@reelChris

Speaking of that - I learned that if you create an account then put lures in your cart a few times and then don't buy them, they'll eventually email you a free shipping code for any order over $25.

They don't any more. I got it to work a few hours ago and didn't pull the trigger fast enough. Now I get the error "The coupon code entered is invalid, may not meet the requirements, or may have already been used."

For those looking for small rubber bands to secure crank bait hooks, these are the right size and are 600 for $2.53: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Rainbow-Loom-Rubber-ASSORTED/dp/B00LG120CS/ref=sr_1_10?crid=GSIBUXLC96CU&keywords=rainbow+loom+bands&qid=1563828315&s=gateway&sprefix=rainbow+loom+%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-10 or 11,800 for $18: https://www.amazon.com/Glonova-Organizer-Bracelet-Crafting-Backpack/dp/B078XZH52G/ref=sr_1_9?crid=GSIBUXLC96CU&keywords=rainbow+loom+bands&qid=1563828315&s=gateway&sprefix=rainbow+loom+%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-9

A little more than a year ago when I was just starting to get into freshwater fishing, I made the unfortunate mistake of walking into a used gear store. I needed tackle to catch…something. I wasn’t certain where I'd fish or what for, nor did I really know anything about what worked and what didn’t. So, I ended up getting taken by the old fishing captain/store owner who was just looking to offload junk. Decently priced junk, but still mostly junk. One of the things he talked me into was this secret weedless wonder bait that was going to be produced for the inventor by a major tackle company until "their legal team decided that the lure might technically be considered a switch blade." As a result, the inventor gave up and sold all of his leftover stock to my store owner friend, who generously offered them to me at $5 each. The key to this lure’s “weedlessness” is that the hooks are held captive in the body by spring tension and, at least theoretically, pop out when the trigger plate is activated by fish jaws closing around it. In reality, the hooks typically spring out upon contact with water after even moderate length casts. But the worst part of this thing is that it has ABSOLUTELY NO ACTION WHATSEVER! I don’t even know what kind of bait its supposed to be. It looks like a crankbait but it doesn’t dive or swim. It basically comes straight through the water like a painted stick. You can’t jig it or jerk it, and it sinks, so its not a topwater either. It doesn't much matter, though, because the body is bass sized but the hooks are only really appropriate for pan fish. Ultimately, this thing’s only use is to remind me to avoid gimmicky junk only designed to catch fishermen. What’s the dumbest lure you’ve wasted time and money on?

Plastic coffee can lids work pretty well for this application as well

How uncomfortable would the older 8' model be for 2 people to fish out of on calm water? There's one up for sale nearby.

I'm going to go against the prevailing ned rig wisdom here - I spent sunday fishing in 14 feet of water (approx 4 feet of visibility) with a 1/10thoz ned rig jig head tied to 20 lb 832 braid on a Lew's carbon fire medium power spinning rod. The bite was a little slow all day, but I picked up a 4 pounder and two 2 pounders in a couple of hours along with a small rock bass. I had never used a ned rig before that day, but it was working for a friend so I borrowed some baits and used the second lightest rod I had with me at the time. I wouldn't hesitate to use the setup again as there were no issues getting the bait to the bottom and it caught fish. I chose the rod with 20lb braid over another, lighter spinning setup spooled with 10 lb mono because I lost confidence in that rod after I broke off a 3+ pounder caught on a drop shot while trying to net it at the side of the boat earlier in the day. As an added plus, I had no worries yanking the ned rig out of any weeds it (frequently) got caught up in. I will say that, using the medium power rod, hooking weeds and hooking fish felt identical, but maybe that's always true. I don't have enough experience with it to know either way.

I've just started pitching - i'm not too bad on accuracy, but I can't get any real distance (beyond the line that's already stripped from the reel at the start) without backlashing. I've tried loosening the magnetic drag - backlash at distance. I've tried loosing the spool tension - backlash at distance. I'm pretty slow at the whole process because I'm trying to be precise. Should I be whipping the rod tip up faster?

Try this

For bluegill or sunfish, it's hard to beat the roughly $15 Zebco Dock Demon or the Ugly Stick dock runner combos, especially if you need to outfit a bunch of kids. https://www.catfishconnection.com/Store/Details/ZDDS/RODREEL/RDRLZ/ZEBCO-DOCK-DEMON/ https://www.fishusa.com/product/Shakespeare-Ugly-Stik-Dock-Runner-Spinning-Combo?utm_source=google_ps&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_ps&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIanother sitemtfrL4QIVDNvACh1oQAaIEAQYAiABEgImgPD_BwE There are a bunch of youtube movies about their strength, with people even catching large fish on them, although there are obviously better choices for that:

Update: I'm in the area this week and checked out the water mapped above - Temp approx 45-50 degrees Visibility 2-2.5 feet Stained color Bottom appeared to be soft with a lot of stumps and lay downs From the shore, I couldn't find any points, deep water or vegetation. There was a "fishing area" that's basically a dock that does out 10 yards, 3 other docks for a kayak rental place that looked closed and a couple of bridges over the water. One of the bridges was over a deeper area that appeared to be still. I couldn't see any baitfish, beds or bass from the shore, I spoke to another angler in a kayak who had caught a 14" smallmouth, and as we were talking, another fish jumped right behind him. Also, ducks and geese appeared to be feeding in the middle of the river. So, fish are there somewhere. I'm going to try and fish it tomorrow. Weather is going to be cloudy/rainy with air temp between 35 and 55 during the day. That's about the same as today, so there shouldn't be too much of a weather shock. I'm going to start with spinner baits, lipless cranks and flukes and target the four docks I saw. If those don't work, I'll switch up to drop shot, tube and jig and see if I can't scare up a bite.

Thank you for the advice so far! The pool thermometer idea is a great one. I was planning on using a cooking thermometer, but they can't really submerge so I wasn't going to get anything other than surface temp. Now I can check the whole column and further than just where I can reach. The paper log idea is a good one also. I mapped a bunch of spots on my phone last year then an app update wiped them out. Some clarifications: I've been fishing mostly salt water for about 40 years, so I'm familiar with the basics (knots, casting, line, etc). Starting last summer though, I've been giving fresh water fishing a serious try. I'm still in the beginning stages of knowing what baits to use when and where. Also, I should have noted that the water above is in southern Michigan and supposedly holds large mouth. I've never been there before and I don't live nearby so I can't really get any sense of the forage available or water temp, clarity, depth or structure until I actually get there. The only data I have is that I don't think Michigan has shad, so I'm not sure their behavior dictates bass behavior there. Crayfish, bluegill and goby seem to be prevalent according to the internet. I guess what I'm really looking for is some kind of basic if...then diagram for various water temps and water clarities. I've read enough about the spawn to hit beds once the water gets in the mid-50's, but I don't think it's going to be that warm before I get to the water. So, are there definitive depths and places bass hang out when it's 30-40 degrees vs. 40-50 degrees and how does that affect bait choice?

I'm pretty new to this bass thing, and am going to bank fish new water in a couple of weeks. By that time, air temperature will have been between the 40's and 50's most days, dropping to the 30's at night, so I imagine the water will still be pretty cold. So, I'm guessing, without much info to back it up, that bass will still be deep and lethargic. What baits would you use in such a situation? I'm thinking of drop shotting a short senko, bottom fishing medium sized tubes, and maybe throwing some weightless flukes and small jigs. What else would be appropriate? Hard jerkbaits? Wacky rigged worms? Lipless cranks? Not sure what fish want in this water or during transition weather pre-spawn. Here's a map of the area if that would help:

The knot strength thing I get, and I'll probably move to direct tying everything this year since I've acquired more rods. However, with respect to salty baits rusting hooks, my experience is that it's not really a concern. E.g. this assortment of Big bite, Zoom and Berkeley plastics were tied on last June and fished through October then stored until today with no rust showing on any of the hooks. Two of the steel Eagle Claw weights did rust, however.

Had some time to kill and figured, why not go OCD for 2019? I'm hoping masking tape and crayon will survive any casual water contact.

I grew up salt water fishing using a snap swivel at the end of my rod and pre-tied rigs for natural bait that terminated in a tied loop so that they could be quickly changed. Last year I rigged up most of my plastics the same way - using mono with a hook on one end, and a loop tied on the other so I could quickly change rigs with other bait types, colors or techniques. I've tried attaching the pre-rigged plastics using a snap swivel at the end of my main line, and directly tying main line to the rig end loop and had plenty of hangups without ever breaking at the attachment point between the main line and plastic rig. However, no one else I've seen freshwater fishing does this, which leads me to the question - why not?

This may be a mistake, but it looks like Academy has Plano 3700s for $3.99: https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/plano®-prolatch™-stowaway-tackle-box#repChildCatid=12172

1) Get a pair of cheap ($5 or less) Amazon or Harbor Freight trauma shears 2) Cut off the blunt tip with a dremel and round the bottom jaw with a grinder or belt sander 3) Add a lanyard to keep them around your neck because you'll use them for everything Trauma shears are a type of scissor designed for emergency personnel to cut clothing or seat belts without catching the skin of the person wearing them. The angle of the jaw allows them to develop great cutting force. Modified as above, they make fantastic fishing tools. You don't necessarily have to remove the blunt tip, but they are not as useful with it because you can't get the front edge of the scissors close enough to anything to snip. Since I made these a few months ago, I've have used them to cut braid & mono, fin spines off bait fish chunks, hopelessly snagged hooks, clamshell packaging around baits, wire and tubular nylon backpack straps that were in the way, modify soft plastics, and remove branches blocking my casting path. They have not chipped or bent or shown any signs of rusting or dulling.