papajoe222

So my buddy and I had an in depth discussion on this question that included our thought process when selecting baits for the fall. He insisted that, because presentations are slower in the fall, the baits should be smaller. His reasoning revolved around reducing the possibility that with bigger baits, imperfections are easier for the fish to spot and so they'll refuse the offering, or not commit to taking it. My logic has always been that the forage has grown all summer and a bigger bait will best imitate that and, because the fish are looking to bulk up for the winter, a bigger bait will attract more interest, so that is what I start with. That's not to say I won't throw smaller baits in the fall. A 1/8oz. hair jig with the tail section of a trick worm is my go to when I do. What's your opinion and why?

All my bullet sinkers are concave at the base. Besides, if a fish refuses my worm because the bullet weight wobbles, I have a much bigger problem to deal with.

I love my Columbia rain jacket. Although it isn't super light, it is still comfortable to wear on hot days because of the way it's designed. It's also 100% water proof (even the zippers) unlike some rain gear made for anglers. Like you, I went up a size to permit layering underneath, but I also have a set of BPS Gore-Tex rain parka with the 100mph liner along with the bibs for the colder months. I had a mid-weight jacket from them, but disliked the elastic, inner cuff and the pockets. Moved into the Columbia and just add a layer for the cool nights.

I normally go past the eye and knot and then peg the plastic in place with a toothpick. Glen likes to use 40lb. mono I live way to far inland to ever see 40lb. on a shelf, but I'm sure it would work better as the toothpick tears up some of the skinny worms after a couple of fish.

I fell in love with paddle/boot tail soft plastics last year and the competed with a jig this season as my top producer. I use jig heads 75% of the time, mostly ball head and half of that time on a swim jig as a trailer. my first advice is to NOT use braid unless the cover calls for it. Some give or stretch in your line seems to be an advantage when swimming these. Another thing I found that really increased my hook ups was to keep the rid tip at 10:00 or 11:00 when swimming them. Then set the hook by dropping the rod tip, reeling up the slack and popping that hook home. Kind of like setting the hook on a jig. hope that helps.

One of the biggest bass I caught in 2016 was caught on Black Friday. I’m in the minority here as I’ll throw top waters until the lake starts to freeze around the shoreline. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t my first choice and I don’t stick with one unless they’re really committing to it. As the water cools, my presentation slows down almost to the point of dead sticking. What can I say? I’m the type that would rather catch one on top water than two on a jig.

Not really, I find the bass are much more predictable during the summer. Fall fishing can be great, but it can also be very frustrating. IMO, you’re over thinking things. Yes, there is always a possibility of encountering a snake, or gator. As with most wildlife, their first response to your presence is to get away from you. The other thing to keep in mind is the fact that March in the Tampa area is warm, but not the hot, humid summer conditions when they are most active. Enjoy your outing. It’s a good time to fish in Florida.

Stud, I like that, of course it’s a guy calling me that so..... Depending on where your lake is in the fall cycle; Early, water temps in the low 70’s to mid 60’s. square bill crank Spinnerbait or swim jig Square bill crank Jerk bait Spook Late, water temp below 60 Blade bait Jerk bait Jig Swim bait

Falling air temps. affect small bodies of water a lot quicker than 500+ acre lakes. Chances are good that the water temp. dropped a few degrees, especially with the wind you mentioned. Keeping in mind that colder water sinks, I'd concentrate on the upper water column if the wind isn't churning up the surface. That upper 8ft. should still be warm enough by you to fish for active fish. Notice I said upper water column and not shallow. Yes, the shallows fall into that, and there is plenty of shallow water for you to explore. Use your square bills and spinnerbaits to cover water looking for active fish. If you can find shallow water with fairly quick access to deeper water, those areas will likely hold fish. If not active, I'd cover those areas with either a hard, or soft jerk bait and a jig. You could even use a swim jig in place of the spinnerbait and switch to a jigging retrieve if they don't respond to the faster, swimming retrieve.

If it is running on its side and not straight up and down there is something wrong with the bill, or the line tie. You can try a slight twist to the line tie and see if it makes a difference. If it’s blowing out (you can feel when it does this) you’re reeling it too fast for the bill’s design. There is a lot of water moving over that lip, exerting pressure on it. There comes a point when the lip wants to take the path of least resistance. As soon as it does, the resistance/ pressure is reduced and it will resume its job. Sometimes you can fine tune a crank that does this, but the best remedy is to slow down your retrieve.

This is a personal preference question that only you can answer. I'll offer my opinion. If you can afford another combo, I'd go for it. If you can get by with switching your existing reel on both rods and you can only afford to do that, you can always add another reel in the future. On the other hand, if you're looking to add different presentations (lures), ask yourself if your current combo will handle those. I have way too much gear, but each piece was added for a specific fish species and presentation. 90% of it is left at home every time I go fishing.

Both lines are rated below their actual breaking strength. I personally don’t like fluorocarbon, but use 14lb. as leader material with 30lb. braid.

I use a punch rig with up to a 1oz tungsten weight. There are a bunch of soft plastics you can use, but stay away from craws and anything that can catch the weeds on the way down. Beaver type baits are popular. I prefer a 5in tube. I load the cavity with scent when things are slow and just let it sit on the bottom.

Just because a lake is supposed to have a good number of big bass doesn't make it so. Have you witnessed anyone landing 6lb. or larger fish? I'm guessing with the presence of timber that the lake is man made .You mentioned three types of cover, but not any defining structure. On a small lake with abundant cover and little obvious structure, the subtle structure becomes that much more important. Of those three types of cover, which does the lake's main forage prefer and what is it. Just knowing what the bass feed on is a big clue to where you'll find them. Lastly, target areas where other anglers avoid. That heavy matted coon-tail may just be where the big girls avoid the heavy pressure. It may take some ingenuity to figure out how to fish it effectively, but once you do, you may unlock a gold mine.

I have a few, but have never switched back and forth between them and the originals.

Try moving your post to the marine electronics forum https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/45-marine-electronics/ chances are someone there has the same unit and can be of more help.

Check the rating on the vest prior to trying it on. Most are adjustable to about 50in. or so. Some will support more weight than others. I believe mine is rated for max 300lbs. The ones I've seen on salt water charters are rated to 500lbs.

1. White/chart swim jig with a 3-4in Kalin's grub 2. Suspending jerk bait 3. Blade bait 4. Square bill I opt out of using soft plastics once the water temp. drops to 50. Same thing for topwater presentations.

At least you reeled in as much line as possible prior to attempting to break off. There are guys on my home lake that refuse to pull up anchor to go get their rig. They just cut the line, tie on a new rig and continue fishing, When an unlucky schmuck like myself runs over that 30yrds of line with a trolling motor or outboard, you know what can happen and how costly it can be. I have nothing against fishing for table fare, but please retrieve as much line as possible prior to cutting off. You don't have the excuse a bank fisherman does and it only takes a few minutes.

I fish alone about 75% of the time and I use both an automatic inflatable while fishing and a vest style PFD while running the boat. I can always activate the inflatable manually, but for a few extra bucks, I like knowing that the possible few seconds of loosing my orientation when I enter the water won't be wasted. Then there is the concern over getting clunked on the head. I use a Sospenders and replace the bobbin every year and the CO2 cartridge every other. I purchased a BassPro model a few years back for the wife and do the same with hers.

My wife only uses these reeks, so I bought her the best available, IMO, Pfluger. She has landed numerous 5-5lb bass and cats. She did loose her PB this season, but not because of the reel.

Best advice I can give is to keep as much slack in your line as possible and be a line watcher. Even on semi-slack line, bites can be difficult to detect. If that line moves sideways, or you see it jump where it enters the water, well, you know what to do.

Sounds good. It may clear up some confusion many of us have on color selection.

Great write-up. I've always been partial to the double willow combination and a short arm single willow. The majority of the time I end up modifying baits to those ends as I rarely see them offered. I love an Indiana blade in the spring and late fall on days when the breeze is blowing. Come to think about it, I rarely use a spinner bait when there isn't some wind. The exception is ledge fishing, or slow rolling over deep structure.

As I find many fish in shallow water this time of year, I really like square bills. If a medium to fast retrieve with pauses isn't working, I switch to a thin bait with a tight wiggle. For a tough bite, I really like the Scatter Rap and Mann's 1-Minus (which I can speed up, too}