Mbirdsley

Well I wouldn’t use my boat if I went as a co-angler the first couple of times. I think all of tournaments around me are team tournaments. From what I can understand it’s team tournaments but, I can have a differnt partner each event if I wanted too. There are about 3-4 differnt weekly tournaments around me. I have been in contact with a couple different people at the different tournaments. I could fish it solo but, I would loose points for the end of the year standings. So if I plan on fishing the tournaments enough eventually I would have to find a partner.

You can find them on eBay from $4 for regular sized jigs to $7 for the big 1 1/2 oz punching jigs. I’ve personally bought the big punching jigs and they are of good quality

Working depending I really want to do some tournaments this year. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do one a week, one every 2 weeks, or 1 a month. Just have to see what my work schedule is as it can change at a moments noticed. I have a boat I will be using however, is it better to start out as a co-angler for a couple tournaments or is it better to just get your feet wet with my own boat?

Actually I hadn’t thought of that for some reason. Probably fit my last 5 cranks

Primarily I wanted those boxes just so I didn’t have cranks lying on top of each other getting beat up. The holes for rust prevention is a bonus. I think I paid $7.50 for each box.

Jointed j-7 rapala’s will crush big smallies untill the water temps start to get really warm. I have had a lot of success just on a straight cast and reel in retrieve . You want it going fast enough to get that jointed rapala wiggle. Also throw them in slack water and let them sit there untill the ripples have stopped. Than just gently move your rod tip to get it to bob up in down in the water to make more ripples. Usually a bass is sitting right underneath of it after it touches down abd you let sit. At that point they are just waiting for the slightest movement to hammer it. Make it bob 2-3 times than retrieve it back. In line spinners are another good early spring through early summer lure. once the water warms snd it summer time it’s all about the tube bait. All you need in the summer is 4 inch green pumpkin tube with a tube jig in 1/16-1/8 range or adjust to conditions. I’ve caught a lot of smallies with a just dead slow retrieve. You want that tube just ticking the bottom as you bring it back couple jerks here and there for variety. finally the ned rig works in faster water. The way I use it is kinda like bottom bouncing for steel head. Throw it up stream with enough weight for it to to come back to you while reeling in the slack line. Ideally you want it like the tube skipping along the bottom with current. The weedless neds work good. Best thing is you don’t need fancy line for any of what I’ve discussed unless, it’s super super clear . I’ve caught giant river smallies just on mono.

Now that the boats done it’s time to get ready for the up coming season. I’m hoping next week end is my first trip. So it’s time to duckies on buying tackle and getting new line spooked up made a swim jig/ chatter bait trailer order 3 bags of 4.2 inch big bite baits kamikaze in black blue flake, Pearl, and green pumpkin chartreuse swirl ( summer craw). Also, 2 packs of razor Shad which, I’ve been wanting to try for a while. 1 pack in black and blue flake and another in Houdini. I’ve only had so so luck with paddle tails as trailers put all of my cranks and square bills in my new Plano boxes. All of the square bills for plus room for 4 lipless cranks. I had to leave 4-5 of my summer cranks out of the crank so I could make room for stuff that I’d use in cold water. Shad raps are still in a flat Plano box

I’ve always had good luck with black blue shadow cristy critters. That was one of the first brush hog type baits I’ve used. I guess as to reason why to use them I’ve yet to see anybody else make a color like black blue shadow in a brush hog style bait.

75% of my jig or t-rig for that matter strikes happen during the fall. The other 25% come on some combination of a slow drag with pauses, drag pause shake, fast or slow hopping, or a rip it than kill it drag. If they are not hitting it on the fall you will have to let the fish tell you what they want.

Always trailer on a jig. I have the most success using any where from 3-6 inch curly tail jigs on spinner baits. However, I do have some z-man razor Shad In bound. Orginally, I had intended those for swim baits and chatter baits but, after seeing some pics in this thread with razor Shad on spinner baits. Might give that combo a try ive never had success with boot tailed swim baits on spinner baits though

Grandpa, dad, and I took a ride up to the gigantic North Woods outdoors in Pinconing Mi today. Mainly headed up there to buy some walleye gear as grandpa and dad will fish with me than. Any how dropped about $350 up there and still couldn’t resist some bass gear. Picked up 10 packs of gamagatsu 4/0 off set shank worm hooks for $1.00 a piece, 1 pack of #2 gama finesse wacky hooks, Berkley power swimmers 3.3 inch Ayu color( on sale $2.99 ) Berkley HD true color the champ swimmer in yellow perch, 2 Berkley fritt side 9’s in rubber tail and brown craw, 2 packs of mustard KVD #6 hooks, kvd size #1, hurricane swivels ( Carolina rigging), a klaxon horn for those oh crap moments on the big lake and finally 2 Plano hydro flint hanging lure boxes. I bought those for storing cranks hopefully they won’t get as eat up in these boxes rather than laying on their sides. Fish can beat my cranks up and I’m fine but, I don’t like when I do it. Could do a lot more but, it’s all walleye stuff.

For people who live in Michigan. North woods which, is a gigantic fishing (mainly) and hunting store in Pinconning Mi, has some good deals going. Those who don’t know north woods started out as an out let that bought up overstocked fishing stuff or from stores that have went out of business. However, they still buy overstocked stuff but, have moved to also buying a boat load of new tackle at a time I bought 10 packs of Gamakatsu 4/0 off set worm hooks for $1.00 a piece. They had hundreds of packs left in 2/0-4/0 They also have some other bass tackle on sale like Berkley power swimmers $2.99.

Stole this one from face book. You could insert your favorite tackle MFG instead of 6th sense

I’m pretty much done. I have the echo map hooked up and also my striker 4cv. Only other thing I need to do is mount my traxstech rod tracks for walleye fish. Firing her up tomorrow than I am ready to go for the year. this has been a very good learning experience and something to do over the winter months. I’m hoping though, that my wife after this project is completed just agrees to a boat loan. I’ve probably have enough money in this to buy a $7000-$8000 boat that’s not figuring In time. She would get on me once in a while about being in the garage at night. I just reminded her that I could have had a boat I didn’t need totally rebuild but, somebody wasn’t on board. So there were lessons learned for everybody. However, not having that monthly payment is a plus.

About 3-4 years ago eppenger came out with a limited run of new spoons. They came out once a month for the whole summer. At The time you had to order these special spoons directly from eppenger. So a group of us on Michigan sportsman bought them every month. I lasted the first 2 months. That brown and red one was also a good bass color. Basically, if they sold enough of these spoons they would make them a regular production run. I ordered the first 2 of the new color pack. That sunfish spoon was a pike killer and I caught a lot of smallies on that chartreuse and black one. I fished them a lot that summer but, kinda got a way from them the last 2 years. ive always been partial to Eppinger as they are a very old lure mfg from Dearborn Mi. Also my grandfather took the Epoinger family out on a salmon charter in late 80’s early 90’s. The family gave brought and him boxes of spoons when they got on the boat. He still has a lot of the old ones.

Yeah, any time you go fishing is a good time. This time of year in Michigan untill it gets to be about 60 degrees. I try launching by 10-11 am so I’m getting the hottest part of the day. Only decent thing about this time of year is I can sleep in on my off days

I don’t know about seeing under water but, I’m to the point that I would feel out of it mentally if I didn’t have even a cheap Walmart pair on.

Gulp pumpkin crawler was my introduction to plastic worms while river fishing for bass. I used to kick the crap out of them before I even knew what I was doing. Mid-summer with a low river I’d just T-rig them With out weight. Caught a lot of smallies, channel cats, rock bass, and pike out of the Shiawassee river. I was by them by the tub full at one point. the walleye guys on the Saginaw bay usually keep a couple packs around. When they run out of real worms they will put gulp crawlers on worm harnesses to finish out their limits

I did real well on those last fall in blue gizzard Shad

Fishing Deck is on and re-Wired all of the wiring for my nav lights, anchor lights, new bilge, and new switch in the dash. The new switch is a 4 gang switch with 4 rocker switches, usb phone charger and volt meter . The switch panel is only temporarily wired in I have inline fuses coming tommrow that I will splice in I forgot how bad that deck was to install the first time. Elbows should not bend like that !!! still on track for firing her up this weekend

I always I’m hook the fish finders when I’m at home and put it in the consoles. I just figure I paid a lot of money for them why am I going to leave them in the elements. Sometimes I may hook everything up the night before a trip. Than it Depends on where I’m going. If I am going straight to the launch and say the launch is only 20-30 minutes away I leave them hooked up. If I am going a couple of hours away and I know I might need to make a stop I unhook and lock up. or if I’m launching in down town saginaw to launch on he river I always unhook and lock up

That could be a possibility. If all you have ever known was how to use the live scope or the other really hi-end stuff. You don’t have the ability to just look at a map and say “ that looks good I’ll try there”. Or aimlessly casted for hours untill you found fish electronics or other high end gear won’t make a bad to average fishermen good. However, it will help make a very good fishermen to an excellent fishermen or excellent to a pro. Just because, you have all the high end stuff doesn't mean it lets you skip all the steps in between bad and excellent. We all started at bad/beginner and worked hard to get where we are currently.

I use it for backing to fill up half of my spool. Than a put good line on the other half. That’s about all I would use zebco, eagle claw, and any other cheap 550 yard Wally World $1.99 line for.

It is very much in our own interest for the fishermen and hunters to be paying for the bikers, hikers, skiers. We get to set the ground rules on the state land. I don’t know about other states but, in Michigan hunting and fishing activities come first on the state land/rec areas/ state camp grounds, lakes, and rivers where multiple outdoor activities take place. Once the other out door activities begin to pay they will start to expect that they are given favor first and or other areas free of hunters and fishermen. We the fishermen/women and hunters have brought back the rivers, woods, fiends and lakes from ecological disaster through excise tax’s on sporting goods and licens fees so we get to control what happens and get first priority. there are plenty of groups that want to wipe out hunting and fishing. We need to keep them in check

I have had them work on the Tittabawassee which is all logs and rocks