fin

Good article. One question though, why a 3/4 oz buzzbait for a topwater search bait? He says he likes to slow roll it over the bed as slow as possible to agitate them. I'm not much of a buzzbait guy, so maybe I don't get it because I'm not familiar with them, but it seems like it would be hard to slow roll a 3/4 oz?

Anybody recognize this brand? It's got an "R" in the eye and also embossed on the back blade. The front blade has "312" embossed on it. The head has an unusual shape. I noticed it hanging way up in a tree a few months ago. It was sitting on top of the limb like maybe the line was wrapped around the limb. I couldn't tell if it was a dollar walmart spinnerbait or what. I finally got around to getting it down.

What are those 5 things on the bottom of the second one? Are those screw heads? Edit: Nevermind, I see they are diamonds now. lol

I've found most DIY things are pretty easy once you have the right tools and materials and know how to do it. 😆 Seriously though, it does look easier than I thought. I may do some others later and buy the right stuff. Those you did look nice 👍

Yeah, I've got nail polish, but that seems like it would be pretty weak. I was thinking of using black polish over the JB Weld epoxy just to cover the color of the epoxy.

I haven't used the Husky Jerk, but I've used the others. In my experience, there's not really a very big difference in how the different bodies all swim. Sure, there's a little difference, but whether it's worth buying more is a personal preference. They come in different depths and sizes, and that's where the real difference is. Shad Rap comes in shallow, medium or deep, and they are very different from each other. I like the Rip Stop deep, but I don't care for the action on the medium. I've never tried an x-rap deep, but I love the mediums. I'm sure the deeps are good.

A Mudhole video is the first result with those search terms. I see now how to wrap. So as far as coating the wrap, I have some JB Weld epoxy. Is that too stiff? I have super glue too. Would that be better?

Carp sell for $100 for 8? 🤔💡💰

I've never used a Pop Max® but I've got a large variety of sizes and styles of poppers. I don't think there is a wrong way to fish a popper, unless you did a steady retrieve, and I've even caught fish like that accidentally. I would suggest starting off slow with very slight jerking movements, but keep it moving. Next cast, same thing but a little harder jerks. Next cast, longer pauses. Etc. In moving water, I've had some great catches just letting it flow downstream after a couple jerks. I think some people get obsessed with making it pop as hard as possible and don't let it pause. I've seen a lot of people fish it like that only, and they're making a big mistake based on my experience. It also depends on your water. The lake I fish used to be easy to catch a fish on topwater. It's pretty tough now. The fish are scared of anything on the surface.

I’m trying to repair an old cheap spinning rod. I’ve already removed the old guide and rod tip, cut and fit the outer sleeve I’m using to patch the rod, and now I just need to replace one guide. I’ve read in this forum recommendations to watch Mudhole videos. I’ve been to their site and looked around just a little bit and looked at their youtube channel, but I didn’t see a video on how to replace a guide. Can anyone point me to a good video? I’m not looking to do this perfectly. It’s like a $20 rod, so I’d like to cut corners wherever I can. Do I really have to buy special thread and epoxy?

I never liked the look of a stick worm, so I never spent enough time with it. Shakeyhead seems like an unnecessary expense to me. I've caught more fish with a T-rig than anything else by far. So yeah, confidence #1. If you slide your bullet weight up a few inches on your line and peg it, is that a T-rig or a C-rig?

I'd be hesitant to use some of the things already mentioned based on the possibility the odor might transfer to the baits. Automatic Dishwasher detergent for example contains something like bleach, I believe, which you sure don't want with your baits. A lemon smell probably doesn't attract fish either. Just a little Dawn dishwashing detergent mixed with some hot water should remove just about anything after soaking, and using a toothbrush for any tough spots. If it won't remove something, does it really matter if your tackle box is a little stained? If it bothers you that much, maybe you should get a new one?

I don't think anybody does enjoy getting stopped, inspected, questioned, etc. Unless maybe they know the warden personally. What I enjoy is seeing someone out there enforcing the laws that help prevent mass harvesting of the fish I'm trying to catch. If they check my license, then I know they're out there doing their job.

On first read, I thought you were kind of overreacting a bit by taking a break from fishing, but then I remembered an incident years ago when I lost just one rod and reel to a carp, and just that one thing alone gave me that kind of feeling. Losing my rod and reel was due to my stupidity though, doing something I should have known better than. I could have easily foreseen it happening. What happened to you with the bungee strap breaking and all, I would never expect. If you’re feeling some kind of guilt or stupidity, you shouldn’t. Even banged-up, there are a lot of people that would love to have your gear. I would have no problem fishing with it in that condition myself. Nice fish too.

Our wardens cover about three counties, and that’s just ridiculous. There’s no way they could cover all that territory even if they worked 24/7. They earn very little and are required to have a college degree. Park managers used to have some authority, and that helped spread the work around, but that authority was taken away because enforcement got too dangerous. The system is broken. If someone wants to poach, in whatever form, it’s not that hard. And from what I’ve seen, people are willing to go through some pretty crazy stuff to get a few fish. Regular law enforcement officers have their hands full, so they’re not going to get involved. The wardens I’ve met all take their job serious, I don’t put any fault on them. I’ve had some give me their cellphone number so I could call them directly. Otherwise you have to go through the State Patrol dispatch. Dispatch workers don’t know anything about the regulations or anything related to hunting and fishing, so you have to explain every little thing to them, and in the end, it’s a waste of time because the warden is two counties away and dispatch has no idea where they are. In my opinion, part of the answer lies in some type of deputy system, where fishermen or hunters can get qualified to report directly to wardens and be able to text them photos of violators in real time. But the main thing is they just need to add more wardens. The state loves to take in the money for sports and fishing, but they are don't want to spend a dime on it.

Okay, fishing there just went from sounding like heaven to sounding like a nightmare 😆 Have you ever had to be rescued?

Those fish are beautiful down there. Beautiful photos. You're in heaven. I'm assuming it's post-spawn down there? When is the spawn down there?

I see now. I didn't catch that before. There's two little bars on the hook. Is there a name for that style of fishing and/or hook?

Is that tackle store normal for over there? I mean, do they all stock that much stuff? It’s hard to understand how different things are, like with Gamakatsu, how they produce and sell so many items over there. It seems like it would be hard to be profitable. How can they make it possible to produce and sell over there, but not sell here, even though they still have the production costs? That Helter Twister on the shelf caught my eye. I hope that makes it over here. I was surprised to see trash on the ground in Osaka (around 22:29). There must be a lot of Americans in that area lol. Right after that shot, the next thing you say is “I never saw any trash on the ground” lol. Easy to understand though, I can’t even imagine how much footage you had to put together in this video. Great job. I noticed several fluke-type baits that were hooked backwards (around 13:47) at that expo. Even paddle tails. Is that a thing over there, or did some helper screw up? Or maybe that's a thing here that I never heard about. I've heard of hooking them upside down, but not backwards.

I hope that wasn't the yard sale I drove by yesterday 😂

Hundreds. I've had lots of complaints from catfish, but I don't speak their language, so I don't know what they're croaking about.

With nail polish, the smell eventually goes away (unless the lure is sealed inside something), but it does take some time. I've never had a fish complain about the smell.

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/westy-worm.html

I have clear coated some new lures with fingernail polish. It only takes a few seconds and dries in a couple minutes. The smell sticks around for days though, so you want to let it air out, don't put it in a box. I use it mostly on lures with a lot of smooth chrome or holographic foil. They tend to get chipped easy. I don't stress over lures getting a little beat up, but I also don't believe that beat-up look gets more bites.

Gore??? This is what made the biggest change to my cooking. I used to try recipes, get discouraged, give up and eat out, then repeat. That's a recipe for disaster. I don't have a lot of recipes, but I have perfected the ones I have, at least to my taste.