osummerer23

All these soft plastics bags I had to blow the dust of off. Dragging bottom has never been my go to style. But, the past month, and for the rest of the summer, I have only been fishing soft plastics and grinding my way through my excess. Old lizards, grubs, creatures and for the first time in a few years, a SENKO. Some reassuring insight and confidence building. Color doesn't matter... until it does. Shape seem to matter more. And getting more patient, haven't used much 1/2oz or 3/8oz weights. Lots of 3/16 and 1/16, even in 15+ fow letting the bait do it's thing on the drop, lots of fish I was probably zooming right past with the heavier weights. I do notice a lot more fished hooked deeper, and maybe not more fish, but a lot more smaller fish than what I was catching (6-8" from 8-12"). Even getting creative and using 1/16oz lizards or creatures as top water through the lily pads when I don't pack any frogs with me. I am having a blast doing it, seeing the old packs and baits bring back some memories.

Because they know <20% will even keep bass. let alone fish every day, and catch 5 fish every day. Look at pan fish and live scope over the recent years. As they saw the impact of live scope on pan fish, states started reducing limits and seasons. From 25 fish a day to 10 because they know each angler that went out had more success than previously.

Start at a 8 and slowly work my way down. Id rather hit a few spots chucking and winding a spinner bait, crankbait, jerkbait or topwater. Then work my way slower to a finesse jig to tube and ned.

Watch your dates. Bass elites will be there aug 15-18. I did Champlain the week after a elite event once, shocking amount dead fish floating, and knew exactly where to go from watching them on tv. Just got back from Champlain Saturday, and was considering doing St Lawrence towards the end of summer too.

If I recall from the weekend, they are 10awg. Full speed would be rare. I run 3mph with a 17' aluminum boat. Fishing buddy has a similar power terrova on his old town yak and does 7mph (I believe, dont quote me). Only for crossing lake or in the bay. Trolling motor power consumption is not linear. It's more exponential. 1 Hour at max speed is not equal to 2 hours at half speed power usage wise.

I have the xi3 on my 17' jon boat. I just installed 6awg wire over the weekend. 8awg was getting hot. I have the normal stock wire tied into an extra 4' (8' total) and was getting the wires hot on max speed setting on constant. Dont forget wire length is based on round trip from motor to battery and back. Not just motor to battery.

Go to amazon and buy 'makeup bags'. It was $6 for a 9" bag and a 6" bag. Clear to see what's inside. And hold up way better than a gallon bag. Can I include links? Idk but $15 for 6 bags by apreuty

So you took it out of a 'container' (net) to place it in another 'container' (bag). I love the care and respect given to these creatures after a battle, but like @casts_by_fly said. Why not just weight it in the net?

Of course there is more to it, everyone who fishes understands that. Seeing them is not catching them. Finding them is the skill that is being muted. Early season, cold water 48*, bright sunny day. I would guess fish are holding tight to exposed timber. I would cover it first with a spinner bait or square bill, then slower with a jerkbait, then run a jig or t rig along the bottom. Maybe catch nothing, maybe catch some and find a pattern. Now with FFS, trolling motor on 100, blast through the timber scanning. Maybe don't see fish and move on. Maybe spot a fish plop a ball head jig on its nose. The pro's are telling you they need it to compete... They are literally telling you it's a crutch now. In the classic, day 3, Lee Livesay was paralleling a wind blown bluff wall with a crank. Hite and Zona, 'the kind of place you expect to catch one'. Cherry, dock fishing pockets with a chatter bait. People who fished with intuition from things they learned from time on the water. Experience based on water temp, color, wind, etc... Lee could just have easily idled by scanning and then moved on. But his skill and experience say this is a high value target. The FFS guys aren't doing that, they are trolling motor on 100 looking for blobs on a screen. FFS is like knowing where the next pitch will be placed in baseball. All you have to do is guess the speed. Or in bass fishing, guess the right bait/presentation.

Ok... and? Somebody has to come in last place?

The big thing davey and zona keep talking about is how great 'rookie' anglers are. 'It used to be prime tourney fishing in their mid 30's'. Then they toted, high school and collegiate BASS prowess. Trying not to talk about the white elephant and state FFS dramatically reduced the skill gap. FFS just leveled the playing field. No need to travel for 10 years learning the in's and out's of highland vs lowland, vs north or south. Just spend 4 16hour days in practice locating fish with ffs and then plop a ball head jig on their nose.

Ah lol, I hate Farrington. Spruce is one of my favorites too. For as much pressure as it gets, there are quite a few coves that I never see other fisherman in.

Hello fellow NJ angler. Would this lake happen to start with an 'F' and feature a few bistros on the waters edge? I lived in that town. While I know NJF&G does the trap net there, I and many people I know have never caught a pike out of there. Even when F&G posted 30# pike from there. I've seen more 5+# bass come out of there than pike. And it doesn't produce a whole lot of 5+# bass. That being said, if this is the same lake, I absolutely hate it. It sucks 99% of the time, then has a few spurts that keep me hoping and then regret not driving an hour to fish elsewhere.

I am frugal fisherman. I usually on buy things on sale. I too thought baits were to expensive. And then looked into companies like wLURE. I brought their blanks, and some paint, and good split rings and hooks to make knock off vision 110's. Just over the weekend, I needed red lipless cranks, sticker shocked at the price of a rattle trap now, I looked at wLure. To make 10 red lipless, with paint, split rings and quality hooks. I was at the same price as buying premade ones. I have a hard time spending over $5 a bait. Lots of gems can be found in the off season and I'm not one to miss a good deal.

As a word of caution, dont make fishing suck by trying to be better. Been there, done that. I tried to hard for a few years to get better, and I did. But at the cost of enjoyment. Im 3 years into unfu*king myself and it's been so much more enjoyable.