Chris Catignani

<scratching head>

It really kind of depends... Lets just dissect a thread fin shad...aka yellow tail shad. Large Bait It been my experience (rock fishing below tailrace) that fish (rockfish, lmb, smb, drum, hybrid, gar, skipjack) will hit the biggest yellow tail they can find. Why? Its because a thread fin shad is delicate, soft and I'm guessing...taste good. You could put on a large gizzard shad and may not catch anything. This is from countless trips with countless drifts. Small Bait On the main lake when the water temp gets into the 40's...the juvenile thread fin shad will start to die. Sometime you will see them collected on the shore of a wind blown bank. When there dying off (before their actually dead)...they just tend to suspend in the water. This is where a small light weight marabou jig will pay off. If you ever get a chance ...take a close look at a thread fin. Photos do not do it justice. They will have a yellow strip that runs down the side (you may see lures that have this). The end of the tail is yellow...and the belly is snow white.

I agree...nothing negative to say about NFC.

Welcome...and its "Tohatsu".

Lamiglass also has some clearance rods... I built a many a Lami's... Fishing Rod Blank Clearance (lamiglas.com)

That Spook Jr is a total killer. I've had kingfishers come out of the sky on that thing...even had a snake get after it.

Look at MudHole clearance rack MudHole Clearance

I wish I had a dollar for every time the fishing was tough. I've been on the lake and had tough days when the fishing was "good". I've also had good days when the fishing was "tough". Every day is different. Seasons and conditions can led you in one direction or another...but nothing is ever written in stone when it comes to fishing.

A lot of hair jigs are bucktail and even horse hair. You can swim that jig like in the video that @A-Jay posted. But what we do hear (in the winter) is fish it on a bobber (float-N-fly) for suspended fish...or you can fish it on the bottom (no float). You either sit way off a point and fish it down...or you can sit shallow on a point and fish it up. The key is to slow it down.

If you look on ...say Ambient weather, you will be able to see indivuduals personal weather stations...find one near were you fish. Not all measure rain fall but some do. But take this info with a grain of salt...some devices don't always have all the sensors working. ambient weather Then there is USGS USGS

Welcome back.

I've seen plenty of grass is just about every lake in Tennessee.

What kind of rod are you looking to make? Several suppliers have closeout and you can get a pretty decent blank for $30 - $50.

I just have regular Fuji Alconite guides on my flippin' stick and grass rake...but I flip with mono.

Tom...the wooden Bombers are the same way...they actually have a (third) metal piece that goes in the recess. If you were to cut off the hooks and replace them with split rings what you would end up with is a lure whos hooks get tangled up together when you cast.

Some of those Bombers had the hooks and screw eyes as one part.

I bet if you call em...they will get it to ya. One dealer is Garden State Yacht Sales...Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.

I agree 100% they are all good...the fresher the better. Even stripper (aka Rock fish) and hybrids are delicious fresh.

Mostly unpegged...I have on occasion pegged a slip sinker up the line...ala Carolina type rig.

I only show you this because I was on the lake yesterday when they were testing one. They make these down the street and their plant is just short of amazing. Funny thing...Earl Bentz had the Triton plant across the street...and now he has a new company on the other side of the street. 16" draft. 26 HB – Caymas Boats

I use a 7' piece of closet rod (oak).

We call it the shad machine when the generators are on.

I only say crankbait because at times (windy) its hard to be accurate...and at times it just wants to helicopter. Sometimes in skinny water I'll throw a floating Rattle Trap and its pretty much a crap shoot where the thing goes.

I find a lot of lures when I fish...I guess some people don't wont to get their boat too close to the rocks. I also have a habit of picking up floats will fishing...my float collection currently sits at about 90!!

I would wait...you may need some "must haves" on the boat you forgot. But do get a nice life jacket for her.