papajoe222

Whenever I bring fishing gear home, I hear: "you have too much fishing gear" or 'half the lures you have you never use" I don't say a word, I just go to the walk in closet, open the door and point at the boxes and boxes of shoes. Then I go put my new gear away .?

A thousand reasons why, ergo a thousand baits. Actually, I likely have more, if you count soft plastics individually and not by the package. ? Durado, do you play with your plastics?

I'm the same with outerwear.

My boss HAD a KIa Sorento that he used for towing his 14ft. semi-V down to southern Illinois from Chicago on a regular basis. It lasted one year before the transmission gave out and that boat/trailer weight less than 1750lbs. Yes, it was under warranty. No, he didn't keep it after it was fixed. He bought a Honda Pilot. He's had it three years with zero problems.

That sounds like some fun competition. As it's a few weeks away, a lot can change. The weeds will likely be turning brown. If that's the case, target whatever green weeds you can find. Possibly a top/bottom approach using a skinny worm with a tail that won't catch on the weeds and pegging the weight. A Zoom Trick Worm can be worked weightless to target the weed tops and unless working something along the bottom is out of the question, can be used as a punch bait that doesn't require a lot of weight and shouldn't pick up much as both it and the weight have a small, thin profile. Just something you might try if you're having trouble getting bites.

I only reach for the smaller bait under tough conditions and I rarely work it fast. The hits are very rarely the big toilet flush, water explosions and most fish are hooked on the rear treble, but it works for me. Come to think of it, I rarely fish the big ones fast as the fish don't respond well to one.

I rarely fish frogs, but when I do, I use braid. For everything else including buzz baits I use mono, even when fishing over/around weeds. Braid gets hung on the front treble way too often and fluorocarbon pulls the nose of many baits down, ruining the action.

Enjoy the holiday everyone. I’m going to change things up today and target walleye. Hopefully be grilling some for supper.

I'm not a numbers guy. If I were, I'd shy away from big baits. That being said, I don't own anything 'north of 1.5oz. in my big bait arsenal. 6.5in.-8in. paddle tail swim baits, 10in. worms, creature tubes, big top waters and jigs with long trailers are my 'big baits' and they do just fine in the fall.

Just as in fishing a plastic worm, the lightest weight that will get the job done is the route to take. Not that there aren't times when going heavier or lighter may work, but as a place to start it is a good guide. Lighter weights will get you more bites, but as you mentioned, conditions may not allow them. I normally use light weights in shallow, fairly calm water and go heavier as I go deeper. 1/4oz is as heavy as I normally go. I most often use a drop shot under tough, bluebird sky, calm days. If it's windy, or overcast, the conditions call for something else. The only exception for me is when I 'Bubba Shot' using a 1/2oz or heavier weight in thick vegetation. I allow more slack in the line between twitches, which I believe makes it easier for the bass to get the bait into its mouth and doesn't alert her to the weight when she does.

One bait that you can fish top to bottom, without altering it, is a spinner bait. Yes, you can fish a worm, or jig at any depth, but only by changing the weight. Doesn't that change it to a different lure? If not, I go with the worm, too.

I also Very rarely use a spinning rod. I went so far as to build casting rod on a spinning blank. If you're okay with using spinning gear, I say: Go for it. It is much easier to find a spinning rod with the power and action you want than to find a casting rod with the same. It will fill that void you have nicely.

The money you save using a lure retriever will outweigh the cost of it. Some of the lures you save, you can't put a price tag on. I carry both a telescoping one that will reach down to 12ft. and something similar that slides down the line for the deep, or difficult to get to hang-ups.

I'm just guessing here as I have no idea of your skill level, or equipment. I teach a lot of 5-9yr olds how to fish using both live bait and lures. Two things I teach them that will reduce gut hooked fish are to let the bait fall while keeping tension on the line. That means closing the bail, or turning the reel handle when the bait hits the water. Not a second or two later. The other is to watch that line where it enters the water. I have them using hi visibility, yellow braid as a main line so that any twitch or jump in the line is easy to see. If you're not doing these two things, I suggest you start. If you are, then I recommend using fluoro, or braid with a leader to increase sensitivity. Keep tension on the line without raising the weight off the bottom. As a last resort, switch to circle hooks and do as suggested, reel set with the rod tip up.

I doubt if the spool tension loosening is a quirk of the reel's design as spool tension and drag work independently of each other. Even when the spool is turning as the drag is doing its job, if the spool tension were to become a factor, the spool would still be turning in a clockwise direction as line is fed out. What I suspect is that the close proximity of the cast control knob, star drag and the swept cranking handle is allowing something to turn the cast control knob during the fight. Most likely, your fingers are brushing against it as you grip tightens. A cast control that clicks to let you know how much you've adjusted it is, IMO, a useless feature that doesn't inhibit the knob from loosening any more than one that doesn't have it.

Spool capacity only comes into play when casting jigs and even then, a reel that will hold 100-120yrds. of 14lb. test mono will hold more than enough braid for fishing jigs. I carry three rods for jigs, one of which doubles as my punching set-up. 60yrds of 40lb. braid is the most I have spooled and it's on my swim jig combo. The two used for pitching and punching hold heavier line, but less of it. A spool of quality braid goes further when you spool more backing and less of the braid. You may find that you need more braid for a particular jig presentation, but I doubt if you'll ever use more than 100yrds.

I'm partial to the Havoc Pit Boss on my punch rig. That and a bulky, or double skirt to slow the fall rate, but still allows penetration of the canopy and the claws don't catch on the heavy vegetation when the bait is falling. The two craw style trailers that I've found to really slow the fall of a flipping jig are the Rage and Paca craws. I've even inserted bits of packing peanuts into the hollow of a Paca Craw to slow the fall even more.

For those conditions, I have two 'go to' presentations. A Charlie Brewer Slider jig and a Zoom Finesse worm, or a BPS Teaser Tube. Although I rig the tube 'stupid' style, I have been known to use it as a drop shot bait, or on a split shot rig.

If you can find areas where the forage fish hold, you can target them. If shad are the main forage of the lake, you are going to have a difficult time finding a spot within casting distance. I recommend using a presentation with a history of having the ability to draw fish to it from a distance. A Spook, Wiggle Wart, or a bottom presentation like a football jig, or C-rig that kicks up a lot of bottom silt.

The first thing to make note of is any point within casting distance and its contour. Another thing you should look for is areas where the bottom composition changes. Areas that you can see where the grass line ends are the easiest to spot, but, with lake levels down, you can sometimes see where a muck bottom changes to gravel or rock. Keep in mind when you’re mapping where you’ll be standing and casting from when the water level returns to normal.

Thanks. I'm due for another pair and the other half is asking what I want for our anniversary.

I've been dealing with this issue for over 15 years and it doesn't take three days for my shoulder to flare up, more like three hours. I use a roll cast 75% of the time and don't pitch at all. If I can't reach a spot by flipping, I back off and cast to the spot. I do a couple of things to prolong my time on the water. First off I take three Ibuprofen prior to an outing. second I limit the amount of cranking I do because that is the one time I always use an overhand cast. Once off the water, I rub a CBD cream on the area if it's bothering me. I know it seems like a lot to go through, but There's no way I'm giving up fishing and I sure as heck amNOT GETTING SURGERY. I suggest you do see a doctor, though. Physical therapy to strengthen the supporting muscles and a light exercise routine could keep you fishing for a long time.

I do and I don't, but I prefer not to as I've had the trailer hook catch up in the gills with the main hook in the mouth. I actually don't have a combo dedicated to spinnerbaits. If I tie one on with braid, I'm sure to add a trailer hook. With mono, I rarely do.

Me too. I like the way the gel 'sticks' to my hard baits.

Arkie style refers to the jig head design, which was, I believe, first introduced by Arkie Jigs.