fishhugger

re: the color transfer... i never would've really thought of that. but i stored a yum dinger foil with a bunch of grape colored worms... yeah, the foil yum is now this really gorgeous foil grape.... perfect, actually. still wondering --- what kind of plastics do you keep these elastic baits AWAY from??? i haven't found that out yet.. they haven't attacked any of boxes or things...

i'm confused on which plastics not to put next to each other. i looked at my plastics --- they're all zoom or yum dingers... i assume those all use the 'stretchy' type of plastics?? but is there some other brand or type that these should not be stored with...? they seem ok in plano boxes, although i notice some plano boxes are sold as "worm proof." the plastic baits haven't attacked my rod's finish. i sometimes leave them and their hooks attached to the hook keeper of the rod. they also seem to stay flexible and soft in or out of their packages.. and they don't weld themselves together... so, they're pretty convenient. my only other experience with plastic baits are salt water worms and grubs...i think they are zoom. they have scent on them, which i guess is the liquid they are stored in. left out, these worms dry out and become brittle.. you can't leave these out.....

i think glen may (of this site) purposely deforms his plastics, in the same way you accidentally do... i forget which exact plastics he was referring to... it was in a video.. he feels it give them action, i think... seems odd to me, but that's what he likes...

i have a few bags of platics, in their original bags, that i carry in my shoulder bag. i am finding that a lighter bag would be nicer. it's a drag to sling that thing around, and i'm thinking i could carry only a few of each plastic bait, instead of whole bags of them. just wondering if others have this issue? i'd like to put a few of each in plastic baggies, or maybe a plano type case. worried the baits will eat at the plastic compartments (so far, seems ok, but i've heard some baits can ruin other material). i'd prefer plano type boxes, since they seem neater. plastic bags --- i assume they would work, but they'd be less organized. i'm guessing the plastics i get for bass (zoom, yum dingers) --- they don't seem gooey and scented like the baits i used for salt water... they seem like they do fine just sitting on their own. i'd be leery about the gooey, scented ones storing without leaking all over everything. btw, is there a reason these types of bait have no scent? thank you. happy fishing

k...did the bait caster thing w my jigs... it is a LOT more convenient feeling the line, etc... i'm working on my casting - i can cast a 3/8 oz jig (w magnum trailer, so that must be... a half oz?), um., 60', no wind. and feeling the line w my spinning rod during retrieve feels like a cat chasing it's tail... it's kind of a pita. i don't see how guys do it. so, i have one baitcaster, the slx combo... uh - so i'm thinking of buying another. i'm pretty satisfied with both the rod and the reel, and love the price... ($139 base price). also, i can get it in left handed. please talk me off this ledge.... i've been eyeing getting the slx xt combo, 8.1 gear ratio, but unsure about the rod... i thought of heavy, for more punching, but i think a mh is ok (my mats are only 10' wide). and i no a mh is considered pretty do -all --- i figure it's fine for jigs, punching, texas, chatter, maybe even finesse stuff? altho, i may do finesse on a spin rod... no idea how that will work... all i can think of is a leftie slx xt, 8.1 to 1, the rod, a 6'10" mh but with (i think) an xf tip... mine is merely F tip, mh, 7'.... i feel like moving up a gear cause with my 7.3, i feel fine just barely turning the handle... seems good to me... i'd use this new reel for jigs... enjoying the view from the ledge.

@northern basser your photos don't show what i assume is the issue --- i notice with my new shimano sedona uh, 2500? that when the roller bearing comes near my fingers, which are around the stem, that it (the bail/roller/etc) seemed kind of 'close'... but i merely noticed it, enough to kind of wonder. but that's it. edit: i assume i didn't understand the op....

thanks a lot for the input guys... ok --- i'll try to use the jigs on my bait caster for the advantages mentioned. at least i can compare the two set ups, although the bait caster set up seems to be what most prefer... i actually like mine quite a bit - been using it a month or so? pretty fun and efficient... have a good week...

sounds good... gtk that old creek bed is worth trying... but at this point, i can only reach it with my spinning rod --- i guess its... well, 150'? Since I need to cast with two hands, I assume that means spin rod for long casts... i'll definitely look into lighter things on the spin rod, though, and heavier on the bait caster.. sounds good... considering getting a heavy bait casting rod.. the mh seems pretty comfortable to me. yeah, when i ordered my slx, i just felt a LH retrieve seemed pretty reasonable. the other way seemed odd, to me, altho it seems most guys do that. happy creek beds

thanks for the in depth reply,cody. at this point, i had decided to try the bait caster pitching around the edges of my pond, which are lined with about 10 to 12' of weeds and mats, downed trees, etc... idk how to cast over that stuff, and get a fish in very easily, so i cast the spinning rod, w jigs, where the shore is deep - no mats. that's a small, but pretty nice area of the pond. i do try to stay in contact w the jig as it falls... the retrieve rate of my slx is 28" per rotation, and of my penn 2500 33". i've got my slx reel with LH retrieve, to match my spinning reel... i'm finding the slx, my first baitcaster, pretty reasonable to cast, but i can heave the heck out of my spinning reel... i've got some shoulder issues, so currently have resorted to using two hands to heave the spinning rod... the pond is actually a dam, and although i've never gotten a bite (to my knowledge, lol) in the deep part of the lake, i've been trying to get to the middle of the pond, where the old creek ran through... not sure if that will be worthwhile.

thanks guys... well, i'm at this point going to try feeling my line.... i'll try putting my hand on the rod, between the grip and the first big guide... otherwise, if my hands too close to the spool, i can't see it working out because of the movement of the bail and line.,, etc..

i've carefully read the 26 page jig thread........ really great. so i just started w jigs, and use zman chatters and swim jigs, 3/8 oz, with trailers. so i guess i 'get' that jigs are super subtle, at least in how one detects a bite (or misses a bunch, lol). i'm unclear on whether guys palm their reels for jigs, so that they can hold a finger on the line. i'm currently mainly using my spin rod for jigs - since the line goes round and round in a large circular motion, it's impossible to hold that line... my spin rod is a MH perigee 7', with 20# high vis braid, and i use a 3' flouro leader. i use my bait caster (i just started with that, a shimano slx combo) for texas rigs, plastics.. currently i'm carrying those two rods. it seemed okay to use the spinning rod for jigs, until i started thinking about whether i need to hold that line to feel a bite... i fish a small 7 acre lake in n california. thanks! happy jigging

omg... to me that is scarey........... i wouldn't even have done that if it were one of those van staal? pliers? aren't those $1000? i'd drop a magnet down, though, even if it meant going back home to get it... actually, a childhood pal knocked my rod and reel into the water and we were on a boat. my dad fished for it, and got it...

thank you, tom... i wasn't really thinking of bass and their prey... i guess i was thinking of birds or other animals that might prey on bass.. ... why is wind direction important? funny you mention wind, though. this morning the surface of the water was still as glass. is that good or bad for bass finding my worms appetizing?

i agree w you... learning to fly cast with your other hand would be super hard, imho.... but the other casting - that should be fine, even bait casting... he said....

i fish the same 7 acre urban pond quite a bit, as a newbie basser... it's in the bay area, california, so a very mild climate - neither too hot, nor cold. in the warmer months of the year, i follow the shade. if i''m there in the morning, i'm on the east side of the pond. if i'm there in the evening, i'm on the west side. i try to fish either of those two times. i throw mainly texas rigged worms along the tops of the weed mats (and into any holes), which cover the edges of the pond, about 5 to 10' in width. i'll swim worms in open water, today with a 1/8 oz bullet. i'll throw swim jigs or chatterbaits into the deeper waters. is following the shade a reasonable general strategy? it seems like there are plenty of places to explore fishing in the shade, while avoiding the sun. i figure in the shallows, the bass would (definitely?) prefer shade. i also prefer shade... happy staying cool...

got a lmb hookup today --- although not while punching my mats.. i didn't get anything punching today. i fished around some big downed trees. i've always wanted to fish around them, but never have. i took guys' advice, and just went str8 braid, moss green. got a lmb to grab a yum dinger on a t-rig, 1/4 oz lead. it was a foil dinger --- i just loved the look of the foil, and have never fished any worm that color before.... immediately lost the fish when he rolled on the surface. i'm having trouble with my hook sets. i'll work on 'em... right now, i'm just delirious when i get a fish on.... happy hook sets and keep punchin'....

punching is totally new to me --- but here's what i've done the past couple times out. so the mats are cover about 90% of the edges of the lake - wherever the bank is shallow, the pond is ringed with about 5 to 7' of mat. i don't want to cast on the far side of the mat, because i figure the fish almost will naturally quickly be under the mat, and there's 5 to 7' of mat between me and him, and even tho it's shallow - i figure i'm done for. right? he'll be in a wad of green goo and vining weeds... so yeah, i'm just fishing vertically. i go around the bank, and if i can reach a small hole or opening in the mat, i toss my lure in. today, i forgot my tackle --- almost all of it. all i had were 2/0 worm hooks and trick worms. so i just dunked those into holes, no weight, as i forgot those, dunked the worms between me and the mat (that's within a yard of me, as i'm standing on the bank), or swam them on top of the mat. between me and the start of the mat is the edge of the pond --- it's often only 1' deep. but it's next to the mat, which is often in about 2 to 3' of water, and then slopes down deeper. i *think* i had two bites??? they felt like rapid tugs --- i don't think it was me brushing my worm over wood, but maybe... were they bluegill? i have no idea if bluegill are in this lake. i've only caught lmb's there. i've never caught a gill....anywhere. so, i'm fishing very vertically - not a clear idea if that's how some or most pound mats. i just don't want to be searching for a fish i get in the mat, and by being vertical, i am picturing just popping them out like corks from a bottle. if i happen to ever catch one. but is this a good strategy to use? i'm fishing only what i can reach with my pole. literally....! i just drop my line in. try wiggling the worm. letting it lie there... i try to be subtle. then move on.

idk if weights or hooks are the cause of a hang, but i no i hang a lot of stuff now, and just want to avoid breaking off and leaving a LOT of braid, etc., which would be pretty noticeable.

thanks a lot, guys. i mainly was worried about getting snagged on submerged wood, which is abundant at this pond, and didn't want to lost a whole bunch of line breaking off. but i guess with the 50# braid, either the hook or the knot holding the hook are clearly the weak points? so you'd usually get almost all your line back? i don't want to leave a bunch of line out there, and i usually use high vis yellow...!

i have a question about bank fishing and punching grass mats. the mats only grow around the edges of the pond i fish, which is in california. the grass is a couple varieties (i think) of long stemmed weeds, and i guess algae... this pond has a lot of snags - wood from many fallen trees, and rocks. if i use 50# braid to punch into the mats, i'm worried about getting my texas rig snagged on wood or rocks, and having trouble breaking off the heavy braid. or should i figure the hook will give way...? so i'm older, and not very strong. my question: does anyone use a leader for the texas rig, for the purpose of breaking off? i find it's very common to get a hook snagged on the bottom - and it's hard to get a different angle on the line, since i'm on the bank. i've just started venturing into the mats --- after reading many of the threads on this site. thanks!

@Lead Head np ----- tried it this morning, since i was dragging a worm..... cool! @rtwvumtneer6 ty ---- i hadn't thought of the diameters of light mono and heavy braid matching ---- happy baitcasting!

just starting to do this... it's interesting. you start to feel things. i've never done it before, as i felt like i could feel the bite in the rod... but i caught a tree today on a trickworm ---- didn't feel it one bit, tho.

hopefully this isn't a dumb question.... does the line stay on your finger, and basically centered to the reel, or does the line move along your finger, with the level wind? i'll try this..hopefully tomorrow morning......!

thanks lead head... i think the lopsided line lay --- it's not from me pinching the line, because i'm just starting to do that, and it wasn't coinciding with the uneven line lay... and i don't even no how to 'pinch' it --- i've been laying my finger parallel to reel spool --- letting the line run over or under it... as i said -- i don't no how people do this --- i may search for it. and i'll take your advice and try to do it just on pretty subtle bottom contact things. since i'm mainly swim jigging, or chatterbaiting --- i'll lay off the finger to the line for sensitivity, when using those jigs. hopefully the uneven line lay will even itself out over time, as i practice my technique. i think it might be cause my line can tend to be a little loose - i may have subtle line loosening on casting, and the occasional mini bird nest might leave the line a little loose also... i'm actually thankful that these tiny baitcasters hold so little line... it's easy to walk out the entire spool. that's pretty convenient.... happy fishing...

i was working on an old zebco spinner. i disassembled and cleaned the various parts, but the central shaft was slightly sticky or noisy,.... i didn't want to take the reel apart more to extricate the shaft from the rotor... a friend suggested wd40, which has slight solvent properties. i tried it. problem solved! i imagine i oiled the shaft after that, and lubed and reassembled the parts i'd removed.. but overall, i just try to take care of my reels. i'm not a dunker, and to maintain them i take them apart only so far as i need to... sort of like gypsy rose lee? u no - take off a little here, a little there, until everything seems cool. then cover it all up again. well, that's how i do it....lol, hopefully.