Mbirdsley

Not a whole lot really. Except I lengthen my leaders in ultra clear northern Michigan waters. They still bite tubes, jigs, cranks, worms and other bass gear. Only thing maybe is you can lighten up use lighter line and rods. They still relate to cover it’s just more water cover, pts, breaks. They are very common in rivers up here. Where as large mouth wanted to bury them selves in cover and are not as common in the rivers

The fish brain app kinda encompasses everything that you want to track. It’s basically a fishing social media platform. You log your catch and you can either make it public ( shows everybody the exact spot you caught the fish , competitive ( only shows the public lake it shows you your self where you caught the fish or where the pic was taken was ) , or The most restrictive setting just posts your pics to the fish brain community. I’m you can select lures, line, rod, and all sorts of other stuff. this what my home page looks like This what my home page looks like. Click stats and it gives you a ton of break downs

Reading these forums and just time on the water. Finding and reading info is great but, you have to get out there and do it.

I still like my 4inch zoom green pumpkin tube that I have 5 packs of. However I have been venturing out with some strike king and bulk tube singles At tackle stores I found some 4inch pearl silver Venom tubes from jays in Clare mi. Kinda excited to try those for largemouth and small mouth.

I have had days like that and call it the perfect day. Get lucky, figure it out right off the bat That what ever you are throwing is what they want. Than the rest of the day is easy like it should. Super easy, and just catching fish. Not having to worry about color, sun, wind speed, clarity, and Mercury’s alignment to the moon to get a fish to bite . try it the next day and the fish won’t even look it. Usually I’m crank fishing or wacky rigging when the perfect day happens

I should say I have never had a problem with a properly tied polymer knot. When I first started trying the polymer I lost a 4 dollar pbj jig and my only I had to a fat smallie, made me sick. However, that Was not the knots fault. It was operator error in not tying it right.

Harbor frieght has a awesome air brush and compressor for 75 bucks. It’s what I bought when I got back into model Aircraft building. It does the job and if she decides she doesn't like it your out relatively cheap. A lot of the model guys buy the harbor freight compressor to go along with their $200 air brush

Getting bored so made some Arkie jigs. That summer craw pattern is new color I bought off eBay from jig junkie. Started having success late summer with the summer craw colors with plastic so I decided to do some jigs. trying something different with green and white arkies for dirty or chocolate milk water. Black colors seems only to work for me in clear water. blue I have not been able to go at all. So I’m hoping the green flake and white will work in dirty water also the water melon jig and skirts. The silver heads with black and silver will be made into chatter baits. still thinking I’m buying a swim jig, swim bait, and chatter bait mold

I have never had a problem with a polymer knot and FC

I’m on the polymer knot train at the moment. Started with the improved clinch. Next knot I want to get good at is the uni-knot

I like it as a hobby gives me somthing to do in the winter. Like they say in the reloading world you don’t save money you just can shot more. Same with jigs you don’t save money making them you just get more for the same money. I enjoy catching fish with lures that I make. Nearest place that sells bass jigs is 45 minutes away. I really hate making that trip for jigs. if order online they may not reach me in time to fish again. I also dislike ordering things I have not used before. So I have a constant un ending supply. last year I caught my personal beat large mouth on Arkie I poured. Now the pbj skirt was pre made that I bought on eBay ( sometimes I make my own skirts. some times I buy them pre made). For a trailer a summer craw rage tail made these up last week. Some will turned into chatter baits

I would like to get to this point right here. I want to be able to swap stuff out depending on location and conditions not being the kitchen sink. Seems to be more of problem with plastics more than anything. I just got done reorganizing my stuff. Decided I really don’t need to buy a lot of tackle except terminal stuff and maybe some pitching plastic.

Last year was my first time fishing early April. Usually I waited untill weather was warmer. All my fish except a musky came on my home made chatter baits. So with limited experience chatter bait. However, I have a whole box of square bills I didn’t touch last year. First time using spinners and did well but, didn’t tie one in untill July. min my to do list is is throw more square bills, spinner baits, and figure out the drop shot

Lure parts online and Jann’s is probably the most economic for website’s. Lure parts on line has fast turn around and shipping. My suggestion would be to use eBay. Hands down eBay will have the cheapest shipping and usually very fast. I’ve gotten to the point I check eBay first before I start venturing to the websites. When I’m doing my air craft models I can have some items next day if I’m early enough for $2.50 shipping no doubt

Yes finally just bit the bullet and bought the Arkie mold last year. It was responsible for catching my Pb large mouth last year. Put a pbj skirt on it with summer craw rage tail. I still have a bunch of your football jigs that I want to use this year. actually I found that swim bait mold on lurepartsonline like 30 minutes after I posted this. I think your Right that it could be the best one to use. I forgot about needing a flat eye and I was just looking at my chatter baits yesterday too I don’t want zman kicking in my door hahaha I think if I went this route I would get the snootie. I have mold For dragging at the moment and it seems like the snootie came in sizes I would use more. Seems like if I remember right the poison came in smaller or bigger sizes and neither had a 1/2 oz size. I dunno if I’d need 3/4 and 1 oz chatter baits, swim jigs, swim bait jigs

I think there is a cabelss outfitter store in grandville (burb of GR). I think GR has some mom and pop stores. However, you are now in salmon and trout territory and I don’t know how much bass stuff would be available that a Walmart wouldn’t have. D&R in Kalamazoo is huge and worth checking out. i still get the googly eye when i tell family and friends that l fish for bass most of the time.

So I have been making chatter baits from a do it Arkie mold. The Smaller arkies work pretty good for a chatter bait. The 1/4 and 3/8 works really well. The 1/2 seems like It plains out and rides up to much when I’m trying to fish deep. I would also like to possibly make swim jigs and swim bait jigs. I have done some research online and tackle underground. Seems like the snootie Or poison jig should work at least for the latter two. I would imagine it would work well for a chatter bait also. For a swim and chatter baits I wouldn’t use weed guards is the main differnce between the poison and snootie jig just the hook? What other differences are there? Or maybe another jig or mold to look at. I guess if I couldn’t get a mold to do all 3. I could get one for 2of 3 than buy the third type of jig from some one else.

Kinda same boat. I have hard time getting black and blue to go in dirty water for jigs. Black spinner baits worked well in dirty water In clear water if I can’t get what ever variation of green pumpkin or water Mellon going. I go to black jigs or to flipping or casting a blue /black shadow Christie critter and do well . But, I keep buying black and blue and thinking dirty water for some reason. I dunno if I should try green and white for jigs in dirty water or what. Green and white have worked pretty good on a chatter bait and spinner baits in dirty water. i really haven't used June bug that much

These chase baits look very interesting. The add has been plastered all over my Facebook. I am very tempted to try them. I usually don’t by lures like these. But, they look almost real

Does carbontex sheets come in differnt thicknesses? Or Are differnt manufacturers sheets thicker than others ?

So I’m finally done cleaning and re-lubing all my reels. The last one was my Okuma ceymar Spinning reel that I bought last year. However, I only used it a couple Of times and after opening it up it looked great inside, still acts, and feels fine. I put some oil in the bearings That I could get to and called it good. not messing with good. I’ll give it the full treatment next winter or if it acts up. lost one retainer ring, one e-ring retainer. Which, I’m happy about actually. I have big hands and sometimes things go flying. Still waiting on my new Oem blue washer for the accurist bait caster. My quantum Accurist pti size 30 spinning reel was a gift from my grandparents almost 10 years ago. It finally started acting up after many dunks in the river before I got the boat. I have put oil and grease in It before I knew what I was doing but, it’s never really been serviced. I have ruined spinning reels before by taking them apart. Originally I wanted to pay somebody to do that spinning reel and my bait casters. However, it’s only an $80 reel and it just holds sentimental value. So I tore it completely down and removed every part including inside the bails and gears. I had to buy a new drive gear as I couldn’t get the handle out of the drive gear after I took the side plate off. Had to use channel locks which bent the teeth. New drive gear was only 15 bucks shipped so. IMHO it was worth it. With this reel and the others I soaked the bearings in acetone for 24 hrs and than re-oiled with Lucas reel oil. Degreased all the gears with alcohol and than re-applied penn reel grease. I thought I may need a new anti reverse/ clutch but, I was able to clean it up abd save it. I did order a new clutch spring As it is 10 yrs old. should be here any day. all my reels now feel and act brand new including the accurist spinning reel hopefully I can get another ten years out of. Pictures of before and after. next I’m up grading the drags in my brother and I salmon trolling rods. A couple are Okuma classics with the majority connvectors and Magda’s. They make kits for these

I was checking out the abu veritas at BPs on Friday. I ended up buying a heavy 7ft4 st.croix Bass-x. however, the veritas was was in the top 3 of what I found while I was looking/shopping at there. I think the one I was looking at was 7ft4. The veritas comes in right at 100 bucks. If my budget was only $100 Last Friday I would not have been disappointed in purchasing that rod.

I did not know that about upgrading. I knew they were good about damaged rods. I broke the tip off my original dobyns. Cut off info section of the rod and 30 bucks and got a new one. I’m going to keep it. If I ever get back to fishing the rivers again it would make a good small river rod

Cranks, square bills, chatter baits, jerk baits, chucking dare devils, and spinner baits Is what I my 6ft6 black max for. The combo even brought in a nice flat head while using a chatter bait on Saginaw river that was almost 26 inches long. I use 10 lbs Berkley big game mono for line i fish from a 14 ft tin boat. I am 6ft4 tall And a 6ft6 rod makes it very useful for jerk baits since I’m basically standing up below the water line. A 6ft6 rod would be useful if your a shore angler too for jerk baits

Smaller spinning set ups I like Berkley xl. 8lbs xl is my go to river and spinning line. Bait caster or 10 lbs and above 10bs And it’s berkly big game. Stuff is so cheap and I think it’s on of the smaller dia vs lbs mono that there is. I was at bps and they had the cheapest I seen at 6.99 for the big spill which, I think is 1500 yards. Can’t beat it.