powerman970

Try searching the web for Davis jigs from Davis Bait Co. Killer jigs if you can get your hands on 'em.

Bolle makes some good glasses for under $100. I have had the same pair for three years and they are easy to get replacement parts for (they are made by Remington). Stay with amber for a lense color and you can't go wrong.

2.5 pounds is not uncommon, 3 pounds is a real good fish, 3.5 pounds is a big crappie. IMO

Wow...I'd move. Seriously though it sounds like you have a scenario that someone on here should be able to help you with but I don't think I'm qualified. It sounds like you are dealing with post spawn funk and crazy weather. I may be totally off base but I might try to analyze the situation in pieces instead of as a whole. First, the fish are post-spawn so they are in recovery mode and not really feeding actively anyway but at least they are still hemmed up close to the spawning area, Secondly, with all that rain, I'm sure you have had several mild cold fronts moving through so I would think you would find fish holding extremely tight to cover and again fairly inactive. Third, if water levels have risen that much I would assume that you are probably dealing with some fairly muddy water. So it sounds like as a whole you have extremely slow post spawn fish that are holding tight to cover in extremely muddy water near their spawning grounds. I think that in that situation I might try pitching a white/chartreuse spinnerbait or a large rattling jig with a good trailer tight around cover near spawning areas. I may be totally off but I'm sure that someone on here will know a lot more than me. That is just where I would start. I don't think the problem is falling water temp, I think it is a combination of all of these things. If I am an idiot somebody let me know because I am going to be watching this thread closely. It has got my curiosity up.

I brew my own beer but if I am going to buy from the supermarket I like: Hoegaarden - as well as most active yeast beers Samuel Adams - Summer Brew (seasonal so buy several cases) Killian's Red Any wheat beer Corona is good for a change Coors Light for everyday use I have also discovered that some of the malt beverages are pretty good. I believe it is Bacardi who makes a mango flavored mojito that sure does go down easy when you are hot and thirsty.

I like to just tie a piece of dental floss to a toothpick. I also find hooks to be an unfair advantage so I just use small pieces of velcro and hope that the fishes teeth will get entangled. The bottom line is that most fishing gear that is designed is put on the market to give anglers an advantage. Is it unfair to use a good sturdy rod? Is it unfair to use a sharp hook? Is it unfair to fish from a boat instead of the bank? I think not...The object is to catch fish. Any product that brings me closer to that objective will be in my arsenal. I have recently started using braid and honestly it never crossed my mind to consider it unfair. It did seem like overkill to use 50# braid until I realized that it seems to be more manageable than the lighter stuff and does not bite into itself on the reel as much. I use 50# Sufix and am happier with it than I was 35#. Sometimes it is not about fair or unfair, it is about catching fish. If you are happy with mono then you should fish with mono. My dad has been fishing for about a million years and he likes a closed faced Zebco spincast reel. He has thrown the others but is more in his comfort zone with what I refer to as "kiddie equipment". It took me a while to understand that different people are more comfortable with different techniques and equipment and I guarantee you that there are days when I am so sick and tired of reeling in what seems like 30 pounds of crankbait that my arm feels like it's going to fall off or I have pitched so many docks that my shoulder blades are on fire. On those days I *** those guys who are just happy to be fishing and don't care if they catch fish or not but I just can't do it...I'll take whatever advantage I can get. It also sucks to fish an area where you know that your chances of losing a fish are greater than your chances of catching one because you might have to drag 20 pounds of grass along with 3 tree limbs to the boat along with that 3 pound fish. Do the math, maybe 50# test is not heavy enough. I'm gonna switch to chain, it sinks and is very abrasion resistant. You can also use a short length of it to club a fish at boatside if he decides to make one more surge before he is pulled into the boat.

What kind of line are you using? I don't consider myself an expert fisherman but I do consider myself to be pretty darned good with Texas rigged plastics and I stunk it up Saturday. After cussing the hooks and cussing the fish and cussing the worms I slowed down and started thinking about what I was doing differently. I realized that I had recently switched brands of line and this was my first outing with the new line. That is the only difference that I could think of. I have always used mono for nearly all applications but when I really started questioning wether or not this line had more stretch than my previous line I decided to put the stretch issue to bed for good and switch to braid. I have now spooled my T-rig rod with 30 lb. Sufix and I'll let you know how it goes when I hit the water this weekend. I think the stretch issue will be resolved and I also believe from what I have read on here that I will also be pleased with the sensitivity of the line. The only concern I have is wether the braided line will bite into itself very often. Won't know till I try. Could also be that you just had a bad day.

I like an amber lense and it does help with stained water. I wear Bolles with amber lenses for all my fishing as well as driving in the rain and believe it or not they are awesome when driving or riding my motorcycle at night.

That is all I fish with if that tells you anything. I can usually catch them on sale at Dick's or Academy for around $70 a couple of times a year and the rods are the best value for the money in my opinion. There are better rods but you will pay much more for them.

Leeds, AL here. I fish Neely Henry and Logan Martin weekly and we have a place on Bankhead.

Never seen the guy...Bill who?

The threaded and unthreaded pedestals will depend on your boat. My Stratos uses threaded pedestals but none of my other boats in the past have. If you don't have threaded pedestals now, then don't buy threaded pedestals. I recently bought a "butt" seat for my boat and I went to BPS and had them actually put the pedestal into one of the floor model Trackers so I could make sure it was the height for me. As far as the seat itself, the only thing I would tell you is don't go too cheap. You do usually get what you pay for and I have seen some of my buddies seats that have not held up well and others that have. Got to BPS website and check the reviews on several seats and you'll see what I mean. I hope this has helped.

I usually just use my hands for catfish. If I do choose to use a rod and reel then I usually go with good old weiners. I like to use the ones with cheese in them. If I get hungry it works out well too. By the way though, try this. Take a pair of panty hose and cut off a section about 2 inches long. Tie one end closed and put Ivory soap shavings and a treble hook inside then tie the other end closed around the shank of the hook. Fish this about 12 inches below a swivel with a weight above that (Almost like a C-rig). Ivory soap floats up off the bottom and is irresistible to cats. I also use Zoat soap which is available from many Mexican grocers and is made with actual animal fat.

I have been considering a G. Loomis logo on my shoulder blade. That is one of the coolest looking logos out there and it represents my love for fishing.

I like the tequila shad in a 7.5" T-rigged. I've caught a lot of fish on good old Culprits.

Hey man, I live in Leeds and fish Neely Henry as well as Logan Martin. I am also a member at Sportsman's Lake in Springville and we have a house on Bankhead so I fish it a few times a year. I do have a few regular buddies that I fish with but from time to time they can't always go. I am always looking to make new fishing friends and would definitely be willing to help you get out on the water. I am 34 years old, married and have 2 kids. I own my own business so my schedule is flexible but I keep my 2 year old daughter during the week so I am limited to fishing evenings and weekends. I enjoy bass fishing but would not consider myself to be an expert by any means. Most of my fishing consists of beating the banks with a finesse worm but I am trying to expand my arsenal to be more proficient with crankbaits and jerkbaits. I am also very open to listening to advice from whoever I am fishing with especially if they are experienced as you seem to be. I don't want to just take a tag-along, I would rather have someone who can help figure it out when the bite is tough. The biggest downside to fishing with me is that I tend to take it too seriously. I usually forget to eat lunch and most of the time I don't head for the ramp until dark. That does make it tough for some guys to go since they want to head home at 4 or 5 in the evening and I want to stay for the evening bite. The only thing I ask from anyone who wants to hit the water with me is that you don't smoke in my vehicle and we split the gas in the boat. I fish out of a 17'6" Stratos with a 50 hp Yamaha so I don't generally burn more than a half a tank on a weekend. Let me know if you want to give it a go and we'll set up a weekend to hit the water and get to know each other.

I like to just use my hands. It makes it more fair. Check the post on noodling. We will be getting fired up in about 2 or 3 more weeks as soon as the water is warm enough to get in without freezing to death.

Can't help with Weiss too much because I refuse to put a boat in that lake. It is a new lower unit waiting to happen. People who live on Weiss tear boats up regularly. That said....BE CAREFUL! As far as the fishing goes, the crappie are plentiful but not as large as on Neely Henry or Logan Martin which are the next two lakes below Weiss. I fish Neely Henry reguarly and the bass bite has really started turning on in the last week or so. I have found a good jig bite around stumps and laydowns but not particularly so around pier pilings. Finesse worms fished Texas rigged have been very productive lately and there had been an awesome topwater bite for the last hour and a half of the day. Try a white willow blade spinnerbait as well as white buzzbaits. Soft plastics I have been catching them on Watermelon candy Zoom finesse worms as well as blueberry candy NetBait finesse worms. Black jigs with watermelon or pumpkin trailers have been great. Hope this helps. I understand that Weiss fishes much like Neely Henry so maybe it will.

I was looking at them and I believe I saw it mentioned on here that the side imaging function does not work well at low speed. If I can't get a good side imaging view at trolling motor speed I don't think they are worth the money. It may be something as simple as adjusting the scroll speed on the unit but I do not know. I have no knowledge of the units I just wanted to throw that out there so you could find out before buying a high dollar unit and being disappointed.

Wow...this thread took off. I was driving back from Memphis to Birmingham yesterday and then I spent the afternoon getting the boat ready to fish today so I didn't check the forums. I did feel like a blithering idiot for about 5 minutes but Bill has a way of making you feel at home. I got to sit and talk with him for a good while so it was not just a meet and greet but as far as picking his brain, I am almost ashamed to admit that I failed. I guess you can imagine that he did most of the talking and it was almost like seeing him film a show. He spent the entire time telling stories of funny and cool things that had happened to him over the years and I just sat and enjoyed listening to him talk. He treated me like he had known me his whole life. I got an autographed Tennessee hat out of the meeting that will definitely have a place of honor in my trophy room. I also have to say that while the guy at the gun counter said Seagal was a ****, the cashier who checked us out said he had always been really nice to her.

I'm an Auburn fan so I don't have the hatred for Tennessee that some Alabamians do. I almost like the vols just because the Bammers hate them so bad. The coolest thing about the big orange T hat though is the fact that it is Dance's trademark.

I already had that hat and the worst part is that since he said something about how much he liked it I guess it is my new "lucky" hat for now. I did get a cool autographed Tennessee hat though.

I got a chance to visit with the "legend" today. I had a chance to sit down and talk fishing with Bill Dance at his office outside Memphis, TN. Mr. Dance seems to be a great guy and I was truly honored to be in his presence. On a side note we also saw Steven Seagal at BPS in Memphis tonight. The guys at the gun counter say he comes in regularly and is a complete a$$ hole. Still pretty cool to think that I had a brush with greatness and a brush with mediocrity in the same day.

I got 2 on opening weekend which was March 15th and 16th. One was a nice bird (1.25" spurs 9.5" beard). The other was a young bird (no visible spurs, 8" beard). Very nice beard for such a young bird. I figure I'll go ahead and knock off a couple more but I have to save at least one for the fall season or I'll go nuts later in the year. We can only kill 5 per year between the two seasons.

I sure do like it. I have found a considerable difference in the "cast" and the "lightning". Cast is smooth, has no little to no memory issues, and seems to be fairly strong line. Lightning is GARBAGE! It has more issues than Britney Spears. Stick with the "cast" and you can't go wrong.