reel. This will take out the majority of twist. You can do it again if needed. Second check your drag setting. Reeling and not taking up any line either means your line isn't secured to the reel spool, or your drag setting is too loose.

Some great baits suggested here, so I'll chime in on the question of when to use silent cranks and this is based on my experiences. Any crank presented in clear water at a depth above that of the light penetration is a silent one for me. I don't know about a bass' vision, but I feel that there is no need to draw attention to your presentation by adding noise. Bass, being sight feeders, are going to see your crank and rattles don't add any strike inducing characteristic. I reserve those for deep, or lower visibility water. The one exception, for me, is fishing post frontal conditions when the bass are holding tight to cover and have a very small strike window. That's when I break out the bright, gaudy colors and baits with rattles. I don't care why, but burning a noisy, bright crank can get them out of their funk and into attack mode.

I've had my new Hook2 for a few weeks and decided to customize some of the settings. The pallet on my sonar page was the first and that was a simple procedure. Next, I rearranged the data display, again fairly simple, as was adjusting the font size and brightness. I made these changes with the unit in stand by mode while the boat was on the trailer, switched it off stand by and powered it off. When I turned the unit on the first time out, the screen went dark after the boot up. I looked closely at the screen and the information on the display was there, but the screen was so dark, I couldn't see it. I know how to adjust the brightness and tried without success. I even switched back to factory settings. Funny thing is, when the boat is out of the water, the screen is easily seen. Anyone have an idea what is going on?

The water temp finally surpassed 55 yesterday and the bass here in northern Illinois showed their impatience to get into some warmer water. They've a way to go before they're up clearing beds, but that first move from belly down, deep, winter spots is under way. I expected the bite to still be slow, but better than my last outing, I started on some mid-depth structure about 60yrds off a well known spawning flat and was rewarded with three, almost identical, bass. Two more fell prey to a Norman Deep Little N on a similar spot about 300yrds down from there. Five fish in five hours isn't what I'd call active, but I'll take it over what I caught over my last two outings.........0

I'd go with a 3/8oz jig. I can fish it shallow, or deep, with a fast or slow fall rate, fast or slow. One way or another I can catch them on a jig. A close second would be a 1/2oz spinnerbait for the same reasons

Two baits that I dead stick more than all the others combined; a 10in. worm and a Zara Spook. I cast them out and work them for a few feet, stop and wait. While waiting, I'll retie a leader, or change baits on one of my other rods. Then, I'll go to move the bait and get bit. In some instances, I'll have to put down whatever else I was doing and set the hook because a fish had picked it up while it sat on the bottom, or blew up on my Spook as it sat motionless.

yes it is. I've caught a number of them on TR. The absence of the dark lateral line and the zebra stripes on its head are two easy identifiers. Nice catch

The best place, IMO, to throw a Trap is in the weeds! Why would you want to make it weedless? Cast it out, start reeling and when it hangs up a little on the weeds, give it a rip to clear it from the weeds and hang on. Silly question.